Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
In Memoriam: Rodney Holmes, 1966–2026
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
Producer Arif Mardin, who worked with a host of musical legends, died of pancreatic cancer on June 25. He was 74.
Born in Istanbul, the lifelong jazz fan, he attended Berklee College of Music as the first recipient of the Quincy Jones Scholarship. After graduating in 1961, he taught at the school for a year before moving to New York where he worked as an assistant to Neshui Ertegun at Atlantic Records. Mardin served at the label until 2001 where he produced the Modern Jazz Quartet, Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Norah Jones, and many others.
During those 40 years, Mardin collected more than 40 gold and platinum albums and 12 Grammy Awards.
A drummer’s drummer, Rodney Holmes gigged with everyone from Joe Zawinul and Carlos Santana to Steve Kimock and the Brecker Brothers.
Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
Clockwise from top left, Mary Halvorson, Patricia Brennan, Adam O’Farrill, Keith Jarrett’s At the Deer Head Inn: The Complete Recordings, Sheila Jordan and Jaki Byard.
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The DownBeat Critics Poll never ceases to amaze! And the 74th Edition offered plenty of accolades for poll veterans and…
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“There was something about her tone and sound and phrasing — an intimacy, a vulnerability, an honesty,” says Joshua Redman, who produced Cavassa’s record after she toured with his band.
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Gabrielle Cavassa is an avowed perfectionist. So when she failed to place despite becoming a finalist in the 2018 Sarah…
