Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
In Memoriam: Jack DeJohnette, 1942–2025
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
Children at the Mthunzi Orphan Center in Lusaka, Zambia, performed vocals on a track that features Kurt Rosenwinkel, Aaron Parks and Dave Douglas.
(Photo: Elena Berto)Best known for his fluid electric guitar lines, Kurt Rosenwinkel is also the driving force behind Heartcore Records, an independent label that now is raising funds to help purchase musical instruments for children in Zambia.
Lusaka, Zambia’s capital city, is home to the Mthunzi Orphan Center, which currently provides respite to about 50 children. And it’s some of those children who have collaborated with Rosenwinkel, pianist Aaron Parks and trumpeter Dave Douglas for the track “Ni Chikondi (About Love).”
“Ni Chikondi” isn’t a straight jazz cut. Instead, Parks plays a melodic bed for the musical contributions from a choir of the children. Douglas’ trumpet laces the endeavor, pushing what largely is a rap and spoken-word track, supplemented by the choir.
Creating the track was a multi-continent endeavor. Both Douglas and Parks recorded their portions in New York, while Rosenwinkel added the finishing touches from a German studio.
Lyrically, “Ni Chikondi” focuses on finding love in nontraditional family settings and struggling with hunger or not having presentable clothing. In short, it’s a plaintive call for love. The six minutes of singing contributed by the children was recorded at the Mthunzi center’s studio and organized by Heartcore’s Michaela Bóková, who traveled to Zambia for the proceedings.
“Some of the kids create music almost every day,” said Chakwe Daka in a press release. “Musical instruments and good equipment would be a huge benefit to their education.”
Daka, a onetime resident of the orphanage, constructed the studio there and helped arrange the session.
According to an email from musician/producer Michaela Bóková, in August 2018, Heartcore is planning a similar project at a school in India. Ideally, Bóková wrote, Heartcore would visit a “country every summer and after 10 years release an album with all those … songs.”
For more information, or to purchase “Ni Chikondi”, visit heartcore-records.com. DB
Jack DeJohnette boasted a musical resume that was as long as it was fearsome.
Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
D’Angelo achieved commercial and critical success experimenting with a fusion of jazz, funk, soul, R&B and hip-hop.
Oct 14, 2025 1:47 PM
D’Angelo, a Grammy-winning R&B and neo-soul singer, guitarist and pianist who exerted a profound influence on 21st…
To see the complete list of nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards, go to grammy.com.
Nov 11, 2025 12:35 PM
The nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards are in, with plenty to smile about for the worlds of jazz, blues and beyond.…
Drummond was cherished by generations of mainstream jazz listeners and bandleaders for his authoritative tonal presence, a defining quality of his style most apparent when he played his instrument unamplified.
Nov 4, 2025 11:39 AM
Ray Drummond, a first-call bassist who appeared on hundreds of albums as a sideman for some of the top names in jazz…
Jim McNeely’s singular body of work had a profound and lasting influence on many of today’s top jazz composers in the U.S. and in Europe.
Oct 7, 2025 3:40 PM
Pianist Jim McNeely, one of the most distinguished large ensemble jazz composers of his generation, died Sept. 26 at…
