Aug 12, 2025 10:24 AM
Vocalist Sheila Jordan Dies at 96
Sheila Jordan, a vocalist who was celebrated for her scatting and lyric-improvising abilities, died Aug. 11 at her home…
Russian saxophonist Igor Butman is set to perform at the Jazz Across Borders forum&festival gala with
(Photo: Courtesy Jazz Across Borders forum&festival)The second installment of the Jazz Across Borders forum&festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, is set for Nov. 16-17 as part of the International Cultural Forum.
Five components make up the event: a conference (panel and roundtable discussions, master classes and meetings with members of the industry), music showcases, a series of performances in St. Petersburg clubs, an expo of jazz industry representatives and a gala concert with saxophonist Igor Butman, vocalist Patti Austin and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra.
“The first Jazz Across Borders forum&festival was visited by more than 1,000 people from 32 countries of the world,” Butman said in a press release. “Major promoters, prominent figures of the jazz industry, young musicians, representatives of big and small festivals, our teachers and students—all of us came together for the common goal: to show and prove to others that jazz art is being developed, loved and appreciated in this country, and that we want to continue developing and improving this genre of music. ... We’ve set a high standard and promise to aim higher every year.”
Butman—along with the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation—initially conceived of the festival. Additional information about the festival, including details on how to register register, can be found on the JAB website. DB
• On June 15, the U.S. Department of State issued an advisory saying that Americans should reconsider travel to Russia.
Jordan was a dyed-in-the-wool bebopper whose formative musical experiences were with Charlie Parker.
Aug 12, 2025 10:24 AM
Sheila Jordan, a vocalist who was celebrated for her scatting and lyric-improvising abilities, died Aug. 11 at her home…
“I don’t guess I’m going to excite you; I know I’m going to excite you,” Palmieri said in an August 1994 DownBeat feature.
Aug 12, 2025 10:33 AM
Famed Latin jazz composer, bandleader and pianist Eddie Palmieri passed away in his New Jersey home on Aug. 6. He was…
“What I got from Percy was the dignity of playing the bass,” Buster Williams said of Percy Heath.
Aug 26, 2025 1:53 PM
Buster Williams, who at the age of 83 has been on the scene for 65 years, had never done a Blindfold Test. The first…
“I love the place that fate or whatever has positioned me in Gil Evans’ life and legacy,” said Ryan Truesdell.
Aug 5, 2025 12:26 PM
“I originally set out to give two years of my life to Gil,” Ryan Truesdell said of his mindset in 2009, when he…
Don and Maureen Sickler serve as the keepers of engineer Rudy Van Gelder’s flame at Van Gelder Studio, perhaps the most famous recording studio in jazz history.
Sep 3, 2025 12:02 PM
On the last Sunday of 2024, in the control room of Van Gelder Studio, Don and Maureen Sickler, co-owners since Rudy Van…