Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
In Memoriam: Cassandra Wilson, 1955–2026
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
Bobby Sanabria leading the Manhattan School of Music’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra through a live take on Machito’s Kenya album has been released as Kenya Revisited “Live” (Jazzheads).
Originally recorded in December of 1957 by The Machito Afro-Cubans and released in 1958 (featuring Cannonball Adderley, as well as trumpeter Joe Neumann, and percussionist Candido Camero) Kenya had never been performed in its entirety. Under Sanabria’s direction, the entire repertoire of the Kenya album has been updated with new arrangements and performed by the Manhattan School’s orchestra. Camero, now an NEA Jazz Master, joined the orchestra on this recording.
This recording also marks the first release in a series of four collaborations between The Manhattan School of Music and Jazzheads Records. Scheduled for release in the coming months are three Manhattan School of Music interpretations of Miles Davis’ Porgy & Bess , Sketches Of Spain and Miles Ahead. All three of upcoming recordings will feature saxophonist Dave Liebman with the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra conducted by Justin DiCioccio. Jazzheads Records will donate proceeds from the sales of these discs to the Manhattan School of Music Fund-Jazz Arts Program.
More info: msmnyc.edu
Wilson’s ability to connect to audiences helped her to win two Grammy awards and multiple other accolades. She was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2022.
Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
Bertoncini was a specialist and advocate for the nylon-string acoustic guitar, turning down high-profile opportunities that were unsuited to the sound and techniques that he used with that instrument.
Sep 1, 2026 11:06 AM
Gene Bertoncini, an esteemed jazz guitarist, composer, arranger and educator, died Aug. 29 at the Lillian Booth Actors…
A solo concert by saxophonist Joshua Redman will close the first night of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival on Sept. 26.
Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
“It was just that suddenly … I could hear it,” Ravi Coltrane said of an epiphany he experienced during his late teens regarding his father’s music. “And it was almost like a calling, like something saying, ‘Hey, man, come on. It’s time to get serious.’ And the first time you really tune in and dial in and focus like that, it can be very life-changing.”
Sep 22, 2026 1:39 PM
Editor’s Note: Tomorrow, Sept. 23, is the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth. In honor of the tenor and…
Camille Thurman took to the stage alongside bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Tommy Campbell for a rendition of Johnny Mercer’s “I’m An Old Cowhand” that recalled Rollins’ epochal 1957 trio outing Way Out West.
Oct 6, 2026 1:33 PM
As emcee Mark Ruffin noted at the commencement of an epic tribute to saxophonist Sonny Rollins at the Cathedral of…
