May 26, 2026 11:08 AM
Sonny Rollins Passes Away at 95
Sonny Rollins, the iconic saxophonist, composer and improviser whose career stretched from the origins of bebop to 21st…
Prestige is releasing five more titles in its Rudy Van Gelder Remasters series on Sept. 26. Van Gelder originally recorded these now-classic jazz titles in his New Jersey studio in the 1950s through the early 1960s. He transferred the original analog stereo master tapes to compact disc using 24-bit digital technology for these reissues.
“I remember the sessions well,” Van Gelder said. “I remember how the musicians wanted the sound and I remember their reactions to the playbacks. Today, I feel strongly that I am their messenger.”
The titles in the upcoming reissue series include John Coltrane’s Soultrane (1958), Miles Davis All Stars’ Walkin’ (1954), Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis’ Cookbook, Vol. 1 (1958), Jack McDuff’s The Honeydripper (1961) and Etta Jones’ Don’t Go To Strangers (1960).
Onstage, Rollins would move about restlessly, thrusting his tenor sax in the air as he blew.
May 26, 2026 11:08 AM
Sonny Rollins, the iconic saxophonist, composer and improviser whose career stretched from the origins of bebop to 21st…
To the world, James Blood Ulmer was a legend, a visionary and a musical force whose sound was distinctive and unique. To his family, he was their teacher, their storyteller and a source of strength.
Jun 9, 2026 10:54 AM
With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
How best to mark Miles Davis’ centennial? By allowing the stories to flow, and cross-discussions to happen.
May 26, 2026 10:40 AM
Editor’s Note: The iconic trumpeter, composer and bandleader Miles Davis would have turned 100 today (May 26, 2026).…
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.
Jul 16, 2026 1:34 PM
The DownBeat Critics Poll never ceases to amaze! And the 74th Edition offered plenty of accolades for poll veterans and…
Ibrahim was an early jazz acolyte, studying the music via 78s he would buy from soldiers stationed in South Africa — who also gave him the nickname “Dollar.”
Jun 30, 2026 3:19 PM
Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, the NEA Jazz Master from South Africa who helped fuse the folk music of his home country with…
