Jul 29, 2025 1:00 PM
Chuck Mangione, Rest in Peace
Chuck Mangione, one of the most popular trumpeters in jazz history, passed away on July 24 at home in Rochester, New…
Saxophonist Gary Smulyan has announced plans to release a new album, High Noon: The Jazz Soul Of Frankie Laine (Reservoir) on Jan. 28, 2009.
The album explores the work of vocalist and composer Frankie Laine, who died in February 2007. As a singer/songwriter, Laine released hit records like “Mule Train” and “Jezebel” in the ‘40s and ‘50s and sang the theme songs to the television series Rawhide and films like 3:10 To Yuma and Blazing Saddles in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Laine was also a prolific composer with more than 80 songs to his credit.
Smulyan worked with arranger Mark Masters of Los Angeles’ American Jazz Institute to select 10 songs that display the depth and sophistication of Laine’s music. Tunes include hits like “High Noon” and “That Lucky Old Sun,” along with Laine’s own compositions like “Baby, Baby All The Time,” “I’d Give My Life” and “We’ll Be Together Again.”
Chuck Mangione on the cover of the May 8, 1975, edition of DownBeat.
Jul 29, 2025 1:00 PM
Chuck Mangione, one of the most popular trumpeters in jazz history, passed away on July 24 at home in Rochester, New…
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.
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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…