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…
The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) has announced its 2005 finalists—individuals who were selected out of almost 15,000 entries from 80 countries and who represent the top 1.4 percent of all entries.
The fate of the finalists rest in the hands of ten record label presidents, and artists such as Loretta Lynn, Sonny Rollins, Tom Waits, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Steve Vai, and Darryl McDaniels (RUN DMC). The 50 winners of the competition will be announced in March, and the prizes include over $150,000 in cash and merchandise, including the top honors of ISC 2005 Overall Grand Prize winner.
The Grand Prize winner will receive a package put together especially for the benefit of their song-writing and career. The package includes $10,000 cash; a college radio promotion campaign; legal services from a music attorney; a CD Duplication Package; premium recording software and hardware; music and recording equipment.
The people will also be able to choose a winner through the 2005 People’s Voice, an online voting contest.
The songs can be found at www.songwritingcompetition.com/pvwelcome_2005.htm.
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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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As emcee Mark Ruffin noted at the commencement of an epic tribute to saxophonist Sonny Rollins at the Cathedral of…
