Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
In Memoriam: Al Foster, 1943–2025
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Sonny Rollins’ new disc, Sonny, Please , is being released on his own Doxy label. The CD—his first studio recording in five years—will be distributed and marketed worldwide through a licensing agreement with Universal Classics & Jazz International.
“The business seemed to be going in the direction of artist-owned labels, so I made the leap,” Rollins said.
Sonny, Please was recorded shortly after the saxophonist’s sextet returned from a November 2005 Japanese tour.
“Anytime you do a string of performances, it tightens up the ensemble,” Rollins said. “And the band was playing very high powered. Toward the end of the tour, the group really began to come together and I began to be able to play much more fluently.”
For more information go to: sonnyrollins.com
Foster was truly a drummer to the stars, including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.
Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Benny Benack III and his quartet took the Midwest Jazz Collective’s route for a test run this spring.
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The time and labor required to tour is, for many musicians, daunting at best and prohibitive at worst. It’s hardly…
To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests.
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Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
“There’s nothing quite like it,” Springs says of working with an orchestra. “It’s 60 people working in harmony in the moment. Singing with them is kind of empowering but also humbling at the same time.”
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When it came time to pose for the cover of her new album, Lady In Satin — a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958…
James Brandon Lewis earned honors for Artist of the Year and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. Three of his recordings placed in the Albums of the Year category.
Jul 17, 2025 12:44 PM
You see before you what we believe is the largest and most comprehensive Critics Poll in the history of jazz. DownBeat…
