Aug 12, 2025 10:24 AM
Vocalist Sheila Jordan Dies at 96
Sheila Jordan, a vocalist who was celebrated for her scatting and lyric-improvising abilities, died Aug. 11 at her home…
Spike Wilner runs the New York clubs Smalls and Mezzrow.
(Photo: William Brown)Spike Wilner, who owns the clubs Smalls and Mezzrow in New York, announced The SmallsLIVE Foundation for Jazz Art and Education in a Facebook post on April 8, marking a transition to being a nonprofit.
For years, Smalls has posted performances online, but this change seems to aim at expanding on what was previously available. Some of the most-viewed offerings include a 2014 Gerald Clayton Trio set and a 2016 recording of the Matt Brewer Sextet.
“This site has replaced our old one and marks the transition to a not-for-profit arts foundation,” Wilner wrote in the post, explaining the page’s new look and a batch of available videos to stream. “The centerpiece of our site is our SmallsLIVE Archive, which now includes all shows from Mezzrow as well as Smalls and goes back to 2007.”
For additional information or to sign up as a member for a minimum of $10, visit the Smalls website. DB
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.
Aug 26, 2025 1:53 PM
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…
Don and Maureen Sickler serve as the keepers of engineer Rudy Van Gelder’s flame at Van Gelder Studio, perhaps the most famous recording studio in jazz history.
Sep 3, 2025 12:02 PM
On the last Sunday of 2024, in the control room of Van Gelder Studio, Don and Maureen Sickler, co-owners since Rudy Van…