Sep 1, 2020 10:00 AM
In Memoriam: Saxophonist Mark Colby
Saxophonist Mark Colby died Aug. 31 from complications related to cancer, according to an email sent to DownBeat from…
The Strut imprint recently announced a forthcoming album by the Sun Ra Arkestra.
(Photo: Strut)Since the 1993 death of keyboardist and bandleader Sun Ra, his Arkestra has continued to navigate space and time with saxophonist Marshall Allen at the helm.
A handful of archival recordings have been issued recently, including Of Abstract Dreams, which Strut released in 2018. But now, the ensemble’s returning with Swirling, another Strut disc being hailed as the Arkestra’s first studio date in about two decades.
The recording, due out Oct. 9, includes “Seductive Fantasy” (a tune Sun Ra first recorded for On Jupiter in 1979) and finds the group performing as it floats in space alongside psychedelic globs and swirling colors, all animated by Chad Van Gaalen. A second song from the album—“Angels And Demons At Play”—was posted July 15. DB
Updated July 15
Mark Colby (1949–2020)
Sep 1, 2020 10:00 AM
Saxophonist Mark Colby died Aug. 31 from complications related to cancer, according to an email sent to DownBeat from…
Saxophonist Kamasi Washington performs during the 2019 Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island.
Sep 8, 2020 11:34 AM
Fort Adams State Park—traditionally home to the Newport Jazz Festival—was uncharacteristically quiet the first week…
Gary Peacock (1935-2020)
Sep 8, 2020 11:05 AM
Bassist Gary Peacock, who performed and recorded alongside trailblazing bandleaders Albert Ayler, Keith Jarrett and…
Saxophonist and vocalist Camille Thurman is part of a growing contingent of Black women jazz artists tapping into the power of virtual platforms and claiming the right to speak.
Sep 11, 2020 9:10 AM
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual interactions on Facebook, Instagram Live and Zoom quickly replaced…
Unreleased recordings of the Dave Brubeck Quartet—saxophonist Paul Desmond (left), pianist Dave Brubeck, drummer Joe Morello and bassist Eugene Wright—are set for release on Dec. 4.
Oct 23, 2020 9:45 AM
First released on Dec. 14, 1959, The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out achieved prominence in popular culture in a…
