Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Theo Croker’s Dream … Manifested!
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
This year’s Syracuse Jazz Festival, which will be held from June 23 to 25 at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, N.Y., will salute three American cities.
On Friday, June 23, the festival will start with a “Salute To Detroit,” with headliners David “Fathead” Newman’s Tribute To Ray Charles (featuring Howard Johnson and Detroit’s Marcus Belgrave) and The Funk Brothers of Motown Records fame. Saturday’s concerts will pay tribute to New Orleans with C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band, Marcia Ball and Dr. John. Cornell Dupree and Les McCann will close out the festival on Sunday with an homage to Memphis.
“By creating dedicated theme nights at the 2006 festival that celebrate and salute three of America’s most renowned musical hubs, we were able to put together a diverse musical lineup that doubles as a history lesson in American popular culture,” said Syracuse Jazz Fest founder and artistic director Frank Malfitano.
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To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests. Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM 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.” Jun 17, 2025 11:12 AM 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… Galper was often regarded as an underrated master of his craft. Jul 22, 2025 10:58 AM Hal Galper, a pianist, composer and arranger who enjoyed a substantial performing career but made perhaps a deeper… 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…
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