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…
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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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… “The love from the jazz and music community restored my faith in humanity,” Walia wrote in an online post upon his release from detention at an ICE facility. Aug 18, 2026 2:15 PM Indian jazz guitarist and composer Pritesh Walia has been released after being unexpectedly detained by ICE and taken… 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. Sep 1, 2026 11:06 AM 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. Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM 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.” Sep 22, 2026 1:39 PM Editor’s Note: Tomorrow, Sept. 23, is the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth. In honor of the tenor and…
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