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…
Samara Joy’s Linger Awhile topped a daunting list of amazing music.
Samara Joy, Linger Awhile (VERVE) … 1,910
With this beautiful recording, a silky-voiced star is born.
Terri Lyne Carrington, New Standards Vol. 1 (CANDID) … 1,350
Putting her music where her mouth is, Carrington brings much-needed attention to the composing voices of women in jazz.
Redman/Mehldau/McBride/Blade, Long Gone (NONESUCH) … 1,190
A breathtaking reunion of four of the brightest stars in jazz.
Kenny Barron, The Source (ARTWORK) … 1,110
The master at 80, alone at the piano ... perfection!
Charles Lloyd, Trio Of Trios (BLUE NOTE) … 1,080
Three different trios, three full albums, one work of beauty, poise, joy and ambition.
Brad Mehldau, Your Mother Should Know (NONESUCH) … 810
The music of The Beatles channeled through the mind of one of our greatest living pianists.
Shorter/Carrington/Genovese/Spalding, Live At The Detroit Jazz Festival (CANDID) … 730
A beautiful moment captured not long before Wayne Shorter left the planet. Thank you, Detroit and Candid.
Fred Hersch & esperanza spalding, Alive At The Village Vanguard (PALMETTO) … 620
Two masters, one magical evening — Hersch at piano, spalding with just her lovely voice.
Julian Lage, View With A Room (BLUE NOTE) … 580
The amazing guitarist continues to thrill with another recording full of heart and soul.
Cécile McLorin Salvant, Mélusine (NONESUCH) … 500
The leading lady of jazz vocals creates a masterpiece of thoughtful, adventurous music. 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…
