2018: Trane, Bootsy, Nubya & Other Top Stories of the Year

News, Geri Allen, Alice Coltrane, Hailu Mergia, Angel Bat Dawid, Arturo O’Farrill, Erykah Badu, Adi Meyerson, Peter Brötzmann, Dawn Clement, John Coltrane, Connie Han, David Virelles, Eric Dolphy, Mayu Saeki, Jason Moran, Alicia Hall Moran, Justin Brown, Julian Lage, Louis Armstrong, María Grand, Medeski Martin & Wood, Milford Graves, Selim Selçuk, Nubya Garcia, Ornette Coleman, Alfredo Rodríguez, Roxy Coss, Tutu Puoane, Simphiwe Dana, Fay Claassen, Renee Rosnes & David Hajdu, Caroline Davis, Shabaka Hutchings, Sara Serpa, Johnaye Kendrick, Wes Montgomery, Jazzmeia Horn, Kurt Elling, Stefon Harris, Vijay Iyer, Kandace Springs

By DownBeat I Jan. 2, 2019

On June 29, the Impulse! label issued previously unreleased studio recordings by John Coltrane (left), Elvin Jones, Jimmy Garrison and McCoy Tyner under the title Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album.
(Photo: © Jim Marshall Photography LLC)
Jason Moran and Alicia Hall Moran perform at the 2015 Venice Biennale in Italy.
(Photo: Courtesy Venice Biennial)
Bassist Christian McBride (left) and Bootsy Collins sat down for a moderated conversation with journalist Andy Hermann in Los Angeles.
(Photo: Paul Wellman)
Kurt Elling performs during the 2018 North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
(Photo: Courtesy North Sea Jazz Festival)
The performers in Angel Bat Dawid’s Cosmic Love Arkestra include elders of the Chicago jazz scene, who the composer said “are very important to me.”
(Photo: Vino Taylor)
Pianist and bandleader Alfredo Rodríguez remembers living in Cuba, wishing he “could talk and play with American musicians.”
(Photo: Anna Webber)
Saxophonist Caroline Davis’ new album, ‘Heart Tonic,’ is informed by her study of the heart.
(Photo: Courtesy of the Artist)
After touring together internationally and playing with various dance projects since 2015, drummer Allison Miller and pianist Carmen Staaf recorded their first co-led album, ‘Science Fair.’
(Photo: Chris Drukker)
Through her music, saxophonist Nubya Garcia explores her West Indian heritage.
(Photo: Adama Jollah)

During 2018, DownBeat published hundreds of articles and album reviews. What’s below, though, are some features and web stories that seemed to have stuck out, whether for the sheer quality of the prose or simply the importance, thoughtfulness or audacity of the performers who were profiled.

There’s a lot to wade through, so take your time, and let the intensity and virtue of each of these players wash over you. Your new favorite recording might be buried in there somewhere. DB

A Year After Geri Allen’s Death, a Tribute from Howard University

Alice Coltrane Concluded Trilogy with ‘Lord Of Lords’

Amid Renaissance, Hailu Mergia Keenly Aware of Time

Angel Bat Dawid Reaches for the Cosmos with Opera

Anthony Braxton Issues an 11-Disc Charlie Parker Project

Arturo O’Farrill’s ‘Fandango’ Spans Border To Unify Cultures, Musics

Bassist Adi Meyerson’s Poise and Presence

Brötzmann Reflects on ‘Machine Gun’ as it Hits 50th Anniversary

Christian McBride & Bootsy Collins: ‘All for the Funk of It’

Clement Crafts Duos Disc

Coltrane’s ‘Lost’ 1963 Studio Album Found

Connie Han on Cyberpunk, Jazz Education and Values