Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
In Memoriam: John Hammond Jr., 1942–2026
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
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’
Coltrane’s ‘Lost’ 1963 Studio Album Found
Connie Han on Cyberpunk, Jazz Education and Values
David Virelles Seeks Out a Certain Spirit
Despite Growing Pains, L.A. Jazz Scene Continues to Blossom
The Distinct Groove of Allison Miller and Carmen Staaf
Eric Dolphy: The ‘Prophet’ of Freedom
Flutist Mayu Saeki Searches Her Soul
In Tandem, the Morans Expand Notions of Art
Julian Lage Takes a ‘Page from the Rock ’n’ Roll Book’
Kandace Springs Motors Forward
Louis Armstrong House Museum Digitizes Life of an Icon
María Grand’s New Disc Informed by Vocalists, Influential Social Scientist
Medeski Martin & Wood Enter the ‘Omnisphere’
New Documentary Examines Milford Graves’ Music and Philosophy
Nubya Garcia Wields a Luminous Tone
The Odyssey of Drummer Selim Selçuk’s First Album
Preliminary Preservation Plans Announced for Coltrane Home
Q&A with Alfredo Rodríguez: Global References
Q&A with Roxy Coss: Seeking a Unique Voice
Q&A with Simphiwe Dana: Lasting Music
Q&A with Tutu Puoane: ‘Aware of the World’
Q&A with Vocalist Fay Claassen: Getting at the Whole Picture
Rosnes Leads Collective in New York Debut
Saxophonist Caroline Davis Takes Humanity’s Pulse
Shabaka Hutchings: Britain’s Best Export
Stefon Harris’ Nurturing Spirit
Ten Years of Evolution Led Singer Sara Serpa to her Latest Album
Triple Play: Three North Sea Jazz Festival Blindfold Tests (Kurt Elling, Jazzmeia Horn, Vijay Iyer)
Vocalist Johnaye Kendrick Takes Flight
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater will be among the headliners at this year’s DC JazzFest.
Mar 2, 2026 9:48 PM
The first wave of artists scheduled to perform at the 2026 DC JazzFest have been announced. This year’s headliners…
Blindfold Test proctor Ted Panken, left, with the Grammy-winning Nicole Zuraitis.
Feb 24, 2026 12:00 PM
After earning the 2024 Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy for her seventh album, How Love Begins (La Reserve), comprising 12…
“These days, with curated news, where people only get half the story, people can’t even speak to family members anymore,” Schneider laments.
Mar 10, 2026 1:43 PM
Maria Schneider is doing her part to try to fix what ails America. Which got her thinking about crows, specifically,…
