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…
Banjo player Béla Fleck, harpist Edmar Castañeda and drummer Antonio Sanchez will make their world premiere as a trio during a special run at the Blue Note in New York City Sept. 10–15. Tickets are on sale now.
“I’m so excited to see what happens next in this new combination, with two musicians I am thoroughly in awe of,” says Fleck, who performed with Castañeda in 2019 at the Big Ears Festival, and with Sanchez in Mexico. “I love playing with folks that have a lot to teach me, and this is certainly one of those times. We have already begun building our collaboration and my take is that we are onto something truly unique.”
“Collaborating with Béla and Edmar on this project has been nothing short of inspiring,” says Sanchez. “The combination of sounds and textures we can achieve is so different from any other band I’ve been in.”
“I never imagined blending my harp with a banjo, and even less with Béla, the finest in the world,” adds Castañeda. “Antonio’s groove and colors creates a bridge between the strings of my harp and the banjo. Together, we’ve forged an unforeseen trio, a union that is truly magical.”
The group will perform two sets each night during its six-day run at the Blue Note. For more information and to purchase tickets, CLICK HERE. 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…