Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
A Love Supreme at 60: Thoughts on Coltrane’s Masterwork
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
Victor Gould experiments with new voices and longstanding collaborators on Thoughts Become Things.
(Photo: Jimmy Katz)Drummond found that she had an immediate connection with his sound and concept: “Victor’s music is both beautiful and intellectual. He is a force.”
She also instantly felt the kind of openness Gould aimed to cultivate among his collaborators.
“Though his music is conceptually very clear, Victor is open to new ideas and different energies,” Drummond said. “So, playing with him is a truly wonderful experience. He creates a comfortable atmosphere, letting players be themselves, which opens doors to real creative moments.”
Gould completes the album’s rhythm section with drummer Rodney Green and bassist Vicente Archer, the latter having recorded with Gould on some of Pelt’s projects. Gould acknowledged calling each artist—and in particular Green and Archer—because he knew they would filter his work through their own experiences and approaches to music.
“No matter what I would bring in, they kind of made it their own,” the pianist said, “customized it and made it personal.”
Before departing in early August for a 12-day tour of Japan, Gould seemed energized and eager to take his own project around the world. “[Now,] you can just jump straight on the scene and be a leader,” he said. “And it seems like the only way to gain that popularity, to get to the next level, is to be a leader.” DB
“This is one of the great gifts that Coltrane gave us — he gave us a key to the cosmos in this recording,” says John McLaughlin.
Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
The Blue Note Jazz Festival New York kicks off May 27 with a James Moody 100th Birthday Celebration at Sony Hall.
Apr 8, 2025 1:23 PM
Blue Note Entertainment Group has unveiled the lineup for the 14th annual Blue Note Jazz Festival New York, featuring…
“I’m certainly influenced by Geri Allen,” said Iverson, during a live Blindfold Test at the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival.
Apr 15, 2025 11:44 AM
Between last Christmas and New Year’s Eve, Ethan Iverson performed as part of the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival in…
“At the end of the day, once you’ve run out of differences, we’re left with similarities,” Collier says. “Cultural differences are mitigated through 12 notes.”
Apr 15, 2025 11:55 AM
DownBeat has a long association with the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, the premiere…
“It kind of slows down, but it’s still kind of productive in a way, because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Andy Bey said on a 2019 episode of NPR Jazz Night in America, when he was 80. “The music is always inspiring.”
Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…
