Jun 9, 2026 10:54 AM
In Memoriam: James Blood Ulmer, 1940–2026
With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
Deerhoof vocalist and bassist Satomi Matsuzaki with trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith
(Photo: Courtesy Of Artist)Avant-garde trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith is teaming up with out-rock ensemble Deerhoof on a release to benefit Black Lives Matter.
To Be Surrounded By Beautiful, Curious, Breathing, Laughing Flesh Is Enough (Joyful Noise) is set for a July 3 release and will be available only on Bandcamp. The album’s title comes from the Walt Whitman poem “I Sing The Body Electric,” which also gave Weather Report’s 1972 studio album its name.
The Deerhoof-Smith collaboration was recorded during the 2018 Winter Jazzfest in New York at Le Poisson Rouge, with Smith appearing on the album’s last five songs and contributing trumpet flights to some of the band’s heavy riffing.
“Black Lives Matter has been doing fantastic work in keeping the rights and the liberty issues up-front in the minds of the Americans and international peoples,” Smith said in a press release. “I think that [the] BLM organization is an excellent place to give support to and to help bring democratic practices into the American society.”
Deerhoof’s drummer Greg Saunier’s ties to the jazzworld extend beyond this latest recording: In 2017, he teamed with guitarist Mary Halvorson and trumpeter/cornetist Ron Miles for the trio album New American Songbooks, Volume 1. The drummer also appears on a live set of Anthony Braxton compositions in the company of multi-instrumentalist Taylor Ho Bynum and guitarist Nels Cline on Quartet (New Haven) 2014, which was released in 2019. DB
To Be Surrounded By Beautiful, Curious, Breathing, Laughing Flesh Is Enough tracklisting:
Believe E.S.P.
Chandelier Searchlight
I Will Spite Survive
Mountain Moves
Polly Bee
Bad Kids To The Front
Snoopy Waves (with Wadada Leo Smith)
Breakup Songs (with Wadada Leo Smith)
Flower (with Wadada Leo Smith)
Last Fad (with Wadada Leo Smith)
Mirror Monster (with Wadada Leo Smith)
To the world, James Blood Ulmer was a legend, a visionary and a musical force whose sound was distinctive and unique. To his family, he was their teacher, their storyteller and a source of strength.
Jun 9, 2026 10:54 AM
With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
A drummer’s drummer, Rodney Holmes gigged with everyone from Joe Zawinul and Carlos Santana to Steve Kimock and the Brecker Brothers.
Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
Clockwise from top left, Mary Halvorson, Patricia Brennan, Adam O’Farrill, Keith Jarrett’s At the Deer Head Inn: The Complete Recordings, Sheila Jordan and Jaki Byard.
Jul 16, 2026 1:34 PM
The DownBeat Critics Poll never ceases to amaze! And the 74th Edition offered plenty of accolades for poll veterans and…
Ibrahim was an early jazz acolyte, studying the music via 78s he would buy from soldiers stationed in South Africa — who also gave him the nickname “Dollar.”
Jun 30, 2026 3:19 PM
Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, the NEA Jazz Master from South Africa who helped fuse the folk music of his home country with…
Joe Lovano’s Paramount Quartet will record live at New York’s Village Vanguard for ECM records on Aug. 26–27.
Jul 22, 2026 12:46 PM
One of Joe Lovano’s buzz terms is “the moment of now” and with seemingly infinite patience — despite a schedule…
