Sep 3, 2025 12:02 PM
Keeping the Flame at Van Gelder Studio
On the last Sunday of 2024, in the control room of Van Gelder Studio, Don and Maureen Sickler, co-owners since Rudy Van…
My Point is ... is drummer Willie Jones III’s most recent long-playing album.
(Photo: Anna Yatskevich)A prime example of one such interstitial tributary was Jones’ tenure with Cedar Walton, who worked steadily with Higgins from the early ’70s until shortly before Higgins’ death in 2001. “Higgins would bring Cedar to his workshop,” Jones said. “Cedar taught us his songs, and listened to us play, critiqued us. I didn’t get close to him then, though once he called me for a couple of gigs. I knew his book the first time I played with him. After I moved to New York, he’d call me as a sub, and in 2008 I started playing with him all the time. Playing through Cedar’s songbook and his arrangements took my playing to an even more musical level.”
Having cultivated WJ3 to the point where it is self-sustaining, Jones plans to remain on the DIY pathway that Higgins advocated so assiduously. “It’s a self-investment,” Jones said. “I’m not making a profit, but I’m not losing any money. I’ve become more proficient at putting out each project. If a major label came along and said, “Not only will we put your project out, but we’ll send you on the road for a tour” or something like that—which we know isn’t going to happen ... . But under those circumstances, I would jump at the opportunity.”
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…
Jack DeJohnette boasted a musical resume that was as long as it was fearsome.
Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
Trio aRT with its avalanche of instrumentation: from left, Pheeroan akLaff, Scott Robinson and Julian Thayer.
Sep 3, 2025 12:03 PM
Trio aRT, a working unit since 1988, shockingly released its very first studio recording this summer. Recorded in…
“Think of all the creative people I’m going to meet and a whole other way of thinking about music and a challenge of singing completely different material than I would have sung otherwise to my highest level in dedication to the moment,” Elling says about his Broadway run.
Sep 9, 2025 1:18 PM
Kurt Elling was back at home in Chicago, grabbing some family time in a late-June window between gigs. Sporting a smile…
Pat Metheny will perform with his Side-Eye III ensemble at Big Ears 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee, next March.
Sep 9, 2025 12:19 PM
Big Ears has announced the lineup for its 2026 festival, which will take place March 26–29 and include 250…
