Apr 7, 2026 1:38 PM
Brian Lynch & Charles McPherson: Composing, Samara & the Barry Harris Connection
In the fall of 2024, trumpeter Brian Lynch hired writer Ted Panken to draft the booklet, vinyl notes and PR materials…
“I love compositions by jazz musicians,” says vocalist Samara Joy. “There’s a different touch, a different foundation.” She put lyrics to a song each from Brian Lynch (right) and Charles McPherson for Torch Bearers.
Apr 7, 2026 1:38 PM
In the fall of 2024, trumpeter Brian Lynch hired writer Ted Panken to draft the booklet, vinyl notes and PR materials…
Cécile McLorin Salvant busts out Jelly Roll Morton’s “The Murder Ballad” at Big Ears, here with pianist Sullivan Fortner.
Apr 7, 2026 1:21 PM
There’s pluralism, then there’s PLURALISM! — and then there’s Big Ears. Thurston Moore, who participated in…
Walter Smith III joins a lofty group of new releases from Blue Note that includes recordings from Ron Carter, Bill Frisell and Immanuel Wilkins.
Apr 7, 2026 1:12 PM
Jazz and gospel are close blood relations. And fortunately, those Saturday night and Sunday morning worlds sometimes…
Jones said that actively pursuing a Grammy nomination gave her “the means by which I launched my music to a wider world,” a win even though the Grammy nod did not come her way.
Apr 7, 2026 1:03 PM
In 2025, after 12 years in the industry, I released my sixth album, Eugenie, on my own Open Mic record label. Despite…
“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…
Each of the 25 JAMs has delivered a poster featuring a jazz legend that is sent out to schools across the nation. This year’s poster features Tony Bennett.
Mar 30, 2026 10:20 PM
Every April for the past quarter century, something remarkable has happened across the United States and far beyond.…
The Jerome Sabbagh Quartet: from left, Nasheet Waits, Joe Martin, Ben Monder and Sabbagh.
Mar 30, 2026 10:10 PM
When tenor saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh wrote “Lone Jack,” which opens his most recent album, Stand Up (Analog Tone…
Joe Lovano is the Artist-in-Residence at this year’s Detroit Jazz Festival.
Mar 30, 2026 10:00 PM
The Detroit Jazz Festival announced this year’s lineup during a livestreamed preview event at the Gretchen C. Valade…
Bollani demonstrates at the piano during a live Blindfold Test in Umbria, Italy, while writer Ashley Kahn, right, and translator Greg Burk look on.
Mar 24, 2026 11:42 AM
Raconteur, bon vivant and popular television host Stefano Bollani is also one of Italy’s best-known pianists, a rare…
Pianist Edward Simon leads of a bevy of great new Latin releases.
Mar 24, 2026 11:21 AM
In last year’s March issue of DownBeat, we wrote about a collection of hot new Latin jazz releases to help folks…
