Saxophonist George Coleman, seated left, captivated a sold-out room at Smoke Jazz Club in April.

Finzer, second from left, with drummer Lewis Nash, left, bassist Rufus Reid, second from right, and pianist Renee Rosnes.

From left, BDR’s Cody Davies, Tyreek Jackson and Mike LaBombard. “There’s a long history and precedent for what we do,” says drummer and bandleader Joe Pignato.

Charles Lloyd, seen here at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, makes DownBeat Poll history!

“Nicholas Payton is brilliant,” Tim Warfield said during his live Blindfold Test at Temple University. “He’s never ceased to surprise or amaze me. He’s a bad dude.”

Jim Rotondi was acclaimed for his wide, round trumpet tone, remarkable virtuosity and assured swing.

“All the musicians I admire are the ones that sound like their own vocabulary after a certain time,” Terrasson said about finding his own voice.

“I was burning through personnel because it’s a small island, and I wasn’t easy to get along with,” Hoy said of forming a band on Martha’s Vineyard in the late 1970s.

From left, BDR’s Cody Davies, Tyreek Jackson and Mike LaBombard. “There’s a long history and precedent for what we do,” says drummer/bandleader Joe Pignato.

​“To me, it’s not a departure,” says Kenny Garret, right, with Svoy at his side. “My teacher was Miles Davis, so I’ve always been open to all genres of music.”