Mar 11, 2025 12:42 PM
Jeff Coffin: The Working-est Man in Show Biz
If the DownBeat Critics Poll had categories for “most eclectic musician” and “working-est man in show biz,”…
“Not in a million years, man,” said saxophonist Jeff Coffin about imagining if he’d be inducted into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame. He was last year.
Mar 11, 2025 12:42 PM
If the DownBeat Critics Poll had categories for “most eclectic musician” and “working-est man in show biz,”…
Joel Ross says that Warren Wolf has the best mix of instrumental technique and a deep understanding of multiple types of music.
Mar 11, 2025 12:29 PM
Joel Ross was touring Europe last summer with his group Good Vibes in support of his new Blue Note album, Nublues. On…
As Ted Nash, left, departs the alto saxophone chair for LCJO, Alexa Tarantino steps in as the band’s first female full-time member.
Mar 4, 2025 1:29 PM
If only because openings for JLCO’s 15 permanent positions appear about as frequently as sub-freezing days on the…
“While most organists would play with three drawbars out, he would pull the fourth one out, too — a little bit of a brighter sound,” Charette says of Jack McDuff.
Mar 4, 2025 12:57 PM
On the back cover of his latest album, organist Brian Charette is pictured crouching in a kung fu fighting stance.…
“You’ve got to trust that inner child, keep exploring, even though people think it’s wrong,” says Fortner.
Feb 25, 2025 11:20 AM
Every week at the Village Vanguard fosters its own sound. No one really knows how the music might evolve by Sunday, but…
“Our planet is crying, and we have to wake up, and we have to do more,” says T.K. Blue.
Feb 25, 2025 11:01 AM
On pianist Abdullah Ibrahim’s landmark 1977 album The Journey (Chiaroscuro), a then-unknown alto saxophonist and…
“I love the touch, the sound, the harmonic progressions, the groove from beginning to end,” Alfredo Rodríguez said of Hank Jones.
Feb 18, 2025 1:56 PM
“I’ve looked to be global for a long time,” Alfredo Rodríguez told DownBeat in 2020. “I like to explore music…
“With Roy, everything was like full throttle,” drummer Willie Jones III says of Hargrove (1969–2018). “Every time we hit the bandstand, it was almost like it was the last time you were going to play a set.”
Feb 11, 2025 12:07 PM
Willie Jones III remembers playing with Roy Hargrove for the first time in spring of 1997 at the old Catalina Bar and…
Out of/Into: Matt Brewer (left), Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, Kendrick Scott and Gerald Clayton.
Feb 11, 2025 11:58 AM
EastWest Studios, a state-of-the-art, multi-roomed recording facility on Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood,…
Feb 4, 2025 11:19 PM
We hope we’ve whetted your appetite for summer jazz studies. With so many options, you only need to decide what dates…
