Jul 17, 2025 12:27 PM
Patricia Brennan: Album of the Year/Vibraphonist of the Year
You could pretty much see this one coming. If you were one of Patricia Brennan’s Facebook friends, her wall posts…
“No matter how complex the source is, I still ask myself a question: Does it feel good?” says Brennan.
Jul 17, 2025 12:27 PM
You could pretty much see this one coming. If you were one of Patricia Brennan’s Facebook friends, her wall posts…
Isaiah Collier, the critics’ choice for Rising Star Group of the Year, Rising Star Tenor Saxophonist of the Year and Rising Star Flutist of the Year.
Jul 17, 2025 11:51 AM
We asked our participating critics to elaborate on several of this year’s honorees in the 73rd Annual DownBeat…
Jul 17, 2025 11:35 AM
The DownBeat Critics Poll provides a wonderful snapshot of the jazz scene today, with much to explore and many great…
Joe Satriani, left, and Steve Vai are in the midst of an action-packed European tour.
Jul 15, 2025 11:41 AM
They are the offspring of Jimi Hendrix, forever changed by hearing “Purple Haze” and “Voodoo Child (Slight…
“I want to build an organization that is reflective of the values of improvisation,” says Mark Christman, founder of Ars Nova Workshop.
Jul 15, 2025 10:44 AM
Robert Whalley moved to Philadelphia in the early 2000s with an omnivorous appetite for music. Growing up in England,…
“Hamiet was one of the most underrated musicians ever,” says Whitaker of baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett.
Jul 8, 2025 7:30 AM
At 56, Rodney Whitaker, professor of jazz bass and director of jazz studies at Michigan State University, is equally…
“What if we started a record label?” was the question posed by Shifting Paradigm artist and co-founder Zacc Harris.
Jul 8, 2025 7:24 AM
Artist-run labels have long played key roles in jazz history. Many, like Debut (co-founded by Charles Mingus and Max…
“I was playing under a tree one day and then for a Beatle the next day,” Robin Nolan says of his friendship with the late George Harrison.
Jul 8, 2025 7:17 AM
It was through a masterstroke of serendipity that Dutch guitarist Robin Nolan came to meet ex-Beatle George Harrison…
“As human beings, when we talk to one another we can come together in one community,” said Sunny Jain, leader of Red Baraat. “To me, that’s the most important thing.”
Jul 1, 2025 11:58 AM
When Red Baraat hits the stage and starts pumping out its ecstatic melange of genre-busting music that fuses 18th…
“I would follow Barry [Harris] wherever he went,” Pasquale Grasso says of one of his early mentors. “His concept of music resonated with me, and I loved how he approached it.”
Jun 24, 2025 12:27 PM
Pasquale Grasso plays virtuosic guitar in a style that incorporates intricate harmonies and bebop phrasing with a…
