Jul 5, 2023 2:55 PM
James Brandon Lewis: The Storyteller
“I’m constantly searching and pushing,” New York-based saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis says. “I…
Lewis said that performing live is “an act of vulnerability since playing a show is being in the moment forever.”
Jul 5, 2023 2:55 PM
“I’m constantly searching and pushing,” New York-based saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis says. “I…
“Writing strong melodies is key for me,” said Klein, shown here with his trio mates Haggai Cohen-Milo and Amir Bresler.
Jul 5, 2023 2:02 PM
It was 10 years ago that Israeli-born pianist Omer Klein began exploring his intimate, conversational chemistry with…
Humanoid unveils a new sound, Eckroth says, with musicians who share her penchant for pushing boundaries.
Jul 5, 2023 1:55 PM
When Arizona native Rachel Eckroth spoke with DownBeat in March, she was in Denmark, wrapping up a…
“I’ve known these songs all my life, but I saw that there wasn’t enough attention on the older music,” Mahal says.
Jun 27, 2023 1:03 PM
It may come as a surprise to find that the artist known as Taj Mahal — born Henry Fredericks Jr. — has officially…
“The history of the music is very important to us,” says Escoffery, noting that it is equally important to push the music forward.
Jun 27, 2023 12:44 PM
Wayne Escoffery sits comfortably in a soft chair in a hotel room in Denver. He is traveling once again with the Mingus…
“We actually had days where we did three songs in one day. It was just pow, pow, pow,” Jones said of the five-day recording session.
Jun 20, 2023 2:42 PM
Rickie Lee Jones has a credo that she’s lived by all her life: shouting her name out while zigzagging through musical…
“When things go right, it’s like dipping your hands into a nice sink of water,” Towner says of “Empty Stage,” from his new album, At First Light.
Jun 20, 2023 2:37 PM
After more than 30 years of living as an expatriate in Italy, the amiable Ralph Towner is sitting comfortably at his…
The London Brew Team, from left, Shabaka Hutchings, Tom Herbert, Nikolaj Torp Larsen, Nubya Garcia, Dave Okumu, Raven Bush, Dan See, Martin Terefe, Tom Skinner, Benji B, Nick Ramm, Dilip Harris, Luke Pickering and Theon Cross.
Jun 20, 2023 2:30 PM
In 2020, the pandemic scuppered plans for a concert at London’s Barbican, which would have paid homage to 50 years of…
“The big thing was having multiple sections, ideas that develop slowly over time and don’t stray too far from an initial core idea,” Smith says of Return To Casual.
Jun 13, 2023 12:32 PM
Walter Smith III finds compositional inspiration in unexpected — and amusing — places. As an example, consider the…
“When I picked up the accordion, my musical world expanded instantly,” says Rosenblum.
Jun 13, 2023 11:20 AM
Composer, pianist, accordionist and bandleader Ben Rosenblum’s musical purview is, by nature, a worldly one. Although…
