Sep 29, 2022 12:54 PM
Studying Jazz in the Pacific Northwest
When it comes to studying jazz, the best known programs usually come from the East, like Manhattan School of Music,…
Guitarist Bill Frisell, right, rehearses with University of Washington students.
Sep 29, 2022 12:54 PM
When it comes to studying jazz, the best known programs usually come from the East, like Manhattan School of Music,…
Stephanie Austin Letson, left, leads Contra Costa College’s JAZZ-ology vocal group during a performance in Grenoble, France.
Sep 29, 2022 12:50 PM
All the steps in the progressive ladder of music education are vitally important, but community and junior college jazz…
“This is a tough time for all of us, and we put it into our music,” Sachal Vasandani, left, said of his new project with Romain Collin.
Sep 27, 2022 3:30 PM
In spring of 2021, Sachal Vasandani (who was DownBeat’s 1999 collegiate vocalist of the year) and Grammy-nominated…
“My dad saw Hendrix open for the Monkees here in Jacksonville, and he told me it was the first time he had ever dropped acid. Pretty intense,” Trucks said,
Sep 20, 2022 2:05 PM
It is hard to fathom the depth of loss that Derek Trucks must have felt in 2017. First, his uncle Butch Trucks, a…
Ramsey Lewis takes part in a live DownBeat interview at the The Midwest Clinic in December 2009. Saxophonist Kirk Whalum (not shown) also took part in the conversation.
Sep 13, 2022 1:31 PM
It’s the week before Christmas in Chicago. The tree in Daley Plaza has been decked out and glowing — all 90 feet of…
“We don’t really call ourselves jazz or any other type of players,” said DOMi, right, of the music she makes with JD BECK. “We’re just musicians.”
Sep 13, 2022 12:29 PM
DOMi & JD BECK had an auspicious record release gig for their debut album, NOT TiGHT. It was scheduled to drop on the…
Adrian Younge (left) and Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s goal with Jazz Is Dead is to pay homage to past luminaries and evoke the sensibilities of their respective artistry during their heydays.
Sep 7, 2022 12:14 AM
Adrian Younge describes Jazz Is Dead as a “romance,” its macabre-sounding trademark notwithstanding. He’s a…
Branch’s music reflected a boundless imagination and remarkable technique.
Aug 30, 2022 11:21 AM
Trumpeter Jaimie Branch, whose music reflected a boundless imagination and remarkable technique, died Aug. 22 at her…
Brian Landrus’ latest album pairs his proclivity for music with his love of animals.
Aug 30, 2022 11:09 AM
Brian Landrus can remember the exact moment he stopped eating animals. It was during lunch in the sixth grade, and…
“This music is about contemplation and meditation,” JoVia Armstrong said of The Antidote Suite.
Aug 23, 2022 12:56 PM
JoVia Armstrong specializes in creating sonic universes. That ingenuity goes beyond her gifts as a drummer,…
