Mar 25, 2025 11:44 AM
Violinist Kristin Lee Unveils Her Love for American Music
Kristin Lee was just 7 years old and didn’t speak a word of English when her family left Seoul, Korea, emigrating to…
“Why, being a classically trained musician, do I have to only play the obvious themes?” asks Kristin Lee.
Mar 25, 2025 11:44 AM
Kristin Lee was just 7 years old and didn’t speak a word of English when her family left Seoul, Korea, emigrating to…
“This is one of the great gifts that Coltrane gave us — he gave us a key to the cosmos in this recording,” says John McLaughlin.
Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
“This music is really about honoring my forebearers and expressing gratitude to my parents and my grandparents,” Kono says about Voyages.
Mar 18, 2025 2:35 PM
Versatile woodwind artist Ben Kono, a third-generation Japanese American, spent many years as a consummate sideman,…
“I attribute the jazz elements to my upbringing in the Black American classical pedagogy, to my grandparents Kenny and Joanne Barron,” says NIKARA.
Mar 18, 2025 2:23 PM
Brooklyn is indisputably a power spot in the musical universe, especially in terms of its contributions to jazz, R&B,…
“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
On October 23, Ted Nash – having toured the world playing alto, soprano and tenor saxophone, clarinet and bass…
“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…