Jul 5, 2023 1:55 PM
Rachel Eckroth Explores Her Jazz Predilections
When Arizona native Rachel Eckroth spoke with DownBeat in March, she was in Denmark, wrapping up a…
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…
“I’m just trying to write from a calm place,” Laubrock says of her latest work.
Jun 6, 2023 11:39 AM
The lines between jazz and classical used to be more stark, but they were never seamless — even before composer and…
“When you play blues-type stuff, the material is pretty obvious; it’s how you do a lot with a little,” Liebman said.
May 30, 2023 1:06 PM
At 76, soprano and tenor saxophonist Dave Liebman — an alumnus of bands led by Miles Davis and Elvin Jones, leader of…
