Sep 9, 2020 9:00 AM
Collaboration Fuels Pianist Art Hirahara
Visiting his native San Francisco in mid-March to play some dates and see his mother, Art Hirahara suddenly found…
Art Hirahara’s latest album, Balance Point, includes original compositions and one Duke Ellington tune.
Sep 9, 2020 9:00 AM
Visiting his native San Francisco in mid-March to play some dates and see his mother, Art Hirahara suddenly found…
Saxophonist Kamasi Washington performs during the 2019 Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island.
Sep 8, 2020 11:34 AM
Fort Adams State Park—traditionally home to the Newport Jazz Festival—was uncharacteristically quiet the first week…
Maria Schneider’s new release is a double album titled Data Lords.
Sep 4, 2020 8:59 AM
As one of the top composer-arrangers on New York’s big band jazz scene, Maria Schneider has covered a vast swath of…
Jeff Denson, dean of instruction at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, has shifted to teaching online classes.
Sep 3, 2020 9:00 AM
This fall, life on campuses across the country will depend on safety guidelines related to the coronavirus pandemic.…
In 1982, Mark Anthony Lee (center) recorded “I’m Just A Boogie Roller.”
Sep 2, 2020 8:56 AM
By 1976, the initial incarnation of Stax Records was gone from the musical landscape, but the dreams of superstardom it…
Kahil El’Zabar (left) enlisted David Murray for his latest leader date.
Sep 1, 2020 8:45 AM
Kahil El’Zabar and David Murray have been exchanging spiritual energy for more than 40 years. When they met in 1975…
On his new album, Ambrose Akinmusire includes original compositions that pay tribute to Roscoe Mitchell and Roy Hargrove.
Aug 26, 2020 9:00 AM
Hearing Ambrose Akinmusire perform brings to mind Louis Armstrong’s description of first hearing cornetist Bix…
Kirk Whalum’s most recent leader date is Humanité (Artistry/Mack Avenue).
Aug 21, 2020 8:52 AM
During his four-decade career, Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum has played numerous genres of music, infusing it…
Raw Poetic (left), Archie Shepp and Damu The Fudgemunk collaborated on the album Ocean Bridges.
Aug 18, 2020 8:57 AM
Even when family members share a musical calling, it might take decades for them to collaborate. That was the case for…
Jimmy Heath, who was a 2003 NEA Jazz Masters fellowship recipient, is now a member of the DownBeat Hall of Fame.
Aug 12, 2020 8:55 AM
Jimmy Heath outlived most of his towering contemporaries during a career that saw the spirited saxophonist serve as a…
