Aug 1, 2023 1:00 PM
Bountiful Montreal Jazz Fest Draws Listeners Outside Comfort Zones
One privilege of covering an event scaled as large as the bountiful Montreal Jazz Festival is the opportunity to leave…
Stacey Kent receives the Prix Ella Fitzgerald from Montreal Jazz Festival co-founder Alain Simard on July 1.
Aug 1, 2023 1:00 PM
One privilege of covering an event scaled as large as the bountiful Montreal Jazz Festival is the opportunity to leave…
Branford Marsalis’ crack quartet was among the stronger arena fare on the menu at Umbria.
Jul 25, 2023 1:41 PM
In a sense, the Umbria Jazz Festival has been such a formidable and evolving part of the international jazz festival…
Snarky Puppy’s Montreal Jazz Festival set was tight and well-choreographed, and the solos were on point.
Jul 5, 2023 2:49 PM
Torrential rain greeted DownBeat’s arrival in Montreal on June 29, the first full day of the 43rd edition of the…
The strongest music of the night was performed by Joshua Redman, shown here with drummer Steve Jordan.
Jul 5, 2023 2:23 PM
There are few better causes than the one undertaken by the Jazz Foundation of America, the fabled organization that…
Isaiah Collier leads his band, The Chosen Few, through a program of reimagined standards to accompany the South Chicago Dance Theatre during the world premiere of Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley.
Jun 14, 2023 9:15 AM
Audiences today hunger for interdisciplinary art. That notion was vividly illustrated by the crowd’s response to the…
Outgoing FIMAV founding director Michel Levasseur speaks during a press conference at this year’s festival.
May 30, 2023 12:44 PM
For nearly four decades, seekers of full-service avant-garde festivals in North America have been drawn to the…
Ingrid Laubrock, left, premieres “Lilith” at jazzahead! 2023 with band member David Adewumi on trumpet.
May 23, 2023 12:43 PM
Jazzahead!, a refreshingly hybrid trade fair and artistic showcase held annually at the exhibition center in Bremen,…
“For me, the jazz tradition has worked most consciously and seriously with the idea of freedom in music,” Bärtsch said.
May 16, 2023 3:00 PM
Even before COVID-19 made it problematic for his popular Ronin and Mobile ensembles to tour, Nik Bärtsch and his ECM…
Henry Threadgill set a high bar for collective creation in the service of an individual identity
May 16, 2023 2:46 PM
Seated front-row center, Henry Threadgill was visibly grooving to Very Very Circus — an eminently reasonable response…
Isaiah J. Thompson performs during the finals of the 2023 American Pianists Association’s Awards in Jazz.
May 2, 2023 2:54 PM
Isaiah J. Thompson won the jazz pianist competition led by the American Pianists Association on April 22. The year-long…
