“I had to play the music I loved with the people I wanted to play it with,” said Bloom. “Nothing would stop me.”

“Just because I’m at the organ doesn’t mean I have to fall into the predictable traditional approach to the instrument,” says Goldings.

In addition to his instrumental prowess, Malone was praised for his musical generosity and his singular sense of humor.

“He would always call me his grandson,” Whitaker says of the late Dr. Lonnie Smith. Smith’s personal assistant sent Whitaker one of the master’s B-3s after he died in 2021.

​Béla Fleck will perform in a trio with Edmar Castañeda and Antonio Sanchez at New York’s Blue Note in September.

“We do have a lot of differences, but we are much more similar than different,” says Lee. “I really truly believe that my very personal story can reach out to and appeal to a lot of people.”

“Given a good support system, each artist has the potential to be more than just a performer, but an ambassador of hope,” says Louis Marks, left, ropeadope CEO, with Fabian Brown, president.

​Trombonist Ryan Porter with members of the collective West Coast Get Down at the Los Angeles premiere of Resilience, a new documentary about his life.

From left: Billy Childs, Jazzmeia Horn, Terreon Gully, Yasushi Nakamura, Jaleel Shaw and Ambrose Akinmusire perform at the International Jazz Day 2024 All-Star Global Concert in Tangier, Morocco.

In addition to his work with Snarky Puppy, Martin freelanced as a keyboardist, producer and music director with prominent gospel and R&B musicians.