Aug 5, 2025 12:20 PM
Shape-Note Explorations
“Have you ever gotten together with 40 strangers and belted out songs for three hours?” Andy Clausen asks.…
The Westerlies, from left: Addison Maye-Saxon, Riley Mulherkar, Andy Clausen and Chloe Rowlands.
Aug 5, 2025 12:20 PM
“Have you ever gotten together with 40 strangers and belted out songs for three hours?” Andy Clausen asks.…
“Playing duo is one of the most difficult things to do, after playing solo,” said drummer Lesley Mok, shown here with her duo cohort, pianist Phillip Golub.
Aug 5, 2025 12:11 PM
In the waning days of COVID, when the world was learning how to reconnect, two New York artists began meeting across…
Chuck Mangione on the cover of the May 8, 1975, edition of DownBeat.
Jul 29, 2025 1:00 PM
Chuck Mangione, one of the most popular trumpeters in jazz history, passed away on July 24 at home in Rochester, New…
“All those female voices are choirs of women coming to heal the world from the imbalance of the masculine and feminine,” Meza says of her new album, Portal.
Jul 29, 2025 12:53 PM
Camila Meza has been on a journey of self-discovery since the multifaceted vocalist, guitarist and composer first…
Nicholas Payton looked very zen in this photo used for a feature in the January 2024 edition of DownBeat. His departure from Berklee College of Music was anything but.
Jul 29, 2025 12:45 PM
We live in divisive times. Earlier this year, we learned that the gifted composer, bandleader and trumpeter Nicholas…
Galper was often regarded as an underrated master of his craft.
Jul 22, 2025 10:58 AM
Hal Galper, a pianist, composer and arranger who enjoyed a substantial performing career but made perhaps a deeper…
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones have announced dates for their Jingle All the Way tour.
Jul 22, 2025 10:57 AM
Looking for something cool to check out in the heat of a sweltering summer? Here are five upcoming tours and musical…
James Brandon Lewis earned honors for Artist of the Year and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. Three of his recordings placed in the Albums of the Year category.
Jul 17, 2025 12:44 PM
You see before you what we believe is the largest and most comprehensive Critics Poll in the history of jazz. DownBeat…
“Tito’s charisma, along with the rhythmic interaction and melodic interaction — everything was so fine, so exquisite,” said percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo.
Jul 17, 2025 12:36 PM
When percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo speaks about Tito Puente, he spins out a flood of examples of his mentor’s…
“I’m always searching,” said Lewis. “The work never ends.”
Jul 17, 2025 12:32 PM
James Brandon Lewis is no stranger to the DownBeat Critics Poll. In 2023, the Brooklyn-based saxophonist received the…
