Feb 24, 2026 12:00 PM
Blindfold Test: Nicole Zuraitis
After earning the 2024 Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy for her seventh album, How Love Begins (La Reserve), comprising 12…
Blindfold Test proctor Ted Panken, left, with the Grammy-winning Nicole Zuraitis.
Feb 24, 2026 12:00 PM
After earning the 2024 Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy for her seventh album, How Love Begins (La Reserve), comprising 12…
Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall
Feb 17, 2026 11:05 AM
They were Berklee misfits. Neither jazzy enough for the straightahead crowd at Boston’s highly prestigious College of…
“I was afraid of not being able to catch up so I began practicing eight hours a day for years,” says Emma Rawicz of starting on the saxophone as a teenager. “It was unhinged, but it fulfilled a purpose.”
Feb 10, 2026 11:32 AM
The past three years have seen a meteoric rise for 23-year-old Emma Rawicz. In 2022, the British saxophonist was busy…
“I play what I want and what I like,” said Andrew Cyrille. “I use my knowledge artistically and professionally.”
Feb 3, 2026 12:15 AM
Midway through August, a few days after concluding a week at the Village Vanguard with the quartet that Andrew Cyrille…
“Joe Henderson, to me, is what it means to have a huge sound even though we know that his volume was very soft,” Aldana said during her live Blindfold Test.
Jan 19, 2026 5:00 PM
There’s a new album out from saxophonist Melissa Aldana, Filin (Blue Note), that leans on the gentle side of her…
Wolfgang Muthspiel, left, with trio mates Scott Colley and Brian Blade.
Jan 19, 2026 4:50 PM
In its remarkable 56-year history, ECM Records has released more than 1,800 albums by countless artists from around the…
“It’s a positive record for me because I was trying to give some inspiration, more so than anything,” says Dave McMurray of his new album.
Jan 13, 2026 2:03 PM
Detroit saxophonist Dave McMurray still has deeply felt youthful memories of making the pilgrimage to Baker’s…
“That silky tone, the tonal clarity. It’s like hearing a relative’s voice; you know it immediately,” Wilson said of Kenny Burrell.
Dec 30, 2025 1:01 PM
The first-ever live DownBeat Blindfold Test at September’s Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival was also the…
“We started seeing something that’s not completely right, he had a cold, he was crying more,” Sivan said of his baby son’s cancer.
Dec 30, 2025 12:56 PM
Heart Thieves, the new album from guitarist Rotem Sivan, is named well. This lush record, and the moving story behind…
Cha Wa’s album Rise Up makes a joyful noise of redemption and freedom that propels the band on to the world stage.
Dec 16, 2025 2:04 PM
Four years in the making, Rise Up, the latest album from the Afro-Indigenous funk collective Cha Wa, was released on…
