May 2, 2023 3:00 PM
The Orchestral Jazz Musings of Vince Mendoza
Sunset Boulevard begins its 21-mile journey at Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles, curving northward as it skirts…
“There’s so much mystery in his own writing,” Dianne Reeves (left) said of Vince Mendoza (right).
May 2, 2023 3:00 PM
Sunset Boulevard begins its 21-mile journey at Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles, curving northward as it skirts…
“I knew Dizzy’s music inside and out,” Cassidy said about playing in the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band. “That’s what I grew up chasing.”
Apr 25, 2023 12:26 PM
There’s a zen-like drive to alto saxophonist Sharel Cassity that’s undeniable — über calm on the exterior, but…
“Perhaps that’s a key to what makes me tick — a very strong curiosity, which makes me a perpetual fanboy of whatever I’m discovering,” Mehldau says.
Apr 11, 2023 10:47 AM
At the tail end of 2022, Brad Mehldau took advantage of a New York sojourn to play piano with old friends at Smalls…
“The more I thought about that connection, the more it made sense,”James said of comparing Erika Badu and Alice Coltrane from a musical and spiritual standpoint.
Mar 28, 2023 12:49 PM
It’s early December and José James is in the Yuletide spirit. He’s on stage in front of packed audience at Dakota,…
“There was a time I decided I was not a composer, only an improvisor, and I find that very difficult to do with one hand,” Jarrett says. “Jumping off a cliff takes two hands and two feet.”
Mar 21, 2023 12:24 PM
Keith Jarrett can do more with his right hand than most pianists can with two. As he pulls the protective cloth from…
“A lot of trombone players play a lot of notes,” says Delfeayo Marsalis. “I play real laid-back.”
Mar 14, 2023 11:56 AM
The most famous brothers in jazz are scattered. Wynton lives in Manhattan. Branford settled in North Carolina. Jason…
“I don’t do projects that don’t have a story or motivation,” Benjamin says.
Mar 7, 2023 12:48 PM
When DownBeat caught up with Lakecia Benjamin in November via Zoom, the saxophonist and composer was clad in a cherry…
Julian Lage, right, joined writer Nate Chinen for a live Blindfold Test at the North Sea Jazz Festival.
Mar 7, 2023 12:37 PM
When Julian Lage sat down for this live Blindfold Test at the North Sea Jazz Festival last July, the guitarist/composer…
“We try to tell the story of where we come from as a way of navigating where we’re going next,” Charles said.
Feb 28, 2023 1:00 PM
Nearly half an hour into the Oct. 8 premiere of Etienne Charles’ epic suite San Juan Hill, the members of the New…
Emerald City Nights: Live At The Penthouse was recorded at a club that helped put Ahmad Jamal on the map.
Feb 21, 2023 11:52 AM
Truth be told, the music on Emerald City Nights: Live At The Penthouse was just as much of a surprise to Ahmad Jamal as…
