Apr 25, 2023 12:26 PM
Sharel Cassity Finds Comfort
There’s a zen-like drive to alto saxophonist Sharel Cassity that’s undeniable — über calm on the exterior, but…
“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…
“Getting into jazz changed everything for me,” Wamble said.
Feb 14, 2023 11:14 AM
Beyond is a good descriptor for Doug Wamble’s compelling October release, Blues In The Present Tense, on which the…
