“Charlie Christian with the Benny Goodman Sextet on record, that was it!” said Freeman of his early influences.

Herbie Hancock (left), Jahari Stampley, Connor Rohrer and Paul Cornish at this year’s competition, which took place Oct. 14–15 in New York.

“I made the decision pretty early on that jazz music was going to be a huge part of my identity when I was growing up in California. But New York City made a man out of me,” Meagher says.

Parks has battled and triumphantly come back from bouts of manic behavior that left him “getting pretty abstract,” he said, to the point that he had to cancel a tour and seek help.

​John Scofiled was the showcase artist at this year’s Monterey Jazz Festival.

Pascal and Remy Le Boeuf have been described as “impressive musically and, most importantly, impressive as people,” by Tim Jackson of the Monterey Jazz Festival.

A trio featuring reedist Ingrid Laubrock, drummer Tom Rainey and bassist Brandon Lopez will deliver rigorous free-jazz explorations at this year’s edition of Jazzfest Berlin.

​Bley told DownBeat in 1984: “I’m just a composer, and I use jazz musicians because they’re smarter, and they can save your ass in a bad situation. … I need all the help I can get.”

“I wanted it to be a continuous celebration of life,” Rodriguez says of his new album, Coral Way.

“Johnny O’Neil has such charisma, when he sits at the piano he commands attention,” observed pianist Sullivan Fortner, his duet partner at this year’s Detroit Jazz Fest.