Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
In Memoriam: Rodney Holmes, 1966–2026
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
A drummer’s drummer, Rodney Holmes gigged with everyone from Joe Zawinul and Carlos Santana to Steve Kimock and the Brecker Brothers.
Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
Vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant took her North Sea artist-in-residency as an opportunity to explore her fascination with early music.
Jul 22, 2026 12:24 PM
Having finally fulfilled my mission to get to the legendary North Sea jazz festival, I can confirm the rumors I’ve…
Count Basie’s is the most-represented orchestra on the new Mosaic V-Disc set.
Jul 22, 2026 11:58 AM
The V-Disc program lasted less than six years (1943–’49) but it documented quite a bit of rewarding music. In 1943,…
Clockwise from top left, Mary Halvorson, Patricia Brennan, Adam O’Farrill, Keith Jarrett’s At the Deer Head Inn: The Complete Recordings, Sheila Jordan and Jaki Byard.
Jul 16, 2026 1:34 PM
The DownBeat Critics Poll never ceases to amaze! And the 74th Edition offered plenty of accolades for poll veterans and…
“I think it’s rare to find an improviser that all goes and nothing has to go at all,” says Ambrose Akinmusire of Mary Halvorson.
Jul 16, 2026 1:26 PM
The first time Mary Halvorson won a DownBeat Critics Poll category, taking Guitarist of the Year for 2017, she was seen…
The band from Patricia Brennan’s Album of the Year: from left, John Hollenbeck, Michael Nicolas, Modney, Pala Garcia, Kyle Armbrust, Brennan, Miles Okazaki, Sylvie Courvoisier, Kim Cass and Eli Greenhoe. Not pictured is Arktureye.
Jul 16, 2026 1:21 PM
When last we left Patricia Brennan — just a tad over a year ago, actually — she wasn’t only thinking about the…
Sheila Jordan was one of the first vocalists to fully internalize the language of bebop and transform Charlie Parker’s pioneering musical ideas into a vocal art form all her own.
Jul 16, 2026 1:13 PM
As a singer, Sheila Jordan stood at the vanguard of jazz revolution: She was one of the first to fully internalize the…
Jaki Byard teaching at the Mark Levine Workshop in 1991. “He could crack jokes, but when he sat down, it was serious fun,” says pianist Fred Hersch, a former student.
Jul 16, 2026 12:58 PM
When Jaki Byard played the piano he commanded its entire history through his fingertips. He may not have been not the…
The critics choice for Historical Album of the Year is At The Deer Head Inn: The Complete Recordings.
Jul 16, 2026 12:54 PM
The first half of the last decade of the last century could be considered “peak Jarrett” to those who became…
“I feel like most of my music is more classical music than jazz,” Adam O’Farrill says. It’s both and more.
Jul 16, 2026 12:51 PM
Adam O’Farrill carries the weight of expectations lightly. The 31-year-old trumpeter, composer and bandleader pays…
