Jun 11, 2024 12:58 PM
Grace Kelly’s Grand Movie Entrance
Growing up near Boston, 31-year-old saxophonist-singer-songwriter Grace Kelly had a Friday night tradition with her…
“I don’t want to stop at just playing it as it already was; we have to do something different,” Grace Kelly said of reinterpreting classic movie themes with strings.
Jun 11, 2024 12:58 PM
Growing up near Boston, 31-year-old saxophonist-singer-songwriter Grace Kelly had a Friday night tradition with her…
“If I just sit down and try to play a song all by myself, just tapping my foot, that’s going to be the best thing, because that’s the most honest and most true thing,” says Mulherkar in discussing his debut solo album.
Jun 4, 2024 3:09 PM
The first time trumpeter/composer Riley Mulherkar met his longtime mentor Wynton Marsalis, he was in the third grade.…
Gerald Cannon pays tribute to two former bosses: McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones.
Feb 27, 2024 2:02 PM
These days, the list of living musicians who’ve played with any members of John Coltrane’s quintessential quartet,…
“I think a lot of people think this still sounds like me, but they’ll also know it’s something different,” says Yuhan Su about her latest recording. “I am proud of that.”
Feb 27, 2024 1:49 PM
In 2019, Taiwan-born vibraphonist Yuhan Su needed a break from New York City.
Born in the small, rural city of…
“I think a lot of people think this still sounds like me, but they’ll also know it’s something different,” says Yuhan Su about her latest recording. “I am proud of that.”
Feb 13, 2024 1:54 PM
In 2019, Taiwan-born vibraphonist Yuhan Su needed a break from New York City.
Born in the small, rural city of…
“I wanted it to be a continuous celebration of life,” Rodriguez says of his new album, Coral Way.
Oct 17, 2023 1:07 PM
In 2019, a decade after moving from Cuba to Los Angeles on Quincy Jones’ invitation, Havana-born jazz pianist Alfredo…
“I don’t want to listen to jazz because I have to save it,” said Joy. “I want to listen to it and play it because I like it.”
Jul 27, 2023 2:31 PM
It would be safe to say that Samara Joy, the 23-year-old vocalist with a spellbinding voice and sophisticated command…
“I grew up around entrepreneurial family, so the label was [both] serendipitous and a little bit of calculation,” Dorsey said of his Jazz Avenue 1 Records.
Jul 11, 2023 1:11 PM
When it comes to the caliber, variety and release pace of his recordings, heavyweight bassist/composer/arranger Leon…
“I could be a little bit indulgent and not worry,” Kauflin said about recording a live album.
Apr 11, 2023 11:09 AM
Since appearing in the moving 2014 documentary Keep On Keepin’ On, about his relationship with trumpet legend Clark…
Lee started listening to Chet Baker Sings every day during the initial weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mar 21, 2023 12:38 PM
For Amos Lee, the Philadelphia-bred singer-songwriter who first broke as the opening act on Norah Jones’ 2004 tour,…
Guitarist Bill Frisell, right, rehearses with University of Washington students.
Sep 29, 2022 1:49 PM
When it comes to studying jazz, the best known programs usually come from the East, like Manhattan School of Music,…
“This is a tough time for all of us, and we put it into our music,” Sachal Vasandani, left, said of his new project with Romain Collin.
Sep 27, 2022 3:50 PM
In spring of 2021, Sachal Vasandani (who was DownBeat’s 1999 collegiate vocalist of the year) and Grammy-nominated…
“Big band jazz can teach us what Dizzy Gillespie talked about, which is you should have one foot in the present, one foot in the past and one foot in the future,” Owens said.
Aug 3, 2022 1:36 PM
The votes are in, and the Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band has been selected as Rising Star Large Ensemble of the Year in the…
Quinence Lynell, left, and Dee Dee Bridgewater perform at SummerStage in New York.
Apr 29, 2022 4:52 PM
It’s been awhile since many jazz events were allowed to go live, unhindered by the threat of pandemic-induced…
Rosanna Vitro tapped legends like Sheila Jordan to join her in tribute to Charlie Parker.
Feb 8, 2022 2:49 PM
Roseanna Vitro is a Grammy-nominated vocalist, a member of the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame, a jazz ambassador for the…
Benito Gonzalez
Nov 9, 2021 11:34 AM
With a myriad of perspectives to draw on as a Venezuelan-born, New York-based jazz pianist, Benito Gonzalez considers…
Dan Blake’s jazz life is much inspired by his activist efforts.
Jul 20, 2021 4:46 PM
Saxophonist-composer Dan Blake has long been entrenched in the jazz world. But, more recently, he’s begun to engage…
Mary Halvorson remained busy during the pandemic year, releasing a new album with her group Code Girl, as well as with the trio Thumbscrew.
Dec 11, 2020 10:50 AM
Since her debut on record about 15 years ago, guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson has stood out. A fierce…
Chien Chien Lu has toured and recorded with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt.
Dec 3, 2020 8:59 AM
Before 2012, Chien Chien Lu had never heard jazz. Having spent her childhood taking piano lessons and playing marimba…
The fusion of musical ideas on Cindy Blackman Santana’s latest album “transcends any kind of veil that we put between us,” the drummer said.
Nov 23, 2020 11:46 AM
When drummer and bandleader Cindy Blackman Santana makes music, it’s in pursuit of something deeply spiritual.
…
Matt Gold draws on Chicago’s deep well of talent for his debut album, Imagined Sky.
Aug 14, 2020 8:02 AM
Music, like a spoken language, has dialects.
Just as jazz from the East Coast is known for its hard-driving swing,…
Vocalist Lauren Henderson (clockwise from top-left), broadcaster and journalist Mark Ruffin, manager Gail Boyd, venue-owner Gerry Eastman and bassist John Clayton recount some of their experiences in the jazzworld.
Jul 13, 2020 12:07 PM
Though jazz is a genre shared and revered by people of all backgrounds, there’s no equivocating: The music is the…
Vocalist Lauren Henderson collaborated with pianist Sullivan Fortner on The Songbook Session.
May 1, 2020 1:48 AM
Contrary to popular belief, playing standards in 2020 doesn’t necessarily require excessive innovation. In fact, with…
Duchess—Amy Cervini (left), Hilary Gardner and Melissa Stylianou—looks to generate joy with Live At Jazz Standard (Anzic).
Apr 6, 2020 3:29 PM
In 2015, Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner and Melissa Stylianou decided to turn their “magical” vocal synergy into the…
Vibraphonist Warren Wolf wanted to do “something completely different” for his Mack Avenue album, Reincarnation.
Mar 2, 2020 10:28 AM
There’s no question that Baltimore-bred vibraphonist Warren Wolf can swing. His previous three albums on Mack…
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