Feb 25, 2025 11:29 AM
T.K. Blue: Music for a Crying Planet
On pianist Abdullah Ibrahim’s landmark 1977 album The Journey (Chiaroscuro), a then-unknown alto saxophonist and…
“Our planet is crying, and we have to wake up, and we have to do more,” says T.K. Blue.
Feb 25, 2025 11:29 AM
On pianist Abdullah Ibrahim’s landmark 1977 album The Journey (Chiaroscuro), a then-unknown alto saxophonist and…
“With Roy, everything was like full throttle,” drummer Willie Jones III says of Hargrove (1969–2018). “Every time we hit the bandstand, it was almost like it was the last time you were going to play a set.”
Feb 11, 2025 12:15 PM
Willie Jones III remembers playing with Roy Hargrove for the first time in spring of 1997 at the old Catalina Bar and…
Gerald and John Clayton at the family home in Altadena during a photo shoot for the June 2022 cover of DownBeat. The house was lost during the Los Angeles fires.
Jan 21, 2025 8:01 PM
Roy McCurdy and his wife had just finished eating dinner and were relaxing over coffee in their Altadena home, when he…
Trombonist Ryan Porter, left, with saxophonist Kamasi Washington at last summer’s Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival.
Jan 2, 2025 3:55 PM
On a warm summer night at the annual Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival, where nearly 18,000 people packed onto the benches…
Devin Daniels performing with trumpeter Julien Knowles.
Nov 19, 2024 12:55 PM
“I kind of wasn’t expecting me not liking gentrification,” Devin Daniels says, stroking his beard as he looks…
Hancock has a new project on the horizon but says he will not put it out until he’s ready.
Sep 10, 2024 4:08 PM
On April 12 of this year, Herbie Hancock turned 84. How many people do you know in their 80s who are still working full…
Trombonist Ryan Porter with members of the collective West Coast Get Down at the Los Angeles premiere of Resilience, a new documentary about his life.
Aug 13, 2024 12:07 PM
On a warm June night at the annual Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival, where nearly 18,000 people packed onto the benches of…
“To me, it’s not a departure,” says Kenny Garret, right, with Svoy at his side. “My teacher was Miles Davis, so I’ve always been open to all genres of music.”
Jul 2, 2024 2:41 PM
It’s 8:30 in the morning, and Kenny Garrett is walking. He does this most mornings, on a track near his home in Glen…
“Maybe now after all these years I’m finally becoming the musician that I wanted to be,” says Bromberg.
May 29, 2024 12:46 PM
Driving into the San Bernardino National Forest, some 40 miles east of Los Angeles, the two-lane road snakes through…
Irabagon has simultaneously released two albums on his own label, Irabbagast Records.
Apr 23, 2024 12:39 PM
If ever there were an artist who has earned the label “enigma,” it would be saxophonist Jon Irabagon, whose…
“He is always growing, always learning, always moving forward,” said John Zorn of Smith.
Mar 19, 2024 3:57 PM
Cities and towns, large and small, through their geography, culture, cuisine and dialect, possess unique, compelling…
Seeking to create a vibe similar to New York’s Village Vanguard, Paul Solomon (left) and David Robaire have made L.A.-based Sam First an artist-friendly club with its own record label.
Jan 16, 2024 11:27 AM
The back entrance opens into a cozy, darkened room, leather-cushioned benches snaking around the irregular, rounded…
“I like the idea of being able to sort of daydream a little bit about something for a while,” says bassist Todd Sickafoose about making his new recording, Bear Proof.
Dec 5, 2023 1:49 PM
Todd Sickafoose is at his parents’ place in the San Francisco Bay Area. He just returned from camping — fitting,…
“[Pharoah] was on a level close to Trane with that kind of openness and ferocity,” said former bandmate Tisziji Munñoz.
Nov 22, 2023 12:47 PM
The moment happened on a cloudy September evening in Los Angeles, in darkness around the neon-lit outline of the…
“Blue Note music has been such an integral part of my musical and life experience for so long,” says Redman. “It’s surreal to be a part of this lineage.”
Oct 10, 2023 3:41 PM
“It just occurred to me just the other day,” said Joshua Redman, a bemused expression forming over his face on the…
Aug 15, 2023 12:42 PM
“I’m not going to be around forever and ever,” Ramsey Lewis told his co-author Aaron Cohen as they were planning…
“I think one of the great privieges we have as artists is that we can choose what game we play,” Dan Tepfer says of his fun but challenging daily practice routines.
Aug 15, 2023 12:26 PM
On Jan. 1, 2023, Dan Tepfer recorded a video of himself at the piano, improvising four-voice chords that moved through…
“The history of the music is very important to us,” says Escoffery, noting that it is equally important to push the music forward.
Jun 27, 2023 1:18 PM
Wayne Escoffery sits comfortably in a soft chair in a hotel room in Denver. He is traveling once again with the Mingus…
“There’s so much mystery in his own writing,” Dianne Reeves (left) said of Vince Mendoza (right).
May 2, 2023 4:10 PM
Sunset Boulevard begins its 21-mile journey at Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles, curving northward as it skirts…
The album Alive At The Village Vanguard (Palmetto), featuring Hersch on piano and spalding on vocals, was recorded in 2018.
Feb 7, 2023 1:41 PM
Fred Hersch was in good spirits, appearing relaxed on the video screen from his New York City loft. The pianist turned…
Luciana Souza performs with Vince Mendoza’s Storytellers Big Band at the Angel City Jazz Festival on Oct. 21.
Nov 15, 2022 2:56 PM
Luciana Souza gazed out at the large crowd that filled the amphitheater, gestured at the big band behind her and…
“I think jazz needs more provocative personality, and it needs more sex,” Han says.
Nov 1, 2022 12:47 PM
Of all of the interesting things Connie Han said during a recent interview, this was perhaps the most unexpected: “I…
“I work. That’s my joy,” says 80-year-old trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith.
Oct 4, 2022 1:50 PM
At 80, Wadada Leo Smith seems to be having the time of his life. He maintains a healthy diet, drinking only one cup of…
Gazarek is glad just to be able to have the chance to perform jazz to a wider audience from this planet, in this time.
Sep 20, 2022 2:40 PM
Of all the things Sara Gazarek imagined, hoped or dreamed she would ever do in her life, singing on a stage as an alien…
Brian Landrus’ latest album pairs his proclivity for music with his love of animals.
Aug 30, 2022 3:28 PM
Brian Landrus can remember the exact moment he stopped eating animals. It was during lunch in the sixth grade, and…
“I knew that I would be playing music, and that it would be part of my identity, the way that it’s part of my dad’s identity,” Gerald Clayton (right) said of his upbringing with his father, John.
Jul 6, 2022 3:23 PM
Altadena, California, is nestled into the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains, a companion-community to its…
In this rare iteration of the DownBeat Blindfold Test, all three musicians were asked to comment on selections consisting entirely of trio music.
Jun 14, 2022 3:00 PM
Seeing a colorful press photo of Rudresh Mahanthappa and his bandmates adorned in masks, tights and capes might lead…
“I have no concept of what I did before! That’s irrelevant,” Ibrahim said. “I can’t change anything. I can’t change the past, I can’t change the future, I can only deal with what is now.”
May 10, 2022 10:56 AM
It is 2022. The pandemic lingers, yet life is moving forward in unexpected ways.
The necessary move to video…
“I wanted to give the strings fun things to play,” Fred Hersch said.
Mar 8, 2022 2:50 PM
Over the past year, the breadth and fire of jazz artists dipping a toe into the classical world has been staggering —…
Forman, Hamilton and Clayton take on the roles (and instruments) of legends Kessel, Manne and Brown.
Jan 18, 2022 12:47 PM
Last May, guitarist Bruce Forman was driving to a gig when something unusual happened. “On my way there,” he…
Daniel Rosenboom, founder of Orenda Records, performs at the Angel City Jazz Festival.
Oct 26, 2021 12:42 PM
Entering its 13th year, the Angel City Jazz Festival has become a regular October institution in Los Angeles, a…
Ikonen combines his artistic creativity with a curiosity that led to inventing the Maqiano, a device that creates microtonal effects on an acoustic piano.
Sep 7, 2021 3:19 PM
In a stylish Helsinki apartment with high-vaulted windows that ushered in the sunlight from the auroral Scandinavian…
Corea was named Artist, Pianist and Keyboardist of the Year for the final time in the 69th Annual DownBeat Critics Poll.
Aug 30, 2021 2:31 PM
Editor’s Note: This article is from the August 2021 DownBeat Critics Poll issue.
At the time of this writing,…
Ben Monder
Oct 11, 2021 2:17 PM
He might not be a household name among casual listeners, but it would be hard to find a single jazz musician who does…
Tim Hagans takes the DownBeat Blindfold Test. His new album, A Conversation, is a five-movement trumpet concerto.
Aug 3, 2021 9:34 AM
The thrice Grammy-nominated trumpeter Tim Hagans apprenticed in the bands of Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Dexter Gordon,…
Ulysses Owens Jr. has created a multi-generational, multi-racial, multi-gender big band for today.
Jul 7, 2021 3:56 PM
On the opening track of drummer Ulysses Owens Jr.’s new big band album, he plays five sharp rim shots, which catapult…
Jason Palmer
Mar 1, 2021 2:01 PM
In 2007, DownBeat named Jason Palmer one of “25 Trumpeters for the Future,” and 14 years later, he has done nothing…
This is Rez Abbasi’s first Blindfold Test.
Jan 26, 2021 8:44 AM
By the time he topped the category Rising Star–Guitar in the 2013 DownBeat Critics Poll, Rez Abbasi already had…
Karrin Allyson’s most recent album is Shoulder To Shoulder: Centennial Tribute To Women’s Suffrage.
Nov 22, 2022 3:34 PM
When DownBeat caught up with Karrin Allyson, the five-time Grammy-nominated singer and pianist was weeks away from a…
Ryan Keberle commented on tracks from his home in New York’s Catskill Mountains.
Jan 11, 2021 10:41 AM
Trombonist Ryan Keberle has cultivated one of the more diverse careers in modern jazz. A fixture of the Grammy-winning…
This is Noah Preminger’s first Blindfold Test.
Nov 30, 2020 10:07 AM
Even before saxophonist Noah Preminger topped the Rising Star–Tenor Saxophone category in the 2017 DownBeat Critics…
Fabian Almazan is among the 25 artists DownBeat thinks will help shape jazz in the decades to come.
Oct 9, 2020 9:04 AM
Pianist Fabian Almazan has a distinct recollection of an incident that took place years ago at the Village Vanguard,…
Vibraphonist Warren Wolf’s most recent leader date is Reincarnation (Mack Avenue).
Oct 12, 2020 3:14 PM
A classically trained musician who can play several instruments—including vibraphone, marimba, piano and drums—…
Lee Secard, recipient of a DownBeat Jazz Education Achievement Award
Sep 16, 2020 11:23 AM
In a rehearsal room at the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts, the illustrious arts academy across the street…
Chris Dingman’s latest release began as a way to ease his father’s discomfort as he died.
Aug 31, 2020 11:43 AM
As Joe Dingman lay dying from a rare heart condition at home, his son decided to try and ease his father’s acute…
Bassist Christian McBride (left), saxophonist Joshua Redman, drummer Brian Blade and pianist Brad Mehldau reconvened in the studio after more than two decades for RoundAgain.
Dec 14, 2020 1:11 PM
Twenty-six years ago, a new quartet led by a rising star in the jazz world demonstrated how the music could be…
Drummer Sherrie Maricle’s latest effort is 3Divas, a recording with the 3D Jazz Trio, which also includes bassist Amy Shook pianist Jackie Warren.
Jul 1, 2020 11:38 AM
Once upon a time, an 11-year-old went to see Buddy Rich and his big band. All of a sudden, she realized what she wanted…
Wayne Escoffery revisits part of his childhood on The Humble Warrior (Smoke Sessions).
May 29, 2020 10:57 PM
On his latest album, The Humble Warrior, Wayne Escoffery did something rather unusual for a jazz artist: He devoted…
“It’s always been there,” multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jen Shyu said about a wave of vitriol aimed at Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. “These events, they’re just an excuse for people.”
Apr 19, 2020 10:23 PM
Jen Shyu is singing over the phone.
It’s a song based on a middle-school diary entry that describes her heart…
Composer, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Gordon Goodwin knows that accolades can’t make his music better or worse.
Jan 23, 2020 8:52 PM
Gordon Goodwin gracefully balances the pros and cons of life in Southern California. He recently moved into a gated…
Guitarist Jeff Parker used the recording process to write material for his latest album, Suite For Max Brown (International Anthem).
Jan 29, 2020 1:20 PM
Jeff Parker is drinking black coffee on the back patio of a café within walking distance of his house in Altadena,…
John Coltrane’s Blue World, which includes 27 minutes of previously unheard music, was recorded in 1964, a defining year for the saxophonist.
Nov 16, 2020 9:39 AM
In December 1964, John Coltrane and his classic quartet headed in to Rudy Van Gelder’s New Jersey studio to record A…
Keyboardist Aaron Parks performs with his Little Big ensemble Oct. 9 at Mr. Musichead Gallery in Los Angeles as a part of the Angel City Jazz Festival.
Nov 6, 2019 7:35 PM
Rocco Somazzi has exceptionally good taste.
At a trendy eatery in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, the…
Vocalist Joanna Wallfisch has a musical pedigree that reaches back several generations.
Jul 18, 2019 9:43 AM
When singer-songwriter Joanna Wallfisch is onstage, one can do nothing but pay attention. During a recent gig at the…
For almost a decade, violinist Jenny Scheinman (right) and drummer Allison Miller have worked together in the latter’s Boom Tic Boom ensemble. Their new collaborative group is Parlour Game.
Jun 28, 2019 11:27 AM
Jenny Scheinman admits she’s led a charmed life, as far as her music career goes. The violinist is unlike a number of…
Alex Malheiros (left), José Roberto Bertrami, Ariovaldo Contesini and Ivan Conti began playing as Azymuth in the early ’70s.
Jun 26, 2019 4:36 PM
Saquarema is a little town two hours outside of Rio De Janeiro, home to 50 miles of pristine coastland, fringed with…
The development of Star People Nation—the first album in which Theo Croker has sole producer credit—involved an 18-month journey to both U.S. coasts and multiple recording studios, where he played auxiliary keyboards and synths, crafted electronic and acoustic beats, incorporated samples and wrote lyrics to be sung by himself and special guests.
Jun 13, 2019 9:27 AM
It’s a Wednesday night, and a capacity crowd has filled Mr. Musichead, a spacious gallery on The Sunset Strip in…
Los Angeles producer Daedelus is among a handful of artists, along with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s Layzie Bone and Kneebody drummer Nate Wood, who have expressed interest in working with Zero System Immersive Music. The California label is at the vanguard of finding a space for creative music in virtual reality and immersive technology.
May 20, 2019 2:33 PM
Ryan Pryor, a jazz keyboardist and co-founder of Zero System Immersive Music, taps a few commands on his computer and…
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