Jan 21, 2025 7:58 PM
Louis Armstrong, The Musical
Louis Armstrong’s career was long, diverse and full of the unexpected — both on stage and off. DownBeat often…
“It’s not older music. It’s our music,” says James Inglehart, who plays Louis Armstrong in a new musical on Broadway.
Jan 21, 2025 7:58 PM
Louis Armstrong’s career was long, diverse and full of the unexpected — both on stage and off. DownBeat often…
“I truly do love learning the history and what came before, and that’s what I practice,” says Meg Okura, pictured here with Kevin Hays. “But that’s not necessarily what I do as a composer.”
Oct 29, 2024 12:51 PM
Japanese native Meg Okura is a New York City-based Jewish-American composer and violinist. A graduate of Juilliard with…
“You can’t be concerned with gender justice or racial justice or any of that without thinking about ableism or environmental justice,” says Terri Lyne Carrington, founder and artistic director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.
Sep 28, 2023 12:22 PM
The idea that someone isn’t just a number in a class is often interpreted as a teacher’s ability to connect with…
“There is a bit of a theme — that it’s a sense of optimism and a sense of togetherness,” bassist Nick Blacka says of the new GoGo Penguin album.
Aug 15, 2023 12:27 PM
Samuel Clemens once said, “What is joy without sorrow? What is success without failure? What is a win without a loss?…
ChimyTina’s Dan “Chimy” Chmielinski and Martina DaSilva
Nov 8, 2022 1:17 PM
Making one’s way through the jazz landscape by trekking down the DIY path isn’t exactly a novel endeavor. Any…
GoGo Penguin’s Chris Illingworth (left), Nick Blacka and Rob Turner
May 26, 2021 9:42 AM
Though jazz and cover performances are a long familiar pairing, remixing isn’t nearly as ubiquitous an exercise for…
Arturo O’Farrill expands his pool of collaborators on Four Questions, the bandleader’s first album-length offering of original material.
Jul 1, 2020 11:25 AM
Arturo O’Farrill is no stranger to making complex artistic statements or critiquing systemic social problems. Given…
Kandace Springs offers reverence to female musicians on her upcoming album, The Women Who Raised Me.
Feb 3, 2020 4:46 PM
Kandace Springs uses The Women Who Raised Me to feature songs by female performers whose music and experiences shaped…
Trumpeter and flugelhornist Yazz Ahmed celebrates the accomplishments of others on Polyhymnia, a work released through the Ropeadope imprint.
Nov 12, 2019 8:24 AM
Polyhymnia is a clear demonstration that Yazz Ahmed’s global awareness and pursuit of thought-provoking music…
Drummer and bandleader Terri Lyne Carrington’s latest recording, Waiting Game, reflects a multiplicity of sonic concepts—r&b, jazz and hip-hop among them.
Dec 2, 2019 12:21 PM
With her new band’s debut, Waiting Game, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington now dons another hat as an activist.…
Rez Abbasi composed a new score for the 1929 silent movie A Throw of Dice, which is due out Oct. 18. It was the guitarist’s first time writing for film.
Sep 6, 2019 9:32 AM
Composing can reflect the progression and transformation of a writer. And that’s particularly true when the music…
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, Roger Eno (shown here), his brother Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois revisit and expand upon their 1983 soundtrack, Apollo: Atmosphere and Soundtracks.
Jul 19, 2019 9:45 AM
It’s one thing to commemorate an important anniversary. It’s another to revisit the past and make something new…
Saxophonist Alexa Tarantino recently has performed on a pair of Posi-Tone albums, Lioness’ Pride & Joy and her leader debut, Winds Of Change.
Jun 7, 2019 1:10 PM
Despite possessing an increasingly impressive résumé, saxophonist Alexa Tarantino projects an air of humility and…
Reedist Dave Liebman has contributed to scores of recordings, including Miles Davis’ On The Corner.
Mar 29, 2019 12:16 PM
Dave Liebman’s legacy seemingly coalesced in an enthralling full-circle moment on Feb. 6, 2015, at Nashville’s 3rd…
Maurice Louca’s latest album is Elephantine (Northern Spy).
Jun 11, 2019 4:26 PM
The spirit driving Maurice Louca’s new album, Elephantine (Northern Spy), strikes a different chord than its 2014…
Connie Han’s debut, Crime Zone (Mack Avenue), is out now.
Nov 2, 2018 10:32 AM
Pianist Connie Han’s debut, Crime Zone (Mack Avenue), might elicit a combination of praise and intrigue around her…
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