May 5, 2025 11:46 PM
Industry Pros from 60 Countries Feast on jazzahead! Spread in Bremen, Germany
Bremen, Germany, is certainly not one of the most likely spots for the world’s largest annual jazz industry…
Concert images from this year’s jazzahead! conference, clockwise from top left: Schubert NOW, Nils Kugelmann Trio, Kasiva Mutua, Benjamin Jephta Sextet.
May 5, 2025 11:46 PM
Bremen, Germany, is certainly not one of the most likely spots for the world’s largest annual jazz industry…
Davis was a two-time Grammy winner for liner notes.
Apr 22, 2025 5:03 PM
Francis Davis, an august jazz and cultural critic who won both awards and esteem in print, film and radio, died April…
Rudresh Mahanthappa Hero Trio performs at Loove Labs Annex during Winter Jazzfest’s Brooklyn Marathon on Jan. 11.
Jan 29, 2025 7:51 PM
Brooklyn has long harbored a self-contained jazz (and broader music) scene of its own — but that’s not the subject…
A photo collage promoting artists slated to perform at this year’s jazzahead! showcase concerts.
Jan 28, 2025 3:03 PM
Full details of the showcase concerts for the 19th edition of jazzahead!, the world’s largest annual jazz industry…
Queen Latifah extols Harlem and the Apollo Theater at this year’s Kennedy Center Honors.
Dec 12, 2024 2:49 AM
Cuban-American jazz trumpet legend Arturo Sandoval and Harlem’s Apollo Theater were among the honorees at the 2024…
Robertson had a penetrating, pliant sound with a remarkable softness at its center.
Dec 12, 2024 10:44 AM
Herb Robertson, a trumpeter and flugelhornist known for his wide-lens explorations of the avant-garde, died Dec. 10. He…
McNeil’s virtuosity as a player was unimpeachable and his imagination as an improviser was vast.
Oct 2, 2024 12:37 PM
John McNeil, a trumpeter, composer and educator who built an accomplished and progressive career in jazz despite a…
In addition to his work with Snarky Puppy, Martin freelanced as a keyboardist, producer and music director with prominent gospel and R&B musicians.
Aug 7, 2024 2:17 PM
Shaun Martin, a multifaceted, Grammy-winning pianist, keyboardist and producer who was best known for his work in the…
Jim Rotondi was acclaimed for his wide, round trumpet tone, remarkable virtuosity and assured swing.
Jul 10, 2024 1:42 PM
Jim Rotondi, a renowned hard-bop trumpeter, composer and educator, died suddenly on July 7 at a hospital in France. He…
Swedish-born bassist Palle Danielsson (1946–2024) played with a deep, resonant and endlessly warm tone.
Jun 4, 2024 12:35 PM
Palle Danielsson, a celebrated Swedish bass player who worked with a Who’s Who of international jazz musicians over a…
Albert “Tootie” Heath (1935–2024) followed in the tradition of drummer Kenny Clarke, his idol.
Apr 9, 2024 3:06 PM
Albert “Tootie” Heath, a drummer of impeccable taste and time who was the youngest of three jazz-legend brothers…
Benjamin possessed a fluid, round sound on the alto saxophone, and he was often most recognizable by the layers of electronic effects that he put onto the instrument.
Apr 2, 2024 4:36 PM
Casey Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist, keyboardist and producer who stamped his distinctive sounds on the…
Vijay Iyer (left) and Nicole Mitchell perform music by Andrew Hill at Harlem Stage’s Gatehouse on March 1.
Mar 12, 2024 4:28 PM
A program of music by the late Andrew Hill is right up Harlem Stage’s alley. “Let’s get real: This is what we…
From left: Mike Bindraban from Good Music Company moderates a panel on the universality of jazz with Nduduzo Makhathini, esperanza spalding and Shabaka during Jazz Congress.
Feb 6, 2024 3:27 PM
The New York jazz scene had a busy Martin Luther King Day weekend. Indeed, one could attend a daylong international…
McCann’s deep roots in gospel and the blues gave his music a gritty, earthy quality and a large supply of soulful licks.
Jan 3, 2024 11:27 AM
Les McCann, a jazz pianist and vocalist who helped soul-jazz keep a foothold in mainstream pop music — in the process…
EFG London Jazz Festival brought three acts of its popular “Moment’s Notice” performance series to Enjoy Jazz on Oct. 9.
Nov 6, 2023 2:02 PM
In the second week of its 25th anniversary edition, Enjoy Jazz fortified its position among international music…
Gayle (1939–2023) became a force in free-jazz after decades of indigence.
Sep 19, 2023 2:35 PM
Charles Gayle, a tenor and alto saxophonist who arose from long-term homelessness to become a key member of jazz’s…
The collective trio New Jazz Underground consists of saxophonist Abdias Armenteros, bassist Sebastian Rios and drummer TJ Reddick.
Sep 20, 2023 10:27 AM
The New Jazz Underground, a trio collective of young Floridians currently based in New York, was the winner of the…
Davis (1930–2023) was remarkable for his ability to adapt to seemingly any style.
Sep 12, 2023 2:13 PM
Richard Davis, a bassist whose virtuosity was equaled by his astounding versatility, died Sept. 6 in Madison,…
“I definitely want to find a way to put together different disciplines in the arts going forward,” Fava says.
Jul 25, 2023 2:34 PM
Knoxville, Tennessee, seems an unlikely locale for one of jazz’s most promising and enterprising young pianists. For…
Jul 13, 2023 1:06 PM
Impulse! Records will release Evenings At The Village Gate: John Coltrane With Eric Dolphy — a recording of the two…
Brötzmann worked with nearly every major name in free-jazz within Europe.
Jun 27, 2023 1:19 PM
Peter Brötzmann, a German saxophonist and clarinetist whose music charted a provocative, uncompromising new course for…
The crowds were as welcome a sight as the diverse lineup of artists who appeared on the 19th annual D.C. Jazz Festival’s multiple stages.
Sep 14, 2021 1:02 PM
It was weeks off its usual schedule, cut back to a single weekend, yet the D.C. Jazz Festival, which held its 19th…
Carr Keys performs with vocalist Christie Dashiell.
Aug 10, 2021 1:03 PM
“Ladies and gentlemen, good evening!”
Five unremarkable words in most circumstances, they earned a jubilant…
The music on Monty Alexander’s new live album, Love You Madly, was recorded in 1982.
Feb 8, 2021 8:52 AM
In the early 1980s, pianist Monty Alexander was a huge draw for jazz clubs and festivals. His hard-swinging style,…
The George Coleman Quintet In Baltimore, a concert recording from 1971, is in essence a blowing session helmed by the saxophonist.
Jan 11, 2021 10:47 AM
In 1971, George Coleman was seven years removed from the most sought-after gig in jazz: a spot in Miles Davis’ band,…
The Nels Cline Singers has occupied the space between free-jazz and indie rock since guitarist Nels Cline formed the group in 2001.
Dec 10, 2020 1:55 PM
He’s perhaps best known as a member of the band Wilco. But those with a fuller picture of Nels Cline’s career know…
Bassist Luke Stewart is among the 25 artists DownBeat thinks will help shape jazz in the decades to come.
Nov 17, 2020 8:46 AM
The very act of identifying Luke Stewart’s latest project is exhausting. Rarely is there just one.
The prolific…
Dan Weiss’ Natural Selection appeals to the drummer’s penchant for conceptual continuity.
Nov 23, 2020 11:48 AM
Few jazz albums are overtly inspired by TV series. Then again, few TV series are like Twin Peaks, and few jazz…
Art Hirahara’s latest album, Balance Point, includes original compositions and one Duke Ellington tune.
Sep 8, 2020 4:19 PM
Visiting his native San Francisco in mid-March to play some dates and see his mother, Art Hirahara suddenly found…
On his new album, Ambrose Akinmusire includes original compositions that pay tribute to Roscoe Mitchell and Roy Hargrove.
Sep 14, 2020 9:15 AM
Hearing Ambrose Akinmusire perform brings to mind Louis Armstrong’s description of first hearing cornetist Bix…
“Color Of Noize is what someone makes of it,” says bassist Derrick Hodge while discussing his new Blue Note release.
Jul 23, 2020 2:45 PM
Not long ago, Derrick Hodge had a conversation that forever altered his perspective.
“I had the honor of…
Mark Guiliana performs during Winter Jazzfest, which ran at various venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn between Jan. 8 and 18.
Feb 3, 2020 4:47 PM
Winter JazzFest’s already tremendous musical scope has been widening in recent years to include crucial ideas and…
Willie Jones III has worked on a pair of releases for the newly established Night Is Alive imprint, helmed by Kathy Moses Salem.
Jan 8, 2020 9:26 AM
“We started off very small: I was only doing management for jazz musicians,” said Kathy Moses Salem, managing…
Joe Lovano’s Trio Tapestry—with pianist Marilyn Crispell and drummer Carmen Castaldi—perform Nov. 13 at Guimarães Jazz in Guimarães, Portugal.
Nov 19, 2019 12:09 PM
“Aqui Nasceu Portugal,” says a sign on the 1,000-year-old stone tower in Guimarães’ historic city center.…
Saxophonist Matana Roberts has been working on the multipart COIN COIN project since at least 2011. Its latest installment COIN COIN Chapter Four: Memphis is out now.
Nov 1, 2019 9:38 AM
“I don’t even know where to begin to talk about the COIN COIN project,” Matana Roberts said in 2011, just ahead…
Drummer and bandleader Antonio Sánchez recently performed music touching on the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border in Canada at the International Festival de Jazz de Montreal.
Jul 22, 2019 9:16 AM
“Mexicans, we’re not getting a lot of love lately; I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” drummer and dual…
Steve Gadd performs June 27, the opening night of International Festival de Jazz de Montreal.
Jul 10, 2019 10:36 AM
In 1979, Montreal’s warmer months weren’t exactly vibrant.
“Summer was very quiet here,” recalled jazz…
Georgia Anne Muldrow performs June 8 at a CapitalBop showcase during the DC Jazz Festival.
Jul 10, 2019 4:46 PM
The DC Jazz Festival might have its weak points, but musical variety is not one of them.
The festival’s annual…
Todd Barkan, who owned the original Keystone Korner in San Francisco, stands outside the new Keystone Korner Baltimore.
May 8, 2019 2:31 PM
The worldwide celebration of International Jazz Day on April 30 included the grand opening of a club bearing an iconic…
Sunny Sumter, DC Jazz Festival executive director, speaks Wednesday at The Pillsbury Law Firm Conference Center in Washington D.C., detailing the event’s programing.
Apr 18, 2019 2:27 PM
The DC Jazz Festival announced key elements of its 15th anniversary edition at The Pillsbury Law Firm Conference Center…
Pianist Jason Moran (left), flutist Cleve Guyton, cellist Noah Jackson, trumpeter Terence Blanchard and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington perform April 15 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.,during the 2019 NEA Jazz Master tribute honoring Stanley Crouch, Bob Dorough, Abdullah Ibrahim and Maria Schneider.
May 3, 2019 2:59 PM
On April 15, South African pianist and composer Abdullah Ibrahim; the late pianist, singer and songwriter Bob Dorough;…
Pianist Amy K. Bormet founded the Washington Women in Jazz Festival in 2011. The festival returns March 10-31.
Mar 7, 2019 10:22 AM
Pianist Amy K. Bormet was hoping to create a grassroots network of female jazz musicians in Washington, D.C., when she…
At New York’s Winter Jazzfest on Jan. 12, Allison Miller co-leads an ensemble with pianist Carmen Staaf at Subculture.
Jan 18, 2019 11:05 AM
On display at New York’s Winter Jazzfest is not only a variety of styles, repertoires, concepts and generations, but…
Saxophonist and 2018 Kennedy Center Honoree Wayne Shorter delivers a speech Dec. 1 at a State Department dinner in Washington, D.C.
Dec 3, 2018 1:40 PM
Over the course of his fruitful career, prolific saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter has amassed numerous accolades,…
Maceo Parker heads up the “no jazz” portion of Zürich, Switzerland’s Jazznojazz festival.
Oct 15, 2018 10:26 AM
Johannes Vogel had a vision for Jazznojazz from the moment in 1998 when the Zürich newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, then the…
Joe Chambers (right) leads M’Boom in a Sept. 13 performance at the City Winery in Washington D.C. during the 33rd Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s jazz concert.
Sep 17, 2018 11:16 AM
For 2018, its 33rd iteration, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual jazz concert presented one of its…
Selim Selçuk performs on the second night of the Vitrin Contemporary Turkish Music Showcase at the Zorlu Center in Istanbul, Turkey.
May 30, 2019 1:46 PM
Earlier this year, at the age of 61, Istanbul-based drummer Selim Selçuk released his first recording. The two-volume…
Selim Selçuk performs on the second night of the Vitrin Contemporary Turkish Music Showcase at the Zorlu Center in Istanbul, Turkey.
Jul 12, 2018 9:56 AM
Vitrin is Turkish for “display window,” like those of the dense storefronts lining even Istanbul’s quietest…
Drummer Justin Brown’s leader album features two keyboardists.
Jul 5, 2018 9:50 AM
The electro-funk fusion album Nyeusi (Biophilia) marks drummer Justin Brown’s debut as a bandleader, but he’s no…
Pharoah Sanders performs June 10 at City Winery during the DC Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C.
Jul 12, 2018 6:40 PM
Since its founding in 2005, the DC Jazz Festival has pursued an expansive vision: not just in terms of musical styles,…
Rez Abbasi’s Invocation performed Saturday at Zinc Bar as part of 2018’s Winter Jazzfest.
Jan 15, 2018 2:03 PM
If Winter Jazzfest acts as a kind of annual State of the Music address—and it does—then the ideal way to consume it…
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee speaks at a Dec. 13 press conference in Washington, D.C. Looking on are, from left, Herbert Scott, Executive Director, Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation; and Aaron Myers, Chair, Board of Directors–Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation.
Jan 10, 2018 9:57 PM
Michigan U.S. Representative John Conyers’ controversy-mired resignation in December had major implications for the…
Mike Stern’s latest album, Trip, was released Sept. 8.
Sep 13, 2017 7:06 PM
Mike Stern’s new album Trip is a curiously dissonance-tinted affair—perhaps referencing the fusion guitarist’s…
Edmar Castañeda
Mar 22, 2017 9:26 AM
“My only advice,” said Winter JazzFest cofounder Adam Schatz to an audience at New York’s New School on Jan. 7,…
Amina Claudine Myers performs at The New School’s 12th Street Auditorium on Jan. 6 during Winter Jazzfest.
Jan 17, 2017 3:55 PM
For all its eminence on the New York scene—the first jazz festival of the year, with over 150 acts across a dozen…
Guillermo Klein celebrates the 20th anniversary of his band, Los Guachos, with the release of Los Guachos V (Sunnyside), the group’s sixth album.
Aug 12, 2016 12:47 PM
Argentine pianist Guillermo Klein founded his 11-piece Los Guachos in New York in 1996. In 2016, the band members…
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