Ted Panken

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Ted Panken's news entries:

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    “I could start my own business and try my hand at all the industry stuff,” Rosenwinkel says of starting his Heartcore imprint.

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    “This guy had his own language,” Forman said of guitarist Grant Green. “Wes was the same way.”

    Blindfold Test: Bruce Forman

    At this summer’s Healdsburg Jazz Festival, guitarist/racanteur extraordinaire Bruce Forman sat down for a live…

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    “They are a huge part of our label’s recent success with streaming,” Kevin Sun said of partnering with La Reserve for Endectomorph’s digital efforts.

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    “You want people to feel, no matter where they are, that they’re important to the music,” said Marcus Shelby about bandleading.

    Marcus Shelby’s Bay Area Impact

    One week after the conclusion of this year’s Healdsburg Jazz Festival, artistic director Marcus Shelby took a…

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    “I had to play the music I loved with the people I wanted to play it with,” said Bloom. “Nothing would stop me.”

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    Soul-jazz tenor icon Houston Person with drummer Sylvia Cuenca at this year’s Healdsburg Jazz Festival.

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    The “Good Trouble” band, from left, Jeff Lederer, Tia Fuller, Matt Wilson, Dawn Clement and Ben Allison.

    Matt Wilson’s CommUnity

    Mid-morning on the first Wednesday of April, Matt Wilson was making his weekly 75-minute drive from Baldwin, New York,…

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    “I’ve always wanted to explore the piano trio tradition, and to find my own voice within it,” says the youthful Goldberg.

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    “I want to inform myself to better convey ideas about nature and sustainability through my music,” says Freitas.

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    “He’s constructing intelligent musical sentences that connect seamlessly, which is the most important part of linear playing,” Charles McPherson said of alto saxophonist Sonny Red.

    Blindfold Test: Charles McPherson

    “I might not have felt this way 30 to 40 years ago, but I’ve reached a point where I can hear value in what people…

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    “I listened to players like Ben Webster and Wayne Shorter, two opposites, who spoke to me profoundly about saying a whole lot with less,” Osby says.

    From the Abyss to Minimalism

    At the beginning of November 2023, Greg Osby flew to Italy for a week of duo concerts with pianist Michele Franzini,…

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    Emmet Cohen, right, with one of his heroes, Houston Person.

    Blindfold Test: Emmet Cohen

    Emmet Cohen’s first DownBeat Blindfold Test transpired on the only day in September that didn’t involve traveling…

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    Opening night featured the duo of Miami native Cécile McLorin Salvant and Sullivan Fortner.

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    The Black Men of Labor Club leads a second line parade, from the documentary City of a Million Dreams.

    A Bounty of Documentaries

    Last year was a good one for jazz and jazz-adjacent documentaries. Most prominent among them are the well-distributed…

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    Salles says his music “is a combination of being from Brazil and living in the U.S. as an immigrant.”

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    “I’ll produce my own projects,” says drummer and composer Tyshawn Sorey. “I’ll do it my way, and I’ll do it well.”

    Tyshawn Sorey Plays It His Way

    When Tyshawn Sorey turned 40 a few months into the pandemic lockdown, he decided henceforth to focus on more explicitly…

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    “Bill Stewart has nothing to prove,” Baron says. “I aspire to that ethic.”

    Blindfold Test: Joey Baron

    At 68, Joey Baron has been a lifelong connoisseur of the nuances of groove and melody-oriented drumming. Over his…

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    “It feels vast, like the ocean and earth and sky conjoined,” Green says of performing solo piano concerts.

    Benny Green’s Solo Mastery

    Benny Green’s 22nd album, Solo (Sunnyside), dropped in May, a month after his 60th birthday. The work documents the…

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    Stacey Kent receives the Prix Ella Fitzgerald from Montreal Jazz Festival co-founder Alain Simard on July 1.

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    “I wanted to be like Louis Armstrong,” Bauzá once told DownBeat. “I knew all his solos.”

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    ​Snarky Puppy’s Montreal Jazz Festival set was tight and well-choreographed, and the solos were on point.

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    “The big thing was having multiple sections, ideas that develop slowly over time and don’t stray too far from an initial core idea,” Smith says of Return To Casual.

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    ​“When you play blues-type stuff, the material is pretty obvious; it’s how you do a lot with a little,” Liebman said.

    Blindfold Test: Dave Liebman

    At 76, soprano and tenor saxophonist Dave Liebman — an alumnus of bands led by Miles Davis and Elvin Jones, leader of…

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    Hajdu assembled a cast of composers, musicians and singers to create his song cycle The Parsonage.

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    “For me, the jazz tradition has worked most consciously and seriously with the idea of freedom in music,” Bärtsch said.

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    “I got chills,” Patricia Brennan said while listening to the music of Chris Dingman.

    Patricia Brennan: Blindfold Test

    Having established herself as a master practitioner of extended techniques and electronic effects on vibraphone and…

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    ​Ahmad Jamal (1930–2023) with his trio at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago.

    In Memoriam: Ahmad Jamal

    Pianist-composer Ahmad Jamal passed away April 16 in his home in Ashley Falls, Massachusetts, after battling prostate…

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    ​“Perhaps that’s a key to what makes me tick — a very strong curiosity, which makes me a perpetual fanboy of whatever I’m discovering,” Mehldau says.

    Brad Mehldau Tells His Story

    At the tail end of 2022, Brad Mehldau took advantage of a New York sojourn to play piano with old friends at Smalls…

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    Pianist Amaro Freitas presented a panoramic solo set at this year’s Bergamo Jazz Festival.

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    “I think in small chunks and just get done today what needs to be done for tomorrow,” Cervini says.

    Ernesto Cervini Finds ‘Joy’

    Time management carries multiple meanings for Ernesto Cervini. For one thing, the 40-year-old, Toronto-based drummer…

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    “Getting into jazz changed everything for me,” Wamble said.

    Doug Wamble’s Complex Blues

    Beyond is a good descriptor for Doug Wamble’s compelling October release, Blues In The Present Tense, on which the…

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    ​Terri Lyne Carrington curated the opening-night concert of New York’s Winter Jazzfest at City Winery.

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    Jakob Bro, left, and Joe Lovano lead Once Around The Room, a tribute to Paul Motian.

    For the Love of Motian

    The sui generis septet album Once Around The Room (ECM) references the beautiful Paul Motian song “Once Around The…

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    “Different parts of myself need a voice, and I sometimes release very contrasting records one after the other,” says De Vito.

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    The leader, playing only acoustic piano, “gets a little help” from a band of stylistically flexible virtuosos.

    Geoffrey Keezer’s Grand Playdate

    Like most jazz folk who’ve recorded during the past two years, Geoffrey Keezer made Playdate (Markeez) — billed…

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    ​From left: Will Kennedy, Russell Ferrante, Dane Alderson and Bob Mintzer

    Yellowjackets Blindfold Test

    To celebrate the 45th anniversary of Yellowjackets, the group made its latest album, Parallel Motion (Mack Avenue), an…

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    “I came to terms with my influences — accepting that I love this or that player, but being comfortable in my own skin, recognizing that I have an identity,” Michael Weiss said.

    How Michael Weiss Found Himself

    When DownBeat last ran an article about Michael Weiss, the occasion was the 1998 release of his second album, the…

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    “One thing I love about production is having to submit to a vision that isn’t 100% my own,” League said. “That ensures you have variety in your life.”

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    Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille and David Virelles wasted no notes.

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    O’Connell said, “Jazz combined the sophistication I was looking for in music with the earth and the swing. I was determined to pursue it and develop myself as a jazz pianist.”

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    Jacob Bro performs at the Bergamo Jazz Festival on March 18.

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    The Jakob Bro Trio with, from left, Jorge Rossy, Bro and Arve Henriksen

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    The Cookers are, from left, George Cables, Billy Hart, Donald Harrison, Eddie Henderson, David Weiss, Billy Harper and Cecil McBee.

    The Cookers: Inflamed Soul

    In July 2020, four months after COVID-19 locked down the world, The Cookers entered Van Gelder Studio to record Look…

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    Don Byron pulls no punches while taking the “Test.”

    The Blindfold Test with Don Byron

    It’s hard to think of a jazz, Afro-Caribbean or new music/classical genre upon which Don Byron, an immediately…

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    Matt Wilson

    The Blindfold Test with Matt Wilson

    Matt Wilson’s 14th album, Hug!, issued in mid-2020 on Palmetto, upholds the 57-year-old drummer’s reputation as a…

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    Snarky Puppy’s Michael League sports a pandemic-era mask while speaking during the Barcelona Jazz Festival.

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    George Colligan

    Blindfold Test: George Colligan

    Best known for his scintillating work as a pianist-keyboardist-organist during the past three decades on the…

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    Cellist ​Hank Roberts has returned to New York to embark on projects with old friends.

    The Kaleidoscope of Hank Roberts

    At the cusp of the 1970s, when Hank Roberts was a high school student in Terre Haute, Indiana, he aspired to be a jazz…

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    Jeremy Pelt’s new book of jazz interviews is Griot: Examining The Lives Of Jazz’s Great Storytellers, Vol. 1.

    Jazz Artists, Jazz Interviewers

    Autobiographical memoirs and oral histories are common categories of jazz literature. Less so is the first-person…

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    ​Alex Conde’s new album is titled Descarga For Bud.

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    Trombonist Doug Beavers combines elements of r&b, salsa and jazz on his new album, Sol.

    Doug Beavers Revels in Sunshine

    During the past 20 years, Doug Beavers has been, to use baseball parlance, a five-tool player. Whether navigating New…

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    Chick Corea (1941-2021)

    In Memoriam: Chick Corea

    Chick Corea, one of the most beloved and decorated jazz artists in history, passed away Feb. 9. He was 79.

    In a post…

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    Lee Konitz (1927–2020) was inducted into the DownBeat Hall of Fame in 2015.

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    Alfredo Rodríguez is among the 25 artists DownBeat thinks will help shape jazz in the decades to come.

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    Carmen McRae (1920–’94) often paid tribute to Billie Holiday, one of her key influences.

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    Matt Brewer

    Blindfold Test: Matt Brewer

    Bassist Matt Brewer, 37, is widely respected for the technical wizardry and wide musical scope he has brought to a…

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    Walter Smith III

    Blindfold Test: Walter Smith III

    After almost a full year as chair of Berklee College of Music’s Woodwind Department, 39-year-old tenor saxophonist…

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    Saxophonist Russ Nolan’s new album is titled Sin Fronteras.

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    Eldar Djangirov’s latest album is titled Rhapsodize.

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    “We don’t travel as much as we’d like yet,” Delfeayo Marsalis said. “But the guys in the band are committed to what we’re doing, and it’s taken a while for the concept to evolve.”

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    Art Blakey (1919–1990)

    Art Blakey, the Mightiest Mentor

    No drummer more palpably imprinted their sonic identity and aesthetic principles on the soundtrack and culture of late…

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    Jimmy Heath (1926–2020)

    In Memoriam: Jimmy Heath

    Jimmy Heath, who died Jan. 19 in Loganville, Georgia, at age 93, was a master of multiple components of the jazz…

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    Brian Lynch’s latest big band release is a double album that reflects his love of literature.

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    Remy Le Boeuf has received many commissions in recent years, fueling his work as a composer and arranger.

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    Carla Thomas (left), Dee Dee Bridgewater, Steven Bernstein, Craig Handy and Natalie Cressman onstage at the WBGO gala on Nov. 6 in Manhattan

    WBGO Celebrates 40 Years

    On Nov. 6, Newark’s jazz public radio station, WBGO, marked a milestone by throwing itself a 40th anniversary party.…

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    Guitarist Bill Frisell is now based in New York, following nearly three decades in Seattle.

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    Robert Glasper (foreground) and Herbie Hancock in a scene from the documentary Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes.

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    Kasia Pietrzko performs during the Jazz Forum Showcase in Szczecin, Poland, which ran Oct. 1–3.

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    Kasia Pietrzko performs during the Jazz Forum Showcase in Szczecin, Poland, which ran Oct. 1–3.

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    Mike LeDonne returns to the piano trio format on Partners In Time.

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    Jimmy Cobb, who turned 90 in January, recently issued a new quartet album, This I Dig Of You.

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    Vocalist Kristen Lee Sergeant’s new album is titled Smolder.

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    “It’s a blessing to be within this legacy of the music,” Joe Lovano says.

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    The musicians who recorded Hunterones’ Passport include Joshua Hill (left), Adam DeAscentis, Chris Ott, Dan White, John Hubbell, Jon Lampley and Justin Stanton.

    The Global Appeal of Huntertones

    Not so long ago, Huntertones was the hottest instrumental group in Columbus, Ohio, where sousaphonist and trumpeter Jon…

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    A promotional video for Nate Smith’s solo drum collection Pocket Change describes it as an assortment of “beats, breaks and excursions.”

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    ECM founder Manfred Eicher writes that he saw new possibilities in the improvised music of the Art Ensemble of Chicago.

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    Francesco Martinelli gives a presentation on his new book, The History of European Jazz, at the 2018 Jazz Fest Sarajevo in November.

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    Drummer Eric Harland teamed with tenor saxophonist Daniel Rovin and bassist Austin White to found the label GSI Records.

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    Enrico Rava (left) and Joe Lovano perform at JAZZMI in Milan, Italy.

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    Pianist James Francies has released his Blue Note debut, Flight.

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    Keyboardist Aaron Parks, bassist David “DJ” Ginyard, guitarist Greg Tuohey and drummer Tommy Crane collaborated on Little Big.

    Aaron Parks Crafts a New Context

    Seventeen years into a distinguished career in the jazz business, Aaron Parks, 34, now focuses on his own projects, and…

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    Chucho Valdés (second from left) at the Rumba Para Bebo concert

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    Tia Fuller’s most recent album is Diamond Cut (Mack Avenue).

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    Marty Ehrlich’s most recent leader date is titled Trio Exaltation.

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    Guitarist Ximo Tébar has a new disc, Con Alma & United, set for release on Warner Music Spain.

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    Maria Pia De Vito’s embrace of the Portuguese language has resulted in the singer making connections between seemingly disparate musical traditions.

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    Pianist Giovanni Guidi maintains a handful of different performing projects and records for ECM Records.

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    BOP Trio, which comprises bassist Linda May Han Oh (from left), drummer Johnathan Blake and saxophonist Chris Potter, recently played Giant Step Arts’ opening event, a two-night run at Manhattan’s Jazz Gallery.

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    Jason Moran’s autobiographical Thelonious Monk homage, “In My Mind,” found him in the company of a relatively large band at Italy’s Umbria Jazz.

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    Jazzmeia Horn channeled Betty Carter and Sarah Vaughan at the Umbria Jazz festival during December.

    Jazzmeia Horn Soars in Orvieto

    Just after twilight Dec. 28 on the ground floor of the 14th-century Palazzo del Popolo, when the last note of the…

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    My Point is ... is drummer Willie Jones III’s most recent long-playing album.

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    Luisito Quintero (left), Chick Corea, Steve Wilson, Steve Gadd, Lionel Loueke and Carlitos Del Puerto performed a Sept. 19–30 residency at the Blue Note in New York.

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    Avishai Cohen at the Siena Jazz Summer Workshop in Italy.

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    Charles Lloyd performs during the Funchal Jazz Festival in Madeira, Portugal, on July 15.

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    Kurt Rosenwinkel performs during the Funchal Jazz Festival in Madeira, Portugal.

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    Photos from the Sonny Rollins Archive at the August Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.

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    Chucho Valdés performs at Birdland in New York City as part of a six-night engagement at the venue.

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    Trumpeter Alex Sipiagin recruited tenor saxophonist Chris Potter and other formidable players for the album Moments Captured.

    Sipiagin Soars on New Sextet Album

    The following is an expanded version of an article that appeared in the June 2017 issue of DownBeat:

    Last fall, Alex…

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    Eric Allen and Dave Lisik chronicle the history of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra in their new book.

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    The Jazz at Lincoln Center performs an homage to Dizzy Gillespie during the “Celebrating Dizzy Gillespie” concert series, which ran from Jan. 26-28 at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center.

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    Dave Liebman (left) and Joe Lovano pay tribute to their friend and colleague, the late Michael Brecker, at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Jan. 25.

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    Joe Lovano (left) and Chucho Valdés (seen here in a publicity photo) performed at Birdland in New York Nov. 22–27.

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    Tia Fuller performed at the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival on Nov. 10.

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    Ted Nash’s new album is titled Presidential Suite: Eight Variations On Freedom.

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    Chick Corea is in the midst of a lengthy residency at the Blue Note in New York.

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    Steve Cardenas (left), Jeremy Pelt, Allison Miller and Ben Allison (the group’s leader) perform at the BRIC JazzFest in Brooklyn on Oct. 13.

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    Phil Woods (1931–2015) was the subject of tribute concert on Sept. 8.

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    Roy Hargrove performs at the Detroit Jazz Festival on Sept. 3.

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    Somi (left) Toru Dodo and Liberty Ellman perform at the Sochi Jazz Festival on Aug. 4.

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    Randy Weston performs at the Jazz Foundation of America’s annual Jazz Loft Party at Hudson Studios in Manhattan on April 16.

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    Dan Weiss’ new album, Sixteen (Pi), pays tribute to iconic jazz drummers through orchestrated compositions.


Ted Panken's reviews:


Ted Panken's archives entries:

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    Tomasz Stańko

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    Lee Konitz (1927–2020)

    Lee Konitz And Melodic Invention

    On the afternoon of May 4, when Lee Konitz was informed of his induction into the DownBeat Hall of Fame, he was not at…

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    Randy Weston at The New School in New York


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