Apr 4, 2023 1:43 PM
Blindfold Test: Orrin Evans
Pianist Orrin Evans, artist-in-residence for the 2022/2023 DC Jazz Festival, is not only an exceptional pianist. He is…
“Ahmad’s voicings inform so much of how I look at music,” said Orrin Evans about fellow pianist Ahmad Jamal.
Apr 4, 2023 1:43 PM
Pianist Orrin Evans, artist-in-residence for the 2022/2023 DC Jazz Festival, is not only an exceptional pianist. He is…
“I got that chill in my spine. So I’m guessing that’s Kenny Garrett,” Lakecia Benjamin said while listening to the alto saxophonist play John Coltrane’s “Dear Lord.”
Nov 22, 2023 1:20 PM
Alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin continues her upward arc on the heels of her stunning 2020 release Pursuance: The…
Danilo Pérez speaks during a clinic at the Panama Jazz Festival, which ran Jan. 13-17 in Panama City, Panama.
Jan 27, 2020 11:24 AM
The Panama Jazz Festival provided a vibrant daily schedule, chock-a-block with a dizzying array of classroom…
Vocalist Gregory Porter performs at the Funchal Jazz Festival, which ran July 11-13, in Madeira, an archipelago southwest of Portugal.
Jul 22, 2019 12:11 PM
Madeira is a volcanically formed, mountainous archipelago of sweeping hillsides and winding streets chockablock with…
Daniel Rolim and and Marta Freitas perform at Brazilian Jazz Night during the 40th annual Copenhagen Jazz Festival.
Jul 18, 2018 11:36 AM
Drowsily easing up to passport control upon arrival in Copenhagen after a sleepless, otherwise pleasant 8-hour journey…
Bassist Ben Williams (left) sits for a DownBeat Blindfold Test, conducted by Willard Jenkins, at the DC JazzFest in Washington, D.C., on June 27.
Jun 15, 2020 11:31 AM
A native of Washington, D.C., bassist Ben Williams took his first DownBeat Blindfold Test in front of an audience in…
The 2017 NEA Jazz Masters at the 2017 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert on April 3, 2017 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. (left to right): Representing Ira Gitler, Fitz Gitler; Dick Hyman; Dave Holland; Dr. Lonnie Smith; and Dee Dee Bridgewater.
Apr 7, 2017 1:59 PM
Since relocating from New York to The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the annual NEA Jazz Masters awards…
Guitarist Pat Metheny (left) and bassist Ron Carter perform as a duo at Umbria Jazz in Perugia, Italy, on July 13.
Aug 12, 2016 1:35 PM
Over the course of its 44-year history, Umbria Jazz has evolved into a true people’s festival. The charming Italian…
“If you never suffered, you can’t play the blues,” says Lou Donaldson.
Jan 29, 2025 12:45 PM
When it comes to a soulful jazz groove, it just doesn’t get much groovier than Lou Donaldson, whose blues-drenched…
