Nov 7, 2024 2:36 PM
Russell Malone — Guitarist of the Year
As Russell Malone is voted Guitarist of the Year by DownBeat readers, his friends and fans are pondering his legacy.
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Russell Malone’s generosity with other musicians and particularly fellow guitarists was a personal hallmark.
Nov 7, 2024 2:36 PM
As Russell Malone is voted Guitarist of the Year by DownBeat readers, his friends and fans are pondering his legacy.
…
“Being a musician, you’ve got to wear a whole bunch of different hats,” says indie artist Curtis Taylor. “You’re doing advertising, and you’re doing flyers for your own shows.”
Oct 29, 2024 12:51 PM
Being an independent musician in 2024 frequently requires adopting a DIY approach. For trumpeter Curtis Taylor’s…
A career in music isn’t just playing onstage. These four professionals prove it, from left: Jody Espina, JodyJazz Mouthpieces; publicist Lydia Liebman; producer and manager Matt Pierson with Samara Joy and Pasquale Grasso; Sunny Sumter, DC Jazz Festival.
Sep 5, 2024 2:28 PM
Beyond performing and teaching, what can one do with a music degree? Plenty.
From festival presentation, album…
In addition to his instrumental prowess, Malone was praised for his musical generosity and his singular sense of humor.
Aug 27, 2024 8:40 PM
Guitarist and bandleader Russell Malone died Aug. 23, while on tour in Japan, after battling end-stage kidney failure.…
Finzer, second from left, with drummer Lewis Nash, left, bassist Rufus Reid, second from right, and pianist Renee Rosnes.
Jul 31, 2024 12:21 PM
J.J. Johnson (1924–2001) earned his rightful place in jazz history. But fellow trombonist Nick Finzer thinks that…
Finzer, second from left, with drummer Lewis Nash, left, bassist Rufus Reid, second from right, and pianist Renee Rosnes.
Jul 16, 2024 3:17 PM
J.J. Johnson (1924–2001) earned his rightful place in jazz history. But does he receive enough recognition? Fellow…
“Variety is essential,” says Taylor Eigsti. “It both creates new landscapes and puts you in closer touch with the present moment.”
Jun 18, 2024 3:42 PM
It’s early March in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a local, classically trained instrumentalist is astonished as she…
Omar Sosa
May 21, 2024 3:15 PM
Music documentaries can come in a variety of shapes and sizes, as confirmed by this trio of highly inspired — and…
Jarred Sims directs the West Virginia University Mountaineer Honor Jazz Band during rehearsal.
Feb 8, 2024 1:29 PM
The idea of a big fish in a small pond is a cliché. But how about being a big fish in a comfortably sized pond…
“I like to just click on songs that touched me and see if I could do them in a personal way — especially if it’s a well-known song,” Alpert said about selecting material for his new album.
Jan 31, 2024 3:08 PM
In 2020, writer and director John Scheinfeld released the feature documentary Herb Alpert Is … . “I liked it, but I…
Steven Lugerner and Ross Eustis put their experience in the non-profit world into creating Slow & Steady Records.
Jan 31, 2024 3:05 PM
In the land of 1,001 tech startups, Steven Lugerner and Ross Eustis decided to launch a record label.
Founded in…
“I don’t think there’s anything better than seeing kids grow as human beings,” Gaesser said.
Jan 9, 2024 12:50 PM
Somewhere in Curtis Gaesser’s house, one can imagine a room overflowing with the awards he’s received —…
“I mortgaged my house a couple of times, but it was worth it,” Muscarella says of working to establish Jazzschool and California Jazz Conservatory.
Jan 9, 2024 12:49 PM
There’s a paragraph in Susan Muscarella’s book California Jazz Conservatory: A 25-Year Retrospective that brings a…
“Ultimately, you just want to find a place that really makes you feel like, ‘Well, this is home,’” says Rodney Jordan, professor of jazz studies at Florida State University.
Sep 28, 2023 12:42 PM
After choosing an instrument, one of the biggest decisions a musician can make is where to attend college or…
“We can’t fix any mistakes,” Vince Ector notes about recording live.
Jul 18, 2023 2:18 PM
The concert was Ector’s bandleading debut at the Old Lyme, Connecticut, venue. Recorded in January 2020, it also…
Locale and creative programming have become touch points of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Apr 27, 2023 11:29 AM
The ideal jazz festival showcases its locale while presenting thoughtfully conceived concerts and events. Since 1999,…
“Anytime I get a chance, I love going to see my friends and hearing what they’re doing,” Moullier said of other vibes players.
Apr 11, 2023 11:02 AM
Examples of thespians who want to be rock stars or pro athletes who want to act can be found throughout pop culture…
A Gordon Goodwin studio session during Summer at Los Angeles College of Music.
Mar 2, 2023 10:25 AM
When researching Los Angeles College of Music’s (LACM) faculty members and curriculum, one is reminded that the…
Randall Kline
Jan 3, 2023 1:24 PM
“Scalability” is a popular buzzword among businesses and organizations these days, and DownBeat Lifetime…
Jim Nadel
Jan 3, 2023 1:28 PM
When Jim Nadel presented the final concert of the 2022 Stanford Jazz Festival in late July, the newest entrant into the…
The world of Hammond B-3 jazz organ will now be measured in terms of pre- and post-Joey DeFrancesco.
Nov 23, 2022 1:20 PM
The world of Hammond B-3 jazz organ will now be measured in terms of pre- and post-Joey DeFrancesco. The influential…
Origin Records was founded by John Bishop, who was a drummer before becoming a label head.
Nov 1, 2022 12:40 PM
Origin Records turned 25 in August. And in typical understated fashion, founder John Bishop says he didn’t go out of…
“We don’t really call ourselves jazz or any other type of players,” said DOMi, right, of the music she makes with JD BECK. “We’re just musicians.”
Sep 13, 2022 4:09 PM
DOMi & JD BECK had an auspicious record release gig for their debut album, NOT TiGHT. It was scheduled to drop on the…
DeFrancesco recorded his first album and toured Europe as a member of Miles Davis’ band at age 17.
Aug 30, 2022 3:35 PM
The music world is mourning the unexpected passing of Joey DeFrancesco, who died Aug. 25 from a massive heart attack,…
Matt Burchard, literally, takes the music to the people at the Vail Jazz Festival.
Apr 29, 2022 2:50 AM
With 2020 mostly a lost year and 2021 largely transitional, jazz festivals held west of the mighty Mississippi River…
Jon Batiste delivers a vocal-and-piano version of “Sweet Lorraine” on the Relief album.
Apr 12, 2022 1:40 PM
The word unprecedented was a mainstay of 2020 conversations, and for mostly negative reasons. But the pandemic also…
Newly inducted NEA Jazz Masters Stanley Clarke (left), Billy Hart and Donald Harrison Jr. at SFJAZZ Center on March 31.
Apr 5, 2022 4:57 PM
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) formally inducted its four new Jazz Masters on the eve of Jazz Appreciation…
Denny Zeitlin and George Marsh
Jan 4, 2022 12:59 PM
Denny Zeitlin is equally known for his solo piano work and his trio, which currently includes bassist Buster Williams…
Emilio Castillo and David Garibaldi
Dec 7, 2021 1:56 PM
Tower of Power is as much an institution and brand as a band. The title of the horn-driven ensemble’s debut album,…
The new SFJAZZ Collective lineup, from left: Edward Simon, Etienne Charles, David Sánchez, Gretchen Parlato, Chris Potter (musical director), Kendrick Scott, Matt Brewer, Warren Wolf and Martin Luther McCoy.
Dec 7, 2021 7:16 PM
For the second time in three years, the all-star SFJAZZ Collective is shifting its paradigm.
Since its founding in…
Esperanza Spalding performing with the San Francisco Symphony.
Nov 2, 2021 1:08 PM
San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall is located across the street from the War Memorial Opera House and a block…
Chick Corea, the lost Blindfold Test
Mar 5, 2021 12:35 PM
Thelonious Monk took the Blindfold Test only once, and the results were published in the April 21, 1966, issue of…
Since the pandemic began, saxophonist Charles Lloyd (center) has remained busy, performing in fresh ensembles and preparing the release of a new album.
Jan 12, 2021 8:40 AM
Despite 2020 being a troublesome year, Charles Lloyd refused to be inactive.
The 82-year-old saxophonist debuted two…
The independent label Blujazz has released vocalist Joyce Grant’s latest album, Surrounded By Blue.
Sep 9, 2020 4:34 PM
For 22 years, vocalist Joyce Grant had a nearly uninterrupted weekly engagement at Zingari Ristorante, located in San…
Shayna Steele performs Feb. 16 at Cafe Stritch in San José, California, during San José Jazz Winter Fest.
Mar 17, 2020 11:31 AM
For the 2020 edition of San José Jazz Winter Fest, which wrapped on Feb. 29, a new wave of rising stars left a…
Dianne Reeves, seen here at the 2012 San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, returns to the festival this year.
Jul 29, 2019 9:25 AM
San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, which is celebrating its 30th edition Aug. 9–11 with headliners such as Gregory Porter,…
Joshua Redman’s current quartet first convened in 1998.
Jun 7, 2019 4:56 PM
When DownBeat contacted Joshua Redman about an interview, the saxophonist and Berkeley, California, resident agreed to…
The second volume in the Blue Note Review subscription series, Spirit & Time, focuses on drummers.
Nov 26, 2018 5:16 PM
The Blue Note label is following up its inaugural Blue Note Review set, 2017’s Peace, Love & Fishing, with a second…
Pianist, vocalist, songwriter and arrangerSarah McKenzie premiered San Francisco—Paris Of The West on Sept. 14 at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California.
Sep 24, 2018 5:05 PM
There weren’t any commemorative items for sale at the world premiere of Sarah McKenzie’s accomplished and wholly…
Andrea Motis recently taught and performed at Stanford University in California.
Sep 4, 2018 11:20 AM
The creative seeds that 23-year-old trumpeter and vocalist Andrea Motis has been planting since her days as a teen…
Danny Green’s fifth leader date is One Day It Will (OA2).
Jul 30, 2018 10:30 AM
Like the late lifelong Padre and Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, Danny Green is San Diego through and through. A…
Jul 13, 2018 3:31 PM
Whether playing in all-star student bands, attending the Manhattan School of Music or leading the Le Boeuf Brothers…
Kenny Garrett performs during the 2017 edition of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival in Healdsburg, California.
May 7, 2018 11:34 AM
Artistically successful jazz festivals offer a point of view that reflects both geographic locale and, when possible,…
After performing and giving a presentation at California State University-Monterey Bay, saxophonist Tia Fuller (shown here) and trumpeter Ingrid Jensen participate in the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Jazz in the Schools in Monterey County earlier in March.
Mar 16, 2018 2:47 PM
The oldest continuous jazz festival in the world and the second-newest school in the California State University system…
Cuban vocalist Daymé Arocena performs with pianist Ernán López-Nussa and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band at a recent SFJAZZ gala.
Mar 5, 2018 1:32 PM
A five-plus-hour event on Feb. 1 highlighted personal ties among instrumentalists and strengthened the relationship…
Pianist Vijay Iyer performed in a variety of settings, including in this sextet, during a four-day showcase at SFJAZZ in January.
Feb 15, 2018 1:51 PM
Pianist, composer, bandleader and educator Vijay Iyer returned to San Francisco late in January for the second time in…
Wadada Leo Smith
May 8, 2020 2:09 PM
The CREATE festival made its West Coast debut in San Francisco’s Mission District on Dec. 15.
The inaugural CREATE…
Drummer Eric Harland leads Voyager and plays in a handful of other ensembles.
Jan 12, 2018 9:54 AM
It’s been said that clothes make the man. In the case of in-demand drummer and bandleader Eric Harland, sartorial…
Trumpeter Sean Jones (left) and saxophonists Miguel Zenón, David Sánchez and Joshua Redman perform on Oct. 8 at Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse in Berkeley, California.
Oct 16, 2017 6:06 PM
“Music builds community,” reads a side of the marquee at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse in Berkeley, California.…
Don Was
Jul 27, 2018 9:10 AM
From vibraphonists Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson to pianist Geri Allen and trumpeter Terence Blanchard, Blue Note…
Jimmy Heath (left), Joshua Redman and Branford Marsalis perform a tribute to saxophone icon Sonny Rollins at this year’s Monterey Jazz Festival, held Sept. 15–17 in California.
Sep 21, 2017 10:20 AM
The Monterey Jazz Festival celebrated its 60th anniversary Sept. 15–17 by reflecting on its continuous six-decade…
Dee Dee Bridgewater performs at SFJAZZ in San Francisco on Sept. 8 as part of the venue’s season opening.
Oct 15, 2017 12:46 PM
SFJAZZ opened its 2017–’18 season on Sept. 7 with a formidable members-only show by Dee Dee Bridgewater. A tribute…
Chris Botti (left), Lee Pearson and Sy Smith perform at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, which ran Aug. 11–13.
Sep 5, 2017 2:46 PM
San Jose Jazz’s annual Summer Fest offered patrons the opportunity to have a variety of different festival…
Pino Palladino (left), Steve Jordan and John Mayer perform at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, on July 29.
Aug 4, 2017 6:57 PM
As he demonstrated July 29 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, John Mayer’s continued…
Glenn Zaleski (left), Melissa Aldana, Philip Dizack, Pablo Menares and Craig Weinrib perform at the San Francisco Jazz Festival on June 13.
Jun 20, 2017 4:20 PM
Before the SFJAZZ Center opened in January 2013, SFJAZZ’s flagship programming was its San Francisco Jazz Festival…
Farnell Newton started Jam of the Week in 2014.
May 26, 2017 12:04 PM
You may have seen trumpeter Mark Kelly’s performance of Miles Davis’ “Milestones” in front of a classroom of…
Vicente Archer (left), Clarence Penn, Mary Stallings and Steve Nelson perform at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco May 4 as part of the vocalist’s four-day residency.
May 12, 2017 3:28 PM
Since opening its SFJAZZ Center in January 2013, the SFJAZZ organization has appointed a group of Resident Artistic…
Dave Holland, a newly named NEA Jazz Master, performs at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz.
May 2, 2017 11:31 AM
As he demonstrated time and again on the bandstand of the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, California, on April 6,…
Trombone Shorty opened for the alt-rock group Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, on March 11.
Mar 17, 2017 9:30 PM
The category now known as “Rising Star” in the annual DownBeat Critics Poll once went by the moniker “Talent…
Scott Colley (let), Ambrose Akinmusire, Brian Blade and Wolfgang Muthspiel perform at the Miner Auditorium in San Francisco on Feb. 26 as part of an ECM label spotlight at SFJAZZ.
Mar 7, 2017 4:34 PM
SFJAZZ recently presented its second extended weekend of musicians who record for the ECM label. Doubling down on the…
Thundercat, aka Stephen Bruner, performs at The Independent club in San Francisco on Feb. 12.
Feb 16, 2017 4:05 PM
Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner began his much anticipated 21-city, 23-date North American tour on Feb. 12 at The…
Zakir Hussain (center, with tabla) performs with members of the Kronos Quartet members David Harrington (left), John Sherba, Hank Dutt and Sunny Yang at SFJAZZ in San Francisco on Jan. 18.
Jan 24, 2017 2:58 PM
Producing and presenting a multi-act show with limited rehearsal time and a broad repertoire can be a tricky…
Kamasi Washington (foreground) and bassist Miles Mosely perform at SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco on Jan. 8.
Jan 17, 2017 3:56 PM
Though Kamasi Washington is a proud native of South Central Los Angeles, the popular tenor saxophonist has a…
Jake Shimabukuro (left) and Nolan Verner perform at the Bing Concert Hall in Stanford, California, on Dec. 8.
Dec 13, 2016 9:10 AM
When Jake Shimabukuro triumphantly entered Bing Concert Hall in Stanford, California, on Dec. 8, he flashed an easy…
Bob Seeley (seen here at the 2014 SF International Boogie Woogie Festival)
Nov 18, 2016 12:35 PM
Boogie-woogie is an inherently jubilant musical genre—even its very name can bring a giggle to your lips. So the SF…
Pascal (far left) and Remy Le Boeuf (far right) perform with members of the Friction Quartet at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, California, on Nov. 10.
Nov 17, 2016 3:26 PM
The Le Boeuf Brothers concluded a brief four-date Northern California tour on the evening of Nov. 10 in Santa Cruz.…
Billy Childs (at piano, left), Hubert Laws, Matt Penman and Peter Erskine perform during a tribute to the late Bobby Hutcherson at SFJAZZ on Oct. 23.
Oct 28, 2016 12:42 PM
An all-star group of instrumentalists and vocalists (as well as a few famous audience members) gathered to pay tribute…
Van Morrison performs at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco on Oct. 18.
Oct 28, 2016 11:55 AM
While it was definitely a coup, SFJAZZ booking Van Morrison for two consecutive nights starting Oct. 18 was also a…
Pianist Brad Mehldau (far left) leads members of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Alumni Orchestra and his own trio for a performance of Highway Rider at SFJAZZ.
Oct 18, 2016 2:05 PM
Like anticipating the film adaption of a favorite novel, it’s exciting to imagine how an ambitious recording will…
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performs at the Bing Concert Hall in Stanford, California, on Sept. 30.
Oct 17, 2016 3:36 PM
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) commenced its 2016–’17 touring season with five shows in Northern…
Clint Eastwood (left) and Quincy Jones at the Monterey Jazz Festival in Monterey, California
Oct 10, 2016 4:08 PM
One of the highlights of the 59th annual Monterey Jazz Festival was the big band-heavy Tribute to Quincy Jones: The A&M…
Gwilym Simcock (left), Pat Metheny, Linda Oh and Antonio Sanchez perform at the SFJAZZ Center on Sept. 8.
Sep 28, 2016 11:21 AM
SFJAZZ launched its 2016–’17 season with a members-only Opening Night gathering on Sept. 8. The four-hour event…
Geri Allen (left), Benny Green, Taylor Eigsti, Kenny Barron, Marcus Roberts, Joe Lovano, McCoy Tyner and Chick Corea at SFJAZZ in San Francisco on June 19.
Jul 8, 2016 12:36 PM
The SFJAZZ concert was billed as “McCoy Tyner and Friends” but could have been dubbed “A Master and His…
Billy Hart was spotlighted at the Healdsburg Jazz Festival June 4–5.
Jun 28, 2016 3:27 PM
Two hallmarks of a great jazz festival are unique programming and a deep history. The 18th Annual Healdsburg Jazz…
Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Mar 28, 2016 10:44 AM
Flamenco has a firm foothold in the Bay Area, thanks to the 11th Annual San Francisco Flamenco Festival, which…
Victor Ryan Robertson (left) Kenneth Kellogg and Mark Hernandez in the production of Terence Blanchard’s Champion: An Opera In Jazz
Mar 22, 2016 2:10 PM
Trumpeter Terence Blanchard’s ambitious Champion: An Opera in Jazz, about the late bisexual boxer Emile Griffith, had…
Sep 18, 2018 5:12 PM
Sep 18, 2018 5:09 PM
Jul 27, 2017 3:07 PM
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