Jan 12, 2021 8:40 AM
Charles Lloyd’s Dynamic Pandemic Year
Despite 2020 being a troublesome year, Charles Lloyd refused to be inactive. The 82-year-old saxophonist debuted two…
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…
McCoy Tyner (1938–2020)
Jan 11, 2021 8:49 AM
The past year’s been rough, and the next few months might not be too much better. At some point, though, life might…
Dayna Stephens released two career-expanding albums this year: the studio effort Liberty and Right Now! Live At The Village Vanguard.
Jan 15, 2021 3:38 PM
Saxophonist Dayna Stephens’ worldview differs from that of most people. As the survivor of a rare kidney disease, he…
Mary Halvorson remained busy during the pandemic year, releasing a new album with her group Code Girl, as well as with the trio Thumbscrew.
Dec 11, 2020 10:50 AM
Since her debut on record about 15 years ago, guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson has stood out. A fierce…
The Mingus Big Band performs at the Jazz Standard in New York. The club announced its permanent closure on Tuesday amid a spike in new COVID-19 cases.
Dec 2, 2020 1:26 PM
As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on and further economic stimulus from the federal government remains in limbo, the…
Lakecia Benjamin performs Nov. 6 at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn as a part of Jazzfest Berlin, which this year included livestreamed performances from both sides of the Atlantic.
Nov 30, 2020 6:27 PM
In curating Jazzfest Berlin, Artistic Director Nadin Deventer always looks for a unifying narrative. For this year’s…
Oct 30, 2020 5:54 PM
The Detroit Jazz Festival, which ran during the long Labor Day weekend, reports that about one million people viewed or…
Drummer Andrew Cyrille (left) and vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant are among the recipients of the 2020 Doris Duke Artist Awards.
Sep 28, 2020 12:16 PM
Drummer Andrew Cyrille and vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, along with six other artists in the dance and theater…
A portion of the proceeds from Somi’s latest album, Holy Room: Live At Alte Oper With Frankfurt Radio Big Band, go to benefit the Black Art Futures Fund.
Aug 31, 2020 8:57 AM
New York-based vocalist Somi thought that her May 2019 date with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band in Germany was just a…
Over time, saxophonist Bobby Watson has learned to connect the idea of the blues in his life and in his music.
Aug 10, 2020 12:59 PM
“You can’t believe how many musicians are afraid of the blues, man,” Bobby Watson said recently over the phone…
Nicole Zuraitis composed most of the material on her new album, All Wandering Hearts.
Aug 10, 2020 11:12 AM
Nicole Zuraitis is accustomed to playing some of the finest rooms in New York, including Birdland and the 55 Bar. Before…
Urban(e), a new recording from the Mike Fahie Jazz Orchestra due out Aug. 28 on Greenleaf Music, grew out of a singular notion: the marriage of the classical and jazz idioms.
Jul 31, 2020 6:44 AM
Trombonist-composer Mike Fahie—a prolific bandleader and in-demand sideman on the New York scene—is serious about…
William Paterson University students who study with Mike LeDonne created a YouTube clip with each musician’s part recorded separately. Pictured are Spencer Zweifel, organ; Ryan Hernandez, guitar; Joe McCaffrey, drums; Jonny Gittings, trumpet; and William McKee, alto saxophone.
Aug 17, 2020 12:29 PM
If you’re looking for an American bellwether of the coronavirus pandemic, look no further than the country’s jazz…
Bassist and bandleader Matt Ulery has been playing outdoor gigs around Chicago recently, a way to retain creative energy during the pandemic.
Jul 30, 2020 8:55 AM
The last time Chicago bassist Matt Ulery played a club gig was March 11. Since then, like most musicians, he’s found…
Abigail Washburn and Béla Fleck have been livestreaming performances from their home in Nashville during the pandemic.
Jul 20, 2020 1:09 PM
Work and family gracefully coexist in the household of Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn—married banjo players who…
The Green Mill in Chicago is planning to hold shows this weekend for the first time in three months.
Jun 26, 2020 2:45 PM
Even as states like Texas and Florida are dealing with a significant surge in new cases of the coronavirus, a few jazz…
Bassist Adi Meyerson is set to stream an Art Is Alive set Friday.
Jun 23, 2020 4:52 PM
As performers look to replace income from lost gigs and regain a sense of community amid the coronavirus pandemic, a…
Reedist Tim Berne said he’s rethinking the way he books tours and runs a band in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic upending air travel.
Jun 22, 2020 9:10 AM
The travel industry’s indelible connection to the jazz ecosystem, like so many other economic niches, has been thrown…
Harry Connick Jr. and his daughter Georgia, a filmmaker, are featured in the TV special “United We Sing: A Grammy Tribute To The Unsung Heroes,” airing on June 21.
Jun 16, 2020 4:36 PM
Harry Connick Jr., Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Jon Batiste, John Fogerty, Andra Day and Dave…
Bassist Victor Wooten speaks with fans during the 2019 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.
Jun 16, 2020 1:56 PM
The National Association of Music Merchants announced its plan to host The NAMM Show on Jan. 21–24, 2021, in a recent…
Top row from left: Nduduzo Makhathini (Photo: Nailah Makhathini); Brandee Younger and Dezron Douglas at their home in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City (Photo: Courtesy of Artists); Chick Corea (Photo: Toshi Sakurai, Courtesy Chick Corea Productions). Bottom row from left: Christian McBride (Photo: R. Andrew Lepley); Stanton Moore at his home in New Orleans (Photo: Lauren Del Rio); Wolfgang Muthspiel and his 4-year-old daughter, Flora, at their home in Vienna (Photo: Courtesy of Artist); Kris Davis (Photo: ©Caroline Mardok).
Jun 17, 2020 8:56 AM
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Musicians around the globe had gigs, recording dates, mixing sessions—stuff to…
Bassist and bandleader Dezron Douglas is set to stream a trio set from Smalls on Wednesday.
Jun 22, 2020 8:55 AM
As performers look to replace income from lost gigs and regain a sense of community amid the coronavirus pandemic, a…
Guitarist John McLauglin posted “Lockdown Blues” to YouTube on Wednesday in an effort to raise funds for the Jazz Foundation of America.
Jun 11, 2020 11:06 AM
Guitarist John McLaughlin posted “Lockdown Blues” to YouTube on Wednesday in an effort to raise funds for the Jazz…
Saxophonist Nubya Garcia performs at the 2018 Melbourne Jazz Festival, one of many large-scale events pivoting online because of the pandemic.
Jun 11, 2020 9:06 AM
As Jazzfest Passau in Germany plans to continue outdoor events and Portugal’s Jazz em Agosto adapts to its…
In late May, The California Clipper, a Chicago club that hosted local jazz, announced its closure.
Jun 15, 2020 8:59 AM
The National Independent Venue Association says that up to 90 percent of its members in the United States could close as…
Linda May Han Oh and Fabian Almazan have used the Crowdcast platform to livestream performances from their home in New York.
Jun 9, 2020 8:52 AM
We are currently “living in unprecedented times.” Pundits have drummed this phrase into our collective psyche since…
Pianist Jarrett Cherner and vocalist Sarah Elizabeth Charles and are set to stream a Friday performance.
Jun 22, 2020 8:54 AM
As performers look to replace income from lost gigs and regain a sense of community amid the coronavirus pandemic, a…
Spike Wilner, proprietor of the New York venue Smalls, recently began hosting shows at his club for the first time since the pandemic hit.
Jun 8, 2020 1:19 PM
Compared to the other casualties of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, it barely registers in media coverage and the…
Thundercat is a second-generation product of the Los Angeles jazz scene: Drummer Ronald Bruner Sr., his father, gigged with saxophonist Rickey Washington, father of Kamasi Washington.
Jun 29, 2020 3:18 PM
Across four full-length efforts, Thundercat has pushed jazz into unknown territories. The bassist, though, remains…
Pianist Kris Davis is set to stream a June 5 set alongside drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and sound artist Val Jeanty as a part of the online platform Live From Our Living Rooms’ Creative Summit & Fundraiser.
Jun 22, 2020 8:54 AM
As performers look to replace income from lost gigs and regain a sense of community amid the coronavirus pandemic, a…
Bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding and pianist Fred Hersch are raising funds for Jazz Foundation of America amid the pandemic.
Jun 1, 2020 4:31 PM
Bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding and pianist Fred Hersch recorded a 2018 run at New York’s Village Vanguard, and a…
Allan Harris is among the performers planning to stream live sets this week.
Jun 22, 2020 8:54 AM
As performers look to replace income from lost gigs and regain a sense of community amid the coronavirus pandemic, a…
Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science are among the groups planning to stream live sets this week.
May 21, 2020 9:50 AM
As performers look to replace income from lost gigs and regain a sense of community amid the coronavirus pandemic, a…
On Saturday, trumpeter Terence Blanchard and director Michael Murphy are set for an online chat around Up From the Streets: New Orleans: City of Music.
May 14, 2020 1:44 PM
Up From the Streets: New Orleans: City of Music, a documentary that explores the inexorable link between the Big Easy…
Vocalist Luciana Souza is among the first members of the Jazz Coalition, a new granting organization.
May 11, 2020 3:58 PM
In an effort to assist musicians currently caught in a dire straits and to foster new creative endeavors, a recently…
Vocalist Angélique Kidjo is among the performers to contribute to Jazz Foundation of America’s #TheNewGig fundraiser.
May 14, 2020 9:09 AM
On May 14, Jazz Foundation of America is set to host #TheNewGig fundraiser to benefit the organization’s Covid-19…
Pianist Fred Hersch is using Patreon, a donation-based platform, to roll out a new concert series.
May 6, 2020 2:39 PM
Pianist Fred Hersch has remained busy, despite the pandemic. In March, he made sure fans knew The Ballad of Fred Hersch…
While on lockdown in New York, pianist Ethan Iverson has used classic TV themes as a springboard for creativity.
May 18, 2020 11:26 AM
Ethan Iverson is almost as good at Twitter as he is at piano. Whether folks have come to his music through recent leader…
Marc Ribot is on the steering committee of the Music Workers Alliance, which is fighting to protect musicians’ rights.
May 11, 2020 12:05 AM
Within 24 hours of the World Health Organization’s March 11 announcement that the COVID-19 outbreak was a pandemic,…
Vocalist Dianne Reeves is among the jazz stars who will take part in an April 30 live-streamed concert to celebrate International Jazz Day.
May 1, 2020 8:46 AM
Vocalist Dianne Reeves, guitarist John Scofield, organist Joey DeFrancesco and saxophonist Igor Butman are among the…
Ramsey Lewis plans to live stream a concert from his home at 1 p.m. CST Saturday.
Apr 24, 2020 11:11 AM
Pianist Ramsey Lewis, a Grammy winner and NEA Jazz Master fellowship recipient, will live stream a concert from his…
Vocalist Ledisi is one of the artists featured on International Jazz Day from Australia, a concert special that premieres on PBS on Friday.
Apr 24, 2020 11:01 AM
With the concert industry at a complete halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, jazz fans are turning to their computer…
Ellis Marsalis performs at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 7, 2017.
Jun 3, 2020 3:19 PM
The following serves as a tribute to the musicians we have lost to the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 was a factor in…
Eddy Davis (1940–2020)
Apr 22, 2020 1:43 PM
Editor’s Note: Eddy Davis, a banjo player and bandleader who performed frequently with filmmaker/clarinetist Woody…
Romain Collin took this photo from a cabin in Iceland, where the pianist stayed for weeks during the coronavirus pandemic.
Apr 21, 2020 9:04 AM
With the coronavirus pandemic spreading around the world, the United States government on March 11 announced tight…
Steve Lehman’s Xenakis And The Valedictorian is the first of Pi Recordings’ digital releases aimed at providing assistance to performers who have lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic.
May 18, 2020 2:04 PM
Pi Recordings, the New York label focused on avant sounds for the past two decades, has hit pause on its regular release…
Henry Grimes (1935–2020)
May 1, 2020 1:36 AM
Philadelphia-born bassist Henry Grimes, revered for his work alongside jazz titans, died April 15 at the age of 84,…
Lee Konitz performs at the Blue Note in New York City on Oct. 9, 2017.
Apr 22, 2020 9:04 AM
Chicago-born alto saxophonist Lee Konitz passed away April 15 at the age of 92. WBGO confirmed his death, adding that…
“It’s always been there,” multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jen Shyu said about a wave of vitriol aimed at Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. “These events, they’re just an excuse for people.”
Apr 19, 2020 10:23 PM
Jen Shyu is singing over the phone. It’s a song based on a middle-school diary entry that describes her heart breaking…
Wynton Marsalis and Jazz At Lincoln Center are set to host their annual gala online.
Apr 14, 2020 3:50 PM
In a profound improvisational act, Jazz At Lincoln Center is set to host its annual gala online. Streaming from its…
Amirtha Kidambi is among the artists who have signed the “Public Letter of Concern by Working Artists for Ethical Cancellations.”
Apr 14, 2020 10:43 AM
As initiatives to assist musicians during a time of lost and postponed gigs due to the coronavirus pandemic continue to…
Charles Lloyd and the Marvels perform April 28, 2018, at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Apr 27, 2020 10:51 AM
If there’s a spiritual force in jazz that fans and musicians can look to for kōan-like erudition, it’s Charles…
Charlie Parker (1920–’55)
Apr 20, 2020 10:17 AM
The people have spoken, and they want more movie recommendations. If you’ve managed to watch the 20 previous film…
A handful of cultural institutions are opening up their vaults to provide video footage during the pandemic, with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center posting hours of music.
Apr 9, 2020 8:47 AM
Like newspapers lifting their paywalls during the pandemic, some cultural institutions are making their archives…
Saxophonist Caroline Davis continues teaching through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jun 19, 2020 10:21 AM
While jazz education has long served as a way to hand down tradition while instilling superlative musicianship, it has…
John (left) and Bucky Pizzarelli (1926–2020)
Apr 2, 2020 4:25 PM
Acclaimed jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli died on April 1 at age 94. He had suffered health problems, and his son, the…
Ellis Marsalis (1934–2020)
Apr 7, 2020 8:54 AM
Pianist Ellis Marsalis, the head of a New Orleans family that significantly impacted how jazz is seen and heard…
Pianist Gabriel Chakarji has been posting performances online to maintain momentum for his debut, New Beginning.
Apr 13, 2020 3:58 PM
Inside Bronx Music House, standing lamps bloom like roses. Percussion instruments hang like ivy on the walls. A…
Trumpeter Wallace Roney died Tuesday “due to complications of COVID-19,” according to his publicist.
Apr 13, 2020 1:32 PM
Trumpeter Wallace Roney—a stalwart of New York’s straightahead scene whose career put him in the path of legends…
Trumpeter Lee Morgan (left) is the subject of Kasper Collin’s I Called Him Morgan.
Apr 1, 2020 12:10 PM
Well, readers: We’re still stuck at home, figuring out ways to stay sane and remain connected to the outside world.…
Cécile McLorin Salvant seemed at home while recently livestreaming a performance from her living room.
Mar 25, 2020 2:03 PM
In desperate times, creative musicians find creative solutions. As the coronavirus pandemic has spread and health…
Saxophonist and educator Rudresh Mahanthappa sees a connection between improvising and cooking.
Apr 6, 2020 10:24 AM
Recently, saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa was making black bean soup at his home in New Jersey. From scratch. It had…
Mark de Clive-Lowe was raised in New Zealand playing piano, moved to the UK during the 1990s and pursued electronic music before moving to Los Angeles and working around the edges of jazz.
May 19, 2020 4:47 PM
As performers look to replace income from lost gigs and regain a sense of community amid the coronavirus pandemic, a…
Saxophonist Noah Preminger said that the “U.S. government did nothing to help” him return home from Morocco.
Mar 30, 2020 2:33 PM
In a remote cabin about 20 miles from the nearest village, pianist and composer Romain Collin hunkers down. Weeks before…
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Mar 30, 2020 4:50 PM
In an effort to foster a sense of community and to bolster the lives of jazz players and fans, Jazz at Lincoln Center is…
Online music commerce site Bandcamp is waiving its portion of proceeds from sales on several dates in an effort to help musicians.
Apr 27, 2020 3:04 PM
Bandcamp, the streaming music and online store, is aiming to help musicians impacted by performance cancellations during…
Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater performs during the 2019 Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island.
Jun 9, 2020 1:32 PM
Since the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, numerous festivals and other…
An upcoming NAMM Foundation webinar reinforces the idea that learning at a distance is already a part of the music industry.
Jun 16, 2020 1:53 PM
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the NAMM Foundation is reaching out to performers and educators to reinforce…
