Mar 1, 2019 9:00 AM
Kamasi Washington: L.A. Luminary
Considering Kamasi Washington’s bold, dramatic ascendancy on the international jazz scene during the past year, it…
“Doing shows and festivals under your own name, it’s a surprisingly big difference compared to playing with someone else,” saxophonist Kamasi Washington said, discussing the attention he’s received since the release of The Epic (Brainfeeder). “There is a lot of responsibility.”
Mar 1, 2019 9:00 AM
Considering Kamasi Washington’s bold, dramatic ascendancy on the international jazz scene during the past year, it…
Galt MacDermot (1928–2018)
Jan 31, 2019 2:01 PM
Long before he wrote the scores for Hair and Two Gentlemen of Verona, Galt MacDermot had made his mark in popular music.…
Nancy Wilson (1937-2018)
Dec 14, 2018 9:29 AM
Grammy-winning jazz and r&b vocalist Nancy Wilson has died, according to a statement from her manager. Devra Hall…
Kenny Werner
Nov 27, 2018 11:25 AM
On a warm June evening, a small crowd of clean-cut young adults stood in front of the Manhattan jazz club Iridium taking…
Pianist Teddy Wilson (1912–1986)
Oct 26, 2018 9:00 AM
Hundreds of pianists have tried to create something new and worthwhile in jazz piano improvisation, but only a handful…
Pianist and bandleader Lynne Arriale once told a journalist: “Jazz should not be only for jazz lovers.”
Oct 1, 2018 9:00 AM
A few years ago, in conversation with a reporter from London’s The Sunday Times, Lynne Arriale made the quietly…
Randy Weston at The New School in New York
Sep 12, 2018 3:14 PM
When DownBeat last spoke to Randy Weston in the summer of 2014, the master pianist-composer, then 88, was planning to…
Eric Dolphy (1928–1964)
Aug 22, 2018 9:35 AM
The great promise residing in at least two of the “miscellaneous” woodwinds was best represented in the work of Eric…
Jack Bruce (1943-2014) continued playing jazz and blues while performing in Cream during the 1960s.
Jul 17, 2018 11:47 AM
Jack Bruce was all smiles backstage. “All right!” he exclaimed, trilling the letter “R” as native Scots always…
Bassist William Parker is reaching an audience beyond the commercially restrictive categorization he refers to as the “avant-garde ghetto.”
Jun 26, 2018 9:00 AM
William Parker talks like he plays, with an improvisatory grace, free wheeling through long series of interconnected…
