Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
Hyde Park Jazz Fest on Chicago’s South Side to Present 20th Edition
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
Originally a gospel singer, Brown recorded a string of hits for Savoy Records, including his signature tune, "Don't be Angry," and "The Right Time," a song later associated with Ray Charles.
Producer Scott Cable, best known for his work with blues legend Carey Bell, has known Brown since childhood. "I have wanted to make this record for 20 years," he said in a news release. "The time is right now for the public at large to hear and appreciate a singer of Nappy's caliber with the right backing."
Included in the backing lineup are guitarists Bob Margolin, Sean Costello and Junior Watson, keyboardist Jim Pugh of the Robert Cray band, bassist Mookie Brill—who just won a Blues Music Award as best bassist—and Brown's Blind Pig labelmate, singer/harmonica player John Nemeth.
"It's my time now," Brown said of the project. "This is the first time in 30 years I've had the chance to do my music with cats that understand it. It is going to be on."
A solo concert by saxophonist Joshua Redman will close the first night of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival on Sept. 26.
Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
“It was just that suddenly … I could hear it,” Ravi Coltrane said of an epiphany he experienced during his late teens regarding his father’s music. “And it was almost like a calling, like something saying, ‘Hey, man, come on. It’s time to get serious.’ And the first time you really tune in and dial in and focus like that, it can be very life-changing.”
Sep 22, 2026 1:39 PM
Editor’s Note: Tomorrow, Sept. 23, is the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth. In honor of the tenor and…
Camille Thurman took to the stage alongside bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Tommy Campbell for a rendition of Johnny Mercer’s “I’m An Old Cowhand” that recalled Rollins’ epochal 1957 trio outing Way Out West.
Oct 6, 2026 1:33 PM
As emcee Mark Ruffin noted at the commencement of an epic tribute to saxophonist Sonny Rollins at the Cathedral of Saint…
Kurt Elling, Katherine Russell and Emmet Cohen (host on the 2027 Jazz Cruise) share a laugh at sea.
Sep 8, 2026 11:52 AM
It began in 2001. A travel agent named Anita E. Berry had been booking clients on “partial” jazz cruises that took…
Sep 17, 2026 11:00 AM
The 2027 DownBeat College Guide is an invaluable resource for music students, especially jazz students, to find a school…
