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…
French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres honored the Pittsburgh-born pianist, arranger, composer and producer for his accomplishments in “American Classical Music.” The Order of Arts and Letters is one of four French ministerial orders and the highest distinction for artistic or literary contributions. It was established in 1957 to recognize distinguished artists and writers and others who have contributed significantly to furthering the arts in France and around the world.
In being nominated to the rank of officer, Jamal joins some of the most important American artists and writers in recent history, including Ornette Coleman, Ralph Waldo Ellison, William Faulkner, Ella Fitzgerald, Allen Ginsberg and Patti Smith.
Jamal is “deeply moved by this bestowal” and he accepts the medal as a reflection on his “beautiful relationship over the years with France and its people.” For over a decade now, Jamal has released his recordings on Paris-based Dreyfus Records. His latest is After Fajr, an exploration of the bond between his religious beliefs, (in the Islamic faith, ‘Fajr' is the obligatory salah before sunrise—the first of five prayers a day) and his musical essences.
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…
