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…
Vocalist Bobby Carcassés, percussionist Yaroldy Abreu and bassist Esperanza Spalding perform Spalding’s composition “I Adore You” in Havana on April 30. The BET network will broadcast the concert Sunday (June 18) at 2 p.m. EST.
(Photo: Steve Mundinger)If you weren’t fortunate enough to attend the 2017 International Jazz Day Concert in Havana, or if you didn’t watch the live stream online, you’ve got another chance to see it. The BET network will broadcast the concert on Sunday at 2 p.m. EST.
The special broadcast will showcase events from International Jazz Day and focus on the All-Star Global Concert, featuring exclusive interviews with the performers from the historic April 30 event at the Gran Teatro de la Habana. The concert was hosted by actor Will Smith.
The program includes jazz luminaries Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller, Esperanza Spalding, Cassandra Wilson, Ambrose Akinmusire, Ben Williams, Richard Bona and many others paying tribute to the global roots and unifying potential of jazz music alongside two dozen renowned Cuban musicians. Watch the trailer below for more info:
From interactions with local musicians to the free education and community engagement activities organized as part of Jazz Day, the artists’ reflections on Cuba’s dynamic musical culture set a rich backdrop for the evening’s performances.
Journalist John Murph covered the concert for DownBeat. To read his review, click here.
For the sixth year, International Jazz Day was observed around the world on April 30 to highlight the diplomatic role of jazz as a vector for peace, intercultural dialog and international cooperation. For more information on Jazz Day, click here. DB
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…
