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…
Kamasi Washington topped three categories in the DownBeat Critics Poll, including Jazz Album of the Year, for his three-disc set, The Epic.
(Photo: Mike Park)RISING STAR WINNERS
Rising Star–Jazz Artist: Kamasi Washington
Rising Star–Jazz Group: JD Allen Trio
Rising Star–Big Band: Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra
Rising Star–Trumpet: Marquis Hill
Rising Star–Trombone: Michael Dease
Rising Star–Soprano Saxophone: Donny McCaslin
Rising Star–Alto Saxophone: Grace Kelly
Rising Star–Tenor Saxophone: Kamasi Washington
Rising Star–Baritone Saxophone: Lisa Parrott
Rising Star–Clarinet: Oran Etkin
Rising Star–Flute: Elena Pinderhughes
Rising Star–Piano: Joey Alexander
Rising Star–Keyboard (tie): Nik Bärtsch and Sam Yahel
Rising Star–Organ: Pat Bianchi
Rising Star–Guitar: Liberty Ellman
Rising Star–Bass: Luques Curtis
Rising Star–Electric Bass: Tim Lefebvre
Rising Star–Violin: Mads Tolling
Rising Star–Drums (tie): Mark Guiliana and Kendrick Scott
Rising Star–Percussion: Ches Smith
Rising Star–Vibraphone: Khan Jamal
Rising Star–Miscellaneous Instrument: Omer Avital (oud)
Rising Star–Female Vocalist: Kate McGarry
Rising Star–Male Vocalist: Ku-umba Frank Lacy
Rising Star–Composer: Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah
Rising Star–Arranger: Christine Jensen
Rising Star–Producer: Zev Feldman
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…
