In JazzTimes’ first issue of every new year, dated March (January/February doesn’t count because we actually finish producing that issue in December), it’s become our custom to reserve a large amount of feature space for tributes to those in the jazz community who passed away in the previous year. Necessarily, and sadly, this issue’s collection of…Read More
On Tuesday, Jan. 8, at the close of the 2019 Jazz Congress, approximately 200 musicians gathered at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick Rose Hall in New York to honor the memory of the late Roy Hargrove (1969-2018). Hosted by his close friend and frequent collaborator Christian McBride, the concert began with a traditional New Orleans…Read More
“Piano’s great,” Gregory Lewis says. “But the organ—I don’t want to say it’s better, but it’s just different. You have more power and control, and I do like to be in control when I’m playing.” Lewis, a New York–based keyboardist and composer, is both one of the modern jazz masters of the Hammond B-3 organ…Read More
My November 2018 was emotionally all over the place. First there was the crushing news of Roy Hargrove’s death (see our obituary; a more in-depth appreciation of that wonderful, and sorely missed, trumpeter by one of his closest friends will appear in our next issue). Then there was the excitement of tabulating our contributors’ votes…Read More
On Dec. 2, 2018, drummer/composer Makaya McCraven celebrated the recent release of his ambitious Universal Beings album—recorded in four cities with a dazzling array of boundary-pushing musicians—by putting on a special show in New York with 10 of those illustrious guest stars. Joining him onstage at Le Poisson Rouge (in a performance that was part…Read More
Not long ago, Jeff Baker, the vocalist and educator, observed a building in the initial stages of construction next to his apartment in Portland, Ore. “They were building this tiny tower right in the middle and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what it was,” Baker says. “Then I realized, Oh, that’s…Read More
No, your eyes are not deceiving you. The picture on this page is indeed of Ornette Coleman playing alto saxophone while sitting on a red Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Arthur Elgort took that photograph 30 years ago. (You can see more of his images of jazz musicians in the feature on pg. 42 of our December issue.)…Read More
Last December, the drummers Chris Dave, 44, Eric Harland, 41, and Kendrick Scott, 38, found themselves on old stomping ground, milling about the hallways of Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). They had returned for the annual holiday-season “DocFest” benefit, which raises money for a music scholarship fund, and decided to…Read More
November is traditionally the month when JazzTimes focuses on percussion, and that’s one reason why Brian Blade is on the front cover. Another reason: The last time he was on our cover, it was November 2000. Having been a fan of his drumming ever since I first saw him in Daniel Lanois’ band back in…Read More
The fourth annual BRIC JazzFest in Brooklyn, N.Y., was a four-night extravaganza. First, Antibalas played its potent blend of Afrobeat for the festival’s kickoff night on Oct. 13. Then, from Oct. 18 to Oct. 20, there was the three-night live music marathon, featuring sets by Terence Blanchard, Stefon Harris & Blackout with Casey Benjamin, JD…Read More
