Horst Liepolt, a jazz promoter, producer, and curator who contributed to the development of important scenes on two continents, died Jan. 9 at his home in New York. He was 91. His death was confirmed by his wife, Clarita Liepolt, who said that he had been declining since a stroke a few years ago. A…Read More
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which turns 50 this year, has announced its lineup of performers for 2019, and they include … the Rolling Stones? Yes, you read that right; the Stones will make their first appearance at Jazz Fest this year. Other headliners include country music star Chris Stapleton, pop singer Katy…Read More
Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. reflects on legacy of jazz…Read More
The Oberlin College Conservatory arrives in New York this week for two shows, one of which will feature the inaugural performance of an ensemble founded by famed tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, who in 2017 established a fund at Oberlin to keep a group going in his name. The two-set show, celebrating the 30th anniversary of…Read More
Joseph Jarman, a saxophonist, multi-reedist, percussionist, poet, and composer who was a charter member of Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and a staple of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, died Wednesday, Jan. 9, at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. He was 81. His death was announced by…Read More
Urbie Green, one of jazz’s supreme trombone stylists and a versatile sideman, died at the Saucon Valley Manor in Hellertown, Pa., on Dec. 31. He was 92. On the short list of all-time trombone greats, Green had a smooth sound, phrased lyrically, hit difficult notes effortlessly, and made them sound natural. He was also able to…Read More
Anat Cohen, the Israeli-born clarinet virtuoso, will premier a new concerto, Triple Helix, at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall on Jan. 12. The piece, composed by Oded Lev-Ari for Cohen and her Tentet, whose last album was Happy Song, will also have a showing at Chicago’s Symphony Center on Feb. 1. Lev-Ari wrote the piece on…Read More
Alvin Fielder, an acclaimed free-jazz drummer and educator who was a founding member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and also maintained a career as a pharmacist, died Jan. 5 at a hospital in Jackson, Miss. He was 83. His death was confirmed by bassist William Parker, who was at Fielder’s…Read More
If you’re not able to attend the Roy Hargrove Musical Celebration in New York on Tuesday, Jan. 8, take heart. Jazz at Lincoln Center announced today that the event will stream live in high-definition audio and video for free to a global audience. The concert, which will take place in Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln…Read More
Blue Note, the world-famous record label founded in 1939, turns 80 today. It was on Jan. 6, 1939 that the label’s co-founder, German immigrant Alfred Lion, produced its first recording session in New York City, featuring the boogie-woogie piano of Meade Lux Lewis and Albert Ammons. To draw attention to its important legacy, Blue Note…Read More
