News

The Latest Jazz News from Around the World

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• Dave Easley, 'Jesus Maria'

  Fri, 05 Nov 2021 16:21:08 GMT

  "Jesus Maria" simmers the regal, brass-forward Christmas carol composed by Carla Bley into a sunset.

• Jazz guitarist Pat Martino, a virtuoso twice over, dies at 77

  Tue, 02 Nov 2021 16:32:34 GMT

  The lauded guitarist's career spanned nearly six decades, beginning with an auspicious education in Pennsylvania from a teacher of John Coltrane.

• Fuubutsushi, 'Good Sky Day'

  Thu, 21 Oct 2021 18:41:17 GMT

  A deep listening experience from the ambient-jazz quartet.

• NPR Music's Listening Party for John Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle'

  Mon, 18 Oct 2021 14:00:46 GMT

  WBGO's Nate Chinen was joined by saxophonist Branford Marsalis and harpist Brandee Younger in a live conversation about this recently unearthed live recording.

• Cha Wa: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

  Mon, 18 Oct 2021 09:00:51 GMT

  From Preservation Hall in New Orleans, the rhythmically fueled group broadcasts a powerful performance for a not-so Tiny crowd.

• George Wein Never Stopped Listening

  Thu, 07 Oct 2021 16:06:14 GMT

  Nate Chinen remembers Newport Jazz impresario George Wein, who helped create the modern music festival but never lost his appetite for listening in small rooms and connecting at a human scale.

• Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga's latest, and likely last, ring-a-ding

  Fri, 01 Oct 2021 09:01:00 GMT

  NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with WGBO jazz expert Nate Chinen about his interview with Lady Gaga about her new album with Tony Bennett, Love for Sale.

• Dr. Lonnie Smith, Master Of The Hammond Organ, Dies At 79

  Wed, 29 Sep 2021 02:10:35 GMT

  The NEA Jazz Master died Tuesday from pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 79.

• Terence Blanchard's Met Opera Debut Is A Singular Achievement And A Shared Success

  Tue, 28 Sep 2021 21:10:14 GMT

  The composer's magnetically powerful Fire Shut Up in My Bones lands with a force of authenticity, a too-rare window into Black life in an operatic setting.

• The Eivind Aarset 4-Tet, 'Manta Ray, Or Soft Spot'

  Tue, 28 Sep 2021 14:58:05 GMT

  Resonant gongs, vibraphone, fluttering trumpet and groaning, synth-like transmissions from Aarset's guitar coalesce over the seven minutes of "Manta Ray."

• Patrick Shiroishi, 'To Kill A Wind-Up Bird'

  Fri, 17 Sep 2021 16:35:54 GMT

  "To Kill A Wind-Up Bird," off of multi-instrumentalist and composer Patrick Shiroishi's upcoming solo album Hidemi, layers saxophone and woodwinds in a frantic, yet controlled splatter.

• George Wein, Music Festival Pioneer, Dies At 95

  Mon, 13 Sep 2021 23:58:34 GMT

  A founder of the Newport Folk Festival, the Newport Jazz Festival and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — and perhaps the most important jazz impresario of all time — died Monday.

• Phil Schaap, Iconic Jazz DJ And NEA Jazz Master, Dies At 70

  Wed, 08 Sep 2021 22:10:12 GMT

  Schaap was one of the leading jazz scholars in America and the genre's foremost evangelist. He died at 70, after a long battle with cancer.

• Makaya McCraven, 'Frank's Tune (AKA De'Jeff's Tune)'

  Thu, 02 Sep 2021 18:59:25 GMT

  With help from guitarist Jeff Parker and flutist De'Sean Jones, Chicago-based drummer and producer Makaya McCraven modernizes a song from Jack Wilson's album Easterly Winds.

• I Played Jazz With Charlie Watts For 20 Years. Here's What I Learned

  Thu, 02 Sep 2021 12:00:26 GMT

  A longtime touring member of The Rolling Stones, Tim Ries says his favorite nights were the ones without a show — when he and Watts would sneak into town to play the music they loved most.