All articles tagged with #jazz
The Lakers used cap space and a rich draft-package (unprotected 2031 and 2033 first-round picks plus swaps) to trade for Walker Kessler, outbidding Utah’s extension offer and landing a starting center who fits with Luka Dončić, signaling a bold, win-now push.
This piece highlights ten landmark Abdullah Ibrahim recordings—Scullery Department; Jumping Rope; Mannenberg; Jabulani; Just You, Just Me; Mandela; The Wedding; Joan Capetown Flower (Emerald Bay); Dreamtime; and Nisa—tracing his evolution from Cape Town pianist Dollar Brand with the Jazz Epistles to international stardom, and illustrating his synthesis of gospel-inflected swing, Monk-inspired motifs, avant-garde explorations, and enduring resilience through apartheid, exile, and late‑career reinvention with Ekaya and solo work.
South African jazz legend Abdullah Ibrahim, born Adolph Johannes Brand (Dollar Brand), died at 91 in Germany after a short illness. A foundational figure in Cape Town jazz and the global scene, he helped form the Jazz Epistles, collaborated with Duke Ellington, and released more than 70 albums; his composition Mannenberg became a defining anti-apartheid anthem, and he spent years abroad as a cultural freedom fighter before returning to perform in South Africa, including a Cape Town festival in March.
Abdullah Ibrahim, born Adolph Johannes Brand, the South African pianist and composer who helped define a distinct SA jazz sound, died at 91 in Germany after a short illness, surrounded by family; over eight decades and dozens of recordings, including the landmark Mannenberg, he linked jazz to South Africa’s struggle against apartheid after changing his name from Dollar Brand following his conversion to Islam.
A concise tour of Sonny Rollins’ defining recordings—from 1950s landmarks like Tenor Madness and Saxophone Colossus to influential live sets at the Village Vanguard and later masterpieces such as The Bridge, This Is What I Do, and the 9/11 concert—highlighting his fearless improvisation, calypso-influenced voice, and lasting impact on jazz.
Jazz giant Sonny Rollins died at 95 in Woodstock, NY, leaving a half‑century of influential work—from the bebop era landmark Saxophone Colossus to adventurous, pianoless and free‑leaning formats—alongside a spiritual journey that included Zen Buddhism and sobriety after addiction, with late‑career Grammy wins and tours well into his 80s before retiring due to pulmonary fibrosis.
Jazz icon Sonny Rollins died at 95 at his Woodstock, NY home. A towering tenor saxophonist behind works like Saxophone Colossus, his career spanned bebop to avant-garde and fusion. Health issues slowed him in the 2010s, with his last concerts in 2012 and a 2006 studio album as his final record. He received the National Medal of Arts in 2010 and Kennedy Center Honors in 2011.
NPR marks Miles Davis's centennial by tracing his lifelong reinvention—from bebop with Charlie Parker to cool jazz on Kind of Blue, through modal explorations and fusion like Bitches Brew—and points listeners to a network of NPR and local station tributes that underscore his enduring influence.
Sonny Rollins, the tenor saxophonist hailed as America’s greatest living jazz musician and a guiding force across six decades of jazz, died May 25 at his Woodstock, N.Y., home at age 95 after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis; he had stopped performing more than a decade ago, and his death was announced by his publicist Terri Hinte.
Sonny Rollins, one of jazz’s defining saxophonists and a driving force behind bebop’s evolution, has died at 95. A prolific recording artist since the 1950s with landmark albums like Saxophone Colossus, Rollins collaborated with giants such as Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, endured a late-career comeback, and remained a force in jazz through his later years before retiring in 2014 after a diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis.
Legendary tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, known for his bold tone and ceaseless experimentation, has died at 95 in Woodstock, NY. A towering figure of bebop who evolved into free jazz, Rollins shaped generations of improvisers across more than 50 years, survived heroin addiction, and earned Grammys for This Is What I Do (2001) and Why Was I Born? (2006). His career included landmark albums like Saxophone Colossus and a late-life return that kept him touring into his 80s; he retired due to health issues, with his last concert in 2012 and final retirement in 2014.
Jazz legend Sonny Rollins, whose bold, boundary-pushing tenor saxophone helped shape postwar improvisation and defy easy classification, died at 95 at his Woodstock, New York home. A fearless explorer who bridged bebop with calypso, avant-garde flavors, and even rock-backed textures, Rollins produced landmark albums such as Saxophone Colossus and Tenor Madness, endured sustained hiatuses to refine his craft, and remained an influential figure in jazz through decades of recording and performances, earning numerous honors including a lifetime Grammy and Kennedy Center Honor.
To mark Miles Davis's 100th birthday, a range of musicians—from Chuck D to Carlos Santana—reflect on his restless reinvention across eras (bebop, Birth of the Cool, Bitches Brew) and his enduring influence, shaping improvisation beyond jazz and cementing him as a global icon; the piece also notes Kind of Blue as the top-selling jazz record and highlights a centennial exhibit, Miles Davis: A Century of Cool.
Utah Jazz reportedly intends to move from No. 2 to No. 1 in the 2026 NBA Draft, with AJ Dybantsa open to staying in Utah. The Washington Wizards hold the top pick and are said to be open to moving down, fueling hypothetical Jazz–Wizards swap talks. While most teams might prefer to keep the No. 1 pick, Washington should listen to gauge value and options.
Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist, fulfills a lifelong dream with Honora, a trumpet-led jazz record created after two years of daily practice and featuring collaborators like Thom Yorke and Nick Cave; the project blends originals and covers and signals a pivot from his rock career, reflecting Los Angeles' emerging jazz renaissance, all while he continues touring with the Chili Peppers.