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Jazz

All articles tagged with #jazz

LA's Inaugural Jazz Festival Postponed Just Before Kickoff
us-news16 days ago

LA's Inaugural Jazz Festival Postponed Just Before Kickoff

LA’s inaugural LA Jazz Festival, headlined by John Legend and Janelle Monae, was postponed hours before kickoff due to last-minute public-safety and permitting costs. Ticket holders will receive refunds within 30 days, and organizers plan to reschedule for 2027, with Jazz on the Beach at Dockweiler Beach as the only component still planned. Several events, including Jazz After Dark and the Caribbean Street Carnival, were canceled as production and permit hurdles surfaced. The festival was billed as the largest Black-owned jazz festival in LA and spanned two weeks across Southern California.

Ten defining Abdullah Ibrahim recordings that shaped South African jazz
music2 months ago

Ten defining Abdullah Ibrahim recordings that shaped South African jazz

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.

Legendary SA jazz pioneer Abdullah Ibrahim dies at 91
culture2 months ago

Legendary SA jazz pioneer Abdullah Ibrahim dies at 91

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, SA Jazz Pioneer, Dies at 91
culture2 months ago

Abdullah Ibrahim, SA Jazz Pioneer, Dies at 91

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.

Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Passes at 95, Leaving a Lasting Imprint on the Genre
arts3 months ago

Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Passes at 95, Leaving a Lasting Imprint on the Genre

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 Sax Legend Sonny Rollins Dies at 95, Leaving an Enduring Rhythm
culture3 months ago

Jazz Sax Legend Sonny Rollins Dies at 95, Leaving an Enduring Rhythm

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.

Miles Davis: A Century of Reinvention
culture3 months ago

Miles Davis: A Century of Reinvention

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.

Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Dies at 95, Closing a Golden Era of Improvisation
culture3 months ago

Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Dies at 95, Closing a Golden Era of Improvisation

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.

Jazz titan Sonny Rollins dies at 95, leaving a fearless improvisational legacy
culture3 months ago

Jazz titan Sonny Rollins dies at 95, leaving a fearless improvisational legacy

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 Titan Sonny Rollins Passes at 95, Leaving an Unclassifiable Sound
arts3 months ago

Jazz Titan Sonny Rollins Passes at 95, Leaving an Unclassifiable Sound

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.

Miles Davis at 100: Peers Remember a Relentless Innovator
entertainment3 months ago

Miles Davis at 100: Peers Remember a Relentless Innovator

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.