The winners of the 63rd GRAMMY Awards were announced on March 14 during a ceremony…
Tag: John Beasley
The first two releases from pianist John Beasley’s MONK’estra were all about affirming the continued…
John Beasley is a Grammy-nominated pianist, composer, arranger, conductor and musical director. He was the…
The Week in Jazz is your roundup of new and noteworthy stories from the jazz…
An exploration of the creative freedoms of the trio format; a top jazz vocalist’s return…
Nicholas Payton has released a new album, Relaxin’ with Nick, on which he plays keyboards…
Herbie Hancock, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and the chairman of the newly named Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, had a message for the thousands of spectators on hand at the Hamer Auditorium in Melbourne, Australia, on April 30, as well as for the millions of fans watching him online via live web stream: “Jazz,” he said, “is the universal language of peace.”
Say “G’day” to your 2019 International Jazz Day lineup. Today, the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock announced the program for the 2019 edition of International Jazz Day, which will be launched in Australia and celebrated in more than 190 countries.
The GRAMMY Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album has been presented since 1961. The…
JOHN BEASLEY - MONK’estra Vol. 2 [Mack Avenue Records]
Pianist John Beasley expands on the inspiration that earned him two GRAMMY nominations last year - for Best Large Jazz Ensemble and Best Arrangement for "Ask Me Now." MONK'estra Vol. 2 sees him leading a smashing seventeen-piece big band that captures the spirit of Thelonious Monk's off-beat melodies and humor, strange beauty, unbounded swing, and overall singular music. The ten songs of this album explode into new musical experience due to the collective unit embracing a new strain of jazz, which feature diverse sounds and influences. For more information, go to 
ALAN FERBER BIG BAND - Jigsaw [Sunnyside Records]
For over six years, Alan Ferber has led a big band made up of players unafraid to be expressive, whether in a big band or small ensemble setting. Jigsaw, his seventh album of originals, was recorded with a 17-piece big band. The album ranges from the Latin and brassy "Impulso" - which opens the program and was originally written for Ferber's nonet in the spirit of Don Byron's Music for Six Machines - to the soulfully groovy vibe of "Get Sassy," with its muted trombones and trumpets. For more information, go to 
CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE BIG BAND - Bringin' It [Mack Avenue Records]
Bassist Christian McBride leads a big band in his latest album, Bringin' It, released on Mack Avenue Records. Bringin' It is McBride's second album as a big band leader and follows his GRAMMY Award-winning 2011 album, The Good Feeling. It consists of eleven tracks: a mixture of his own original compositions - such as the opening track "Gettin' to It," which is the title of his 1994 debut album - and famous jazz standards, including a version of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles," which features his wife, vocalist Melissa Walker. For more information, go to 
VINCE MENDOZA & WDR BIG BAND COLOGNE - Homecoming [Sunnyside Records]
Throughout his career, Vince Mendoza has collaborated with such varied artists as Joni Mitchell and Herbie Hancock. His latest work, Homecoming, sees him collaborate once again with Cologne's WDR Big Band, with whom he previously worked on a number of occasions, including on Some Skunk Funk, the live album by Randy Brecker and Michael Brecker that won the GRAMMY Award for Best Large Ensemble Album in 2006. Homecoming is made up entirely of his own new compositions. All compositions are six- to nine-minute long works that were tailor-made for the WDR Big Band. For more information, go to 
CHUCK OWEN AND THE JAZZ SURGE - Whispers on the Wind [Mama Records]
Whispers on the Wind is the latest work by Chuck Jones and the Jazz Surge, and the orchestra's first record since the GRAMMY Award-nominated River Runs. Their music has always been grounded in the jazz tradition but freely associated with other genres, from classical and rock to American folk and roots music. Whispers on the Wind expands on this concept with a series of portraits inspired by Owen's own childhood in Omaha, New England, and influenced by the works of three contemporary authors: Larry McMurtry, Cormac McCarthy, and Stephen King. In Whispers on the Wind, we also find experimentation with a number of instruments not generally associated with big-band jazz, such as the harmonica, the violin, and the hammered dulcimer. Whispers on the Wind has also been nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Solo, Best Instrumental Composition, and Best Arrangement, Instrumental, or A Cappella. For more information, go to