Josef Woodard

On the index of jazz record labels bearing fitting and poetically resonant names, we might readily cite such historic examples as Blue Note, Impulse! and Verve. Off in its own corner, ropeadope also suits the category, befitting a label…

Jihye Lee joins the growing ranks of young, tradition-respecting and medium-rethinking big band leaders, blessed with a dramatic unfolding story, as well as a way of incorporating storytelling in her ambitious music. Born and raised in…

Over the last three decades, bassist Stephan Crump has established himself as one of the significant voices in jazz from the adventurous and avant-minded zone. His resume includes 20 years in the acclaimed Vijay Iyer Trio and work with…

Tending the soil of large ensemble jazz culture can be a challenging, labor-intensive and sometimes thankless job. The stakes rise considerably for independent operators, without the support system of an institution or government-based art…

For decades, the radar of important avant-garde musical culture, especially in North America, has steered artists and observers to the seemingly unlikely small town of Victoriaville, Quebec, in Canada. In 1982, intrepid festival founder…

Last year, the Vossa Jazz Festival in Western Norway officially joined the rare ranks of jazz fests at 50. It is an august milestone in the still relatively young cultural terrain of jazz festival life, and this small, fruitful treasure of…

At the risk of oversimplifying and romanticizing the story, Ambrose Akinmusire came bursting on the jazz scene at the dawn of the 2010s. The uncommonly gifted, unquestionably unique trumpeter-composer out of Oakland swept his way into an…

Rotem Sivan, the Israeli-born guitarist who has established himself as a strong new voice after moving to New York in 2008, is, by now, an artist to be reckoned with in the crowded modern jazz guitar scene. He possesses prodigious…

To put a simplified spin on the musical saga of Jonah Tolchin, the singer-songwriter and nimble guitarist was going about his life when the blues came to get him. Following a burst of unfortunate twists, including road-dogged…

Five years ago, the mighty Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy, paid lavish tribute to Quincy Jones on the occasion of his 80th birthday. On the festival’s opening night, the large arena stage kept sonically active for a few…

Portland, Oregon-based guitarist Ryan Meagher abides by the power of certain “E” words: He practices eclecticism of style, expansive creative thinking and his long-held belief in the DIY energies for getting things done. He has…

For many musicians who found themselves under a veritable house arrest during the COVID lockdown of 2020–’21, the pandemic became a strange mother and motivator of invention. Deprived of the usual forums of live gigging and musician…

In a sense, the Umbria Jazz Festival has been such a formidable and evolving part of the international jazz festival landscape for so long, it was almost surprising to find that this year marked only its 50th anniversary — despite the…

Composer, pianist, accordionist and bandleader Ben Rosenblum’s musical purview is, by nature, a worldly one. Although American jazz is a birthright and central force in his work, the element of travel and cross-cultural influences inform…

For nearly four decades, seekers of full-service avant-garde festivals in North America have been drawn to the deceptively quiet and humble city of Victoriaville in Quebec each May. There, the concentrated and diverse festival with the…

Jazz festival culture remains a relatively young, by most accounts birthed by promoter George Wein with the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958, soon followed by the Monterey Jazz Festival — which now sports the imprimatur as the oldest…

Beyond the musical merits and depths unfolded, Charles Lloyd’s latest concert at Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre benefited from contrapuntal layers of history abuzz in this intimate and historic venue. Lloyd, based for 30-plus years in…

DownBeat Reviews

A pressing question is routinely faced by musicians deprived of live music outlets during COVID times: “What did you do during the pandemic?” For the virtuosic and engaging pianist Emmet Cohen, the answer involves unusual degrees of…

Kurt Vonnegut, the late, great American novelist and iconoclast, was many things: satirist, science fictional soothsayer, witty social commentator and friendly absurdist. He was also a fiendish fan of music, and, particularly jazz. Once he…