It’s become a tradition! The Upper Midwest presents three great jazz festivals over three weekends, starting with the Twin Cities Jazz Festival June 19-20; moving south the the Iowa City Jazz Festival July 3-5; and then moving back north to the Northfield Jazz Festival July 10-12. And these jazzy weekends, featuring an exciting assortment of […]
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By Don Berryman Steven Bernstein of Sexmob fame released a pair of albums – one being the seed of the other. He is known for his prowess on the slide trumpet (a.k.a. the soprano trombone) in the group Sexmob that formed in 1996 and is still going strong 30 years later. For this new project […]
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As a kickoff event on May 27, the Blue Note Jazz Festival (BNJF), in cooperation with Linda Moody, Ina Dittke, James’ longtime agent, and producer Danny Kapilian, presented the James Moody 100th Birthday Celebration at Sony Hall in New York City, since 2025 would have been Moody’s centennial year. Revered saxophonist/flautist James Moody, born in […]
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by Don Berryman One of my favorite saxophonists of all time and a giant of jazz, Sonny Rollins, died at his home in Woodstock, NY, on May 25th, at the age of 95. If there was a Mount Rushmore of tenor saxophonists, Sonny Rollins would certainly be on it. In the 1950s, Rollins began by […]
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by Don Berrymqn The Thelonious Monk Estate has launched a new series of authorized albums of recorded material, some of which has been circulated for years as bootlegs of varying quality. The initial release, Monk Live in Paris, 1967 Volume One, showcases Monk’s longstanding quartet with tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, Larry Gales on bass, and […]
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by Don Berryman Fulfilling a lifelong dream, jazz guitarist Dave Stryker, along with B3 organist Jarred Gold and drummer McClenty Hunter, recorded his latest album at Van Gelder Recording Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on July 14, 2025. A hallowed place for audiophiles who savor that clarity and warm sound, the Van Gelder Studio […]
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Featuring Terence Blanchard, Ron Carter, Ravi Coltrane, Aaron Diehl, Nicole Glover, Jimmy Greene, Billy Hart, Gregory Hutchinson, Ethan Iverson, Kate Kortum, John Patitucci, and Renee Rosnes the 92nd Street Y, New York announces Jazz in July: Echoes of Miles, under the artistic directorship of Aaron Diehl . In a first for this mainstay of New […]
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As an international membership organization of traditional and new media professionals covering jazz, the Jazz Journalists Association has, since 2001, sought nominations of “grassroots culture workers” who “go beyond their professional responsibilities to sustain and expand on musical activities with local and regional impact.” For 2026, the JJA celebrates 35 “Jazz Heroes” from 33 locales […]
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Renowned Twin Cities jazz pianist Laura Caviani was interviewed by Adam Meckler for Jazz Police and that interview can be read here: https://www.jazzpolice.com/archives/7360 Laura Caviani directs the Jazz Area at Carleton College in Minnesota, where she conducts their Jazz Ensemble, and coordinates all jazz chamber groups and classes. She has performed and recorded for three […]
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by Ronaldo Oregano “Miles Davis was the artist who defined jazz for me, and who, in his own way, defined American music in the 20th century.” – Quincy Jones A very special group—with numerous connections to the great Miles Davis—convenes for the 2026 edition of our Miles Davis Festival, celebrating his life and music, as […]
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