News
The Phoenix Trio ‘Tomorrow Is Today’ with Mark Turner, Joe Martin, & Marcus Gilmore
June 18, 2026 •By Don Berryman The Phoenix Trio is a new all‐star ensemble featuring three of the most creative and accomplished jazz musicians today; tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Joe Martin, and drummer Marcus Gilmore (who is the grandson of the great Roy Haynes). This trio performing all original music was recorded by Jimmy Katz & James […]
Upper Midwest Jazz Fests Kick Off Summer—Twin Cities, Iowa City and Northfield
June 13, 2026 •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 […]
Steven Bernstein Releases a Daring Pair of Albums, ResoNation Trio with Scott Colley and Nasheet Waits, and Ultra Resonance with Scotty Hard
June 7, 2026 •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 […]
Best of 2025 – James Moody Centennial Celebration
June 6, 2026 •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 […]
Saxophone Colossus, Sonny Rollins (September 7, 1930 – May 25, 2026)
May 26, 2026 •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 […]
Miles Davis 100th Celebration with the Eddie Henderson Quintet feat. Gary Bartz and Billy Hart Streaming Live from Smoke Jazz Club
May 25, 2026 •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 […]