Frank Alkyer

Chicago

Publisher at DOWN BEAT

Publisher at Music Inc. Magazine

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Articles

Jazz Reviews: ECM to the World

2 weeks ago | downbeat.com | Frank Alkyer

Review, From the Magazine, Mathias Eick, Benjamin Lackner, Julia Hülsmann Quartet, François Couturier/Dominique Pifarély, Yuval Cohen By Frank Alkyer I Apr. 29, 2025 There’s something about ECM records. No matter who the artist is, they never seem to be in a hurry. Don’t mistake that for a lack of intensity: It’s there.
It’s Festival Season, Y’all!

1 month ago | downbeat.com | Frank Alkyer

By Frank Alkyer I Apr. 16, 2025 If great art is made in chaos, get ready for some killer festivals this year. In digging into the 2025 festival scene while crafting this guide, one thing is for certain. There are many festivals wondering what’s going to happen, and maybe worrying what the effects things like trade wars — the realm of politics, not art — will play on the summer music travel season.
And Even More Vinyl…Please!

1 month ago | downbeat.com | Frank Alkyer

News, From the Magazine, BadBadNotGood, Count Basie Orchestra, Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Paolo Fresu/Richard Galliano/Jan Lundgren, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan By Frank Alkyer I Apr. 10, 2025 Here’s even more great music to please your ears and satisfy your hunger for historically significant recordings. Many of the following are RSD Exclusives, but some are just new vinyl releases that we’ve been digging lately.
Messages from the Fringe

1 month ago | downbeat.com | Frank Alkyer

News, From the Magazine, Pharoah Sanders, Sun Ra, Morphine, Angel Bat Dawid, Junius Paul, Makaya McCraven, Damon Locks By Frank Alkyer I Apr.
Blue Note’s Cookin’ Up Classics!

1 month ago | downbeat.com | Frank Alkyer

News, From the Magazine, Cannonball Adderley, Grant Green, Art Blakey, Kenny Burrell, Art Pepper, Tony Williams By Frank Alkyer I Apr.
Gettin’ the Blues and a Touch of Gospel!

1 month ago | downbeat.com | Frank Alkyer

News, From the Magazine, Dave Specter, Mahalia Jackson By Frank Alkyer I Apr. 10, 2025 Here’s a batch of blues vinyl to break your heart and make you love it. And when that heart needs mending, we’ve got a little Mahalia Jackson to stir the soul. John Lee Hooker The Charcot Sessions Southern Echoes An RSD Exclusive with a pressing of 1,250, Southern Echoes gives us a three-album set of blues godfather John Lee Hooker.
We Love Vinyl!

1 month ago | downbeat.com | Frank Alkyer

By Frank Alkyer I Apr. 10, 2025 Once again, in preparation for Record Store Day — this Saturday, April 12 — DownBeat goes crate-diggin’ to bring you jewels that are officially part of RSD, as well as a few others you just might want to pick up while you’re shopping! This feature ran in our May issue. You can view it as a magazine HERE or click on the image below.
The Resonance Revival

1 month ago | downbeat.com | Frank Alkyer

News, From the Magazine, Wes Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Mingus By Frank Alkyer I Apr. 10, 2025 Resonance Records has been a valued and frequent contributor to RSD in past years. This year is no exception, with four more found archival recordings of classic artists playing live! Wes Montgomery/Wynton Kelly Trio Smokin’ In Seattle: Live At The Penthouse Resonance An RSD Exclusive, this set is limited to 1,500 copies.
Opinion: Kennedy Center Dishonor

1 month ago | downbeat.com | Frank Alkyer

By Frank Alkyer I Apr. 1, 2025 Editor’s Note: The following served as the First Take column, which is our editor’s letter, in the April issue of DownBeat. For the entirety of my adult life there have been a handful of televised events I considered must-watch viewing year-in and year-out: The Oscars, The Grammys, The Tonys, Ohio State vs. Michigan football (you can’t take Ohio out of the boy), The Super Bowl … and the Kennedy Center Honors.
Blindfold Test: Gabrielle Cavassa

1 month ago | downbeat.com | Frank Alkyer

Interview, From the Magazine, Gabrielle Cavassa By Frank Alkyer I Apr. 1, 2025 At the end of last summer, over the Labor Day weekend, vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa took time out from preparing for her concert with Joshua Redman at the Detroit Jazz Festival to take a real chance: her first Blindfold Test, in front of a live audience. Silky smooth in her vocal delivery, Cavassa proved to be adept at this musical guessing game, too.