DOWN BEAT

Down Beat (written as DOWN BEAT) is an American magazine that focuses on "jazz, blues, and more," highlighting its broadened coverage beyond just jazz, which was its sole focus in earlier years. Founded in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois, the magazine takes its name from the term "downbeat," also known as "beat one," referring to the first beat of a musical measure.

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English

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#423992

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#254490

Arts and Entertainment/Music

#3594

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Dan Tepfer House Concert Gives Insights into His Writing Process

2 weeks ago | downbeat.com | Phillip Lutz

Live, Dan Tepfer, Ben Wendel By Phillip Lutz I Jun. 10, 2025 On the night of May 16, Dan Tepfer found himself working on the 68th floor of an apartment tower directly across the street from Carnegie Hall. The job was a house concert, for which the pianist had revived a duo with an old friend, saxophonist Ben Wendel.
Theo Croker’s Dream … Manifested!

2 weeks ago | downbeat.com | Stephanie Jones

Interview, From the Magazine, Theo Croker By Stephanie Jones I Jun. 10, 2025 Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano. “That was fire,” he says to Idris Frederick. The small moment transcends the crowded listening room. It’s a moment of tenderness that, in its briefness, exposes the humanity in Croker’s music.
Blindfold Test: Bill Goodwin

2 weeks ago | downbeat.com | Ted Panken

Interview, From the Magazine, Bill Goodwin By Ted Panken I Jun. 10, 2025 Drummer Bill Goodwin, who turned 83 three days after his first Blindfold Test, has played with, known and heard just about anyone who’s anyone during a 65-year career in the jazz business that launched with a 1959 engagement with Charles Lloyd in Los Angeles, Goodwin’s hometown.
Lucía: From Mexico with Jazz

2 weeks ago | downbeat.com | Ayana Contreras

News, From the Magazine, Lucía By Ayana Contreras I Jun. 10, 2025 In March, when asked about how she first encountered jazz, Mexican vocalist Lucía shared that, at first, “ thought it was a coincidence.” But really, for the winner of the 2022 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, that chance encounter was more like kismet.
Blues Alley Swings at 60 from the Nation’s Capital

3 weeks ago | downbeat.com | John Murph

By John Murph I Jun. 3, 2025 On a Thursday afternoon in early March, the lights are dimmed inside Blues Alley as employees polish tables and scrub the floors. The Washington, D.C.-based, red-brick carriage-house jazz club is preparing to welcome Nicholas Payton.
Centennial Concert Celebrates All Things James Moody

3 weeks ago | downbeat.com | Ted Panken

By Ted Panken I Jun. 3, 2025 In the spring and summer of 2000, while reporting a DownBeat profile framed around James Moody’s 75th birthday concert with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, I asked him to explain how he made the tenor, alto and soprano saxophones, and flute, each sound like his primary instrument. “I need to practice them,” Moody responded crisply. “You play one horn because you like its sound.
Could Midwest Jazz Collective Change the Future of Touring?

3 weeks ago | downbeat.com | Hannah Edgar

By Hannah Edgar I Jun. 3, 2025 The time and labor required to tour is, for many musicians, daunting at best and prohibitive at worst. It’s hardly unusual for musicians to spend more hours on the road than on stage; venue availability dictates tour routes, which too often leads to wasted hours zig-zagging across the country. And did we mention the runaway costs of touring since the pandemic? Kyle Knoke set out to address all that.
In Memoriam: Al Foster, 1943-2025

1 month ago | downbeat.com | Michael. J. West

By Michael J. West I May. 29, 2025 Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28 in New York City. He was 82. His death was announced by his daughter, Kierra Denise Foster Ba, in a post on Facebook. Cause of death was not disclosed. Active in jazz since the mid-1960s, Foster was nonetheless probably best known for his on-and-off collaboration with Miles Davis in the ’70s and ’80s.
Coleman Mellett: a Tribute 16 Years in the Making

1 month ago | downbeat.com | Stephanie Jones

News, From the Magazine, Coleman Mellett, Jeanie Bryson By Stephanie Jones I May. 27, 2025 “Spring is coming,” said Jeanie Bryson via FaceTime. The 67-year-old Jersey girl has been a gardener most of her life. Flanked by stalks and leaves, she sat in her greenhouse on an afternoon in February. “I can’t wait to get my hands in the dirt,” she said, looking beyond the plexiglass.
Healdsburg Jazz Fest to Present a Cohesive Boutique Pageant

1 month ago | downbeat.com | Ted Panken

News, Marcus Shelby, Various Artists By Ted Panken I May. 20, 2025 Before Marcus Shelby added Artistic Director of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival to his c.v. in 2021, he’d established a consequential cultural footprint in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he’s functioned as a first-call freelance bassist since he moved there in 1996.