Pharoah Sanders, Giant of Spirit-Driven Jazz, Dies at 81

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Pharoah Sanders, the revered and influential tenor saxophonist who explored and extended the boundaries of his instrument, notably alongside John Coltrane in the 1960s, died on Saturday morning in Los Angeles. His death was announced in a post on social media by the record label Luaka Bop, which had released his celebrated 2021 album Promises and confirmed by a publicist …

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Four Miles Davis Albums to Introduce you to his Singular Genius

Celebrate the Birth(day) of the Cool

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Thursday, May 26, 2022 would have been Miles Davis’s 96th birthday. Considering the prodigious output, charismatic influence and outlaw ethos the jazz genius packed into the 65 years he spent on the planet, it’s hard to gauge how the “dark prince” would have felt as an iNonagenarian.  From his earliest days as a late ‘40s ferocious bebopper, forging mid-20th-century modal …

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Your Guide to this Weekend’s Jacksonville Jazz Festival

What to see and hear at this weekend’s free fest

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The Jacksonville Jazz Festival returns this weekend. And from icons like Herbie Hancock to rising stars like Jazzmeia Horn and Christian Sands to contemporary barrier-breakers like Robert Glasper, the festival’s 2022 lineup is arguably its best in years –– given the revered 40-plus-year history of the festival, that’s saying something.  Aside from the big names and local standouts playing the …

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How the late jazz great Chick Corea is being remembered — in concert

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Chick Corea is known as one of the most powerful pianists, composers, and bandleaders in the history of jazz. He earned 27 Grammy awards and blazed trails across bebop, straight-ahead, free jazz, fusion and Latin jazz over the course of nearly 6 decades. When he died unexpectedly last February from a rare form of cancer, he left dozens of musicians …

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Just Announced | Robert Glasper added to Jax Jazz Fest lineup

The celebrated pianist and in-demand collaborator brings 'Black Radio' to Jax

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Celebrated pianist Robert Glasper will perform at the 2022 Jacksonville Jazz Festival. Glasper joins a lineup that already included legendary artists Herbie Hancock and George Benson. Best known for his star-studded collaborations across his series of albums –– Black Radio, Black Radio II, Black Radio III –– Glasper is one of the most sought after composers in contemporary music, writing and …

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Fresh Rotation | 3 new tracks JME Contributors think you should listen to

The Stroppies make uncool cool, Mark Turner turns jazz on its ear and Angel Olsen soars above the fray

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Each and every week the JME team handpicks the juiciest new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists to add into our tasty, tall-glass-of-a-listening-experience that is our monthly Fresh Squeeze playlist. Each song is chosen with intention. And so we often feel like they are worthy of a broader discussion (or at least a bit of context). Here are three …

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A Stunning New Take on “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” from Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few

Jazz prodigy breathes new life into the iconic Johnson Brothers' song

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We’ve written in the past about “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing, the classic penned by Jacksonville’s own James Weldon and John Rosamond Johnson in 1900, which has found a vast range of expression over the decades, en route to becoming (soon) the official National Hymn of this country. You can now add a surprising new entry to the long list …

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Go | The best concerts in Jax this week

Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series kicks off in St. Johns County

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The much-anticipated Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series kicks off this Friday. From the 18-piece swing of the Count Basie Orchestra on Friday, the powerful roots music of Amythyst Kiah on Saturday, to Downtown Jax’s celebration of hip-hop on Sunday, here’s a list of what JME contributors want to see and hear in and around Jacksonville this week. NOTE: The …

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Barry Harris, beloved jazz pianist devoted to bebop, dies at 91

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Barry Harris, a pianist who carefully preserved the language of bebop throughout a seven-decade career as a brilliant performer and influential teacher, died Wednesday at Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, N.J. He was 91 and lived in Weehawken, N.J. Harris had been hospitalized for the last two weeks and died of complications due to Covid, said Kira von Ostenfeld-Suske, …

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Local Spotlight | ‘The Elements’ by Madre Vaca

Members of Jacksonville’s jazz vanguard drop their 13th release as Madre Vaca.

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The latest release from Madre Vaca, The Elements, features the top tier of Jacksonville’s modern jazz scene reestablishing their motivic connections. On the quartet’s 13th album, each member of the ensemble (Jarret Carter, guitar; Thomas Milovac, bass; Jonah Pierre, piano; Benjamin Shorstein, drums) introduce an extended piece based on one of four earth elements, upon which the accompanying players improvise …

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Go | What to see and hear in Jax this week

Jam band Circles Around the Sun, bluesman Robert Cray and hip-hop beat-maker Blockhead top a week that has a little something for everyone.

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Each and every week the Jacksonville Music Experience team identifies the best concerts in Northeast Florida.  Here’s what’s on the JME team’s concert calendar this week.  Funk Monday Night Funk Jam – Monday, November 8 Headroom Coffee Bar | Downtown Jax Headroom Coffee Bar plays host to some of the area’s top talent, each and every Monday. Adam Kenneway, Shaun …

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Local Spotlight | ‘Impetus’ by DeAndre Lettsome

Jax-based alto saxophonist struts across standards and original compositions

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Astute followers of Jacksonville’s red hot jazz scene are surely familiar with DeAndre Lettsome. A founding member of Jax-based purveyors of New-Orleans-style jazz, Let’s Ride Brass Band, the 26-year-old alto saxophonist is an in-demand player. And, as evidenced by the new nine-song collection Impetus (Lettsome’s first solo release on Bold City Music Productions), he’s also a formidable composer and topnotch …

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Bring the Beat Back | A brief history of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival

A highlight of the city's cultural calendar for 40 years

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This year marks 40 years since the Jacksonville Jazz Festival first took place. And the only thing that’s changed more than the festival is the music itself. The name has changed, the dates have changed, and the location has changed––multiple times. One thing that’s never changed, though, is the festival’s status as a highlight of the cultural year in Northeast …

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Listen | Electro Lounge Radio goes all jazz for Jazz Fest weekend

48 hours of jazz on 89.9 HD4, the WJCT app and streaming online

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The JME team has been digging in on jazz in anticipation of this year’s Jacksonville Jazz Festival. Things have changed since ‘81, sure. But the yearly festival continues to mark a week in which Jax feels very much like a jazz city.  Truly Jacksonville’s jazz-cup overfloweth this weekend, as WJCT station manager and JME contributor David Luckin has curated 48-hours …

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Go | Jazz Fest After Dark broadens the Jacksonville Jazz festivities

All that jazz... and much more!

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With the Jacksonville Jazz Fest celebrating its fourth decade with more than a weekend’s worth of main-stage performances and auxiliary programming, another––though relatively new––tradition will commence this week: Jazz Fest After Dark. And while the Jacksonville Jazz Festival certainly leans into eclectic booking by featuring jazz torchbearers like George Benson as well as music icons like percussionist Sheila E. and …

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John Coltrane’s Masterpiece Breathes New Life With ‘A Love Supreme: Live In Seattle’

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John Coltrane‘s A Love Supreme, recorded near the close of 1964 and released early the following year, inhabits an exalted plane beyond the realm of most other albums, in any musical genre. Easily one of the most celebrated jazz recordings ever made, it radiates a deep, devotional gravitas — a palpably focused ardor that has long inspired actual worship, as …

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Go | This Week’s Live Music Recommendations

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Big name bands are beginning to return to Northeast Florida, providing opportunities for the region’s standout acts to lend support while getting in front of a larger audience. This week, local indie rock youngsters Faze Wave will open for Cold War Kids at The Amp’s backyard stage. It’s one of the three shows JME contributors recommend checking out this week.  …

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89.9 FM WJCT Public Radio Adds New Music Program To After Hours Lineup

Contact: Stan Cleiland, Vice President, Community Relations and Strategic Communications (904) 358-6366 • scleiland@wjct.org For Immediate Release 89.9 FM WJCT Public Radio Adds New Music Program To After Hours Lineup – Jazz Night in America Debuts Saturday, March 7 at 8pm – (Jacksonville, FL, March 1, 2015); WJCT is adding a new weekly radio program, Jazz Night In America, to its 89.9FM …