The combination of only piano and saxophone isn't often seen on jazz stages. But the pairing of a contemporary jazz figurehead and his group's pianist of over 10 years promises artful communication. The two perform live in concert.
Saxophone and piano form a seldom-seen pairing, but the talent on tap promises action.
He's a powerhouse self-taught pianist and a polymath composer as likely to be inspired by theatrical works and South Asian music as mathematics and progressive jazz. His versatile trio will play spiky originals and creatively redrawn covers live.
The self-taught pianist, polymath composer and bandleader with a penchant for spiky covers performs.
He's an alto saxophonist as searing as he is soaring, and a writer of post-bop swimming in rhythmic hints of his native Puerto Rico. And now that he's won a MacArthur Genius Grant, the world is beginning to take notice. Hear his group's live performance.
An alto saxophonist as searing as he is soaring, he brought his geometric post-bop to the stage.
They had always engaged popular music masterworks as vessels for jazz improvisation. But the addition of an alt-rock vocalist recasts the trio as an singular sort of cover band. The band's scattershot take on music history is on display Sunday at Newport.
The addition of an alt-rock vocalist recasts the trio as a postmodern, improvising cover band.
It's been 50 years since his Time Out, and its crossover hits "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo a la Turk," first appeared in record shops. And at age 88, he says he still loves playing that material, as he showed in his return to Newport.
Brubeck led his quartet in a number of Duke Ellington standards at Newport.
A limber bassist and a dynamic singer, Spalding graduated from music school in 2005. Four years, two celebrated albums and several invitations to the White House later, her act is one of the most sought-after in jazz. She plans to present new material live.
A limber bassist and a dynamic singer, jazz's most sought-after new act presented new material.
It's hard not to notice Hiromi Uehara's energy: her dazzling, explosive keyboard abilities are front and center in her music. With her quartet SonicBloom, the pianist and keyboardist will showcase her original fusion of jazz, classical and progressive rock.
The dazzling pianist's quartet practices an original fusion of jazz, classical and prog-rock.
One of the drawbacks to being one of the world's best drummers is that you can stay too busy to work on your own material. Luckily for audiences, the sunlight of the Newport Jazz Festival's harbor stage will shine on the restlessly creative Blade and his beloved ensemble.
One of the world's great drummers took an opportunity to exhibit his own colorful ensemble.
The days of roving, regional territory bands are long gone. But their partygoing spirit lives on in the New York big band devised by downtown trumpet magnate Steven Bernstein. The group stakes its claim to supra-regional supremacy in journeying up to Newport.
Roving territory bands may be gone, but their spirit lives on in the partygoing New York ensemble.
She grew up in Chile enamored with jazz, but not knowing what it was called. Now that she's a jazz singer in New York, she's embraced her native traditions more than ever. Her modern, pan-Latin jazz vocals highlight Newport's Marsalis Music showcase.
Acuna brought her modern, pan-Latin jazz vocals to Newport's Marsalis Music showcase.
One of the most diverse and intriguing lineups in recent memory comes to the annual jazz festival in Newport, R.I., celebrating its 55th year this August. NPR Music, with partners WBGO and WGBH, will present live coverage and recording archives of George Wein's CareFusion Jazz Festival 55.
