#cindy-blackman-santana

#cindy-blackman-santana

The track 'The Fool' by The David Hillyard Rocksteady 7 stood out among the rest for its earworm hook, infectious beat, and old-school sound.

Concrete Waves is the first in a new series by Werkdiscs capturing improvised musical conversations between two avant-garde icons, Actress and Suzanne Ciani.

Chaka Khan criticized modern female popstars for 'doing any and every damn thing on stage' while trying to sing, suggesting they are compensating for vocal weaknesses.

Pianist Dr. Gabriela Calderón and violinist Dr. Catalina Barraza celebrate the rich musical heritage of Latin America.

All but one of the song titles on Body Sound, the debut album from experimental string trio Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart, line up nicely-a few words, usually two, usually nouns, separated by a vertical line. The straight line in the middle means different things in different disciplines. In computing, it's called a 'pipe' and serves as a conduit. In poetry, it denotes a pause or break. In music, it marks the beginning and end of measures.

Durand Jones and the Indications have built a following on modern soul that feels warm, textured, and deeply rooted in classic R&B traditions. Formed in Bloomington, Indiana, the band leans into rich harmonies, tight rhythm sections, and songwriting that balances vulnerability with groove.

Fujiwara's hustling brushes set up a churning guitar hook on the title track that sounds infectiously like a kind of highlife bebop, before Reid's superb pizzicato cello solo takes off with Halvorson comping the tune in the background. Her own seamlessly skimming improvisation is then followed by a spontaneous counter-melodic dance between the two of them.

Often referred to as "The Rockin' Chair Lady" after one of her early hits, Bailey was the first woman to sing with a jazz big band, touring with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra from 1929-33. Along with Louis Armstrong, she played an essential role in shaping Bing Crosby's jazz-inspired phrasing, which is to say, American pop music.

Intense listening capabilities from these exquisite players which required, more than anything else, a great deal of trust. They posited about thematic structures, which somehow got agreed upon, live in the moment through a collective groupthink. Right there on stage. No words spoken, just an exchange of bizarrely intense looks. Ranging from 'we're almost there' to 'don't you dare.' That's trust, people.

Amber Ruffin's joy is infectious. And she's bringing that joy to her latest production, the original off-Broadway show Bigfoot! The Musical, co-written by Kevin Sciretta. The show's plot involves a corrupt mayor, gullible townspeople and a kindhearted Bigfoot who longs for community. What evolves on stage takes on even more meaning in today's political landscape. Ruffin started writing Bigfoot! in 2014.

Belinda Ricklefs, a ballroom dance and Lindy hop instructor in the Bay Area since 1975, and the founder of Sunday Swing at the Lake Merritt Dance Center and Live Oak Park, passed away on Nov. 7, 2025, at her care home in Pinole. She was 89. Born in Los Angeles in 1936, Belinda lived a long and varied life. She started dancing at age 5, and did her first jitterbugging as a teenager at Friday night socials in a church basement. She graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Asian History (and was a Phi Beta Kappa member) in 1957.

January is the month where music is moving underneath the surface, feeling out the venues, plotting and planning for those great days under the sun, at a festival. If you are a globe-trotting DJ or band, January is the month you're finishing up those FaceTime calls with managers and bookers, and plotting out which month you'll be on the road playing the Empty Bottle in Chicago, the Iron Horse in Northampton, MA, or the Continental Club in Austin, TX.

The architect of the bestselling jazz album of all time, 1959's Kind of Blue, trumpeter Miles Davis is a towering figure in the history of the genre. Possessed of a piercing tone, innate melodic sensibility and a singularly uncompromising approach on the bandstand, Davis spent his five-decade career presiding over numerous stylistic shifts: bebop to cool jazz, modal jazz, electronic fusion, jazz funk and even hip-hop.

Mariachi El Bronx, the mariachi alter ego of LA punk band The Bronx, are about to release Mariachi El Bronx IV, their first album in 12 years, this Friday (2/13) via ATO. They'll also be playing Kimmel tonight (2/12) and livestreaming their Tijuana album release show on Veeps on Saturday (2/14), and to help usher in the release of this new LP, Mariachi El Bronx vocalist Matt Caughthran has made us a list of five of his favorite albums of all time.

The 2026 edition of NYC Winter Jazzfest wrapped up on Tuesday (1/12) with a special reimagining of Miles Davis' classic 1970 album Bitches Brew at Le Poisson Rouge, to celebrate Davis' centennial year. The evening, which was also dedicated to the late Bob Weir, began with a discussion of the album between Adam O'Farrill and Lenny White, who drummed on the original recording at age 19. He mentioned how Davis liked to cook, and directed White to be the "salt."

Bitch! If ICE come in here, we gon' jump they asses,

Other Dimensions in Sound is our Friday music series curated and hosted by Boohaabian multi reed player extraordinare David Boyce. Each week David will be inviting different musical guests to join him in our galeria for a night of sonic sustenance. This month: fiery Filipino-American guitarist Karl Evangelista performs the entirety of Sonny Sharrock's "Guitar" album - solo, as intended. The trio of Ari Brown, Elango Kumaran, and David Israel Katz joins.

"Many found the music offensive, the dancing objectionable, and the popularity of both with young people verging on a mental health crisis." So writes music historian Susan C. Cook about ragtime, the heavily syncopated ancestor of jazz that arose in the late 1800s. Like all things, ragtime's subversiveness faded over time, and, a century later, the works of Scott Joplin and other practitioners had been relegated to carnivals and fairs, their jaunty piano melodies now evoking quaint notions of old-timey fun.

Though she came to fame in the shadow of some of music's highest-profile artists, Sheila E. has long since made her mark as a groundbreaking creative force all her own.

Revolución to Roxy begins long before glam, synthesizers, or LP covers became cultural landmarks. Manzanera's earliest memories are shaped by upheaval: childhood in Cuba during the revolution, displacement, and an upbringing that crossed Venezuela, Colombia, England, and beyond. That instability, he says, produced something lasting-understanding. "If you grow up speaking two languages, you are scientifically proven to be more compassionate," Manzanera says. "You have this kind of duality, and one of those is the power to be empathetic. For a musician, that is such a helpful tool."