Duke Ellington

Long regarded as one of Contemporary Jazz’s leading vocalists, Diane Schuur is as eclectic as she is brilliant. Born in Tacoma, Washington in 1953, Schuur was blind from birth; but she was gifted with perfect pitch and initially taught herself piano by ear. She later received formal piano training at …

We love legends, don’t we? Not only do they use their talents to break barriers and achieve levels of greatness that few have seen, but they also use those very talents to lead a new generation to that same level of excellence and beyond. Master bassist, composer, leader, doctor and …

Legendary jazz pianist Monty Alexander’s latest release, “Harlem-Kingston Express Vol. 2” has gained a lot of attention and critical acclaim. When iRockJazz spoke with Alexander about his latest project, he described the album as an “imaginary train ride of his life.” A train ride that started over fifty years ago …

clas·sic  /klasik/ adjective 1. judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind. Synonym: Ahmad Jamal Playing the piano by the age of 3, composing at 10, and performing at Carnegie Hall with Duke Ellington at 22, Ahmad Jamal has proven that …

IF, AS SHAKESPEARE WROTE IN TWELFTH NIGHT, “…SOME ARE BORN GREAT, SOME ACHIEVE GREATNESS, AND SOME HAVE GREATNESS THRUST UPON THEM…” Then, Theo Croker fits into two out of three of the Bard’s categories. His talent is innate; he inherited a unique gift from his grandfather, the legendary trumpet player …

Regarded as one of the strongest talents in R&B, Brian McKnight is a quiet storm known for his strong falsetto range and love ballads. By the age of 19, McKnight had signed a recording contract with a major record label. During those first years in music, he mastered eight instruments, …

Freddy Cole. The name may sound familiar not only because of the iconic family name, but also because Cole has been a mainstay in the jazz industry for over 50 years. The Chicago native began playing piano at the age of 6, and at 81 years old, he is still …

Photo of Roy Hargrove by John Whiting Jazz legend Sonny Rollins once said, “Improvisation is the ability to create something very spiritual, something of one’s own,” and Roy Hargrove has taken those words to heart.  In an exclusive interview with iRockJazz, multiple Grammy winner, bandleader and jazz trumpeter extraordinaire, Roy …

When the grown folks were educating me on Billy Eckstine, this was the third part of the lesson.  It’s a funny choice of words when you consider the fact the first two were about his charm and his attire. The talented Mr. B, in his suave sartorial splendor, was also …

Jacques Schwarz-Bart was born in Guadeloupe where he was first exposed to voodoo ritual chants and found his musical expression and voice. As an infant, his mother sang voodoo chants to him, which settled deep in his heart as nuggets of gold. Those nuggets would resurface and give birth to …

Cécile McLorin Salvant was born and raised in Miami, Florida of a French mother and a Haitian father. She started classical piano studies at 5, and began singing in the Miami Choral Society at 8. Early on, she developed an interest in classical voice, began studying with private instructors, and later …

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center is proud to present Jazz Meets Sports, a special event connecting jazz artistry and athletic performance created by Artistic Advisor and GRAMMY® Award-winning bassist Christian McBride. This special one night only program will take place on Sunday, March 2 at 7:00PM in NJPAC’s Victoria Theater. McBride is set to perform …