Today marks the one-hundredth birthday of pioneeering jazz drummer, composer, and activist Max Roach. Roach was a percussion virtuoso who was widely admired for his impeccable brush technique and mastery of dynamics. Along with drummer Kenny Clarke, Roach revolutionized jazz drumming, keeping time on the ride cymbal and playing irregular accents on the bass drum in order...Read More

Today marks the birthday of trumpeter and educator Terell Stafford, born November 25, 1966 in Miami, Florida. Stafford has worked as a sideman with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Bobby Watson and Horizon, pianist McCoy Tyner, who called Stafford “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player.” Stafford has worked...Read More

When it comes to music, we’re lucky that we don’t have to actually limit ourselves to certain artists and their catalogs. We can have our own favorites, but there is plenty of time in the world to listen to Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and scores of other great artists. But, I must admit, that I...Read More