Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national music scene. Their high-energy live shows feature level-A musicianship, sharp-dressed professionalism and Sowers’ commanding stage presence. Also, their influences range from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits. Moreover, the band is converting audiences one show at […]

Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national music scene. Their high-energy live shows feature level-A musicianship, sharp-dressed professionalism and Sowers’ commanding stage presence. Also, their influences range from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits. Moreover, the band is converting audiences one show at […]

Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national music scene. Their high-energy live shows feature level-A musicianship, sharp-dressed professionalism and Sowers’ commanding stage presence. Also, their influences range from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits. Moreover, the band is converting audiences one show at […]

For over two decades, Southside Aces have been playing the repertoire of the Jazz Age greats and beyond. Here, they play the early New Orleans of Jelly Roll Morton and the Chicago joys of Louis Armstrong. The evocative compositions of the young Duke Ellington to the barrel house sounds of Preservation Hall. Even the early rock and […]

On her remarkable debut album, 2025’s Escape, Peruvian-American saxophonist/composer Lucia Sarmiento emerges as a rising star in modern jazz. Here, she delivers playful yet intricate melodies. “When I play the saxophone, I love that feeling of danger,” says Sarmiento. With a powerful tenor sound and an effervescent personality, she explains, “I’m drawn to music filled with […]

Saxophonist David Binney is one of the most prolific jazz musicians on the scene today. He is acclaimed as a considerable and highly individual compositional talent. Jazz Times recently picked Binney one of a handful of "players who have created an alternative jazz-scene... all of whom are playing adventurous, original music."  His latest project, Action, features the outstanding and […]

For almost four decades, the Grammy-winning Rebirth Brass Band has been “stunning” fans. Further, they are loved worldwide for their fiery live shows and rich musical catalog. Their trademark sound pays homage to the New Orleans brass band tradition. Also, they weave a tapestry that combines elements of jazz, funk, soul, R&B. Then, they incorporate […]

For almost four decades, the Grammy-winning Rebirth Brass Band has been “stunning” fans. Further, they are loved worldwide for their fiery live shows and rich musical catalog. Their trademark sound pays homage to the New Orleans brass band tradition. Also, they weave a tapestry that combines elements of jazz, funk, soul, R&B. Then, they incorporate […]

The Red Hot Django Peppers are a fiery Twin Cities–based hot club band. They are devoted to keeping the spirit of Django Reinhardt alive while adding their own spark to the tradition. Also, the group is led by guitarist Ryan Picone, an acolyte of world-renowned guitarist Stéphane Wrembel. Also, they feature the dynamic interplay of guitarist […]

Throughout their storied forty-three-year history, the Yellowjackets have recorded twenty-six albums, and received sixteen Grammy nominations, winning two. Additionally, they have performed countless sold-out tours, and enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim and commercial success. The Yellowjackets formed in the late 1970’s as the backup band for guitarist Robben Ford. They recorded their first album together in […]

It was in late 2022 that Jarrod Lawson had the biggest, and most unexpected, thrill of his music career. He had just received a glowing endorsement in print from Michelle Obama, in an Entertainment Weekly interview. When asked who she was listening to, after mentioning Beyonce, added “There’s this young jazz, blue-eyed soul kid Jarrod Lawson that I’m loving.” […]

Donald Harrison, saxophone Billy Harper, saxophone Cecil McBee, bass George Cables, piano Eddie Henderson, trumpet David Weiss, trumpet Billy Hart, drums Experience counts, especially in jazz. The more time musicians spend interpreting tunes and interacting with others, the more articulation an audience can expect. You can hear the fruits of such work in the expressive […]