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10/16/2026

Happy heavently birthday Roy Hargrove 🎉

Few artists embodied the spirit of modern jazz quite like Roy Hargrove. He lived and breathed music. A fearless trumpeter and bandleader, he carried the torch of jazz tradition while lighting new fires in hip-hop, R&B, and beyond.

Roy was never content to stay in one lane. With the RH Factor, he fused jazz, funk, neo-soul, and hip-hop into a sound that spoke directly to a new century — collaborating with artists like D'Angelo aka IMEHO - we dont buy bots - all organic Common Q-Tip The Abstract. Whether he was blowing on a smoky ballad or trading lines in a club jam, his phrasing was unmistakable — lyrical, raw, and overflowing with emotion.

Hargrove also left an indelible mark on the straight-ahead scene, winning two — one with his Cuban ensemble Crisol for Habana (1997) and another with Herbie Hancock and Michael Brecker for Directions in Music (2002).

Today we celebrate not just the brilliance of Roy Hargrove’s trumpet, but his boundless creativity and the joy he brought to music lovers everywhere. His sound still moves through the air — alive, vibrant, eternal.

Roy Hargrove: Oct 16, 1969 - Nov 2, 2018

10/16/2026

"We have been blessed with the opportunity and privilege to dance with our cultural legacy in a way that challenges us to be of service to our community and unapologetically authentic in our own self-expression.” ~ Stefon Harris

The music of LEGACY DANCES (via Motema Music) from Stefon Harris + Blackout feat. Casey Benjamin was built on the creative chemistry of its founding members: vibraphonist Stefon Harris, saxophonist and vocoder innovator Casey Benjamin, and drummer Terreon Gully. Together, they forged a sound that brought jazz improvisation into a dynamic conversation with funk, soul and electronic music.

With Casey Benjamin’s passing in 2024, LEGACY DANCES takes on an added poignancy. The collaboration captures the imagination, rhythmic energy and musical fearlessness that made their work together so compelling. Benjamin had a singular voice, and his contributions to Blackout helped shape a sound that continues to resonate.
To purchase and listen: https://stefonharris.lnk.to/LGDPR

ELIGIBLE IN THE FOLLOWING GRAMMY® CATEGORIES

BEST JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
Legacy Dances

BEST JAZZ PERFORMANCE
"I Know Love"
[extended version]

BEST INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION
"Echoes of the Lion"

BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTAL OR A CA****LA
"West End Blues"

BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS
"What A Wonderful World"

10/15/2026

Fela Kúti was a revolutionary musician and political activist who used Afrobeat to confront power head-on. Drawing on jazz, funk, highlife and traditional Yoruba music, he developed a sound built on interlocking rhythms, expansive horn arrangements, extended improvisation and lyrics that directly challenged Nigeria’s military government.

Fela’s activism was inseparable from his music. Through songs like Zombie, which mocked soldiers who blindly followed orders, and Coffin for Head of State, a furious response to the 1977 military raid on his compound that led to his mother’s death, he exposed government corruption, police brutality and political oppression. The authorities repeatedly arrested, detained and assaulted him, but he continued to speak out.

In 1970, Fela established the Kalakuta Republic, a communal compound he declared independent of the Nigerian state, and founded the political movement Movement of the People. His outspoken opposition to neocolonialism and his embrace of Pan-Africanism made him a major voice in the struggle for African self-determination.

Fela’s influence reaches far beyond music. He helped establish Afrobeat as a global force and demonstrated how an artist could use rhythm, performance and songwriting as instruments of political resistance.

Fela Kúti: Oct 15, 1938 - Aug 2, 1997

10/15/2026

What a fabulous group is at SMOKE Jazz Club thru Sunday. Led by pianist James Francies, the group features the impeccable Joel Ross on vibes, bassist Luca Alemanno and drummer Jeremy Dutton. Dinner shows at 6:30 and 8:30 + late set at 10 p.m. on Fri and Saturday and there's livestreaming on Friday worldwide with passes good for 48 hours. go.smokejazz.com/FranciesMonkJC

10/14/2026

Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Bottle” is one of those records that sounds like a party until you really listen to what it’s saying. Released in 1974 on his album Winter in America, recorded with Brian Jackson, it pairs an irresistible, Latin-tinged groove with a stark story about alcoholism, addiction and the lives damaged by them.

That contrast is the heart of the song. The music makes you want to move, while the lyrics describe people caught in a cycle of drinking, broken relationships, lost jobs and diminishing possibilities. Scott-Heron wasn’t simply condemning people who drank. He was looking at the circumstances surrounding addiction and the way it takes hold of individuals, families and entire communities.

The story behind the song
The inspiration came from a scene Scott-Heron and his musical partner, keyboardist and composer Brian Jackson, witnessed while living in Washington, D.C. People gathered near a liquor store, collecting and exchanging empty bottles. Scott-Heron became curious about their lives and learned about the personal circumstances that had brought them there. Some had experienced devastating losses; others had seen their lives unravel in ways they had never anticipated.

Those encounters became the basis for “The Bottle.” Rather than writing an abstract protest song, Scott-Heron gave listeners glimpses into individual lives affected by addiction, including family violence and despair. His approach was characteristically direct: tell the stories, let the details speak, and allow the listener to confront the human cost.

Musically, Jackson helped shape the track’s distinctive blend of funk, soul and jazz, with an infectious rhythm and flute lines that make the song irresistible on the dance floor. Released on the independently issued Winter in America in 1974 on Strata-East, it became one of Scott-Heron and Jackson’s signature recordings.

Its influence reaches well beyond its original era, with its unmistakable groove sampled by hip-hop artists including N.W.A., Big Daddy Kane and Common. More than 50 years later, its message about addiction, social conditions and the human cost remains painfully relevant.

10/13/2026

“I’m so honored to have created and shared an album that celebrates the power of dreaming and imagining beyond where we are, believing in what’s possible, and continuing to move forward no matter what life puts in our way.” — Lakecia Benjamin

It’s no secret that we’ve been fans of for a very long time. On her 6th album, WE DREAM, the 6x Grammy nominee has put together a deeply band-driven project — and alongside an expansive cast of collaborators incl:
Terence Blanchard
Hiromi
Chris Potter
Jeff "Tain" Watts
CHRISTIAN SCOTT
Bilal


Kassa Overall (co-producer)

10/13/2026

Can we talk about the amazing Art Tatum! Few pianists have ever possessed his combination of harmonic imagination, dazzling technique and sheer swing. Tatum could take a familiar standard and transform it with unexpected chord changes, lightning-fast runs and a left hand that seemed to belong to an entire rhythm section.

The speed was almost unbelievable, but it was the ideas flying out of his hands that made musicians stop and listen. His reharmonizations, those astonishing runs, the independence of his left hand and his impeccable swing took the piano into another dimension.

Tatum was a major influence on generations of jazz pianists, including Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk and Oscar Peterson, who never stopped marveling at his playing. His harmonic daring helped expand the possibilities of jazz piano, and his recordings remain a master class in invention.

Fats Waller famously introduced him as “the greatest piano player in the world.”

Art Tatum: Oct 13, 1909 - Nov 5, 1956

10/11/2026

“A pianist with liquid dynamism in his touch.” — The New York Times

This Wed - Sun, pianist James Francies makes his SMOKE Jazz Club leader debut with his trio plus special guest Joel Ross, as the second half of Smoke’s annual two-week celebration of Thelonious Monk. https://go.smokejazz.com/FranciesMonkJC

At 30, Francies has already built an extraordinary résumé, working across jazz, hip-hop, and R&B with artists including Pat Metheny, Chris Potter, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Eric Harland, Terrace Martin, Common, Ms. Lauryn Hill, and The Roots. A Houston native and Blue Note recording artist, he has developed a sound that draws freely from the jazz tradition while embracing the possibilities of contemporary music. Writing about his most recent album, Purest Form, the Houston Chronicle noted that Francies “finds modern ways to take the familiar and make it new.”
Joel Ross – vibraphone
James Francies – piano
Luca Alemanno – bass
Jeremy Dutton – drums

10/09/2026

🎹🎂 Happy 85 to Chucho Valdés and happy heavenly birthday to his father Bebo Valdés!

Two generations of Cuban jazz greatness, father and son, with the piano at the center of it all. Bebo Valdés helped shape modern Cuban music, blending Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz and big-band arranging. His son Chucho took that foundation in bold new directions, bringing dazzling technique, deep rhythmic knowledge and a fearless improvisational spirit to Irakere, the groundbreaking group he founded in 1973.

From Bebo’s El Arte del Sabor to Chucho’s Jazz Batá and Irakere recordings, their music reflects the remarkable range of Cuban piano and its enduring connection to jazz. Different generations, distinct voices, and a shared musical language. 🇨🇺🎶

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