Ron Netsky

The first jazz orchestras came to prominence about a century ago. Since then interest in the form has ebbed and flowed, but over the last three decades, no ensemble has done more to keep the flame alive than the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Music Director Wynton Marsalis. Aside from Marsalis — one of […]

Fast-rising trumpeter Thomas Heberer has worked with a “who’s who” of jazz luminaries, including Steve Lacy, Dave Douglas and Oliver Lake. Born in Germany in 1965, Heberer began playing at age 11. His wide-ranging activities include a long-time stint with the ICP Orchestra and composing music for Pina Bausch’s dance company. In his own quartet, […]

[ UPDATED AND REVISED 10/23/19 ] On his debut album, “Eclectic Excursions,” Grammy-winning trumpet player Nabaté Isles plays tunes ranging from smooth jazz to hard bop, with a detour to funk. Since graduating from the Eastman School of Music, Isles has played with Christian McBride, Jill Scott, Dianne Reeves, and many others. When he joins […]

You might hear an occasional Thelonious Monk tune and an original composition or two, but what separates the Joe Policastro Trio from other jazz combos is the rest of its repertoire. You might hear pop tunes like “1999” by Prince, “More Than a Woman” by The Bee Gees, or “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young. Or, […]

At the age of 12, Dan Willis (pictured) was already playing his saxophone and oboe on the Buffalo jazz scene. After graduating from the Eastman School of Music, in 1992 he headed to New York, where he gained a reputation as an adventurous player on sax and EWI (Electric Wind Instrument). For over a decade, […]

Pianist, singer, and composer Jon Batiste was already bursting with talent when he emerged to lead Stay Human as the house band on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” On his latest studio album, “Hollywood Africans,” he brings his New Orleans roots to a variety of evocative compositions, whether originals or standards. The title of […]

“Karuna” is a term meaning compassion in the spiritual path of Buddhism. If you apply that concept to music, it would be tough to find two more sympathetic players than percussionists Hamid Drake and Adam Rudolph. When they play together, it’s as if they are speaking to each other through their instruments. Aside from drums, […]

Four80East gives the people what they want: the groove, the whole groove, and nothing but the groove. Co-leaders Rob DeBoer and Tony Grace lay it down on keyboards and percussion, respectively. But they couldn’t do it without the rhythm guitar of Mark Jackson and the infectious saxophone riffs of Mike MacArthur. And bassist Anthony Mackey […]