Hometown Heroes

Sad news to share: we're remembering Pat Martino after news arrived that he passed away today, November 1, 2021, after living with COPD for several years.

Editor's Note: Sam Reed passed away on July 7th, 2021 at age 85. Few Philadelphia musicians have had careers as rich and varied as saxophonist and…

The best jazz singers have a knack for connecting with audiences. Few musicians of any stripe share Michelle Lordi’s gift for creating them. While Lordi…

When you grow up as the youngest of seven children, you quickly figure out how to set your ego aside. Saxophonist Yesseh Furaha-Ali learned that lesson as…

When trumpeter Alonzo Demetrius arrived at Berklee College of Music in the fall of 2014, he expected to have his musical world opened up to new pathways.…

In 1992, Jack Lloyd, entertainment writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, “A funny thing happened to Monnette Sudler on her way to becoming a folk…

Journalist Dorothy Kilgallen led off her popular New York Evening Journal column (syndicated in 140 papers) with a 1963 story about Philly bassist Jymie…

For more than half a century, pianist Hasaan Ibn Ali has been the dark matter of Philadelphia jazz?—a mysterious force whose presence has been felt more…

There are certainly unique and flavorful totems of what it means to be Philadelphian: soft pretzels, cheese-steaks and everything Tastykake. You can get…

As Philadelphia’s fifth Poet Laureate, Trapeta Mayson merges her love of art with her love of community through words often accompanied by jazz music. Her…