Results for "Harold Mabern"

Musician

Harold Mabern

Born: March 20, 1936

Early in his career, Mabern played in Chicago with MJT + 3 in the late 1950s and then moved to New York in 1959. Mabern has worked with Jimmy Forrest, Lionel Hampton, the Jazztet (1961-1962), Donald Byrd, Miles Davis (1963), J.J. Johnson (1963-1965), Lee Morgan (1965), Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Wes Montgomery, Joe Williams (1966- 1967), and Sarah Vaughan. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mabern led four albums for Prestige Records, performed with Lee Morgan, and recorded with Stanley Cowell's Piano Choir. Harold Mabern has recorded as a leader for DIW/Columbia and Sackville and toured with the Contemporary Piano Ensemble (1993-1995). A longtime faculty member at William Paterson College, Mabern is a frequent instructor at Stanford Jazz Workshop. Saxophonist Eric Alexander was one of Mabern's students at William Pattereson in the late 1980s

Album

Afro Blue (10th Anniversary Edition)

By Harold Mabern

Label: Smoke Sessions Records
Released: 2026
Track listing: The Chief; Afro Blue (feat. Gregory Porter); Don't Misunderstand (feat. Norah Jones); My One and Only Love (feat. Jane Monheit); Portrait of Jennie (feat. Kurt Elling); Do It Again (feat. Peter Bernstein).

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Classics from Paul Chambers, Eddie Jefferson, and Others With New Music from Joe Gransden, Pat Bianchi and More

by David W. Daniels
March 24, 2026

Artists named above, plus classics from Betty Carter, Big John Patten, and others. New music from Marques Carroll, Ron Carter with Ricky Dillard, and more. Birthday recognition for Charles Lloyd, Nat King Cole, Gary Meek, and others.Playlist Grachan Moncur III “New Africa"--from Exploration (Capri) 00:00 McCoy Tyner “Little Madimba"--from Time For Tyner (Blue Note) ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Antonio Faraò, Björn Meyer, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Mativetsky Amiri Pagé

by Cheryl K.
March 23, 2026

During this week's two-hour program of jazz and improvised music, cuts from new releases from pianist Antonio Faraò; bassist Björn Meyer; The Eyal Vilner Big Band, The Interplay Jazz Orchestra, and The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra; the trio Mativetsky Amiri Pagé; trombonist Audrey Ochoa; and the Brian Molley Quartet.Playlist Doug Carn “Infant Eyes" from Infant ...

News: Recording

Available Now: Remixed, Remastered Edition Of Harold Mabern's "Afro Blue" Recording (smoke Sessions Records)

March 21, 2026

Smoke Sessions Records honors legendary pianist Harold Mabern with a remixed, remastered 10th anniversary edition of his all-star album Afro Blue Released on Mabern’s 90th birthday, March 20, 2026, Afro Blue features a stunning roster of vocalists: Gregory Porter, Norah Jones, Kurt Elling, Jane Monheit and Alexis Cole A Tribute to Mabern | 90th Birthday Celebration ...

Video

Harold Mabern AFRO BLUE Recording Session

Featuring the music of Harold Mabern
Duration: 5:50
March 13, 2026

In celebration of what would have been Harold Mabern’s 90th birthday, Smoke Sessions Records presents the 2026 release of Afro Blue – 10th Anniversary Edition, newly remixed, remastered, and available for the first time in immersive spatial audio. A milestone in Mabern’s catalog, Afro Blue showcases his extraordinary rapport with an exceptional lineup of guest vocalists—Gregory Porter, Norah Jones, Jane Monheit, Kurt Elling, and Alexis Cole. Their performances illuminate Mabern’s intuitive, blues-rooted touch and his lifelong devotion to playing for singers, a craft he began honing with Betty Carter at Birdland more than half a century ago. The album also features a powerhouse ensemble including Jeremy Pelt, Eric Alexander, and Steve Turre, with John Webber and Joe Farnsworth providing their signature rhythmic foundation as well as guitarist Peter Bernstein.

Article: Album Review

Five-Way Split: Modus Operandi

by Neil Duggan
March 12, 2026

Five-Way Split is a London-based quintet that builds its foundations on the music of bands such as Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, the Max Roach Quintet and the Horace Silver Quintet. This throwback to the hard-bop groups of the 1950s and '60s is infused with the band's brand of contemporary charm as they swing through ...

Article: Album Review

Frode Kjekstad Qrt: Stars Aligned

by Glenn Astarita
March 11, 2026

Talented Norwegian guitarist Frode Kjekstad discovered jazz in his early teens through the bebop genius of Charlie Parker and the refined touch of Joe Pass. He started formal jazz guitar studies at fifteen and moved to Oslo in 1994, where he immersed himself in the local scene and performed with legends like Johnny Griffin, Frank Foster, ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Carolyn Trowbridge, Sonny Rollins, and Sun Ra

by Jerome Wilson
March 11, 2026

This wide-ranging program features music by Carolyn Trowbridge, Muhal Richard Abrams, Sonny Rollins, Doug Wamble, and Sun Ra.Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Sun Ra “Enlightenment" from Sound Sun Pleasure (Evidence) 00:51 Mark Masters Ensemble ...

Article: Album Review

Roy Brooks: The Free Slave

by Angelo Leonardi
March 9, 2026

Esistono molte ragioni per non farsi sfuggire questa splendida riedizione (anche in vinile dal master originale analogico). Primo:  Il nome del batterista Roy Brooks resta ingiustamente dimenticato anche se gli unici raffronti possibili--musicalmente parlando--sono con Tony Williams ed Elvin Jones. Affetto da un disturbo bipolare Brooks fu spesso internato in case di cura e in carcere ...