“I specifically remember Linda walking into class every week with 10-page-long new compositions. I was very inspired — you were very capable,” says Fabian Almazan of meeting his future wife when they were students at Manhattan School of Music.
(Photo: Robert Torres)Oct 13, 2026 12:09 PM
Back in October 2021, bassist/composer Linda May Han Oh began a European tour with her group, beginning with a prestigious jazz residency in Helsinki, Finland. Her band included…
Sonny Rollins: a very conscientious blindfoldee.
(Photo: DownBeat Archive)Sep 1, 2026 12:29 PM
Editor’s Note: In tribute to the late Sonny Rollins, who passed away on May 25 at age 95, we present his first DownBeat Blindfold Test with Leonard Feather, creator of the column, from our Dec. 12, 1957, issue.
The significance lies in Sonny’s having been able, during the past year or two, to practice what he preaches. More than any other tenor player of the younger generation, he has succeeded in developing a sound and style that can be called original rather than derivative.
Sonny has been important in another area of jazz development.…
