Articles by Mark Robbins

In Pictures

Peter Bernstein with the Jimmy Masters Trio at The Sandler Center

by Mark Robbins
October 5, 2026

Jazz musicians often have a musical conversation onstage. One musician introduces an idea, another responds, and the music develops through that back and forth. They listen closely to one another, picking up on rhythms, melodies, and small changes in the moment. The result can feel spontaneous and personal, as if the musicians are speaking to one another without words. When guitarist Peter Bernstein joined the Jimmy Masters Trio, it felt like you were listening in on a conversation ...

In Pictures

2026 Newport Jazz Festival, Part 2

by Mark Robbins
September 4, 2026

Jazz at Newport has always been about more than keeping a tradition alive. It is also about seeing where the music is going. At the 72nd Newport Jazz Festival, that was clear in the wide range of music heard throughout the weekend, from jazz and soul to R&B, hip-hop, funk and experimental music. Artists from different generations shared the stages at Fort Adams. Herbie Hancock and Charles Lloyd represented generations of jazz history, while artists such as Robert ...

Catching Up With

New York's Hottest New Club Has Arrived

by Mark Robbins
August 14, 2026

Martin Porter's life has revolved around jazz from an early age. Growing up playing jazz piano and listening to the greats, he eventually found himself living out a dream--working at the Jazz Standard, one of the city's premier jazz clubs. The closing of the Standard left a void in New York's jazz community--one that Martin Porter was determined to help fill. Along with his partner, he did just that with the opening of their new club, The Pocket. During the Newport ...

In Pictures

Champian Fulton with the Jimmy Masters' Trio at the Sandler Center for the Arts

by Mark Robbins
August 14, 2026

Our interview with Champian Fulton introduced readers to the pianist and vocalist in her own words. These photographs offer a visual counterpart to that conversation, capturing Fulton at work and in moments between performances. ...

In Pictures

The Jimmy Masters Trio with guests Laura Ann Singh and Nanny Assis at the Sandler Center

by Mark Robbins
July 30, 2026

"Hot Nights in Brazil" brought the vibrant rhythms and energy of Brazil to a warm summer evening at Virginia Beach's Sandler Center for the Arts. The Jimmy Masters Trio welcomed vocalist Laura Ann Singh and world-renowned Brazilian singer, guitarist, percussionist, and composer Nanny Assis for an electrifying performance celebrating Brazilian jazz, samba, and bossa nova. Singh, a multilingual vocalist, is known for her performances in Latin boleros, Brazilian music, and contemporary jazz. She is the co-founder of the ...

Interview

The Art of Swing: A Conversation with Champian Fulton

by Mark Robbins
July 19, 2026

There are some musicians who seem completely at home in the language of jazz, and Champian Fulton is certainly one of them. As both a pianist and vocalist, she's built a career on bringing the Great American Songbook to life with elegance, swing, and an unmistakable sense of joy. Her performances feel rooted in the tradition, but they're never nostalgic--they're fresh, spontaneous, and distinctly her own. Born in Oklahoma, Champian grew up surrounded by music. Her father, jazz ...

In Pictures

First Weekend of the 2026 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

by Mark Robbins
May 28, 2026

The Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots in New Orleans is transformed for two weekends a year into the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Once inside the gates the walk to the far end of the fair grounds to the Jazz Tent is filled the sounds of music from the Kid's Tent, zydeco, soul and funk, rock, pop, bluegrass, gospel, blues and the succulent aromas of Cochon de Lait Po-boys, Crawfish Bread, Vietnamese noodle bowls, Ya Ka Mein and ...

In Pictures

Anaïs Reno with the John Toomey Trio at the Attucks Jazz Club

by Mark Robbins
April 12, 2026

Anais Reno's song interpretation belies her 23 years. Her performance at the Attucks Jazz Club brought to mind an older, more experienced vocalist, not the young singer performing in front of a sold-out venue. Her voice has been described as “timeless," in the stylings of Carmen McRae or Ella Fitzgerald. Where many of today's young vocalists tend to perform vocal acrobatics, Reno sticks with the melody and story of the song. Borrowing from her debut album of 2021 Lovesome Thing: ...

In Pictures

The Danish Radio Big Band featuring Cecile McLorin Salvant at the Attucks Theater

by Mark Robbins
March 12, 2026

Danish Radio Big Band, originally called The Danish Radio Orchestra, just completed its first United States tour in 24 years, performing at a few art festivals and university presenters in South Carolina and Virginia. The band has been under the leadership of Japanese composer/conductor Miho Hazama since 2019. Because the group is a national broadcast orchestra funded by Danish public radio, their U.S. visits tend to be short residencies or festival appearances, not large commercial tours--so a run of only 2-3 ...

In Pictures

Corey Fonville R&B Organ Trio at The Annex in Norfolk, VA

by Mark Robbins
March 2, 2026

The first time I heard Corey Fonville was in March 2013 at the now defunct Havana Nights Jazz Club in Virginia Beach, Va. He was playing with John Toomey on piano, Jimmy Masters on bass and Joe Locke on vibes. Since then Fonville has been a member of the Nicholas Payton Trio, Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah's Quintet and his own band Butcher Brown. Add to his credits his association with Kurt Elling, guitarist Charlie Hunter and fellow Butcher Brown member DJ ...