Results for "Gary Bartz"

Gary Bartz

Born: September 26, 1940

Gary Bartz has been known to many as a trail blazer in the music business from the moment he started playing with Art Blakey at his father’s jazz club in his hometown of Baltimore, MD to his own music throughout the 57 years as a professional musician. As if his Grammy Award© with McCoy Tyner in 2005 (‘Illuminations’) wasn’t enough to carve out a place for Bartz in the jazz genre, he has broken the mold with more than 40 solo albums and over 200 as a guest artist.

Gary Bartz first came to New York In 1958 to attend the Julliard Conservatory of Music. Just 17 years old, Gary couldn't wait to come to the city to play and learn. "It was a very good time for the music in New York, at the end of what had been the be-bop era," says Bartz. "Charlie Parker had passed away three years previously but Miles' group was in its heyday, Monk was down at the Five Spot, and Ornette Coleman was just coming to town. Things were fresh." Back then, Gary could regularly be found drinking Cokes in the all ages "peanut gallery" of Birdland, enjoying a marathon bill of performers. "If I didn't have money to get in. I'd help somebody carry a drum and sneak in," laughs Bartz. "I learned that early on."

Where Rivers Meet

By Gary Bartz

Label: Brownswood Recordings
Released: 2026
Track listing: Cauldron; Ground Loop; Eclipse; Solar Flare; Locris; Petrichor; Mantra.

Right Now... And Then

By Charles Tolliver

Label: Strata-East Records
Released: 2026
Track listing: Earl's World; Peace with Myself; Right Now; Lil's Paradise; Paper Man; Household of Saud; Repetition (Take 2).

Mike DiRubbo: Way Out Northwest

by Jack Bowers
August 12, 2026

Alto saxophonist and composer Mike DiRubbo, an acclaimed artist on the New York City jazz scene for more than three decades, traveled all the way to Vancouver, British Columbia, in October 2025 to record Way Out Northwest with a hand-picked all-Canadian rhythm section: pianist Tilden Webb, bassist Jodi Proznick and drummer Jesse Cahill. The ...

Frank Swart: This Is The One! (Raison D'êTre)

by Kyle Simpler
July 27, 2026

There is a common misconception that musical artists who release albums usually tour to promote them. While this may be true for the most part, there are exceptions. San Francisco-based bassist and composer Frank Swart is quick to point out that artists such as The Beatles were more focused on spending time in the studio creating albums than ...

Love Supreme Festival 2026: A Personal Perspective

by Andy Crowther
July 14, 2026

The South Downs in East Sussex is a beautiful part of the UK. Glynde Place, the location for the Love Supreme Jazz Festival, is in the sweet spot between the bustling seaside city of Brighton and Hove, and the dramatic ridges of the Downs. Rolling countryside, flint-stone buildings, and Glyndebourne House--famous around the world for its ...

Tyshawn Sorey: Members... Don't!

by Troy Dostert
June 24, 2026

One of the most welcome developments in twenty-first century jazz has been drummer Tyshawn Sorey's enthusiastic turn toward the jazz canon. While he had already established himself convincingly as one of the premier figures in creative music on immersive, challenging works such as The Inner Spectrum of Variables (Pi Recordings, 2016) and Verisimilitude (Pi Recordings, 2017), ...

Tyshawn Sorey, Ola Tunji, Fred Pasqua, Your Brother's Keeper, Gary Bartz

by Ludovico Granvassu
June 20, 2026

From intimate reflection to expansive improvisation, here is a string of new albums connecting Jobim to Bartz, Olatunjii to Roach, Paris to London, through artists who balance compositional craft, exploratory spirit, and a commitment to jazz as a living art form. Happy listening! Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted ...

New Music From Miho Hazama, Arturo Sandoval, Elsa Nilsson And More

by Bob Osborne
June 11, 2026

This playlist explores the intersection of narrative composition and global rhythmic traditions, anchored by the rich textures of modern jazz. The journey begins with the structured, cinematic layers of Miho Hazama and Jacques Kuba Séguin's olfactory-inspired trilogy, before shifting into the vibrant Afro-Cuban and Mambo energies of Arturo Sandoval and Tumbao Bravo. Throughout the selection, the ...

Three Icons Celebrate Miles Davis Centennial at Smoke Jazz Club

by Andrew Schinder
June 10, 2026

Eddie Henderson, Gary Bartz, and Billy Hart Smoke Jazz and Supper Club Miles Davis 100th Celebration New York, NY May 29, 2026 In late May 2026, the music community was in the throes of Miles Davis centennial mania. Music labels released fancy, often expensive re-packages of Davis' music. Davis' autobiography was given a ...