Doc Cheatham Eminence

Overshadowed throughout his life by his older brother, Edmond Hall, Herb Hall had a softer and smoother tone on the clarinet and was talented in his own right. The son of a clarinetist (Edward Hall) and one of five musical brothers, Herb started out playing banjo with the Niles Jazz Band during 1923-25 before switching to clarinet and alto. He played with Kid Augustin Victor's band in Baton Rouge in 1926 and in 1927 moved to New Orleans. After performing with Sidney Desvigne, Hall had a longterm association with Don Albert (1929-37 and 1938-40) including a relocation to San Antonio that lasted until 1945. Hall freelanced in Philadelphia (with Herman Autrey) and New York, was with Doc Cheatham in 1955 and toured Europe with Sammy Price (1955-56)…

GRAMMY-nominated trumpeter, composer, and producer Theo Croker has announced the Deluxe Edition of his visionary album Dream Manifest, arriving October 24th via Dom Recs. Expanding on the bold genre-fluid foundation of the original, the Dream Manifest (Deluxe) introduces an electrifying new chapter with fresh material and boundary-pushing collaborations featuring IDK, Dear Silas & Blue Lab Beats, and Natureboy Flako. Released this past June, Dream Manifest earned widespread acclaim from LA Times, NPR, DownBeat, TIDAL, Wall Street Journal, and more, with critics praising Croker’s fearless innovation, compositional depth, and spiritual focus. The album includes standout collaborations with Estelle, Kassa Overall, MAAD, Gary Bartz, Malaya, and others—highlighting Croker’s role as a bridge-builder and sonic architect of modern jazz’s evolution.