New music from Holland is always good news. But today's revelations are great news. Not only is the veteran bassist and composer announcing a new album, Pathways, with a new band, the Dave Holland Octet — he's also launching a new Web site built with the direct-to-fan platform Topspin.

Saxophonist John Ellis is not a football fan. But he does love New Orleans — he lived there for five years, and still works with musicians from the city. And last night, when he finally grasped that the New Orleans Saints had won the Super Bowl, he cried.

The gospel singer was born about 100 years ago in New Orleans, and when she was 16, she traveled the well-worn path up the Mississippi to Chicago. Beginning in the 1940s, she was one of the first singers to take gospel out of the church, drawing white audiences and selling millions of records. In the process, she inspired generations of singers.

After the show — the star-studded, 40th anniversary celebration of the venue she and her late husband had founded — had ended, Dame Cleo Laine broke the news of the death of British jazz icon Johnny Dankworth.

Out 'n' In, the latest album from Empirical, is a tribute to the late musician Eric Dolphy. The record contains six original pieces that adopt Dolphy's style and adaptations of two songs from his album Out to Lunch!