The Latest Jazz News, Articles, Interviews

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Latest Jazz News and Headlines

All About Jazz News

WEB/TECH: Explosions in the Sky: Take Better Fireworks Photos
Is your city puting on a massive pyrotechnics display this weekend? Or maybe just your neighbor Carl? Either way, you can learn how to capture the moment in all its noisy, exploding glory with a digital camera. Ideally, it pays to use a camera that offers some level of manual control over the settings. That way, you can dial in the best exposure, aperture and focus settings to achieve the best results...
OBITUARY: Lyudmila Zykina Soviet Union’S Best-Loved Folk Singers, Dies
Lyudmila Zykina, who rose to stardom from the factory floor to become one of the Soviet Union’s best-loved folk singers, died Wednesday in Moscow. She was 80. Her doctor, Vladimir Konstantinov, told the Itar-Tass news agency that she had died in hospital on Wednesday morning. A statement on 1tv.ru, the Web site of Channel One television in Russia, said she had had a heart attack a few days before her death...
MUSIC INDUSTRY: Cheb Mami Algerian Singer Sentenced to Jail in France
A French court on Friday sentenced the Algerian singer Cheb Mami, above, to five years in jail for abducting a former lover and trying to force her to have an abortion Cheb Mami, 42, whose real name is Mohammed Khelifati, is one of the biggest stars of rai music, an Algerian pop style, and has recorded with Sting...
MUSIC INDUSTRY: Michael Jackson Transformed Neverland Ranch Much as He Did Music
The architecture on his Santa Barbara County property reflects his androgynous, perpetually childlike model of superstardom -- and his unique if disjointed take on the celebrity compound. It was while I was bumpily making my way across a rope bridge in a quiet corner of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch on Thursday morning -- next to an elaborate treehouse crowned with a ship's wheel, and overlooking a bronze sculpture of smiling children -- that I finally figured out what the late entertainer's compound represents from an architectural point of view...
RADIO/PODCAST: Bill Bruford Yes/King Crimson/ Earthworks Drummer Interview Part Deux
Part Two of my in-depth interview with former Yes/King Crimson/Earthworks drummer Bill Bruford is now playing at We Will Rock You In this segment we discuss the mythos of sex, drugs and rock and roll vs. the working musician's view of the business; back room deal making and influence trading and how that helped launch the career of Yes; payola and how it has evolved into €œindependent record promotion€; personality clashes in bands and whether that conflict is healthy or unhealthy; differences in Yes and how they affected the band; and Robert Fripp...
FESTIVAL/CRUISE: Celebrating the Sounds of Appalachian Strings
At the Ole Time Fiddler’s and Bluegrass Festival in Union Grove, N.C., jam sessions seem to be natural phenomena. “First contest, first first-place,” said Brennen Ernst, a 15-year-old banjo player from Leesburg, Va., minutes after picking up a blue ribbon at the 85th annual Ole Time Fiddler’s and Bluegrass Festival in Union Grove, N.C. It was afternoon on the festival’s second day, and Brennen, wearing a black derby and a pink T-shirt, had been playing all but nonstop since before the festival opened...
PERFORMANCE/TOUR: "Charlie O'S is the Best Jazz Club in L.A." -Clint Eastwood
JULY JAZZ at CHARLIE O's Charlie O's is the coolest place to be for the hottest jazz this July. We celebrate our own {{John Heard = 7538}}’s birthday with a big celebration on the 3rd, a birthday party for {{Slyde Hyde}} on the 5th, a birthday celebration for {{Ron Jones}} on the 12th with his 22 piece Jazz Orchestra Influence and special guest {{Seth MacFarland}}, a birthday party for {{Plas Johnson = 8127}} on the 25th, a CD Release Party for {{Jon Mayer = 9187}} on the 21st, and some very special performances with new groups and some of your favorite performers and simply the best jazz in town...
CD/DOWNLOAD/ALBUM: In a World of Female Bassists Mimi Jones Sets the Bar with Her Debut CD “A New Day”
With the musical world buzzing about Esperanza Spalding it’s no wonder that the timing is perfect for the release of yet another extraordinary female bassist, composer and vocalist. Introducing Mimi Jones and her debut CD “A New Day” (Hot Tone Music) set for release on September 15th, 2009. Mimi Jones recently gave a sneak preview of her debut CD during the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival at the prestigious Kennedy Center along with performances featuring the world's top female jazz artists including: Anat Cohen and the Anzic Orchestra, Janis Siegel, Carmen Lundy, the Maria Schneider Orchestra and Esperanza Spalding...
PERFORMANCE/TOUR: Reminder: The Michele Richardson Band July 4, 2009
...is doing a fundraiser SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2009, 5:00 - 8:00pm .. entitled "The All American Music Show". The Michele Richardson Band will be doing jazz and blues .. following us is the River Lights Barbershop Group from our area who have won international acclaim! About 30 women with killer harmonies .. come on out and enjoy the show in the very clean and very cool (in many ways) brand new world-class auditorium...
ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM: AAJ Reaches Record High for Single Day Traffic: 102,570 Visitors
Philadelphia, PA - All About Jazz (allaboutjazz.com) reached a record high traffic day on Wednesday, July 1st reaching 102,570 visitors. As reported by AWStats   Advertise at AAJ! Start your ad campaign at AllAboutJazz.com and reach the largest collection of jazz readers in the world. You can also run a local ad campaign and target AAJ readers in your area...
INTERVIEW/PROFILE: Jazz Musician of the Day: Dr. Lonnie Smith
All About Jazz is celebrating Dr. Lonnie Smith's birthday today! JAZZ MUSICIAN OF THE DAY Dr. Lonnie SmithDr. Lonnie Smith is internationally known as one of the premier jazz keyboardists in the history of the idiom. A dominant talent and pace-setting proponent of the Hammond B3 Organ and widely recognized and gifted pianist... more...
PERFORMANCE/TOUR: Sten Hostfalt Quartet at Spike Hill NYC July 6
Acclaimed modern Jazz guitar virtuoso Sten Hostfalt appears live in concert in New York City with his quartet on Monday, July 6 2009. One set only, at 8 pm / no cover. Ole Mathisen - tenor saxophone, Tim Luntzel - bass, Dave Miller - drums, Sten Hostfalt - guitar/compositions...
CD/DOWNLOAD/ALBUM: CDs of Note...
Here's a dose of CDs of interest, as I head out for a week of travels to Freihofer's Jazz Festival in Saratoga NY and the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Yes, the sun is out today and my summer festival season is getting under way. Hope to see you here and/or there.Burgstaller Martignon 4, Mozart's Blue Dreams and Other Crossover Fantasies (Summit Records)Joe Burgstaller, a member of the Canadian Brass since 2001, teamed up with pianist Hector Martignon on this stunning crossover project that does far more than put a jazz spin on the classics. In some cases, the spin goes in the other direction.It opens with the title tune, is a five-part jazzy take on Mozart's "Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major" that is filled with energy, Burgstaller's sparkling, pinpoint trumpet work and great support from bassist Hans Glawischnig. Notes stretch here and bend there in ways the composer surely would consider hip if he revisited the planet to jam with them.They also marry Frederic Chopin's "Prelude No. 4 in E Minor" with Jobim's "Insensatez," (How Insensitive). a tune that the Brazilian bossa king based on Chopin's composition. They also revisit Duke Ellington's "Echoes of Harlem" in an arrangement that enables Burgstaller to take on a Cootie Williams vibe - complete with growls and groans from his plunger mute.The simple and succinct melodies of Chick Corea's "Three Children's Songs" give percussionist percussionist Joe Ferrari a chance to shift to vibes. The project pays tribute in a way to mid-1970s crossover king Claude Bolling with a fresh take on his five-part "Toot Suite." It winds down with versions of two tunes by Argentinean new tango master Astor Piazzolla: "Ave Maria" and "Oblivion."One For All, Return Of The Lineup (Sharp Nine)As composers, arrangers and particularly players, the members of One For All have combined their talents into a longstanding sextet that have matured as one helluva supergroup. The group, which tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander considers his musical laboratory, includes trumpeter Jim Rotondi, trombonist Steve Davis, pianist David Hazeltine, bassist John Webber and drummer Joe Farnsworth...
FESTIVAL/CRUISE: Montreal's Amazing Block Party
One of these years, I am truly tempted to go to the Montreal International Jazz Festival strictly for its free, outdoor concerts. The great variety of talent for the paid, indoor concerts in 10 or more venues each night makes it difficult.But the outdoor stages transform downtown Montreal's Place des Arts (soon to be surrounded by an expanded Place des Festivals) into an immense block party that opens in leisurely fashion at midday for early risers. By evening, the area is hopping with free music on nearly a dozen stages. There's one for the blues, one for world music, one primarily showcasing bop-oriented smaller groups from Canada, and several that mix the talent.All told, there are more than 350 free outdoor concerts over the festival's 12-day run. Sometimes they afford the opportunity to hear Canadian, European and Cuban groups of great quality who rarely play in the United States...
AWARD: Additional Shows in L'astral Susie Arioli Receives the Oscar Peterson Award
The Susie Arioli concert, presented Saturday, July 4 at 6 p.m. as part of the En voix Rio Tinto Alcan series, will be the breakthrough concert for the popular jazz singer-with Thtre Maisonneuve in Place des Arts already sold out, and the Festival International de Jazz de Montral presenting her with the 2009 Oscar Peterson Award 2009. The prestigious award will be presented to her by Laurent Saulnier, vice president of Festival programming, during a press briefing schedued for today, July 2, at 1 p.m. in the pressroom (Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan, 305 Ste. Catherine St. W.). The trophy will also be presented to the artist onstage at the end of her concert...
MUSIC INDUSTRY: Aeg Jackson Concert Promoter May Still Make Money
L.A.-based AEG invested between $25 million and $30 million in the pop star's comeback. But insurance, a commemorative ticket and rehearsal footage may instead prove profitable. Michael Jackson's death stunned the Los Angeles-based concert promoter shepherding his most recent comeback, but what first seemed a devastating financial blow could turn into an unexpected boon...
MUSIC INDUSTRY: Crosby, Stills and Nash Mark 40 Years of Music
David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash are certainly aware theyve been working together for a long time, but when Rolling Stone spelled out a number 40 years the figure still stunned the trio. It certainly seems to have gone very quickly, Nash told RS during a recent trip to our offices. In my memory its like yesterday, he said. We love each other, Stills added. Which is clearly whats helped keep Crosby, Stills and Nash on the road and in the studio together for so long despite some major hiccups along the way...
OBITUARY: 5 Questions About Michael Jacksons Funeral
He lived in the spotlight from the age of 10, and he died in it as well, with the nation glued to their TV sets. Now Michael Jackson's fans are waiting to publicly mourn him. His funeral, to be held Tuesday at Los Angeles's Staples Center, according to news reports, could be huge. It's possible that it will eclipse Elvis's (75,000 fans congregated in Memphis, Tenn.) and rival Princess Diana's (250,000 people in Hyde Park), according to the Daily Telegraph. But what exactly can we expect? A prominent friend of the Jackson family who asked to remain anonymous offers some insights...
PERFORMANCE/TOUR: "Birdland, the Jazz Corner of the World" - - Charlie Parker
BIRDLAND JULY SCHEDULE LEW TABACKIN and TOSHIKO AKIYOSHI QUARTET Wednesday-Saturday, July 1-4 @ 8:30 and 11pm Music Charges: $30, general seating; $40, premium seating Lew Tabackin is one of the few jazz musicians who maintains a dual musical personality. As a tenor saxophonist, he is a hard-driving, tough-toned player reminiscent of Sonny Rollins or Don Byas. But as a flutist, he can also sound like a highly expressive master of Asian classical music. Lew moved to New York in the mid 1960s, where he was involved with the big bands of Cab Calloway, Maynard Ferguson, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis among others. His distinctive sound has also graced various studio bands such as Dick Cavett's television orchestra. Tabackin met and married jazz pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi in 1968 and co-founded the award winning Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, which had a New York residence at Birdland from 1996 until it disbanded in 2002...
DVD/VIDEO: Video Released of Michael Jackson's Final Rehearsals
Michael Jackson's final rehearsals at Staples Center were filmed, and footage was released today via CNN. Photos from the rehearsals trickled out last week. Prior to his death last Thursday, Jackson was in Los Angeles prepping for his upcoming "This Is It" tour at the O2 Arena in London. The Times last week reported on the rehearsals. In his article, Chris Lee noted that director Kenny Ortega, a journeyman choreographer and movie director whose career highlights include High School Musical, the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour and Dirty Dancing, began working with Jackson on the intricate staging four months ago...

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