The Latest Jazz News, Articles, Interviews

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Latest Jazz News and Headlines

All About Jazz News

PERFORMANCE/TOUR: The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra to Present "Sweet Kansas City"
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of its recording, The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Jim Mair, will present "Sweet Kansas City" in the orchestra's third concert of the season Friday evening, April 30 at 8:00PM at the Folly Theater in Kansas City. This will be a multi-media concert performance of Benny Carter's Kansas City Suite along with music by Charlie Parker, Ernie Wilkins and Nat Pierce. The Kansas City Youth Jazz program's top performing ensemble, the "Reno" Band, will open the festivities at 7:30pm...
DVD/VIDEO: Under Your Skin Interviews: Muriel Anderson, Maria Joao, Kiran Ahluwalia and Mieko Miyazaki
Muriel Anderson interview. Maria Joao interview Kiran Ahluwalia interview Mieko Miyazaki interview...
PERFORMANCE/TOUR: Hudson River Meets Jazz in World Premiere by Westchester Jazz Orchestra April Concert in Irvington to Feature Musical Journey Down the River
Irvington, NY - The 16-musician Westchester Jazz Orchestra will take a musical voyage down the Hudson River in April with the world premiere of a three-movement suite inspired by locations on the River. The concert, titled "Americana," will take place on Saturday, April 10 at 8 PM at the Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main Street in Irvington, just a few blocks east of the Hudson. Reserved seating tickets are $35, $30 for seniors, $5 for students. westjazzorch.org, Irvington Theater box office, 914-591-6602. A pre-concert talk with the composer begins at 7:15...
WEB/TECH: Barbican Launches "Jazzeast" Website jazzeast.org
The Barbican has announced the launch of a comprehensive new tool for jazz musicians, students, educators, journalists - and fans. The JazzEast website is a unique resource that offers a user-friendly and informative guide to the burgeoning jazz scene in the eastern half of the capital. The website, commissioned by Barbican Contemporary Music, gives 'one-click' information on venues, arts organisations, live events and big bands in the ten East London boroughs. Users can select which particular aspect of the scene they are interested in - such as jam sessions, or jazz pubs - and instantly see how they are distributed across East London - then 'drill down' to find contact details, website addresses and more information...
PERFORMANCE/TOUR: Jazz at Lincoln Center at the Barbican: United in Swing 2010
Featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and Special Guests The Barbican is proud to announce the details of its first International Residency Series. The partnership with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis along with a stellar group of JALC musicians offers audiences at the Barbican and in East London the opportunity to experience some of the best big band music in the world, played by a selection of America's finest jazz musicians. This major concert series is augmented by a programme of Creative Learning in London schools and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, organised by the Barbican/Guildhall School Creative Learning Division in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center. This includes workshops, masterclasses, professional development and a keynote address by Wynton Marsalis. There will also be performances in a variety of East London partner venues including a swing dance evening at Stoke Newington Town Hall, jam sessions at the Vortex in Dalston, and a special family concert at Hackney Empire...
PERFORMANCE/TOUR: Yellowjackets Featuring Mike Stern - Rose Theater - April 29 - May 1
The Yellowjackets featuring Mike Stern Debut at Jazz at Lincoln Center Edmar Castaneda Trio Opens with Special Guest Andrea Tierra April 29-May 1 - Rose Theater The Yellowjackets demonstrate the sound that has made them international headliners for more than 30 years. For the first time in ten years, drummer Will Kennedy rejoins them. Rounding out the band is Russell Ferrante, keyboards; Bob Mintzer, tenor saxophone; and, Jimmy Haslip, bass. This performance provides a rare opportunity to see them perform with Mike Stern, a former member of the Miles Davis electric band, and one of the premier guitarists and composers of his generation. Lifecycle, the Yellowjackets CD featuring Mike Stern, was nominated for two 2009 Grammy Awards...
INTERVIEW/PROFILE: Jazz Bassist Dave Holland Continues to Find New "Pathways"
By Tad Hendrickson...
INTERVIEW/PROFILE: Jazz Musician of the Day: Vinson Valega
All About Jazz is celebrating Vinson Valega's birthday today! JAZZ MUSICIAN OF THE DAY Vinson ValegaVinson Valega grew up in a musical family near Washington, D.C., studying classical piano from age seven until switching to the drums when he was 12... more Website | Photos | Articles Follow Vinson Valega...
CD/DOWNLOAD/ALBUM: Marcus Printup - Ballads All Night (Steeplechase)
What's a Young Lion to do when he starts to grow long in the tooth? Only a few years past forty, Marcus Printup still has quite a ways to go until he reaches retirement age though he's been in the game for several decades and paid a number of dues. One in particular ended up a lemons-into-lemonade a...
PERFORMANCE/TOUR: Guitarist Clay Ross Debuts at the Legendary Blue Note Jazz Club
Guitarist, vocalist, and composer, Clay Ross makes his Blue Note debut on Friday, April 30th as part of the clubs Late Night Groove Series with his band Matuto. The South Carolina native and Brooklyn resident released an album of the same name late last August on Ropeadope Records. The album is a mix of originals and covers that melds many musical traditions under one big, open umbrella. Appalachian fiddle tunes bounce with a Northeastern Brazilian lilt while the one string Berimbau resonates with a strangely effective blues riff...
PERFORMANCE/TOUR: March: In Like a Jazz Lion
Thursday, March 11Join the fun at the Hopewell Inn with the jazz jam lead by Jim Popik, of Black Diamond Jazz. Bring your horn, ax or sticks anytime after 8 p.m. Friday, March 12The John Bianculli Trio, with vocalist Jackie Jones will be at Christopher's at the Heldrich Hotel, 10 Livingston Ave., Ne...
PERFORMANCE/TOUR: Toots Thielmans Playing at Sculler's Jazz Club in Boston, March 12-13, 2010
Toots Thielmans - regarded as the world's greatest jazz harmonica player - plays at Sculler's Jazz Club in Boston on Friday and Saturday, March 12-13, 2010. He is performing with Kenny Werner and Oscar Castro-Neves. In 2009, Mr. Thielmans was named an American Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts...
MUSIC INDUSTRY: Club Blujazz-a New Jazz Club for Chicago Opens Friday March 12, 2010
In the following article from Metromix music and movies producer/writer Matt Pais of Tribune.com comes the review/overview of Chicago's newest jazz club, entitled, "What is Club Blujazz? 10 things to know about Bucktown's new music spot" (as published by Matt Pais Metromix March 5, 2010) This club hopes to turn a younger crowd on to jazz while offering a true listening venue for avid, serious jazz and blues fans. The Grand Opening weekend will feature the Mike Melvoin Trio..."Singer-guitarist Greg Pasenko has played with Bobby McFerrin, and his violinist wife Diane Delin has toured with Frank Sinatra. That's big stuff on a global level, but now the Lakeview-based jazz musician spouses have something big for us locals: a new jazz club.On Friday Pasenko and Delin, who also run Chicago-based record label Blujazz Productions, open Club Blujazz, which offers live jazz seven nights a week. The spot, located on the southeast edge of Bucktown, comes with a very straightforward goal: becoming a destination for people who want to hear live jazz. "We're not trying to be more than that," says Pasenko, 58, "other than we want to be the best place to come hear music."Here are 10 other things you should know about the new spot:1. Pasenko will perform at the club (7:30 p.m. Tuesdays) and so will Delin (7:30 p.m. Thursdays), but the spouses won't take the stage together. "We've performed together a lot in the past. We've been together 20 years. That's how we met. In any great marriage, which we have, it's sometimes better that we do our own things. We're in business so much together because we also have the record label."2. The long, vertical room, boasting hardwood floors, exposed white brick and handmade tables, offers unblocked sightlines and an inviting if basic feel. Pasenko emphasizes his desire to create an intimate, crowd-friendly environment not found at other Chicago spots. "If you go to the Green Mill it's very hard to hear or see the music at times," he says.3. Pasenko wants serious jazz fans. "We're not looking for walk-ins. We're what I call a point of destination." That's why he's covering the front window with a curtain and isn't worried about street traffic. "We're a listening club. Did you see that bus go by? We don't want that distraction."4. The stage isn't particularly wide, but it's deep. Pasenko says that means the club will feature not just jazz trios and quartets but big bands that can set up in sections front to back.5. Artists performing during the week--like the Mike Frost Project and Dan Trudell Trio--are based in Chicago but are also nationally recognized touring artists. Says Pasenko: "We don't really like the word local. I like the word regional better."6. There will be an effort to bring in younger crowds. To that end, Pasenko lists Charlie Hunter and the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey as examples of acts he'd like to book. Upcoming shows he thinks will appeal to a younger crowd are Moutin Reunion Quartet (April 30-May 1) and Joe Locke and the Force of Four (June 4-5).7. Of course, it's not just music at Club Blujazz. The spot, which doesn't have a main bar but has a back window for drinks, isn't a place for cutting-edge mixology. Instead: a handful of vodkas, whiskeys and bottled beers, plus an apple martini. Light food options include flatbread pizzas ($8), cheese plates ($7) and cakes ($6) and espressos. Pasenko's friend Carol Wallack of Sola advised him on the menu.8. During the late-night set you're welcome to head to the lone bar window, but during the first two sets Pasenko requests you order food and drinks from servers. His policy: "The customer's right, unless he's obnoxious and drunk."9. At around 11 p.m. Sundays Pasenko's brother Robert hosts a pro blues jam session. If you want to participate, you better be at pro level. For five years Robert has hosted a similar session at Bridgeport spot Catcher's Inn.10. Particular attention was paid to the women's bathroom, which includes granite countertops, stone tile floors and a full-length mirror. "My wife convinced me if the women's bathroom looks great, then people will keep coming back," says Pasenko. "If the women come back, then the men come too." "Basics:Club BlujazzParking: Free parking on Ashland; metered parking on North; valet coming soon, Pasenko expects $5-$6Cover: $10 weekdays, $20-$30 weekends. Accept Mastercard, Visa, American ExpressSeating for 100Tickets available at clubblujazz.comLocation:1540 West North Ave(Just two doors East of Ashland)Chicago, IL773-360-8046...
OBITUARY: Johnny Alf, a 'Father of Bossa Nova,' Dies at 80
Johnny Alf, an influential Brazilian songwriter, pianist and singer whose delicately swinging music was a precursor to the bossa nova, died on March 4 in Santo Andre, Brazil, just outside Sao Paulo. He was 80 and lived in Sao Paulo. The cause was prostate cancer, said his manager, Nelson Valencia...
CD/DOWNLOAD/ALBUM: 1% For the Planet Album Johnson, Browne, Potter, Alo
Artists Raise Money and Awareness with 1% for the Planet Album 1% for the Planet, a global network of 1,200 companies that donate 1% of annual sales to environmental causes, has released a digital music compilation: 1% for the Planet: The Music, Vol. 1, the world's first music compilation dedicated to supporting non-profit organizations working to create a healthy planet. The album aims to accelerate the 1% movement by engaging more people and inspiring more companies to join...
WEB/TECH: Twitter Wants to Know Where You Are
Facebook may not be quite ready to commit to location-based services (at least not until April), but Twitter is making no bones about jumping onto the super-hot trend. The site today added another question to its long-standing "What's Happening" prompt: "Where Are You?" Twitter today rolled out the feature for number of users. Logging onto the service brings up a dialog box reading "Tweet your location." Once enabled, the site will attempt discover your location using Google Gears. Then a small pin icon appears on the information line of your latest tweet. Hover over it, and a Google Map pops up with your location in the middle...
PERFORMANCE/TOUR: John Butler Trio | 02.20 | San Francisco
Words by: Justin Gillett | Images by: Eric Lawson John Butler Trio :: 02.20.10 :: Great American Music Hall :: San Francisco, CA John Butler Trio :: 02.20.10 :: San Francisco, CA Last year John Butler started a new chapter in his storied career with the induction of two new musicians into his Trio. The new lineup signaled a change for Butler, who had been playing with his longtime bandmates bassist Shannon Birchall and drummer Michael Barker since 2003. While changing the dynamics of the band must have been a decision that required a lot of thought on behalf of Butler, the move almost seems like it was necessary to keep the vitality of the Trio alive. The new guns Butler brought aboard, Byron Luiters (bass) and Nicky Bomba (drums), have given the Trio a much needed shot of energy. The different skills Luiters and Bomba bring with them has helped brighten the band's overall sound and remind people why, years ago, they fell in love with John Butler Trio in the first place...
FESTIVAL/CRUISE: Asheville Earth Day NMS, Sal Santana, Afromotive
THE 3RD ANNUAL ASHEVILLE EARTH DAY CELEBRATES THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED EARTH DAY IN A BIG WAY The New Mastersounds Greenlife Grocery and AMJam Productions have teamed up again, and the 3rd Annual Asheville Earth Day is set to take play on Saturday, April 17, 2010. The free event for the city of Asheville will once again be held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in Downtown Asheville, NC. This year's event will bring back all of the industry and activism leaders in our community in environmentally conscious practices, and will also feature an amazing international music lineup that will include The New Mastersounds, Acoustic Syndicate, The Afromotive, Salvador Santana, Shane Pruitt Band and many more...
CD/DOWNLOAD/ALBUM: Grover Washington: Inner City Blues
I consider Marvin Gaye's What's Going On to be one of the last great jazz albums. Though technically a soul recording, much of its heart remains deeply rooted in jazz's orchestral tradition and progressive consciousness. The party chatter that opens Gaye's album is akin to the banter near the start of James Moody's Disappointed. Flyin' High has Billie Holiday written all over it. Mercy, Mercy Me and Miles Ahead from Miles Davis' album of the same name are similar concept-album crescendos. Even Gaye's thematic pleas for peace and planetary respect feel more like Max Roach's We Insist! than anything by the Temptations or Four Tops. Many jazz artists at the time connected with Gaye's revolutionary form of narrative soul. Among the first to parlay the singer's works into instrumentals was saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. [pictured at top...
MUSIC INDUSTRY: Correspondence: Broadbent and Monk
Following the Ornette Coleman birthday posting three items down, Alan Broadbent sent the following: Now, this one's absolutely true, I was there and it's never made the books. Monk's quartet came to NZ on his "64 world tour and I and my friend Frank Gibson had good seats at Auckland's beloved Town Hall to see him. After the concert I was elected to drive Larry Gales in my '53 Ford Prefect to the Musician's Union where we held a little party for the band. Well, would you believe it, there was Thelonious all by himself standing in a corner, keeping to himself. Mostly, I think, because everyone must have been afraid to approach him. I remember him wearing a turban and occasionally doing a little twirl, which must have been somewhat intimidating to everyone, not the least me. Frank started nudging me. "Go on, Alan, go ask him something...

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