RONALD BIGGS and the Jazz

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by llulla
Things exist that really surprise in the great world of the Jazz. Who would say that one day I would come to be presented Ronald Biggs, one of the famous personages of the great robbery of the paying train in London, and with it to long talk on a really palpitante subject - the JAZZ. They had been three pleasant and interesting meeting where the Jazz was the main subject until reason, I never wanted to know where I was the money, product of the great robbery. The first time it was in the room of Arlindo Coutinho, in the times of Sony Music, where after the expedient it had a served Scottish tea in coffee cup, as in the times of “speaky easy” during the dry law in the United States.
Biggs dealt with the contract of its Mike son, one of integrant of the group “the Group of the magical balloon” that made great success in the record sale. As the meeting was during a lunch in the Lamas with Coutinho. I observed that the people looked at for our table, some surprises, perhaps wanting to know which the subject of that one livened up colloquy. It was when it mainly knew that Biggs was listener assíduo of “the Subject is Jazz”, of the block “the Alley of the Big-Bands”, presented for its compatriot Maxwell Johnstone. It liked and it knew sufficiently on the great American and English orchestras, of which it detached of Ted Heath. The third meeting was during two days in the “House of the Whisker”, in an intitled promotion “the Club of the Colloquy”.
I Coutinho and Biggs was interviewed by some journalists who had photographed in them and promised in giving copies to them of the photos. As it was of if to wait the photos they had been never published much less seen for us. The reinante subject was the Jazz and after some doses of the Scottish tea I was for the piano stimulated for Coutinho. Clearly that the enthusiasm of the gifts helped in the scaffolding and gave to roll for almost half hour. Coming back toward the table, I was surprised by Biggs that gave to its book “RONALD to me BIGGS - Odd man out” and made question to autograph it and to dedicate to the couple Luiz Carlos Antunes. The year of 1994 ran and must one more time say that it was very interesting these meeting, showing the force of the Jazz. I decided to include this story in my histories when knowing that Biggs, prisoner in London and with its counted days possibly deserved this reference.
http://www.charutojazz.blogspot.com/

Tefsa Quintet plus 2 at the AQ

At the Artists' Quarter in Saint Paul n Wednesdays early set at 7 p.m. features "The Tesfa Quintet" with Dejen Tesfagiorgis on Saxophones, Adam Meckler on Trumpet, Jesse Mueller on Piano, Adam Tucker on Bass, and Jaky Nyberg on Drums and special guests.

Commentary of Luiz Orlando Carneiro - jan, 25

The creation of `cool jazz' In day 21 of January of 1949, the young Miles Davis - to the one front noneto (with tube and tuba) where if detached Lee Konitz (sax high), Gerry Mulligan (sax baritone voice), Kai Winding (trombone) and Max Roach (battery) - recorded Moves (Denzil Best), Budo (Bud Powell), Jeru (Gerry Mulligan) and Godchild (George Wallington). The arrangements - of sophisticated harmonic, full texture of half tones and soft dissonances, on the basis of one swing fluent, but without the ecstasies of bebop gillespiano - were, respectively, of John Lewis, Miles and Mulligan (the two last ones).
These bands had been launched in records of 78 then RPM, limited little more than the three minutes of duration. This historical session would be celebrates as The birth of the cool (the birth of cool jazz), in 1957, when the Capitol edited the intitled LP thus, adding the registers of noneto of two posterior sessions (with J.J. Johnson in the place of Winding): Venus de Milo and Rocker (Mulligan); Boplicity and Moon dreams (Gil Evans); Deception (Davis); Rouge (Lewis); Israel (John Carisi).
The date not only deserves to be remembered by being had as " certificate of born" in the way cool to touch jazz. It is clearly that the style was not invented, suddenly, for the young Miles Davis, when forming the Tuba nonet, that it was presented for the first time in New York, in the Royal Roost, 1948. The trompetist age, until then, a unsafe and envious accessory of Charlie Parker - what it leaves well clearly in its Autobiografia (1989).
It is also well-known fact that, for 1946 return, the band of Claude Thornhill - that she counted on tuba (John Barber) and tube (Júnior Collins), beyond metals and vanes of custom - produced one swing dançante, purl side to the vibrato. The main arranjador of the orchestra - of which they were Konitz part, Mulligan, Barber and Collins - was Gil Evans (1912-1989). As it wrote down Anger Gitler, in Swing you bop (1985), " it was of the orchestra of Thornhill that emerged the celebrity noneto of Miles Davis" , that it was congregated and it assayed in the apartment of Evans.
The known sessions as "The Birth of the Cool" must be discovered by the review neophytes and for whom they know already them, mainly, for the following reasons: the intrinsic and perennial beauty of the music conceived for the arrangers, halting for short ground nicely integrated in the context (especially of Konitz and Mulligan, both then with 21 years); the beginning of the release of Davis of the shade of the double invincible Parker-Gillespie and, consequently, of the search of that phrasing sound and that had illuminated the planet jazz in the two following decades; the origins of aesthetic cool developed, then later, for quartet Mulligan-Chet Baker and the branch West Coast in a general way, for the Modern Quartet Jazz de John Lewis and for Lee Konitz - active, still creative, "ageless" , a history to the part in the history of the jazz.
The COMPACT DISC I contend the sessions of the Capitol (January and April of 1949; March of 1950) was reedited by the Blue Note, in 2001, remasterizado for Rudy Van Gelder. Recently (2005), the saxofonista Joe Lovano recorded for the same label (connected to its complex Streams workmanship of expression) the birth of the Cool Suite, written for Gunther Schuller, on the basis of the original arrangements of Moon Dreams, Move and Boplicity. The venerable composer, today with 83 years, was the trompista of noneto of Miles Davis in the session of March of 1950. It and Konitz are the only survivors of those inesquecíveis years.
http://www.charutojazz.blogspot.com/

Harry Connick Jr. - Connick Jr's Home Invasion

Jazz singer HARRY CONNICK JR. broke into his childhood New Orleans home after it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, so he could show his kids where he grew up. The clean-cut New Orleans native has remained actively involved in efforts to rebuild the city that was damaged in 2005 by Katrina, which killed an estimated 1,836 people and left thousands more homeless.
The singer has urged celebrities to visit the area in an effort to rebuild its struggling economy.
And Connick Jr. admits he didn't wait for the family who lived in his childhood home to return before leading his own brood through its remains after it had been ravaged by the storm.
He says, "We were pretty lucky. I took them to the house that I grew up in, Lakeview, a few blocks from where the levee broke.
"The house was open. We went inside the house and we had no right to do that. It was amazing walking through the house where I grew up and nothing was there."
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/connick%20jrs%20home%20invasion

TraNSmUtaTiONs - Bill Laswell, Derek Bailey, Jack DeJohnette

Derek Bailey....

Born: January 29, 1932
Bailey was born in Sheffield, England. A third generation musician, he began playing the guitar at the age of ten, going on to study with John Duarte among others. As an adult he found work as a guitarist and session musician in clubs, radio, dance hall bands, and so on, playing with many performers including Gracie Fields, Bob Monkhouse and Kathy Kirby, and on television programs such as 'Opportunity Knocks'. Bailey was also part of a Sheffield based trio founded in 1963 with Tony Oxley and Gavin Bryars called 'Joseph Holbrooke' (named after the composer, whose work they never actually played). Although originally performing relatively 'conventional' jazz this group became increasingly free in direction.

Bailey moved to London in 1966, frequenting the Little Theatre Club run by drummer John Stevens. Here he met many other like-minded musicians, such as saxophonist Evan Parker, trumpet player Kenny Wheeler and double bass player Dave Holland. These players often collaborated under the umbrella name of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, recording the seminal album Karyobin for Island Records in 1968. In this year Bailey also formed the Music Improvisation Company with Parker, percussionist Jamie Muir and Hugh Davies on homemade electronics, a project that continued until 1971. He was also a member of the Jazz Composers Orchestra and Iskra 1903, a trio with double bass player Barry Guy and trombone player Paul Rutherford that was named after a newspaper published by the Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin.
In 1970, Bailey founded the record label Incus with Tony Oxley, Evan Parker and Michael Walters. It proved influential as the first musician-owned independent label in the UK. Oxley and Walters left early on; Parker and Bailey continued as co-directors until the mid-1980s, when friction between the men led to Parker's departure. Bailey continued the label with his partner Karen Brookman until his death in 2005.

Along with a number of other musicians, Bailey was a co-founder of Musics magazine in 1975. This was described as “an impromental experivisation arts magazine”[citation needed] and circulated through a network of like-minded record shops, arguably becoming one of the most significant jazz publications of the second half of the 1970s, and instrumental in the foundation of the London Musicians Collective.

1976 saw Bailey form Company, an ever changing collection of like-minded improvisors, which at various times has included Anthony Braxton, Tristan Honsinger, Misha Mengelberg, Lol Coxhill, Fred Frith, Steve Beresford, Steve Lacy, Johnny Dyani, Leo Smith, Han Bennink, Eugene Chadbourne, Henry Kaiser, John Zorn, Buckethead and many others. Company Week, an annual week long free improvisational festival organised by Bailey, ran until 1994.
In 1980, he wrote the book Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice. This was adapted by UK's Channel Four into a four part TV series in the early nineties, edited and narrated by Bailey.
Bailey died in London on Christmas Day, 2005. He had been suffering from motor neurone disease.


For listeners unfamiliar with experimental musics, Bailey's distinctive style can be initially quite difficult. Its most noticeable feature is what appears to be its extreme discontinuity, often from note to note: there may be enormous intervals between consecutive notes, and rather than aspiring to the consistency of timbre typical of most guitar-playing, Bailey interrupts it as much as possible: four consecutive notes, for instance, may be played on an open string, a fretted string, via harmonics, and using a nonstandard technique such as scraping the string with the pick or plucking below the bridge. Many of the key features of his music -- radical discontinuity, the self-contained brevity of each gesture, an attraction to wide intervals -- owe much to Bailey's early fascination with Anton Webern, an influence most audible on Bailey's earliest available recordings, Pieces for Guitar (1966-67, issued on Tzadik).

Playing both acoustic and electric guitars (although more usually the former), Bailey was able to extend the possibilities of the instrument in radical ways, obtaining a far wider array of sounds than are usually heard. He explored the full vocabulary of the instrument, producing timbres and tones ranging from the most delicate tinklings to fierce noise attacks. (The sounds he produced have been compared to those made by John Cage's prepared piano.) Typically he played a conventional instrument, in standard tuning, but his use of amplification was often crucial. In the 1970s, for instance, his standard set-up involved two independently controlled amplifiers to give a stereo effect onstage, and he often would use the swell pedal to counteract the “normal” attack and decay of notes. He also made highly original use of feedback, a technique demonstrated on the album String Theory (Paratactile, 2000).

Although Bailey occasionally made use of 'prepared' guitar in the 1970s (e.g., putting paper clips on the strings, wrapping his instruments in chains, adding further strings to the guitar, etc), often for Dadaist/theatrical effect, by the end of this decade he had, in his own words, 'dumped' such methods.
Bailey argued that his approach to music making was actually far more orthodox than performers such as Keith Rowe of the improvising collective AMM, who treats the guitar purely as a 'sound source' rather than as a musical instrument. Instead Bailey preferred to “look for whatever 'effects' I might need through technique.”

Eschewing labels such as “jazz” (even “free jazz”), Bailey describes his music as 'non-idiomatic', a label which has been much-debated. In the 2nd edition of his book, Improvisation..., Bailey indicated that he felt that free improvisation was no longer “non-idiomatic” in his sense of the word, as it had become a recognizable genre and musical style itself. In his efforts to avoid predictability he always sought out collaborators from many different fields: players as diverse as Pat Metheny, John Zorn, Lee Konitz, David Sylvian, Cyro Baptista, Cecil Taylor, Keiji Haino, tap dancer Will Gaines, 'Drum 'n' Bass' DJ Ninj, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and the Japanese 'noise rock' group Ruins. In fact despite often performing and recording in a solo context, he was far more interested in the dynamics and challenges of working with other musicians, especially those who did not necessarily share his own approach; “There has to be some degree, not just of unfamiliarity, but incompatibility [with a partner]. Otherwise, what are you improvising for? What are you improvising with or around? You've got to find somewhere where you can work. If there are no difficulties, it seems to me that there's pretty much no point in playing. I find that the things that excite me are trying to make something work. And when it does work, it's the most fantastic thing. Maybe the most obvious analogy would be the grit that produces the pearl in an oyster, or some shit like that.”
Bailey was also known for his dry sense of humour. In 1977 Musics magazine sent the question “What happens to time-awareness during improvisation?” to about thirty musicians associated with the free improvisation scene. The answers received varied from lengthy and highly theoretical essays to more direct comments. Typically pithy was Bailey's reply; “The ticks turn into tocks and the tocks turn into ticks”.

Carpal Tunnel, the last record to be released during his lifetime, documented his personal struggles to come to terms with the development of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in his right hand, which had rendered him unable to grip a plectrum (and in fact marked the onset of his motor neurone disease). Characteristically, he refused invasive surgery to treat his condition, instead being more “interested in finding ways to work around” this limitation. He chose to “relearn” guitar playing techniques by utilising his right thumb and index fingers to pluck the strings.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=3572

Eliane Elias - The Girl From Ipanema

Eliane Elias - "Bossa Nova Stories"

Bossa nova turns 50 this year, with the official birth date hearkening back to Brazil in 1958 when guitarist João Gilberto recorded Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes’s seminal “Chega de Saudade.” Brazil-born, New York-based vocalist/pianist Eliane Elias lovingly pays tribute to the music of her homeland with Bossa Nova Stories, a sublime 14-tune collection that captures the cool and alluring spirit of bossa nova. It’s the 21st recording of her career and the follow-up to the acclaimed Something for You: Eliane Elias Sings and Plays Bill Evans that was released earlier this year on Blue Note Records.

Eliane’s singing, integrated with her piano, makes her a unique interpreter of melody and song. On Bossa Nova Stories, her vocal delivery is a marvel of rhythmic freedom, swinging beautifully and wonderfully integrated with the syncopations of her piano, or in counterpoint to the rhythm of the guitar. This is a true musician singing. Her voice, vocal phrasing, feel and interpretation place her at the top of this genre.

For this recording, she leads a top-notch band, all of whom are steeped in the bossa nova tradition, including guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves, drummer Paulo Braga and bassist Marc Johnson. Guests include harmonica legend Toots Thielemans, Brazilian post-bossa singer/songwriter Ivan Lins and up and coming guitarist Ricardo Vogt. Produced by Elias and Steve Rodby, the album also features seven tracks with full orchestration beautifully arranged and conducted by Rob Mathes, and recorded at Abbey Road Studios, in London.
http://otmg.net/pages/eliane-elias

Veteran Drummer Bill Bruford Retires from Public Performance....

After 41 years spent first in the art rock arena with everyone from Yes and King Crimson to Genesis, in addition to his own inestimable forays into fusion with his critically and popularly praised '70s group Bruford, then turning to things more jazzy from the '80 onwards with various incarnations of his much-heralded Earthworks group and his equally acclaimed improvising duet with pianist Michiel Borstlap, veteran drummer Bill Bruford has announced he's hanging up his sticks and and retiring from public performance, effective January 1, 2009.

As Bruford told AAJ's Managing Editor John Kelman, “41 years of me is quite enough for anybody, and especially me!" though he thankfully clarified that he's not retiring from recording. “I will, of course, continue to run Summerfold and Winterfold Records [Bruford's two record labels], plus I have a new album coming out in the summer with British composer Colin Riley."
Two compilations CDs - one each from his Winterfold (a single-disc) and Summerfold (a double-disc) catalogues - are now available in Europe. For North Americans, they are available now at the US online shop at billbruford.com and in stores February 24, 2009.

Bruford also has a book coming out in March, Bill Bruford: The Autobiography, already available for pre-sale at many online outlets. Bruford explains, “I don't feel I need further justifications or explanations with respect to my retirement from the road, but for those of an inquisitive nature, the book will explain my decision in greater depth."
Bruford also told AAJ, “I will also still write and talk on The Pleasures and Perils of Playing Percussion in Public (!). My US agent, Laurel Wicks at Ted Kurland Associates, is already soliciting book-reading/guest speaker engagements at North American colleges for after the book release as we speak."

And so, while Bruford's retirement from the live scene is a sad occasion for his legion of fans, the still healthy drummer will continue to remain an active force for many years to come.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=28957

Lenny Bruce Loved Jazz

In 1959, Lenny Bruce produced his own television pilot, The World of Lenny Bruce, featuring Buddy Rich and Harry Sweets Edison, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, and a quartet that includes his friend Philly Joe Jones, Cannonball Adderley and Bill Evans. The program was shown once, on local New York television, and then put in an archive.

The show is now available on DVD from jazzlegends.com and although it's technically challenged, taken from an old kinescope, the content is historic and presents a unique portrait of Lenny as talk show host and Jazz enthusiast.
Lenny was one of the catalysts in my own introduction to Jazz, sharing his enthusiasm for its creators in his routines. Growing up as a baby boomer in the late 50s and early 60s, Lenny was an entry point into an art form and culture that would soon become my life.
"Jazz Video Guy"

Wynton & Wycliffe: A Conversation

Wycliffe Gordon - warmup with plunger mute

Happy Birthday, Django Reinhardt, Jazz Guitar Pioneer

January 23, 2009
by Christopher Coats
Born into a vagabond life on the outskirts of Paris in 1910, Django Reinhardt took on the fledgling world of jazz and reimagined it through his gypsy roots, bringing the guitar to the fore and changing the perception of the instrument forever.

Early Days
Given his first instrument, a banjo, at the age of 12, Reinhardt began performing immediately, teaming with an accordion player named Guerino and his brother Joseph to play small bars, clubs and dance halls across Paris throughout his teens.

However, it was not until disaster struck at the age of 18 that he became the Django Reinhardt that history remembers today. Returning home to the carriage he lived in with his wife, Reinhardt mistakenly touched his candle to a collection of cellophane flowers his wife had made to sell, igniting their home in seconds.
Both escaped the fire, but not before the young musician’s left hand and side were burned severely. Refusing orders of amputation from doctors, Reinhardt instead set out to make the most of what movement he still had.

Left with the tendons of his fourth and fifth digits curled toward his hand by the fire, Reinhardt developed a new way of playing that would only require two fingers.
Making his return to performing just months after the fire, Reinhardt blew audiences away with quick-fingered solos that sounded like a Spanish flamenco treatment of modern jazz.
Further, Reinhardt moved the guitar out of the shadows of performing and into the spotlight for the first time. Whereas before, the guitar was usually reserved for providing a rhythm section and little more, Reinhardt co-opted parts usually reserved for violins and saxophones.

Although he still used his ring and pinky fingers, their inability to extend kept them still, reserved for lower strings and unable to be used in solos.
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/features/profiles/r/django-reinhardt.html

John Clayton in SuperBass - Blue Monk

John Clayton....

The sheer wizardry of his arco bass playing....
The patience he exhibits with his students...
The provocative notes he chooses when he
composes...
The empathy he shows when he produces....
The scintillating sounds he coaxes from
musicians when he conducts...
pale in comparison to his charisma when you just hear him swing! And swing he does. Seven-time
Grammy nominated bassist/composer/conductor John Clayton's talents are consistently requested by the
movers and shakers in the jazz industry, such as Quincy Jones and Tommy Lipuma. Clayton says, “When
composing or arranging for the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, I am a disciple of Duke Ellington, Thad
Jones, Oliver Nelson, Quincy Jones and Gil Evans, to name just a few.” Regarding his bowing techniques,
he cites the radically different techniques of Slam Stewart, Major Holley and Paul Chambers as influences.
There is no doubt, however, that John has created a niche for himself wherein he stands alone.
As a testament to his immense talent and broad ranging appeal, John Clayton served as the Artistic Director
of Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1999 through 2001. In addition, he is Artistic Director for
the Centrum Jazz Workshop in Port Townsend, Washington and was also appointed Artistic Director for
the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival in 2006.􀀁
John has written and arranged music for Diana Krall, DeeDee Bridgewater (including her Grammy award
winning CD "Dear Ella"), Natalie Cole, Milt Jackson, Nancy Wilson, Quincy Jones, George Benson, Dr.
John, Gladys Knight, Regina Carter, Queen Latifah and many others. He has been commissioned by many
ensembles, including the Northwest Chamber Orchestra, the American Jazz Philharmonic, The Iceland
Symphony, The Metropole Orchestra, The Carnegie Hall Big Band, The Richmond Symphony, the WDR
Orchestra, and the Amsterdam Philharmonic. On the other hand, John was awarded a platinum record for
his stirring arrangement of "The Star-Spangled Banner" performed by Whitney Houston during the Super
Bowl in 1990. He has won numerous awards such as the Golden Feather Award given to him by the
legendary Leonard Feather and the Los Angeles Jazz Society's Composer/Arranger award.
John has served as the musical director of several jazz festivals including the Sarasota Jazz Festival and the
Santa Fe Jazz Party. As Artistic Director of the Vail Jazz Workshop, he participates in choosing talented
students from across the nation in an intensive week of learning jazz. Last year, he was also appointed as
Artistic Director for the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival.􀀁
Clayton's serious study of the double bass began at age 16 when he studied with famed bassist, Ray Brown.
At age 19, John was the bassist for Henry Mancini's television series "The Mancini Generation". Later he
completed his studies at Indiana University in 1975, graduating with a Bachelor of Music in Double Bass.
Touring with Monty Alexander and the Count Basie Orchestra followed. He held the principal bass
position in the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra for more than five years.
The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra is co-led by John, his brother, saxophonist, Jeff Clayton, and
drummer, Jeff Hamilton. Also, John co-leads with Jeff, the Clayton Brothers Quintet.
In an effort to sum up John Clayton's unique expertise, "the man just does it all". He is equally comfortable
in jazz and classical music, and hits the mark, whether it is as composer, arranger, conductor, teacher, in
addition to his magnificence when he plays his bass.
http://www.johnclaytonjazz.com/

Stephanie Nakasian & the Hod OBrien trio

Numero Group Label/Vinyl....

In addition to their critically acclaimed Eccentric Soul, Cult Cargo and Wayfaring Strangers series, the Numero Group is set to launch Local Customs - a series of releases highlighting the lost sounds of mid-America from the 60s and 70s. Under the Numero Group, the Numerophon vinyl-only imprint joins the family (in good company with sister imprint, Asterisk) with its debut release this spring.

LOCAL CUSTOMS SERIES
If Harry Smith's Anthology Of American Folk Music is the outcome of years spent sifting through 78s and acetates, Numero's new Local Customs series focuses on the woodsheds, basements, and living rooms where these records were made. Entrepreneurs in nowhere towns like Ecorse, MI, Rockford, IL, and Beaumont, TX, documented the recordings of their fellow citizens, and issued their songs on tiny labels and in even tinier pressings; until now thanks to the people at Numero.

Local Customs' first release, Downriver Revival, chronicles the life of producer/music historian Felton Williams. Set up in an Ecorse, MI basement, between 1967 and 1981 Williams captured the musical output of Ecorse's citizens and issued them on the Solid Rock, Compose, and Revival labels. Here are 24 of Williams' most fascinating recordings, covering gospel, group soul, garage-punk, northern, jazz, and funk. The package also includes a DVD of over 200 sound recordings from Williams' archives and a 30-minute featurette on the making of Downriver Revival.

NUMEROPHON VINYL ONLY IMPRINT
And for Vinyl fiends, Numerophon is an LP-only imprint focused on the rediscovery of primitive American and ethnic recordings. Impeccably designed, housed in thick jackets, and pressed on durable 150 gram vinyl, you'll know a Numerophon album when you see it, the same way you knew Folkways after that first thrift store find.

Culled from a warped acetate cut at Variety Recording Service in 1962, Numerophon's vinyl only, Songs Of Leaving is the complete songbook of New York folkie Niela Miller. A Bleeker & MacDougal scenester, Miller picked up the guitar after an encounter with Eric Weissberg, lent her Martin to Pete Seeger, and even had Dave Van Ronk cover "Mean World Blues." Her real claim to fame, however, is writing "Baby Don't Go To Town," a song that boyfriend Billy Roberts would steal and "re-write" as "Hey Joe." You've heard Hendrix, Love, the Byrds, the Creation, Wilson Pickett and hundreds others do it, now hear the original for the first time.
http://www.jambase.com/Articles/Story.aspx?StoryID=16421

Susan Tedeschi: Back To The Blues

With three Grammy nominations and tours with the likes of The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, it's little wonder that Susan Tedeschi has built herself a reputation as one of the country's best contemporary blues musicians. Tedeschi's voice conjures images of Bonnie Raitt and Janis Joplin, while her guitar is reminiscent of Buddy Guy's. It combines for a gutsy, soulful take on the blues.
After several exploratory releases since her breakthrough, Tedeschi returns to her signature sound with Back to the River. It's soulful and retrospective, but in a satisfied, hopeful, even fiery way. In a session with host David Dye, Tedeschi performs material from her new album.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99775350&ft=1&f=10002

Leroy Cooper Musician in Charles Band Dies....

Leroy Cooper, 80, who played baritone saxophone for Ray Charles from the 1950s through the 1970s and at times served as bandleader for the R&B pianist, died of heart failure Jan. 15 at his home in Orlando, Fla., the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Cooper spent two decades with the Charles band, a stretch that began in 1957. His tenure included the recording sessions that yielded the film theme "In the Heat of the Night," "Crying Time" and Charles' stirring rendition of "America, the Beautiful."
Cooper also contributed to a wide array of other recordings, including blues man Lowell Fulson's classic "Reconsider Baby," and sessions with Dr. John, Joe Cocker, Kenny Neal and Lightnin' Hopkins. He also toured with the Righteous Brothers for a time.

After leaving the Charles band in 1977, Cooper moved to Orlando for a job at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. He was a bandleader and performer on Main Street U.S.A. for about 20 years.
The son of a bandleader, Cooper was born in Dallas on Aug. 31, 1928. He learned to play the sax as a child and also became proficient on the clarinet and flute.
http://www.latimes.com/

Plymouth Jazz Club Celebrates Its Silver Jubilee

Plymouth Jazz Club Celebrates its Silver Jubilee Plymouth Jazz Club was formed in 1984 by local jazz musician Tony Harris and a group of local jazz enthusiasts with the objective of promoting live jazz music in Plymouth.

It was organised as a members club with a constitution and run by an elected committee. The first gig on April 29th was in a small club in Union Street with Plymouth born, guest star Don Rendell backed by Tony's trio. The business plan was for Tony to organise the music and the enthusiasts and the non musical members of the committee took care of publicity, recruiting members and front of house duties.
In those early days it met once per week on Sunday evenings with Tony's trio backing a series of guest musicians. In a very short period of time the Club had to move to a club on Plymouth's Barbican which is on the waterfront. Whilst there Tony's trio hosted sessions with such stars as Bruce Turner, Danny Moss M.B.E., Roy Williams and John Barnes. After about one year the Club moved again to the Mayflower Sailing Club, which was literally right on the waters edge, where it stayed for a number of years. During this time the Club experienced mixed fortunes and had to reduce sessions to once per month for while. However an appearance by the Andy Sheppard Quartet revived the Club's fortunes and it has never looked back. Other notables to appear in the club at that time were the great American star, Slim Gaillard, singer Beryl Bryden, John Etheridge, Digby Fairweather, Dick Morrisey, Jim Mullen, Don Weller and Bobby Wellins.

After the Mayflower Sailing Club, Plymouth Jazz Club settled down to two gigs per month and has promoted gigs at some twenty plus venues around the city, for periods of a few weeks to two or three years. In those early days the Club survived with the aid of small grants from South West Jazz, then part of South West Arts, Plymouth City Council. Plus it received one generous sponsorship from a local company Heybrook HI FI, who as the name suggests manufactured high quality high fidelity systems in the days of vinyl records.
In 1992 the Club formed an association with a National Trust property, Buckland Abbey, the former home of Sir Francis Drake, where the Club organised a picnic followed by a jazz concert in a very large tithe barn, the event being called “Jazz in the Barn". This was very successful for four years before the barn needed major restorative work. As this was a major income source for the Club, another local National Trust property, Saltram House was approached, where we were able to organise annual “Summer Jazz Picnics" on their lawns. These events were even more successful and regularly drew four figure crowds, and have continued to this day.

The Club now meets regularly, twice a month on Sunday evenings at a pub called the Mermaid, which has a large function room capable of holding 220 seated. The first Sunday is devoted to almost any jazz genre, the third is Traditional or New Orleans, as this is the most popular style with the 400 plus members.
The “Silver Jubilee" or 25th anniversary will be celebrated by two gigs in April, on the 5th it will be the turn of the “Andy Panayi Quartet, featuring Mark Nightingale". On the 19th it will start with one set by the Club's founder Tony Harris and his quartet, followed by three sets from “Harry Strutters Hot Rhythm Orchestra" with local vocalist Joy Parke.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=28909

Jazz at Lincoln Center - Opening Night

Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
9/20/08 From Rose Theater, NY, NY
Featuring Ahmad Jamal

George Perle, a Composer and Theorist, Dies at 93

George Perle, a composer, author, theorist and teacher who won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1986 and was widely considered the poetic voice of atonal composition, died on Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 93.
His wife, Shirley Perle, said he died after a long illness.
Mr. Perle composed for orchestra, chamber ensembles, solo instruments and voice. An early admirer of the Second Viennese School — the group of composers led by Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern and Alban Berg — he wrote many articles and books on its members’ 12-tone and Serial methods of atonal composition. But though he used aspects of those methods in his own composing, he never adopted them fully.
Instead he developed an approach he called “12-tone tonality,” a seemingly contradictory term that suggested a middle path between those who rejected conventional tonality and those who considered atonality an unproductive break with the past.

Like the Serialists, Mr. Perle argued that if the 12 notes of the chromatic scale were treated equally, they would yield greater expressive possibilities than the seven-note major and minor scales that had dominated Western harmony for centuries. The difference between Mr. Perle’s method and strict Serialism, though, was that he did not insist on predetermined and rigorously ordered tone rows (or note sequences). He was equally free in his use of rhythms and dynamics.
His themes could be angular and his harmony acidic, yet there was an inherent lyricism in his music that made it accessible and at times almost neo-Romantic. The best of his works — Serenade No. 3 for Piano and Orchestra (1983), Six Études for Piano (1973-76), Wind Quintet No. 4 (1985) and “Critical Moments 2” (2001) — were striking not only for their elegance and ingenuity but also for the current of dry wit that revealed a vital and engaging musical personality. And many of them, particularly those composed after the mid-1980s, had an affecting, nostalgic undercurrent.

Some works, like Partita for Solo Violin (1965) and “Songs of Praise and Lamentation” (1975), revealed the depth of Mr. Perle’s feeling for the classical tradition that he believed he was extending. The Partita, though clearly in a modern style, carried allusions to Bach’s solo violin works. And the “Songs of Praise and Lamentation,” composed in memory of Noah Greenberg, the early-music specialist, included elements of Hebrew psalm cantillation, Gregorian chant and quotations from funereal works by Josquin, Binchois and Ockeghem, three Renaissance composers whose works were associated with Greenberg.

Mr. Perle was finicky about his own music. The list of his compositions in the New Grove Dictionary of American Music includes numerous works marked “withdrawn,” including his Symphony No. 3 and his String Quartets Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 6. Mostly, these were works composed before 1970, when Mr. Perle arrived at what he considered a workable approach to his 12-tone tonality. But into the ’90s, critics who attended dress rehearsals of Mr. Perle’s works — the open rehearsals at Tanglewood, for example — could find him penciling small changes into a score.
George Perle was born in Bayonne, N.J., on May 6, 1915, and grew up on farms in Wisconsin and Indiana. He vividly recalled his first musical experience, an encounter with Chopin’s Étude in F minor, played by an aunt.

“It literally paralyzed me,” he said in an interview in 1985. “I was extraordinarily moved and acutely embarrassed at the same time, because there were other people in the room, and I could tell that nobody else was having the same sort of reaction I was.”
He began his musical studies in the early 1930s in Chicago, where his composition teacher was Wesley LaViolette. He also studied with Ernst Krenek in the early ’40s. By then, he had discovered the composers of the Second Viennese School, particularly Berg, whose 1926 “Lyric Suite” represented for Mr. Perle a way around what he saw as the limitations of conventional tonality. Berg remained an important influence on Mr. Perle, as well as one of his scholarly specialties.

Mr. Perle interrupted his studies to enter the Army as a chaplain’s assistant in World War II, serving in Europe and the Pacific. Returning to college under the G.I. Bill, he earned his doctorate at New York University in 1956. He then began a long teaching career, including positions at the University of Louisville; the University of California, Davis; Yale; Columbia; the State University of New York, Buffalo; and Queens College of the City University of New York, from which he retired in 1985. Afterward he became a professor emeritus at the college’s Aaron Copland School of Music and continued to lecture.
Mr. Perle was married three times. His first marriage, to Laura Slobe, ended in divorce; his second, in 1958, to Barbara Wharton Massey, ended with her death in 1978. He married the former Shirley Gabis Rhoads in 1982.

Besides his wife, his survivors include two daughters, Cathi Perle of Long Island, and Annette Wolter of Sacramento; two stepsons, Max Massey of Davis, Calif., and Paul Rhoads of Chinon, France; a stepdaughter, Emma Rhoads of New York City; two grandchildren; and three step-grandchildren.
For many years Mr. Perle was most widely known as a theorist and author. He published his first articles on 12-tone music in 1941 and became the most eloquent spokesman for the style. His 1962 book, “Serial Composition and Atonality: An Introduction to the Music of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern,” became a classic text that was published in many translations. He set forth his own method in “Twelve-Tone Tonality” in 1977.

But his most revolutionary writing was on Berg. Considered an authority on the composer by the early ’60s, Mr. Perle was granted access to Berg’s unpublished manuscript for the opera “Lulu” in 1963. When he ascertained that the third act, long thought to be an unfinished sketch, was actually about three-fifths complete and cast an entirely new light on the opera, he protested publicly that Berg’s publisher was repressing an important part of the work. His efforts led to the completion of the third act and the presentation of the complete opera in 1979.
Mr. Perle also caused a stir in 1977, when he published “The Secret Program of the Lyric Suite” in The Newsletter of the International Alban Berg Society. Analyzing sketches and other materials, Mr. Perle discovered that the work included an extra-musical subtext in which Berg documented a love affair with Hanna Fuchs-Robettin, the wife of a Prague industrialist.

By the mid-1970s, performers began taking up Mr. Perle’s own music with increasing enthusiasm, and works like the Six Études for piano were hailed as important additions to the contemporary repertory. Wider recognition came in 1986, when his Wind Quintet No. 4 won the Pulitzer Prize. He was awarded a MacArthur Foundation fellowship the same year. Mr. Perle also published “The Operas of Alban Berg” (1980 and 1985), a two-volume study regarded as a definitive analysis of “Wozzeck” and “Lulu.” He seemed not to mind that his writings on music theory, Berg and 12-tone music had overshadowed his own composition for much of his life.

“Every bit of theorizing I’ve ever done, including my interest in Berg, has come as a consequence of discoveries I made as a composer and interests that I developed as a composer,” he told The New York Times in 1989. “I never thought of my theory as being a kind of irrelevant activity to my composing.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/arts/music/24perle.html?_r=1

Presents the Future of Music III....

NEW YORK - (Business Wire) Join Tekserve, 119 W23rd St., on January 29th at 8:30 PM for the third installment of the Future of Music panel discussion. Harry Allen will be back to pick the brains of some of the music industry's best minds and moderate a dynamic discussion on where music and the music industry are heading. Guests are welcome to bring their own questions to ask during the Q&A session at the end of the discussion.
RSVP is required for this free event. Please go to www.tekserve.com/seminars.
The panelists include:

Harry Allen (Moderator) - Hip-Hop Activist & Media Assassin. Writes about race, politics, and culture for Vibe, The Source, The Village Voice, and other publications. Currently hosts Nonfiction every Friday afternoon on WBAI-NY/99.5 FM.

Claudia Gonson - Pianist/drummer/backing vocalist for The Magnetic Fields and also plays in Future Bible Heroes. A lions share of her time is spent as Stephin Merritt's manager, handling all his band projects as well as theatre, ads and film work.

Sadat X - As a member of Brand Nubian, Sadat X was one of the key MCs to relate messages inspired by the Five Percent Nation. Two years after Brand Nubian's third album, Everything Is Everything, he made his solo debut with Wild Cowboys, which built lauded his lyrical talent on top of tough, jazz-inflected arrangements. In 2008 Sadat released Generation X produced by Will Tell.

Adam Farrell - Head of Marketing, Beggars Group Adam Farrell is a ten-year veteran of the music and advertising agency worlds. Adam currently oversees the marketing for Beggars Group, which includes indie labels like Matador Records, XL Recordings, 4AD, and Rough Trade. He has worked with such artists as Sigur Rós, Cat Power, Thom Yorke, Vampire Weekend and Blonde Redhead.

Peter Rojas - Co-founder of the lean and prescient record label website RCRD LBL (rcrdlbl.com.) Peter has an impressive resume as a technology journalist, founding the immensely popular tech blogs Gizmodo, Engadget, and Joystiq. He has written for Wired, the New York Times, Popular Science, Fortune, The Village Voice, and many others. He is a frequent commentator on technology for several radio and television programs.

Refreshments will be served.
Tekserve is New York's largest independent Apple store and service facility. Tekserve has been serving the local New York City community for over 20 years offering Mac sales, service & repair, iPods & accessories, Mac accessories, pro audio & video solutions, rentals, on-site service and data recovery. For more information visit www.tekserve.com or call 212.929.3645.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/tekserve-presents-the-future-of-music-iii,690562.shtml

Marcus Printup - Lazy River

Trumpeter Marcus Printup plays the Hoagy Carmichael tune "Up a Lazy River" in the style of Louis Armstrong, accompanied by Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. The singer is the LCJO's trombonist Wycliffe Gordon.

Marcus Printup....

Born: January 24, 1967
Marcus Printup was born and raised in Conyers, Georgia. He had his first musical experiences hearing the fiery gospel music his parents sang in church, and he later discovered jazz as a senior in high school. While attending the University of North Florida on a music scholarship, he won the International Trumpet Guild Jazz Trumpet competition. In 1991, Mr. Printup's life changed drastically when he met his mentor to this day, the great pianist Marcus Roberts. Mr. Roberts introduced him to Wynton Marsalis, which led to his induction into the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in 1993. Conyers has since honored him with the celebration of “Marcus Printup Day” on August 22 annually.

Mr. Printup has performed and/or recorded with Betty Carter, Dianne Reeves, Eric Reed, Cyrus Chestnut, Wycliffe Gordon and Mr. Roberts among others. Mr. Printup has several records as a leader, Song for the Beautiful Woman, Unveiled, Hub Songs, Nocturnal Traces, Peace in the Abstract, and his most recent, Bird of Paradise. He made his screen debut in the 1999 movie Playing by Heart and recorded on the film's soundtrack.
Mr. Printup tours annually with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, spending one-third of his year touring world wide. He has an interest in teaching youth and experienced musicians and contributes to several camps annually.

Press Quotes

In the 1990s, trumpeter Marcus Printup made his name as one of the new generation of serious jazz musicians. While he has continued to make his mark leading his own band, he says there’s something special about being part of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
“I kind of would equate this band to the Detroit Pistons three or four years ago when they won the (NBA) championship,” says Printup. “They didn’t have a standout player. They had a team that drew together to win and create something beautiful. That’s what I think we do. It’s easy to be selfish and want to play all the solos, because we all love to improvise, but I just get a kick out of being in the same trumpet section with Wynton (Marsalis), Ryan Kisor and Sean Jones. Every member of the band is at the highest level, from a creative standpoint, of improvisation.” Marcus Printup/Written by Wayne Bledsoe of Knoxville News.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=10445

Banner Festivals - 4

Presidential Campaign Songs Serie - 3

Around the Hancock Banner - Throng - Alike the Blue and Gray / Leon Levoy [sheet music]

Title - Around the Hancock Banner - Throng - Alike the Blue and Gray
Composer - Levoy, Leon
Place of Publication/Creation - Cincinnati
Publisher(s) - John Church & Co.
Date issued - 1880
Physical Description - 14 x 10 3/4 in. ; 6 p.

Carla Helmbrecht....

"she exudes warmth in spades...An unusually gifted vocalist, impeccable phrasing...steeped in a swinging jazz sensiblity that reminds me of Mel Torme.... Ernie Watts' eloquent saxophone lines. Keep an eye and ear on Carla Helmbrecht; hers is a voice that we're destined to hear in the future." - Carol Archer, R & R Magazine"

"A thoroughly delightful album that features a voice of uncommon beauty. From the very first song, the self-penned title track, Ms. Helmbrecht had this heartless cynic wrapped up in her graceful charms. Her voice, possessing a slight sultry quality, exudes such an intimate warmth and embracing clarity that one is not so much enticed or seduced as simply welcomed into her songs." - Jay Trachtenberg, Austin Chronicle

"Her voice is very captivating and Ernie Watts is Great!" - Steve Graybow, Billboard Magazine

With her clarity, she's the lyric writer's best friend. Good thing: She writes excellent words herself that hold up well in competition with the Bergmans, Betty Comden, Yip Harbug and Ray Noble. Her writing is like her singing: cool and kind." - Harvey Siders, JazzTimes Magazine
http://cdbaby.com/cd/helmbrecht

Joe LoCascio....

Born and raised in New York, Joe LoCascio has made Houston his permanent home since 1977. He attended the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut where he studied with John Mehegan and Neil Slater. A prolific performer and composer, LoCascio has twelve albums as a leader to his credit and has recorded or performed with jazz luminaries such as recording and performing with the likes of Chet Baker, Tim Hagans, Randy Brecker, Freddie Hubbard, Dave Liebman, Ernie Watts, Tony Campise, George Mraz, George Coleman, Hank Crawford and countless others.

"When you hear a composition for the first time, the artists have to win you over twice, with their writing and their playing.This can be a challange, though not apparently for Joe LoCascio , whose In The City Of Lost Things succeeds on more than one level. LoCascio's compositions allow room for ideas to flow along a linear path, like a stream through stones that mark his changes. Meters slip in and out of 5/4 or even 11/8, though so smoothly as to not leave a ripple in their wake." - **** (Four stars!) Robert Doerschuk, DownBeat Magazine

On In The City Of Lost Things (Heart Music), Joe LoCascio's compositions are versatile, with melodies that sparkle and flow, building a Bolero-like intensity. He has an affinity for fashioning the harmonically complex into the simply beautiful. LoCascio has dazzled since his 1986 debut; what's impressive is the way his talent continues to grow. - Jeff McCord, Texas Monthly

"In The City Of Lost Things may signal his finest recorded hour. Simply stated, Locascio plays all the right notes. Consisting of swirling chord clusters, fluid single note runs and tuneful melodies, the pianist and his crack rhythm section skirt that rather opaque division between mainstream and progressive jazz fare. Overall, this superfine unit sustains continual interest. And if you’ve become complacent with the endless and sometimes ho hum stream of jazz piano outings, then this gem will most assuredly warrant your attention. - Glenn Astarita, allaboutjazz.com

"Edgy and out and yet still unmistakably refined, LoCascio spins his tales of ghosts and dancing rodents that leap buoyantly through the sonic landscape. In the national spotlight since the 90’s, LoCascio continues to write poetry at the keys. One of the most creative and captivating trios of musicians performing anywhere, these performances would be ones not to miss". - Michele Brangwen Arts Houston Magazine

" Pianist and composer Joe Locascio has been one of Houston’s musical treasures for over two decades. As a pianist he has been at the forefront of modern jazz, recording and performing with the likes of Chet Baker, Tim Hagans, Randy Brecker, Freddie Hubbard, Dave Liebman, and countless others. As a composer, he's arguably one of the most gifted ever to call Houston home. His compositions, always strong melodically, lead listeners through a maze of unexpected twists punctuated with enticing harmonic content. His thirteenth album as a leader, "In the City of Lost Things" presents ten new compositions, all of them gems.
Locascio enlists Richard Cholakian on drums and Thomas Helton on upright bass for the trio on this date. Cholakian and Helton have made a name for themselves as a sought-after drum/bass pair. They both possess a restless creativity that peaks their interest in a wide range of styles from avant-garde to Delta Blues. Teamed up with Locascio, you get an immediate sense of the group's genuine camaraderie. It's a well-matched ensemble and certainly one the more interesting trios around.
Here he capitalizes on the unique nature of this group by creating music with extended trio interplay both during the melody and on the expansive improvised sections. The centerpiece of this style comes early on the second track, “Sonia Braga”. Ms. Braga is a well-known Brazilian actress (well-known in Brazil, that is: her claim to US fame is “Kiss of the Spiderwoman”). The piece honors its namesake with a sultry groove that spans eight minutes. It features an electrifying Arco solo from Thomas Helton, which stands the track on its head most wonderfully.
The trio explodes on “Port of Call”. The piece gets an extra boost from the left-hand/bass doublings which contrast the spry melody. The solos all around are brief but potent. As evidenced the ever-shifting dynamics of the next track “The Wall of Sleep”, Locascio can masterfully create many moods within a piece. It is these sorts of variations in the pulse of his writing that contribute to such a rich experience for the listener.
One can always expect a beautiful ballad on any of Locascio’s albums. “In the City of Lost Things” does so with “Julian”. Again, the arrangements make this tune even more striking. Cholakian’s innovative brush work (not just on the snare!) counterbalances the arc of the song and ensuing solo. This may be the CD's strongest track, but I’m a sucker for a good ballad.
“ Under a Pink Moon” is a nod in the direction of Bill Evans, particularly in the devices heard throughout his solo, yet the composition feels like something Herbie Hancock might assemble. Either way, it’s a wonderful representation of Locascio’s impressive pianism. The momentum continues on “Our Story” before concluding with a lively solo piece called “Hopalong”. Aptly titled and filled with a playful energy, it's a nice coda to an otherwise serious program. It also reminds us what a fine solo player he is.
One interesting aspect to this set of compositions is the use of odd meters throughout. Often such devices can seem deliberate to the point of being contrived. But in Locascio’s hands, the meter becomes completely germane to the composition. The opening track is in 5/4, as is “The Wall of Sleep”. The title track is in 11/4. These meter variations give pop to the individual tracks while adding life to the CD as a whole.
In the end, a Locascio CD is a guarantee of great playing, great compositions, and something you can revisit often. "In The City of Lost Things" is no exception. Highly recommended." - Andrew Lienhard, jazzhouston.com

" If you are a piano trio fan and you like to listen to new original music, then "Close To So Far" is a recording not to miss. He combines many styles within his playing from stride to bebop to modal. In general his approach is very modern utilizing bitonality, dissonance, and extended harmonies. LoCascio has a thorough sense of harmony as well as rhythm and it is a pleasure to hear all three musicians work with such artistry. This is a very flexible recording as the new jazz fan can enjoy its listener friendly quality while the experienced listener can enjoy traveling inside the music with its various twists and turns. Tastefully done!" - Michelle Labieniec-Despard. Jazz Improv

" LoCascio's playing on Close To So Far, like his writing (all the tracks are his originals), is heady, clean and crisply swinging, and while he describes his writing and playing as "linear," he's downplaying his strongest quality: texture....gorgeous ballads." Harvy Siders, JazzTimes Magazine

" His technical facility, harmonic sophistication and fluid melodic lines" Paul McArthur, DownBeat Magazine

" A great deal of inventiveness.....a very fine set indeed...highly recommended" Lawrence Brazier, Jazznow

" LoCascio unravels some rather otherworldly progressions that drape the composition with an extra layer of mystery and intrigue". Keith Zimmerman , Yellow Dog Jazz

" Close To So Far"is very satisfying, by an artist who merits being included among the best of his contemporary piano playing peers. Recommended. - Dave Nathan, allmusicguide.com

I wonder why this pianist never seems to be mentioned in any of the recent hardcover jazz volumes. The authors and editors of these large tomes are bypassing a treasure. “Close To So Far” features the pianist in a trio format performing a full package of his own compositions. Accompanied by bassist John Adams and the very nimble drummer Tim Solook, LoCascio has produced a real gem. Like the late Vince Guaraldi, Joe LoCascio is a piano-playing storyteller. His compositions bring visions to the mind of the listener. From the opening “Turnabout” to the playful “Idiot’s Delight”, the artist toys with the listener’s mind, generating delightful illusions.
-- Richard Bourcier, Jazz Review

" LoCascio displays a certain melodicism in his compositions and a warm yet dark complexity to his playing that compliment each other quite well. These qualities hint at Keith Jarrett and Lennie Tristano on either extreme but copy neither." - Jay Trachtenberg, Austin Chronicle

" LoCascio reaches the level of ensemble excitement which surrounded Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk...Idiosyncratic melodies, eccentric chording and delightful colors...Sophisticated dynamics and phrasing...This critic eagerly awaits it (his next release)." - JazzTimes Magazine

" Elegantly honed album." - Billboard Magazine

" LoCascio shows off his considerable talents as keyboardist, leader, and composer...he can swing mightily...the quality of musicianship and writing is very high." - Jazz Now Magazine

" Silent Motion establishes LoCascio as a national-class pianist." - Houston Chronicle

" LoCascio continues to play at the edge...one must either work like hell to keep up with him or get out of the way. The ride is worth it. Joe LoCascio is a poet at the keyboard." - Houston Public News
" LoCascio is a musician whose creative inner flame burns so clean and pure the fire within is near invisible even while the light and heat of his playing radiates in all directions." - Austin-American Statesman

" As a composer, LoCascio takes an unshakeable command of mainstream jazz." - Houston Press

" LoCascio has penned some mesmerizing melodies...all conceived and dispatched with great care and creativity...Soph and Adams have a brilliant way of reading LoCascio's mind." - Houston Post

" The performances are quite spirited, the leader works well with bassist John Adams and drummer Ed Soph, and the amount of variety and strong melodies keep this set continually interesting and make this (Silent Motion) Joe LoCascio's most rewarding jazz recording to date." - Cadence Magazine

" LoCascio is, quite simply, a world-class talent and fully developed stylist whose keyboard creations are the equal of numerous better-known piano stars." - Austin-American Statesman

" LoCascio's strong sense of melody is elegantly realized...one of the finest artists on the contemporary jazz scene. " - Jazziz Magazine
http://cdbaby.com/cd/joelocascio

Joe LoCascio - "Ms. Thing"

Tim Hagans & Jukkis Uotila Bad Duet

Tim Hagans & Jukkis Uotila & Jukkis Uotilaim Hagans....

During the summer of 1973, I attended a Stan Kenton summer camp.  I met Stan’s trumpet players as well as another trumpet player from Ohio, John Harner.  John joined the band a few months later and called me to join the band in June of 1974. My professional career was launched. Stan’s band had always been my favorite band.  A powerful sound that pushed the extremes…..so soft the audience leaned forward to make sure the band was playing and so loud, in the next moment, that their ribs would vibrate.

I was not the best player Stan could have hired but he liked the fact that I tried different things and experimented every night.  We played a lot of modal music. Soloing on minor chords for extended periods lead me to chromaticism and establishing emotional relationships with every note…..vertically, horizontally…..there were no wrong notes.   It was a great experience and a great environment in which to develop.
I left the band in January of 1977 to join the  Woody Herman Orchestra.   I was fired after a month and it became obvious to me that I had a lot of work to do with regards to playing over changes and smooth 8th-note lines.
I moved to Malmö, Sweden and began playing all sorts of music from be-bop to totally free music.  I worked with the Swedish Radio Jazz Group, Örjan Falhström and the jazz/funk group White Orange.

I also played in Denmark with the Danish Radio Band with Thad Jones and later the Thad Jones Eclipse.  This was a dream situation for me as Thad was one of my all-time heroes.  I was also a member of the Ernie Wilkins Almost Big Band.  To play with Ernie and Thad was an honor and an important learning experience for me.  I also played in assorted small groups with Sahib Shihab, Kenny Drew, Horace Parlan, Ed Thigpen, Nils- Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Bent Jeadig, Idrees Suileman, Erling Kroner and the Crème Fraiche Big Band.
I returned home to Ohio in 1982 and lived in Cincinnati for a few years.  I taught at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati with Rick Van Matre and had a great time playing with Al Nori, Steve Schmidt, John Von Ohlen, Lynn Seaton and the Blue Wisp Big Band on a regular basis.  In 1984 I took a teaching position at the Berklee College of Music.  Some of the musicians in Boston that I played with and learned from were Steve Rochinski, George Garzone, Bert Seager, Gordon Brisker, Joe Hunt, Dan Greenspan and Ken Cervenka.  I was also able to meet and play with some of my early trumpet heroes from Buddy Rich’s band…Greg Hopkins, Wayne Naus, Jeff Stout and George Zonce.

Through all of these experiences and travels, I knew eventually that I had to move to New York City.  All of my favorite bands and recordings were from that scene.  There is a special energy one feels in New York unlike any other energy in any other place.  I felt it immediately when I stepped off of the bus on a high school trip to New York.  New York is the place where all of the weirdoes, too intense for their own hometown’s local scene, congregate to confirm, comfort and conspire. So I took the plunge in 1987 and knew that I would find an incredible group of people who were like minded.

That group included Bob Belden, Joe Lovano, Vic Juris, Fred Hersch, Scott Lee, Marc Copland, Jim Powell, Maria Schneider, Bob Mintzer, Jay Anderson, Conrad Herwig, Jeff Hirshfield, Kenny Werner, Greg Osby, Kevin Hays, Rich Shemaria, Bill Stewart, Marcus Printup, Drew Gress, Billy Kilson, John Fedchok, Gary Peacock, Rick Margitza, Matt Wilson, Mike Formanek, Gary Smulyan, Jim Snidero, Dennis Irwin, Steve Slagle, John Riley, Judi Silvano, Larry Grenadier, Barry Ries….the list is infinite.
A few words about Bob Belden and Joe Lovano.  Bob and I were separated at birth. When we met in 1989, it was like brothers being reunited.  We have the same favorite records, inspired by the same musicians and are trying to reach the same illusive level of energy.  He’s a true genius…………(a term that is often thrown around loosely and thereby diminishing its weight… not in Bob’s case).  He’s an amazing saxophonist, composer (check out Black Dahlia), producer, historian, film maker and visionary.

Joe Lovano is the consummate jazz musician.  Unlike so many other musicians today, he has developed an individual melodic and harmonic voice that is immediately recognizable.  A true improviser, he uses this voice, in the most swingin’est, hippest way, to make highly emotional statements.  And like Monk, Bird, Thad Jones and Trane, Joe’s compositions are derived from his musical voice as well.  It’s my honor and privilege to work with Bob and Joe.  If it wasn’t for their support and interest, I’d still be doing weddings in Jersey!
Both of them were enormously influential in convincing Blue Note to record me.  Joe produced and played on No Words in 1994 and Bob has been involved in my other recordings as a player or mastermind producer.  I am also extremely grateful to Bruce Lundvall for showing confidence in me and for giving me complete artistic freedom. In a time of formula adherence and accountant interference, Bruce showed a lot of courage and trust when he signed me to Blue Note Records.
http://www.timhagans.com/

Lucca Jazz Donna 2008 - Helen Sung

Helen Sung....

Pianist Helen Sung has been called “one of the brightest emerging stars in jazz today.” Her music is described as “marvelously imaginative,” “astonishing;” and her CD Helenistique (Fresh Sound Records) was praised as “…one of the year’s most exciting listens.” (JazzTimes). With a new CD (Sungbird, after Albéniz) on Sunnyside Records and winning the Kennedy Center’s 2007 Mary Lou Williams Piano Competition, good things are happening!

Of Chinese heritage and a native of Houston, Texas, Helen attended Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). Originally an aspiring classical pianist, Helen was bitten by the jazz bug while pursuing undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin.
She decided to switch to jazz after being accepted into the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music. An intensive program accepting only seven students (forming a jazz septet), the Institute proved to be an unprecedented opportunity to study and perform with some of the greatest masters of jazz music.

The septet performed with Clark Terry, Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Heath, Jackie McLean, Harry “Sweets” Edison, and James Moody; and studied with such artists as Ron Carter (artistic director of the program), Barry Harris, David Baker, Slide Hampton, Lewis Nash, Jon Faddis, Curtis Fuller, Albert “Tootie” Heath, Bennie Maupin, and Sir Roland Hanna. The class toured India and Thailand with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, performed at the Kennedy Center, and presented educational workshops for students.
After graduating from the Institute in 1997, Helen dove into the Boston area jazz scene – some highlights include presenting a jazz music workshop with the late, acclaimed bassist Ray Brown, performing with fellow artists at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and being featured on local television shows. She also taught a group piano class for low-income elderly adults sponsored by New England Conservatory’s Continuing Education Program & the YMCA

Helen presently lives in New York City, and has gone on to work with such jazz masters as Clark Terry, Steve Turre, and legendary composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter – and with such jazz luminaries as Regina Carter, Steve Wilson, and T.S.Monk. She has also performed with such big bands as the Charles Mingus Big Band, Diva, and is a current member of Clark Terry’s “Big Badd” Big Band.
In addition to her work as a sideman, Helen is steadily gaining prominence as a bandleader. She was a featured guest on Marian McPartland’s acclaimed NPR Piano Jazz show and XM Satellite’s In the Swing Seat w/Wynton Marsalis. In print, Helen has feature pieces in such publications as Downbeat, JazzTimes, JazzIz, and AllAboutJazz-New York. Her band works both nationally & internationally, performing at venues & festivals including the Kennedy Center’s 2008 Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival, the 2008 Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, the 2008 Vermont Mozart Festival, Marian’s Jazzroom (Bern Jazz Festival), the 2008 Jazz Lucca Donna (Italy), the American Jazz Museum’s ‘Blue Room,’ Cleveland’s Tri-C Jazz Festival, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and New York City’s finest jazz clubs.

Her experience at the Monk Institute inspires her to remain committed to educational endeavors; she performs for arts organizations (including JazzReach) and presents clinics at colleges and universities. Helen’s band also conducted a jazz residency program (made possible by a Chamber Music America/Doris Duke Foundation grant) benefiting underserved youth in Camden, NJ.
http://www.helensung.com/bio.html

Trinity Jazz Festival....

By Chris Gray
Published on January 20, 2009 at 3:57pm

Since 2002, the Trinity Jazz Festival has brought some of the top names in jazz (Ellis Marsalis, Jason Moran) to Houston in a most sanctified setting: Trinity Episcopal Church at Main and Holman. This year's headliner is Dizzy Gillespie-schooled trumpeter Jon Faddis, whose hefty résumé also includes stints with Lionel Hampton and Charles Mingus, ten years as director of the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and his current post as Artistic Director of the Chicago Jazz Ensemble (he lives and teaches in Westchester, New York, though). A dedicated educator, Faddis will also conduct a free improvisational trumpet clinic at 10 a.m. Friday before his show that night with Joe LoCascio (piano), David Craig (bass) and Sebastian Whittaker (drums) — Houston cats also backing ­Dallas-based saxophonist opener Pete Brewer. Saturday, New York pianist and HSPVA alumna Helen Sung's trio shares the bill with a group culled from members of the Thelonious Monk Institute and HSPVA's Jazz Septet; Sunday morning is the free annual jazz mass conducted by Trinity rector the Reverend Hannah E. Adkins, featuring the Trinity Choir, with several of the weekend's musicians
http://www.houstonpress.com/2009-01-22/music/trinity-jazz-festival/

Thank you to all involved in creating a "jazzy" evening

On behalf of the Somerset County Vocational and Technical Schools Education Foundation we wish to thank the Courier News Courier Cares program, the NJ Jazz Society and the 600-plus area residents who joined us this past Saturday for a magical evening of jazz.
Bridgewater was the first stop in the U.S. for Clarinetist Dan Levinson and the James Langton Big Band after kicking off their Centennial Celebration of Benny Goodman in Europe. The group of international musicians moved the audience through the Goodman career with historical accounts and musical virtuosity.

The volunteers of the Education Foundation are business leaders concerned with educating the next generation. Proceeds will be used to fund scholarships and programs beyond the capabilities of public funding. We encourage all young people who learn through curiosity to consider the programs offered at Somerset County Vocational and Technical Schools. The applied learning environment can strengthen and focus a young person's interest in a career choice. It can be an advanced step to higher education or and accelerated step into the workplace. Parents and students are invited to discover programs taught at this outstanding institution at the annual open house Saturday, Feb. 7.

We also ask that the local business community step up and support our endeavors to provide a workforce for local employers. The Vo-Tech schools are committed to making their teachings current to the needs of the marketplace. With your support we will fulfill our mission to inspire the young people who are the future of our community.
Again, thank you for joining us for a magical and memorable evening that many will remember as the beginning of an unforgettable and historical week in our lives.

MARYJANE SALVATO
President
Education Foundation
Somerset County Vocational and Technical Schools
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009901230307

Aretha At The Capitol....

Everyone had cheered at the sight of Michelle Obama in her sparkly golden dress. "Goodbye to J. Crew," my friend said with a laugh. Everyone had roared at the sight of Barack Obama on the JumboTron, as he made his way onto the steps and to his seat. Now it was Aretha Franklin's turn to inspire the crowd. She did it with her hat, and with her rendition of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" as only the Queen of Soul could deliver it. I only wish she'd gotten all of us, the million-plus crowd, to sing it with her. That would have been a true moment of unity.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99796514&ft=1&f=1039

A Simple Quartet....

Before Barack Obama stepped up to take his oath above the crowd of chilled but cheerful well-wishers stretching all the way back to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, there was another moment for music. Simple music, played by four musicians representing the diversity and accomplishment of American culture: an Israeli-American, another born of Chinese parents, an African-American raised on the south side of Chicago and a recent transplant from Venezuela. These representatives of Obama's vision of a culture blind to color and creed joined together for an arrangement of one of America's most abiding tunes: the Shaker melody "Simple Gifts." The lyric, written in 1848 by an Elder in the Shaker Community in Alfred, Maine, begins: " 'Tis a gift to be simple / 'Tis a gift to be free."

Yo-Yo Ma's cello, Itzhak Perlman's violin, Anthony McGill's clarinet and Gabriela Montero's piano each held the melody and then layered it, twisting and curling out over the suddenly calming crowd. A man behind us remarked that a flock of birds seemed to be soaring along with the music. For a moment, everyone looked up.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99796514&ft=1&f=1039

Jazz Giant David "Fathead" Newman Has Died

Jazz legend David “Fathead" Newman transcended peacefully at a hospital near his home in upstate New York on January 20, 2009, after a long battle with cancer.
David, as he preferred to be called, attained international stardom over a long career. Born in Corsicana, Texas on February 24, 1933 and graduating from Lincoln High School in Dallas, Texas, he went on to study theology and music on scholarship at Jarvis Christian College.
In 1954 he began his twelve year association with Ray Charles and was Ray’s lead tenor, band leader, and closest ‘side kick’ during those years. After leaving Ray’s band to make his own name, David performed live and recorded with many greats, including Cedar Walton, Buster Williams, Stanley Turrentine, Hank Crawford and another Texas Tenor, the late James Clay.

He appeared in Dallas a number of times over the years, collaborating with other great local artists, including the late Shirley McFatter, and his son Cadino Newman, who recently accompanied David to a special performance recently in Austin, Texas. Back in New York, David had often shared the stage with Cynthia Scott, ex-‘Raylette’, in their tributes to Ray.
His television appearances included Saturday Night Live, David Letterman and many others. David’s most recent recording endeavors were his CD’s “Diamondhead”, “Life”, “Mr. Gentle, Mr. Cool”, a tribute to Duke Ellington, and “I Remember Ray” which was the “#1 Most Played Jazz Album” in the country. David Newman’s music bridged many styles with uncanny ability.

His music embraced living with his deep sense of spirituality and unfettered positivity. He leaves behind his Wife-- Karen Newman, Aunt Freda Mae Jefferson, Uncle Curtis Cavanaugh, his children--Andre Newman I, Cadino Newman, Terry Walker, and Benji Newman as well as his eight beautiful grandchildren.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=28855

Dee Dee Bridgewater

FEW ENTERTAINERS have ever commanded such depth of artistry in every medium. Fewer still have been rewarded with Broadway’s coveted Tony Award (Best Featured Actress in a Musical – The Wiz), nominated for the London theater’s West End equivalent, the Laurence Oliver Award (Best Actress in a Musical – Lady Day), won two Grammy® Awards (1998’s Best Jazz Vocal Performance and Best Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal for "Cottontail" – Slide Hampton, arranger – "Dear Ella "), and France’s 1998 top honor Victoire de la Musique (Best Jazz Vocal Album).

DEE DEE CAPTURED THE HEARTS of audiences worldwide in The Wiz with her signature song, If You Believe. According to Nick Ashford of Ashford and Simpson, Dee Dee’s rendition "personified a generation and gave us all hope."
AS A SPARKLING AMBASSADOR FOR JAZZ, she bathed in its music before she could walk. Her mother played the greatest albums of Ella Fitzgerald, whose artistry provided an inspiration for Dee Dee throughout her career. Her father was a trumpeter who taught music – to Booker Little, Charles Lloyd and George Coleman, among others. It is the kind of background that leaves its mark on an adolescent, especially one who appeared solo and with a trio as soon as she was able. Dee Dee’s other vocation, that of globetrotter, reared its head when she toured the Soviet Union in 1969 with the University of Illinois Big Band. A year later, she followed her then husband, Cecil Bridgewater, to New York.

DEE DEE MADE HER PHENOMENAL NEW YORK DEBUT in 1970 as the lead vocalist for the band led by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, one of the premier jazz orchestras of the time. These New York years marked an early career in concerts and on recordings with such giants as Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Max Roach and Roland Kirk, and rich experiences with Norman Connors, Stanley Clarke and Frank Foster’s "Loud Minority."
DEE DEE DOESN’T CARE MUCH FOR LABELS, and in 1974 she jumped at the chance to act and sing on Broadway where her voice, beauty and stage presence won her great success and a Tony Award for her role as Glinda the Good Witch in The Wiz. This began a long line of awards and accolades as well as opportunities to work in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Paris and in London where she garnered the coveted “Laurence Olivier” Award nomination as Best Actress for her tour de force portrayal of jazz legend Billie Holiday in Stephen Stahl’s Lady Day. Performing the lead in equally demanding acting/singing roles as Sophisticated Ladies, Cosmopolitan Greetings, Black Ballad, Carmen Jazz and the musical Cabaret (the first black actress to star as Sally Bowles), she secured her reputation as a consummate entertainer.

NAMED AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS’ FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO) in October 1999, Dee Dee joined the battle against world hunger. Appealing for international solidarity to finance global grass-roots projects, the FAO’s Ambassadors aid in developing self-reliance in long-term conservation and management of sustainable agriculture, rural development and the conservation and management of natural resources.
TAKING OVER THE REIGNS OF JAZZSET FROM THE ILLUSTRIOUS BRANFORD MARSALIS, Dee Dee continues to bring her message to listeners. NPR's JazzSet© with Dee Dee Bridgewater is the jazz lover's ears and eyes on the world of live music. It presents today's best jazz artists in performance on stages around the world, taking listeners to Puerto Rico and Cuba, as well as Marciac in the French countryside and across the North American continent from Montreal to Monterey.
http://www.deedeebridgewater.com/bio.html

Shiny Stockings - Dee Dee Bridgewater & The Italian Big Band

Opera singer sings "Body and Soul" live from Concert

My first live jazz appearance since 1984 as a jazz crooner.

about the song:

"Body and Soul" is a popular song written in 1930 by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton and Johnny Green. It was introduced by Libby Holman in the revue Three's A Crowd and used as a soundtrack theme in the 1947 film named for the song.

"Body and Soul" became a jazz standard, with hundreds of versions performed and recorded by dozens of artists. The most famous of these is the take recorded by Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra on October 11, 1939 at their only recording session for Bluebird, a subsidiary of RCA Victor. Hawkins' solo on this take is considered to be "one of the finest examples of pure, spontaneous creative artistry in the history of jazz."[citation needed] It was one of the first straight jazz records (as against swing) to become a commercial hit. This was unusual, as the song's melody is never directly stated in the recording; saxophonist Hawkins two-choruses' worth of improvisation on the tune's chord progression constitute almost the entire take.[ In 2004, it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.

The pianist on Hawkins' recording of the song was Gene Rodgers.
YouTube