Muhal Richard Abrams, attended DuSable High School in Chicago

Muhal Richard Abrams (born September 19, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois)[1] is an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the Modern Creative and Free jazz mediums. Abrams compresses both contemporary and traditional ideas into lean, elegant pieces.

Abrams attended DuSable High School in Chicago. By 1946, he decided to enroll in music classes at Roosevelt University. “I didn’t get too much out of that, because it wasn’t what I was hearing in the street,” he says. “I decided to study on my own. I don’t know why, but I’ve always had a natural ability to study and analyze things.

I used that ability, not even knowing what it was (it was just a feeling) and started to read books. From there, I acquired a small spinet piano and started to teach myself how to play the instrument and read the notes - or, first of all, what key the music was in. It took time and a lot of sweat. But I analyzed it and before long I was playing with the musicians on the scene.

I listened to Art Tatum, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell and many others and concentrated on Duke and Fletcher Henderson for composition. Later I got scores and studied more extensive things that take place in classical composition and started to practice classical pieces on the piano, as I do now.”

Abrams' first gigs were playing the blues, R&B, and hard bop circuit in Chicago and working as a sideman with everyone from Dexter Gordon and Max Roach to Ruth Brown and Woody Shaw. In 1950 he began writing arrangements for the King Fleming Band, and in 1955 played in the hard-bop band Modern Jazz Two + Three, with tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris.

After this group folded he kept a low profile until he organized the Experimental Band in 1962, a contrast to his earlier hard bop venture in its use of free jazz concepts. This band, with its fluctuating lineup, evolved into the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), emerging in May 1965 with Abrams as its president. Rather than playing in smoky night clubs, AACM members often rented out theatres and lofts where they could perform for attentive and open-minded audiences.

The album Levels and Degrees of Light (1967) was the landmark first recording under Abrams' leadership. On this set, Abrams is joined by the saxophonists Anthony Braxton, Maurice McIntyre, vibraphonist Gordon Emmanuel, violinist Leroy Jenkins, bassist Leonard Jones and vocalist Penelope Taylor. Abrams also played with saxophonists Eddie Harris, Dexter Gordon, and other more bop-oriented musicians during this era.

Abrams moved to New York permanently in 1975 where he was a factor in the local Loft Jazz scene. In 1983, he established the New York chapter of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.

In the 1970s, Abrams has composed for symphony orchestras, string quartets, solo piano, voice, and big bands in addition to making a series of larger ensemble recordings that include harp and accordion. He is a widely influential artist, having played sides for many musicians early in his career, releasing important recordings as a leader, and writing classical works such as his "String Quartet #2" which was performed by the Kronos Quartet, on November 22, 1985, at the Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City.

He has recorded extensively under his own name (frequently on the Black Saint label) and as a sideman on others' records. Notably regarding the latter he has recorded with Anthony Braxton Duets 1976 on Arista Records, Marion Brown and Chico Freeman.

He has recorded and toured the United States, Canada and Europe with his orchestra, sextet, quartet, duo and as a solo pianist. His musical affiliations is a "who's who" of the jazz world, including Max Roach, Dexter Gordon, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Art Farmer, Sonny Stitt, Anthony Braxton, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Eddie Harris and many others. In 1990 Abrams won the Jazzpar Prize an annual Danish prize within jazz. In 1997 he was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award.

In May 2009 the National Endowment for the Arts announced that Abrams would be one of the recipients of the 2010 NEA Jazz Masters Award. In June 2010, Muhal Richard Abrams will be honored the Lifetime Achievement Award by New York City's premier jazz festival, known as the Vision Festival.
More on  >  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhal_Richard_Abrams


live at Millenium Park 16 Aug 2007

Corey Allen Actor Played Gang Leader in 'Rebel Without a Cause' Dies

In 'Rebel,' Allen played Buzz Gunderson, who challenges James Dean to a 'chicken run.' In 1984, Allen won an Emmy for directing an episode of 'Hill Street Blues.'


Corey Allen, an actor-turned Emmy Award-winning director who earned a slice of film immortality in the 1950s playing the doomed high school gang leader who challenges James Dean to a “chicken run" in “Rebel Without a Cause," has died. He was 75. Allen died at his home in Hollywood on Sunday, two days before his 76th birthday, said family spokesman Mickey Cottrell. The specific cause was not given.

Allen had Parkinson's disease for the last two decades, Cottrell said, but he remained active directing plays until a few years ago. Allen's death came a month after that of another “Rebel" alumnus, Dennis Hopper, who played one of the high school gang members.

A 1954 graduate of the UCLA theater department, where he won a best actor award, Allen had a few TV credits and un-credited bit parts in movies when he was cast as the arrogant, leather-jacket-wearing Buzz Gunderson in “Rebel Without a Cause."

The 1955 film, directed by Nicholas Ray, starred Dean as Jim Stark, the troubled new kid at school who is menaced by Buzz and his pals.

Complete on  >  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=59426

Jeff Hamilton Trio in Costa Rica Vacation Event

Music in Costa Rica Announces The Jeff Hamilton Trio in Costa Rica Vacation Event November 20-27, 2010

Music in Costa Rica is offering a unique Costa Rica vacation event featuring the Jeff Hamilton Trio (with Special Guest Graham Dechter) performing in 3 spectacular natural settings from November 20 27, 2010.

Greeley, Colorado June 30, 2010 Music in Costa Rica is offering an intimate and elegant Jazz vacation experience in Costa Rica from November 20 27, 2010. This unique vacation is $2,699 per person including 7 nights, 3 intimate concerts, all meals, ground transportation and several activities. 3 dinner concerts will take place in a beautiful tropical botanic garden, at the base of Arenal Volcano and in a Roman Amphitheater overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The Jeff Hamilton Trio features Jeff Hamilton on Drums, Tamir Hendelman on Piano and Christoph Luty on Bass. Special guest Graham Dechter will also be performing on Guitar. Jeff Hamilton is widely regarded as one of the finest jazz drummers of all time and has performed with many of the top names in Music. Tamir Hendelman is a highly-regarded, gifted composer, arranger and piano player. Christoph Luty is a top Los Angeles-based Bass player and performs with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Graham Dechter is the young, talented guitar player in the same Orchestra who just released his own CD entitled Right on Time.
Complete on  >  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=59424

Susan Cowsill returns to form after Katrina with Lighthouse

Though only 51, Susan Cowsill's musical life spans four decades — from her childhood with the family band, the Cowsills, to her solo career and backup work in the '70s and '80s, and from her storied collaborations with the Continental Drifters to her own resurgence as a solo artist once again.

Cowsill survived the hurricane that devastated her New Orleans home and has returned this year with Lighthouse, a confident but reflective album that's as musically satisfying as anything she's ever cut. B-Sides reached Cowsill at her home in the Crescent City for a conversation about her musical beginnings and the context for her latest project.

Complete on  >  http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2010-06-30/music/susan-cowsill-interview-lighthouse-st-louis-off-broadway-continental-drifters-2010/

A 75th Birthday Tribute to Rahsaan Roland Kirk

A friend of mine once asked me, "What's so great about Roland Kirk?"
I told him, "If a five-thousand pound man was coming to town, would you go see him?”
--Joel Dorn, Rahsaan’s longtime friend and producer

Rahsaan Roland Kirk (Aug. 7th, 1935--Dec. 5th, 1977) was a jazz multi-instrumentalist best known for his miraculous ability to play three saxophones simultaneously. Kirk defied staggering odds in his all-too-brief life—from blindness to critical prejudice to a paralyzing stroke—in order to play the music that came to him through dreams. His music, once ahead of its time, now seems timeless.

Since his death thirty years ago, his legend has only continued to grow. In honor of his 75th birthday, Kirk's family, friends, and fans will celebrate the life of the legendary jazz giant in Austin, on August 6, 2010, at The Elephant Room.

Hosted and presented by May K. Cobb, and sponsored by KOOP radio 91.7 FM, this promises to be a memorable evening honoring one of our greatest jazz musicians & composers. Cobb, an Austin-based writer who has spent the past several years researching Kirk’s life for a new biography, said this about the event, "I'm honored to have a hand in creating this homage to Rahsaan. With Dorthaan's blessing and enormous help, it should be a very magical evening. To me, he is one of the most innovative and important musicians who's ever lived, but one of the most overlooked. The Austin Jazz Workshop performs his music beautifully, and hopefully this event will help, even in some small way, to keep his name alive."

The evening will include:

 Kirk’s music, performed by the AJW Sextet, featuring Alex Coke (flutes and sax), director Mike Melinger(sax), and Floyd Domino (piano), with surprise appearances.

 Dorthaan Kirk and special guests

 Live concert footage

 Gift bags to the first 100 people and a midnight birthday countdown

Proceeds from the evening will go to The Austin Jazz Workshop, a nonprofit organization that brings jazz musicians directly into public school classrooms. In ’08-’09 AJW performed Kirk’s music in 118 Austin schools and recorded Mystery Note, a tribute album to Kirk that was released in 2009. Copies of Mystery Note will be available at the event.

General admission is $5 at the door with donations welcome throughout the evening.
The Elephant Room is at 315 Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas 78701
The first set begins @9:30pm.

please visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahsaan_Roland_Kirk
http://www.austinjazzworkshop.com/mel/news.html

From  >  bebe bobo (bebebobov@sbcglobal.net)

Artist Profile: Clifford Brown

June 26th, 2010, is the 54th anniversary of trumpeter Clifford Brown's death.

Brown was 25 years old when he was killed in a car accident on the way to a gig in 1956. However, during the four years of his recording career, he put out some of the most famous jazz recordings of all time. His technical agility, combined with heartfelt expression, made his the defining sound of the style known as hard bop.
Read biography on  >  http://jazz.about.com/od/classicjazzartists/p/CliffordBrown.htm

As Summer Brings Heat, RS Berkeley Sizzles by Adding Three New Endorsers

RS Berkeley is pleased to welcome Jonathan Powell, Albert Rivera, and Gregory Tardy as their newest endorsers.

By Jamie Cosnowsky
RS Berkeley is proud to welcome brass phenom, Jonathan Powell as a new endorser. Originally from Largo, Florida, Jonathan Powell was born into an extremely musical family and was thus motivated to pick up the trumpet at the age of eleven. Inspired by the great jazz trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong, Jonathan dedicated himself to music with an improvisational and creative goal.

Though Jazz was his first love, he soon began shifting his musical tastes to North Indian Classical music. Drum'n'Bass, Hip Hop, Death Metal and 20th Century Classical music. These new musical discoveries led Jonathan to take up the tablas, a pair of North Indian drums and electronic instruments, including Samplers, Drum Machines and eventually Electronic Valve Instrument (EVI).

At 19, Jonathan made his exodus to New York City to find the musical opportunities he has been searching for. It wasn't long after he arrived that he began playing and recording with world re-known musicians such as JT Taylor, Sam Rivers, Q-Tip, Andy Milne, Kenny Werner, Dave Douglas, Gary Thomas, Lenny White, Reggie Workman, Just Blaze, CL Smooth, Slick Rick and Snoop Dogg to name a few. Such collaborations earned him praise with top critics including Jazz Critic, Nat Hentoff, who wrote "Powell's crackling range and the electricity of his imagination reminded me of the first time I heard Lee Morgan and Clifford Brown.
 
His voice is his own." - JazzTimes (April 2003). Jonathan has since been working with up and coming artists and groups such as The Element, Saadiq, Blitz the Ambassador, PPP, The Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra, La Bola, MK Groove Orchestra, Rogue State, Yayoi Ikawa, Beetroot and La Excelencia.
 
Complete on  >  http://jazztimes.com/sections/news/articles/26234-as-summer-brings-heat-rs-berkeley-sizzles-by-adding-three-new-endorsers

Double Bill: Arturo Sandoval & Cyrus Chestnut

by Becca Pulliam
Born in 1949 in Cuba, Arturo Sandoval — with Chucho Valdes and Paquito D'Rivera — belonged to the legendary band Irakere in the '70s. The band featured virtuoso improvisers, copious Latin percussion, synthesizers, vocals and tropical heat. Irakere's innovations won it a Grammy in 1980.

Ten years later, at 40, Sandoval defected, his dramatic story documented in the film For Love or Country. Now, he's based in Miami with his trumpet, keyboards and scat vocals, as well as works all over the world — except in Cuba.

Working up a hot sweat after "Havin Fun,'" Sandoval takes off his jacket. He loves playing for a good audience, and shares with it his concern that young people aren't learning enough about jazz. Then he plays "La Gloria Eres Tu" by Antonio Mendez, who composed and performed boleros in the 1950s.

Born in 1963, Cyrus Chestnut comes from Baltimore, where he grew up in the Mount Calvary Baptist Church and studied classical piano at the Peabody Institute. After Berklee College, he worked with Betty Carter, the vocalist and bandleader who shaped a generation of talent in her trios in the '80s and '90s. Chestnut is as two-handed as they come, and leading a good band, on this "Spirituals to Swing" set. "Joshua Fit de Battle" is the spiritual; Chestnut's "Soul Food" is the Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers-style swing. And Cyrus’s interpretation of the hymn "How Great Thou Art" leads into "We Fall Down" by Darius L. Brooks.

Credits
Our mixes are by Duke Markos with Big Mo Recording; special thanks to Greg Hartman and Mark Barrie and WBGO's Yujin Cha. Both concerts recorded Jan. 11 and 12 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Sandoval's Band
Arturo Sandoval: trumpet
Felipe Lamoglia: sax
Tony Perez: piano and synthesizer
Armando Gola: bass
Alexia Arce and Philbert Armanteros: drums and percussion

Chesnut's Band
Cyrus Chestnut: piano
Curtis Taylor: trumpet
Jimmy Greene: sax
Dezron Douglas: bass
Neal Smith: drums
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94282310

Bennett slams Stewart's vocals

By WENN.COM
Legendary crooner Tony Bennett is unimpressed with Rod Stewart's efforts at covering pop standards - insisting the former Faces frontman sings like a girl. Stewart has released four of his Great American Songbook albums since 2002, on which he tackles classic show tunes and traditional tracks.

But Bennett has taken a swipe at Stewart's cover versions, insisting they expose weaknesses in his vocals.

Bennett says, "It's not as good as Nat Cole or Frank Sinatra. He has a kind of a female voice. It's not definitive performances. The game is really how can you own a performance of a song? And that's the game of communicating as a performer - to own that song that you're doing."
http://www.calgarysun.com/entertainment/music/2010/06/29/14552906-wenn-story.html

Frank Loesser at 100

America's great vernacular songwriter Frank Loesser was born 100 years ago today. To celebrate, cable tv network TCM is showing the film of his Pulitzer Prize winning musical How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, and Neptune's Daughter which features Loesser's evergreen duet "Baby It's Cold Outside" (see and hear below, I hope -- much Loesser material seems to have been removed from Amazon today, after I linked to it).

On the NPR show Fresh Air Michael Feinstein will talk about the Great Man and his lyrics + music. Guys anywhere may be whistling "Standing On The Corner Watching All The Girls Go By," while dolls are swooning to "If I Were A Bell." Gamblers will pray that "Luck Be A Lady Tonight," Danes might hum "Wonderful Copenhagen," NRA members proclaim "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition," the lonely complain "They're Either Too Young Or Too Old," kid-cowpokes (are there still any?) boast "I've Got Spurs That Jingle Jangle Jingle" and nostalgic oldsters assert "Once In Love With Amy (Always In Love With Amy)." Loesser wrote something for everybody.
Complete on  >  http://www.artsjournal.com/jazzbeyondjazz/2010/06/frank_loesser_at_100.html

The Many Voices Of Lauryn Hill

by Zoe Chace
I interviewed a lot of people for my story about Lauryn Hill's voice. I had to, because I didn't know if I'd be able to speak to her myself. The singer and rapper last released a recording eight years ago. She rarely performs in the U.S., and she almost never gives interviews. But her fans haven't forgotten her — they're still pleading for her to come back. Hill is a fantastic singer, as well as one of the greatest MCs of all time, and the story of her voice is the story of a generation.

Photo > Brendon Thorne/Getty Images 

Lauryn Hill performs in January in Sydney, Australia
.
It doesn't take much for a group of 30-somethings to get nostalgic about Hill. Put her solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, on at a bar, and it takes the crowd right back to college days or high-school summers. I met Daryl Lutz while he was hanging out with a group of friends on the deck of Marvin's Bar in downtown Washington, D.C.

"We went to school in Hampton, Va., and she came to do a show," he said. "It was one of the best times in my life — I mean, she spoke to me! We snuck backstage and I got her to sign my meal card. She said, 'This is your meal card, brother, you know?' I said, 'That's all I got.' She signed it, 'Eat well — L. Boogie.' That's something I'll never forget. I love her. I love her to death."

I heard tons of stories like Lutz's that night — mostly closed with this plea: "Come back, Lauryn. We need you. Come back!" People spoke directly into the microphone, as if it were a telephone line.

From New Ark To Israel
Hill became a star with the hip-hop trio The Fugees. Their second album, The Score, came out in 1996, and it was an instant classic. The group — Hill, Wyclef Jean and Prakazrel Michel — sounded like they were in perfect sync. On the first single, "Fu-gee-la," Hill sang the hook, rhymed a verse, then sang again. She was the total package, more so than any other rapper, male or female, has been.

She's one of slickest rappers ever: Her rhymes are dexterous, spiritual, hilarious, surprising. Without a doubt, she was the best-looking rapper the world had ever seen. And Hill was a soul singer with a real old-school, almost militant, politic. The second single was Hill's cover of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly." That recording has never really gone away, and its success built the expectations for Hill's solo record to a fever pitch. Particularly to women and young girls who listened to her then, she was a revelation. There was steel in her voice when she rapped; she sang like she really cared about our hopeless crushes and our impotent rages, like she really loved us. We thought maybe we could grow up to be like her.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill came out in 1998. It was like LeBron James' rookie year in the NBA. You knew he had the potential to be great after seeing him in high school — and then, right out of the gate, he's one of the best ball players in the league. Jayson Jackson, part of Hill's management team, described the recording process this way: "The record was already inside her. She would go into the studio, and it would just pour out of her."

Lenesha Randolph sang backing vocals on Miseducation, and she describes herself today as the backing vocals "to all your favorite artists." She's on tour with Lady Gaga right now, but a formative influence on her singing was her work in the studio singing backup for Hill.

"I don't know if people are gonna like this album, because I'm just singing, and nobody wants to hear rappers sing," Hill told Randolph at the time. Randolph says she couldn't believe it. "I was like, 'What are you talking about?' " Randolph says. "I would just stare at her, like, look in her mouth! Because when you hear her sing, and then hear her speak — it had such power and volume and rasp. It was something to strive for."
Complete on  >  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128149135&sc=nl&cc=mn-20100629

Pianist Fred Hersch Survives Coma to Write a New Chapter to His Jazz Career

By Tad Hendrickson
Even though it was Sunday, the Village Vanguard was packed to catch the last night of pianist Fred Hersch's weeklong run. Hersch had played the legendary club in New York's West Village before, even releasing a live album recorded there, and the room had the energy of an artist restaking his claim as one of current jazz's most important figures. He's released more than 30 albums as a leader and has played sideman to such legends as Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, Art Farmer and Toots Theilmans since coming to New York in 1977.

Hersch has also won countless awards over the years and has even been influential as a teacher, having worked with many of today's younger artists. His own rich body of work includes a broad array of ensembles, but one thing that never changes is his rich, beautiful tone and ability to craft original melodies or thoughtfully recasting those written by others.
Complete on > http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=59240

Basya Schecter, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb, Malika Zarra and Sofia Rei Koutsovitis are four of the most creative vocalists

Get ready for a whole new approach to Masada music! Expressive and passionate, Basya Schecter, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb, Malika Zarra and Sofia Rei Koutsovitis are four of the most creative vocalists around. Each the leader of a dynamic band of their own, they come together here in an intimate a cappella setting to interpret eleven songs from Zorn's remarkable Book of Angels.

With lyrics in Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, French and Arabic drawn from Rumi, Fernando Pessoa, The Hebrew Bible and more, the Masada vocal project is perhaps the most hauntingly beautiful installments in the entire Angels series. Dynamic and evocative New Jewish Music from four powerful women vocalists! (Tzadik Records website: http://www.tzadik.com/)

Upcoming Shows

Jul 1 2010 8:00PM
Montreal Jazz Festival Montreal, CA
Sep 6 2010 8:00PM
Ashkenaz Festival Toronto, Ontario, CANADA Find Tickets
Nov 7 2010 8:00PM
Mycale in Berlin Berlin, DE
Nov 8 2010 8:00PM
Masada Marathon in Milano! Milano, IT
Nov 9 2010 8:00PM
Mycale in Slovenia tba, SI

Band Members
Basya Schechter; Ayelet Rose Gottlieb; Sofia Rei Koutsovitis; Malika Zarra


Sounds Like
John Zorn, Basya Schechter, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb, Sofia Rei Koutsovitis and Malika Zarra put together

Band Website
http://www.mycalevocalproject.com/

Latin Jazz, news

It’s always great to see the living legends of Latin Jazz get the respect that they deserve during their time with us, and this week, one of our best - Eddie Palmieri - received a major honor. His groundbreaking recording, Azucar Pa Ti, was inducted into the 2009 National Recording Registry of the United States Library of Congress.

This means that the government is recognizing the major contributions that Palmieri has made to the music world and keeping one of his influential recordings on file as an example of excellence. Librarian of Congress James H. Billington discussed the Recording Registry, saying, “This latest list of selections showcases the diverse beauty, humanity and artistry found in the American soundscape.

The Library’s Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation will partner with many individuals and organizations to preserve and sustain these significant examples of our creative spirit so that they can inform and enrich the lives of modern and future generations.” Congratulations Mr. Palmieri - you deserve this honor and much, much more! This is reason to celebrate - check out the full press release http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2010/10-116.html.

Podcaster Jason Crane delivered another outstanding episode in his series of great jazz interviews this past week, as The Jazz Session focused upon Argentinean pianist Emilio Solla. Crane discusses a variety of topics with Solla, including his thoughts on Tango Jazz and his recent album Bien Sur. The Jazz Session recently passed 600,000 downloads, certainly a milestone and testament to the admirable work that Crane is doing. So don’t hesitate, download his interview with Solla http://thejazzsession.com/2010/06/21/the-jazz-session-179-emilio-solla/.

Summer marks the arrival of jazz festival around the world, big and small, giving us all an opportunity to enjoy the music that we love in some of the best venues possible. Journalist Peter Hum has been covering the Ottawa Jazz Festival in detail, providing insights into what looks like a major festival that I would love to check out one day. One of his recent festival highlights involved a performance from Brazilian Jazz vocalist Joyce Moreno, an important voice in the music’s history. Sounded like a great show - get Hum’s thoughts. http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/jazzblog/archive/2010/06/25/joyce-at-the-2010-ottawa-jazzfest-concert-review.aspx.

Time is running short to show your support for Afro-Peruvian Jazz by contributing to trumpet player Gabriel Alegria’s Kickstarter campaign! You can donate as little as $10 to their cause - or as much as you’d like. Each level of contribution comes with an attached reward, ranging from unreleased recordings to a personal concert from the sextet. There’s really no time to waste - with less than 15 days left to contribute - NOW’S THE TIME! So head over to Alegria’s Kickstarter site and donate now!

Video from the 2010 Denton Arts & Jazz Festival

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tierney Sutton

Born: June 28, 1963
In a world of overnight sensations, jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton’s success has come from the road less traveled. A decision in the mid ’90s to move to Southern California from her New England home resulted in a decade-long collaboration with her current band mates. A Wisconsin-born choir girl, unexposed to jazz until college, Tierney eventually found the best of the best--collaborators with their own impressive jazz pedigrees, from Natalie Cole to Diana Krall, from Ray Charles to Randy Brecker--pianist Christian Jacob, bassists Trey Henry and Kevin Axt, and drummer Ray Brinker.

Ten years and six critically acclaimed CDs later, Tierney and her band demonstrate what collective consultation and dedicated teamwork can achieve. Reviewers repeatedly say that audiences experience a rare and powerful harmony, achieved by humble performers at the top of their game. The road less traveled in an impatient world.
A versatile studio singer as well as premiere entertainer, Tierney’s voice was recently featured on Lions Gate’s hit film The Cooler, starring William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin. She can also be heard in Paramount’s Twisted, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Andy Garcia and Ashley Judd. And in 2004, Tierney and her band scored the independent feature film Blue in Green, which was released by the Unica Project. Tierney’s unique voice is also regularly featured in commercials representing such organizations as BMW, Coca Cola, Dodge and J.C. Penney.

Educated at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Tierney became a semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Vocal Competition in 1998. Her first solo CD, Introducing Tierney Sutton (1999), was released to rave reviews and nominated for a 1999 Indie Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.
Complete on  >  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=4739


Live performance with Ray Brinker drums; Christian Jacob piano; and Kevin Axt bass

Art in Honolulu and beyond... Art, creativity, and finding my own voice through art

Wishes
Divination board, Yoruba peoples, possibly Owo region, Nigeria, Late 19th to early 20th century, Wood


According to Wikimedia, "For serious problems, the Yoruba go to an ifa diviner to consult Orunmila, the god of fate. A numerical pattern is obtained and recorded on the divination board. The diviner then recites the verses related to the numerical pattern." Two things. First, that in many cultures, there is the link between numbers and destiny (for example, numerology, birth dates in astrology, certain numbers being cursed or divine, etc.) Second is the pattern. And is that not what physics seeks to find? Patterns? Formulas to predict an action, a mathematical relation to things in the universe.

And that is essentially what physics has always sought to predict or divine: the future. I wish someone had put it to me that way years ago. I think I might have chosen to become a physicist. Instead, we were just taught the inane... parts of equations, waves, particles, etc., but never a mention of the real goal, the true reason behind it all.

You see, even though we claim to be "modern," and we like to think that what divides us from periods in the past which were fraught with superstitious behavior, the fact is, we are all still searching for the same thing as someone a thousand years ago, asking the same questions.

Where does our future lie? Our solution is to go about it in a scientific fashion. We will use those same numbers, but now we plug them into new equations and try to find new patterns. We have not changed all that much, have we? We think that if only we could determine all the variables, then we would finally not be troubled anymore about what lay ahead. But then, where would be the surprise, the fun?

It's a funny thing, in years past, I would imagine something or think, wouldn't it be funny if... and then maybe a little later, that exact thing would happen. It seems strange. When I was about ten, I used to play with the globe in my father's study and I would spin it around and think about the countries in the world. The countries were colored in yellow, pink, purple, and orange. I always thought the smaller countries looked more inviting than the larger ones.

They seemed as if they would be more friendly places to visit because you could probably walk around them easily. (In those days, I had also a fantasy of walking everywhere. I even thought it would be fun to be a walking mail person because then I would get to walk in the sunshine and say hello to everyone instead of sitting in an office under florescent lights.

I would be outside in the middle of the day while everyone else was locked away at work.) Anyway, the smaller countries seemed more walkable and I wanted to visit these little places and walk around picking wildflowers. One day, I was just spinning the globe and I thought, I'm going to stop the globe and wherever my finger lands, I am going to live there when I grow up. I landed in Hawaii. And, years later, here I am.

Then, years and years ago, one odd day, I was talking to my friend R-- and we were talking about what we would do with our lives and I said, if only I could paint, then I wouldn't have to get a real job... (what a goal..!!)

So... what I mean is, do we make these things happen? I'm certainly not a planner. I don't plan out my life very well at all. In fact, I would say, life happens, opportunities come up, people... arrive. Is that the way of the world? Or is this at some level one's subconscious driving our decisions, however small, towards some direction that we may have wished for long ago?
http://delineatingart.blogspot.com/2010/06/wishes.html

Hank O’Neal: Chasing Ghosts

Interview with author and photographer Hank O’Neal about his book The Ghosts of Harlem

By Lee Mergner

The term “Renaissance Man” hardly does justice to the life and work of Hank O’Neal. Born in Texas, O’Neal served in the U.S. Army, worked for the CIA, ran a record label with the legendary producer John Hammond and another on his own (Chiaroscuro), created and developed the jazz cruise concept, owned a recording studio, produced records, assisted noted artistic photographers, became a prolific photographer himself and finally wrote and compiled numerous books. We may have left something out, but O’Neal’s reputation as a creative polymath has been sufficiently buttressed.

His latest project in print is a massive volume called The Ghosts of Harlem (Vanderbilt University Press), in which O’Neal looks nostalgically at the Harlem jazz scene through the eyes of the musicians who created it. He spoke at length with JT about his life in and around the world of jazz and photography.
 
You’ve had such a multi-faceted career – as a photographer, record producer, recording engineer, cruise and festival promoter, and writer – I don’t even know where to begin and how to end. What do you say when people ask you what you do for a living?
A little bit of this and a little bit of that. I haven’t had a full-time job since 1976. It’s been everything. As it stands right now, the vast bulk of it is in photography and writing with an occasional musical sideline. I’m starting to post two complete books in a serialization of them on my web site. They’ve already been written. The idea behind that is to start getting it out there, seeing how many hits there are. And then saying to the podunk publisher, this is what you could have.

What was the first piece of jazz writing that you did?
I was a senior in high school. I wrote my senior paper on Dizzy Gillespie.

What grade did you get?
An A-minus or something like that. How lucky am I? Sometime in the late ‘80s, I got to show it to him [Dizzy]. He loved it. It had a picture or cartoon of him that I had clipped out of some magazine or newspaper.

How’s it read to you now?
It sucks. When you’re a senior in high school, it all sucks. I didn’t know anything. I don’t know much now, but I know a little more than I did then. When I was thrust into the CIA in 1963, I was supposed to be a regular CIA guy, but something funny happened. I was pulled out of training because somebody had quit in another division.
They wanted me to fill this person’s position even though I wasn’t a 45-year old PhD. I had taken African Studies in college and they put me in the office of National Estimates. As a result, that meant from that point on, most of the stuff that I was doing would have an ultimate end as something that was written. The reason I never finished my Master’s was because I was writing my Master’s thesis on South Africa and it turned out that I was sitting in an all-source office with every piece of information I ever could have possibly wanted to know about South Africa. I was writing national intelligence estimates on South Africa. So I never finished the thesis.

In terms of the first jazz stuff, the first thing that turned out to be a book was the Eddie Condon book. It was called the Eddie Condon Scrapbook of Jazz. Eddie was one of the first people I got to know in New York City. His wife had kept all this stuff under the bed in shirtboxes. There were just thousands of pictures and photographs and articles and we turned it into a scrapbook. That was the first one.

From there I went on with the same publisher to my first big photography book, called A Vision Shared, also from St. Martin’s Press. It was a history of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and all the photographers who worked for that. It was Walker Evans, Russell Lee, Dorothea Lange and all those people. It turned out very well because I got to work with all the photographers and/or their widows or widowers.
Ben Shahn and Dorothea Lange were dead by then but I got to work with everyone else. Bernarda Bryson Shahn [Ben Shahn’s widow] wrote the introduction to my book and Paul Taylor, Dorothea Lange’s husband, wrote the conclusion. That started a precedent to always have an interesting person do the foreword if you possibly could. In the case of the Condon book, we used John Steinbeck, but he didn’t really do it for that book. It was a long letter that Steinbeck had written once. The most recent one has Charles Rangel doing it and it’s rather charming.
Complete on http://jazztimes.com/sections/author/articles/26209-hank-o-neal-chasing-ghosts

Berklee to Hold Auditions in Kenya

Berklee to Hold Auditions in Kenya

Africa Scholars Program brings outreach and opportunity to the world beyond Boston

 

By Elena Gooray

Eight thousands miles away from its Boston home base, Berklee College is looking to expand its influence on the contemporary music scene. Between June 28 and July 5, representatives of the school will be in Nairobi, Kenya auditioning and conducting workshops with regional musicians for its Africa Scholars Program, one component of Berklee’s ongoing outreach in the East African nation.

 

For the program, musicians across the continent are invited to demonstrate skill in their principal instrument — which can be vocals — to a team of Berklee faculty. The faculty then selects the best candidates for the program and forwards their evaluations to the scholarship office, where the final selections are made. Although the majority of applicants will receive partial tuition awards, one applicant will be named the 2010 Africa Scholar and have full tuition and housing covered for all four years at Berklee.

 

ASP qualifies as one of the Berklee’s auditioning and interviewing programs, otherwise known as A&I, which targets a wide range of both American and international locations such as India, Finland and Ecuador. However, while typical A&I is open only to students who have already applied to Berklee, ASP aims to attract musicians who may not have seriously considered the school because of financial constraints, according to Sam Skau, assistant director of Educational Outreach for International Programs. In evaluating ASP applicants, Skau said, Berklee faculty considers both “musical merit and financial need.”

Skau emphasized that ASP’s reach goes beyond the awarding of financial scholarships, extending further to the development of locally run music education in Kenya. During the Nairobi trip, Berklee is hosting a forum with 30 to 35 local music educators to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing arts programs, as well as how Berklee addresses music education in general. The college has also been selecting faculty members to send to Nairobi’s Brookhouse School, which in the past year launched its B-Tech music curriculum, a program parallel to Berklee’s own contemporary writing and production major.
Complete on http://jazztimes.com/sections/news/articles/26218-berklee-to-hold-auditions-in-kenya

Drawn to the Music

JOEL PERESMAN

Chief executive, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation
AGE 53
HOMETOWN Pittsburgh
HOBBIES Reading, New York City history and tennis

I’VE always loved music. I remember saving 63 cents when I was 6 so my mother could buy me my first single, and my older sisters bringing home Beatles and Rolling Stones albums, which I listened to endlessly. Unfortunately, after several years of trumpet and guitar lessons, it was evident that I had no musical talent. Still, I knew I wanted to be around music.

I went to the University of Texas at Austin, where I received a degree in finance. During the summers, I worked for a concert promoter in Pittsburgh, my hometown, and during the school year I embraced and was inspired by Austin’s vibrant music scene.

My father was a merchandise manager for Gimbels, the department store, in Pittsburgh. A week after I graduated from college in 1978, I went with him to New York to try to set up meetings with the limited contacts I had. By chance, one of his vendors mentioned that his cousin was the songwriter Sammy Cahn and that he would call him.

I went to Sammy’s office in Manhattan. There were pictures of him with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. I told him I liked the idea of working for a booking agency. He picked up the phone and called Lou Weiss, head of the William Morris Agency in New York at the time. Lou told me to come right over. They offered me a position a week later.
Complete on > http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/jobs/27boss.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

'Pocket Full Of Soul' Explores The Harmonica's History

The harmonica was originally crafted in the 1800s as an instrument to play German folk songs. But when it made its way to the U.S., it was merely considered a toy — that is, until the Harmonicats' 1947 hit "Peg o' My Heart" exposed its musical capabilities.
Photo > Magic Dick of The J. Geils Band.

Pocket Full of Soul is a new documentary exploring the history of the harmonica and its greatest players, living and dead. Filmmaker Marc Lempert says he was struck by how omnipresent the instrument is in a variety of genres, including rock 'n' roll, blues and jazz. "You can step back and throw a dart at a style of music," he says, "and at some point, you're going to find a harmonica in it."

Pocket Full of Soul is built around the history of the blues harmonica before and after Little Walter, a legendary player and — Lampert says — a genius. He compares Walter's impact on the harmonica to Frank Sinatra's impact on singing. Harp player Magic Dick of The J. Geils Band says he agrees that Walter was revolutionary.

"Before Little Walter, blues harmonica was more of a folk instrument," he says. "Little Walter had the sonic conception of playing it through an amplifier." After years dedicated to playing the harmonica, Magic Dick says the instrument indeed represents a pocket full of soul.

Lempert adds, "It's that place where these people have taken the instrument and made it a part of themselves. And through it, they are able to communicate everything that they are about. That's the beauty of the instrument: It allows the players to talk."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128112256&ft=1&f=10002

Jazz Musician of the Day: Michel Benebig

Born: June 27, 1964
Michel Benebig was born in Noumea, New Caledonia - South-Pacific in June 27, 1964.

Michel started played bass-guitar, accordéon and keyboards in dancing bands at age 11. He studied classical piano from 16 to 26 yers old, at the Noumea Music-School (ETM), then in France (C.N.R de Besancon from 1990 to 1992). Michel started playing the B3Hammond-organ in June 1992, as a self-taught musician, he taught himself how to play foot-pedal bass and Jazz-Organ technics... Michel Bénébig mett the greatest Jazz & Blues organists like : Jimmy Mc Griff ( Atlanta - Georgia USA )in february 1995 and the legendary and 'Incredible' Jimmy Smith ( Oakland - California USA ) in January 1996, Rhoda Scott ( Nouméa - New Calédonia ) in May 1996, December 1996 and October 1998.. Michel did performed with great Jazz-musicians like : Bruce Forman ( guitar ), Lewis Nash ( drums ), Tony Monaco ( organ ),Randy Johnston ( guitar ) and many more...

Michel Benebig is a professional Jazz & Blues organist, fondator of the “AMJ-BECA” ( Association des Musiciens de Jazz & Blues pour les Echanges et la Création Artistique ), Artistique Director of 'YAARI', composer and band leader...

Press Quotes
Article from 'Bernies Music Land' Melbourne - Australia 2007.

Hammond Organist, Michel Benebig

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Michel Benebig is an awesome Hammond organ player. It’s not hard to see why guys like Jimmy Smith were happy to hang out with him, or that Tony Monaco considers him a close personal friend. Not only can this guy play, but he really is one hell of a nice person.

After sending hundreds of emails in regards to setting up a tour for Michel, the day finally came and he arrived at the store. He wasn’t tired at all. He just wanted to sink his teeth into the New B-3 and that he did. I was awestruck as he played all the classic Hammond language with precision and ease. It was really good for me to see that skill up close. I only get to hear it on CD, but Michel has actually met the masters and learned straight from the source. We hung out and talked a bit about Hammond players and Hammond playing and all the other stuff musicians rave on about, then it was time to leave.

Sunday morning at 9am, I arrived at Michel’s hotel to pick up him and Vaughn Roberts (a fine trumpeter from out friendly neighboring New Zealand) and take them to radio 3PBS headquarters in Collingwood for a live-to-air performance. Far too early for me, considering I’d had a gig the night before and got home somewhere in the vicinity of 3am. Still, it had to be done and we had great fun. Mike Jordan and Adam Simmons were there ready to go and off they went. Straight to air without a rehearsal. Michel had brought the sheet music to his original tunes and handed them out to the guys and they had no problems reading and interpreting what Michel’s ideas were. I love professional musicians!
Continue on:  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=3025

Elmo Hope

Born: June 27, 1923

Died: March 19, 1967
This profile was inspired by an exceptional article here on All About Jazz by Derek Taylor called “St. Elmo’s Fire” where he focuses and expands on Elmo Hope’s music and recordings.

St. Elmo Sylvester Hope was born in New York on June 27, 1923, began piano studies by age seven and went on to win prizes for his piano recitals. He was a childhood friend of Bud Powell, and Thelonious Monk and they would play piano for each other. He continued to play and improve and upon his return from the army in 1943, he dedicated his life to jazz piano, paying his dues in small clubs in the Bronx, Greenwich Village, and Coney Island.

There were recording sessions while he was working with ex-Lionel Hampton trumpeter Joe Morris between 1948 and 1951, but that didn’t really garner much exposure. It was not until June of ’53 where dates with Lou Donaldson and Clifford Brown for Blue Note started to give Elmo Hope a name in jazz circles. He followed quickly with some sessions as leader, and another with Frank Foster, both for Prestige.

There were further Prestige sides cut with top players as John Coltrane, Donald Byrd, with Paul Chambers bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. These were originally called “Informal Jazz”, but as Coltrane became a bigger name the title was changed and Hope became regulated to the role of sideman.

His piano style was overshadowed by the growing popularity of both Powell and Monk, and though he was in there since the beginning of the bebop movement, he was compared to and judged against the other two. His cabaret license was pulled for a previous drug conviction and this severely limited where he could work if at all. This would start a cycle of disillusionment and frustration that would hound him all his life.

California seemed like the place to try it next, and so in 1957 he went west with Chet Baker. Hope was suffering from respiratory aliments, and the dry climate suited him just fine. There was a brief spell working with Lionel Hampton, then joining Harold Land, with whom he recorded “The Fox” in ’59, followed by a session with his own trio.

He married in California in 1960, and was at least happy and healthy. But there was not much work out on the coast for a bebop pianist, and he grew restless again. So it was back to New York, where in ’61 he recorded “Homecoming” (Riverside) with Blue Mitchell, Jimmy Heath, and Frank Foster, these sessions included Percy Heath on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums, who were on his trio sides at this time. There was a solo piano effort where he was joined by his wife Bertha, also a pianist. There were a couple of more recordings in ’61 for the Celebrity and Beacon labels, which were remakes of some of his older material.

Elmo Hope would reemerge in 1963 to record “Sounds from Riker’s Island” (Audio-fidelity) and it was not until 1966 he would record two more as a trio for the same label. These last two were released years later, as many of his recordings were, in a posthumous revival of his music, heralded as a cult figure in the shadows of bebop. In 1967 he was hospitalized with pneumonia, and consequently suffered a heart attack. Elmo Hope died on May 19, 1967.

I intentionally did not dwell too much on the negative aspect of Elmo Hope’s life. Just shedding a brief light on a pianists short career, in the tough world of bebop jazz in the ‘40’s and ‘50’s where there were not many who survived the rigors of the lifestyle and the demands of the music. A lot of players, not just pianists, fell by the wayside, but the music lives on, and we are all better for it.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=7735

Max Weinberg Big Band jazzes up Newport

By RICHARD CHANG
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
One of America's best known rock drummers took a decidedly jazzy turn Friday night at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach's outdoor amphitheater.

Max Weinberg, the percussionist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band for 36 years and leader of Conan O'Brien's two late-night TV bands, brought his 14-piece jazz outfit to Newport to kick off the hotel's 2010 summer jazz series

The Max Weinberg Big Band borrowed heavily from the Count Basie Orchestra's playbook and delivered an evening of quality, straight-ahead jazz, quickly allaying any fears that it was going to be a smooth jazz kind of night.

The horn-heavy band (no guitars) opened Friday night's concert with "This Could Be the Start of Something Big," the theme from Steve Allen's "Tonight Show." The Weinberg band also performed the Count Basie Orchestra's arrangements of "Come Fly With Me" and "Walk Don't Run."

Weinberg's group consisted of four trumpeters, three trombone players, two tenor saxophonists, two alto saxophonists, a baritone sax player, a pianist and an upright bass player. Each band member got an opportunity to solo, and together they sounded bright, tight and well-rehearsed.

Weinberg, looking a little grayer and sporting a graying beard, nonetheless appeared content banging away on his drum kit and leading his new band, which he informally calls his "third act." He graciously thanked the audience and introduced most numbers with a little story or explanation.

The Weinberg Big Band performed the "M. Squad Theme," written by Count Basie and arranged by Benny Carter. The tune for the 1957-60 TV series was layered with fantastic horn solos, including a particularly jammin' one by Jon Gordon on alto sax.

In case the audience hadn't had enough of Count Basie, the Weinberg outfit did a suite of Beatles tunes as arranged by the Basie Orchestra – "Help!," "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" and "Kansas City," the last being a rock 'n' roll standard that the Beatles covered.

Surprisingly, the Weinberg Big Band made "Help!" and the other songs swing. Brandon Wright did a fine job on tenor, Ed Neumeister offered some cool licks on trombone, and Seneca Black spiced up the night on trumpet.

The big band did yet another Count Basie Orchestra arrangement, "The Kid from Red Bank," an up-tempo tune that allowed Danny Fox to shine on piano. I should mention that Carlitos del Puerto, originally from Havana, Cuba, excelled throughout the night on upright bass.

After a jazzed-up version of Ray Charles' countrified "I Can't Stop Loving You," Weinberg paused to acknowledge a special guest in the audience, Hubert Laws. It wasn't entirely clear whether he was invited or if he simply showed up on his own. However, Weinberg wanted folks to know one of the great jazz flutists of all time was present.

That was a nice segue into "The Swingin' Shepherd Blues," which featured Wright and Joey Berkley on flute. I must say, I was more impressed with their sax playing, but they didn't sound bad.

The big band offered tasty renditions of "Mr. Lucky," a Henry Mancini composition; "Parthenia," written by Shelly Manne; and "Only the Lonely," made popular by Frank Sinatra. The latter was perhaps the most mellow and soulful moment of the night, with Gordon on alto sax offering some sorrow and impressive range.

Weinberg expressed particular fondness for drumming legend Buddy Rich, and led his band through Rich numbers "Critic's Choice" and "Bugle Call Rag." It was during these tunes that Weinberg punched out a couple of snazzy drum solos, proving to everyone he's still got it.

The Weinberg Big Band closed its show with, you guessed it, a Springsteen song. It was an oldie, "Kitty's Back," from the Boss' second album, "The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle." The high-energy arrangement was actually done by Brian Pareschi, who plays trumpet for Weinberg's Big Band. Friday's jazz-rock version was a fitting end to a night of satisfying, well-executed music.

The Hyatt Regency's summer jazz series continues through Oct. 1. Visit summerjazzseries.com for details.
http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/weinberg-255203-band-big.html

Dave Pell with Med Flory Band Play the Backroom at Henri's

DAVE PELL - MED FLORY BAND
SUNDAY, JULY 11 SHOWS 8 PM & 10 PM

Dave Pell tenor
Med Flory alto
Frank Capp drums
Richard Simon bass
Frank Strazerri piano
Featuring young tenor star
Chloe Feoranzo

Henri's Back Room, 21601 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91303
(818) 348-5582

Pete Quaife, a Bassist for the Kinks

Pete Quaife, a bassist who joined forces with two schoolmates to form the Kinks, one of the leading rock bands of the 1960s British Invasion, died on Wednesday in Herlev, Denmark. He was 66. The cause was kidney failure, a spokeswoman for the band said.

Born Peter Alexander Greenlaw Quaife on Dec. 31, 1943, he went to William Grimshaw Secondary Modern School in North London with Ray and Dave Davies, and the three began playing music together in 1961, with a succession of drummers. Ray was the frontman and Dave played lead guitar. They went through several names, including the Ravens, before settling on the Kinks in early 1964, with Mick Avory on drums. After two failed singles the band struck gold that August with You Really Got Me.

The song reached No. 1 in Britain and No. 7 in the United States, catapulting the young band to the fore of the British scene, and the abrasive guitar distortion on You Really Got Me and its follow-up, All Day and All of the Night which Dave Davies made by slicing his amplifier with a razor helped start a thousand garage bands. The Kinks were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Pete, Ray and me were the original band, Dave Davies said in a statement on Friday. We might never have done any of this without him. The band continued to score British hits throughout the 1960s, yet had only sporadic success in the United States, where a four-year dispute with the American Federation of Musicians prevented it from touring for most of the late 1960s.

Within the group, Mr. Quaife was sometimes called the ambassador for his ability to break up the Davies brothers regular brawls. But eventually the Kinks bickering and frustrations forced him out.

Mr. Quaife left the band for part of 1966 when he was injured in a car accident, but by 1969, after playing on the albums The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society and Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), he quit for good. He was replaced by John Dalton.
Continue on http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=59156

David Weiss and Point of Departure - Snuck In (Sunnyside, 2010)

To name your band after one of the defining albums of modern jazz raises the stakes for success quite high. Fortunately trumpeter Davis Weiss and his band Point of Departure (presumably named after the 1964 Blue Note masterpiece by pianist and composer Andrew Hill) are more than up to the task. Point of Departure is composed of J.D. Allen on tenor sax, Nir Felder on guitar, Matt Clohesy on bass and Jamire Williams on drums.

The band echoes the wonderful inside/outside albums that Blue Note released in the mid 1960's by the likes of Eric Dolphy, Bobby Hutcherson and Sam Rivers, and takes the music into the modern age with class and dignity. Recorded live at the Jazz Standard in New York City in 2008, the music is very powerful, with both the ensemble playing and the solos reach for high levels of creativity

The album opens with "I Have a Dream" which features strong saxophone and great drum work, followed by probing guitar over bass and drums. Felder has a interesting tone which flows like a neon stream before giving way to dramatic exchange of ideas between punchy trumpet and strong saxophone. Williams deft drum work is the key, he is constantly pulling and flexing the fabric of the music, and altering the space and time of the performances.

"Black Comedy" has a strong and urgent melody with muscular saxophone and drums leading the charge. Weiss enters like a prize-fighter, with jabbing and throbbing and driving the music forward. Clocking in at nearly twenty minutes in length, the epic "Number 4" again features wonderful dialogue between Allen and Williams who really lock in and inspire each other to flights of musical daring. The leader slows the pace a bit in the middle with some smeared trumpet accents, before rebuilding fast and strong.

Willams takes a well earned solo and ushers the punchy melody back for the finale. "Erato" slows the pace to a thoughtful medium tempo simmer, and Allen takes advantage by crafting a patient and deep solo. There is a very nice interlude here for guitar and drums with Williams demonstrating deft brushwork, which Felder probes around and through.

Spirited full band interplay ushers in "Snuck In," the final track on the album. Weiss takes a fast and powerful solo buoyed by excellent drumming, before Allen takes the mantle with an excellent showpiece of his own. This was a very exciting and continually enjoyable album of modern jazz. The group takes their inspiration from the innovators of the past, but it is clear that their sound is their own and their musical mission is finely crafted and honed to a beautiful edge.
http://jazzandblues.blogspot.com/2010/06/david-weiss-and-point-of-departure.html

Fred Anderson dies at the age of 81

Fred Anderson, the father and the heart of Chicago's free jazz scene, died at the age of 81 from a heart attack.

Anderson is one of my favorite musicians, as regular readers will know. He was an avant-garde player, yet his playing was always full of deepfelt soul, full of blues, and funk at times, rhythmic in his phrasing, emotional and spiritual.

Fred Anderson was one of the founders of the Association for the Advancement Of Creative Musicians (AACM) in Chicago. He was one of the most important figures of the Chicago free jazz scene, with his own club, The Velvet Lounge, where he mostly played and recorded. You can find his biography on allmusic.

Here is his discography
1967 Joseph Jarman, Song For (Delmark Records DS-410); also on CD (Delmark Records DD-410).

1968 Joseph Jarman, As If It Were the Seasons (Delmark Records DS-714); also on CD (Delmark Records DD-417).

1977 Neighbours, Accents (EMI-Electrola 06632854).

1978 Fred Anderson Quintet, Another Place (Moers Music 01058).

1979 Fred Anderson Quartet, Dark Day (Message Records 0004).

1984 Fred Anderson, The Missing Link (Nessa Records N-23); also on CD (Nessa Records NCD-23).

1994 Fred Anderson and Steve McCall, Vintage Duets (Okka Disk OD12001).

1995 Fred Anderson Quartet, Birdhouse (Okka Disk OD12007).

1996 Fred Anderson, Marilyn Crispell, and Hamid Drake, Destiny (Okka Disk OD12003).

1997 Fred Anderson/DKV Trio, Fred Anderson/DKV Trio (Okka Disk OD12014).

1997 Fred Anderson, Fred: Chicago Chamber Music (Southport Records S-SSD 0043).

1999 Fred Anderson Trio, Live at the Velvet Lounge (Okka Disk OD12023).

1999 Fred Anderson Quartet, Volume One (Asian Improv Records AIR 0049).

2000 Fred Anderson Quartet, The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1 (Atavistic UMS/ALP 204CD).

2000 Fred Anderson, Hamid Drake, “Kidd” Jordan, and William Parker, 2 Days in April (Eremite Records MTE023/024).

2000 Fred Anderson Quartet, Volume Two (Asian Improv Records AIR 0054).

2001 Fred Anderson Quartet, Dark Day + Live in Verona (Atavistic UMS/ALP 218CD).

2001 Robert Barry and Fred Anderson, Duets 2001 (Thrill Jockey THRILL 101)

2001 Fred Anderson, On the Run: Live at the Velvet Lounge (Delmark Records DG-534).

2003 Fred Anderson, Back at the Velvet Lounge (Delmark Records DG-549).

2004 Fred Anderson and Hamid Drake, Back Together Again (Thrill Jockey THRILL 139); with companion video CD.

2005 Fred Anderson, Hamid Drake, and William Parker, Blue Winter (Eremite Records MTE047/048).

2006 Fred Anderson, Harrison Bankhead, and Hamid Drake, Timeless: Live at the Velvet Lounge (Delmark Records DE-568); also on DVD (Delmark DE-1568).
2007 Fred Anderson and Hamid Drake, From the River to the Ocean (Thrill Jockey THRILL 183).

2007 Fred Anderson and Harrison Bankhead, The Great Vision Concert (Ayler Records aylCD-052).

2007 Irene Schweizer, Fred Anderson, and Hamid Drake, Willisau & Taktlos (Intakt Records INTAKT CD 104).

2007 Territory Band 6 with Fred Anderson, Collide (Okka Disk OD12090).

2008 Fred Anderson Quartet, Volume Three (Asian Improv Records AIR 0074).

2008 Matana Roberts, The Chicago Project (Central Control International 6).

2009 Fred Anderson Trio, Birthday Live 2000 (Asian Improv Records AIR 0075).

2009 Fred Anderson Trio, A Night at the Velvet Lounge: Made in Chicago 2007 (Estrada Poznańska MIC01).

2009 Fred Anderson, Staying in the Game (Engine Studios e029).

2009 Fred Anderson, 21st Century Chase: 80th Birthday Bash, Live at the Velvet Lounge (Delmark Records DE-589); also on DVD (Delmark DE-1589).

2010 Fred Anderson, Black Horn Long Gone (Southport Records S-SSD 0128).

no date Art Ensemble of Chicago with Fred Anderson, Peace Be Unto You: Live in Seattle (AECO 0013LE).

He recorded a lot, and last year several albums and a DVD were released to celebrate his 80th birthday.

My favorite albums are "Blue Winter", with William Parker and Hamid Drake, and "The Milwaukee Tapes, Vol. 1", but most of his albums are easy to recommend. His style of playing is quite his own, very recognizable and often within the same stylistic range. The second video below gives a nice example of this. So deep, so real, so much him.
We will miss him and his music.

Thank you, Fred

Lunch Gig: Royal Academy of Music Junior JAZZ Course + Special Guest SOWETO KINCH

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is proud to present this exciting concert by the next generation of young jazz musicians. This event comes after four successful years of the Junior Jazz course since its formation in 2003.

All three of the courses current ensembles will be performing contemporary and classic jazz repertoire and the senior band will be welcoming a special guest soloist, the renowned saxophonist Soweto Kinch, to perform alongside them. Bands are led by course director Nick Smart and Simon Colam.

Doors open 12.15, music at 1.00 – 3.30 and the restaurant is open throughout the concert.

Featuring:
•LUNCH GIG: ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC JUNIOR JAZZ COURSE + SPECIAL GUEST SOWETO KINCH
http://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/performances/view/296-lunch-gig-royal-academy-of-music-junior-jazz-course-special-guest-soweto-kinch

A Musical Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald ... "Lush Life" ... presented by Gill Manly....

A Musical Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald ... "Lush Life" ... presented by Gill Manly , Support: The Ronnie Scotts All Stars

Monday 28th June - Tuesday 29th June

GILL MANLY SINGS ELLA FITZGERALD “LUSH LIFE”

In 2009 GILL MANLY released her first recording since 1995 on the Linn Record Label. The album was entitled “With A Song in My Heart” and was Gill’s personal reflection on the work of the consummate jazz singer of the 20th century Ella Fitzgerald.

"Now she is back with an album that is easily one of the best vocal efforts of the past 12 months."

CLIVE DAVIS - THE TIMES

"In “With a Song in My Heart” Gill Manly has achieved a fantastic piece work. The album is like a good book which you can’t put down till you’ve reached the last page. And having reached the last page, leaves you wanting more ." SEMPRE AUDIO

“Manly's power and grace are (gratifyingly) rooted elsewhere: in the era of classic jazz inhabited by the likes of Hampton, Jacquet, Gillespie and Ellington, as well as Ella, Billie and Sarah. Warmly recommended.” CHRIS PARKER

Following this release the Jazz world sat up and took notice again of a singer who having deserted the scene for some 7 years and amongst other things sang for the Dalai Lama and ran a café in a park. Since then Gill has wowed audiences from the Purcell Room to her sell-out seasons at Ronnies with her Portrait of Nina Simone.

“Fiercely launching into ‘Mood Indigo,’ this told the audience one thing: “I mean business!” She immediately demonstrated her massive range and the incredible drama that she brings to her delivery. She is a great singer – capable of singing with a catalogue of emotions in just an 8-bar phrase.” SARAH-ELLEN HUGHES

“Overall it was a terrific show. Their rapport couldn’t be faulted. The delivery was charming, the vocals outstanding. And the relentless applause which brought them back to the stage three times said it all.” LONDON JAZZ BLOG

“An assured and accomplished singer, and richly deserved the standing ovation received from a full house. “ CHRIS PARKER

Expect a trio of world class quality to accompany Gill as she leads you gently and charmingly through the Ella Fitzgerald smooth classics, With A Song in My Heart, September Song, Midnight Sun, Bye Bye Blackbird, Love for Sale and many more……
Featuring
•A Musical Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald ... "Lush Life" ... presented by Gill Manly
•Support: The Ronnie Scotts All Stars
 
http://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/performances/view/369-a-musical-portrait-of-ella-fitzgerald-andquotlush-lifeandquot-presented-by-gill-manly

Herbie Hancock unites pragmatism with progress

Mark Lepage, Canwest News Service

Do you think I look in the mirror and say ‘You’re a legend?’ ” Herbie Hancock asks.
No, but the mirror wouldn’t argue the point. Relaxed and professorial in a Manhattan hotel salon, Hancock drew laughs as he gently zinged the attempted flattery of an ingratiating Italian journalist.

We had gathered for The Imagine Project, an album of recast classics featuring an international musical cast and promoting “peace through global collaboration” — specifically, collaboration between Hancock and major-leaguers Pink, Seal, Dave Matthews, Jeff Beck, John Legend, Wayne Shorter, India.Aire, and a global who’s-who: Oumou Sangare (Mali), Konono No 1 (Congo), the Chieftains and Lisa Hannigan (Ireland), Juanes (Colombia), Ceu (Brazil), K.S. Chithra (India) and K’Naan (Somalia/Canada).
Imagine there’s no countries … or imagine all of them.

Stylistically, with a light-footed AfroCarib beat behind the title track, or a kora and the Chieftains behind Bob Dylan’s lyrics, the album flows from Hancock’s native omnivorousness and that one-world concept. It has potentially broad appeal — hence the New York news conference with heavily accented foreign journalists from Spain, Italy, Ireland and Mexico.
“This is the 21st century now, we don’t need to think ‘nationally’ anymore,” Hancock says. “We need to be open enough to respect cultures outside [our] own. I thought, ‘How many ways could I implement that?’ ”

“One of the ways — it hit me like a ton of bricks one day — is language.” And so, vocals include Irish Gaelic, Hindi and Bambara.

“In Buddhism, they say if you try to do something for the greater good, there’s no question that you’ll get obstacles,” the 70-year-old jazzman says. “Boy, did I get obstacles.”
Sting, Elton John and the Black Eyed Peas had all been possibilities who fell through for logistical reasons.
Scheduling was lunacy. And given the nature of the recording — which took place in seven countries — he never even met Track 9 singer James Morrison, “not even on the phone.” Those details were left to producer Larry Klein.
The music presented a more recognizable landscape. Since “jazz players don’t have any untouchable songs,” he was free to go after The Times They Are A-Changin’ and A Change Is Gonna Come.
And since we’re speaking of jazz now, the Italian writer tries to float back on a trail of bebop smoke to Hancock’s early days in the bohemian era, when everyone struck moody poses in the lone spotlight, and contrast it with current state of jazz that “looks like a business.”
“The way you look at it is very romantic, but it’s not real,” Hancock says.

“When I first started off, if you played with a trumpet player and a saxophone player, they had one mic. The piano had one mic that they stuck somewhere. No monitors. The singer had one — if there was a singer.” So no faux nostalgia here.
“I’ve been playing jazz so long I don’t have to think about it.”

When he does think about it, however, he thinks of former mentor Miles Davis.
“You asked me about missing Miles? I get that question a lot. I don’t feel like I’m missing him because I don’t feel like he’s gone anywhere. He feels present.”

“Miles never told us what to play. Never. In five-and-a-half years.” He then tells a story that seems to contradict it, but also affirms it.
During a gig, Davis tells Hancock to “put a B in the bass” on his keyboard. Hancock does, but can’t make it work with the piece. He fiddles around, finds an alternative, makes it cohere. Miles leans in and croaks “See?” “If I didn’t have that jazz background, I couldn’t make a record like [The Imagine Project],” he says, citing the freedom, courage and “being in the moment.”
So the jazz will be present and progressive, purists be damned. His upcoming dates at jazz festivals in Montreal and Ottawa will feature a first half of earlier material from his jazz/fusion/funk evolution — Actual Proof, Watermelon Man, Court and Spark, a medley of Maiden Voyage, Dolphin Dance, Round Midnight, Cantaloupe Island — and a second half focused on the new record.
He’s hopeful about today’s jazz scene. Despite a rising median audience age, “I’m seeing a lot of new young players emerging from high schools. And they’re good, and they want to play the music.”
And so, sharing in the generous spirit as Hancock hangs around to have lunch and chat with everyone, you’re reminded of another Miles quotation that sums up afternoon, project and career: “Do not fear mistakes. There are none.”

Read more > :http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/Herbie+Hancock+unites+pragmatism+with+progress/3197428/story.html

Randy Weston On Piano Jazz

by Grant Jackson
Pianist Randy Weston recently returned to Piano Jazz for a new session with host Marian McPartland. Weston got his start playing with Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and Kenny Dorham in the late 1940s and '50s, and won New Star Pianist in the 1955 Downbeat poll. By the end of that decade, Weston was inspired by the burgeoning civil rights movement in the U.S. and the independence movement among African nations.

Weston incorporated African music into his compositions, and at the end of a 1967 U.S. cultural delegation's tour of Africa, decided to settle in Tangier, Morocco, where the Brooklyn native operated his African Rhythms club for seven years. In this session, Weston performs a set of tunes reminiscent of his African experience, as well as one of his earliest influences, Thelonious Monk.

Weston kicks off the session with his tribute to Monk, "A Ballad for T.," which quotes a few bars from Monk's tunes. As a young man, Weston had the chance to spend time with Monk, and before ever visiting Africa, he'd found connections to the continent in Monk's music.

"My good friend, the bassist Ahmad Abdul-Malik's people were from the Sudan, and he played the oud, which has this thing of playing notes between the notes," Weston says. "I couldn't get that sound on the piano. But when I heard Thelonious Monk play, I heard this same magic on the piano; even his way of swinging had that same element."

"African Lady," part of Weston's 1960 suite Uhuru Africa, incorporates many African elements and contains a lyric penned by Langston Hughes. Weston's solo piano take evokes the African continent: elegant, lush landscapes as well as complex, bustling cities and windswept open country. Fifty years on, the piece still sounds fresh and evocative of the cradle of humankind.

Weston focuses on the African city closest to his heart with "Tanjah" (Arabic for Tangier).

"It's an incredible city," Weston says. "I had a house overlooking the Mediterranean, and I could see Spain on a clear day."

The tune opens with a repetitive, driving bass line and a pounding, Monk-like melody that gives way to a marching rhythm, with an Eastern-flavored figure played by the right hand. It conjures the melting pot of cultures in the city's crowded streets — the sounds and smells — and the wild, dusty landscape beyond the walls. "Little Niles" follows; it's a tune written for Weston's son, later known as Azzedine. This composition also refers to Monk in its playful bounce and angular clusters, but with a bit more drama.

Weston finds a deep connection between the organic character of jazz and the natural world.

"This music is totally in touch with Mother Nature. Mother Nature is always improvising — it's cold, it's hot, it rains, it snows... this music is in touch with the universe." McPartland plays her portrait of Randy Weston, and she has no trouble evoking the towering personality of the 6'8" pianist. Herself no stranger to leaning on the pedals, McPartland sprinkles her trademark sparkle among deep, expansive chords.

The session closes with Weston's composition, "Ifrane," an epic tune from the 1972 album Blue Moses recorded with bassist Ron Carter, drummer Billy Cobham and an ensemble including Grover Washington and Freddie Hubbard. Weston was inspired to write the tune after visiting a ski village in the Atlas Mountains. He plays colorful notes over a monolithic bass line, and the twinkling notes ascend the keyboard to end this week's session high on a North African mountaintop.

Originally recorded May 12, 2009. Originally broadcast June 22, 2010.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128110974&ft=1&f=1039

Red, White & Blues Festival

George Wein's 2010 Newport Folk Festival daily schedule features....

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Presents Contemporary Approach to Traditional New Orleans Sound at Newport Folk Festival on Sunday, August 1

NEWPORT, RI, June 22, 2010 - Of all the acts confirmed for this year's eclectic Newport Folk Festival, perhaps none better personify the 51-year cultural institution than does the New Orleans-based The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, a half-century tradition in its own right.

Under the guidance of founder and producer George Wein, Newport Folk has long The Preservation Hall Jazz Band (Photo Credit: Shannon Brinkman) been known as the granddaddy of all music festivals. And, as they have done in the past, Wein and co-producers Bob Jones and Jay Sweet have spent a lot of time over the last year getting their hands on the current pulse of the music scene.

Over the years, the development of this goal has led to some of the most interesting collaborations, and most profound moments, in the history of modern music. It's no wonder this year's search led them to New Orleans' famed Preservation Hall, a place where, as Louis Armstrong once noted, "you'll find all the greats." Wein's own New Orleans legacy as founder of the world-renowned New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, an accomplishment he notes along with the tradition of Newport Folk as the highlights of his career, ensured they did not have to look too far.

Wein's favorite achievements have always been fundamentally connected. He was responsible for bringing Cajun music, and a piece of New Orleans, to Newport over 50 years ago. It's this continuing tradition that made PHJB a natural fit at the Fort. Whether it's been Balfa, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Dr. John or Ben Jaffe joining Pete Seeger's band for last year's 50th anniversary celebration, the Big Easy influence has always been present at Newport.

"It's fantastic to have The Preservation Hall Jazz Band at the Newport Folk Festival again," said Wein. "They performed in Newport in the early 60's when the band and the festival were first getting started. I met the group's founder, Allan Jaffe, when I first went to New Orleans, years before doing the Jazz & Heritage Festival. Allan was my mentor and guide around the city and through its magnificent cultural history. The band is very much a part of life in New Orleans and it reflects, not only what the city is all about, but what music is all about."

PHJB, much like Newport Folk, has taken a more contemporary approach in presenting the traditional New Orleans sound, recruiting younger players and expanding its repertoire while continuing to hire musicians whose strong links to the Cajun culture assure the music's authenticity.

The combination makes for a multigenerational mix with appeal to a range of musical constituencies, not just aficionados of traditional jazz. Ben Jaffe, current PHJB director and son of founders Allan and Sandra Jaffe, explains, "What we're doing is part of a continuum. Part of a tradition that is now in its fifth and sixth generation."

It's this concept of artistic continuum that makes the bond between Newport Folk and Preservation Hall a very natural fit. As the festival has grown with the passing years, there has been a focus on blending the "old folk" with the "new folk," and the annual lineups and on-site collaborations have not disappointed loyal and new festival goers alike.

The parallels are not lost on members of Preservation Hall - a post-midnight collaboration with Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket, another 2010 Newport Folk artist, at this year's NOLA Jazz Festival ensures that the festival traditions are engrained in the band's history, and leads to anticipation for some exciting performance possibilities at Fort Adams. In fact, James is just one of many Newport Folk artists, past and present, to appear on PHJB's acclaimed collaboration album, Preservation. Others include Andrew Bird, Del McCoury, Pete Seeger, Tao Rodriguez Seeger, Brandi Carlile, Richie Havens, Steve Earle and Cory Chisel.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band began touring in 1963, under the leadership of Allan Jaffe who had pulled the band together two years prior. Many of the band's charter members performed with the pioneers who invented jazz in the early 20th century including Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, and Bunk Johnson.

Band leaders over the band's history include the brothers Willie and Percy Humphrey, husband and wife Billie and De De Pierce, famed pianist Sweet Emma Barrett, and in the modern day Wendell and John Brunious. These founding artists and dozens of others passed on the lessons of their music to a younger generation who now follow in their footsteps, much like the current PHJB lineup - a concept that very much embodies the mission and direction of the Newport Folk Festival.

After kicking off with Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers, Tim O'Brien and Sarah Jarosz on July 30 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at Newport Casino, the 2010 Newport Folk Festival continues July 31 and August 1 at Fort Adams State Park. Tickets and more information are available at http://www.newportfolkfest.net/.

Wein has, since 1959, found Newport a scenic and hospitable venue for presenting the very best of this country's blues, roots, gospel, country, bluegrass, Cajun and traditional folk music. Last year's 50th anniversary edition paid tribute to the great performers who wrote the proud history of this festival, notably co-founder Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Arlo Guthrie and Mavis Staples.

George Wein's New Festival Productions continues to build on the festival's historic past by featuring emerging young artists alongside some of folk music's most venerable names. This year's festival features Levon Helm's Ramble on the Road, John Prine, Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers, Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket, The Swell Season, Andrew Bird, The Avett Brothers, Brandi Carlile, Doc Watson & David Holt, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Calexico, Blitzen Trapper, Richie Havens, Sam Bush, The Low Anthem, Tim O'Brien, The Felice Brothers, Justin Townes Earle, Tao Seeger Band, A.A. Bondy, The Punch Brothers with Chris Thile, Dawes, Nneka, Horse Feathers, Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three, Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore, Sarah Jarosz, Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons, O'Death, What Cheer? Brigade, April Smith & the Great Picture Show and Liz Longley.

TICKETS & OTHER INFORMATION

All tickets are available in Newport at the festival office at Empire Tea & Coffee, 22 Broadway (Tuesdays and Fridays Noon - 4:00 pm, Thursdays 2:00 - 7:00 pm and Saturdays 10:00 am - 1:00 pm); general admission tickets for Fort Adams State Park concerts also are available at the Newport Visitor Information Center, 23 America's Cup Avenue. Festival tickets are available on-line at www.ticketmaster.com or by telephone at (800) 745-3000; service charges apply. For general information, craft vendor information or to leave a message for festival staff, call the festival hotline at (401) 848-5055. For complete festival information, log on to http://www.newportfolkfest.net/.

George Wein's 2010 Newport Folk Festival daily schedule features:

FRIDAY, JULY 30 ~ 8:00 pm
International Tennis Hall of Fame, 194 Bellevue Avenue
Steve Martin & The SteepCanyon Rangers / Tim O'Brien / Sarah Jarosz

SATURDAY, JULY 31 ~ 11:30 am - 7:00 pm
Fort Adams State Park, Harrison Avenue
John Prine / Andrew Bird / Brandi Carlile / The Low Anthem / Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket / Doc Watson & David Holt / Calexico / Dawes / Nneka / O'Death / Liz Longley / Blitzen Trapper / A.A. Bondy / Sam Bush / Horse Feathers / What Cheer? Brigade

SUNDAY, AUGUST 1 ~ 11:30 am - 7:00 pm
Fort Adams State Park, Harrison Avenue
Levon Helm's Ramble on the Road / The Swell Season / The Avett Brothers / Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings / Richie Havens / Justin Townes Earle / Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros / The Preservation Hall Jazz Band / Punch Brothers with Chris Thile / The Felice Brothers / Tao Seeger Band / Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons / Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore / Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three / April Smith & The Great Picture Show