Roseanna Vitro is a storyteller, a jazz singer with a penchant for touching audiences

Roseanna Vitro is a storyteller, a jazz singer with a penchant for touching audiences.

Having toured the world as an esteemed performer, clinician, recording artist, vocal instructor and ambassador, she has proven herself a reigning member of the jazz community. Her collaborations, covering a wide range of music and stylistic directions, have been cited and celebrated, far and wide.

She is a soulful communicator, showcasing a thirst for swinging hard and possessing an ear for melodic invention. Her strengths include rhythmic acuity and free-spirited spontaneity, often heard in her improvisations, using both scat syllables and lyrics.

Ms. Vitro’s signature energy and grace can be heard on a host of recordings, notable among them, her breakout recording on Telarc (Passion Dance), which featured Elvin Jones, Christian McBride and longtime musical partner, Kenny Werner, and compelling tributes to Ray Charles (Catchin’ Some Rays), Bill Evans (Conviction), and Brazil (Tropical Postcards), The Delirium Blues Project: Serve or Suffer on Half Note Records, 2008- is a live, blues-based recording of jazz and pop repertoire featuring Kenny Werner’s arrangements and an all-star band of Kenny Werner, James Carter, Randy Brecker, Ray Anderson, Adam Rogers, John Patitucci, Rocky Bryant, Geoff Countryman.

Roseanna’s latest recording will be released in January 2011 is : Sail Away, the Randy Newman Project, featuring the brilliant compositions of Randy Newman reimagined through the arrangements of Mark Soskin, featuring Sara Caswell on violin, Dean Johnson, Tim Horner, Steve Cardenas, Jamey Haddad. JazzStories featuring Kenny Werner and Roseanna in a duo setting will follow in 2011.



Her band mates – on stage and in the studio – have included Kenny Werner, Fred Hersch, George Coleman, ‘Fathead Newman,’ Eddie Gomez, Arnett Cobb, Elvin Jones, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano, Christian McBride, Eddie Daniels, Joey Baron, Al Foster, Rufus Reid, Buster Williams, Ben Riley, Allen Farnham, Dean Johnson, Tim Horner, Mark Soskin, Sara Caswell, Randy Brecker, Ray Anderson, Adam Rogers, John Patitucci.

Having served as an official Jazz Ambassador, sponsored in 2009 by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. State Department and in 2004 by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the U.S. State Department, she has presented concerts and workshops around the world.

Her celebrated performance in the Jazzaar 2010 – The Aargau Youth Pops Orchestra playing The Great American Songbook, (arranged by Bob Freedman – and Kevin Field conductor in Aarau, Switzerland will be aired on Swiss PBS Concert Series in 2011. The Maribor Philharmonic in Slovenia was a televised Christmas ‘Special’ in Eastern Europe in 2001 . Her studies of Indian vocal technique are documented in an article, “From Bebop To Bombay,” heralded by the International Association For Jazz Education Magazine.

Given her lifelong commitment to the art of jazz singing – exemplified by her myriad of achievements on the bandstand, in the studio, and in classrooms fronting jazz’s next generation – Roseanna displays a heart and a soul rare by any standards. She is a consummate artist whose professional outreach improves us all.

Recordings

The Randy Newman Project, (2010 TBA), JazzStories (2010 TBA) with Kenny Werner and Roseanna Vitro, The Delirium Blues Project; Serve or Suffer (Half Note Records 2008), Live At The Kennedy Center (Challenge International, 2006) • Tropical Postcards (A Records, 2004) • Conviction: Thoughts of Bill Evans (A Records, 2001) • Catchin’ Some Rays: The Music Of Ray Charles (Telarc, 1997) • Passion Dance (Telarc, 1996) • Softly (Concord, 1994) • Reaching For The Moon (CMG, 1991) • A Quiet Place (Skyline, 1987) • The Time Of My Life: The Songs Of Steve Allen (Seabreeze, 1986) • Listen Here (Skyline, 1985). Among the artists featured on these recordings are: Joey Baron, Kenny Barron, Gary Bartz, Arnett Cobb, George Coleman, Eddie Daniels, Al Foster, Eddie Gomez, Eddie Henderson, Fred Hersch, Elvin Jones, Joe Lovano, Kevin Mahogany, Christian McBride, David “Fathead” Newman, Tim Ries, Trio da Paz, Kenny Werner, Kirk Whalum and Buster Williams.

Education
Vocal Jazz Improvisation, Rhiannon 2005-2008
Voice Technique, Barbara Maier 1990 -2010
Piano, Jason Teborek, 2006
Improvisation, Freddie Hendrix, 2005
Classical Indian Vocalese, Bombay, India 1998 -Teachers: Dhanashree Pandit Rae, Purvi Parikh, Uday Bhawalker
Piano, David Leonhart, 1997
Ear training and improvisation, Kenny Werner, 1990, 2007
Portugese lessons, Barbara Lubambo, 1990
Ear training, Fred Hersch, 1987
Voice Technique, Ann Marie Moss, 1982-1987
Classical Voice, Manhattan School of Music, Gabore Carelli, 1980-1982 (private applied lessons)
Jazz Voice, Ray Sullenger, 1972-1974
Piano, Sid Bernstein, 1972
Piano, basic theory, Texarkana Jr. College, 1970
Arkansas High School 1969
Teaching History SUNY Purchase University, Vocal Jazz Teacher 1999-2002
New Jersey City University Vocal Chair, 1998 – current
The Wachovia Teens Jazz Program at The New Jersey Performing Arts Center 2000-curren

Awards
Inducted into Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame 1998, with Bob Dorough and John Stubblefield.
2009 - New Jersey Jazz Society Jazz Leadership Award for excellence in teaching.
IAJE Award; 2008, 1998 Performance and Workshop Awards.

As a young man growing up in West Hartford, Connecticut, Pete McGuinness.....

Jazz Trombonist • Composer-Arranger • Vocalist • Educator

As a young man growing up in West Hartford, Connecticut, Pete spent his teen-age years studying jazz trombone and arranging, sitting-in with the local Hartford-area professionals musicians, as well as participating in the renowned Hall High School jazz program. By this time, Pete had become firmly committed to a future as a jazz musician.
Photo: Pete and his wife Joan

He went on for his formal musical training at the New England Conservatory, the University of Miami (Bachelor of Music in jazz 1986), and finally onto New York City, attending the Manhattan School of Music (Master of Music in jazz, 1987). From that point on, Pete became busy in the NYC jazz scene as a trombonist, an arranger-composer, and later a jazz vocalist and jazz educator as well.

As a trombonist, he has performed with such well-known jazz artists/groups as The Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, the Woody Herman big band (dir. By Frank Tibieri), Lionel Hampton, Dave Pietro, Mike Holober, Anita Brown, Scott Whitfield, the nonets of both Jim Cifelli and Mike Kaplan, and appears on over 20 jazz CDs. He also became very busy in the New York Broadway show scene, having performed with the orchestras of over 17 shows since 1991.

From 1988-1990, Pete studied with Bob Brookmeyer and Manny Albam as part of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, and has since established himself as a respected composer-arranger. He has received numerous commissions over the years for original compositions and arrangements, including those from from the National Endowment for the Arts, Dave Liebman, The Gotham Winds Symphony, and the University of Miami Concert Jazz Band. Pete is a regular contributing arranger for the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, as well as the composer/arranger for his own ensemble - The Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra (click on the Jazz Orchestra page for more on the group).

In the early 1990's, Pete formed the first of several groups he would lead/co-lead, with The Pete McGuinness Quintet. The group's debut CD "Sliding In" was released nation-wide in 1998 on Kokopelli Records, receiving much radio airplay and acclaim. It was in these years that Pete also developed his jazz vocal talents, landing him in the semi-finals of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocal Competition (1994).

Two years later, jazz legend Jimmy Heath hiring him as the the featured singer with his big band for the bands engagement on the S.S. Norway's "Jazz Cruise". Pete has been a co-leader of groups including The New York Trombone Conspiracy (CD "A Matter Of Time" released in 1998, Conspiracy Music Records), and The NewYorkestra big band (CD "Urban Soundscapes" released 2004, Seabreeze Jazz records).

His most recent project is the formation of his own big band - The Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra, which began performing in the NYC area in 2006. The group's debut CD "First Flight" was released nation-wide in June of 2007 on the Summit record label (see the Jazz Orchestra page for more on the band/info on ordering the CD).

As a jazz educator, Pete has been on the music faculty of New Jersey City University (Jersey City, NJ) since 1994, where he teaches jazz trombone, arranging, improvisation, and coaches various ensembles. He has also been invited to give clinics on a variety of jazz subjects at both high schools and college jazz programs throughout the country, including the University of Miami, and City College, NYC (CUNY), Temple University, and Hall High School (West Hartford, CT). Pete is available for concerts/clinics year-round. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife Joan and their dog Daisy.

For information on booking Pete and/or the Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra for a performance, his jazz educational clinic work, to purchase his new big band CD "First Flight" and/or any of the printed big band arrangements off the CD, click on the "contact/ordering" page of this website. Just to say "hello" would be cool too!

The Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra
After years of performing with and writing for numerous jazz big bands, Pete finally decided to realize his life-long dream and front a large jazz ensemble of his own. The Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra was formed in 2006 and immediately began performing in NYC area jazz clubs. It features all of the various aspects of Pete’s musicianship - as a trombonist, composer/arranger, and jazz vocalist.

Pete’s music for the band is a reflection of all the many great jazz writers Pete has loved and been influenced by throughout his life, including composer/arrangers Bill Holman, Bob Brookmeyer (a former teacher of Pete’s), and the late Thad Jones, as well as more recently established voices, such as John Fedchock and Maria Schneider, creating a sound that is uniquely his own.

With a line-up of some of NYC’s very best big band players and jazz soloists, there is a variety of exciting and interesting personalities in the group which help spur Pete’s various arrangements on (see “galley” page to view photos of all of the musicians in the band). Like Pete, most of the players have spent time with many other well-known jazz big bands, including the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Lionel Hampton and Buddy Rich big bands, the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, John Fedchock’s “New York Big Band”, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and others. Some of the musicians, such as trumpeter Bill Mobley and pianist Mike Holober lead full jazz orchestras of there own.

In September of 2006, the band went into New York’s famous Nola recording studios to record it’s debut CD, “First Flight”. Pete was ably assisted by legendary trombonist-arranger ­bandleader John Fedchock, who acted as session producer, and later provided the linear notes for the finished CD. In January 2007, the band and the CD project caught the attention of the A + R people at Summit records, and the CD was set for release.

In June of 2007, “First Flight” was put out nation-wide. See below to hear audio samples of various tracks. The printed arrangements for each cut are also available for purchase. See the Contact page for ordering information for either the CD and/or any of the charts from the recording. You can find out when the band will be appearing next by clicking the “Events” page on this site.

John Marshall Jazz Quintet featuring Grant Stewart Sunday Series at Abingdon

Sunday Series at Abingdon Presents

John Marshall Jazz Quintet, featuring Grant Stewart

Announce Complete Quintet Members

Sunday, August 8 at 7:00pm and 9:00pm

Abingdon Theatre Complex

June Havoc Theatre, 312 West 36th Street, 1st Floor
(between 8th and 9th Avenues)

The John Marshall Quintet featuring Grant Stewart will fill Abingdon Theatre with the sound of Jazz for this one evening benefit special performance. Having learned his craft, with help from Ornette Coleman and Lonnie Hillyer, trumpeter John Marshall went on to work with a succession of big bands led by Buddy Rich, Mel Lewis, Lionel Hampton, Al Porcino, Gerry Mulligan and Dizzy Gillespie. In the late eighties John and pianist Tardo Hammer co-led the Bopera House, a standard-setting quintet which also featured tenor saxophonist Ralph Lalama.

Originally from New York, John moved to Europe in 1992 and became a member of the brass section and featured soloist with the West Deutscher Rundfunk Big Band, based in Cologne, Germany, he is one of the brightest contemporary hard bop trumpet voices. John Marshall leads his own quintets in Europe and has put out seven CDs as a leader since 1992, and many more as a sideman. He now returns to New York for the month of August to appear at Abingdon Theatre with an amazing assembled group of jazz musicians. http://www.marshallbop.com/

Since moving to New York City from Toronto in 1990 at the age of nineteen, Grant Stewart, on tenor saxophone, has studied with such masters as Barry Harris and Donald Byrd. He has performed with Curtis Fuller, Clark Terry, Etta Jones, Bill Charlap, Brad Mehldau, Russell Malone, Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Jimmy Cobb, Harry Connick, Mickey Roker, Cecil Payne and was a member of the last Al Grey Sextet. Stewart can be found playing at such clubs in NY as Birdland, Smoke, The Ketano, The Jazz Standard, Fat Cat and at Smalls Jazz Club. Stewart has performed all over North America and Europe as well as in Japan, Brazil and Taiwan. Grant also has many CDs out as a leader and sideman. http://www.grantstewartjazz.com/home.htm

Rounding out the quintet are pianist, Tardo Hammer; bassist, Neal Miner and drummer Jimmy Wormworth.

Pianist Tardo Hammer is a native New Yorker and honed his craft working with Charlie Rouse, Junior Cook, Bill Hardman, Art Farmer and Clifford Jordan. He co-led the Bopera House quintet with John Marshall in the eighties as previously mentioned. These days he can be heard around town and around the globe with legendary singer Annie Ross, tenor saxophonist Charles Davis and with his own fine trio, which works regularly at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola. http://home.earthlink.net/~tardo

The Bassist Neal Miner is greatly sought-after by many including James Moody, Frank Wess and Jon Hendricks. He can be heard with Jane Monheit's current groups as will as with Annie Ross (along with Tardo). http\\www.nealminer.com/index.html

The most senior member of the aggregation is drummer Jimmy Wormworth. Along with Tardo Hammer, he plays regularly with Charles Davis, Annie Ross and in Tardo's own trio. In the sixties and seventies he worked with such greats as Kenny Dorham, J.R. Montrose, Mal Waldron, Al Haig and Sal Nistico.

Since 1993, not-for-profit Abingdon Theatre Company has developed and produced new plays by American playwrights exclusively. Under the artistic direction of Jan Buttram, the company provides a safe home in which playwrights collaborate with other theatre artists and receive audience feedback through the utilization of our four-step development process: First Readings, Staged Readings, and Workout Labs, which culminate in Studio Productions and Mainstage Productions. Now on sale are 2010-2011 Season Subscription Tickets. http://www.abingdontheatre.org/

JAZZ PROMO SERVICES

269 S ROUTE 94, WARWICK, NY 10990
JAZZPROMO@EARTHLINK.NET
http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Jazz em Agosto 2010 Festival

Jazz em Agosto 2010 Festival encompasses the reality of European Jazz, observed in its dialogue with the original American jazz.

Friday, 6 Aug, 2010, 21:30 - Anfiteatro ao Ar Livre

John Surman + Jack DeJohnette (UK, USA)
John Surman (soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone, electronics), Jack DeJohnette (drums, piano, electronics)

Saturday, 7 Aug 2010, 18:30 - Auditório Três
Han Bennink «Hazentijd» (Netherlands)
Documentary film by Jellie Dekker and Dick Lucas (2009, 58’)
 
Saturday, 7 Aug 2010, 21:30 - Anfiteatro ao Ar Livre
Steamboat Switzerland (Switzerland, Greece )
Dominik Blum (Hammond B-3, analogic electronics), Marino Pliakas (electric bass, live electronics), Lucas Niggli (drums, percussion)
 
Saturday, 8 Aug 2010, 15:30
Auditório Dois
Open Speech Trio (Portugal, Germany)
Carlos Bechegas (flutes, processor), Ulrich Mitzlaff (cello, live electronics), Miguel Feraso Cabral (percussion, objects)
 
Sunday, 8 Aug 2010, 18:30 - Auditório Dois
Guus Janssen + Han Bennink (Netherlands)
Guus Janssen (piano), Han Bennink (drums)

Sunday, 8 Aug 2010, 21:30 - Anfiteatro ao Ar Livre
Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble (UK, USA, Japan, Spain, Netherlands, Italy)
Evan Parker (soprano saxophone), Peter Evans (trumpet, piccolo trumpet), Ko Ishikawa (shô), Ned Rothenberg (clarinet, bass clarinet, shakuhachi flute), Philipp Wachsmann (violin, live electronics), Agustí Fernández (piano, prepared piano), Barry Guy (double-bass), Paul Lytton (percussion, live electronics), John Russell (acoustic guitar), Peter van Bergen (contrabass, piccolo clarinet), Aleks Kolkowski (stroh viola, musical saw), Lawrence Casserley (signal processing instrument), Joel Ryan (sample, signal processing), Walter Prati (computer processing), Richard Barrett (live electronics), Paul Obermayer (live electronics), Ikue Mori (live electronics) , Marco Vecchi (sound projection), Kjell Bjørgeengen (image processing)

Friday, 13 Aug 2010, 21:30 - Anfiteatro ao Ar Livre
Louis Sclavis «Lost on the Way» (France)
Louis Sclavis (clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone), Matthieu Metzger (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone), Maxime Delpierre (electric guitar), Olivier Lété (electric bass), François Merville (drums)

Saturday, 14 Aug 2010, 17:00 - Auditório Três
Albert Mangelsdorff «Die Posaune des Jazz» (The Trombone of Jazz) (Germany)
Documentary film by Thorsten Jess (2005, 52’)

Saturday, 14 Aug 2010, 18:30 - Auditório Dois
Red Trio (Portugal)
Rodrigo Pinheiro (piano, preparad piano), Hernâni Faustino (double-bass), Gabriel Ferrandini (drums)

Saturday, 14 Aug 2010, 21:30 - Anfiteatro ao Ar Livre
Sol 6 (Netherlands, Germany, UK, Australia)
Veryan Weston (piano, voice), Luc Ex (acustic bass guitar), Ingrid Laubrock (tenor saxophone, voice), Hannah Marshall (cello, voice), Mandy Drummond (viola, voice), Tony Buck (drums)

Sunday, 15 Aug 2010, 17:00 - Auditório Três
Talk by Francesco Martinelli (Italy)
Subject: «European Jazz and American Jazz: an uninterrupted dialogue»

Sunday, 15 Aug 2010, 18:30 - Auditório Dois
Thomas + Strid + Thomas (Sweden, UK, Australia)
Pat Thomas (piano, live electronics), Raymond Strid (drums), Clayton Thomas (double-bass)

Sunday, 15 Aug 2010, 21:30 - Anfiteatro ao Ar Livre
Circulasione Totale Orchestra (Norway, Sweden, South Africa, USA, UK)
Louis Moholo-Moholo (live electronics), Fröde Gjerstad (alto saxophone, clarinet), Morten J. Olsen (live electronics, percussion), Anders Hana (electric guitar), Nick Stephens (double-bass), Paal Nilssen-Love (drums), Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (electric bass), Børre Mølstad (tuba), Sabir Mateen (alto saxophone, clarinet), Bobby Bradford (trompet), Kevin Norton (vibraphone), Lasse Marhaug (live electronics), John Hegre (sound design)

Further information: http://www.musica.gulbenkian.pt/jazz/index.html.en

The XMan, Charles Xavier, Announces the Release of Xmas Vibe...

San Francisco's Happy Note Records recording artist Charles Xavier, aka: The XMan, is proud to announce the release of his new CD, Xmas Vibe, on October 20, 2010. Xmas Vibe is an enchanting, avant-garde, mystical, eclectic and original approach to festive, traditional and contemporary Christmas classics, with the inclusion of one Xavier-original song, performed on vibraphone and electric guitar with vocal accompaniment.

Charles Xavier, originally from New Bedford, MA, has been called many things, including a "Rara Avis" - a rare and unique person or thing - by the legendary Down Beat Magazine. Therefore, it's not unusual that this "true music Polymath," according to The Mondo Project's Mark Saleski, is releasing Xmas Vibe in stereo and 5.1 surround sound, possibly the only Holiday music offering available in the latter format. Xavier describes Xmas Vibe as "a World Music-meets George Winston and Gary Burton-influenced soundscape of Holiday favorites with a blend of innovative and unusual Rock, Soul, Funk and New Age styles that will appeal to a wide range of listeners."

With a production and compositional skill clearly influenced by Frank Zappa, Xavier's highest praise comes from TheCelebrityCafe.com's Michael Mardings in reviewing his previous CD The XMan Cometh - Expect the Unexpected. Mardings states, "The XMan is an audio chef mixing ingredients in a CD bowl."

Two tracks on the primarily all-instrumental Xmas Vibe, Christmas Day Is Almost Here, which is the CD's original opening number and is being released as the single, and Christmas Time is Here, the Vince Guaraldi classic - best known from A Charlie Brown Christmas - both feature the Jazz-infused vocals of San Francisco-based singer/actress Tina Marie Murray. Xavier offers up Tom Waits-tinged lead vocals on the classic, O Christmas Tree.

Philanthropy will play a big role in the release of Xmas Vibe and future Holiday season performances Xavier is planning for November and December 2010 throughout California and from New England to Washington DC. A portion of the proceeds from the Xmas Vibe CD, downloads and ticket sales will benefit the Bread & Roses Charity (www.breadandroses.org) and The Boys and Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org). In addition, Xavier's tour dates will also include daytime charity performances at senior and youth centers featuring Xavier on solo vibraphone with pre-recorded accompaniment. Evening live performances will feature Xavier on vibraphone with electric guitar accompaniment, with the addition of special guest vocalists and percussionists in select markets.

Xavier concludes, "Through my music and performances, I hope to encourage others to get involved in their communities to help others rise up to their potential."

To arrange interviews or request a copy of Xmas Vibe for review, please contact Ginny Shea at 401-942-8025 or email: mixedmediapromo@cox.net

by Ginny Shea, mixedmediapromo@cox.net and http://www.mixedmediapromo.com/

Andrew Hill and the Penguin Guide Lists

by Ken Blanchard
I chanced upon a some jazz lists this afternoon, and that put me back in that classical mood. First there is the Jazz Calendar Page. Did you know that today is Charlie Christian's 94th birthday? Happy Birthday, Charlie, in that great jazz club in the sky.

Better yet, here is a site that presents all the four star rankings from the Penguin Guide to Jazz (may it be praised). I have relied heavily upon the Penguin Guide in my collecting, and I think it is the only standard for collectors. This stalwart soul lists all the albums that have received a four star ranking in any of the nine editions of the Guide.

He also notes those that got a crown (author's favorite) and those that get a "core collection" rating. I have almost all of the core entries from my well worn Eighth Edition. If you are collecting, get the most recent Guide. The reviews are very helpful. Either way, download the lists from this site linked above. It is very helpful.
Complete on  >>  http://jazznotesdp.blogspot.com/2010/07/andrew-hill-and-penguin-guide-lists.html

The Stryker / Slagle Band CD Release at The Jazz Standard....

The Stryker / Slagle Band CD Release at The Jazz Standard Tues., Aug.10th Sets at 7:30pm & 9:30

The Stryker / Slagle Band
Dave Stryker - guitar
Steve Slagle - sax
Ed Howard - bass
TBA - drums

After a successful two-night run at the Jazz Standard in January, The Stryker / Slagle Band decided to strike while the fire was hot and headed back up to bassist Jay Anderson's Mountain Rest Studio in New Paltz, NY to lay down nine new original tracks as well as a cover of Thelonious Monk's "Ruby My Dear." This is the 3rd CD by the same quartet: Dave Stryker (guitar), Steve Slagle (sax), Jay Anderson (bass), and Victor Lewis (drums), that released The Scene to critical success in 2008. Their fifth CD as the Stryker / Slagle Band - Keeper captures the live energy and group dynamics of a band that has been honing their sound for over 20 years, always striving to push the music ahead.

"A superior snapshot of the contemporary center of jazz" - John McDonough - 4 Stars in Dec. 2008 Downbeat Magazine

"One of today’s most inspired two-man teams." - David Adler / JazzTimes

“In this era of ever-shifting alliances and endless maleable bands, guitarist Dave Stryker and saxophonist Steve Slagle have achieved, for two decades, a contemporary rarity; a band with a distinct, highly developed sound.” — George Kanzler JazzTimes 12/08

WEB SITE: http://WWW.JAZZPROMOSERVICES.COM/



Dave Stryker and blue to the bone live at birdland new york city 8/11/09
dave stryker-guitar, freddie hendrix-trumpet, steve slagle-alto sax, vincent gardner-trombone, jason marshall-bari sax, bill moring-bass, clarence penn-drums
blue to the bone by d. stryker/ arr. by stryker/bob parsons d.strike music bmi. www.davestryker.com

Front Cover.....

Billie Holiday Sings Label: Mercury/Clef 118 10" LP 1953

Design: David Stone Martin

Greg Lewis "Organ Monk" New CD and Upcoming Appearances

Greg Lewis "Organ Monk" Organ Trio

Night Of The Cookers 10pm-1am
767 Fulton St, Brooklyn 11217 (Btwn Greene Ave & S Oxford St), http://www.nightofthecookers.com/
Friday, September 3, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
 
New York native, keyboardist Greg Lewis, a highly accomplished mainstay on the city’s jazz, blues and funk scenes, who has earned a solid reputation for his versatile work around town in a vast variety of settings, steps out front for the first time on his debut CD Organ Monk. Lewis’ sensitive and soulful keyboard playing has made him a favorite among some of the music’s finest vocalists – including blues queen Sweet Georgia Brown, jazz and soul songstress.
 
Lezlie Harrison and ex-Brooklyn Funk Essentials singer/songwriter Stephanie McKay -- and earned him a featured role on saxophonist Sam Newsome’s Groove Project recording 24/7. Now on Organ Monk the spotlight is finally shined on his enormous talents as the leader of his own allstar trio featuring multitalented guitarist Ron Jackson and drummer extraordinaire Cindy Blackman.

Born into a musical family, Lewis’ introduction to jazz came from hearing Monk records from the collection his late father, pianist David Lewis, who was a dedicated fan of Thelonious. “It all started there,” the younger Lewis proclaims, also naming unsung master Elmo Hope as a major influence. Lewis started his own piano studies at the age of eleven and began playing professionally around New York as a teenager.

He credits jazz legend Gil Coggins, who sent him as a sub one night to a gig where there was a Hammond B-3, for setting him on the path to becoming a bona fide organist. These days Lewis has so devoted himself to mastering the difficult instrument with such fervor that he considers himself to be an “organ monk.”

Working weekly for the past five years at the hip Brooklyn club Night Of The Cookers, with his regular trio featuring Ron Jackson on guitar, Lewis has honed his skills on the B 3 to become one of New York’s first call organists. It was at the club that he first met drummer Cindy Blackman, who was so impressed with his playing that she sat in with the group and made arrangements to later perform with Lewis.

An unwavering fan of the Tony Williams Lifetime group, featuring Larry Young on organ, Blackman is the perfect complement for Lewis’, who names Young as his primary influence on the instrument (along with, of course, Jimmy Smith as well as Sly Stone). Lewis cites Young’s landmark interpretation of “Monk’s Dream” from the classic Unity album as a further inspiration for his decision to devote this his first date to the music of Thelonious.

Although albums memorializing Monk’s music have become somewhat commonplace since the iconic pianist/composer’s death, Organ Monk is most likely the very first on which the date is led by an organist. Lewis’ years of familiarizing himself with both his instrument’s expansive capabilities, as well as Monk’s sizable songbook, have led to this inevitable debut recording that breathes new life into the master’s repertory, while exploiting the Hammond B 3’s vast (and somewhat untapped) potential for creating new sounds.

Despite its classic organ-guitar-drum configuration, Lewis’ trio is far from typical in approach to making modern music. His arrangements of the fourteen Monk titles on the record are consciously contemporary in their originality, respecting the composer’s melodic, harmonic and rhythmic voice, while using the different elements of each piece to propel the group into its own unique nexus, one where the customary divisions between soloist and accompanist are blurred, or even erased. Beginning with “Trinkle Tinkle”, one of Monk’s more intricate melodic lines, Lewis’ mastery of both the B 3’s dual keyboards and its too often neglected bass pedals is clearly evident, as is his fearless approach to arranging for the trio, with Blackman’s powerful drums doubling the intricate melody with him.

Lewis’ unaccompanied introduction to ”Jackie-ing”, slowing building around the chords of the playful Monk march before inviting drums and guitar to join him is an eloquent lesson in dynamic tension and release. The trio trips around in space with Lewis’ organ at times reminiscent of Sun Ra before sliding smoothly into the infectious melody of “Criss Cross”, with Blackman’s drums offering a jagged contrast to the velvety tone of the B 3, before the trio settles into an earthy mood and then blasts back into the stratosphere to conclude astrally.

The band’s easy swinging reading of the beautiful “Light Blue”, featuring Jackson’s soulful guitar, is a ringing affirmation of the group’s ability to shine brightly in the classic organ trio tradition, as is their burning up tempo rendition of the not often heard “Played Twice” that features an exciting Lewis-Blackman dialogue.

The date’s other nine Monk pieces each offer a different perspective on the master’s work. There’s the bouncing rhythm that jumps out of the long tones that set up “Boo Boo’s Birthday” and its fittingly funny quote by Lewis of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had A Little Lamb”, followed the lilting rhythms of the bebop masterpiece “Coming On The Hudson.”

Blackman’s energetic drumming on the fiercely burning “Four In One”, reminiscent of Art Blakey’s work with Monk, incites Lewis and Jackson to some of their best soloing of the date. Lewis’ playing on “Locomotion” with his tonally expansive keyboard work, intelligent use of space and cleverly complementary bass line is nothing short of masterful. On “We See” the trio once again swings mightily, with Lewis clearly demonstrating the influence of the great Jimmy Smith on his virtuosic playing.

“Monk’s Mood” is the date’s most beautiful ballad, with Lewis displaying the sensitive lyricism that has made him the favorite accompanist of so many of New York’s finest vocalists. The trio shows off its intuitive split second timing in an edge of your seat dramatic reading of the marvelous melody of “Think Of One”, before digging down into their shared deep blues roots. Lewis’ harmonic daring is clearly evident on his audacious arrangement of “Work.” The final Monk piece of the date, “Introspection”, is a fitting example of the unmitigated joy the trio finds in coming together to make great music.

The date’s concluding coda is a Lewis original, “Kohl’s Here”, a fittingly Monkish melody dedicated to his teenage son that gives listeners a brief glimpse into the keyboardist’s own impressive abilities as a composer. A talent that is sure to be seen in greater abundance on future releases from this extraordinary artist.

Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services T: 845-986-1677 E-Mail: jazzpromo@earthlink.net

Canadian trumpeter, Mike Herriott, began playing the trumpet at six years of age...

Canadian trumpeter, Mike Herriott, began playing the trumpet at six years of age and won numerous regional and national awards throughout his formative years as a musician. By age eleven, he was performing for large audiences and recording for CBC radio and television.

Now a respected multi-instrumentalist in both the classical and jazz genres, Mike is much in demand as a lead trumpeter, jazz improviser, orchestral soloist, bassist, arranger and composer. He has appeared as a soloist with the Victoria Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, JZ Big Band (Shanghai), Prime Time Big Band, the Calgary Stampede Orchestra and many other orchestras and big bands across Canada and abroad.

Mike has shared the stage with some of the world’s finest artists including Maynard Ferguson, Slide Hampton, Phil Nimmons, Maria Schneider, Bob Newhart, Jay Leno, Michael Buble, The Temptations, Johnny Mathis, The Moody Blues, Tommy Banks, Hugh Fraser, Chucho Valdes, Kenny Wheeler, Rob McConnell, Ian McDougall, and the late Sir Yehudi Menuhin. Another career highlight was serving as featured soloist in concert with Allen Vizzutti, Jens Lindemann, Andea Tofanelli, and Doc Severinsen during the 2008 International Trumpet Guild Conference.

He has played in film soundtracks, jingles, and TV themes and is proud to be heard as lead trumpet during the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and the 1994 Commonwealth Games.

Mike has recorded on numerous CD and radio sessions with artists including the Canadian Brass, Paul Brandt, Hugh Fraser, Joe Coughlin, Rob McConnell, Guido Basso, and has recorded for CBC, Universal, EMI, Sony, and Disney. He has three releases as leader and is looking forward to the 2010 release of the Harkness/Herriott duo CD, Flights Vol 1, on ArtistShare, and to the 2010 release of the Canadian Brass and David Braid collaboration, Spirit Dances on Opening Day Records.

Schedule 2010, - Jersey Boys, Toronto Centre for the Arts, Toronto, ON

November 19, 20, 21:
guest soloist with the Okanagan Symphony website

November 13:
guest soloist with the Chilliwack Symphony

October 22:
guest soloist with the Kingston Symphony website

September :
Canadian Brass CD release of the David Braid project website

August 8:
H2 CD Flights Vol 1 release party, Metropolitan Room, New York, New York website

August 5, 6:
H2 CD Flights Vol 1 release party, The REX, Toronto, Ontario website

MIKE HERRIOTT flugelhorn; SEAN HARKNESS guitars....

MIKE HERRIOTT flugelhorn; SEAN HARKNESS guitars

Toronto, Rex Hotel: H2 CD release!
Thursday, Aug 5, 2010
Rex Hotel 194 QUEEN ST W Toronto, Ontario M5V 1Z1, Canada - http://www.jazzintoronto.com/
Metropolitan Room: H2 CD Release!

Sunday, Aug 8, 2010
Metropolitan Room
34 West 22nd Street - New York, NY 10010, http://www.metropolitanroom.com/

Musicians: MIKE HERRIOTT flugelhorn; SEAN HARKNESS guitars; MARK MILLER trombone [2]; JIM VIVIAN bass [1,4,7,9]; KEVIN CODY drums [1,4,7,9]

Mike and Sean met in Japan while touring a show. Six weeks of traveling together and absorbing the country and the culture, they took advantage of many opportunities to explore music outside of the show they were touring.
 
A friendship grew and a musical bond developed. This collection of music is a beginning to this exploration of original ideas, combining Sean’s guitar and Mike’s flugelhorn. They each bring their own material to the table, and they chose to invite a few friends to join their duo on half of the songs.

Recorded half in New York City and Half in Toronto, Mike and Sean made use of the influences of these two wonderful cities to bring this music to light.

This is the first collaboration of Harkness/Herriott (H2)… to be followed by many more!

“Mike Herriott and Sean Harkness cleverly use their friendship as an additional instrument in their new recording ‘Flights’…It’s a perfect musical pairing like Cabernet and steak that you can taste for yourself…” - TIM TAMASHIRO, CBC

“I love this combination of guitar and flugelhorn; to my ears, these instruments were meant for each other. Harkness and Herriott prove this point, on this… This is an album that you would buy for your friends, it’s that good. I am already looking forward to their next release!” - ARNOLD VAN KLAVEREN, CKUV

#1 on CFUV, Vancouver's premier Jazz radio station

Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services T: 845-986-1677 E-Mail: jazzpromo@earthlink.net

Duet - Frank Sinatra and ......

The International Association Of Jazz Record Collectors....

The International Association Of Jazz Record Collectors to Hold Convention in Chicago Sept 23-25, 2010

IAJRC Convention – 2010

September 23 – 25
Join us for this year's Convention in Chicago at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Chicago– Northbrook 2875 N. Milwaukee Ave. Northbrook, IL 60062

for 3 days of jazz, jazz, and more jazz!

Following the success of the 2007 convention in Chicago, we are going back to the same location this year. The hotel has since been completely upgraded, and its name has been changed to the Crowne Plaza (formerly the Radisson). The Crowne Plaza has a swimming pool and all the amenities that you would expect to find in a top-notch hotel). We are pleased to announce that we have been able to negotiate a special room rate of just $99 single/double per night for convention attendees. Free parking is also included in the price and the Crowne Plaza has free shuttle buses to the local rail station for quick access to downtown Chicago. You can check out the hotel and its facilities at: http://www.crowneplaza.com/northbrookchi

Complete on  >>  http://jazz-bluesflorida.blogspot.com/2010/07/international-association-of-jazz.html

Welcome to free jazz land....

The cover contains no information, not even the names of the artists on the side, the sixteen page booklet has no words, only pictures. The label is totally obscure. Welcome to free jazz land. The band is Giovanni Barcella on drums and Jeroen Van Herzeele on sax.

The music is free as the wind. Raw, unrelenting, full of energy and intensity. It could go in any direction. And it does : from the wild opening track to the more sensitive gospel-like and Ayleresque second piece, which of course does not stay in sweet-and-nice-territory, but gradually develops into intense playing, with screaming sax and mayhem drumming.
Complete on  >>  http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2010/07/barcella-van-herzeele-duo-monday.html

David Stone Martin

David Stone Martin (1913–1992), born David Livingstone Martin, was an influential American artist best known for his illustrations on jazz record albums.

He attended the Art Institute of Chicago and was greatly influenced by the line art of Ben Shahn. By 1950, Martin had produced more than 100 covers for Mercury, Disc and Dial record albums. Many assignments came from his long time friend, record producer Norman Granz.

For various companies, Martin eventually created illustrations for more than 400 record albums. Many of these were simply line art combined with a single color. Martin's favorite tool was a crowquill pen which enabled him to do delicate line work. CBS-TV art director William Golden gave Martin many print ad assignments during the 1950s, and Martin soon expanded into illustration for Seventeen, The Saturday Evening Post and other slick magazines of the 1950s and 1960s.

His studio was located in Roosevelt, New Jersey. He is represented in the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Smithsonian Institution.

David Stone Martin died in 1992.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bholidayall.jpg

David Stone Martin Jazz Art Exhibit Opens

Jazz at Lincoln Center exhibits work of pioneer in jazz album cover art

By Lee Mergner

Earlier this month, Jazz at Lincoln Center kicked off Jazz at First Sight: The Art of David Stone Martin, an exhibit of the work of an artist who illustrated the covers of many jazz albums of the 40s and 50s. Strongly influenced by painter Ben Shahn, Martin’s simple but evocative line drawings became emblematic of the jazz record cover, thanks to his work with the Verve, Mercury and Dial labels. Over the course of his career, he illustrated over 400 record albums. Martin died in 1992, but his work continues to fascinate young artists and illustrators, many of whom pay homage to his iconic combination of basic lines and one color.

This exhibit is curated by Robert G. O’Meally, C. Daniel Dawson, Diedra Harris-Kelley and Linda Florio (designer), with Tad Hershorn of the Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University, serving as special curatorial advisor.

Complete on  >>  http://jazztimes.com/sections/news/articles/26338-david-stone-martin-jazz-art-exhibit-opens

Al Jarreau to Resume Touring on Aug. 3

By Lee Mergner
According to a statement posted on Al Jarreau's web site, the singer will resume touring on August 3 in Germany. Jarreau had collapsed on stage at a festival in France and was hospitalized in critical condition. According to his management, his condition has stabilized and so they are expecting him to continue with all but a few of his upcoming dates.

Here is the statement posted on Jarreau's site about his condition and plans:
"Al Jarreau is relieved to announce plans to resume his concert tour on August 3. The concert that day will be in Hanau, Germany, at Amphitheatre Schloss Philippsruhe.
 
Complete on  >>  http://jazztimes.com/sections/news/articles/26339-al-jarreau-to-resume-touring-on-aug-3

Other Places: Barkan To The Rescue

Jimmy Heath recently said he's been hearing since he was a youngster that jazz is dying. The saxophonist and composer/arranger will be 84 in October. Joining him in discounting death rumors is a younger man, the veteran entrepreneur Todd Barkan, who runs the oddly named but vital Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, a bastion of jazz in New York City. Barkan is preparing a fall festival designed to help insure the music's vitality by bringing together some of its wise elders with promising younger musicians. Pia Catton writes about the project in today's Wall Street Journal.

"We are reaching a critical stage in jazz music because we've lost a lot of people in the last few years," Mr. Barkan said. "Older artists teach a lot by example and the practice of jazz."

To learn of Barkan's plans for the festival and read all of the article, which includes an embedded video:

Go http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703995104575389232365733988.html?KEYWORDS=Todd+Barkan#.

Complete on  >>  http://www.artsjournal.com/rifftides/2010/07/other_places_barkan_to_the_res.html

Weekly Latin Jazz Video Fix: Danilo Pérez

A musician has a responsibility to take listeners on a creative journey throughout their career. For many musicians, the journey travels through familiar territory consistently taking listeners back through the same type of musical surroundings. This type of musician generally connects with a good number of listeners, due to the pleasant and predictable nature of their music.

Listeners rarely get challenged though, always moving through the safe haven of expected musical directions. More daring journeys require a more in-depth musicianship, a broader artistic scope, and an unflappable sense of adventure. This type of musician holds onto their roots but experiments on a regular basis, testing just how far they can push tradition.

They hold the challenge of maintaining listeners during their twists and turns, finding ways to connect their new ideas with familiar concepts. This type of creative movement guarantees constant growth for the artist, but also means a varied and exciting listening experience.

Pianist Danilo Pérez has consistently taken listeners into unexpected artistic territory, keeping them along for the ride by the sheer virtue of his deep musicality. Born in 1965, Pérez’s father brought him into music at a young age, leading him to Panama’s National Conservatory by the age of 10. Initially studying electronics in college, a move to the States pushed Pérez back into music, and he landed at the Berklee College of Music. While attending school, Pérez performing with a wealth of well-known artists from the jazz world, including Paquito D’Rivera, Jon Hendricks, Terence Blanchard, and Claudio Roditi.

Soon after graduation, Pérez earned the piano chair in Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nation’s Orchestra, bringing him into high profile concerts around the world and the concert recording, Live at the Royal Festival Hall. Following his engagement with Gillespie, Pérez continued playing with some of the jazz world’s top musicians, performing on several recordings such as Reunion from Paquito D’Rivera and Arturo Sandoval, Slow Fire from Claudio Roditi, New Arrival From Charlie Sepulveda & The Turnaround, Passages from Tom Harrell, and more. Pérez stepped into the role of a bandleader in the early nineties, first with the self-titled Danilo Pérez and then in 1993 with The Journey.
Complete on  >>  http://www.chipboaz.com/blog/2010/07/27/weekly-latin-jazz-video-fix-danilo-perez/

Danilo Pérez Trio Performing “Think Of One” - Part 1 (Danilo Pérez Trading Piano Solos With Papo Lucca)

Jacques Schwarz-Bart was born of mixed races....

Jacques Schwarz-Bart was born of mixed races. His early experience as a man taught him that one can be a harmonious receptacle for several cultures, as long as each one is given its value and importance. Much later in life, Jacques quit his career as a French government official to embrace music and study at Berklee College in Boston.

He then understood that the identity of a man can evolve based his choices. In fact, after living in NY for 21 years now, Jacques has also become a New Yorker… In the wake of this unique and evolving musical identity, all of Jacques’ Projects can be situated at the crossroad of jazz, soul, and afro-Caribbean music. In 1997, Jacques collaborates with trumpeter Roy Hargrove for the first time as part of the band called Crisol.

Among numerous collaborations, he also worked with d'Angelo, Erykah Badu… Jacques left Roy’s band in 2004 to create his Gwoka Jazz Project and recorded two albums for Universal, Soné Ka La and Abyss, which have built his current career as an internationally acclaimed jazz band leader. After the birth of his son, he listened to the songs that were dedicated to his mother years ago and found they still sounded fresh. That is how he decided to finally complete this project today, and give those songs a chance to be documented and heard in the album « Rise Above », with the participation of the woman in his life, the great singer Stephanie McKay. Site da Banda http://www.brotherjacques.com/

Band Members of Lionel Loueke (guitar),
Milan Milanovic (keys),
Mark Kelley (bass),
Sonny Troupé (markè drum),
Olivier Juste (boula drum).

Bill Dixon Memorial Event To Be Held July 31st.....

Bill Dixon Memorial Event To Be Held July 31st At New York’s St. Mark’s Church In The Bowery

On Saturday, July 31st from 5:30-7:30 p.m., musician/composer/educator/artist Bill Dixon will be remembered with a memorial event at St. Mark’s Church In The Bowery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Dixon, an innovator in the world of creative improvised music and inspiration to subsequent generations of trumpet players, died on June 16th at his home in North Bennington, Vermont after a two-year illness. He was 84 years old.

The public event will include a performance of Dixon’s last composition by his Tapestries for Small Orchestra ensemble, which premiered the work at Dixon’s final performance on May 22nd at the Festival International de Musique de Victoriaville (FIMAV). The group includes Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet), Graham Haynes (cornet), Stephen Haynes (trumpet), Rob Mazurek (cornet), Glynis Lomon (cello), Michael Côté (clarinet), Ken Filiano (bass) and Warren Smith (percussion).
ST MARK’S CHURCH (http://stmarksbowery.org/)
 

From  >>  Jazz Promo Services <jazzpromo@earthlink.net>

The guitarist, singer and composer, Mario Adnet, studied music....

The guitarist, singer and composer, Mario Adnet, studied music in the United States and Austria in the 1970´s. In 1980, he recorded an album with the pianist, Alberto Rosenblit and was an arranger for Polygram (now Universal).

In the 90´s, some of his compositions were recorded by great names of Brazilian popular music, as Joyce, Leny Andrade and Lisa Ono, among others. But it was in ´94 – when Tom Jobim recorded an arrangement for the classical, Maracangalha, by Dorival Caymmi – that Mario had his talent recognized.

In 2004, Biscoito Fino re-released the CD, Pedra Bonita, which has the participation of Tom Jobim, Joyce, Paulo Moura and Ivan Lins, among others. In 2005 the CD, Para Gershwin e Jobim was re-released.

Jay has gained worldwide attention as both performer and teacher....

Jay has gained worldwide attention as both performer and teacher. She has appeared at major venues including Lincoln Center, Sweet Basil, Town Hall, the Kennedy Center, Jazz Alley, and the North Sea and Montmartre Festivals. She has taught at Universitat fur Musik in Austria, Bud Shank Jazz Workshop, and at City College and the New School in New York City. She has co-taught with Sheila Jordan at the Vermont Jazz Workshop, Jazz in July in Mass., Banff Center in Canada and was on the jazz faculty of Cornish College of the Arts for 20 years.

Her book, Sing Your Story: a Practical Guide for Learning and Teaching the Art of Jazz Singing, was published by Advance Music in 2001.

Jay has performed and recorded throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe with leading jazz and new music artists including Muhal Richard Abrams, Steve Reich, Julian Priester, Stanley Cowell, Kirk Nurock, Gary Bartz, George Cables, Jane Ira Bloom, Jerry Granelli as well as with the a cappela group Vocal Summit; Urszula Dudziak, Bobby McFerrin, Jeanne Lee, Norma Winstone.

Her current projects, covering both standards and original music, integrate poetry and electronics into her music. Her projects reflect the diversity of her art and her live performances, which range from duo to sextet, are unique events that draw from all of these collaborations. Jay's artistic versatility, so highly regarded by fellow artists, is apparent in her discography.
 
Educational

Jay Clayton - "Sing Your Story"

A practical guide for learning and teaching the art of jazz singing. What new songs/material are you working on? Can you talk down arrangements easily and briefly? Do you vocalize every day? Do you have good promo material? When is your next performance?

This book received a rave review in Downbeat Magazine, Nov. 2000. It has been updated since that review. Now available in Japanese and, soon, Italian. Book and CD $30.00 plus S&H. International orders will receive a quote by e-mail for shipping and handling charges. I will wait for your reply before proceeding.

Reviews

“Clayton is an important singer…one who proposed dramatic changes in vocal styles and roles…her musicianship is impeccable.” Francis Davis – Downbeat

“As far as vocal innovation goes, Jay Clayton is precariously on the cutting edge.” Fred bouchard – Jazz Times

“More than 20 years after her debut recording All Out, Clayton is still the most adventurous singer in jazz, a specialist in wordless improvisation who’s also expert in distending and finding new meanings in the melodies and lyrics of classic popular songs.” - Francis Davis, The Village Voice, July 14, 2004

http://www.jayclayton.com/


Judy Niemack performing her original lyrics to a Curtis Fuller composition ("Sagittarius") live from Sweet Rhythm. Featuring Jay Clayton, vocals, Don Sickler, flugelhorn, Jeanfrancois Prins, guitar, David Finck, bass, and John Riley, drums. Directed by Victor Moore. Produced by Showset Productions

The Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute: Seismic Shifts In Sound

by Lara Pellegrinelli
Looking back at jazz history, it's not hard to identify the important musical training grounds, places that sparked a kind of extended creative combustion through long lists of influential teachers and alumni. The Lenox School of Jazz, a summer program in the late '50s attended by Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry and Ran Blake, could be considered one such place. The studio of the late composer and pianist Lennie Tristano, where young players sometimes found themselves rubbing elbows with Art Pepper or Lee Konitz, was another.
Photo: Eileen Barroso

Hindsight may be 20/20, but the recently-completed Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute appears to be — or at least a strong indicator of seismic shifts along the fault lines between jazz and classical or so-called new music. Last week, Columbia University hosted the inaugural JCOI workshop, the first of its kind and a collaborative effort between its Center for Jazz Studies and the American Composers Orchestra. The idea was to give jazz composers access and exposure to the latest compositional techniques for orchestra.

Directed by trombonist and composer George Lewis, JCOI's prestigious faculty included those well-versed in jazz and other improvising traditions — composers Derek Bermel, Fabien Levy, Anthony Davis, Tania Leon, Jane Ira Bloom and Alvin Singleton — along with Boston Modern Orchestra Project conductor Gil Rose and members of the Wet Ink ensemble. Organized by topic, seminars focused on the history of orchestral music since 1945, the particulars of contemporary orchestration, improvisation and the orchestra and working with conductors, copyists, and music publishers. [Specifics will be covered in-depth in a future post and on-air story. —Ed.]
Complete on  >>  http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2010/07/26/128782039/jazz-composers-orchestra-institute?ft=1&f=10002

Taeko Fukao.....

Since moving to the United States in 1995, Eri Yamamoto has established....

Pianist/ Composer
Since moving to the United States in 1995, Eri Yamamoto has established herself as one of jazz's most original and compelling pianists and composers. Jazz legend Herbie Hancock has said, “My hat’s off to her… already she’s found her own voice.”

The Eri Yamamoto Trio, featuring bassist Dave Ambrosio and drummer Ikuo Takeuchi, has developed a unique sound and repertoire, and has built a strong following in New York and abroad. Recent tours include performances in the U. S., Europe, and Japan, with appearances at major festivals in Cheltenham, England; Terrassa, Spain; Bray/Derry, Ireland; Time Zones in Bari, Italy; and Shiga, Japan. Eri has also been collaborating with such creative and celebrated musicians as William Parker, Daniel Carter, Hamid Drake, Federico Ughi, and Yves Levelle.

Eri recently composed trio music to accompany the 1932 silent film by the master director, Yasujiro Ozu, I Was Born But… This music was premiered in a festival in Munich, Germany in 2009, and five of the songs appear on her new AUM Fidelity CD, In Each Day, Something Good. These tracks are complemented by five more songs inspired by her life in New York City and experiences playing her music abroad.

Eri has also developed a unique voice as a solo pianist, and has moved audiences with her renditions of her own compositions and her spontaneous improvisations. She recently completed a nine-concert solo tour of Italy to popular and critical acclaim.

Eri was born in Osaka, Japan, and began playing classical piano at age three. She started composing when only eight years old, and studied voice, viola, and composition through her high school and college years. In 1995, she visited New York for the first time, and by chance heard Tommy Flanagan performing. She was so inspired by her first experience of a jazz piano trio that she decided on the spot to move to New York and dedicate herself to learning jazz.

Later that year, Eri entered the New School University's prestigious jazz program, where she studied with Junior Mance, LeeAnn Ledgerwood, and Reggie Workman. In 1999, while still in school, she started playing regularly at the Avenue B Social Club, a popular spot among jazz musicians in the East Village. There she developed a musical friendship with fellow pianist Matthew Shipp.

Since 2000, Eri's trio has been appearing regularly at Arthur's Tavern, a historic jazz club in New York's Greenwich Village. In addition to her European performances, she has recently performed at the Hartford International Jazz Festival, An Die Musik in Baltimore, and Lincoln Center Summer Festival in New York City.

KIRK NUROCK plays "Skating In Central Park" by John Lewis

Solo piano improvisation/deconstruction on the jazz waltz by Modern Jazz Quartet pianist/composer, John Lewis.

Kris Davis has quickly grown to become a vital contributor to New York's jazz scene.

Kris Davis has quickly grown to become a vital contributor to New York's jazz scene. An artist exploring the balance between improvisation and composition, her writing and pianistic prowess have been described as 'adventurous' and 'refreshing'. In 2002, Davis sought out hailed saxophonist Tony Malaby, bassist Eivind Opsvik, and drummer Jeff Davis and created her working quartet.

Since it’s creation, the quartet has toured extensively, performing in festivals in the United States, Canada, Norway and Sweden. Through Davis’ compositions, the quartet’s two CD releases on Fresh Sound, and the experience of performing together for the past six years, her ensemble has created a delicate balance of push and pull within the music.

Lloyd Sachs of the Chicago Sun Times writes: 'From the outset of The Slightest Shift, pianist Kris Davis' impressive second album, you get a sense of kaleidoscopic possibilities in the playing and compositions. There's color and angularity and continual movement in her approach, which entrusts her quartet -- tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby, bassist Eivind Opsvik and drummer Jeff Davis -- to work independently toward a common goal.'

Originally from Canada, Davis studied classical piano through the Royal Conservatory of Music and received her bachelors degree from the University of Toronto. She attended the Banff Centre for the Arts jazz program in 1997 and 2000, where she met future band mate Tony Malaby. Two years later she received a Canada Council grant to relocate to New York and study composition with Jim McNeely and in 2006 was awarded another Canada Council grant to study extended piano techniques with pianist Benoit Delbecq in Paris, France.

In addition to her efforts as a band leader, Davis has performed with John Hollenbeck’s Large Ensemble, Theo Bleckmann, Ron Horton, Ingrid Jensen, Steve Swell, Peter Herbert, and Chris Speed. Davis is a founding member of the RIDD quartet which will release it’s first record in 2008, Fiction Avalanche, on the Clean Feed Label. She performs regularly as a sideman for many up-and-coming leaders such as Jon Irabagon and Tony Barba and plays harmonium in the Brooklyn Qawwali Party. Davis teaches at the Maine Jazz Camp and for the Preparatory Jazz Studies at Queens College.

Program
Thu, 29th > SKM trio - Stephen Gauci-saxophone, Mike Bisio-bass, Kris Davis-piano.... The Stone;

Sat, 31st > Double CD Release!!! - Ingrid Laubrock/Tyshawn Sorey/Kris Davis new CD on cleanfeed records and Kris Davis Trio with Tom Rainey-drums and John Hebert-bass new CD on Fresh Sound more... Cornelia Street Cafe;

28 AUG 10 > Ingrid Laubrock's Anti-house - Ingrid Laubrock-saxophone/compositions, Mary Halverson-guitar, John Hebert-bass, Tom Rainey-drums, Kris Davis-piano more... Salzberg, Austria-Saalfelden

Multi-award winning saxophonist/composer/educator Jacam Manricks....

CD Review for Jacam Manricks' Album 'Labyrinth'

"...Elegance is in a word the essence of this wondrous CD project!! And, saxophonist Jacam Manricks has succeeded in plying this to us his listener-audience-ship. Jazz meets the classics nicely thank you with Jacam's use of both a solid jazz quintet and a chamber orchestra,(strings, et al) to effect his musical offerings to us. His compositions using these two musical idioms results in both a striking and compelling sojourn into jazz and his original musical ideas. This project is a remarkable testament to the prodigious virtuosity of both Jacam and the bevy of supra-talented musicians he chose for the disc. We are fortunate to be recipients of Jacam's vision of music with his extemporized polyphonic original compositions..................And we must revel in it's artistic self-sufficiency. Encore! Encore!...” - George W Carroll, The Musicians' Ombudsman.

Bio
Multi-award winning saxophonist/composer/educator Jacam Manricks is fast establishing himself as one of the most qualified musicians in the world today. He has a doctorate in Jazz composition/performance/ pedagogy from the Manhattan School of Music, and tours internationally as a featured soloist, composer/arranger and clinician throughout Europe, North America and Australia.

As a saxophonist/woodwind player, Mr Manricks has performed with some of the most prestigious national and international artists of our time, including Ray Charles, the Village Vanguard Orchestra, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, David Liebman, Micheal Abene, Bob Mintzer, Dick Oatts, James Morrison, Mike Nock, Ben Monder, Gary Versace, Joe Martin, Tyshawn Sorey, Barney McAll, Jerry Lewis and the Queensland Symphony to name a few.

Jerry Lewis and the Queensland Symphony to name a few. As a composer, soloist and ensemble leader, Mr Manricks has recorded three albums to date (Skies the Limit, Labyrinth & Mood Swing). Currently Mr Manricks is promoting the release of his second album ‘Labyrinth’, which consists of Mr Manricks’ compositions for jazz quintet and chamber orchestra featuring himself with some of New York’s finest Jazz
soloists (Ben Monder – guitars, Thomas Morgan - bass, Tyshawn Sorey – drums, Jacob Sacks – piano & himself on saxophones/woodwinds).

The album has received outstanding reviews and continues to draw praise from press and audiences around the world. Mr Manricks recently accepted a record contract from LA based record-label Posi-tone and in May 2009 recorded his third album as a leader for the label. The album (entitled Mood Swing) is to be released early 2010 and features Mr Manricks’ most recent compositions for jazz quartet and septet, performed by himself and leading NY jazz soloists (Gary Versace – piano, Joe Martin - bass, Obed Calvaire – drums, Scott Wendholt – trumpet & himself on saxophones).

In October 2007, Mr Manricks premiered a series of compositions for Symphony Orchestra and Big Band in New York. The works featured Mr Manricks as alto saxophone soloist and composer/orchestrator and were presented as part of the Manhattan School of Music’s 90th Anniversary Celebration Concert. Mr Manricks was also the featured guest artist (soloist/composer) for the Queensland Conservatorium of Music’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert in September 2007.

Mr Manricks has written or been commissioned to compose works for the William Patterson University Big Band (New Jersey, USA), the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra (New York, USA), the Helsinki Polytechnics Pop and Jazz Conservatory (Finland), and the Queensland Conservatorium of Music (Brisbane).

Jacam has received a number of prestigious awards and scholarships for artistic excellence, such as the Contemporary Music Touring Program award in 2007, the Marten Bequest Arts Fellowship in 2005 and The Queensland Lord Mayors Performing Arts Fellowship in 2000.

Awards
Contemporary Music Touring Program 2008
Martin Bequest Arts Fellow 2005
Dean’s List the Manhattan School of Music 2004/2005
Scholarship for a Doctorate in Musical Arts at the Manhattan School of Music 2003
Graduate Fellowship from the William Paterson University 2002
Scholarship for a Masters' Degree at the William Paterson University 2002
Queensland Lord Mayor's Performing Arts Fellow 2000


Chromatic Suite for Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra was composed by saxophonist/composer Jacam Manricks. This premier performance is by Jacam Manricks & The Manhattan School of Music Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra Under the Direction of Justin DiCioccio, October-12-2007 in New York.

There’s no description more apt for Sheryl Bailey than "A sizzling guitar goddess"

"Always lush and lyrical, with just the right amount of harmonic angularity and tangy dissonance. Her sound displays a lovely sinewy edge that allows the listener to glean every nook and cranny of her wonderful style." - Darrin Fox, Guitar Player Magazine

"One of the top players in an emerging generation of jazz guitarists." - John Heidt, Vintage Guitar

 
"A Sizzling Guitar Goddess"

There’s no description more apt for Sheryl Bailey than "A sizzling guitar goddess", coined by Elliot Simon of All About Jazz. He’s not alone with his superlatives—Adam Levy of Guitar Player Magazine calls Sheryl "One of the most compelling tones of her generation", and Frank Forte of Just Jazz Guitar ranks her "among the best bop guitar players with a fresh approach and something new."

Sheryl’s playing is unquestionably "sizzling". She has groomed incredible chops and impeccable taste with which she applies them. It’s said (by Lee Metcalf, The Villager) that she can "go from zero to blazing in two beats", but she is continually praised for never sacrificing melody and lyricism for technique. "She balances superior technical skills with a strong lyrical sense and swinging touch…" continues Metcalf, and Joe Taylor of Soundstage says "Bailey combines an astonishing command of the fingerboard with a seemingly endless flow of melodic invention."

As for the guitar, she’s hardly had it out of her hands since the age of 13. That was when her mother finally relented to Sheryl’s begging for a Harmony Strat from the J.C. Penney catalogue. Though Sheryl was a rock-star wannabe, the influence of her pianist mother got her obsessed with learning harmony, and her first teacher in Pittsburgh, John Maione, introduced her to the guitar tradition—Wes, Jimmy Raney, George Van Eps, Joe Pass and others.

She eventually attended Berklee College of Music. Her years of dedication and focus won her 3rd place in the Thelonius Monk International Jazz Guitar competition in 1995, and she was chosen as a Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department in 2000 for a South American tour. She is now said to be "One of the top players in an emerging generation of jazz guitarists" (John Heidt, Vintage Guitar). And the Goddess part? Well, let’s just say that Sheryl’s maintains a schedule of performing, teaching, writing, touring and recording that is almost superhuman.

Her own trio, the Sheryl Bailey 3, is a modernized version of the organ trio—hard-swinging but with a unique harmonic edge. They are in demand in her home city of New York, and have also toured extensively in the U.S., Europe, South America and Australia. She also tours the world as a member of David Krakauer’s "Klezmer Madness" (combining Klezmer with jazz, funk and hip-hop), and she rocks with the "Jazz Guitars Play Jimi Hendrix" quartet. A partial list of others with whom she has performed includes Richard Bona, George Garzone, Mike LeDonne, Irene Cara, Jack Wilkins, Howard Alden, Shingo Okudaira, Ingrid Jensen, Dwayne Burno and Gary Thomas.

To date, Sheryl has 5 CDs out under her name, and a live DVD, "The Sheryl Bailey 3 Live in NYC" now available from Mel Bay records. Each successive release has drawn more accolades. Of her most recent, "Live at the Fat Cat", Joe Taylor says, "...this disc proves again that Sheryl Bailey is one of the most gifted and exciting jazz guitarists on the scene", and that she is a "jazz composer of the first order."

2009 will see the MCG Jazz release of "A New Promise", her recently recorded tribute to Emily Remler, featuring Sheryl as the solo artist with Pittsburgh’s acclaimed Three Rivers Jazz Orchestra. Sheryl is also heard on recordings of many other artists—Krakauer, Richard Bona, Shingo Okudaira, Irene Cara, Gary Portnoy, and KJ Denhert among them.

It’s hard to imagine she also finds time to teach, but Sheryl is an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, and on staff at the Collective in New York. In keeping with Sheryl’s philosophy of "giving back", she also teaches at the Ronald McDonald House in association with the NY Pops. She has been an Artist in Residence and a Clinician at countless other programs and institutions, including NYU, Bates College, the Stanford Jazz Workshop, Towson University, the LA Music Academy and the Guitar Institute in L.A.

And don’t forget her impressive list of publications…..Sheryl’s first book was "The Chord Rules" in 2001, and in 2009, Mel Bay will be publishing her book "Moveable Shapes: Concepts for Reharmonizing II-V-I’s". She also contributed to Volume 4 of Mel Bay’s "Master Anthology of Jazz Guitar Solos" and she writes a column called "New York Scene" for the Mel Bay Guitar Session.

So, Sheryl lives up to Elliot Simon’s description, in all facets of her work. At a recent duo performance in New York—Sheryl and Jack Wilkins—I sat next to Jimmy Wyble. After a couple of tunes, Jimmy leaned over and whispered, "She’s one of the top five"…as in, one of the top five guitarists in the country. And Vintage Guitar terms her "one of jazz guitars current front runners."

"Top Five"? "Best Bop Guitar Player"? "Sizzling Guitar Goddess"? However you phrase it, Sheryl Bailey is unquestionably making a legendary name for herself.
Evelyn Palmer

Associate Professor, Berklee College of Music Department: Guitar
"I came from a family of professional musicians and we all had to study the piano. Maybe it was because I was rebellious, but I wanted to play the guitar instead of the piano. I think it was because you could play rock music on the guitar. So I had studied piano and trumpet as a kid, but when I got the guitar, that's when I got really serious about music.

"[The guitar] is loud. It's a contemporary instrument. The electric guitar, which is mostly what I play, to me it's a contemporary sound. It's a voice, and it seemed like the voice that expressed me the best. There are so many things you can do with the guitar, whether you want to play straight jazz, or you want to be a singer songwriter, or a composer, or a film scorer. You can get a good background in harmony, melody, and rhythm from studying guitar. It's in many ways a complete instrument.

"I try to make my teaching as practical and as based in the real world as possible. Because I do perform and I tour a lot, and record, I try to bring that experience to my students, to tell them this is what you really need to know to go out there and do it, and be successful.

"The ideals of being professional—being prepared, being on time, having a good attitude, being someone who's friendly and easy to work with—sometimes is as important about getting the gig as anything. Because there are so many great players, the more that you're prepared and the more that you're a good person to work with, you're going to move to the top of the list of people to call".

"For me, what's important is that the material that we're dealing with in class is practical to what a real musician has to deal with. It's about developing the skills that you're really going to need to make you successful. Those are the skills that I learned at Berklee, too. I think that's what's awesome about Berklee: You get to study with people who are really out there doing it, and to learn from that experience."

>- B.M., Berklee College of Music
>- Guitarist
>- Band leader of the Sheryl Bailey Three, featuring drummer Ian Froman and organist Gary Versace
>- Performances with Howard Alden, Rob Bargad, Richard Bona, Irene Cara, KJ Denhert, Dena Derose, George Garzone, Gary Grainger, Jazz Guitars Meet Hendrix, David Krakauer, John Pisano, Gary Thomas, and Jack Wilkins
>- Recordings include solo albums A New Promise, Live in NYC, Live @ the Fat Cat, The Power of Three, Bull's Eye!, Reunion of Souls, and Little Misunderstood; and Bubbemeises, Krakauer Live in Krakow (David Krakauer), Munia: The Tale (Richard Bona), and Destiny (Gary Portnoy)
>- Featured in Just Jazz Guitar (February 2003) and Guitar Player magazine (August 1999)
>- Finalist, 1995 Thelonious Monk Competition

http://www.sherylbailey.com/


The Sheryl Bailey 3 performing "Cedar's Mood" (dedicated to Cedar Walton) from the live jazz DVD recorded in New York available from Mel Bay. Featuring Sheryl Bailey on electric guitar, Brian Charette on Hammond B3 and Ian Froman on drums.

Sarah Vaughan ♫ Peter Gunn (Max Sedgley Remix)

Sarah Vaughan - Peter Gunn (Max Sedgley Remix) / Verve Remixed Vol.3
Music by Henry Mancini
Lyrics by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans

Look how far you've come!

by Minim
I was giving a lesson the other day and my student, a beginner, was having real trouble getting his head around the different kind of seventh chords. As I watch him stumble trying to pick out the notes of a dominant seventh on the piano, I thought to myself 'you have such a long way to go'.

But then again, so do I. All of us are on musical journeys which will never be completed. We'll never reach the stage where we can put our feet up and say 'that's it, my playing is perfect, I know everything there is to know and there is nothing that can be improved.'

In one sense this can be daunting. Very soon after starting to study music, you realise that it's a never-ending task. You reach the top of the mountain only to find that another, taller peak looms on the horizon. In the early days you often think to yourself 'If I could only...' and imagine that musical satisfaction is just around the corner.

If I could only... swing a line / not get lost in the form / play some decent voicings / make it sound like jazz... THEN I'd be happy.

But very soon you start to master your 'if onlys' - only to find they're automatically replaced with new ones. You start to realise that in choosing to play music, you've committed to a path that will be full of frustration and desire and will never reach an end. At times like these, it's worth taking a look backwards. Yes you've got a long journey in front of you - but look how far you've come.

As I watched my student struggling over his chords, I could recall a time when I was in his position and it seemed like I'd never be able to remember even basic triads. I can remember a time when I couldn't play from the top of a lead sheet to the bottom without getting lost. I can remember a time when nothing I played seemed to sound like jazz.

Complete on  >>  http://playjazz.blog.co.uk/2010/07/20/look-how-far-you-ve-come-9004732/

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of links and short local news items of interest that you may have missed:

* The St. Louis-based independent label MAXJAZZ recently was the subject of a feature on cable channel HEC-TV's program State of The Arts. You can see the video of the segment on MAXJAZZ's Facebook page.

* St. Louis flute player and composer Fred Tompkins (pictured) and local presenting organization New Music Circle are both mentioned in an article about Third Stream music in the most recent issue of CA-Modern magazine, a slick, glossy publication that covers California lifestyles and architecture from the mid-20th century to today. You can read the article, written by Jeff Kaliss, online here. (Note: The link goes to the first page of a Flash version of the magazine. Use the controls at the top of the page to move forward and backward through the contents.)

* Musical instrument retailer Fazio's Frets & Friends is sponsoring a free informational lecture, "Playing for Longevity: A Chiropractic Workshop for Musicians (Part II)" from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p. m. next Wednesday, July 28 in the performance room at Fazio's, 15440 Manchester Rd. in Ellisville. The discussion will include "prevention strategies and treatment options for patients regarding repetitive motion injuries and other conditions related to inflammation. An acupuncture demonstration will follow the lecture and a question & answer session will round out the evening."

*In a post on the paper's Culture Club blog, the Post-Dispatch's Diane Toroian Keaggy lists all the local organizations that will be participating in this fall's American Arts Festival, which will include performances by pianist Dave Brubeck at the Sheldon Concert Hall and saxophonist Joshua Redman at Jazz at the Bistro.
Complete on  >>  http://stljazznotes.blogspot.com/2010/07/so-what-local-news-notes-links_23.html