A Woody Herman alumnus, John Vanore

"Vanore’s strong trumpet solo accentuates his pristine melodic sense, yet while the large ensemble’s response to his lines makes an immediate impact, guitarist Greg Kettinger’s pointed underpinning lines quietly make the sharpest, and most lingering, statement." —Aaron Cohen, Downbeat

"Ambitious writing and arranging for the 12-piece ensemble by Philly-based trumpeter, John Vanore. Hauntingly beautiful…well crafted…stirring orchestration…edgy…swinging." —Bill Milkowski, Jazz Times

“…their sheer excellence exemplifies creativity in compostion and craftsmanship in the art of arranging…this music is rooted in its heritage while boldly forward looking.” —Thomas Conrad, CD Review

A Woody Herman alumnus, John has a strong place in his heart for the power and energy that is part of being a big band. His passion for improvising draws him to the intimacy and interplay of the small group.

As a student of Dennis Sandole, composition and the development of a personal soloist identity were and remain the driving force in Vanore’s writing and playing. “Curosity” is more than an album title”, Vanore says. “It is my credo!” With hunger for knowledge and accomplishment that is un-relentless, it was decided to write for and create a “new” group, based on the concept of the intimacy of a small group with the fire power of a big band. (of course, the influence of being in Woody’s band). It was decided to call the group “Abstract Truth.”

While attending a summer program, while in college, directed by Oliver Nelson, John experienced the pivotal moment of his career—making the decision to pursue music. Nelson’s unique identity was inspirational.   Then, studies with Dennis Sandole forged and intensified the same type of identity thinking.

The phrase alone “abstract truth” is a great definition of how jazz exists. The abstract nature of sound, itself -- the honesty (truth) of the improviser. Composition and improvisation—their relationship for storytelling and shaping a landscape of sound are fundamental to the commitment to the development of the unique voice that is Äbstract Truth.

After Woody’s band, John became a mainstay in the trumpet sections for performers visiting Philadelphia–Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Sammy Davis, Michel LeGrand, Louis Bellson, and others.  He has also recorded and produced for EMI, Wyndham Hill, Miramax and has received a Gold Record for his work with Atlantic Records.

Read more: http://www.johnvanore.net/press.html

Tulalips screen film about American Indian jazz great

Photo courtesy of Sandy Osawa

By Theresa Goffredo, Herald Writer
Jim Pepper was known for pioneering the fusion jazz movement as well as being the kind of musical innovator who blended jazz with American Indian music.

Jazz aficionados are well aware of Pepper's composition "Witchi Tai To," today a jazz classic that was a crossover hit between jazz and the top 40 popular song list when it was first produced in the mid-'60s.

Pepper's life is celebrated in the film documentary "Pepper's Pow Wow," showing at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Hibulb Cultural Center on the Tulalip Reservation, 6410 23rd Ave. NE, Tulalip.

Admission for adults is $10. For more information call Hibulb at 360-716-2600 or online at www.hibulbculturalcenter.org/.

Sandy Osawa will present the one-hour film. Osawa, a Makah, is the first American Indian filmmaker to produce on a national broadcast scale and has made 16 broadcast films.

She and her husband, cameraman and editor Yasu Osawa, will answer questions following the film.
Read more: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20130126/LIVING/701269987/0/living03

Oli Rockberger With New Solo Album

“..a repertoire rippling with hip pop, and R&B harmonies, laced with jazz devices.”                                                     -  All About Jazz
Whether you first discover Oli Rockberger through his work as a singer-songwriter, producer, arranger, keys sideman, or as one third of acclaimed band/production team Mister Barrington, you’ll find a distinctive musical voice running through the rich and varied work he does.

Londoner Rockberger, who currently lives in NY, first came to the US on a Full Scholarship to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music ('99-'04). Since then, he has shared stages and studios with musical icons Levon Helm and Jackie DeShannon, Grammy winners Randy Brecker, Jesse Harris and John Mayer, jazz luminaries Les McCann and Charlie Hunter, and hip-hop royalty Common and Queen Latifa.  His current work includes performing and recording with Randy Brecker whose upcoming album (Feb '13) features two songs co- written and sung by Rockberger, as well as performing/recording with bass legend Will Lee, with whom he appeared at “The Cotton Club” in Toyko (Nov '12) in a band which also included drum phenomenon Steve Gadd . Lee's forthcoming album will also feature Rockberger as writer/arranger/player.  Rockberger continues to perform and record alongside drummer/producer Zach Danziger and bassist/producer Owen Biddle as part of acclaimed electronic trio Mister Barrington, and is also a main staple of gifted songman and fellow NY based Brit James Maddock's shows & albums.

Read more: https://www.storyamp.com/dispatch/2234/e4c0afcef20e0b5048aac8f65f3e4639

Les McCann: Stuttgart 2004

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

Les McCann is one of the fathers of soul-jazz. The pianist and vocalist pioneered a sound in the late-'60s and '70s with saxophonist Eddie Harris that provided a warmer, more soulful alternative to jazz-fusion. Albums like Swiss Movement (1969) and Layers (1973) remain landmarks.

Courtesy of Jimi Mentis in Athens, here's McCann in Stuttgart in 2004...

Used with permission by Marc Myers

Stars light up Jamaica Jazz

Western Bureau:As 2013 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival moved towards its final crescendo at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium on Friday night, the likes of Michael Bolton, Mary J. Blige and Etana made sure that patrons received more than their money's worth at the music event.

The diverse presentations took the audience on an awe-inspiring journey that has become synonymous with the international show.

From reggae, soca to blues, soulful classics and R&B, time was not sufficient to explore the depths of the music catalogue that the main acts possess.

Matching the success of last year's staging that saw Celine Dion gracing the stage was a difficult task to accomplish, but the organiser's choice to host the legendary Bolton fared well with the audience, most of whom are loyal fans of his music.

Bolton made the presence of Celine Dion felt with a duet he did with singer and songwriter Kelly Levesque.

The two did a rendition of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli's The Prayerthat electrified the stadium and sent it into ear-piercing screams and shouts of approval.
Read more: http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/stars-light-up-jamaica-jazz/

Learning, entertaining and all that jazz

January 27, 2013 8:50 pm  •  Cynthia Beaudette

MUSCATINE, Iowa — Jazz music took center stage Saturday as Muscatine High School hosted schools from 10 regional districts for the Iowa High School Music Association’s State Jazz Band Festival.

The bands did not compete against one another, said MHS band director Jeff Heid, but performed for judges who rated their performances.

Heid said that after performing before an audience in the MHS auditorium, each band played in a separate band room for a judge who gave the students feedback on their strong points and advice on what needs improvement.

Two MHS bands played at the festival: The jazz band and the jazz ensemble.

Many Muscatine band students, including sophomore Mark Cochran, who plays trumpet in the MHS jazz band, said they appreciated hearing the judge’s observations.  

“We learned a lot about crescendos, volumes and a lot of dynamics,” said Cochran.

Cochran’s mother, Karol Cochran, volunteered at the Festival, welcoming guests, and said 185 people signed in to watch the bands Saturday which were represented by approximately 200 students.

Diane Calzaretta of Muscatine came to see her daughter, MHS senior Marina Calzaretta, perform with the MHS jazz band.

“I just come and enjoy this,” said Diane. “I’m glad we have opportunities in Muscatine to host an event like this. It’s important for the community and the high school.”

Diane said the effort requires much work on the part of the school district and the volunteers who coordinate the day.

Read more: http://muscatinejournal.com/news/local/69139c18-68f5-11e2-8c57-001a4bcf887a.html

Bob Belden: Jazz Adventurer

By JEFF DAYTON-JOHNSON, Published: January 28, 2013
Bob Belden is a jazz renaissance man: a flutist and saxophonist who began his career with Woody Herman's big band. He's also a composer and arranger, who has orchestrated jazz treatments of Puccini's opera Turandot as well as the music of The Beatles, Sting and Prince. His pair of tributes to trumpeter Miles Davis—Miles from India (Times Square, 2008) and Miles Español: New Sketches From Spain (Entertainment One, 2011)—are conceptually and sonically rich high points in a crowded discography as arranger- impresario.

As a producer, moreover, he has led the compilation and reissue of several milestone jazz recordings and box sets for Sony/Columbia records, including trumpeter Miles Davis' The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 (Sony/Legacy, 2005) and The Complete On The Corner Sessions(Sony/Legacy, 2007), as well as pianist Herbie Hancock's Sextant (Columbia, 1973)—and many, many others. This work has garnered Belden three Grammy Awards, and few musicians have drawn as creatively from these masterpieces of 1970s fusion as Belden.

Perhaps what is most distinctive about Belden is his capacity to craft music in a cinematic or novelistic way. His albums, his concerts, tell multidimensional stories. In his conversation with All About Jazz, Belden points out that pianist/bandleader/composer Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, bassist/bandleader/composer Charles Mingus and keyboardist Joe Zawinul also created this kind of complex Total Art. But the group of such musicians is a small one. And, as his remarks demonstrate, Belden is thinking bigger and bigger all the time, marrying technology and creativity to transcend current notions of "jazz performance." Indeed, he prefers "adventures" to "projects."

Belden's Animation band has released three records on the RareNoise label, the most recent being Transparent Heart, an aural movie about New York City, recorded with an all-new lineup of musicians.

All About Jazz: Tell us a little about your band, Animation.

Bob Belden: Animation essentially started in 1993 as part of a recording session for EMI-Japan {PrinceJazz (EMI Japan, 1993). I had a concept of reducing the big band texture to three keyboards and a guitar, plus trumpet, sax, bass and drums. It was a sextet with only [trumpeterTim] Hagans, myself, [Scott] Kinsey [on synthesizers], [bassist David] Dyson, [drummer Billy] Kilson and [turntablist] DJ Kingsize by 1999, when we recorded Animation: Imagination (Blue Note, 1999) and Re: Animation LIVE! (Blue Note, 2000). By then we had established an exclusive sound in the jazz world, being the first jazz band to successfully incorporate drum and bass and electronica influences into the music (with two Grammy nominations to prove it).

From 2001-2006, the band was in semi-hiatus, doing a few gigs and an unissued recording session. We used Zach Danzinger and KJ Sawka (currently the drummer with the pop band Pendulum) on drums during that period and DJ Logic joined the band in 2006. We went into Merkin Hall in late 2006 with Hagans, myself, Kinsey, Matt Garrison on bass, Guy Licata on drums (who I met on a Bill Laswell gig at the Stone) and DJ Logic to perform [Miles Davis'] Bitches Brew(Columbia, 1970). This was recorded by a UK production company called Something Else and the show ended up on the BBC. I also put the concert up on YouTube, where it has been viewed about 300,000 times.

It was through this video that Mr. Giacomo Bruzzo from RareNoise Records entered the picture. Giacomo thought the concert was strong enough to release and then implement a plan to try to find work for that band. The main problem was that all of the band members from 2006 had gone on their own by 2010, with personal commitments that overrode Animation. So in a very unique business move, Giacomo approved of resetting the band from scratch. He understood that Animation was not a one-off event, it was a line of thinking, a sound-creation methodology that he was familiar with and knew of the artistic potential. We made a deal to begin anew and on that basis, with the desire to embrace the future, and RareNoise released Asiento in 2011 and Agemo in 2012 to begin the idea of Animation being alive and well. A continuum was established. Transparent Heart was issued in October of 2012.
Read more: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=43730#.UQezAaXhEhQ

Saving a Life Through Music: Dayna Stephens

Written by Jason Jeffrey, Contributing Writer, on 01-23-2013
On Feb. 17 at 6:30 p.m., the two-time Grammy nominee jazz pianist and composer Taylor Eigsti and the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet will be hosting a benefit concert at the Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland, Calif. All proceeds will go directly to Dayna Stephens, a world class saxophonist, composer, and bandleader.

     Dayna Stephens is based both in New York City and the Bay Area and is currently suffering from a fatal kidney disease. He has released many critically acclaimed albums, including “Today So Special”, which is on the Criss Cross label. However, Stephens is not only known for his music, but also for his influence and mentorship of both active and aspiring musicians all over the country. Stephens has taught students at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, The New School, The Brubeck Institute Fellowship & Summer Jazz Colony, San Francisco State University, and the Jazz Camp West. According to the article posted about the event on http://jazzfoundation.org/DaynaStephens, those who know him personally know that his sincerity and care for his students makes him a truly unique resource to the entire musical community.

     Unfortunately, Stephens has contracted a rare kidney disease called Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) which affects 20 out of every million people and is waiting on desperately needed kidney transplant. The medications needed to keep his body stable for the transplant costs an alarming monthly rate of over $4,000 a month for an indefinite time period.

Read more: http://thepacificanonline.com/new/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4437&Itemid=72

First Listen: Rudresh Mahanthappa, 'Gamak'

by PATRICK JARENWATTANANON, January 20, 201310:29 PM

When alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa was considered a "rising star" among jazz bookers and critics, and not quite a full-blown headliner, he led a very good quartet. It featured pianist Vijay Iyer before he, too, found himself on magazine covers; its engine was propelled by a classic combination of double bass and drums.

Since the last quartet record in 2006, Mahanthappa has toured with a lot of different bands: They have names like the Dakshina Ensemble, and the Indo-Pak Coalition, and Samdhi, and Apex, and the Jack DeJohnette Group. All of those experiences seem to be stuffed into his new quartet album, Gamak.

It's a somewhat different quartet. Filling the piano chair is guitarist Dave Fiuczynski, a colleague from Jack DeJohnette's band who's also done deep studies of non-Western systems; he once founded a band called Screaming Headless Torsos, if that tells you anything.

But it also returns Francois Moutin (acoustic bass) and Dan Weiss (drums) from the previous band, and as dynamic as they get, the foundations and sonorities they generate are of anchoring comfort, especially in music as complex as this. The sum effect is of surfing on an information overload without drowning in it.

Read more: http://www.npr.org/2013/01/20/169520467/first-listen-rudresh-mahanthappa-gamak?ft=3&f=126134671&sc=nl&cc=jn-20130127

Jazz Icons Erroll Garner Live In Europe The 60's

Jazz on Film: Beat, Square & Cool

By SKIP HELLER, Published: January 24, 2013

Again presenting eight film scores spread across five discs, packaged in a gorgeous box and enclosed with a beautifully illustrated and comprehensively notated booklet, the Moochin' About staff (who are also the force behind the excellent British magazine Jazzwise) have returned with their second installment of noir and near-noir jazz movie music. As with their previous five disc volume, Film Noir, Beat, Square, and Cool anthologizes dark, moody "crimejazz" film scores coming from composers from both outside and within the relative mainstream of mid 20th century jazz. This series means business. These sets aren't cheap. Also, much of this music has been on compact disc at some point before, so arguments for buying it this way start with superior sound quality and that Moochin' About's editions wherever possible include more of the music from the film than has been previously available.

My review of the previous Film Noir set goes into the history and aesthetic of crimejazz and its close cousins, so this review will skip the history and go right to the music. This set takes a wider stylistic view, from Leith Stevens' Kentonesque Wild One score (which is an intellectual masterpiece) to 1960s hard bop. As previously, Duke Ellington is represented, this time with Paris Blues, which may well be his best writing for film. The film stars Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier as expatriot American musicians living in Paris. Newman is a trombonist trying to make the jump from jazz to "serious" music, and the main title theme is exactly the type of Ellingtonia that sums up that aspiration and illustrates its impressionistic nobility. Throughout, the score acquits itself perfectly both as jazz and film score. This can be a bit of a tightrope, but Ellington's cinematic tendencies coupled with his discipline as a composer made him perfect for the job. Paris Blues is one of his most undersold 1960s albums, and shouldn't be.

Charles Mingus' score for John Cassavetes' Shadows is less a true film score and more a Mingus album. Which, in fact, it mostly was. Save for the opening "Untitled Percussion Composition," these tracks are most of an album that has been alternately issued as Jazz Portraits and Mingus Wonderland. It's great stuff (pianist Richard Wyands is especially good), but this music has not been particularly hard to get, great though it is.

The real jewel of this set is Johnny Mandel's Oscar-winning score for the powerful I Want To Live!, which starred Susan Hayward as a party girl framed for murder and sent to the electric chair. Live!claims the distinction of being the first motion picture to use modern jazz written by a card-carrying modern jazz composer/arranger. Mandel's resume at that point included composing, arranging, and playing on the West Coast scene that evolved in the late 1940s (most notably ultramodern bebop work for Woody Herman). I Want To Live! established him in one fell swoop as a giant, and he lived up to it as both an arranger and film composer. Recently, he penned arrangements for Paul McCartney's standards disc. His compositions include "The Shadow Of Your Smile," "Emily" and "Theme From MASH (Suicide Is Painless)."

Read More: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=43776#.UQO0Z6XhEhQ

Artie Shaw: Rhythm Makers

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com
 

If you want to know what America was like at different points in time, listen to the music. While sheet music and recordings are hardly perfect reflections of our culture—demographic and regional tastes are never unified nor do they shift in lockstep—music can offer compelling clues. After all, music's primary purpose is to appeal to listeners—challenging artists to nibble around the edges to find the soft spots while remaining true to their aesthetic.

In the years leading up to America's entry into World War II in December 1941, much of the world was already at war or on the brink. These mounting tensions weren't lost on American anxieties, which had already been stretched thin by World War I and a grueling Depression. [Photo above of Armistice Day 1937 in New York by Irwin Shaw]

Despite a series of Neutrality Acts passed by Congress in the 1930s, the national pulse was racing in anticipation of the inevitable. Nazi Germany occupied the Rhineland in 1937 and invaded Austria in 1938. Fascist Italy was tearing around Africa. And Japan was at war in China. [Pictured above: New York's Roxy Theater in 1937]

Growing fear over global events that America couldn't stop or control was the Swing Era's backdrop. With rising nationalism and militarization in the 1930s as well as rising ethnic hatred in Europe and Asia, the music here grew both hot and sweet. [Photo above of New York's Fifth Ave. in 1938 by Irwin Shaw]

Among the bands that neatly reflected the uncertainty and quest for calm was Artie Shaw's Rhythm Makers. The band recorded between March 1937 and February 1938 and is perhaps Shaw's finest orchestra. This band escapes many Shaw fans, who tend to begin their listening with the July '38 recording of Begin the Beguine. But to Shavian purists, the Rhythm Makers band has a charm and appeal all its own.

For one, the band maintained a smart, chunky Fox Trot beat throughout this period, which still keeps your feet tapping reflexively. For another, Shaw's clarinet had a measured, modern sound even then—swinging in and out of the day's melodies as if trying to settle the band's agitation. And lastly, most of the arranging was handled by Shaw and Jerry Gray, one of the swing era's finest and most overlooked penmen.

Virtually every track recorded by Shaw's Rhythm Makers opens large, with reeds taking the melodic lead and horns providing hip counterpoint. Typically, Shaw sauntered into the mix for a bit before an over-rendered vocal by Peg LaCentra, Nita Bradley or Bea Wain. Then Shaw came sailing back in, swinging gracefully with that ice-blue clarinet in the upper register. It's perfection.

To fully understand Shaw on and off the bandstand, this orchestra is as good a place as any to begin your analysis. Shaw's life-long restlessness and think-big reach seem to stem from this band's gripping sound and high standards.

I don't know how Shaw felt about the Rhythm Makers, but after giving all of the recordings an intensive listen, I'd bet that in Shaw's mind it was all downhill after this band. I don't think Shaw was ever able to duplicate the band's skin-tight quality. From rhythm section to reeds and trumpets, the orchestra provided Shaw with just the right level of tension and stretched elasticity, allowing him to  bounce around on his clarinet. [Pictured above: Artie Shaw and Jerry Gray]

When Shaw folded and started a succession of bands in search of new sounds in the '40s, I suspect this is the sound and feel he was trying to recapture. A band wound so tight that clarinet notes would spring off the surface when dropped.

By 1941, America's pastoral days were ending. The cities—with their ports and communication centers—were becoming cerebral, rational hubs,  replacing the heart found in the farmlands, the hollows and the hills. But in 1937 and the first part of '38, Shaw's band was a metro ensemble that was still in awe of America's innocent soul. [Pictured above: Port of Los Angeles in February 1942]

Three weeks after Pearl Harbor, Shaw enlisted in the Navy and when he returned after the war, Shaw and his bands took on a new purpose and role. But for a brief 12-month period in 1937 and early '38, Shaw was in an enviable groove and would spend the rest of his musical career trying to recapture that illusive something special. Fortunately for us that sound is all here.

JazzWax tracks: The only set available on this band comes from the U.K. It's Artie Shaw: The Complete Rhythm Makers Sessions 1937-1938—three double-CD sets from Flyright Records in 2003, with liner notes by John McDonough. The sound is terrific. You'll find them here, here andhere.

JazzWax clips: Here are three tracks that say it all... 

Beginner's Luck

Have You Met Miss Jones?

The Folks Who Live On The Hill

Used with permission by Marc Myers

Autumn Leaves - Kenny Werner

Concierto de Kenny Werner (piano) acompañado de Greg Hutchinson (batería) y Doug Weiss (contrabajo) en el Festival Internacional JazzUV 2012, Sala grande del Teatro del Estado, 15 de noviembre de 2012.

Rotating music masters keep Latin Jazz All Stars fresh

By Andrea Daniel, Special to The Detroit News

The Latin Jazz All Stars show isn't just a concert, it's an explosive event.

An interesting thing about the Latin Jazz All Stars: While the genre remains the same, the band is a revolving group of high-caliber musicians that changes from year to year. This year's band brings its high-energy performance to Detroit's Jazz Café at Music Hall Saturday.

"My three words to describe the band are 'phenomenal,' 'earth-shaking' and 'bedazzling,'" says Jason Franklin of M.F. Productions from his home in Atlanta. He would know. He created the Latin Jazz All Stars show more than a decade ago.

"The Latin Jazz All Stars is a musical extravaganza that features the top Latin jazz players of the day," Franklin says. 

"When we say Latin music we mean Afro Cuban, salsa, Brazilian. You name it, we cover the gamut of Latin music," he says.

"The first show was in 2001 at Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. That first group was Steve Turre (trombone and seashells), Ray Vega (trumpet), Arturo O'Farrill on piano, John Benitez (bass), Mario Rivera tenor sax," Franklin says. "Then in '03, we came back with Giovani Hidalgo on percussion, Dave Valentine was on flute, Hilton Ruiz on piano and John Benitez was still with us, and we brought in Junior Terry (bass).

"So folks come in and out, kinda like the thing with Art Blakey. Once you're a Jazz Messenger, you're always a Jazz Messenger. So once you're a Latin Jazz All Star, you're always a Latin Jazz All Star."

With an ever-changing roster of musicians, maintaining the quality of the sound really depends on the players, according to Franklin.

"We have the best," he says. "And when you have the best, no matter who's there, when you have somebody of high caliber, you're gonna get what you need, gonna get something good."

Latin Jazz All Stars musicians have led their own bands and performed with such renowned artists as Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Grover Washington, Max Roach, Paul Simon and Dionne Warwick, to name a few.

Read More The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130124/ENT04/301240304#ixzz2J7PZm5q8

Westmont band gets offer of a lifetime with concert in India

By DAVID HEITZ - dheitz@shawmedia.com - Created: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 2:31 p.m. CST

As members of a jazz-swing band, a Westmont father and son have been performing songs together in venues all across the Chicago area and in the midwest.

But never did they dream they would be able to play their music live for an audience a half-a-world away.

The Flat Cats, a band comprised of Westmont residents Jon Kostal Sr. and Jon Kostal Jr., will be performing in Bangalore, India next month as part of a cultural experience that will bring the Chicago-area based musicians to the other side of the world.

The six members of The Flat Cats will be performing in India Feb. 1-3, making the long journey to a new night club and restaurant called Windmill Craftworks in Bangalore. The band is scheduled to make the 10-day trip on Jan. 27.

So, why The Flat Cats?

Indian citizen Kamal Sagar saw the band perform last year at the Palm Court located in the Drake Hotel in downtown Chicago. Sagar is now the owner of a new restaurant and brewery in India, and he wanted The Flat Cats to help kick off the restaurant’s opening.

Read More: http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2013/01/23/westmont-band-gets-offer-of-a-lifetime-with-concert-in-india/agzijc9/

Kindred Possibilities: Saffron Finds New Voices for Rumi’s Passionate Insights on dawning

Sometimes, kindred spirits meet by chance—and end up talking all night. Sometimes, they wind up in a studio together and craft something spontaneous and extraordinary.

Guided by the poetry of Rumi and by a long-standing tradition of poetic recitation and musical dialogue, Saffron is a meeting of unexpected but strikingly simpatico musical minds, including vocalist Katayoun Goudarzi, renowned Grammy-nominee sitar master Shujaat Khan, jazz and rock saxophonist Tim Ries, and composer and jazz pianist Kevin Hays. Together, the seemingly ad hoc ensemble creates a space where the revered poet’s words resonate in unexpected, engaging ways.

On dawning (Tames Records distributed by Palmetto; release: February 5, 2013), the musical companions evoke the wrenching doubt and elevating passion, the delicate flirtation and deep perception of the Persian Sufi poet, drawing on their artful command of Indian classical and Western jazz forms, on traditional literature and contemporary sensibilities.

“It makes sense to engage both East and West, to use both to express the poems,” Goudarzi explains. “Unity and love are the most fundamental parts of Rumi’s poetry. We could, of course, use the same music that was considered Sufi music, forever and ever for another 800 years. But it’s a different world now, a new opportunity for interaction. And so long as we want to learn about each other, why not try to transcribe it in our own way?”

Saffron’s own way emerged swiftly in the studio, in a quicksilver dialogue. The improvisation and conversation became the perfect vehicle for expressing treasured sentiments and insights beyond language, historical period, and cultural bounds. “When certain musicians gather, we speak a language, and there are no words,” reflects Shujaat Khan. “We are conversing and we can feel each other’s emotions changing, that it’s all gelling and coming together. It’s so beautiful and so unbelievable, being together with wonderful musicians and exchanging opinions musically.”
Read more: http://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.press_release/project_id/676.cfm

Stu Williamson: Two Januarys

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

It was gratifying last week to hear that New York's Verse Music was remastering and re-issuing the entire Bethlehem catalog. The 1950s label not only consistently released superb albums on both coasts but also pioneered the early use of glossy color-saturated covers that tapped into consumer moods. This trend was the innovation of Creed Taylor, who was the label's East Coast producer from 1954 to '56. (Which reminds me, I'm so waiting for Herbie Mann'sLove and the Weather.)

Two superb but little-known Bethlehem albums that were recorded in Los Angeles and led by facile trumpeter Stu Williamson were Stu Williamson Plays (January 1955) andPee Jay (January 1956). Here's the lineup for the first date: Stu Williamson (tp), Charlie Mariano (as), Claude Williamson (p), Max Bennett (b) and Stan Levey (d).

And here's the second:  Stu Williamson (tp) accompanied on different tracks by Charlie Mariano (as), Bill Holman (ts) and Jimmy Giuffre (bar). The rhythm section throughout was Claude Williamson (p), Leroy Vinnegar (b) and Mel Lewis (d).

Like Pete and Conte Candoli, Stu and Claude Williamson were brothers (Claude being six years and change older than Stu). Both brothers were born in Vermont, but after Claude moved to Los Angeles in '47 to play, the family followed in 1948. [Pictured above: Stu Williamson with Jimmy Giuffre, left, and Bill Holman]

Music was in the family. The Williamsons's father was adrummer and their sister was a singer. After the family moved to L.A., Stu studied with Del Staigers [pictured], a trumpet virtuoso who had played in leading orchestras of the 1920s and '30s. Within a few years, Stu Williamson became a West Coast jazz stalwart, playing and recording in bands led by Stan Kenton, Woody Herman and Billy May before becoming a ubiquitous session musician.

 During his big band and studio period in the '50s, Williamson also was a member of Shelly Manne and His Men between 1954 and '58 and recorded on Johnny Richards'sSomething Else in '56 and the Art Pepper Nine in '57 with Marty Paich.

In a decade of West Coast trumpet giants—the Candolis, Fagerquist, Shorty Rogers, Bernie Glow, Ernie Royal, Dick Collins, Al Porcino, Jack Sheldon, Chet Baker, Doug Mettome, Ray Triscari, Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Childers and I'm leaving out about 20 others—Williamson had a tender touch. Though he wasn't a blaster or upper-register torcher, Williamson's notes were always in perfect pitch while his lines were consistently romantic.

Listen to Darn That Dream, for example, or Talk of the Town—both from Pee Jay. Or Autumn in New York and The Things We Did Last Summer from Stu Williamson Plays. The beauty of his playing rested in his gentle attack and barrel-rolls out of formation to improvise softly while diving or climbing. [Pictured above: Stu Williamson by Ray Avery]

As evidenced on these sessions, Williamson's up-tempo work also was skilled and taut, particularly in counterpoint exchanges. He tended to hit high notes in exploration, tagging them before descending rather than building up to them for dramatic effect. And his muted horn work on songs like Stu's Dues Blues was exceptional. [Pictured above: Stu Williamson on trumpet, left, with Shelly Manne and His Men on Bobby Troup's Stars of Jazz in 1955 by Ray Avery]

For me, Williamson was at his best on ballads, where he had an opportunity to "sing" melodies on his horn. The notes he chose always lingered like the smell of fresh oranges.

Sadly, according to his Wikipedia page, Williamson battled drug addiction for years during and after his music career. Williamson died in 1991 at age 57.

JazzWax tracks: You can wait for Verse Music to release these two albums. Or you'll find many of the tracks here andhere. 

JazzWax note: For my recent post on Claude Williamson, go here.

JazzWax clip: Here's Stu Williamson playing The Things We Did Last Summer in January 1956...

The Things We Did Last Summer

Used with permission by Marc Myers

NYC Jazz Trombonist Nick Finzer Releases Debut Album Exposition

TROMBONIST NICK FINZER TO RELEASE “EXPOSITION” HIS RECORDING DEBUT AS A LEADER 22 JANUARY 2013 New York City Based Composer, Instrumentalist, Bandleader & Educator To Showcase Album At CD Release Gig @ The National Sunday Feb 10

With the January 22, 2013 release of “Exposition” (Outside In Music OIM 1201), trombonist Nick Finzer delivers a debut recording that announces in no uncertain terms the addition to the international jazz community of a virtuoso instrumentalist, versatile improviser and a composer with the ability to not only pay tribute to the illustrious jazz heritage that inspires him but also expand the tradition’s stylistic horizons.

At the helm of a dynamic young band featuring saxophonist Lucas Pino, guitarist Alex Wintz, pianist Samora Pinderhughes, bassist David Baron and drummer Jimmy Macbride – fellow emerging artists who are also adding their distinctive voices to New York City’s vibrant jazz scene – Finzer pays tribute to classic trombone-tenor quintets like those led by legendary jazz masters J.J. Johnson and Stan Getz and Curtis Fuller and Benny Golson as well as by his mentor Steve Turre. The addition of the guitar as both a melodic voice and a member of the rhythm section contributes a fresh new dimension to the music on the recording. In total Finzer premieres 10 original compositions he wrote between 2008 and 2012 on the CD, the initial release on his new label Outside In Music.

Finzer will showcase “Exposition” at a CD-release gig on Sunday February 10, 2013 at The National (50th Street & Lexington Avenue in New York City) with sets at 7 & 8:30 p.m.

ABOUT NICK FINZER

Trombonist / composer / bandleader and educator Nick Finzer (b. May 22, 1988 in Rochester, NY) earned a Master of Music in Jazz from The Juilliard School, where he studied under the tutelage of Steve Turre, in May 2012. He has been active as both a leader and a sideman in big band, small group and world music ensemble settings since settling in New York City in 2010. Finzer has performed with Frank Wess, Joe Lovano, Wycliffe Gordon, Jon Faddis, John Mosca and Antonio Ciacca among others at venues including Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Blue Note Jazz Club and the Iridium. Finzer also tours with his groups across the U.S., presenting master classes, improvisation workshops, television, radio, and live performances. In 2011 he won the Eastern Trombone Workshop Jazz Trombone competition that culminated in a performance with the U.S. Army Blues alongside Steve Wiest, Jim Pugh and Bill Reichenbach. In 2010 the trombonist was chosen as a finalist in the International Trombone Association’s Carl Fontana Jazz Trombone Competition.

Read More: https://www.storyamp.com/dispatch/2315/e4c0afcef20e0b5048aac8f65f3e4639

Jose James: A Broad-Minded Singer Lets The Beat Build

Credit Janette Beckman / Courtesy of the artist

by editor of KERA News

Jose James knows jazz. The son of a Panamanian jazz saxophonist, he studied at the prestigious New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, was a finalist in 2004's Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocalist Competition and recently toured with legendary jazz pianist McCoy Tyner.

James' past albums notably blend jazz, R&B and soul. But on his latest release, No Beginning No End, the 35-year-old musician demonstrates that his creative process is steeped in the methods of hip-hop.

James says the beat for the song "Trouble" came to him while he was riding the Q train in the New York City subway. So that he wouldn't forget it, he beatboxed it to himself during his 20-minute commute to the studio.

"A lot of people in my generation, we use hip-hop as a tool to compose," James tells NPR's Melissa Block. "And then it's the jazz training that let me turn that into a full song."

James collaborates with French-Moroccan singer Hindi Zahra for "Sword + Gun," which weaves percussion with Gnawa — sacred Moroccan music involving string instruments and polyrhythmic clapping. They completed the track by using what James describes as the No. 1 hip-hop compositional tool: sampling.

"Without a band or anything, in about six hours, we had already written a whole song that sounded pretty amazing," he says. "And it was really exciting for me, because I don't think a jazz person would ever walk into a studio without a band — and without a song — to record a track on their album."
Read More: http://keranews.org/post/jose-james-broad-minded-singer-lets-beat-build

Steamboat students produce, choreograph and direct diverse Dance Showcase

Photo by John F. Russell

By Nicole Inglis

Steamboat Springs — In its 17 years of existence, the student-run Steamboat Springs High School Dance Showcase hasn’t had a reputation for being a male-dominated event. Nor is it known for being a risky or dangerous activity compared to other sports.

#But country dance choreographer Landen Mertz talks about all the rehearsals they held on the wrestling mats practicing lifts, dips and throws to prepare for this week’s performances.

#“It’s been intense,” he said about choreographing the country swing moves with a group of 10 high school boys who were new to dancing. “It’d be great to get more guys involved.”

#Jessica Bertrand, one of the show’s two directors, said it’s been a boon sharing the stage with a growing number of male dancers, including freshman Parker Temple, who appeared in a goofy hip-hop piece as the only male dancer outside the country piece.

#“They bring a boy charisma to it,” Bertrand said. “Boys are so crazy and silly, it’s fun having them around.”

#Dance Showcase performances are at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $8 for students, $12 for adults and $15 for reserved seating. Tickets are available at All That Jazzand at Steamboat Springs High School.

#The program runs the gamut of dance genres with belly dance, hip-hop, contemporary, country and jazz styles set to music touching on everything from 1990s rap to indie rock to dubstep.

#Every piece is the blood-sweat-and-tears product of local high school students (some dancers came over from The Lowell Whiteman School), who choreographed every bit of the 60-person show.

#Twenty-two high school students poured their heart, soul and time into choreographing the 18 pieces, while the four-woman production team (Bertrand, Sydney Finkbohner, Miranda Salky and Liesl Lord) was responsible for orchestrating a smooth, cohesive show onstage.

Read More: http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2013/jan/22/steamboat-students-produce-choreograph-and-direct-/