Monday, June 30, 2014

Henry Busse and his Orchestra - 1948

Photo from: http://bigbandacademy.blogspot.com.br/2010_11_01_archive.html
Henry Busse was born in Germany and emigrated to the United States in 1916 where he found work playing trumpet in a movie theatre pit band. He formed his own band and toured the country ending up in San Francisco where they disbanded. In 1917 he was playing trumpet with the Frisco Jass Band and in 1918 he joined the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.

Busse was a major contributor to Whiteman's Orchestra. He co-composed several of the band's early hit songs including "Hot Lips" and "Wang Wang Blues" . Busse stayed with Whiteman until 1928 when he left the band and formed his own group the Henry Busse Orchestra. This group which was more of a sweet dance band than a jazz band had a very successful career. They continued to record and perform up until Busse's death in 1955.
read more: http://www.redhotjazz.com/henrybusse.html

Warner Bros. Vitaphone short from 1948 featuring the songs:

Hot Lips
Along the Santa Fe Trail
Huckleberry Duck
Wang Wang Blues

Studio Rio: 'Brazil Connection'

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

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Back in the early late 1990s, before the proliferation of high-speed modems and iTunes, I spent most Saturday mornings at Tower Records near New York's Lincoln Center. The large corner store had lots of listening stations in different sections, so you could use headphones to audit new music before buying. Toward the back of the first floor, just before the international section, there was an aisle devoted to house, techno and other dance forms. [Photo above, from left, Frank and Christian Berman]
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In 2001, Verve opened its vaults to DJs and producers like Rae & Christian and Mark De Clive-Lowe, who remixed classic jazz tracks with big synth beats, samples and loops. Songs like Shirley Horn's Return to Paradise, Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit and Ella Fitzgerald's Wait Till You See Him were dipped into an electronica bath, emerging virtually unrecognizable. In truth, the results were an abomination, with the vocals chopped into hiccups and stutters timed to match the beats. It was like watching someone apply graffiti to fine art. None of the songs on Verve Remixed Vol. 1 or the installments that followed were worthy nor did they hold up. They had zero respect for the originals, turning the vocals into zombie tracks. The singers sound drugged, as if in a daze.
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So when Studio Rio's The Brazil Connection (Sony) crossed my desk a few weeks ago, I was suspect. Oh no, I thought, here goes another tasteless mauling of great music. Scanning the track list, I was surprised to see jazz vocals and hit soul recordings like Sly and the Family Stone's Family Affair, Marvin Gaye's Sexual Healing and Bill Withers's Lovely Day along with Mel Torme's I've Got You Under My Skin, Nina Simone's I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free and Billie Holiday's You've Changed from her Lady in Satinalbum.
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Wow, I thought, not only are they going to wreck jazz classics but soul standards as well. I popped on the CD and clicked on Family Affair. Much to my amazement, the music sounded great. So great, in fact, I assumed that Sly and his sister Rose's vocals were done by impersonators. What made the track so scary is that the vocals were left unmarred while the original drum box and wah-wah instrumental was replaced by a spirited bossa nova. And not just any bossa. The music sounded sophisticated and smart.
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What Studio Rio did is to lift only the vocals with Sony's blessing (all of the music is from Sony's catalog) and then have Brazilian studio musicians in Rio write arrangements and play them along with the original vocals. The results are breathtaking, tasteful and seamless. I next jumped to Torme's I've Go You Under My Skin. Gorgeous. Then came Holiday's You've Changed. My goodness, a bossa nova was a splendid substitute for Ray Ellis's original arrangement from 1958.
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When I interviewed Frank Berman, who produced the album with his brother Christian, for The Wall Street Journal, he told me that was the point—to make listeners worldwide aware that all music is connected. "Bossa nova is an art form in Rio and, when applied correctly, works with anything, especially jazz and soul," he said.
This versions on this album aren't replacements for the originals but fascinating and fun alternatives. I don't say this often, but I guarantee you're going to love it.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Studio Rio's The Brazil1400159495_studio-rio-presents-the-brazil-connectionConnection here.
JazzWax clip: Here's Billie Holiday singing You've Changed, with a new arrangement by Torcuato Mariano, with Mariano on guitar, Paulo Calasans on bass, Paulo Braga on drums, Pretinho Da Serrinha on percussion, Jessé Sadoc on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Marcelo Martins on flute...
Used with permission by Marc Myers

NPR Music - You Must Hear This

FIRST LISTEN

First Listen: Braid, 'No Coast'

The emo band's first full-length album in 16 years is a measured and often gorgeous set of songs, each well-positioned to remind fans why they fell in love with Braid in the first place.
FAVORITE SESSIONS

KEXP Presents: Hurray For The Riff Raff

The dark Americana band taps into the legacies of everyone from Woody Guthrie to Bikini Kill. Hear Hurray for the Riff Raff perform the somber "Everybody Knows" live from the KEXP studios in Seattle.
AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Ja Rule: 'I Took It Upon Myself To Become A Man'

Ahead of a new memoir, the rapper talks "real world" parenting, systemic racism, rhyming along to Mary J. Blige and being a celebrity in prison.
ALL SONGS CONSIDERED

Song Premiere: Bon Iver Writes A Tune For Zach Braff

Bon Iver's Justin Vernon took one look at Wish I Was Here, the new film by Zac Braff, and was immediately inspired to write this song.

In Experiencing Jazz: A Listener’s Companion

In Experiencing Jazz: A Listener’s Companion, writer, teacher, and prominent jazz drummer Michael Stephans offers a much-needed survey in the art of listening to and enjoying this dynamic, ever-changing art form. More than mere entertainment, jazz provides a pleasurable and sometimes dizzying listening experience with an extensive range in structure and form, from the syncopated swing of big bands to the musical experimentalism of small combos. As Stephans illustrates, listeners and jazz artists often experience the essence of the music together—an experience unique in the world of music.

Experiencing Jazz demonstrates how the act of listening to jazz takes place on a deeply personal level and takes readers on a whirlwind tour of the genre, instrument by instrument—offering not only brief portraits of key musicians like Joe Lovano and John Scofield, but also their own commentaries on how best to experience their music. Throughout, jazz takes center stage as a personal transaction that enriches the lives of the musician and the listener. Written for anyone curious about the musical genre, this book encourages further reading, listening, and viewing, helping potential listeners cultivate an understanding and appreciation of the jazz art and how it can help—in drummer Art Blakey’s words—“wash away the dust of everyday life.” 

Author
Michael Stephans, Ph.D., teaches writing at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. An award-winning poet, writer, and jazz journalist, he has written liner notes and promotional material for luminaries such as Bennie Maupin, Bob Brookmeyer, and David Liebman. Stephans is also a prominent jazz musician and has performed and recorded with a wide array of jazz artists. 
read more: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810882898

Sunday, June 29, 2014

North Sea Jazz Festival



http://www.northseajazz.com - Short video introducing artists playing North Sea Jazz Festival 2014. 11•12•13 July in Ahoy Rotterdam.

Including Pharrell Williams • Stevie Wonder • Outkast • Robin Thicke • Quincy Jones • Gregory Porter •Nile Rodgers & Chic • Ibrahim Maalouf • Daryl Hall & John Oates • John Scofield Überjam • Joss Stone • Jason Lindner Now Vs Now • Mavis Staples • Booker T Jones • Kapok • Paloma Faith • Christian Mcbride • Vieux Farka Touré • Mehliana Featuring Brad Mehldau & Mark Guiliana •Kenny Garrett Quartet • Snarky Puppy & Friends • Al Jarreau • Dirty Loops • Allen Stone •Benjamin Clementine • The Internet • Sohn • Phronesis • Riverside Quartet • Natalie Cole •Dr. John 'Spirit Of Satch' • Benny Golson Quartet • Giovanca • The Daptone Super Soul Revue •Darcy James Argue's Secret Society • Takuya Kuroda • Neneh Cherry & Rocketnumbernine •Manu Katché, Richard Bona, Stefano Dibatista, Eric Legnini • Dr. Lonnie Smith • Martial Solal •Stacey Kent • Bo Saris • Pharoah Sanders • Preservation Hall Jazz Band and many more...

Video: www.instituutvoorbeeldenvorm.nl & www.limestonepictures.nl

Hiromi Uehara - Alive

ALIVE (THE TRIO PROJECT FEATURING ANTHONY JACKSON AND SIMON PHILLIPS)
Songs / Tracks Listing
1. Alive
2. Wanderer
3. Dreamer
4. Seeker
5. Player
6. Warrior
7. Firefly
8. Spirit
9. Life Goes On

Steve Lehman’s Otherworldly Octet Music Stands on Bop Tradition

06/28/14
Brad Farberman
Even the most singular art has precedents and inspirations. Case in point: the Steve Lehman Octet, which releases its sophomore album, Mise en Abîme, on June 24. Distinguished by abrasive horns, crooked drum grooves, spooky vibraphone and the leader’s sweet but unsettled alto saxophone, the eight-piece—trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson, trombonist Tim Albright, tuba player Jose Davila, tenor saxophonist Mark Shim, vibraphonist Chris Dingman, bassist Drew Gress, drummer Tyshawn Sorey and Lehman on alto and live electronics—makes fuzzy, funky music that seems to have dropped from outer space.

But three of the tunes on Abîme (Pi) are indebted to pianist Bud Powell, “Beyond All Limits” is partially inspired by the Woody Shaw song of the same name, yet another piece is dedicated to the African drummer Brice Wassy, and fastened to Lehman’s original composition “Chimera” is an arrangement of “Luchini,” by New York hip-hop group Camp Lo.

Based in Hoboken, N.J., Lehman, who has worked as a sideman with Anthony Braxton and is one-third of the collective Fieldwork with pianist Vijay Iyer and Sorey, decided to assemble the octet after the release of his last quintet LP, 2007’s On Meaning. Augmenting the existing group with tuba, trombone and tenor sax, the leader conjured up something like a little-big band. But where a big band would have guitar and piano, or most small groups would have one or the other, Lehman places the ominous, ethereal vibraphone of Dingman.

Though he only realized it after the fact, the leader borrowed this idea from one of his foremost influences. “I don’t even think about it, but when I do think about it, it’s very clear to me that that’s just something I just took for granted from all the Jackie McLean records where he has [vibraphonist] Bobby Hutcherson,” explains Lehman, 35, at his in-laws’ home in Hoboken. “And he’s actually the first one to really do that. He and [multireedist Eric] Dolphy used Bobby as the main chordal instrument.”
read more: http://jazztimes.com/articles/132169-steve-lehman-s-otherworldly-octet-music-stands-on-bop-tradition

Ulf Wakenius: Confessions Of A Vagabond

By IAN PATTERSON, Published: June 24, 2014
Happenstance may play a role in turning dreams into reality, but anyone who's ever realized a burning ambition will appreciate just how much hard work has paved the way. Two phone calls out of the blue almost twenty years apart opened doors to Swedish guitarist Ulf Wakenius, that in the first case he could only have dreamt about, and in the second, he could never have imagined. 

In 1997, in fairly dizzying circumstances, Wakenius suddenly found himself in pianistOscar Peterson's quartet, with whom he would go on to tour the globe countless times during the jazz legend's final decade. In 2005, an equally unexpected invitation to play four concerts in Seoul with Korean singer Youn Sun Nah blossomed into a highly successful collaboration that has garnered international awards and, more surprisingly in the world of jazz, gold record sales. 

Yet nothing comes from nothing. Wakenius has long been in demand and for good reason. For twenty years prior to the gig with Peterson, Wakenius had honed his craft, from jamming with friends as a teenager in his native Halmstad in the 1970s to recording with bassists Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen and Ray Brown. Wakenius' own group in the early nineties boasted drummer Jack DeJohnette, trumpeter Randy Brecker, pianistNiels Lan Doky, and bassist Lars Danielsson with whom Wakenius would reunite fifteen years later in Sun Nah's touring quartet. 

Since signing to ACT Music a decade ago Wakenius has produced some of the most personal and arresting music of his career. The all-acoustic Momento Magico (ACT Music, 2014), his fifth recording for Siggi Loch's label, may be his best yet. Its music embraces the world that Wakenius has traveled far and wide, and represents as well a kind of resume of the guitarist's key influences. 

The idea behind the title is simple enough, as Wakenius explains: "It refers to certain moments that you experience during your life; things that you dreamt about and then suddenly you experience it. Those kinds of moments can happen anywhere and you just carry them with you, like small diamonds in your memory. Like playing duo withPat Metheny or playing with Oscar Peterson at the Hollywood Bowl, or with Youn Sun Nah at Jarasum—they are magic moments." 

Magic Moment is rare in Wakenius' discography, being only the second unaccompanied solo recording he has ever made, following The Guitar Artistry of Ulf Wakenius (Dragon, 2002). The idea to record another solo album had been brewing for a while: "It kind of developed over time," says Wakenius. "I've been playing with Youn Sun Nah a lot all over the world as a duo and at the beginning of the concerts I always play a couple of solo pieces before Youn comes on stage. So, I've had a lot of time to experiment with different tunes and concepts and try to get different sounds out of the acoustic guitar in a natural way. People said 'Why don't you record it?' and I thought I had enough interesting material to record a solo album." 

The opening track on Momento Magico is drummer Magnus Ostrom's heartfelt tribute to his former partner in e.s.t, pianist Esbjorn Svensson, who died tragically in a scuba-diving accident in 2008. Svensson's death came as a huge shock to Wakenius, who had been recording Love is Real: Ulf Wakenius Plays the Music of Esbjorn Svensson (ACT Music, 2008) at the time: "We were colleagues for many years and we knew each other pretty well. We met on and off all the time," says Wakenius. " 

Wakenius had been a huge fan of e.s.t.: "I love the music. I love the tonal world of Esbjorn Svensson. The 1970s was Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra, Pat Metheny was the 1990s and I would say that arguably e.s.t. was the sound of the 2000's. What they did, as I see it, was they mixed traditional piano trio jazz with classical music, English rock likeRadiohead and contemporary sounds. They were in their own orbit, so to speak. They started to play for rock audiences, which was unusual for a piano jazz trio." Wakenius explains.

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/ulf-wakenius-confessions-of-a-vagabond-ulf-wakenius-by-ian-patterson.php#.U7ApNBadp3g

JAZZ in Germany

A-Trane, Berlin
The name A-Trane combines Trane, a nickname given to John Coltrane, and A-Train, after the Billy Strayhorn number 'Take the A-Train'. The A-Trane opened in 1992 in Charlottenburg, in the centre of what was once West Berlin. In 2011 it won the accolade of Germany's best jazz club.
b-Flat, Berlin
The b-Flat club at Hackescher Markt in the former East Berlin opened in 1995 as a counterpart to the A-Trane in the west of Berlin. It offers a cool ambience and a famously long bar, and also hosts occasional concerts in other genres. The popular jam sessions are on Wednesdays.
Birdland jazz club, Hamburg
Hamburg's top destination for swing and mainstream modern jazz is Birdland, founded in Hoheluft-West in 1985. Countless world stars from Chet Baker to Wynton Marsalis have played here at the invitation of the Hamburg Jazz Federation.
BIX technics & stage
Bix, Stuttgart
Bix jazz club in the Gustav-Siegle-Haus in Stuttgart's old quarter is still relatively young. It was named after Bix Beiderbecke (1903-1931), the legendary jazz cornet player of German origin. Bix presents its weekly international highlight on Fridays.
Domicil, Dortmund
Since its foundation in 1969, Domicil in Dortmund has presented jazz in all its facets – from Dixieland to free jazz. In 2005 the club took up residence in a former cinema in Hansastrasse, on the first floor between the restaurant and the auditorium. Domicil ranks as one of the three best jazz clubs in Germany.
Jazzclub Hannover
Jazzclub Hannover's home since 1966 has been the cellar of a former youth centre on Lindener Berg hill. The 'orange club' was founded by Michael Gehrke (1943-2004), who was made an honorary citizen of New Orleans in 1978 for his contribution to jazz.
Jazzkeller, Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main became the centre of German jazz after the Second World War thanks to the US army clubs in the city. Founded in 1952 by the legendary Carlo Bohländer (1919-2004), the Jazzkeller on Kleine Bockenheimer Strasse is probably the oldest jazz club in Germany that is still in existence.

Interview: José Feliciano

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com
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In 1968, most radio-listening teens divided into two camps—those who dug the Doors' Light My Fire from a year earlier and those who preferred José Feliciano's cover. The Doors' original had plenty of zip, but if you couldn't drive yet, lived in a major city and were a creature of AM radio, you probably didn't quite get the Doors' far-out message or sound yet. Jose's version, by contrast, was more urban and soulful, making a terrific song gorgeous by slowing it down and putting his heart into it. To this day, few intros to singles are as exciting and as sensual as the Spanish guitar chords that José plays at the startnot to mention the flute and strings that join him.
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José is fond of turning most things into a pun—a way of finding the lighter side of things. He also is sensitive about his blindness, making sure you know that his lack of sight isn't a disability. He experiences his house and life differently. After all, he says, you can't see what he sees. José lived in Orange County, California, for years, so the propsect of moving to chilly Connecticut was a bit daunting at first back in the 1990s. But he made the move for his wife Susan, and he has loved the sounds and smells of nature that surround their home ever since. He's originally from New York, so the ability to go into the city still excited him. [Above, photo of José and Susan Feliciano in their kitchen by Dorothy Hong for The Wall Street Journal]
In today's Wall Street Journal, I talk with José about his home in Connecticut and the fire he likes to light now. Go here.
JazzWax clip: Here's José singing Light My Fire...
Used with permission by Marc Myers

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Tommy Wolf + Fran Landesman

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

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If many of today's jazz musicians and singers lack anything, it's curiosity. Talent they've got, but a deep interest in the past beyond what they already know seems alien to their approach. Based on the CDs that cross my desk, the same two dozen standards are being recorded endlessly—At Last, Autumn Leaves, When Lights Are Low, Like Someone in Love, The Very Thought of You and so on. What's hurting the music isn't a lack of venues or long solos. It's a lack of imagination and a stubborn refusal to explore the music's history and re-interpret compelling, overlooked standards. [Pictured above, Tommy Wolf and Fran Landesman]
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For example, the music of Tommy Wolf and his range of lyricists, including Fran Landesman, could use a revisit. Wolf was a pianist at the Jefferson Hotel in St. Louis in 1950 when brothers Jay and Fred Landesman dropped in with their wives, Fran and Paula. They requested a few offbeat tunes and were delighted by Wolf's interpretations. The Landesman brothers decided to open their own place and rented a storefront in St. Louis, filled the room with antiques and called the club the Crystal Palace. [Pictured above: Fran Landesman, Tommy Wolf at the piano, Larry Hagman atop the piano and Richard Hayes during the 1959 recording session for the Wolf-Landesman musical The Nervous Set]
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A poet and something of a minx, Fran slipped one of her many humorous poems in Wolf's pocket one Saturday night in 1951. Impressed, Wolf set music to the words, and they called the song This Little Love of Ours. A flurry of songs followed. Among the artists who stopped into the Crystal Palace in the early '50s while performing in town were vocalist Jackie Cain and her husband, singer-pianist Roy Kral. On the prowl for new material, they remarked that the Wolf-Landesman songs were like "show tunes in search of a show." [Pictured above: Jackie Cain and Roy Kral by Ray Avery/CTSImages.com]
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When I interviewed Jackie Cain in 2009, here's what she told me about meeting Wolf...
JazzWax: What did you think of Tommy Wolf?
Jackie Cain: Seeing him perform was an eye-opener. He was doing all these wonderful original tunes he had written with Fran. Tommy played and sang at the piano. His songs written with Fran included Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most, You Inspire Me and I Love You Real. Their songs were very clever and sounded as if they had been written for us. After the set, Tommy told us about Fran.
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JW:
 What did you tell him?
JC: We asked Tommy to send us a copy of Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most. He said many people had wanted to record it going back to the time he and Fran had written it [in 1952] but no one ever did. [Photo above of Jay and Fran Landesman by Vernon Smith]

JW: Why not?
JC: Tommy said it was too avant-garde for some audiences. Which is true. It's not an easy song but has become an underground hit and standard just by being done by so many artists because the artists who do it love it. The lyrics don’t circle back and repeat. It’s not like a true pop song. It’s poignant, beautiful and one big, long story.
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In 1956, Wolf recorded Wolf at Your Door—an album of 11 songs for Fraternity Records. The next year he recorded the album Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most for the same label, backed by bassist Monty Budwig and drummer Shelly Manne.
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The Tommy Wolf catalog with Fran Landesman and other co-writers is rich with smart songs just waiting for a smart singer—or pair of singers—to revitalize them. Their songs include Say CheeseSo It's Spring, You Inspire Me, I Love You Real, Apples on the Lilac Tree, It Isn't So Good It Couldn't Get Better, You Smell So Good, From an Ancient Proverb, Will Love Come Along Again? and The Ballad of the Sad Young Men.
Wolf died in 1979; Landesman died in 2011.
JazzWax tracks: Both of Tommy Wolf's albums areC0a3ea7d88f12faf724d2db198c9769266901beeavailable as downloads here andhere. Also, Jackie & Roy's Bits & Pieces and Free & Easy, which cover a number of Wolfs songs with Landesman and others, are available as a download for just $8.99 here.
JazzWax clip: Here's Jackie Cain singing and Roy Kral playing Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most...
Used with permission by Marc Myers

NPR Music - You Must Hear This

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED

Discussion: The Year In Music (So Far), 2014

All Songs Considered co-hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton are joined by NPR Music's Stephen Thompson to discuss their favorite music from the first half of 2014.
HEAVY ROTATION

Heavy Rotation: Our Panel's 10 Favorite Songs Of The Year (So Far)

NPR Music asked public radio hosts to choose highlights from the first half of 2014. These are their picks. Stream songs by Hawk House, Jack White, The Orwells, Zara McFarlane and more.
MUSIC

Latitudes: International Music You Must Hear In June

From unlikely marriages (J-pop and metal? K-pop and hip-hop?) to a case of intoxicated ecstasy, five songs you can't miss hearing.
FAVORITE SESSIONS

KCRW Presents: Dean Wareham

A veteran of Galaxie 500 and Luna, Wareham has dabbled in film along the way. Now he has a fine solo career, which recently brought him toMorning Becomes Eclectic to perform "The Dancer Disappears."

Friday, June 27, 2014

NJJazzList.com Calendar

06/28 Sat Andrea Brachfeld and Phoenix Rising Jazz at Hat City Kitchen 10:00 pm to 11:30 pm Style:Bebop/Hard Bop, Cover: $10 or less, Andrea Brachfeld- flute, CHarlie Sigler- guitar, Adrian Mooring- bass, Noel Sagerman- drums Learn more Hear samples , (862/973)

06/28 Sat Bob DeVos Organ Quartet at Candlelight Lounge 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm Style: Contemporary/Post Bop, Cover: None, Bob DeVos-guitar, Ralph Bowen-tenor saxophone, Dan Kostelnik-organ & Steve Johns-drums. Always a great hang at the Candlelight. 24 Passaic Street, Trenton NJ Learn more Hear samples , (609/ )

06/28 Sat Bob Devos at Candlelight Lounge 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm Style: Straight-ahead, Cover: over $10, Free Buffet, $10 minimum , (609/ )

06/28 Sat Bob Devos at Candlelight Lounge 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm Style: Straight-ahead, Cover: over $10, Free Buffet, $10 minimum , (609/ )

06/28 Sat Carrie Jackson, Houston Person, Dave Braham at Memorial West Presbyterian Church 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Style: Mixed, Cover: None, Flatted Fifth Jazz Vespers @ Memorial West Presbyterian Church, 286 South Seventh Street @ So. Orange Avenue, newark, NJ 07103 For Reservations call: 973-242-1015 Learn more Hear samples , (Unknown)

06/28 Sat Carrie Jackson at MEMORIAL WEST UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 6:00 pm to 9:00 pmStyle: Mixed, Cover: None, Carrie Jackson will be joining Houston Person and The Dave Braham Trio for the Jazz Vespers Tribute to America's Music: JAZZ IN NEWARK, the book by Barbara Kukla , (862/973)

06/28 Sat Diane Marino Quartet featuring Harry Allen at Trumpets Jazz Club 8:00 pm to 11:30 pm Style:Mixed, Cover: over $10, Diane Marino Quartet featuring Harry Allen...Diane Marino (piano/vocals)w/Harry Allen (sax),Frank Marino (bass),and Vince Ector(drums Classic Jazz standards, Brazilian tunes http://www.dianemarino.com Learn more Hear samples , (Unknown)

06/28 Sat Frank Noviello with Norman Simons and Tom DiCarlo at The Mill at Spring lake Heights, NJ 07762 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm Style: Vocal, Cover: None, Learn more , (732/848)

06/28 Sat Houston Person & The Dave Braham Trio at Memorial West Church, 286 South 7th St., Newark 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Style: Straight-ahead, Cover: None, Flatted Fifth Jazz Vespers Series and book-signing by Barbara Kukla for America's Music: Jazz in Newark. Free. Light refreshments. , (Unknown)

06/28 Sat Lou Volpe Jazz Guitar at Villa Amalfi 8:00 pm to 11:30 pm Style: Cool Jazz, Cover: None, Lou Volpe plays solo at this beautiful restaurant in Cliffside Park, NJ. Learn more Hear samples , (Unknown)

06/29 Sun Brunch-Erik Lawrence Quartet at The FALCON 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Style: Mixed, Cover:donation, In addition to leading his own groups Erik Lawrence has been a sideman with greats from Allen Toussaint to Sonny Sharrock. Erik is has been a member of Levon Helm's band, and performed at music festivals around the world and with Chico Hamilton, Medeski Martin & Wood, Aaron Neville, Bob Dylan, Buddy Miles, David Bromberg and Bruce Hornsby. Featuring Erik Lawrence (Saxophones, Flute), Pete Levin (Keys/Piano), Rob Reich (Guitar), and Lee Falco (Drums) Learn more , (Other )

06/29 Sun Jazz Jam Groove On A Sunday Afternoon at Boutique Book Store 420 Main St., Metuchen, NJ 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Style: Straight-ahead, Cover: None, House Band J Jasion Keyboard, Vocs, Joe Lisa, gtr. Jean-Louis Saillot, bss, Gavin Davies, drms Longest running jam session in Central NJ - Straight Ahead Jazz, Bossa, Bebop, Hard Bop, Fusion, Swing, Traditional Learn more , (732/848)

06/29 Sun Monday Blues Jazz Orchestra at German American Society of Trenton, NJ 3:00 pm to 7:00 pmStyle: Swing/Big Band, Cover: over $10, Join the Monday Blues Jazz Orchestra for an afternoon of great music, great food, and great fun as only we can do it! The band will be featured in a large ballroom with a huge dance floor at the GAK in Hamilton Twp. NJ. The room features seating for ~350 people. Be prepared for a day of music in all styles, songs that you know, in ways that you don't ! For those of you who are familiar with us, expect nothing less than a spectacular day of music featuring all of our amazing singers, for those who don't: be prepared to be blown away! Learn more Hear samples , (609/ )

06/29 Sun Pam Purvis & Bob Ackerman The Blue Skies Band at Hibiscus in the Best Western, Morristown 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm Style: Mixed, Cover: None, Our regular last Sunday of the month. It's a party with Greg Sundel on drums. Learn more Hear samples , (Unknown)

The Bobby Ramirez Foundation

The Bobby Ramirez Foundation is dedicated to children's charities, providing music performances, workshops, as well as donating instruments, and music arrangements.

Some goals: To inspire, empower and give love to one million (1,000,000) children, women and families as part of Mujer Esperanza ministry and the Bobby Ramirez Foundation; Establish the Young Jazz Leaders Institute; Establish the Jazz Museum of Florida (Jazzonian) somewhere in South Florida; To build a family fun Latin Themed amusement park RITMO!CITY.

For many years as a performing artist (saxophonist, flautist, guitarist, percussionist, composer, arranger, bandleader, writer, educator, and event/entertainment producer), making a positive impact on people's lives through music and the arts has been a guiding principle in Bobby's life.

A visionary, an innovator, and a gifted creative conceptual thought leader, Bobby's artistic endeavors have had a significant impact on audiences worldwide, provided opportunity to many wonderful musicians and artists, as well as helping to define the Florida Jazz sound.

While Ramirez keeps a busy schedule of performances, he has donated his time and talent to many local South Florida charities through the Bobby Ramirez Foundation.

As an event producer, he has created innovative interactive Latin entertainment Show productions such as RITMO!PALOOZA® for special events, as well as Florida's only theatrical Latin dance Show production RITMO!® AZUCAR. Others include RITMO! FUNHOUSE, RUMBACOPA.

In 2009, Mr. Ramirez founded a non-profit educational cultural arts museum initiative called JAZZONIAN and Young Jazz Leaders initiative which established a scholarship fund for gifted students of the Jazz artform. He is also Executive Director of the South Florida Jazz Summit.

Stay tuned for more news and information coming soon. Read more about Bobby Ramirez at www.bobbyramirez.com.
Read more: http://www.bobbyramirezfoundation.org

Awards Winning Singer/Songwriter Emine SARI debuts ‘Who Are You’ remixes

Turkish singer Emine SARI dropped her single last year, and since been blessed by the internet: seeing her official lyric video “Who Are You” become a viral.
"WHO ARE YOU" is a jazz/swing - pop/soul style song of awards winning Turkish singer-songwriter Emine SARI. Written by Emine and produced by Çağrı Açıkgöz (DREAMBOX) for her single "Who Are You". The song received positive reviews from music critics and was nominated for a 2013/14 MP3Music awards in the Song of the Year category.
Emine’s Remixes EP ‘Who Are You’ features collaborations with many of the talented names from across the world, including David Alienoisez a.k.a. AlienGoblin  (Spain), ABNS (Taiwan), Beat-Manufaktur Potsdam (Potsdam), Exit 39 Productions (NewYork), Mark Dolbec (Montreal).
The best part of Emine SARI’s year isn’t even all that viral video goodness. She recieved a nominations in SOCIAL MEDIA'S BEST MUSIC ( The Shorty Awards NY) and YOUTUBESTAR categories, also her ‘CREEP' Jazz Cover became the Best COVER Song ( The Akademia Music Awards LA ).    
 Stream Emine’s “Who Are You” remixes below :
Read more: https://www.storyamp.com/dispatch/8889/9NBloqWFV_ud81-exbeu2A

Louis Armstrong: All-Stars, Live

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

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The word "supergroup" first emerged in 1969 to describe rock bands comprised of at least three powerhouse musicians with reputations that were established in other groups. Top supergroups of the time included Cream; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Blind Faith; Bad Company; Emerson, Lake & Palmer; Derek and the Dominos and Asia. Supergroups were formed to create a stir, since three great musical minds were more likely to create better music than one. But supergroups also had commercial value—commanding larger gates and record sales than if the the same musicians had toured on their own (with Neil Young and Eric Clapton the lone exceptions).  
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But the supergroup concept wasn't new. It actually dates back to November 1925, when Louis Armstrong teamed with Kid Ory, Johnny Dodds, Lil Armstrong and Johnny St. Cyr to form his Hot Five. In the 1930s, the Benny Goodman Quartet was probably the most successful supergroup—with Goodman, Teddy Wilson, Lionel Hampton and Gene Krupa. Breakout supergroup ensembles like Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five and Duke Ellington's Duke's Men also were popular as bandleaders created small groups as a way to retain star musicians eager for a chance to shine.
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In 1947, Louis Armstrong created another supergroup. His manager, Joe Glaser, insisted Armstrong establish a compact supergroup that would be less expensive and more nimble than his large orchestra. So Armstrong formed the first of his "All Stars"—a term that had its roots in baseball. Each year since 1933, the American and National leagues had squared off against each other in an All Star Game as a way to generate interest and drive up ad and ballpark revenue. In December 1941, Metronome magazine was first to pick up on the All Stars concept when winners of its annual poll gathered as the Metronome All Stars to record two sides of a 78 rpm. [Photo above of Louis Armstrong and the All Stars at Town Hall in 1947 by William P. Gottlieb]
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Armstrong's touring All Stars septet featured the trumpet, trombone, clarinet, piano, bass, drums and vocals—a sufficient mix to satisfy and entertain audiences. There were no real sidemen, just consummate soloists who had already made their names in other bands. What also made Louis Armstrong and the All Stars special at the time was its nostalgic quality. By the late 1940s, bebop's popularity was on the rise, appealing largely to younger jazz fans fed up with the rigidity and predictability of older jazz styles. But there were plenty of older jazz fans who still remembered the 1930s and sought out groups that played familiar songs with a steady, syncopated beat. For them, Louis Armstrong and the All Stars were a welcome relief, featuring artists who reached out to audiences rather than artists who compelled audiences to figure out what they were doing. [Above, Dizzy Gillespie in 1947]
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The All Stars gave Armstrong a new opportunity to champion his brand of jazz and take fans back to the music they knew and loved. In many respects, Armstrong's jazz was more rural than the newer, more urban sound. It centered on New Orleans, steamboats, banjos ringing, singin' folks and red robbins bobbin' along. Simpler music reminiscent of a pre-war era—before unspeakable war crimes, the destruction of entire cities and the spectre of atomic war. The All Stars were masters of a fading jazz form at its finest.
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Now Mosaic Records has released this supergroup's performance output for two labels over 11 years onColumbia and RCA Victor Live Recordings of Louis Armstrong and the All Stars. This nine-CD box set is warmly remastered by Andreas Meyer and includes a 38-page booklet with marvelous liners notes by Ricky Riccardi, research archivist for the Louis Armstrong House Museum at Queens College in New York. Like classic rock bands that still tour today hoping to attract older audiences eager to relive their youth, the All Stars showcased jazz from a time when its role was to lift Depression-era spirits.
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What's startling about this box is how effortlessly the All Stars slid in and out of varied material with clock-like precision. Songs ranged from It's Sleepy Time Down Southand The Gypsy to Stompin' at the Savoy, West End Bluesand Body and Soul. In each case, songs were given a New Orleans flavor—with instruments coming and going but working together in support of Armstrong and other soloists. There are occasional breaks from this formula, including an oddly Latin How High the Moon and Mop Mop. But for the most part, what you hear is a group of artists from another time recapturing a bygone era and reminding audiences of the miracle known as jazz.
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The Mosaic box features music from about a dozen concerts by the All Stars—including appearances at New York's Town Hall (1947), Carnegie Hall (1947), the Netherlands (1955), Milan (1955), Los Angeles (1956), Carnegie Hall (1956), London (1956), Ghana (1956), Chicago (1956), Newport, R.I. (1956), New York (1956) and Newport, R.I. (1958). There also are two conversations, one between Armstrong and Edward R. Murrow in Paris (1956) and the other with producer George Avakian in Los Angeles (1956). The Carnegie Hall concert from 1947 is heard here for the first time after mislabeled tapes were recovered. There are other previously unheard tracks as well. [Pictured above: Louis Armstrong in Ghana in 1956]
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Among the most interesting tracks are two from Armstrong's 1956 concert in Ghana, where he seems just a bit  uneasy thanks to the throngs gathered, and the relaxed Lewisohn Stadium studio rehearsals of July 1956 (Lewisohn Stadium was on the campus of New York's City College and was demolished in 1973.) But it's tough to place any single performance above the rest. The beauty of Armstrong is that he knew only excellence, which makes this set of 164 tracks a joyous journey back in time to moments when audiences yearned for an even earlier time. What we learn yet again is that Armstrong was and remains timeless. Jazz artists fall in and out of vogue and many wind up forgotten over time, but Armstrong is forever. [Photo above: Lewisohn Stadium in New York]
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Leonard Bernstein, at the Lewisohn concert, said it best during his introduction included in the box: "What [Armstrong] does is real and true and honest and simple and even noble. Every time this man puts his trumpet to his lips, even to practice three notes, he does it with his whole soul. This is a dedicated man and we are honored." [Photo of Leonard Bernstein above by Ruth Orkin]
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In this box set, we hear Armstrong in all his splendor—as a trumpeter, as a small-group leader and as an entertainer who, night after night, made audiences fall in love with him and the music he invented.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find the Columbia and RCA VictorScreen Shot 2014-06-23 at 8.22.30 PMLive Recordings of Louis Armstrong and the All Stars (Mosaic ) here, along with sample tracks and information about the set.
Used with permission by Marc Myers