Jazz vocalist Mark Murphy performing "On Green Dolphin Street" as arranged by Ernie Wilkins.
Friday, October 30, 2015
Mark Murphy - "On Green Dolphin Street"
Mark Murphy: 1932-2015, R.I.P.
Steven A. Cerra
“The first time I heard Mark Murphy was at a session in a jazz club in Los Angeles. He was singing with just a rhythm section, and without benefit of rehearsal, special arrangement or a supporting brass section. He made it very obvious that he is one of the most positive musical personalities on the scene today. He is not only startlingly original and inventive, but he also possesses that polished vocal technique needed to carry out his ideas and variations. Mark is not only a singer, but a real vocal musician. And, gratifyingly enough, he’s become a real inside favorite with many of the more discerning people in the entertainment business.” - Bill Holman, tenor saxophonist, bandleader, arranger-composer
“Murphy long ago resigned himself to the idea that he would never be a household name. Yet his is one of the most consistently prolific and rewarding careers in modern music.”
“There is no one better at taking a familiar or even unfamiliar old song and turning it inside out, spilling its guts and finding the feeling underneath,”
“Murphy does not abstract and skewer a song merely for the sake of being different, but to get at its inner meaning. By making you think differently about a song you’ve heard before, he makes it relevant and meaningful all over again.” - Will Friedwald, A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers.
“You find out who you are from improvisation,” Mr. Murphy said in 1997, describing his music and, in a larger sense, his life. “You throw away what’s not needed and get to what’s real.”
“Every musician that has ever worked with Mark confirms that he has remarkable time. Mark does stunning things with phrasing. His range has increased enormously — it goes from falsetto (in which he can do beautiful trumpet-like shakes) down to a rich baritone. His control permits him to sing long lines. He works his way through chord changes like a horn player without forgetting that his instrument is the voice.” - Gene Lees
“It is a well known fact, that the human voice is the most difficult and most complicated musical instrument. After listening to MARK MURPHY with the above mentioned statement in the back of your mind, you will agree that you have just heard one of the greatest instrumentalists of our time. What always strikes me about him, is his voice control and the way he builds his phrases". - Joop De Roo, Head of Entertainment, Radio and Television, Hilversum, The Netherlands
“His sure and swinging time, his musical and ever-inventive phrasing and that certain quality of sound and feeling combined with time and taste that to me spell Jazz.” - Dan Morgenstern
I bought Mark Murphy’s 1959 Capitol LP This Could Be The Start of Something (Big) [T-1177] without ever hearing him sing a note.
I bought it because the arrangements were by Bill Holman and the band playing them featured a bunch of my favorite West Coast Jazz musicians including Pete and Conte Candoli, Richie Kamuca and a rhythm section of Jimmy Rowles, Joe Mondragon and Mel Lewis.
But, in time, I came to treasure it for another reason and that reason was Mark Murphy’s singing. Man, could that guy make a song his own.
Two bars and you knew it was him.
Mark was the vocal personification of hip, slick and cool.
He reminded me of an extrovert Bobby Troup because they both had this uncanny ability to effortlessly get inside a lyric and to tell you a story with the voice rather than a horn as their instrument.
read more: http://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com.br/2015/10/mark-murphy-1932-2015-rip.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+JazzProfiles+(Jazz+Profiles)
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Alba's Edge; A Wonderful Concotion of Scottish Latin Jazz
Alba's Edge is fronted by Neil and Lilly Pearlman, a brother-sister powerhouse on piano and fiddle, and grounded by a rock solid bass and drum rhythm section in Doug Berns and Jacob Cole. They have been rapidly garnering industry attention and gaining fans for their original brand of music, the product of their myriad musical backgrounds in Jazz, Scottish, Funk and Latin music traditions.
Run to Fly was produced and mixed by Aidan O'Rourke, the 2014 BBC Folk Musician of the Year, one of Scotland's greatest living fiddle players and a member of the experimental Scottish folk trio Lau (“The UK's best live band” -The Guardian). O'Rourke's involvement in the album marked a major milestone for the band, whose music has been heavily influenced by his work over the years.
As Neil puts it, "working with Aidan was a dream come true. Lilly and I grew up listening to his work and couldn't think of a more perfect fit. We were blown away that he wanted to work with us and that he believes in our music." The first full length release from Alba's Edge, Run to Fly presents music written and developed over the past year. The music draws on the imagery of sunrise, life cycles and cosmic cycles, inspired by the double meaning inherent in the band's name: the word “Alba” as both Gaelic for “Scotland” and Spanish for “Dawn”.
read more: https://www.storyamp.com/dispatch/17348/9NBloqWFV_ud81-exbeu2A?storyamp_track=6946
Joey DeFrancesco
Festival Miami - Joey DeFrancesco at UM Gusman Concert Hall Nov 3, 2015
JAZZ AND BEYOND SERIES
Tuesday, November 3 at 8:00 p.m.
UM Gusman Concert Hall
Joey DeFrancesco—Master Jazz Organist - Singin’ and Swingin’
Master jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco tears it up on his Hammond B3 in the great tradition of the incredible Jimmy Smith. A crowd favorite at festivals worldwide, you’ll soon become a fan of his swinging style and remarkable originality.
Buddy Collette: The Gordon Jack Essay
Steven A. Cerra
“If I were going to pick a guy to open the Hollywood studio doors as Jackie Robinson did for baseball, Buddy would have been the man” - Gerald Wilson, trumpet player, bandleader, educator
“A spiritual father to Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy, James Newton and myself. Buddy was a sage and saint. The doors he opened for us are innumerable and monumental.” - Charles Lloyd, tenor saxophonist, flutist, bandleader
UK-based author and essayist Gordon Jack “dropped by” the editorial offices of JazzProfiles recently to share the following piece on Buddy Collette which first appeared in the March 2015 issue of Jazz Journal. You can locate more information about the magazine via this link.
And at the conclusion of this piece, you can checkout Buddy’s style of playing on a video that features him on a track from Conte Candoli’s Little Band Big Jazz on which the rhythm section is comprised of Vince Guaraldi, piano, Leroy Vinnegar, bass and Stan Levey, drums.
© - Gordon Jack/JazzJournal; copyright protected, all rights reserved, used with the author’s permission.
“Buddy Collette should be remembered not only as a consummate multi-instrumentalist equally at home on flute, clarinet, alto or tenor but also for the major part he played in integrating the Los Angeles Federation of Musicians’ Locals in 1953. Until then two different locals operated in many US cities – one for black performers and one for white.
He was born in Los Angeles in 1921 and began learning the piano when he was ten but a couple of years later he switched to the saxophone. His family lived in the Watts area and Britt Woodman and Charles Mingus were neighbours. It was Britt’s brother who taught Buddy the clarinet and by the mid-thirties he was a member of The Woodman Brothers Biggest Little Band In The World.
Buddy also had his own band around this time playing occasional Saturday night dances but he needed a bass player. A chance meeting with Mingus who was studying the cello solved the problem. Buddy encouraged him to take up the bass and introduced him to Red Callender who became Mingus’ first teacher, charging $2.00 a lesson. After considerable wood-shedding Charles joined Collette’s band for occasional engagements at the Odd Fellows Hall in Watts and over the years Buddy and Mingus remained very close.
Around 1937 he started working at the Follies Theatre backing acts like Tempest Storm, Lily St.Cyr and vaudeville comedian Joe Yule (Mickey Rooney’s father). A little later in 1940 he began studies with the celebrated Lloyd Reese who had acquired a reputation as one of the finest jazz educators on the west coast. While studying with Reese he joined the very popular Cee Pee Johnson band who were usually to be heard at Central Avenue venues like the Club Alabam. Buddy was on baritone and it was possibly when the band appeared at Hollywood’s Rhumboogie that Orson Welles heard them and decided to use them in Citizen Kane. They can be seen briefly during a party scene at the end of the film.
When the US entered WWII in 1941 he joined an all-black US Navy Reserve band serving with Clark Terry, Jerome Richardson and the Royal brothers - Ernie and Marshal. After the war the Central Avenue scene continued to thrive with clubs like Lovejoy’s, the Last Word and the Turban Lounge featuring young stars like Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Sonny Criss, Buddy and his friend Bill Green.
Collette started to organise a little band with John Anderson, Britt Woodman, Spaulding Givens, Mingus, Oscar Bradley and Lucky Thompson who had stayed in town after his booking with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker at Billy Berg’s in 1946. They rehearsed at Mingus’ house and their first booking was at the Down Beat which was the hottest spot on Central Avenue. It was a collaborative group so they decided to call themselves The Stars Of Swing. That was to be on a sign outside the club but Lucky Thompson had other ideas. On opening night the club sign said, Lucky Thompson And The All Stars. Mingus apparently wanted to kill him and three days later after the original sign was reinstated Lucky left the group to be replaced by Teddy Edwards.
With aid of the GI Bill Buddy began studying at the American Operatic Laboratory, the California Academy of Music and the L.A. Conservatory of Music. This was the time that he began concentrating on the flute studying with Henry Woempner who was the top flutist at MGM. He also had harmony lessons with Franklyn Marks and Wesley La Violette who numbered Shorty Rogers, Marty Paich and Jimmy Giuffre among his students.
read more: http://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com.br/2015/09/the-forgotton-ones-buddy-collette.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+JazzProfiles+(Jazz+Profiles)
Cyrille Aimée
Festival Miami - Cyrille Aimee at UM Gusman Concert Hall Thursday, October 29
JAZZ AND BEYOND SERIES
UM Gusman Concert Hall
Thursday, October 29 at 8:00 p.m.
Cyrille Aimée—Fabulous French Jazz Vocalist, With Frost Studio Jazz Band and JV1 Ensemble
French jazz vocalist Cyrille Aimée blends standards with Gypsy swing, bossa nova and charming stage presence. She joins the Frost Studio Jazz Band and Jazz Vocal 1 Ensemble in upbeat arrangements of jazz favorites created especially for her.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center
JAZZ AT THE WERTHEIM
The FIU Latin Jazz Ensemble
When: Tuesday, November 3, 2015 at 7:30pm
The FIU Latin Jazz Ensemble, directed by Mike Orta, will be performan exciting evening of new and well-known jazz classics, as well as original compositions by FIU's Jazz Combos Ensemble.
10910 SW 17 St., Miami, FL 33199, Located on FIU's Modesto A. Maidique Campus
JALC
"Play how you wish the world to be." Wayne Shorter dropped that gem—and many others—in a recent installment of Jazz Night in America featuring the legend and his recent performance alongside the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.
Watch the full episode featuring the JLCO's arrangements of Shorter classics, including "Yes or No," "Contemplation," and "Endangered Species."
While in Arizona for the Blue Engine tour, Carlos Henriquez took a break to talk about his debut album, THE BRONX PYRAMID, with KJZZ. Carlos discusses the making of the album, which is out now in stores near you and on Amazon, iTunes, and HDtracks.
He also delved into his development as a musician, his early days with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, and the pranks he's schemed up while on the road. Don't miss it!
read more: http://tracking.wordfly.com/view/?sid=MzI1Xzg4NTVfMjgxMzI4XzczMzc&l=2426e4b2-1578-e511-89f9-e41f1345a486&utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=October15ADcontentemail%231&utm_content=version_A
Ana Gasteyer
Get ready to meet Ana Gasteyer, jazz singer. Her I'm Hip! tour, in support of her debut solo ablum, is heading our way.
The patter is real, the themes adult, the lyrics are timeless. I'm Hip! features an eclectic mix of songs — ranging from "One Mint Julep" to Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" — covered with Gasteyer's jazzy twist, interspersed with her signature comedic musings. Her saucy selections tell stories with humor and heartbreak; when she steps up to a microphone she evokes the swagger of an era when a lady ruled a nightclub and an audience knew they were in for a good time.
read more: https://tickets.artscenter.org/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=5574
NPR Music - Jazz
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JAZZ NIGHT IN AMERICAWhy Everyone Wants To Record 'Live At The Village Vanguard'
Bassist Christian McBride says that making his own album at the storied jazz club was like becoming part of a family. He knew: "We'd better bring it harder than we've brought it anywhere else before."
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MUSIC INTERVIEWSHarry Connick, Jr. On Tough Love And Letting Go Of The Wheel
Connick has been interpreting American jazz and pop since he was a kid studying under Ellis Marsalis — who, more than once, told him to quit.
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MARIAN MCPARTLAND'S PIANO JAZZKyle Eastwood On Piano Jazz
Hear a 1999 session with the bassist, who's since had a prolific career as a film and TV composer.
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MARIAN MCPARTLAND'S PIANO JAZZSammy Price On Piano Jazz
In a 1986 session, the session pianist and Lester Young collaborator demonstrated his boogie-woogie style.
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From Shirley Bassey To Sam Smith ....
by NPR staff
Express/Getty Images
A new James Bond movie tends to mean a few things: a new villain, two new Bond girls (one of whom may or may not be painted gold), and — perhaps most dependably — a new song playing behind the opening credits. Fifty years of Bond films has left much music to be analyzed, and the Oxford University Press does just that in a new book called The James Bond Songs: Pop Anthems of Late Capitalism.
NPR's Scott Simon caught up with the two Stanford University professors who wrote the book: Adrian Daub, who teaches German Studies, and Charles Kronengold, who teaches music. Hear their conversation at the audio link, and read an edited version below.
Scott Simon: It seems fair to assert that Dame Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger" remains the best-known Bond theme. Did that song break the mold — or make the mold, I should say?
Adrian Daub: It did. This is the song that everybody's been trying to copy ever since, and it's the standard that listeners hold these songs up to on whatever level of consciousness. You listen to a new song every two or three years, and on some level you ask, "Is this measuring up to what Shirley Bassey did with 'Goldfinger'?"
One of the things you point out in this book is, some of the best-known recording artists of their time have done a James Bond song — and yet, if you do a greatest hits of that artist, that Bond song is not necessarily there. Why do you think that is?
Charles Kronengold: I think it's because there are so many constraints put on you when you're writing a Bond song, or singing a Bond song, that you have to feel yourself compromise — kind of pulled in two or three directions at once. I mean, if you're a lyricist, having to use a ridiculous word like "Moonraker" or "Thunderball" is not going to make your life any easier or pleasanter. It's not necessarily going to be your best work, so the records don't necessarily add up.
Simon: The first Bond film to star Roger Moore, after the long reign of Sean Connery, is 1973's Live and Let Die — and the title theme is performed by Paul McCartney. Do you think there's a little bit of composer autobiography in this song?
Daub: Yeah, I think it would have been hard to hear that in the mid-'70s — from someone who used to say, "Live and let live," but the world around him changed — and not think of the man at the mic.
Kronengold: I mean, being an ex-Beatle in 1973 is probably about as weird as being a James Bond who is not the guy who was James Bond 10 years earlier. This is Roger Moore, when people are just kind of getting used to the idea that Bond is going to somebody other than Sean Connery. And the idea that Paul McCartney is going to be still around, still making music, but not with The Beatles — what does that mean? Why does he even come to work? Why does he have to do this, and what's the point of it? And the song brings that out in a really nice way.
read more: http://www.npr.org/2015/10/24/450828660/from-shirley-bassey-to-sam-smith-bond-songs-remain-a-pop-oddity?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20151026&utm_campaign=youmusthearthis&utm_term=music
Documentary: Buddy Rich
Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com
Yesterday I came across a wonderful documentary on Buddy Rich that was co-produced and written by reader, author and drummer Bruce Klauber and narrated by Mel Torme. Rare footage and interviews and sensational solos. [Pictured above, Buddy Rich at the Arcadia Ballroom in New York, May 1947]
Here's Part 1 (1917-1970)...
Here's Part 2 (1970-1987)...
Used with permission by Marc Myers
Keri Johnsrud
"Keri Johnsrud is largely about finding the unexpected in the familiar. The bright shimmer of her voice, a crystalline instrument of deceptive simple beauty, defies the depth of her artistry." - JazzTimes
"Johnsrud never sells any line short, and her commitment wins you over—as does the sheer suppleness and sweetness of her singing. She remains self-confidently sangfroid—there’s no tail-wagging appeal for your approval—which is probably why she secures it." - New City
Now with the recording of her second CD, "This Side of Morning", she is making a major step forward not only as a singer, but as a lyricist and songwriter. With her collaborator and GRAMMY nominated pianist Kevin Bales leading a strong rhythm section behind her, Keri sounds in top form performing their originals on this latest album. Since its release in April 2015, "This Side of Morning" has garnered rave reviews from respected industry publications such as All About Jazz (5 out of 5 stars) and Jazz Weekly and has been spinning regularly on national and international radio stations. 'When Morning Dawns', a cut from the new album, is even featured in the independent film "Thank You a Lot."
As Neil Tesser (2014 GRAMMY Award winner for Best Album Notes) has indicated, "She writes her own lyrics, which have character and intrigue, and sings them in a voice warm and pure, precisely suited to the stories she tells. Some of those tales are mysterious, some hip, and others as guileless as a saint. But in every case, they slice through the jokey irony of pop culture to frame modern insights in fresh new music. She has done her homework; she's thought things through..Johnsrud's voice is an instrument of tempered silver."
Singing since she was seven years old and born and raised in Iowa alongside professional vocalists, Keri's plans for the future are as direct and as logical as her music; "I plan to keep singing, writing, teaching and performing as much as possible and want to take the music wherever it needs to go."
Photos: © 2014 Yan Pritzker
Bay Day Jazz Fest
Bay Day Jazz Fest in Islamorada in Florida Keys Nov 21, 2015
Saturday, November 21, 2015 ~ 2-6pm
Founders Park, 87000 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada, FL 33036
keysice.com
Bay Day Jazz Fest is cosponsored the Everglades Foundation and will highlight, through informational exhibits and activities, the importance of Everglades restoration and its impact on the Florida Keys.
Live Jazz By:
Ira Sullivan’s Inter/Outer Continental Quintet
The Araya-Orta Latin Jazz Quartet
Elin
The Ibervillianaires
Forrest Westbrook: "A True Artist"
Jazz 'toons There was always music in Forrest Westbrook's house
By Robert Bush, The San Diego Reader, July 8, 2015
Steven A. Cerra
When local jazz pianist Forrest Westbrook passed away last year, his daughters Leslie and Yvonne had to clean out his City Heights apartment.
“We had the daunting task of clearing out 10,000 LPs, 4000 CDs, 33 speakers (hooked up!), and other audio equipment scattered about,” Leslie Westbrook informed The Reader via email. She also came across a potential treasure: “I did not know the tapes existed. Among the detritus of a lifetime, we came across...several boxes of reel-to-reels.”
The tapes included a never-released session led by Kansas City musician Carmell Jones (best known as the trumpeter on Horace Silver’s “Song for my Father”) with her father and bassist Gary Peacock.
“The process of releasing it [started with] finding a way to listen to the tapes to begin with. I didn’t know if they were still any good or how they would sound. My father had left his music to his best friend Jim West who lives in San Diego. Jim very kindly gave the tapes to me and my sister so we could try to get the music out to the world.”
Wall Street Journal writer Marc Myers put Leslie Westbrook in touch with Jordi Pujol, the founder of the Spanish record label Fresh Sound and an avid West Coast jazz fan. “So we met and talked about how we might do this. First we had to hear them! We took the tapes to an engineer in the San Fernando Valley — had a listen and went Wow! Then Jordi went about the arduous task of listening to the tapes and deciding if there was enough for a CD. There turned out to be enough for two or three.”
The mystery tapes were recorded in L.A. in 1960 and have been released on Fresh Sound as Carmell Jones: Previously Unreleased Los Angeles Session.
I asked Leslie Westbrook what she remembered about her dad the jazz musician. “Everything! I was breast-fed on jazz. I met Count Basie (and got his autograph) when my pop was working with June Christy. My father practiced his piano every day, and when I was a kid when I asked if I could watch TV, he said ‘Sure — with the volume turned off.’ So, I had a jazz soundtrack to my cartoons!
read more: http://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com.br/2015/10/forrest-westbrook-true-artist.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+JazzProfiles+(Jazz+Profiles)
Carmell Jones Quartet
Published on Oct 27, 2015
Trumpeter Carmell Jones performing "If I Love Again" with:
Forrest Westbrook - piano,
Gary Peacock - bass
Bill Schwemmer - drums.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
CD REVIEW: Stefano Battaglia Trio - In The Morning
Stefano Battaglia Trio - In The Morning – Music of Alec Wilder
(ECM 4738673. CD review by Mike Collins)
On Monday, October 26, 2015 Italian pianist Stefano Battaglia has delved into the catalogue of American composer Alec Wilder for the source of this atmospheric and meditative recording, his sixth release for ECM and third as a trio featuring the bass of Salvatore Maiore and drums of Roberto Dani.
Wilder’s songs are familiar and loved by jazz folk having been recorded by artists as diverse as Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra and Keith Jarrett. His music covered a huge range however, from chamber music and opera to popular songs and musicals. Battaglia himself forged a career as classical pianist before turning to improvised music and jazz and it’s mainly songs of Wilder’s, written as ‘Art Songs’ for voice and piano, that the trio explored in the performance at Torino Jazz Festival from which these tracks are drawn.
read more: http://news360.com/digestarticle/-bUbiPLT30WFzKOgrigRYg
Lyn Stanley
Published on Sep 2, 2015
Lyn Stanley announces her new album, Interludes, to be released in Fall 2015.
From Paula Atherton
Photo: www.amazon.com
Hello Everybody!
I'm excited to tell you that we will be playing as part of the New Brunswick Jazz festival for the 2nd year! This year we are playing opening night, Friday, November 6th. Here are the details:
Friday, November 6th
9pm-12:30am
World of Beer - 335 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Sunday, November 15th
Long Beach library
2:30pm-4:00pm
A special performance of standards and American songboook favorites
Wednesday, November 25th
Thanksgiving eve
Copacabana - 29 N Main Street, Port Chester, NY 10573
9:00pm-11:00pm
More details coming soon....
Monday, October 26, 2015
Brilliant Bill... Kirchner, That Is!
Steven A. Cerra
Bill Kirchner’s distinctive approach to Jazz became even more unique on October 7, 2014 when he was joined by pianist Carlton Holmes, bassist/vocalist Jim Ferguson and vocalist Holli Ross for “An Evening of Indigos.”
The music from this concert was released on October 16, 2015 on a An Evening of Indigos double CD [Jazzheads Records JH 1213].
The premise for this concert is contained in the following explanation:
"The mood at this remarkable concert was indeed indigo but far from monochromatic," remarks Dan Morgenstern in the package notes.
Kirchner also includes his own comments made at the New School that night in the program notes:
"Most concerts are, in a sense, variety shows. The standard idea in programming them is to come up with a multiplicity of tempos and moods, usually building to a climax. In this case, we're aiming to explore one mood, though in different facets. And to sustain that mood, we'll refrain from talking to the audience between songs. . . . Just let the music and emotions envelop you."
In essence Bill wrote seven originals, arranged six standards, and invited three of his musician friends to perform it with him in concert. What a bash that must have been.
Bill Kirchner’s music is compelling; it draws you in with its originality. By way of analogy, it’s like being in the hands of a master navigator as you explore the unchartered waters of the Amazon. Think “Jazz” instead of “Amazon” and you are ready to have Bill take your senses and soul on a voyage of discovery as he navigates the music into new and different sonorities and textures.
This is improvisational music such as you’ve never heard before: two hours of fun and adventure from the brilliant musical mind of Bill Kirchner and his well-chosen associates: Holli Ross, Jim Ferguson, and Carlton Holmes.
It’s impossible for me to improve on the insights, observations and words of praise from the many distinguished Jazz musicians, authors and other artists whose comments on the music from this concert make up a large part of the insert notes that are included with the double CD of the music.
So I thought it best to simply represent their comments “as is” within this posting along with other marketing materials that Bill sent along.
Acclaim from those who were there or who watched the video on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGgdHdpC_-E
read more: http://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com.br/2015/10/brilliant-bill-kirchner-that-is.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+JazzProfiles+(Jazz+Profiles)
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Thana Alexa
Featuring Ben Flocks/Tenor Sax, Eden Ladin/Piano,
Noam Wiesenberg/Bass, Peter Kronreif/Drums
www.thanaalexa.com
Since dedicating herself to music, Alexa has performed and recorded with Antonio Sanchez on his album New Life and his upcoming album The Meridian Suite – performances have included Red Sea Jazz Festival and Montreal Jazz Festival – with legendary drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie and two albums with guitarist Gene Ess. She came in 2nd place in the 2014 Made in New York Jazz Competition and won the 2011 Jazzon Alpe-Andria International Competition for “Ode To Heroes,” while “Siena” was nominated for a Best Jazz Composition award by PORIN, the Croatian Music Academy, an honor equivalent to the Grammy Awards in America. For the last two years she’s been in residency at Greenwich Village’s 55 Bar.
Thana Alexa is on Harmonia Mundi/Jazz Village Records. "Ode to Heroes" is her first release.
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Thanaalexa
read more: http://www.liveatthefalcon.com/#!151119/cjs3
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Bill Evans: Documentary '96
Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com
In 1996 a documentary on pianist Bill Evans by Gerard Arnaud, Patrick Sobelman and producer Paul Goldin appeared on the French cultural TV program ARTE. Some of it is in French without subtitles, but there's plenty of talking heads speaking in English. Here's the 1996 documentary...
A special thanks to Dave Thomas.
Used with permission by Marc Myers
Fleurine ....
Featuring Fleurine/Vocals, Syberen van Munster/Guitar,
Vitor Gonsalves/Accordion, Doug Weiss/Bass,
Rogerio Boccato/Percussion and special guest
Brad Mehldau/Piano
Dutch vocalist, Fleurine, delivers an impressive international resume, transforming pop into jazz, exploring Cuban & Brazilian music and creating lyrics for the music of Joshua Redmond and Thelonious Monk. Fleurine and husband, Brad Mehldau collaborate frequently.
"On her sublime America debut, Fleurine demonstrates her cunning brand of vocal wizardry" - JAZZTIMES MAGAZINE
"Some selections feature her English lyrics though she also sings in Portuguese. Fleurine has a soft and haunting voice that is well suited to this material."- ALL MUSIC GUIDE
"The Dutch born, Portugal-reared polyglot sounds as fresh and guileless as she did on her slightly more mainstream 1995 debut. Lilting tunes fly feather-light in fittingly bare-bones combos, with fleet cameos by husband Brad Mehldau."-DOWN BEAT
On her last release " San Francisco" Fleurine interprets songs by Chico Buarque and Chico Pinheiro. Marlboro's own bassist Doug Weiss is featured on the album as are Brad Mehldau and Chico Pinheiro.
"Brazilian chic has nudged its way for two generations into pop and jazz, but few insinuate as distinctively candid and original an interpretation as does vocalist Fleurine. Her tender, personal smile-through the tears lyrics some in Portuguese some her translation from Portuguese or original English lyric- come through on this set of pretty, haunting tunes." - DOWN BEAT
"Some years ago, golden-voiced beauty Fleurine doubled with pianist Brad Mehldau, for the mesmerizing "Close Enough for Love", teaching us, among other things, that "The Logical Song" could be transformed into five-and-a-half minutes of poetic longing and that Jimi Hendrix, Jobim and Michel Legrand made for contented neighbours. With her equally sublime American she continues to practise her cunning brand of vocal wizardry, both with Mehldau and without." - JAZZTIMES MAGAZINE
www.Fleurine.comread more: http://www.liveatthefalcon.com/#!151030/c1e4u
The Casket Girls – The Piano Album
The Piano Album marks The Casket Girls’ third full-length release since they debuted on Graveface in 2012, which doesn’t seem like a lot of time for them to have gotten sick of their reverb-laden dream pop. Stripped down, their music maintains its essential equation: Phaedra and Elsa Greene harmonize delicately with each other through simple and resonant pop structures. Here, Ryan Graveface backs them up on echoey piano and the faintest hint of brushed percussion instead of his usual toybox, lending a somber coloring to the music that slots it on some levels next to Boston sadcore outfit Gem Club or early Perfume Genius.
The Casket Girls still preoccupy themselves with death, of course, and The Piano Album’s strongest cut casts its gaze on those who live forever by virtue of dying young. On “Sixteen Forever”, the Greene sisters sing about dead teens with a revolving mixture of pity and envy. They fear growing older, but they know that it’s a privilege not everyone gets to enjoy. To become old is to have survived. “Living is change/ Don’t you think it’s strange?/ Only the dead stay 16 forever,” they muse. “Time keeps on ticking by/ But I’m stuck inside a minute with you.” On a longer timeline, the undulating “24 Hours” offers a dense and enigmatic look at death by way of suicide and redemption, hearing the call of the void as the Greenes make their way “from the dawn to the casket.”
read more: http://news360.com/digestarticle/Y4QIr86CyUiBsbXdg7IK6A
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah 'West of the West'
Published on Oct 23, 2015
See all the KPLU Studio Sessions at kplustudiosessions.org
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
New York Jazzharmonic
Sunday, November 1, 2015, 7:00 pm.
World premiere of artistic director Ron Wasserman's
"The Four Seasons of New York Jazz."
an evening length concerto for Jazz Orchestra.
Special guest soloist: Cristina Pato, galician bagpipe.
Following the New York Jazzharmonic's highly praised kickoff concert in July at the Washington Square Music Festival, the innovative new big jazz band will begin its inaugural season with an opening concert on Nov. 1 at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre of Symphony Space. The band on Nov. 1 will feature the world premiere of "The Four Seasons of New York Jazz," a concerto for jazz orchestra composed by Ron Wasserman, Artistic Director of the New York Jazzharmonic.
Special guest artist will be Cristina Pato, world renowned player of Galician Bagpipes. Other guests this season will be Jim McNeely, Lara St. John, JP Jofre, and Andrew Litton.
There will be three more concerts following the Nov. 1 performance.
For information about the entire series: www.nyjazzharmonic.org
Seventeen world class musicians make up the orchestra. The new group is headed by Artistic Director (and founder) Ron Wasserman, the principal bass of the New York City Ballet orchestra. His Associate Artistic Director is Miho Hazama, winner of the 2015 BMI Charlie Parker Prize. NY Jazzharmonic is a mixture of jazz standards, newly composed music, crossover and classical.
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Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services
Sun Ra
Bop Shop Records and Bop Arts present
The Sun Ra Arkestra directed by Marshall Allen
Thursday, November 5th, 8:30 pm
Lovin’ Cup Brews & Bistro 300 Park Point Drive, Rochester, NY
Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, legal name Le Sony’r Ra; May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993) was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his “cosmic philosophy,” prolific musical output, and performances. He was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1979.
Controversial because of his eclectic music and unorthodox lifestyle, and claiming that he was of the “Angel Race”, and not from Earth but from Saturn, Sun Ra developed a complex persona, using “cosmic” philosophies and lyrical poetry that made him a pioneer of afrofuturism. He preached awareness and peace above all. He abandoned his birth name and took on the name and persona of Sun Ra (Ra being the Egyptian God of the Sun), and used several other names throughout his career, including Le Sonra and Sonny Lee. Sun Ra denied any connection with his birth name, saying “That’s an imaginary person, never existed… Any name that I use other than Ra is a pseudonym.”
From the mid-1950s to his death, Sun Ra led “The Arkestra,” an ensemble with an ever-changing name and flexible lineup, although certain core members remained with the group through its various incarnations (Marshal Allen, John Gilmore, June Tyson, and others). It was by turns called “The Solar Myth Arkestra,” “His Cosmo Discipline Arkestra,” the “Blue Universe Arkestra,” “Myth Science Arkestra,” “The Jet Set Omniverse Arkestra,” and many other variations. Sun Ra asserted that the ever-changing name of his ensemble reflected the ever-changing nature of his music. His mainstream success was limited, but Sun Ra was a prolific recording artist and frequent live performer. His music ranged from keyboard solos to big bands of over 30 musicians and touched on virtually the entire history of jazz, from ragtime to swing music, from bebop to free jazz. He also used free improvisation and was one of the early musicians to make extensive use of electronic keyboards.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Ra
- See more at: http://www.bopshop.com/event/the-sun-ra-arkestra-directed-by-marshall-allen/#sthash.NRrimegy.dpuf
Keith Richards joins us
Jazz Foundation of America Invites You...
Escape the world for one night...
Enter the Apollo for a historic concert and fill your heart with the love of life
The best part: You will be helping to save hundreds of musicians who have been saving you all these years...
14th Annual "A Great Night in Harlem" - Gala Concert
Thursday, October 22, The Apollo Theater
FEATURING A RARE COMBINATION OF LEGENDS FROM THE WORLDS OF JAZZ, BLUES, R&B, AND ROCK
The Jazz Foundation of America's "Lifetime Achievement Award" to Sonny Rollins featuring performances by Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan), Jimmy Heath, Jack DeJohnette, Benny Golson, Billy Harper, Randy Brecker,Clifton Anderson, Alex Blake, Kenny Garrett, Ravi Coltrane, Buster Williams, Al Foster, James Carter, Bob Cranshaw, Cecil Bridgewater Big Band, and more...
"The Clark & Gwen Terry Award" for Merry Clayton featuring performances by Keith Richards, Renée Fleming, Valerie Simpson, Sarah Dash & Nona Hendryx of Labelle, Darlene Love & Lisa Fischer (your favorite stars from "20 Feet from Stardom")and Bernard Fowler, with Ray Parker Jr., Ivan Neville, Will Lee and more...
Special tributes dedicated to Julian Bond featuring Danny Glover, Keb' Mo',Randy Weston, and Kimberly Nichole.
With the Davell Crawford Gospel Choir and very special surprise guests to come!
This night will transport you with thrilling moments of music and real life stories of musicians saved by JFA.
Musical Director: Steve Jordan - Production by DPS
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