Jimmy Smith: France, 1969

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

In 1969, organist Jimmy Smith performed at the Salle Pleyel concert hall in Paris. He was backed by guitarist Eddie McFadden and drummer Charles Crosby.

Here's their entire 11-song set...

A special thanks to Jim Eigo.

Used with permission by Marc Myers

Jazz Puzzles

Dear Jazz Friends,

After a ten-year research the new "Jazz Puzzles" (Volume 2 by Dan Vernhettes with Bo Lindström) is now printed,in the same format as "Traveling Blues" and "Jazz Puzzles" Volume 1, with more pages (248) and at the same (low) price! New information, and original photos like you've seldom seen, in a beautiful lay-out as usual!

You can see excerpts at http://jazzedit.org/Pz2/excerpts.html

You can buy it at http://jazzedit.org/Pz2/contactpz2.html 

Possibility of conferences-debates with Powerpoints and musical illustrations.

If you have any question, you are welcome to reply to this message.

Swingingly, Dan Vernhettes

www.jazzedit.org

From: http://jazzedit.org/Pz2/excerpts.html

Joe Cerrito

Joe Cerrito is a highly respected accordionist. Besides training on the accordion with Joe Biviano and Bob Wilbur, he had an extensive music education in the U.S. Army playing both the accordion and horn in the 1st Army Band in New York City. His music credits include having worked with music legends like Steve Allen, Sarah Vaughan, Dick Contino, Myron Floren, Tony Dannon, Frank Marocco and Harry Belafonte.

Joe even played with the orchestra in the movie, “True Lies.” He has also had extensive experience playing for commercials. Best known as a jazz accordionist and improv specialist, he is also a composer and has compiled some jazz exercise books and modern arrangements with a CD. He continues to perform for parties, strolls in restaurants, and plays concerts at accordion clubs. He lives in Rhode Island and spends winters in Sarasota, FL.

• https://www.facebook.com/joe.cerrito

CD REVIEW: Kai Hoffman – Luckiest Girl Alive

Kai Hoffman - Luckiest Girl Alive
(Broad Reach Records BRKH0002. CD Review by Frank Griffith)

Singer Kai Hoffman's latest offering, Luckiest Girl Alive, showcases her sunny delivery and pleasantly cavorting vocal talents to great effect. Her retro-1950s look (well illustrated on the CD cover) goes hand in hand with the musical fare on offer, with period classics such as Lucky Lips, TV is the thing this year and Drown in my tears, as well as four songs by Kai herself. Sadly, the composer credits only mention surnames, making it difficult to ascertain exactly who wrote these classic songs that Ms Hoffman pays such respectful tributes to.
 
This collection of Kai's own 1950s-inspired originals, rockin’ rhythm & blues and a healthy dose of New Orleans brings the great rhythm & blues back to life. These include the women who helped to invent rock’n’roll, like Ruth Brown, Wynona Carr, Annisteen Allen, Lillian Briggs and Wanda Jackson.

Resident at Ronnie Scott’s since 2008, Kai has also wowed audiences worldwide. Her appearances in New York City, Milan and the Edinburgh Fringe have won her many rave reviews.

read more: http://news360.com/digestarticle/-xm9qGF3LUmC2LUNNu_PeQ

Jazz gets back to Jerusalem, at the Israel Museum

Pianist Johann Bourquenez (center) of Switzerland’s Plaistow trio. (photo credit:Courtesy)

The Art of Jazz marks the start of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Jerusalem Foundation

By BARRY DAVIS,  11/26/2015
The forthcoming Jerusalem Jazz Festival is a shot in the arm for lovers of the music all over the country and, naturally, particularly for jazz fans in the capital who generally have to traipse down to the other end of Route 1 to catch some worthy live action, or down Route 90 to get through 40+ degrees of heat before, hopefully, the air cools a mite for the evening shows at the summertime Red Sea Jazz Festival.


There was, in fact, an international jazz festival in Jerusalem in 2006, which took place under the auspices of the Yellow Submarine, but the inaugural four-dayer did not survive and was soon incorporated into the limited program space afforded to it by the Israel Festival.

read more: http://www.jpost.com/In-Jerusalem/Jazz-gets-back-to-Jerusalem-at-the-Israel-Museum-435436

Lou Donaldson: San Javier, 2013

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

In 2013, Lou Donaldson appeared at the San Javier Jazz Festival in southeast Spain with Randy Johnston on guitar, Akiko Tsuruga on organ and Fukushi Tainaka on drums. Lou had much to do with the birth of hard bop in the early 1950s (go here for my Wall Street Journal article on Lou and here for my multipart JazzWax interview).

Here he is with his quartet playing Cherokee (but stay at the page and see and hear the group play three more). The video is HD and the music is fantastic...

A special thanks to Tom Fine.

Used with permission by Marc Myers

Dick Hyman & Whitney James

Dick Hyman & Whitney James, Dec 6, 2015 at Tampa Jazz Club Show

The Tampa Jazz Club and the HCC Visual and Performing Arts Series will present piano legend Dick Hyman with vocalist Whitney James performing together for the very first time. They’ll be joined by Alejandro Arenas on bass and Mark Feinman on drums for a program called “Songs You’d Never Expect” on Sunday, December 6, at 3:00 PM. The performance will take place in the Mainstage Theatre of the HCC Performing Arts Building in Ybor City.

Dick Hyman’s remarkable career spans more than sixty years as a pianist and a composer, incorporating small group swing to big bands, TV studios to Broadway musicals and film soundtracks to chamber music. Dick Hyman has performed with an extensive list of all stars including Benny Goodman, Red Norvo, and with bebop icon Charlie Parker in Parker’s only known television appearance. With well over 100 albums under his own name the one time student of Teddy Wilson has the entire history of jazz in his sound. This December 6 collaboration brings Dick Hyman together with Whitney James, whose concert appearances on both coasts and her CD “The Nature of Love” have established her as a singularly gifted jazz artist.

The program includes well-known songs by jazz greats including Miles Davis and Bill Evans along with Coltrane, Monk, and others. In every case these jazz standards are fitted with creative lyrics that put them in a whole new light for listeners.

As a special treat the artists also feature “another very hip musician,” as Hyman says, with their new arrangement of a Partita by Johann Sebastian Bach.


Don’t miss this first time collaboration in our beautiful theater in historic Ybor City.

read more: http://jazz-bluesflorida.blogspot.com.br/2015/11/dick-hyman-whitney-james-dec-6-2015-at.html

Gerry Mulligan: Bern, 1990

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

At the Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 1990, Gerry Mulligan gave one of his finest late-career performances. He was mighty, full of ideas and backed by superb musicians—pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Dean Johnson and drummer  David Ratajczak.

Here's their 10-song set...

Used with permission by Marc Myers

Charlie Sepulveda

Charlie Sepulveda Latin Jazz Holiday Concert Dec 5, 2015 - St. Martha - Yamaha Concert Series at Barry University

A major force in Modern Latin Jazz, Charlie Sepulveda has recorded with his cousin Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, Marc Anthony, Talking Heads and David Byrne, and was nominated twice for Latin Grammys. Music from his new CD with Eddie Palmieri will be featured plus holiday favorites in The Turnaround’s distinctive style.

Benny Golson: Germany, 1993

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

In 1993, tenor saxophonist Benny Golson was in Germany for a reunion of sorts with vibist Milt Jackson and trumpeter Art Farmer. They were teamed with guitarist Ulf Wakenius, bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen and drummer Jonas Johansen. The last time Benny was with both Jackson and Farmer was on Bags' Opus, a Milt Jackson record date at the end of 1958. For my multi-part JazzWax interview with Benny, go here.

Here's Benny's own Whisper Not...

Used with permission by Marc Myers

New York Youth Symphony: Classically Inspired

With Special Guest Robin Eubanks
Tue Dec, 8
The New York Youth Symphony’s Jazz Band is considered by many to be one of the best ensembles of its kind. The members of this group range from age 12 to 22, making the quality of their sound even more astonishing. In an effort to preserve jazz traditions and styles, the ensemble focuses on the music of the 1930s and 1940s big band orchestras in addition to contemporary pieces. While celebrating the heritage of jazz, the group also values a progressive, emerging new sound. This show offers an exciting glimpse at the future of jazz, led by some of the most talented young musicians in the New York area–not to mention special guest Robin Eubanks, an enormously talented and endlessly award-winning trombonist and composer.

read more: http://www.jazz.org/dizzys/events/163117/

Dave Brubeck - Take Five ( Original Video)

Illustrious Aardvark Jazz Orchestra

Illustrious Aardvark Jazz Orchestra Marks 50th Anniversary of Duke Ellington Sacred Concerts, Dec 12 in Boston

(Published: November 26, 2015)
The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra (Mark Harvey music director) celebrates its 43d Annual Christmas Concert December 12 at 7:30 pm at Emmanuel Church 15 Newbury Street Boston. Admission $20 at the door. Proceeds to benefit Community Works. For information: 617 776 8778 or 617 452 3205. The December 12 event will mark the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts. Premiered in late 1965, these concerts marked a new direction in Ellington's career, presented in churches, cathedrals, and synagogues around the world, a legacy continuing to the present day. 

Aardvark's December 12 concert will be a jubilant evening of Ellington sacred repertory, including Come Sunday, Tell Me It's the Truth, A Song for Christmas (by Billy Strayhorn), Almighty God Has Those Angels, The Shepherd Who Watches Over the Night Flock, It's Freedom, and the Duke's portrait of the Three Wise Men in a movement from his Three Black Kings suite.

Proceeds of the concert will benefit Community Works, a coalition of Boston-area service organizations working for education, health care, housing, and social justice for communities in need.

Aardvark has been performing Ellington's music for more than 25 years and has released a recording titled Duke Ellington/Sacred Music ("the spirit of the music swings to the rhythmic muse of the great composer" - Cadence Magazine, and "lush sonorities and a saxophonic blend worthy of Duke's finest reed sections" JazzTimes). Boston's Emmanuel Church hosted a performance of the Second Sacred Concert by Duke Ellington and his Orchestra in 1969. Mark Harvey served as consulting producer for the Sacred Concert presented by Mercer Ellington and the Ellington Orchestra in Boston at Symphony Hall in 1988 and has lectured and written about this music.

The Aardvark Christmas Concert has been a Boston holiday tradition for more than four decades. Aardvark gave its inaugural concert December 23, 1973 at the Church of the Covenant in Boston as a benefit for the Chelsea Fire Fund. Every year since then, the band has held a Christmas concert to support a deserving cause. Past beneficiaries have included Doctors Without Borders, American Friends Service Committee, Rosie's Place, Pine Street Inn, Community Works, and dozens more. 

Founded in 1973, The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra is one of the longest-running large jazz ensembles in the world. The band has given premieres of more than 175 works for jazz orchestra, performs widely, and appears on 13 CDs, including 7 discs from Leo Records, one of the world's leading adventuresome music labels. Guest artists who have appeared with Aardvark include jazz luminaries Jaki Byard, Sheila Jordan, Jimmy Giuffre, Geri Allen, Raj Mehta, Lewis Porter, Dominique Eade and Matt Savage.

read more: http://www.jazzcorner.com/news/display.php?news=7064&utm_source=JazzCorner.com+News&utm_medium=twitter

CD REVIEW: National Youth Jazz Orchestra – NYJO Fifty

National Youth Jazz Orchestra – NYJO Fifty
(Whirlwind WR4679, CD Review by Peter Jones.)

There’s been half a century of top-notch big band playing and recording since the organization which became NYJO was founded by Bill Ashton in 1965. In that time they have made well over 40 albums, performed live around the world, and on television at The Royal Variety Performance and the Royal Celebration of Youth. Ashton has even been awarded an OBE for ‘services to jazz’. So this is very much the establishment-approved jazz ensemble, and thank the lord for that, since the establishment has in all other respects failed to comprehend the importance of the arts in the UK.

It’s worth reminding ourselves of the jazz stars who were launched upon the world thanks to NYJO, not least Guy Barker, Mark Nightingale, Gerard Presencer, Pete Long, Dennis and Winston Rollins, and of course the 16-year-old Amy Winehouse, of whom Bill Ashton commented: ‘I can honestly say, she had the best jazz voice of any young singer I had ever heard.’

However, this double album release is not a retrospective, rather a set of new recordings, divided into ‘contemporary’ (disc one) and ‘traditional’ (disc two) material. One of NYJO’s recent roles in recent years has been to commission new work from leading UK jazz composers. Included here are tunes from the ubiquitous Kit Downes (Wintermute), Laura Jurd (No Man Is An Island), and Jason Yarde (Sub Hub Hubbub – great title!). And it’s appropriate that the final piece is one of Bill Ashton’s compositions - Finding My Feet.

Disc one kicks off with Mama Badgers, a bracingly percussive piece written by Julian Siegel, and giving early prominence to the excellent David Dyson on drums, Owen Dawson on trombone and Rob Luft on guitar. Luft surely deserves a special award for being on practically every British jazz CD released this year. Another musician vying for that honour is Gareth Lochrane, and blow me down, here he is again on Rush Hour.

It’s tough to pick out individual tracks when the playing is at such a high level, but I particularly liked a couple of the quieter tracks on the first disc - Chris Whiter’s lush, floaty Dreams and Owen Dawson’s No Pãu de Açúcar, both of these featuring the flugelhorn of James Copus. The second disc opens with St Louis Blues, a mixture of foot-dragging sleaze and finger- snapping helter-skelter swing. Favourites here include NYJO’s take on Lullabye on Broadway and What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?, both lifted by the velvety voice of Jessica Radcliffe. There has been a lot of excellent UK big band music this year, notably from the Birmingham Jazz Orchestra and the Patrick Hayes Electric Ensemble. This one is a fine addition to the pile: you get a lot of music for your money - 19 tracks in well over two hours - and it’s music of the very highest quality.

CD REVIEW: Eberhard Weber - Hommage à Eberhard Weber

Eberhard Weber - Hommage à Eberhard Weber

(ECM Records 473 2344. CD Review by Adrian Pallant) 

Rarely has a live jazz album felt as emotive or as broadly momentous, encompassing and celebrating so many strands and decades of sublime creativity. 

Since the beginning of the 1970s, and gradually becoming a mainstay of Manfred Eicher's ECM record label, Stuttgart-born Eberhard Weber has forged a visionary compositional and instrumental path, providing contemporary jazz with one of its most distinctive, five-string bass sonorities. Throughout his career, Weber has continued to delight audiophiles and concert audiences via a vast range of atmospheric, boundary-straddling releases, collaborating perhaps most notably with Ralph Towner, Jon Christensen, Jan Garbarek, Gary Burton, Paul McCandless and Pat Metheny. But in 2007, a stroke brought an end to his bass-playing (though two albums, Resumé (2012) and Encore (2015) – based on archived, live bass solos with the Jan Garbarek Group between 1990 and 2007 – have since been released).

In January 2015, to observe the popular bassist's 75th birthday and honour his significant musical achievements, two jubilee concerts were presented in Stuttgart; and though Eberhard selected the personnel, he requested that the programme be a surprise. So, a stellar line-up convened – Pat Metheny (guitars), Jan Garbarek(soprano sax), Gary Burton (vibraphone), Scott Colley (double bass), Danny Gottlieb (drums), Paul McCandless (English horn, soprano sax), Klaus Graf (alto sax) and Ernst Hutter (euphonium).  With the powerfully elegant 18-piece SWR Big Band conducted by Helge Sunde and Michael Gibbs, the stage was set for large-scale arrangements of Weber's music (with arrangements by Gibbs, Ralf Schmid, Rainer Tempel and Libor Šíma), with Pat Metheny's 30-minutes-plus commission, Hommage, the centerpiece.

read more: http://news360.com/digestarticle/OBhivco2J0a4FnS5L5wUXA

B.B. King Blues Club

EDDIE PALMIERI SALSA ORCHESTRA
11/28/15, 8:00PM
Eddie Palmieri, known for his charismatic power and bold innovative drive, has a musical career that spans over 50 years as a bandleader of Salsa and Latin Jazz orchestras. With a discography that includes 36 titles, Mr. Palmieri has been awarded nine Grammy Awards. Born in Spanish Harlem in 1936, Eddie began piano studies at an early age, as did his celebrated older brother, the late Salsa legend and pianist, Charlie Palmieri. For Latin New Yorkers of Eddie's generation, music was a vehicle out of El Barrio. At age 11, he auditioned at Weil Recital Hall, which is next door to Carnegie Hall, a venue as far from the Bronx as he could imagine. Possessed by a desire to play the drums, Palmieri joined his uncle's orchestra at age 13, where he played timbales. Says Palmieri, "By 15, it was good-bye timbales and back to the piano until this day. I'm a frustrated percussionist, so I take it out on the piano."


Eddie Palmieri embraces the future of his music by blazing a distinctive musical path to the delight of fans across the globe. He has one of the most actively touring Salsa and Latin Jazz orchestras to date, tours of which have taken him to Europe, Asia, Australia, Latin America, North Africa and throughout the Caribbean. A true powerhouse of brilliance known for his astute arranging skills and historic compositions, Mr. Palmieri has shown that time is infinite with respect to his repertoire as he continues to thrill audiences with his legendary style.
- See more at: http://www.bbkingblues.com/bio.php?id=5423#sthash.eq3Z8XeM.dpuf

STRAWBERRY FIELDS The Ultimate BEATLES Tribute
11/26/15, 7:00PM

Strawberry Fields is a look-a-like, sound-a-like Beatles tribute, dedicated to bringing you as close to a real Beatles concert as you can get. The tribute takes you on a Magical Mystery Tour beginning in 1964, complete with mop top hair, black suits with thin ties, and the first four albums of music. The next stop, 1967, features the psychedelic era of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album with all the costumes and jackets on the album cover. The last stop includes the White Album, Abbey Road, and of course Let It Be.
- See more at: http://www.bbkingblues.com/bio.php?id=5619#sthash.2wcuwisN.dpuf

Diane Marino Quartet featuring Ralph Lalama

212 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Ralph Lalama: sax, Neal Smith: drums, Frank Marino: bass

Performing songs from the Great American Songbook, Jazz standards and Brazilian classics… When you combine an accomplished vocalist, pianist, and arranger all in one individual, you have the dynamic Diane Marino.

In her over 25 year career, Diane has performed to captivated audiences in jazz venues, performing arts centers and festivals such as Birdland-NYC, Blues Alley-D.C., Vitello’s Jazz Club – L.A., Twins Jazz- D.C., Nighttown-Cleveland, Heidi’s Jazz Club-Cocoa Beach, Trumpets Jazz Club -NJ, Germantown Performing Arts Center, The Metropolitan Room-NYC, Bethesda Blues & Jazz – D.C., Montreux Atlanta Festival, Town Point Jazz Festival, Music City Jazz & Heritage Festival, to name a few.

M&M Records Recording Artist Diane Marino has recorded five critically acclaimed CD’s. All of which have been on the National JazzWeek charts. She has recorded and shared the stage with jazz legends Houston Person, Ralph Lalama, Joe Henderson, Wycliffe Gordon, Harry Allen, Pete Escovedo, Tania Maria, Kirk Whalum, pop music icon Felix Cavaliere and many others.


“Diane Marino is an unusually unique talent… great pianist, vocalist and arranger” – Les Davis-Real Jazz-Sirius/XM Radio

http://dianemarino.com/

read more: http://clubbonafide.com/event/diane-marino-quartet-featuring-ralph-lalama/

Terence Blanchard / Jacob Collier review

Barbican, London

Collier brings his striking choral harmonies to the London jazz festival, while Spike Lee collaborator Blanchard is exhaustingly impressive

On his last UK date, in July, we declared Jacob Collier to be jazz’s new messiah. Since then the endearingly geeky 20-year-old has taken his multimedia one-man band to jazz festivals around the world. It is a live incarnation of his YouTube masterworks – covers of soul and jazz standards pieced together in real time on drums, bass guitar, piano and a choir of voices – and it’s stunning.


Some tiny reservations remain: Collier’s soft, choirboy voice is perfectly suited to the startling choral harmonies he creates via his keyboard but it isn’t, perhaps, as effective as a lead instrument. However, the results are usually so impressive that it doesn’t matter. Even when he ditches the audiovisual gimmicks and plays a solo version of Stevie Wonder’s Lately – just voice and piano – the effect is startling, with his cascading piano accompaniment full of momentary semitone shifts and off-kilter chordal voicing.

read more: http://news360.com/digestarticle/bppPmJ8ydUqQlY4VkoNkrg

Published on Apr 18, 2015
Eight Jacob Colliers team up to arrange, perform & produce a distinctive version of a well-loved ballad, made famous by Ray Charles.

Alicia Keys & John Legend - Let It Be

NJJAZZList.com

News: Elvin Jones and the Pharaoh’s Tomb of Drum History

After Elvin Jones, John Coltrane’s go-to drummer, died in 2004, his widow Keiko was left with her husband’s absence and the monumental task of managing Jones’ gear collection. But to call it a “collection” borders on injustice to the initiated: It was a veritable pharaoh’s tomb of drums and drum history.

“It was an absolute treasure trove of the most amazing drum gear I’ve ever encountered,” recalls Donn Bennett, instructor and owner of Donn’s Drum School, an industry leader in rare, vintage drums and celebrity-owned drum gear for more than 30 years and arguably the industry leader and adviser on the topic. “You’d hear about this buried treasure; you’d hear stories from those who have been there: piles of old Zildjian Ks, ‘60s Gretsch kits still in the boxes.”

» Read more

Profile: Pianist/Jazz Educator Bill Charlap

Born in New York City, Bill Charlap comes from a musical background. His mother was vocalist, Sandy Stewart and his father was Broadway composer, Moose Charlap. Charlap has been a profound influence in piano jazz, recording seven albums as a leader or co-leader for the Blue Note label, including two Grammy-nominated CDs: For the Japanese label Venus Records, he has recorded two albums as a leader, as well as eight albums as a member of the New York Trio. In addition to his own recordings, Charlap has worked with jazz giants, Gerry Mulligan, Benny Carter, Tony Bennett, Phil Woods and Scott Hamilton, as well as the Phil Woods Quintet.

Charlap was recently appointed as the new director of the Jazz Studies Program at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J. Founded in 1973, the program has been directed by trumpeter and composer/arranger Thad Jones, bassist Rufus Reid, pianist James Williams and, most recently, pianist Mulgrew Miller, who died in May 2013. 

» Read more

In the News: Count Basie Theatre Expands

The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, one of New Jersey's most historic multi-purpose theaters, will be getting a much needed facelift. The theater recently announced a $20 million expansion plan, which will not only provide needed renovations to some of the 89-year-old venue's patron facilities and backstage areas, but build a 550-capacity "Second Space", a new, smaller performance venue, adjacent to the theater. Glass-fronted lobbies will bookend the two venues. The expanded performing arts center, complete with more space for educational initiatives, will span nearly an entire block on central Red Bank's Monmouth Street. Theater president and CEO, Adam Philipson, hopes to break ground on the project as early as 2018 and fund the project solely through private donations.

» Read more

In the News: Seed Artists - Great Art for Good Works

Based in Montclair, Seed Artists presents adventurous jazz, creative-music and arts programming that serves five primary goals: to enrich, inspire, encourage and build community through collaboration. Seed was founded in 2005 by renowned drummer Pheeroan akLaff, his wife, Luz Marina Bueno, and a small group of friends to bridge gaps between generations and cultures, promote community involvement, and provide music education to underserved youth.

In its first few years, Seed ran a music-instruction program for high-school and middle-school students and conducted a music workshop at a women’s homeless shelter; presented concerts in public spaces, and the Re: Fresh concert series of international creative music.

In 2014, Seed presented Eric Dolphy: Freedom of Sound, an historic festival celebrating the underappreciated genius. Proceeds helped to fund two very worthy nonprofits—the Jazz Foundation of America, and the Montclair Academy of Dance and Laboratory of Music. Now, Seed has started a concert and children's workshop series in the public schools.

» Read more

Ticket Giveaway: George Winston

Tuesday, December 1, you could be spending an evening with George Winston, who some call ''the father of new age music".Call him what you will, he is one of the great popularizers of minimalist, acoustic solo piano music. His best-selling albums Autumn, December, Winter Into Spring, Summer, Forests, and Plains feature pleasant, uncluttered melodies that invite the listener to relax. On the concert stage, however, Winston likes to get the audience tapping their toes to the boogie-woogie and stride piano pieces of such celebrated jazz pianists as Fats Waller and Professor Longhair. 

Look for details this week on our ticket give-aways for his upcoming concert at the Bergen Performing Arts Center at the NJJazzList.comwebsite.

» Read more

Philadephia's JazzBridge  

The Jazz Bridge Project non-profit not only helps Philadelphia area musicians during hard times, but also helps to further public awareness of great music by presenting neighborhood concert events. In October, a new season of concert/fund raisers kicks off at the Collingswood Community Center with a great lineup of performers from our area.

» Read more

Sabertooth, Or The 23-Year Midnight Gig

LINK > http://www.npr.org/event/music/456650692/sabertooth-or-the-23-year-midnight-gig?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20151119&utm_campaign=youmusthearthis&utm_term=music

Updated November 19, 2015
by PATRICK JARENWATTANANON
• In Chicago, one band holds down a midnight-to-5 a.m. gig on Saturday nights — or, technically, on Sunday mornings. It's a time slot which seems challenging enough to do once or twice. These guys have been doing it for 23 years.

Sabertooth is a quirky band, currently an organ quartet led by saxophonists Pat Mallinger and Cameron Pfiffner. It swings hard (and a little off-kilter), mixing favorite standards and a repertoire of cleverly arranged tunes. Every week, Mallinger and Pfiffner play for curious newcomers, rowdy drunks, hardcore fans and musicians coming off their own gigs.

"It's an after-hours jazz party," Mallinger says. "That's what it's labeled. ... It's not your average jazz gig."

It all happens in a club called the Green Mill, which doesn't look to have changed much since its days as a Prohibition-era speakeasy. Inside, it seems a bit like a place removed from time — especially if you get to see the basement and the escape tunnels into which it leads.

Here, Jazz Night In America follows Pat Mallinger and Cameron Pfiffner to the Green Mill, then stays up all night with Sabertooth.

PERSONNEL
Pat Mallinger, saxophones;
Cameron Pfiffner, saxophone and flute;
Pete Benson, organ;
Ted Sirota, drums.

from: http://www.npr.org/event/music/456650692/sabertooth-or-the-23-year-midnight-gig?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20151119&utm_campaign=youmusthearthis&utm_term=music

Matthew Halsall & The Gondwana Orchestra - Into Forever

Friday, 30 October 2015 17:34
Written by  Matthew Ruddick

Spiritualism and sumptuous sound, as Halsall returns with the Gondwana Orchestra.

It’s a long way from Fletcher Moss Park in Manchester, named after a local politician in 1919, to Longshan Temple in Taipei, built in 1738, and dedicated to the bodhisattva of mercy, Guanyin – which lends its name to one of the tunes on Into Forever. It’s a musical and spiritual journey that has taken Matthew Halsall, the Manchester-based trumpet player and composer, just three years.

In truth, Halsall had demonstrated his musical ambition before this, but the depth of his vision became more apparent on When The World Was One, the 2014 album credited to Matthew Halsall and The Gondwana Orchestra. Kind Of Jazz referred to this album as one of the finest British jazz records of the modern era, a label we stand by today, praising its spiritualism, warmth and melodicism.


The prolific Halsall returns with the Gondwana Orchestra just eighteen months later. The influence of Alice Coltrane, and to a lesser extent, the early 1970s recordings of McCoy Tyner, can still be heard, but the Orchestra has a markedly different feel second time around. Saxophonist Nat Birchall drops out, and Halsall himself only appears on two tracks – both at the end of the album. 

Many of the other musicians are unchanged, thus ensuring there is a real continuity to the Orchestra’s sound. The rhythm section of Taz Modi on piano, Gavin Barras on bass and Luke Flowers on drums – all Halsall regulars – remains intact. Likewise, Rachel Gladwin on harp, Keiko Kitamura on koto and Lisa Mallet on flute, all of whom made an important contribution to the feel of When The World Was One, return on Into Forever.

The change to the sound primarily reflects the presence of two singers. Manchester-based vocalist Josephine Oniyama sings on four songs, whilst Bryony Jarman-Pinto takes lead on the final track, Jamais Vu. In addition, the Orchestra is joined by a string quartet, which plays a prominent role on most tracks. 


On Kamasi Washington’s magnificent opus, The Epic, the lead vocals – as opposed to the choir – often felt like a distraction. That is certainly not the case here, which is testament to Halsall’s skill as a composer and songwriter, and the rich singing of Oniyama, in particular, whose voice has the strength and depth required to bring these songs to life.

read more: http://www.kindofjazz.com/index.php/component/k2/247-matthew-halsall-the-gondwana-orchestra-into-forever

NPR Music - JAZZ

Sabertooth, Or The 23-Year Midnight Gig At Chicago's Green Mill, one band has owned Saturday's after-hours set for decades. Jazz Night stays up with drunks, devotees and the organ quartet of saxophonists Pat Mallinger and Cameron Pfiffner. Read this story

LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD Allen Toussaint: Live At The Village Vanguard He's a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame producer, songwriter, pianist, singer and New Orleans native. And now he's made one of the best jazz albums of 2009. Toussaint brings a diverse cast to the Vanguard. Read this story

JAZZ NIGHT IN AMERICA Christian McBride On Ray Brown's Bass And James Brown's Appeal  Over the last year, the bassist and NPR's Audie Cornish have discussed and dissected everything about jazz. Their latest chat, held for a live audience, focuses on how his own career started. Read this story

MUSIC INTERVIEWS NO BS! Brass Band Transcends The New Orleans Sound It's tough getting 12 musicians to agree on anything.But the members of the Richmond, Va. ensemble are firm in the desire to represent their own city in their music. Read this story

JAZZ NIGHT IN AMERICA A Jazz 'Family,' Formed Late At Night After the headliners and their crowds have left, a community of up-and-coming artists — brought together by a vocalist and natural ringleader — assembles in a corner of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Read this story

Nicole Henry

NICOLE HENRY’s 3rd Annual Winter Concert at Colony Theatre, Miami Beach – Dec 12, 2015

Internationally acclaimed vocalist and 2013 Soul Train Award winner, Nicole Henry returns to the Colony Theatre for her third annual winter concert to benefit the Miami Children’s Initiative. Ms. Henry possesses a potent combination of dynamic vocal abilities, impeccable phrasing, and powerful emotional resonance.  Her passionate, soulful voice and heart-felt charisma have earned her three Top-10 U.S. Billboard and HMV Japan jazz albums, and rave reviews both domestically and internationally by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Japan Times, El Pais, Jazz Times, Essence and more.

Miami Children’s Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on transforming Liberty City into a prosperous community by transforming the lives of children and working to help families obtain the resources they need to raise strong and achieving children.

“…a paragon of perfection. The voice that pours out of her is even more impressive… the vocal love-child of Whitney Houston and Sarah Vaughan.” – Miami Herald

“…that predicted time of greatness has arrived. Nicole Henry emerges hands down as this generation's First Lady of Jazz. She is the genuine article, the dream at last come true…” - Huffington Post

“...a pop-soul superwoman.” - The New York Times

Interview: Elvis Costello

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

A few weeks ago, I interviewed Elvis Costello for my "Anatomy of a Song" column in the Wall Street Journal (go here) on one of his most fascinating songs—(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes. Elvis wrote it during the last 10 minutes of a three-hour train ride from London to Liverpool in 1976 on his way to visit his mother. The song then appeared on his first album, My Aim Is True. Elvis is a fascinating artist. He's polite, low key and a wonderful storyteller. He's also honest about himself, humble and insightful. I hope you enjoy my exploration into the mind of a leading songwriter.

So you have the background, here are the song's lyrics...

Oh, I used to be disgusted
And now I try to be amused
But since their wings have got rusted
You know, the angels want to wear my red shoes
But when they told me 'bout their side of the bargain
That's when I knew that I could not refuse
And I won't get any older, now that angels want to wear my red shoes

Oh, oh, I was watching while you're dancing away
Our love got fractured in the echo and sway
How come everybody wants to be your friend?
You know that it still hurts me just to say it

Oh, I know that she's disgusted (oh, why's that?)
Because she's feeling so abused (oh, that's too bad)
She gets tired of the lust (oh, I'm so sad)
But it's so hard to refuse
Can you say that I'm too old
When the angels have stolen my red shoes?

Oh, oh I said, "I'm so happy I could die"
She said, "Drop dead, " then left with another guy
That's what you get if you go chasing after vengeance
Ever since you got me punctured, this has been my sentence

Oh, I used to be disgusted
But now I try to be amused
But since their wings have got rusted
You know, the angels want to wear my red shoes
But when they told me 'bout their side of the bargain
That's when I knew that I could not refuse
And I won't get any older, now that the angels want to wear my red shoes

Oh, I won't get any older, now the angels want to wear my red shoes
Red shoes, the angels want to wear my red shoes
Red shoes, the angels want to wear my red shoes

Here's a video of Elvis performing (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes...

And here's Elvis and Burt Bacharach on their song, Toledo. This is from Painted From Memory (1998), a must-own album that shows off the American Songbook genius of these two artists working together...

Want another? Here's the Costello-Baracharch song The House Is Empty Now...

Used with permission by Marc Myers

John McLaughlin - Black Light

Saturday, 14 November 2015 21:56
Written by  Rob Mallows

Six-string maestro proves age is no barrier to innovation and creativity.
Now well into in his eighth decade, Doncaster's own John McLaughlin is still in the vanguard of guitarists who stretch our understanding of what that instrument can do. This new album, with eight new McLaughlin-penned tracks, shows that he’s still as vital a part of the modern jazz scene as ever and producing quality music.

For this album, McLaughlin has stuck with his pals from 4th Dimension, each of whom is a stand-out performer in his own right. Not least, for example, drummer Gary Husband, who is I think one of the great drummers of the last twenty years. He’s joined by Cameroonian bassist Etienne Mbappe (who, incidentally, will be performing with his own band at the London Jazz Festival) and drummer Ranjit Barot. This is in fact their third album working and touring together as a group.

The album reflects McLaughlin’s unarguable virtuosity, and also in places the Indian classical musical influence on his performance. There’s plenty of evident passion coursing through each track and a variety of moods.

First track, Here Comes The Jiis, immediately demonstrates in the rhythms and title an homage to one of McLaughlin’s other touring groups, the indian-influenced Shakti. After a quiet start McLaughlin’s guitar meshes beautifully with Barot’s hard drumming style, giving this album a start as frenetic as the race for the first corner in F1. One can hear the connecting dots on the stave stretching back to his seventies Mahavishnu Orchestra days. Second track, the intriguingly titled Clap Your Hand, maintains the starting pace and introduces a feature of 4th Dimension’s live sets, the use of Indian sung rhythms, or Konnokol, by Barot, which provides an interesting alternative to a drum solo. 


Third track Being You Being Me starts off with just keyboards and synths, emphasising the vital duel role that Husband plays in the band through his awesomely inventive keyboard works alongside his drum work. The track then moves into a slower paced guitar melody, a little softer in tone but still evidently McLaughlin.

read more: http://www.kindofjazz.com/index.php/component/k2/253-john-mclaughlin-black-light

Jazz Listings for Nov. 20-26

Dave Liebman will lead the group Expansions on Saturday at the Jazz Gallery. See listing below. Credit Erin Baiano for The New York Times

Full reviews of recent jazz performances: nytimes.com/jazz. A searchable guide to these and other shows is at nytimes.com/events.

★ Darcy James Argue’s ‘Real Enemies’ (through Sunday) Conspiracy theories and American postwar paranoia form the broad subject matter for this new multimedia opus by Mr. Argue, a serious-minded young composer. Featuring his Secret Society big band, it’s a stylish collaboration with the writer-director Isaac Butler and the filmmaker Peter Nigrini — presented as part of the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave festival, which also commissioned Mr. Argue’s previous work, “Brooklyn Babylon.” Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m., BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton Street, Fort Greene, 718-636-4100, bam.org. (Nate Chinen)

Black Art Collective (Friday through Sunday) Though its name suggests a link to the poet Amiri Baraka’s Black Arts movement, this ensemble is bound by less contentious aims. The group upholds a vision of jazz derived partly from the heritage of its all-star roster: the trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, the tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, the trombonist James Burton, the pianist Xavier Davis, the bassist Gerald Cannon and the drummer Johnathan Blake. At 7, 9 and 10:30 p.m., Smoke, 2751 Broadway, at 106th Street, 212-864-6662, smokejazz.com. (Chinen)

Johnathan Blake Group (Monday) A smart, propulsive drummer who has lately proved himself an equally resourceful bandleader, Johnathan Blake convenes only first-rate talent in this quartet: the saxophonist John Ellis, the bassist Gregg August and the drummer Joe Dyson. At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., the Jazz Gallery, 1160 Broadway, fifth floor, at West 27th Street, 646-494-3625, jazzgallery.org. (Chinen)

★ Dave Douglas Quintet (through Sunday) The trumpeter-composer Dave Douglas and this dynamic quintet have released three fine albums, the newest of which is “Brazen Heart,” his focus here. As on the album, he’ll feature original compositions tailored to the considerable strengths of his personnel: the saxophonist Jon Irabagon, the pianist Matt Mitchell, the bassist Linda Oh and the drummer Rudy Royston. At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, Manhattan, 212-576-2232, jazzstandard.net. (Chinen)

George Garzone (Friday and Saturday) Mr. Garzone is a tenor saxophonist revered for his mastery of the Coltrane language, and for embracing the freer possibilities of improvisation. On Friday he leads a young group slyly billed as the Sons of George Garzone, with the tenor saxophonist Kenny Brooks, the guitarist Chris Crocco, the bassist Peter Slavov and the drummer Ian Froman. Saturday’s shows will feature the Fringe, an open-ended trio in which Mr. Garzone has played since the early ’70s, now with John Lockwood on bass and Bob Gullotti on drums. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village, 212-989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com. (Chinen)

Wycliffe Gordon & Friends (Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 27 and 28) Mr. Gordon, a trombonist, trumpeter, singer and one-man jubilation engine, settles in for a Thanksgiving-week engagement at his second home. He’ll be in good company, with the pianist Ehud Asherie, the bassist Yasushi Nakamura and the drummer Alvin Atkinson Jr. At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola; Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway, 212-258-9595, jazz.org. (Chine)

★ Roy Haynes (Tuesday and Wednesday) At 90, Mr. Haynes has lost remarkably little of his crisp pugnacity as a drummer, even less of his cavalier swagger as a bandleader and virtually none of his sartorial flash. He appears, as usual, with diligent musicians many years his junior. At 8 and 10:30 p.m., Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village, 212-475-8592, bluenote.net. (Chinen)

read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/20/arts/music/jazz-listings-for-nov-20-26.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

The Westerlies "Double Situation"

Published on Nov 20, 2015

See all the KPLU Studio Sessions at kplustudiosessions.org

Adele - When We Were Young

Suggested by Jorge Carvalheira

Published on Nov 17, 2015
'When We Were Young' is taken from the new album, 25, out November 20. http://adele.com
Pre-order from iTunes http://smarturl.it/itunes25 
Pre-order from Amazon http://smarturl.it/25amazon 
Pre-order from Google Play http://smarturl.it/hellogplay 
Pre-order at Target (US Only): http://smarturl.it/target25

Follow Adele on:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Adele
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Adele 
Instagram - http://instagram.com/Adele

Directed by: Paul Dugdale