Monday, January 29, 2018

Kat Edmonson - Summertime


Songwriters: DuBose Heyward / George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin_

Katherine "Kat" Edmonson (born August 3, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter
http://www.katedmonson.com/

Lyrics:
Summertime and the living is easy
Fish are jumping and the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy's rich and your mama's good looking
So hush little baby, don't you cry

One of these mornings you're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings and take to the sky
Till that morning there's nothing can harm you
With daddy and mama standing by

One of these mornings you're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings and take to the sky

Till that morning there's nothing can harm you
So hush little baby, don't you cry

Birds flying high, you know how I feel
Sun in the sky, you know how I feel
Leaves drifting by, you know how I feel
It's a new dawn, it's a new day
It's a new life and I'm feeling good**

How Benny Goodman Orchestrated 'The Most Important Concert In Jazz History'

Clarinetist and band leader Benny Goodman, photographed in 1959, made history as the first musician to perform jazz with an integrated band in Carnegie Hall in 1938. Central Press/Getty Images

January 16, 20184:34 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered
by TOM VITALE

By 1938, clarinetist Benny Goodman was already known as "The King of Swing" — the leader of the most popular dance band in America at a time when swing jazz was America's most popular music. But nobody knew how it would be received in Carnegie Hall, America's temple to classical music.

"That January 16th back in 1938 was a Sunday, and a cold one," Goodman recalled in a commentary recorded 12 years later. "We didn't quite know what would happen. How we would sound. What the audience would think of us. Until they got there, we didn't even know how many people would be on hand. So we just went out and played."

The concert was recorded, but there were no plans to release it.

"Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall Concert of January 16th, 1938, historically, is the most important concert in jazz history," says Phil Schaap, curator of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Schaap produced the Columbia Records album reissue of the 1938 concert and says the event – with no dancing and no booze — elevated jazz to an art form.

"The Goodman concert at Carnegie Hall is the cornerstone to jazz having performance space in the concert hall," Schaap explains. "But most importantly, aesthetically, it establishes that jazz has value for listening purposes only."

The musicians sensed the importance of the event that night and they were nervous. Schaap says drummer Gene Krupa knew how he broke the ice.

"Krupa senses something's wrong," Schaap says, quoting the drummer. "'I knew I had to do something. So I had my drum breaks. So I just hit everything I possibly could. Made a lot of noise. It woke everybody up. From then on it was smooth sailing.'"

read more at: https://www.npr.org/2018/01/16/578312844/how-benny-goodman-orchestrated-the-most-important-concert-in-jazz-history

Friday, January 26, 2018

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends in Ft. Myers Set for March 10, 2018


Saturday March 10, 2018 ~ 5-9pm
Top Rocker Field
at
Six Bends Harley Davidson
9510 Thunder Road, Ft. Myers, FL 33913

Jazz on the Green will be held at Six Bends on Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 5-9 p.m. and offer three notable music ensembles to raise money for Make A Wish Southern Florida!

Presented by Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, Jazz on the Green at Six Bends brings more than music. Guests may enjoy gourmet food, drinks, giveaways and dancing on the lawn for this all-white-attire event. The fundraising goal for this concert is to enable one wish each to be granted through Make A Wish Southern Florida to two local children with critical illnesses.

While the crowd sways to the jazz dressed in their brightest whites, Jaguar Land Rover Fort Myers will display more than a dozen all-white vehicles lining Six Bends’ Thunder Plaza. Every ticket purchaser will automatically be entered to win one of two one-week rentals of either a Jaguar or Land Rover.

World-renowned saxophonist Jeff Rupert with his quintet will be the evening’s headline act. Brandon Robertson's quartet and Fort Myers High School's Jazz Band are also on the line up.

Guests can enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres from Artichoke & Company, Gather, Metro Diner and Sweet Melissa’s Café. Local craft beers from Rollin' Taps and domestic beers from Budweiser will be available.

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends in Ft. Myers Set for March 10, 2018


Saturday March 10, 2018 ~ 5-9pm
Top Rocker Field
at
Six Bends Harley Davidson
9510 Thunder Road, Ft. Myers, FL 33913

Jazz on the Green will be held at Six Bends on Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 5-9 p.m. and offer three notable music ensembles to raise money for Make A Wish Southern Florida!

Presented by Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, Jazz on the Green at Six Bends brings more than music. Guests may enjoy gourmet food, drinks, giveaways and dancing on the lawn for this all-white-attire event. The fundraising goal for this concert is to enable one wish each to be granted through Make A Wish Southern Florida to two local children with critical illnesses.

While the crowd sways to the jazz dressed in their brightest whites, Jaguar Land Rover Fort Myers will display more than a dozen all-white vehicles lining Six Bends’ Thunder Plaza. Every ticket purchaser will automatically be entered to win one of two one-week rentals of either a Jaguar or Land Rover.

World-renowned saxophonist Jeff Rupert with his quintet will be the evening’s headline act. Brandon Robertson's quartet and Fort Myers High School's Jazz Band are also on the line up.

Guests can enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres from Artichoke & Company, Gather, Metro Diner and Sweet Melissa’s Café. Local craft beers from Rollin' Taps and domestic beers from Budweiser will be available.

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends in Ft. Myers Set for March 10, 2018


Saturday March 10, 2018 ~ 5-9pm
Top Rocker Field
at
Six Bends Harley Davidson
9510 Thunder Road, Ft. Myers, FL 33913

Jazz on the Green will be held at Six Bends on Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 5-9 p.m. and offer three notable music ensembles to raise money for Make A Wish Southern Florida!

Presented by Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, Jazz on the Green at Six Bends brings more than music. Guests may enjoy gourmet food, drinks, giveaways and dancing on the lawn for this all-white-attire event. The fundraising goal for this concert is to enable one wish each to be granted through Make A Wish Southern Florida to two local children with critical illnesses.

While the crowd sways to the jazz dressed in their brightest whites, Jaguar Land Rover Fort Myers will display more than a dozen all-white vehicles lining Six Bends’ Thunder Plaza. Every ticket purchaser will automatically be entered to win one of two one-week rentals of either a Jaguar or Land Rover.

World-renowned saxophonist Jeff Rupert with his quintet will be the evening’s headline act. Brandon Robertson's quartet and Fort Myers High School's Jazz Band are also on the line up.

Guests can enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres from Artichoke & Company, Gather, Metro Diner and Sweet Melissa’s Café. Local craft beers from Rollin' Taps and domestic beers from Budweiser will be available.

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends in Ft. Myers Set for March 10, 2018


Saturday March 10, 2018 ~ 5-9pm
Top Rocker Field
at
Six Bends Harley Davidson
9510 Thunder Road, Ft. Myers, FL 33913

Jazz on the Green will be held at Six Bends on Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 5-9 p.m. and offer three notable music ensembles to raise money for Make A Wish Southern Florida!

Presented by Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, Jazz on the Green at Six Bends brings more than music. Guests may enjoy gourmet food, drinks, giveaways and dancing on the lawn for this all-white-attire event. The fundraising goal for this concert is to enable one wish each to be granted through Make A Wish Southern Florida to two local children with critical illnesses.

While the crowd sways to the jazz dressed in their brightest whites, Jaguar Land Rover Fort Myers will display more than a dozen all-white vehicles lining Six Bends’ Thunder Plaza. Every ticket purchaser will automatically be entered to win one of two one-week rentals of either a Jaguar or Land Rover.

World-renowned saxophonist Jeff Rupert with his quintet will be the evening’s headline act. Brandon Robertson's quartet and Fort Myers High School's Jazz Band are also on the line up.

Guests can enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres from Artichoke & Company, Gather, Metro Diner and Sweet Melissa’s Café. Local craft beers from Rollin' Taps and domestic beers from Budweiser will be available.

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends in Ft. Myers Set for March 10, 2018


Saturday March 10, 2018 ~ 5-9pm
Top Rocker Field
at
Six Bends Harley Davidson
9510 Thunder Road, Ft. Myers, FL 33913

Jazz on the Green will be held at Six Bends on Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 5-9 p.m. and offer three notable music ensembles to raise money for Make A Wish Southern Florida!

Presented by Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, Jazz on the Green at Six Bends brings more than music. Guests may enjoy gourmet food, drinks, giveaways and dancing on the lawn for this all-white-attire event. The fundraising goal for this concert is to enable one wish each to be granted through Make A Wish Southern Florida to two local children with critical illnesses.

While the crowd sways to the jazz dressed in their brightest whites, Jaguar Land Rover Fort Myers will display more than a dozen all-white vehicles lining Six Bends’ Thunder Plaza. Every ticket purchaser will automatically be entered to win one of two one-week rentals of either a Jaguar or Land Rover.

World-renowned saxophonist Jeff Rupert with his quintet will be the evening’s headline act. Brandon Robertson's quartet and Fort Myers High School's Jazz Band are also on the line up.

Guests can enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres from Artichoke & Company, Gather, Metro Diner and Sweet Melissa’s Café. Local craft beers from Rollin' Taps and domestic beers from Budweiser will be available.

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends in Ft. Myers Set for March 10, 2018


Saturday March 10, 2018 ~ 5-9pm
Top Rocker Field
at
Six Bends Harley Davidson
9510 Thunder Road, Ft. Myers, FL 33913

Jazz on the Green will be held at Six Bends on Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 5-9 p.m. and offer three notable music ensembles to raise money for Make A Wish Southern Florida!

Presented by Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, Jazz on the Green at Six Bends brings more than music. Guests may enjoy gourmet food, drinks, giveaways and dancing on the lawn for this all-white-attire event. The fundraising goal for this concert is to enable one wish each to be granted through Make A Wish Southern Florida to two local children with critical illnesses.

While the crowd sways to the jazz dressed in their brightest whites, Jaguar Land Rover Fort Myers will display more than a dozen all-white vehicles lining Six Bends’ Thunder Plaza. Every ticket purchaser will automatically be entered to win one of two one-week rentals of either a Jaguar or Land Rover.

World-renowned saxophonist Jeff Rupert with his quintet will be the evening’s headline act. Brandon Robertson's quartet and Fort Myers High School's Jazz Band are also on the line up.

Guests can enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres from Artichoke & Company, Gather, Metro Diner and Sweet Melissa’s Café. Local craft beers from Rollin' Taps and domestic beers from Budweiser will be available.

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends in Ft. Myers Set for March 10, 2018


Saturday March 10, 2018 ~ 5-9pm
Top Rocker Field
at
Six Bends Harley Davidson
9510 Thunder Road, Ft. Myers, FL 33913

Jazz on the Green will be held at Six Bends on Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 5-9 p.m. and offer three notable music ensembles to raise money for Make A Wish Southern Florida!

Presented by Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, Jazz on the Green at Six Bends brings more than music. Guests may enjoy gourmet food, drinks, giveaways and dancing on the lawn for this all-white-attire event. The fundraising goal for this concert is to enable one wish each to be granted through Make A Wish Southern Florida to two local children with critical illnesses.

While the crowd sways to the jazz dressed in their brightest whites, Jaguar Land Rover Fort Myers will display more than a dozen all-white vehicles lining Six Bends’ Thunder Plaza. Every ticket purchaser will automatically be entered to win one of two one-week rentals of either a Jaguar or Land Rover.

World-renowned saxophonist Jeff Rupert with his quintet will be the evening’s headline act. Brandon Robertson's quartet and Fort Myers High School's Jazz Band are also on the line up.

Guests can enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres from Artichoke & Company, Gather, Metro Diner and Sweet Melissa’s Café. Local craft beers from Rollin' Taps and domestic beers from Budweiser will be available.

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends in Ft. Myers Set for March 10, 2018


Saturday March 10, 2018 ~ 5-9pm
Top Rocker Field
at
Six Bends Harley Davidson
9510 Thunder Road, Ft. Myers, FL 33913

Jazz on the Green will be held at Six Bends on Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 5-9 p.m. and offer three notable music ensembles to raise money for Make A Wish Southern Florida!

Presented by Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, Jazz on the Green at Six Bends brings more than music. Guests may enjoy gourmet food, drinks, giveaways and dancing on the lawn for this all-white-attire event. The fundraising goal for this concert is to enable one wish each to be granted through Make A Wish Southern Florida to two local children with critical illnesses.

While the crowd sways to the jazz dressed in their brightest whites, Jaguar Land Rover Fort Myers will display more than a dozen all-white vehicles lining Six Bends’ Thunder Plaza. Every ticket purchaser will automatically be entered to win one of two one-week rentals of either a Jaguar or Land Rover.

World-renowned saxophonist Jeff Rupert with his quintet will be the evening’s headline act. Brandon Robertson's quartet and Fort Myers High School's Jazz Band are also on the line up.

Guests can enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres from Artichoke & Company, Gather, Metro Diner and Sweet Melissa’s Café. Local craft beers from Rollin' Taps and domestic beers from Budweiser will be available.

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends in Ft. Myers Set for March 10, 2018


Saturday March 10, 2018 ~ 5-9pm
Top Rocker Field
at
Six Bends Harley Davidson
9510 Thunder Road, Ft. Myers, FL 33913

Jazz on the Green will be held at Six Bends on Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 5-9 p.m. and offer three notable music ensembles to raise money for Make A Wish Southern Florida!

Presented by Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, Jazz on the Green at Six Bends brings more than music. Guests may enjoy gourmet food, drinks, giveaways and dancing on the lawn for this all-white-attire event. The fundraising goal for this concert is to enable one wish each to be granted through Make A Wish Southern Florida to two local children with critical illnesses.

While the crowd sways to the jazz dressed in their brightest whites, Jaguar Land Rover Fort Myers will display more than a dozen all-white vehicles lining Six Bends’ Thunder Plaza. Every ticket purchaser will automatically be entered to win one of two one-week rentals of either a Jaguar or Land Rover.

World-renowned saxophonist Jeff Rupert with his quintet will be the evening’s headline act. Brandon Robertson's quartet and Fort Myers High School's Jazz Band are also on the line up.

Guests can enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres from Artichoke & Company, Gather, Metro Diner and Sweet Melissa’s Café. Local craft beers from Rollin' Taps and domestic beers from Budweiser will be available.

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends in Ft. Myers Set for March 10, 2018


Saturday March 10, 2018 ~ 5-9pm
Top Rocker Field
at
Six Bends Harley Davidson
9510 Thunder Road, Ft. Myers, FL 33913

Jazz on the Green will be held at Six Bends on Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 5-9 p.m. and offer three notable music ensembles to raise money for Make A Wish Southern Florida!

Presented by Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, Jazz on the Green at Six Bends brings more than music. Guests may enjoy gourmet food, drinks, giveaways and dancing on the lawn for this all-white-attire event. The fundraising goal for this concert is to enable one wish each to be granted through Make A Wish Southern Florida to two local children with critical illnesses.

While the crowd sways to the jazz dressed in their brightest whites, Jaguar Land Rover Fort Myers will display more than a dozen all-white vehicles lining Six Bends’ Thunder Plaza. Every ticket purchaser will automatically be entered to win one of two one-week rentals of either a Jaguar or Land Rover.

World-renowned saxophonist Jeff Rupert with his quintet will be the evening’s headline act. Brandon Robertson's quartet and Fort Myers High School's Jazz Band are also on the line up.

Guests can enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres from Artichoke & Company, Gather, Metro Diner and Sweet Melissa’s Café. Local craft beers from Rollin' Taps and domestic beers from Budweiser will be available.

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends in Ft. Myers Set for March 10, 2018


Saturday March 10, 2018 ~ 5-9pm
Top Rocker Field
at
Six Bends Harley Davidson
9510 Thunder Road, Ft. Myers, FL 33913

Jazz on the Green will be held at Six Bends on Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 5-9 p.m. and offer three notable music ensembles to raise money for Make A Wish Southern Florida!

Presented by Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, Jazz on the Green at Six Bends brings more than music. Guests may enjoy gourmet food, drinks, giveaways and dancing on the lawn for this all-white-attire event. The fundraising goal for this concert is to enable one wish each to be granted through Make A Wish Southern Florida to two local children with critical illnesses.

While the crowd sways to the jazz dressed in their brightest whites, Jaguar Land Rover Fort Myers will display more than a dozen all-white vehicles lining Six Bends’ Thunder Plaza. Every ticket purchaser will automatically be entered to win one of two one-week rentals of either a Jaguar or Land Rover.

World-renowned saxophonist Jeff Rupert with his quintet will be the evening’s headline act. Brandon Robertson's quartet and Fort Myers High School's Jazz Band are also on the line up.

Guests can enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres from Artichoke & Company, Gather, Metro Diner and Sweet Melissa’s Café. Local craft beers from Rollin' Taps and domestic beers from Budweiser will be available.

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends

Jazz On The Green at Six Bends in Ft. Myers Set for March 10, 2018


Saturday March 10, 2018 ~ 5-9pm
Top Rocker Field
at
Six Bends Harley Davidson
9510 Thunder Road, Ft. Myers, FL 33913

Jazz on the Green will be held at Six Bends on Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 5-9 p.m. and offer three notable music ensembles to raise money for Make A Wish Southern Florida!

Presented by Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, Jazz on the Green at Six Bends brings more than music. Guests may enjoy gourmet food, drinks, giveaways and dancing on the lawn for this all-white-attire event. The fundraising goal for this concert is to enable one wish each to be granted through Make A Wish Southern Florida to two local children with critical illnesses.

While the crowd sways to the jazz dressed in their brightest whites, Jaguar Land Rover Fort Myers will display more than a dozen all-white vehicles lining Six Bends’ Thunder Plaza. Every ticket purchaser will automatically be entered to win one of two one-week rentals of either a Jaguar or Land Rover.

World-renowned saxophonist Jeff Rupert with his quintet will be the evening’s headline act. Brandon Robertson's quartet and Fort Myers High School's Jazz Band are also on the line up.

Guests can enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres from Artichoke & Company, Gather, Metro Diner and Sweet Melissa’s Café. Local craft beers from Rollin' Taps and domestic beers from Budweiser will be available.

Diana Krall Returns to Broward Center


February 1, 2018 @ 8 PM
Au-Rene Theater 
at the 
Broward Center 
for the Performing Arts
201 SW Fifth Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
browardcenter.org
With her sultry, expressive vocals and evocative piano playing, Grammy & JUNO Award-winner Diana Krall will mesmerize you with her take on the American Songbook. Krall, the only jazz singer to have eight albums debut at the top of the Billboard Jazz Albums, reunited with Tommy LiPuma, the Grammy Award-winning producer of many of her acclaimed albums including All For You, The Look Of Love and Live In Paris, for her new album Turn up the Quiet. Don’t miss out on one of the most romantic concerts of the year.

Sunday, January 21, 2018

from jazz@jazzinstitut.de

Obituaries

We learned of the passing of the trumpeter Melton Mustafa at the age of 70 ( Miami Herald), the saxophonist Scott Mullett at the age of 56 ( Sentinel SourceNew England Public Radio), the drummer Harold Cardwell at the age of 77 ( Nuvo), the singer Betty Willis at the age of 76 ( Soultracks), the conductor Maurice Peress at the age of 87 (New York Times), the pianist Andy Whittington at the age of 45 ( Port City Daily), the German bassist Joe Sydow at the age of 91 ( Hamburger Abendblatt), the French chanson singer (with a deep love for jazz) France Gall at the age of 70 ( France Info,Washington Post), the German clarinetist Claus Jürgen Möller at the age of 80 (Hamburger Abendblatt), the Scottish trombonist George Kidd at the age of 78 ( The Herald), the drummer Cootie Harris at the age of 94 ( Meadville Tribune), the criticRichard Havers at the age of 66 ( Music Week), as well as the German saxophonistKlaus Marmulla. --- Ken Franckling published a list of musicians who passed in 2017 with links to their obituaries, for which he draws on different sources, including this newsletter ( Jazz Journalists Association).

Blue moon - Karin Mozina

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Songs We Love: Kat Edmonson, 'Old Fashioned Gal'

Kat Edmonson's Old Fashioned Gal comes out April 27.

Glynis Carpenter/Courtesy of the artist

NATE CHINEN
January 8, 201811:00 AM ET

A little over 75 years ago, Rita Hayworth and Fred Astaire introduced "I'm Old Fashioned," a graceful, guileless ballad that dismisses the latest trends in favor of timeless romantic verities: the glow of moonlight, the holding of hands, "the starry song that April sings."

The song — by Jerome Kern, with Johnny Mercer's lyrics — forms an elegant set piece in the film musical You Were Never Lovelier (with Hayworth's singing ghosted by Nan Wynn). It has since become a jazz standard, with dozens if not hundreds of versions on record.

Kat Edmonson, an avowed fan of Astaire's films, probably had "I'm Old Fashioned" in the back of her mind when she wrote "Old Fashioned Gal," the title track of an album due out in the spring. But as a socially observant singer-songwriter in a social media age, she's also well aware that the bar for antiquarianism has moved since 1942. So instead of waxing poetic about the moon and stars, she pines for a respite from pop-up ads and notifications, for a phone "inextricably connected to a wall."

read more at: https://www.npr.org/2018/01/08/575965997/songs-we-love-kat-edmonson-old-fashioned-gal

Jessica Lurie: In It For The Long Haul


By PAUL RAUCH 

January 9, 2018

Jazz music, in all its forms, spread throughout world culture, is deeply embedded in the American experience. It is a culture based phenomena uniquely reflecting that experience in such a personal and expressive way as to embrace the myriad of crosscurrents that express new interpretations of the form. 

It is deep as the physicality of its beings, from the heart that pumps life into its veins, to the soul and conscious understanding of the constant, forever assimilation of new streams of world civilization. We are born into familiar backgrounds rooted in the traditions of Africa, Europe, Asia, from social communal variances within our own massive continent. This primordial American concept continues to grow, to spread, to diversify in terms of rhythmic, harmonic and melodic context. 

The music of Jessica Lurie therefore is not hanging on the periphery of what we call jazz music, as some may believe, or perceive. This art form is uniquely, forever expressing the spirit of humanity, in such a way as to constantly rewrite the cultural DNA of the American experience, and that of other peoples in sisterhood, and brotherhood throughout the world. In this sense, Lurie's creative output, rooted in the eclectic jazz and improvised music community in Seattle, and propagated on the New York scene can be seen as a 21st century expression of her own familiar roots. Its inspiration is in a far reaching way, tied to the deep taproot that is the blues based music we have come to refer to as jazz. 

Lurie grew up around the music of her parents, playing classical flute at an early age, and ultimately would become influenced musically by her father's Jewish heritage, as well as other varying streams of influence present in the eclectic music scene in Seattle. Though Seattle is known commonly for rock, she would inevitably be drawn in by the jazz scene there that had been making its mark on this indigenous American art form from its beginnings. 

"I'm relentlessly eclectic! I grew up playing classical music. I started getting into jazz in high school, but I was also playing baroque music. I think playing saxophone really opened up my ears to a lot more music, in terms of what I was pursuing. Then at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, I was in the ethnomusicology department, studying South Indian music with T Vishwanathan. I studied composition with Bill Barron, and with Hafez Modir for saxophone and theory. As an undergrad, you can sit in on all these graduate classes. I audited classes by Anthony Braxton though he wasn't a direct mentor. I Also did a ton of West African stuff. I really got into Ornette Coleman, and saxophonists like Cannonball," she recalls.

read more: https://www.allaboutjazz.com/jessica-lurie-in-it-for-the-long-haul-jessica-lurie-by-paul-rauch.php

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Ramsey Lewis & Joey Alexander

Ramsey Lewis & Joey Alexander - Generations of Jazz Together for Jazz Roots Series in Miami


Showcasing the extraordinary talents of two generations spanning six decades, the reigning king of jazz piano, Ramsey Lewis and his quintet, will be joined by 14-year-old jazz piano prodigy Joey Alexander and his trio.

An iconic leader in the contemporary jazz movement for over 50 years, Ramsey Lewis has had a prolific career recording over 80 albums since his debut release, Ramsey Lewis & His Gentlemen of Jazz, back in 1956. He successfully crossed over to the pop and R&B charts with hits such as “The ‘In’ Crowd,” “Wade in the Water,” and “Hang on Sloopy,” with his unforgettable trademark sound – funky, soulful jazz.


Joey Alexander is one of the fastest and youngest rising stars in jazz today. At just 14 years old, he has already earned two GRAMMY Award nominations for his debut album, My Favorite Things. He is a master of improvisation with a deft touch and adventurous spirit that belies his age. “Joey is a little genius…playing with emotional depth like that of above a young adult.”  - Wynton Marsalis

Cyrille Aimée & the Shelly Berg Trio

Cyrille Aimée & the Shelly Berg Trio in January Gold Coast Jazz Concert in Fort Lauderdale

Wednesday, January 10, 2018 ~ 7:45pm
Cyrille Aimée & the Shelly Berg Trio: Catch a Rising Star

Tradition…Innovation…Creativity is the theme of this season’s jazz concert series presented by the Gold Coast Jazz Society.  The series includes jazz for all tastes featuring a host of talented jazz artists.  All concerts will be presented at the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW 5th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.   On Wednesday, January 10, the Gold Coast Jazz Society’s jazz series will featuring the rising jazz star, vocalist Cyrille Aimée with the Shelly Berg Trio.  This concert, titled Catch a Rising Star, takes place at the Amaturo Theater of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW 5th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale at 7:45pm.  Single tickets are available for $55 per person.  Students and teacher tickets are $10 with valid ID.  To purchase single tickets, call the Broward Center AutoNation Box Office at 954-462-0222, or go online to www.browardcenter.org or www.goldcoastjazz.org  

French jazz singer, Cyrille Aimée is known for her saucy and alluring voice and her contagious joie de vivre stage presence.  She’s a recent winner of the Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Jazz Competition, was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Vocal Jazz Competition, and a finalist at the Montreux Jazz Festival.   Earlier Aimée was a finalist for the Star Academy, a French version of American Idol.  She has been called “a revelation” by the New York Daily News, and The New York Times called her major label release, It’s a Good Day, “a bravura turn.”  Aimée’s vocals caught the attention of Stephen Sondheim, who cast her in an Encores Special Presentation starring Bernadette Peters at New York City’s City Center in November 2013.


Shelly Berg, Dean of the UM Frost School of Music, has become a south Florida jazz favorite. He’s an internationally recognized jazz pianist, composer, arranger and producer.   Berg has won acclaim world-wide for his music and is also the music director on the jazz cruise circuit.  Rounding out the trio with Berg and Aimée will be Chuck Bergeron on bass and John Yarling on drums.

Jonny Lang to Play Florida Theatre

Jonny Lang to Play Florida Theatre in Jacksonville January 16, 2018

Blues, gospel, rock singer and songwriter and guitarist Jonny Lang released his first solo album at age 15. He won a Grammy for his album Turn Around, his song “Lie to Me,” was a #1 hit single reaching platinum sales status, and he won a Grammy for his song “Wander The World.”   Additionally Lang has five albums that have charted on the top 50 of the Billboard 200 chart, including his first hitting the #1 position.  He has toured the world with his band and performed with The Rolling Stones, Buddy Guy, Aerosmith, B.B. King, Blues Traveler and  Jeff Beck and many others.

Singer, songwriter, producer, and actor Tony Lucca will open.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018 ~ 8pm
Florida Theatre
128 E Forsyth Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202