Paul Weston: Mood for 12/Solo Mood

Every so often I receive an email from a reader asking whether I really dig easy listening music. My answer is this: Yes, selectively. So do all writers, secretly. Easy listening is the equivalent of a mental rubdown. While I spend most of my days writing and listening to jazz, rock and r&b recordings, there are times when I need to write and decompress at the same time. Or the weather is so miserable that a tranquil recording is what's needed. A good easy-listening album for about a half hour often does the trick. [Pictured: Paul Weston]

Which gets to the next question that often surfaces in the emails: Which easy-listening album or albums do you find interesting enough to play without gagging? Hands down, my favorite is Paul Weston's Mood for 12,which is joined by Solo Mood on the CD release. Both were issued by Columbia and both are perfect.

First, the pace. The entire CD travels at the speed of your pulse, so it's wonderfully relaxing. Second, the sound. Recorded in 1955, the album not only captures the band era's grandeur but also fits snugly into the newly emerging period of wide-bodied voicing. And third, the material. All of the song choices are smart and framed perfectly, with fine work by trumpeter Ziggy Elman [pictured], tenor saxophonist Ted Nash, clarinetist Matty Matlock, trombonist Bill Schaefer, guitarist George Van Eps and pianist Paul Smith among others.

Each tune from Mood for 12 offers a different instrumental surprise.I'm Coming Virginia ends with a terrific muted trumpet cluster. Or trumpeter Clyde Hurley's crisp solo on Memories of You. And Nash's sleepy solo on the now forgotten tune Emaline. All are pure bliss.

Solo Mood is the cousin of Mood for 12, with many of the samemusicians. Here, Weston offers fabulous charts on A Hundred Years From Today, Dancing on the Ceilingand Autumn in New York, with guitarist Barney Kessel soloing with clarinet and flute backing his lines. And oh those Weston intros!

Eventually, Weston shredded his jazz credibility by arranging increasingly insipid easylistening albums. One suspects there was enormous pressure to earn a living there, and the sticky-sweet stuff paid the bills. But before Weston slipped away, he hit a sweet spot in the zone between mood music and jazz. No one could ace those like Weston.

JazzWax tracks: The CD featuring Mood for 12 andSolo Mood is available here. Or you can download Mood for 12 here and Solo Mood here.

JazzWax clip: Here'strumpeter Clyde Hurley onMemories of You from Paul Weston's Mood for 12...

JI Bloom at Cornelia Cafe: 5/22/11

CORNELIA STREET CAFE

29 Cornelia St., Greenwich Village, NY

www.corneliastreetcafe.com

Soprano saxophonist/composer and former NASA artist Jane Ira Bloom brings her trio to Cornelia Street Café with long-time band mates bassist Mark Helias and drummer Bobby Previte. They perform compositions from Bloom's latest Wingwalkerproject that jetison the band into zero-g and beyond. Don't miss these seasoned sonic explorers as they navigate the space ways. Look for Bloom’s latest CD Wingwalker (OTL140) on the Outline Music label, featuring Bobby Previte, Mark Helias, and pianist Dawn Clement.

                                                                           

“The poet of the soprano saxophone continues to make music that is both challenging to the ear and comforting to the soul”

 – Brian Priestley/ Jazzwise

 “Wingwalker with its positive energy and inspired ensemble connections, proves to be one of the best recordings to surface at the dawn of 2011.

       - Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz

**** 4 stars “A premiere soprano player…Bloom raises the bar for the soprano”

- Eric Fine/ Downbeat

Charito has never been bound as a performer by the limits of jazz....

Charito has never been bound as a performer by the limits of jazz. She has constantly challenged herself to push musical boundaries: during the past few years alone, she collaborated with Brazilian songwriter Lins on her 2004 release “Non-Stop to Brazil”; and she worked with Michel Legrand, the legendary French film composer and pianist, on the 2009album “Watch What Happens.”

The challenge she has taken here are songs by the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson, whose death on June 25, 2009 shocked the entire world. When one thinks of Michael, one thinks of his superb performances, his brilliant dancing and his eccentric personality, but he also composed and recorded many hit songs, and his talent as a singer was unrivaled. The sheer expressive power of his music is beyond compare. On Heal the World, Charito decided to interpret some of his best-known songs.

Her producer is Harvey Mason, the legendary WestCoast drummer who participated in sessions with Herbie Hancock, George Benson, the Brecker Brothers, Carole King, and Kenny Loggins. Since the 90s, he hasperformed as part of the contemporary jazz quartet Fourplay. Each of their albums has reached at least the top five in the U.S. contemporary jazz charts.

As producer, he has worked with Lee Ritenour, Dionne Warwick, Esther Phillips, Seawind, Eternal, Casiopea, and Whitney Houston. He worked on the digital edit of Michael Jackson’s album “Invincible” with his son, Harvey Mason, Jr., a top-selling producer who has also worked with Whitney Houston, the Spice Girls, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.

Harvey Mason has been able to gather together animpressive line-up with West Coast bassists Brian Bromberg, Abe Laboriel, and Jimmy Johnson; Hubert Laws, perhaps the world’s greatest jazz flutist; Chuck Manning, co-leader of the Los Angeles Jazz Quartet and an excellent saxophonist; Nils Landgren, a trombonist who is currently a member of The Crusaders; and Azar Lawrence, whose spirited saxophone playing has made himvery popular.

Michael Ruff and Jeff Babko are responsible for keyboards andarrangements. Michael Ruff is well known as musical director for Lionel Ritchie and Chaka Khan. He also performs solo as a keyboardist and singer. Jeff Babko is best known for his work as a sideman with Toto, Robben Ford, Larry Carlton and James Taylor.

Rock With You is from the album “Off the Wall,” produced by Quincy Jones in 1979. It marked Michael Jackson’s breakthrough as a solo artist. The following year, it was released as a single and hit the top of the U.S. charts. The original was an up-tempo, danceable song, but here it’s been transformed into a medium-tempo jazzy number. In this version, Jeff Babko’s arrangement uses Brian Bromberg’s acoustic bass and Harvey’s vibes to great effect, and the unison of the electric piano and vibe on the song’s bridge is also very effective. Finally, Charito’s jazzy yet soulful vocals add emotional depth to the song.

Man In The Mirror was on 1987’s “Bad,” released as a single in 1988, reaching No. 1 on the charts. It was the final number featured in the film “This Is It.” The message is that changing the world for the better begins with the man in the mirror – you. Charito’s expressive vocals add a quiet power to this gospel-like ballad.

Human Nature is from 1982’s monster hit album, “Thriller.” Sales to date have passed the 100 million mark, and it was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling album of all time. “Human Nature” was released in 1982 as a single, and reached No. 7 on the charts. Steve Porcaro, originally of Toto, participated in the composition of the song. It was later covered by Miles Davis. Charito joins in on the complex rhythmic accents provided by Michael Ruff’s arrangement, allowing her nimble voice to stretch with the music.

Remember The Time is from 1991’s “Dangerous.” It was released as a single in 1992, and reached No. 3 on the charts. Charito’s laid-back vocals develop against the backdrop of arranger Michael Ruff’s vocal percussion. It’s actually very difficult to sing at such a slow tempo without sounding somewhat dull, but Charito’s superb vocals conquer this challenge as well.

He's Out Of My Life, also from “Off the Wall,” was released as a single in 1980, and reached No. 10 on US charts. This ballad of unrequited love is particularly popular among Michael Jackson’s female fans. Backed up only by Michael Ruff’s keyboards and synthesizers, and Harvey’s drumming, Charito uses her expressive voice to deliver this sad ballad.

I Can't Help It, also from “Off the Wall,” is an original by Stevie Wonder. Stevie’s unique chord progressions are given a salsa-like twist. Charito’s nimble vocals, Abe Laboriel’s and Harvey Mason’s rhythm section, Michael Ruff’s staccato keyboard work and chorus, Hubert Laws’ solo – all of these elements combine to form a gorgeous track that will get you moving.

I'll Be There was a No. 1 hit for the Jackson Five in 1970. It was covered by Mariah Carey in 1992, and again hit No.1. In this version, the smooth, jazzy arrangement is a backdrop for Charito’s dramatic performance of the beautiful melody and lyrics.

Never Can Say Goodbye was another big hit for the Jackson Five, reaching No. 1 in 1971. The arrangement gives it a fresh sound by changing the original’s major key to a minor one. The entwining of Charito’s vocals with Michael Ruff’s vocoder also provides a point of interest. It can surely be said that this song symbolizes the approach taken to the entire album.

Ease On Down The Road: “The Wiz,” a Broadway musical version of the movie “The Wizard of Oz,” was itself made into a movie in 1978. Diana Ross played the lead role of Dorothy, while Michael Jackson played the Scarecrow. “Ease On Down The Road” was one of the feature songs in the movie, sung as a duet between Diana and Michael. It was released as a single, and reached No. 17 on the R&B charts. The original was an up-tempo, happy song, but here it has been arranged as a big band-type number with the use of synthesizers. Charito’s energetic vocals are beautifully showcased here. 

Heal The World, from the “Dangerous” album, was released as a single in 1992. It reached No. 27 on the charts. It was a very important song in Jackson’s repertoire, as it contained a condensed version of his message. One of the abiding images from the “Dangerous” Tour is of Michael singing together with a group of children. Michael’s message, and now Charito’s “Heal the World” is an important one for all of us to listen to and accept into our hearts.

This CD "Heal The World - Charito sings Michael Jackson" was already selected as a Gold Disc for the prestigious Japanese jazz magazine Swing Journal, following its release in Japan in July 2010 – the fourth disc by Charito which was honored by this award. Yoshihiro Kumagai

About two years ago, Harvey Mason came over to the club where I was singing in Tokyo. After my set, he gave me a big grin and said" I'd like to produce you!” I excitedly grinned back and happily accepted the offer. Coming from a world renowned, masterful drummer and producer like Harvey, I was beside myself! Funny, how unexpected encountersbecome perfect timing, paving the way for yet another exciting music journey for me.

There were so many music possibilities for us toexplore but we both agreed that it had to be something REALLY special…

On June 25, 2009, while I was in LA for some gigs, I was watching the news about Michael Jackson as he was being whisked away in an ambulance. I stood frozen as I stared, not believing my ears when they officially confirmed his death. It was a very sad day for all of us.

A few days later, Harvey wrote to me asking what I thought about doing Michael’s music. I literally jumped at the idea, which came as a total surprise, but filled me with so much inspiration. Michael was actually my idol in my early teens... I remember standing, dancing and waving at him as I watched from the bleachers during one of their rare concerts a long time ago in Manila!! I grew up embracing even his conflicts because of his music genius. His melodies and lyrics will forever stay in our hearts.

Harvey and I, as musicians, pay respect not only to Michael’s unparalleled contribution to music, but also to his generosity of spirit in his quest to heal the world. We would like to remember his love for humanity -- through his songs and works of charity. We hope to continue to spread his message and let it live forever.

Charito

Produced by Harvey Mason for Masong Productions,November / December 2009. All vocals recorded at Locus Post Studios, Santa Monica, CA. Engineers: Michael Perricone, Duane Ramos, John Graves. Instrumental tracks recorded at (1) Mason Sound Studios, North Hollywood, CA. Recording engineers: Don Murray, Dabling Harward, Andrew Hey (Pro Tools). (2) Castle Oaks Studios, Los Angeles, CA. Recording engineer: Jodh Blanchard. (3)Fat Tuesday Studios, Kauai, Hawaii. Ron Pendragon, engineer. Mixed at Masong Studios, Beverly Hills, CA. Executive producer: Taro Sakai for CT Music, Tokyo, Japan. Recording licensed to ZOHO Music L.L.C. from CT Music, Tokyo, Japan.Executive producer of ZOHO CD release: Joachim “Jochen” Becker.

Artist Website: http://www.charito.com/

From: Jazz Promo Services

Press Contact: Jim Eigo, jazzpromo@earthlink.net

http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/

Why jazz musicians are making jazz audiences louder....

by Minim Pro

A couple of articles by eminent jazz bloggers Sebastian Scotney of LondonJazz and Peter Hum of Jazzblog.ca have recently been covering a debate in French jazz concerning the role of the parisian jazz club Duc des Lombards after the club and its programming were criticised by pianist Lauren Coq on his blog Le Revolution de Jazzmin.

One thing that particularly caught my eye was Sebastian Scotney quoting Coq's letter to club programmer Sebastien Vidal:

"Wasn't it reported to me that Brian Blade started weeping quietly on the stage after having asked the people in the front row - in vain - to eat more discreetly?"

When I read this, I have to admit my initial reaction was amazement, but then it occurred to me that famous musicians like Brian Blade exist in a totally different musical world to people like me.

As a grassroots jazz musician, the number of gigs I've done in my entire career in front of a completely silent audience can probably be counted in single figures. Like many jazz musicians, the overwhelming majority of my gigs take place against a background crowd noise and general aural detritus. Even when we are fortunate enough to play festivals or jazz clubs, there is still a pretty high level of background noise and it's something that the modern grassroots player just has to get used to.

Of course, when you're Brian Blade, a particularly noisy crowd is something that you don't have to deal with as an everyday occurrence. This is probably the reason that many musicians also find Keith Jarrett's hissy fits brought on by audience distractions ridiculous - because most of them would gladly lose a limb to be able to play regularly in front of audiences as quiet as these musicians normally experience.

Perhaps Brian and Keith should take solace in the fact that at least they don't get told to stop playing in the middle of a tune so the Bride and Groom can cut the cake!

However, this post is not a whine about how badly the majority of jazz musicians are treated, nor is it to moan about an 'us and them' situation regarding grassroots players and the big names. After all, Messrs Blade and Jarrett are big names for a good reason - they're incredible players and deserve to be listened to and appreciated. In fact, a while ago I wrote this article suggesting that perhaps we could be more like Keith Jarrett in our attitude to audiences.

Instead, I wanted to draw attention to the idea of how the ever-increasing volume of noise on gigs affects the music that is produced. As a pianist myself, the opportunities to play beautifully restrained, Jarrett-style ballads on gigs are almost unheard of. There is just too much noise and the music gets overpowered. For this reason, on an average grassroots gig, most musicians stick to a safe mix of swing and latin tunes and any ballads are often played at a more of a slow swing tempo than with an out-and-out ballad feel.

Nevertheless, crowd noise has been a feature of jazz music since day one. It seems pretty unlikely that rent parties consisted of people sipping tea and listening in awed silence to Fats Waller. However, it occurred to me recently that the ubiquity of amplification on modern jazz gigs has caused a significant change in the amount of noise in a room when a band is playing.

It's almost unheard of these days, regardless of venue size, to hear a bass player playing unamplified on a gig. A personal theory is that this is due, in part, to the advent of the amplified digital piano. On a gig, today's pianists will most likely be playing stage pianos at louder volumes than the acoustic upright pianos that used to feature in jazz clubs and venues.

As a result, the bass player now has to amplify his bass or it simply won't be heard. The extra volume available to these instruments also means that drummers can play louder and more forcefully than in previous eras and the result is that the average rhythm section is probably louder now than at any time in history.

Once, the overall volume of a band was dictated by the volume of the quietest instrument, but the introduction and continued development of amplification technology has removed that restriction. Today, it is not uncommon to go to a small jazz club and listen to a band where even the horns are mic'd up. It's pretty clear that if saxes and trumpets are now requiring amplification, things are getting louder.

This increase in volume is probably a result of several factors including the desire to overcome crowd noise and the increase in the general volume of live music brought about by the overdriven guitar sounds of rock music.

Unfortunately, by turning up the amps to overcome the crowd noise, it's quite possible that we've simply made the crowds more noisy. At one time, a jazz-club audience could murmur to each other whilst the band was playing and still be heard; today they probably have to shout if they're near the stage when the music is in full flow. Listening to old recordings, it's clear that crowd chatter has always been something that jazz musicians have had to deal with, but it's only in recent years that we have had the option to do something about it by turning up the music to drown it out.

So now we have the technology to turn our instruments up to drown out the crowd - but this only works when we're actually playing. Unfortunately as the music gets louder, so does the crowd noise and as soon as we lay out, or simply leave some space in the music, the roar of the crowd becomes incredibly obvious and incredibly intrusive.

I personally believe that this general increase in the volume of gigs has contributed to the phenomenon ofoverplaying, which I consider to be one of the most detrimental aspects to both the quality and the popularity of modern jazz. A while back, I wrote a series of posts about overplayingdesigned to help the improving musician counter this problem. These posts emphasised factors such as insecurity, the need to impress and the emphasis on technical facility in practice as contributing causes to overplaying, but I now also suspect that the background noise on the average gig can be a factor.

Because there is so much crowd noise on the average grassroots gig, as soon as a musician leaves some space he is instantly aware of the noise of the crowd and in extreme circumstances it's hard for him even to hear the other instruments. As a result, he feels less able to sit on a groove, is less confident that the groove is enough and so leaves fewer and fewer spaces in his playing. Soon this becomes his default way of playing: even if he does make it to the big leagues and gets to play in quieter situations, playing almost constantly is now so much a part of his playing that it's an impossible habit to shake.

Why is the crowd so loud? Because the music is so loud. Why is the music so loud? Because the crowd is so loud. It seems we have a vicious circle on our hands here - and I'm not sure if it's doing the music itself any favours.

Viennense Program-Jazz Band to Battle Gloom in New York City

ACFNY presents: Young Quartet Ferments Styles Beyond Tradition and Avant-Garde

Martin Eberle - trumpet, fluegelhorn

Benny Omerzell - fender rhodes, red instruments

Manu Mayr - electric bass, doublebass

Lukas König - drums, electronics

On Wednesday, May 4, at 7:30 PM, the up-and-coming Viennese progressive jazz quartet Kompost 3 will present their self-titled debut album to a New York audience. Trumpet, e-piano, drums, bass, and subtle electronics provide the sonic groundwork for this young and funky instrumental jazz band. Despite their young age, the members of Kompost 3, Martin Eberle, Benny Omerzell, Lukas König, and Manu Mayr, have already played with a wide variety of renowned artists, including Soap&Skin, Wolfgang Mitterer, and Wolfgang Puschnig.

Founded in 2009, the band calls Vienna’s third district its home, a residential area for workers interspersed with masterpieces of aristocratic architecture. The days of 18^th century imperialism are long gone, and the dreary reality of working life has settled into the third district. Detecting21^st century signs of muck and rot, the band takes its energy from this wholly Viennese air of decay to create music that is fresh and invigorating, much like a compost pile produces fertilizer – hence the name, Kompost 3.

Martin Eberle, born 1981, plays trumpet and flugelhorn, studies classical trumpet at the Feldkirch Konservatorium and jazz trumpet at the Hochschule der Künste Bern/Swiss Jazz School Bern. Benny Omerzell, born 1984, plays Fender Rhodes electric piano and red instruments and currently studies at the Jazzhochschule Graz. Manu Mayr, born 1989, plays electric bass and double bass and studies at the Konservatorium WienPrivatuniversität and the Bruckneruniversität Linz. Rounding off the distinctive sound of Kompost 3 with drums and electronics, Lukas König, born 1988, studies at the Bruckneruniversität Linz and the Gustav Mahler Konservatorium in Vienna.

The band’s debut album, Kompost 3, was released in October 2010 on Laub Records. Their new album REKOMPOST features collaborations with international remix-artists and will be released in autumn 2011.

The concert takes place at the auditorium of the ACFNY at 11 East 52^nd Street (between Fifth and Madison). Admission is free, but reservations are required.

From: Jazz Promo Services

Press Contact: Jim Eigo, jazzpromo@earthlink.net

http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/

Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival

Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival

Sponsored by Apollo Theater, Harlem Stage and Jazzmobile

Presents

Four Exciting Sessions at Minton's Playhouse featuring

T. S. Monk - May 9, 9:00 pm

Stanley Crouch - May 12, 7:00 pm

Jonathan Batiste - May 12, 9:00 pm

Revive Da Live - May 13, 10:00 pm

Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival Runs May 9 - 15

7 Days · 35 Events · 8 Venues

The prestige of the past. The pulse of the present.

All Tickets Just $10 or Free!

HARLEM, USA, April 20, 2011 - In 1938, tenor saxophonist Henry Minton

T. S. Monk

opened a small club and bar on the first floor of the Cecil Hotel on 118^th Street in Harlem. Musicians came there after hours from their main gigs to jam - especially on Monday nights - and talk about the music. The syncopations and sounds that merged and emerged from Minton's Playhouse gave birth to the r/evolutionary jazz genre called bebop; and the music had many fathers. Ralph Ellison wrote, "...some will tell you that it was here that Dizzy Gillespie found his own trumpet voice; that Kenny Clarke worked out the patterns of his drumming style; where Charlie Parker built the monument of his art; where Thelonious Monk formulated his contribution to the chordal progressions and hide-and-seek melodic methods of modern music."

The club closed in 1974, reopened in 2006, and closed again in 2010. Now, the Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival brings the historic club back to life at 206 West 118^th Street when Jazzmobile re-creates Minton's legendary "cutting contests" with today's stellar jazz talents.  

The four-night series kicks off with Monk at Minton's on Monday, May 9, at 9 pm, featuring a take-no-prisoners cutting contest with an all-star house band

Jonathan Batiste

led by drummer T. S. Monk (son of Thelonious). Although he was born with bebop running through his veins, the younger Monk started his career with his eponymously named pop-R&B group in the seventies. He worked with his father, saxophonist Clifford Jordan and pianist Walter Davis, and recorded several critically-acclaimed jazz CDs as a leader, including his most recent recording, Higher Ground.

Next up is Inspired Innovations with Stanley Crouch and a Special Guest on Thursday, May 12,at 7 pm. Ever since he came to the big Apple from California in the seventies, writer/essayist/novelist/columnist Stanley Crouchhas reigned as the dean of jazz and social critics, thanks to his pioneering work with the Village Voice, his books including Notes of a Hanging Judge, his voluminous liner notes and his engaging columns in the New York Daily News. Listeners never know what Crouch has in store; but no doubt, jazz is ever present and always inspiring.

New York is where bebop was born, but New Orleans, aka The Crescent City,

Stanley Crouch

is the birthplace of jazz, so it's no surprise that the Afrocentric Atlantis of cadence, color and cuisine continues to send forth young lions like pianistJonathan Batiste, who puts his touch on Inspired Innovations on Thursday, May 12, at 9 pm. Thenephew of the late clarinetist/educator Alvin Batiste, the younger Batiste is a graduate of the famed New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, grew up playing with Christian Scott and Trombone Shorty, attended Juilliard, and released four CDs, including his latest EP,The Amazing Jon Batiste! He'll front a quicksilver trio and will deliver a set of standards from Armstrong to Ellington to Monk, plus original riffs on his own Louisiana roots.    

There's a revival going on at Minton's on Friday, May 13,at 10 pm with Revive da Live: Late Night Jam.Alto saxophonist Greg Osby emerged from the young lions period of the eighties as one of the most daring and distinctive saxophonists of his generation - from his genre-defying MBASE collabs with Steve Coleman to his beyond-category projects on his own Inner Circle Music imprint. Osby has handpicked the house band for an invigorating evening of non-stop music featuring the cream of the crop of today's brightest stars who will conjure up the spirit of the jazz tradition that forged the legacy of Minton's.

Ticketing information: 

Tickets: $10; Cash Bar
Minton's Playhouse - 206 West 118^th Street   

Three esteemed Harlem cultural organizations - the Apollo Theater, Harlem Stage and Jazzmobile - have joined forces to present the first Harlem Jazz

Greg Osby

Shrines Festival May 9-15, 2011.  Celebrating the unique legacy of jazz in the uptown community, the Festival will bring both established and emerging artists to some of the famed venues where jazz flourished in Harlem: Lenox Lounge, Showman's Café, the Apollo Theater, Alhambra Ballroom, and Minton's Playhouse as well as at Harlem Stage Gatehouse, Columbia University and Nectar Wine Bar.

Other Harlem Jazz Shrines highlights include:  

The Apollo Jazz Show: Wycliffe Gordon's Jazz à la Carte, 8pm at the Apollo.  Famed artist and composer,Wycliffe Gordon presents a show featuring the music of the Temple University Big Band, with vocalists Carla Cook and Nikki Yanofsky; tap dancer Savion Glover; saxophonist Grace Kelly; and trombonist Corey Wilcox, Director/Choreographer Ken Roberson among others

Fats Waller Dance Party: Small's Paradise Tribute with Jason Moran & Meshell Ndegeocello - Harlem Stage presents two nights of Waller's music taken to new heights in a social mixing dance party featuring 2010 MacArthur Genius pianist Jason Moran & dynamic singer/bassist Meshell Ndegeocello.

Geri Allen Quartet Jam Session - During the 1940's and '50's, the Harlem jazz scene was famous for its after-hours "jam sessions." Jazz pianist and producer Geri Allen "jams" with her quartet and special guests at the Apollo Music Cafe.

Blazing Tongues: The Singers & Writers of Lenox Lounge - Harlem Stage, in partnership with Columbia University's Center for Jazz Studies and Institute for Research in African American Studies, curates two evenings of music and literature.

Battle of the Big Bands and Swing Dance Contest - Jazzmobile produces two nights of big bands featuring the George Gee Swing Orchestra and the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra at the Alhambra Ballroom. Swing dance enthusiasts from throughout New York City will hit the dance floor to show off their dance skills egged on by the crowd's cheers, shouts and applause. Best dancers walk away with a cash prize.

All tickets for Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival events are affordably priced at just $10 or free.  For tickets and more information on the Festival and its partners, visit the organizations' websites at www.apollotheater.org, www.jazzmobile.organd www.harlemstage.org.   Log on to www.harlemjazzshrines.com for updates and additional information.

Harlem Jazz Shrines is made possible by generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts and The New York Community Trust - Elizabeth Meyer Lorentz Fund. This program is also supported, in part, by public funds from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Council Member Inez E. Dickens, and Speaker Christine Quinn.  

Wycliffe Gordon's Jazz à la Carte was commissioned with partial support through Meet the Composer's National Commissioner's Network.  

The Fats Waller Dance Party has been made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius.

About the Apollo Theater

The Apollo Theater is one of Harlem's, New York City's, and America's most iconic and enduring cultural institutions.  Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has played a major role in cultivating artists and in the emergence of innovative musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop.  Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, D'Angelo, Lauryn Hill, and countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollo's stage. Based on its cultural significance and architecture, the Apollo Theater received state and city landmark designationin 1983 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This winter, the non-profit Theater will introduce new programming building on its rich legacy and supporting presentations of forward looking, contemporary music, dance, theater and performance art events.    

About Harlem Stage

Since 1979, Harlem Stage has been one of the nation's leading arts organizations devoted to the creation and development of new works by performing artists of color.  Harlem Stage supports artists and organizations around the corner and across the globe. And it provides children and adults with engaging and interactive education programs.  Harlem Stage is a performing arts center that celebrates and perpetuates the unique and diverse artistic legacy of Harlem and the indelible impression it has made on American culture. It provides opportunity, commissioning and support for diverse artists, makes performances accessible to all audiences, and introduces children to the rich diversity, excitement and inspiration of the performing arts.

About Jazzmobile

Jazzmobile, Inc., America's oldest not-for- profit arts organization created just for jazz, was founded in 1964 by NEA Jazz Master Dr. Billy Taylor and Daphne Arnstein. Its mission is to present, preserve, promote, and propagate Jazz - "America's classical music." This mission is implemented through quality jazz education and performance programs:  workshops, master classes, lecture demonstrations, arts enrichment programs, as well as out-of-doors mobile Jazz performances and those in clubs and major concert halls here and abroad. Jazzmobile serves approximately 100,000 people in New York City and its outlying areas each year.

Media Contact:

Carolyn McClair / CMPR