22nd Annual Street Painting Festival w/ a Great Mix of Jazz and More!
Monday, February 22, 2016
Jan Kus Album Release Concert
After performing steadily since 2014 in the NYC area, as well as internationally (Slovenia, Puerto Rico, South Korea), the captivating musical formation, led by the eclectic Slovenian-born saxophonist and composer, Jan Kus, prepares to release their long awaited debut album, one year in the making!
Besides its original members, the album features guest appearances by Grammy-award acclaimed jazz greats (Antonio Hart, Alex Sipiagin), as well as future household names in various genres, spanning from modern jazz to Latin jazz, soul and hip hop (Rafal Sarnecki, Carlos Maldonado, Žiga Murko, Mélanie JB Charles).
Come join the quartet together with an exciting line up of special guests Jan has gotten together exclusively for this unique album launching performance, and enjoy live performances of the music from the album, as well as some new, never before presented material.
You are in for a night you won't easily forget!
read more: http://www.dromnyc.com/events/4371/jan-kus-album-release-concert#.Vsqoi8dlxrC
Bill on Bill: Dobbins on Holman
“I consider Bill Holman to be one of the most important jazz arrangers and composers after Duke Ellington's generation …. Willis has certainly made his own imprint. His music continues to evolve, while always embodying the essence of jazz.” - Bill Dobbins
Steven A. Cerra
Sunday, February 21, 2016
The Note magazine is published twice a year by the Al Cohn Memorial Jazz Collection, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, as part of its educational outreach program.
The editor is Matt Vashlishan, D.M.A., and you can locate more information about the Al Cohn Memorial Collection, The Note magazine, and how to make a donation in support of the ACMJC by visiting this website: www.esu.edu/alcohncollection.
The current edition of The Note magazine - Vol 26 - No. 1 - Issue 65, Fall/Winter 2016 features a well-written and informative essay by composer-arranger-educator Bill Dobbins on composer-arranger Bill Holman, whom many of us believe is a national treasure for the original portfolio of Jazz compositions and arrangements that he has created over the past 60 years.
Here are some excerpts from Bill Dobbins’ insightful essay:
Bill Holman: A Master of Jazz Arranging and Composing Bill Dobbins
The Note magazine - Vol 26 - No. 1 - Issue 65, Fall/Winter 2016
“My first encounter with Bill Holman's arranging occurred a couple of years before I even recognized the name. While in high school, my awareness of big bands was limited mainly to Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Gil Evans (including the collaborations with Miles Davis) and Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band [Verve].
The Mulligan recording, which was the debut album of the band, didn't credit the arrangers for the individual tunes. I really loved all of the arrangements, but I was especially drawn toward Out Of This World and I'm Gonna' Go Fishin'. I was intrigued by the contrapuntal writing, the incorporation of bluesy elements in the melodic content and the way everything swung so powerfully. Many years later I learned that these arrangements were written by Bill Holman. …
Some of my most rewarding and gratifying experiences have been the opportunities I have had to get to know and collaborate with my musical heroes. I first got to know Bill Holman in 1985 at a jazz workshop in Tubingen, Germany, which was organized by Hans and Veronika Gruber and Advance Music. The workshop included well over a hundred students and about twenty of the world's leading jazz musicians as the faculty, including Louis Smith, Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman, Bobby Watson, Sal Nistico, Richie Beirach, ….”
“It was interesting for me to learn that Bill Holman was primarily self-taught, although he did take a few courses at Westlake College of Music, where he studied commercial writing with Russ Garcia. It was also refreshing to hear him talk about his arrangements, compositions and the creative process of writing in a simple, easy to follow manner that never got bogged down with technical complexity or pretentious academic jargon. Before the workshop was over I also found out that he was a friendly, no nonsense type of person with a dry and ever alert sense of humor. ….”
The further I got in my transcription and musical analysis, the more amazed I became at Holman's absolute mastery of the basic techniques of thematic development, counterpoint, reharmonization, orchestration and formal design. Moreover, it eventually became clear that the content of the entire piece was developed from just four simple thematic motives and/or rhythms. And many of the techniques were the same I had become familiar with in the greatest classical composers from Bach to Shostakovich.
read more: http://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com.br/2016/02/bill-on-bill-dobbins-on-holman.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+JazzProfiles+(Jazz+Profiles)
Martijn Vink - Big Band Drummer Extraordinaire
Published on Feb 20, 2016
Drummer Martijn Vink featured with The Metropole Orchestra Big Band on Jeff Hamilton's composition "Max" as arranged by John Clayton who also conducts the orchestra.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Angela DeNiro & Ron Aprea
WHEN: March 4, 2016 @ 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm
WHERE: Trumpets Jazz Club
6 Depot Square, Montclair, NJ 07042, USA
If you love jazz, this is the real thing! The big band features some of the hottest players in the metropolitan area with Angela DeNiro (vocals). Angela is one of Trumpets’ favorite vocalists and we are thrilled to have them back.
If you love singers, you have to hear the lovely voice and interpretation of Angela DeNiro, one of the outstanding singers of our day! - Kristine Massari, owner of Trumpets
Ron Aprea, composer, arranger, producer, saxophonist, clarinetist,and flutist, has performed with Woody Herman, Les Elgart, Tito Puente, Frank Foster, Buddy Morrow, Billy May, Charlie Persip, Nat Adderley, Lionel Hampton, and Louis Armstrong.
While with Hamp’s band, some of the highlights were a Ramsey Lewis television special, and a recorded concert at the Smithsonian Institute, where Ron’s solos were taped and put into their Archives. Ron was the featured soloist and arranger for performances with Nat Adderley at the world-famous Apollo Theatre, and he also performed at the Paramount Theatre with King Curtis’ Big Band. Ron has played shows for literally hundreds of stars, including Clint Holmes, Rita Moreno, Robert Merrill, Chita Rivera, Rich Little, and Billy Eckstine.
In 1974, Ron recorded with John Lennon and Elton John on the album entitled Walls and Bridges. The all-star horn section included Howard Johnson, Frank Vicari, and Steve Madeo. Ron was a featured soloist on the jazz-gospel album Free to Be Free. He also wrote, arranged, and produced his own album, Ronnie April’s Positive Energy Volume 1. Ron had his own TV special on WNYC, and was a featured soloist on Broadway’s Song of Singapore.
Ron’s compositions, arrangements, and productions skills can be heard on Angela DeNiro’s first CD,Just For the Fun Of It, as well as her second release, Angela DeNiro…Swingin’ With Legends, featuring Lionel Hampton, Frank Foster, and Lew Tabackin.
read more: http://www.trumpetsjazz.com/event/ron-aprea-angela-deniro-quintet-in-a-holiday-concert-4/?instance_id=3217
Video: Evans and Bennett
Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com
You probably know that Bill Evans and Tony Bennett recorded their second duet album, Together Again (Improv), in September 1976 for release in 1977. What you don't know is that soon after they finished, Tony and Evans went into a studio and were videotaped performing nine songs from the new album and from their first duet album in 1975 for Fantasy. Songs captured in the video include The Bad and the Beautiful (solo by Evans) Lucky to be Me, My Foolish Heart, When in Rome, Some Other Time, A Child is Born, Make Someone Happy, We'll Be Together Again and a reprise of The Bad and the Beautiful.
The program was produced and directed by Bernard Picard, a Canadian, and was likely taped in Montreal. Tony's team says it was aired once by the Canadian Broadcast Corp. in May 1977. (As a side note, Tony and pianist Bill Charlap won a Grammy last night for their 2015 album, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern.)
Improv has an interesting history. Tony partnered with Buffalo-based businessman Bill Hassett in 1975, and Improv released 10 albums in all. According to Tony in his 2007 memoir The Good Life, written by Will Friedwald, "The idea began to gel around 1972 when I met Bill Hassett, a successful realtor in Buffalo who owned the Statler Hilton Hotel there. We thought that between his business acumen and my musical know-how, we ought to be able to get something going. It turned out that it took a lot more than that, but I wouldn't find that out until a couple of years and a couple of hundred thousand dollars later. We named our company Tobill Enterprises and I called our label Improv."
Here's 30 minutes of Bill Evans and Tony Bennett on-camera in late 1976 or early 1977...
A special thanks to Jan Stevens.
Used with permission by Marc Myers
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Mark Howe Murphy
Jazz singer Mark Murphy in 2011. (Photo by Jean-Pierre Leduc)
Mark Howe Murphy (March 14, 1932 – October 22, 2015) Memorial Concert Celebration:
Monday, March 14, 2016
at the Sanctuary at St. Peter’s Church, New York City
619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street, New York, NY 10022. www.saintpeters.org
The life, career and legacy of the late Mark Murphy, whom the Washington Post described as “a daringly original jazz singer whose unchained improvisational style made him a cult favorite and a powerful influence on a generation of younger performers,” will be celebrated with music and reminiscences on Monday, March 14, 2016 at St Peter’s Church in Manhattan.
Performers and speakers scheduled to appear include Itamar Borochov, Michael Bourne, Alan Broadbent, Daniel Čačija, Jay Clayton, Richie Cole, Roz Corral, Carol Fredette, Kurt Elling, Spiros Exaras, Will Friedwald, Giacomo Gates, James Gavin, The Hanky Panky Trio (Alex Minasian, Brandi Disterheft, Steve Williams), Sheila Jordan, Nancy Kelly, Kate Murphy, Mark Edmund Murphy, Francesco Pini, Annie Ross, The Royal Bopsters (London, Meader, Pramuk, and Ross), Sean Smith, Tessa Souter, Ronny Whyte plus special guests.
Murphy, who passed away October 22, 2015, was a six-time Grammy nominee who enjoyed a prolific 40-year recording career, with over forty releases in his name. His original lyrics to 'Stolen Moments,' 'Red Clay' and more are known the world over. His innovative projects range from the work of Nat 'King' Cole to Jack Kerouac to Ivan Lins and Eddie Jefferson. Stereo Review dubbed Mark 'one of the major artists of our age.' 'For decades the question 'What exactly is a jazz singer' 'has had two easy answers, Betty Carter and Mark Murphy.' wrote the New York Post. 'He was arguably the best male jazz singer in the business,' declared Rex Reed.
The event is co-produced by Ari Silverstein, a New York impresario and founder of NYCJazzTour.com, and Jean-Pierre Leduc, founder of Lunched Management & Booking, and Murphy’s last manager. “We wanted to make Mark’s first birthday since his passing a memorable one, an evening worthy of the man himself,” said co-producer Silverstein. “There is a distinct line between those considered artists and those who are considered innovators. Mark was the latter, pushing boundaries and the standards for the sub-genres of jazz, for example his inclusion of poetry, book readings, highly original scat solos or his own lyrics. Everything Mark touched he truly made his own.”
Leduc observed that, “while Mark was underappreciated by the music business at large, and the general public too, for that matter, every astute singer idolized this giant, and was regularly amazed by his artistry on recordings and his magnetism and charisma on stage. In his later years, this gift was undiminished, as countless dazzled audiences will attest.” Leduc added that he expects the event to be cathartic, too, as it will be “the first opportunity to collectively and publicly grieve Mark’s passing.”
Living legend and jazz vocalist Sheila Jordan adds, “Mark Murphy was like a kid brother to me. I loved his caring, his sense of humor and his wonderful singing. His music will live forever.” Wendy Oxenhorn, director of the Jazz Foundation of America, was also a dear friend, saying "Mark Murphy is and will always be on a planet of his own.
Unreachable. Few flew as high. His ballads were untouchable. Mark was a bird alone, like Abbey, Chet and Jimmy Scott.” Oxenhorn adds, “Mark was one of the greatest abstract expressionist vocalists that ever roamed the earth. This Celebration of Life will give us the chance to send him off with our gratitude for the freedom, the grace, the love and the space he gave us to fly with him.”
The producers acknowledge the invaluable assistance of The Jazz Foundation Of America.
E-Mail Is Being Sent by:
Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services
E-Mail: jim@jazzpromoservices.com
http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/
The Craig Brann Trio + Greg Tardy
The Craig Brann Trio + Greg Tardy
Craig Brann – guitarNick Morrison – bass
Jaimeo Brown – drums
Greg Tardy – tenor sax
WHEN: February 25, 2016 @ 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
WHERE: Trumpets Jazz Club and Restaurant
6 Depot Square, Montclair, NJ 07042, USA
Arriving in the City in 1996 from his home town of Windsor in rural Maine, Craig Lawrence Brann was fully aware of what it was like to be a big fish in a small pond, but was immediately caught up in the powerful current of NYC’s vast oceanic and unparalleled jazz scene. From celebrated prodigy to a salubrious pro touché in- you guessed it -a New York minute. With every spare Andrew Jackson, he would make his way into the city to see his known heroes or to be introduced to those who would soon come to crowd that same pantheon.
Imagine Craig’s sublime joy and gratitude when the very musicians he cut his teeth following around this inimitable City, would come to share the stage with him and even record his music. Such is the case with his most recent SteepleChase release, “Mark My Words,” featuring tenor titans Mark Turner and Gregory Tardy.
Some country boys are discouraged when confronted by this City’s ineffable gifts. Not Craig. By persevering in his love for this music, not only has he received the respect and fraternity of his elders and mentors, he remains a genuine fan of this music. So much so, that he has worked to create venue partnerships througout the five boroughs with JazzunderGroundNYC.com to present concerts featuring up and coming artists (Gretchen Parlato, Becca Stevens, Ben Williams) as well as seasoned greats (John Patitucci, Fly Trio, Brian Blade).
Friday, February 19, 2016
The Impeccable Teddy Wilson
Monday, February 15, 2016
At time time of its publication in the January 22, 1959 edition of Down Beat magazine, Tom Scanlan, was 34 and best known for his column Jazz Music, a weekly feature that he had contributed for six years to the Army Times, the international newspaper for the army. After three years in the army during World War II, he attended George Washington University where he received his master's degree in English literature in 1951. He had been associate editor of the Army Times for seven years. He plays guitar "as a hobby."
Tom Scanlan’s interview with Teddy Wilson not only underscores Teddy’s importance in the pantheon of Jazz Piano Gods along with Earl “Fatha” Hines, James P. Johnson, Fats Waller and Art Tatum, but it also serves to highlight Teddy’s honesty and integrity both as a musician and as a person of character.
For example, Teddy doesn’t hesitate to politely dismiss vocalist Billie Holiday’s autobiography - Lady Sings The Blues - as little more than a charade, nor is he willing to overlook the technical limitations in the “current” crop of pianists.
Interestingly, pianist Bill Evans had not become an influential force in early 1959; Teddy makes no reference to him during the interview, although he would contribute a track to the double LP Tribute to Bill Evans that Palo Alto Records compiled the year after Bill’s death in 1980.
Teddy was also a keen observer of what made certain Jazz musicians so special as is attested to by his opinions about what made Art Tatum, Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman so great.
A quiet and humble man who rarely called attention to his own talents or contributions, this piece by Tom Scanlan is an important document about one of the greatest Jazz pianists in the history of the music.
In my opinion, Teddy’s only “failing” was that he made it all sound too easy.
“Hundreds of pianists have tried to create something new and worthwhile in jazz piano improvisation, but only a handful have succeeded. One who has is Teddy Wilson.
Surely, if a responsible list of the half-dozen or so most creative and most influential pianists in jazz history were to be made, Wilson would be included. He is one of the giants of jazz piano; the number of pianists he has influenced, directly or indirectly, is beyond estimation.
It often has been said that Wilson's distinctive and highly original manner of playing was influenced primarily by Earl Hines, but Wilson himself will disagree. "Art Tatum," Teddy said.
read more: http://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com.br/2016/02/the-impeccable-teddy-wilson.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+JazzProfiles+(Jazz+Profiles)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
