Ravenna Jazz 40th edition May 3rd - 12th 2013

Edition number 40 for Ravenna Jazz, an important milestone that will be celebrated May 3 to 12 with a full ten days of live music and seminars: a luxurious redesign of the program of the festival, which will turn from its traditional programming focused in three days to a formula extended in time and in diverse places.

The wealth of the new program will involve in fact the main theaters in the city (the Alighieri and the Rasi) and the Hall Square and the Rebirth Cisim of Lido Adriano, who will host "Ravenna 40th Jazz Club", or alternative listening more casual compared to the evenings in the theater. In addition, a significant number of rooms in the city center will host the daily afternoon concerts 'Aperitifs': Ten guitarists engaged in as many performances only.

The rest I will say the great artists invited to participate in this important edition of Ravenna Jazz, whose long history, which began in 1974 and continued without interruption until today, making it one of the oldest and most celebrated festival in Italy: from Chucho Valdés , whose Afro-Cuban Messengers will be given the inaugural concert (May 4) to Pharoah Sanders (5), Franco Ambrosetti Uri Caine and Furio Di Castri (6), Mattia Cigalini (7), Gianluca Petrella and Alien Dee (8), Rosario Giuliani (9), Gino Paoli and Danilo Rea (10), Paolo Fresu and martux_m in a new version of "Microlezioni of Jazz" (11) and Joshua Redman, whose quartet will protagonist of the final concert of the festival (12).

Ravenna is organized by Jazz Jazz Network in collaboration with the Departments of Culture of the Municipality of Ravenna and the Emilia-Romagna region, with the support of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture.

Saturday, May 4 (Teatro Alighieri, 21 hours), will be the colorful Caribbean rhythms of Chucho Valdés and his Afro-Cuban Messengers to kick off the theater program of the fortieth edition of Ravenna Jazz. The group of seven elements led by the most famous of Cuban pianists is a fireball rhythmic, one of the most brilliant formations of the Latin jazz today.

Impetuous protagonist of the history of jazz of the sixties with John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders is still a saxophonist of dazzling intensity of expression. This giant of the tenor sax will be the star of the concert on Sunday, 5 (Teatro Alighieri, 21 hours), at the head of a quartet whose show takes its title from one of the most famous compositions of Sanders: "The Creator Has a Master Plan".

Read more: http://www.europejazz.net/news-pagenew-3981.html

LONDONJAZZNEWS - Three images of the Jazzahead conference

Paul Zauner and Mike Chadwick

The world's largest jazz conference here in Bremen is an occasion for unexpected meetings. The number of people involved in jazz from all over the world gets more impressive each year. You might say everybody is here....I had the pleasure to introduce Mike Chadwick of Band on the Wall in Manchester and JazzFM to Paul Zauner, director of the unique Austrian festival Inntoene, who was the first European promoter to present Gregory Porter, and whose Great Voices of Harlem CD will be released in October.

Ann Katrin Hülsmann, Julia Hülsmann

No they're not sisters, they are not even related. Two prominent people on the German scene are pianist/ composer / bandleader (new ECM album with Tom Arthurs) who is also founder of the Union Deutscher Jazzmusiker which accts to provide a unified voice for Germany's jazz musicansJulia Hülsmann..... and publicist Ann Katrin Hülsmann who's been telling me about the stunning line-up for Jazzdor Berlin.

The EJN (European Jazz Newtwork) Award is awarded to a festival or promoter who presents 'adventurous programming'. The 2013 Award was collected on behalf of the Bimhuis in Amsterdam by Huub Van Riel. It's an award (above) to be shared it with colleagues and guests in the splendid club overlooking the Ij and the harbour.

From: http://www.europejazz.net/news-pagenew-3983.html

Two jazz awards honor album by Pacific's Brubeck quintet

By Tony Sauro, Record Staff Writer, May 02, 2013 - 12:00 AM
The word "unit" has multiple meanings in the music business.

A "unit" is an object for sale. It's also the objective of most musical groups.

"It's very heart-warming," said Simon Rowe. "It's thrilling to watch young musicians grow into a group. That's one of the big distinctions. They've really formed into a cohesive unit. The total result is greater than the sum of its parts."

Once again, that's added up to national praise from DownBeat magazine, the monthly publication that's monitored the world of jazz since 1934.

The Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet, part of a University of the Pacific program that Rowe directs, has been recognized twice by the 36th annual DownBeat Student Music Awards poll in its June edition.

"Origins," recorded in two versions by succeeding quintet alignments, leads two DownBeat undergraduate lists.

The original recording, co-produced in January 2012 by Nick Fryer, a Pacific instructor, and Joe Gilman, and "Origins V," produced by Rowe and Gilman in November 2012, won in the college jazz-group category. They were recorded at Pacific and released on the university's Pac Ave label.

"It's certainly a very nice honor," said Rowe, a jazz pianist and former record-label owner who's in his third year as Brubeck Institute director. "There's always some subjectivity. 

What's convincing is the consistency. It shows a pattern of support for good work. Our groups were neck-and-neck with each other."

It's the first time a Brubeck quintet has won two DownBeat awards in the same year. The groups have won seven overall.

The guys guided by Rowe, Fryer and Gilman, a pianist who teaches at Sacramento's American River College: Thomas Kelley (alto saxophone) from Canton, Conn.; Rane Roatta (tenor sax) from Miami, Fla.; Paul Bloom (piano) from Needham, Mass.; Adam Goldman (bass) from Pacific Palisades; and Malachi Whitson (drums) from Richmond.

Read more: http://t.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20130502/A_ENTERTAIN1001/305020311/-1/rss03&template=tabletart

Jazz & Blues Florida May 2013 Online Edition Posted

The new edition of Jazz & Blues Florida, Florida's FREE online guide to live jazz & blues music in clubs, concerts and festivals is now available.  This month’s edition provides previews of eleven upcoming performances with related event listings, news blog entries, notices of new releases and much more provided in an easy to access and read format on our site.  

The May 2013 online edition of JAZZ & BLUES FLORIDA has been posted at www.JazzBluesFlorida.com in a new easy-to-read format with a soundtrack from one of the month’s featured artists. Just click on the cover to open the issue and have your computer speakers on to listen to the song 'Baiao da Amizade' by Phil Fest! The issue is also in an easily down-loadable .pdf file format.

The feature articles are all previews of local and touring artists with upcoming performances throughout Florida. Along with the ezine, the site offers comprehensive listings of live jazz and blues music in clubs, concerts and festivals across the state.

• Alice Day
• Clarence Carter
• Doug Deming & Dennis Gruenling
• Gregory Porter
• Mac Arnold & Plate Full o' Blues
• Mary Wilson
• Phill Fest
• Poncho Sanchez
• Robert Top Thomas & the Swamp Kings
• Tom Harrell Quintet
• Josh Smith

The main website, our blog, and social  network presence provides hundreds of current listings for clubs, concerts and festivals throughout the state along with photos from shows, video showcases, news about new Florida CD releases, current news postings, personal recommendations and suggestions, and links to important resources including jazz and blues associations, radio and web programming, and educational resources.

Interview: Jeff Barry

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

Some of the biggest girl-group hits in the '60s were co-written by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry. The list includes Be My Baby and Baby I Love You (the Ronettes), Leader of the Pack (the Shangri-Las), Chapel of Love (the Dixie Cups) and many more. For years, many people assumed that Greenwich was the brains behind the lyrics that won girls' hearts. The truth is Jeff wrote the words, Ellie the music. How did a guy wind up knowing so much about the female teenage psyche?

In tomorrow's Wall Street Journal (go here), I interviewed Jeff for the Leisure & Arts section on that very topic. Jeff's father was blind and his sister was intellectually challenged, which forced him to be a vivid storyteller. What's more, when his mother and father divorced when he was seven, his mother moved him, his sister and her father into an attic of her brother's house, which made him sensitive. A low-income family, they moved back to Brooklyn four years later into an equally tight space, where Jeff remained until his songwriting career took off when he was about 20. [Pictured above: Ellie Greenwich]

It's the story of a caring songwriter who wrote with his gut and a vivid imagination. His understanding of what girls wanted and why—along with Greenwich's sizzling melodies—resulted in 17 Billboard hits in 1964 alone, which is pretty astonishing. Phil Spector's production was a factor, as was Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's guidance after '64 on their Red Bird label. [Pictured, from left: Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry and Ellie's sister Laura]

I spent an afternoon with Jeff at his home in Santa Barbara a few weeks ago. His wife Nancy made a terrific lunch and we ate outside in the Tuscan gardens behind his home. Jeff is just over 6 feet tall with piercing eyes and a warm, friendly smile. He's also as casual and as gentle as they come. He seems truly mystified by his ability to write lyrics that connect with teens. Which adds to the fun and his mystique.

Jeff's secret? "Lyrics have to tell a story and touch on things kids are going through—finding boyfriends, managing their social status, getting caught up in drama, and so on," he said. "I've always managed to figure out what's important to teens by observing them and then imagining them in a film acting out those situations to write the lyrics." [Pictured above: Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich with the Dixie Cups]

My favorite moments though came when Jeff took out his laptop and played me some of the songs he's working on now with artists. Which led me to ask: "Are teenage girls today different than they were 50 years ago?" His answer was priceless:

"Today's girls aren't as cynical as you'd think. Find me a 15-year-old boy singing 'I love you, baby,' and you'll see that girls still believe in true love. I still believe." [Pictured: the Ronettes in studio mode with hair down]

JazzWax tracks: Two great Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich collections are Da Doo Ron Ron: More from the Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry Songbook (Ace) here and Do-Wah-Diddy: Words and Music by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry (Ace) here. The sound is great on both.

JazzWax clip: One of my favorite off-beat, lesser-known hits by Jeff Barry and Elli Greenwich is Leslie Gore's Look of Love, which was produced by Quincy Jones in '64...

Look of Love

Used with permission by Marc Myers

Susie sings and swings ....

Susie sings and swings with a lush tone and playful rhythm. Growing up in Buffalo, N.Y., Susie surrounded herself in music through piano and vocal lessons, choirs, glee clubs, school musicals, and performances with local professional singing groups. Her grandmother played stride piano and her sheet music from the 20’s and 30’s inspired Susie to look back into the Great American songbook. In her youth, Susie began to explore the world of jazz through the recordings of Ella Fitzgerald, and after witnessing the performances by jazz greats such as Earl “Fatha” Hines, Kenny Burrell and Nancy Wilson, her interest was piqued and she started down the jazz discovery road.

Susie began her early professional career in dinner theatre (earning $7 a night!) where she became smitten with the words and music of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Rodgers and Hart. Susie’s warm and effortless articulation puts an intimate spin on her jazz repertoire.

Meissner’s 2009 debut CD release, “I’ll Remember April,” with trumpet sensation Brian Lynch, features her fresh and intimate vocals in a collection of much-loved jazz and Brazilian standards. Her passion and exuberance for this music is unmistakable, and her CD was chosen by W.R. Stokes of the Jazz Journalist’s Association as “one of the top 20 Jazz Vocal CDs of the year.” Susie’s new release “I’m Confessin’” includes Wycliffe Gordon on trombone, one of the true greats on the jazz scene today. Her natural swing, ability to caress a ballad, and impressive versatility really shine on this recording. Of her appearance at the IRIDIUM in New York City, Joe Lang of Jersey Jazz Journal wrote “she’s as impressive in live performance as she is on her recording.” Susie is scheduled to appear at other top venues in the coming year.

To date, Susie has recorded or performed with Jazz greats including Wycliffe Gordon, Brian Lynch, Joe Magnarelli, John Swana, Freddie Hendrix, Martin Wind, Dean Johnson, Tim Horner, Lee Smith, Byron Landham and Matt Wilson.

Billy Verplanck: A Joyous Life

SOURCE: JAZZWAX BY MARC MYERS, Published: 2013-04-30
The late trombonist-arranger Billy VerPlanck isn't particularly well known to jazz fans today—but he should be. Throughout his career, from the late 1940s to 2009, Billy had a delicate, swinging touch when writing for bands—more harmonic interplay and seduction than sheer bombast and section muscle.

VerPlanck's real first name was John; he named himself Billy after hearing Woody Herman trombonist Bill Harris in the '40s. Early on, he preferred being behind the scenes—ghosting and tidying up charts when name arrangers were too far in the tank to complete assignments. [Pictured above, Billy and Marlene VerPlanck]

By the late '50s, his name was front and center, until the the band business headed south in the early '60s. That's when he and his wife, singer Marlene VerPlanck, transitioned into the demo and jingle business in New York.

Like many musicians who could arrange in the early '50s, Verplanck wound up in Hollywood, where he remained for a time. He was part of a generation of musicians who still loved the big bands at a time when the big bands were supposed to be dead and buried. In 1952 he was with Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra, from 1953 to '55 he was with Claude Thornhill, Tommy Dorsey for seven months in '56 before re-joining Jimmy Dorsey and winding up on his So Rare session in November 1956.

As VerPlanck told Schaen Fox in Jersey Jazz in 2009:

“Neal Hefti [pictured] was absolutely remarkable. I played on the So Rare date with Jimmy Dorsey. We had four arrangements for a big chimerical radio orchestra with strings. And Jimmy said, 'I don't like this.' Neal had been hired to conduct and he was on a roll. He had written a couple of hits for Tommy. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World was Neal's, and it had brought Tommy back in the business.

“So the A&R man said, 'Neal, do something.' Neal sent home the strings and kept the vocal group and the four trombones. He put it together in about an hour and we faked it. I mean, he just sang the lines that he wanted us to do and we did it. When Jimmy heard the thing, he said, 'That's it." That's the way Neal was; he just wrote those things and they were wonderful."
Read more: http://news.allaboutjazz.com/news.php?id=104079#.UYEmlZXhEhQ

A Night of Jazz

The St. Clair High School Jazz Band entertained a small but intimate audience late last week as it performed in the SCHS cafeteria while patrons dined on Italian food. Music styles included swing, funk, rock and ballads. Members of the SCHS Winter Guard served a spaghetti or lasagna dinner to the guests during the evening. Here, Toni Mullraney plays her tenor saxophone during a number.

Barbara Dennerlein arrives for the Deutscher Musikautorenpreis .....

Deutscher Musikautorenpreis 2013

Barbara Dennerlein arrives for the Deutscher Musikautorenpreis (German Songwriter Prize) 2013 ceremony at the Ritz Carlton hotel on April 25, 2013 in Berlin, Germany. The prize has been presented by GEMA (Gesellschaft fuer musikalische Auffuehrungs- und mechanische Vervielfaeltigungsrechte), the German society for musical performing and mechanical reproduction rights, since 2009.

(April 24, 2013 - Source: Adam Berry/Getty Images Europe)

Barbara Dennerlein, the "Organ Tornado from Munich". Hope my work is worthy of the subject!
Paint Tool SAI and Wacom Intuos 4 tablet.
About 7 hours of work. - by ~BenJogan