Pizarro: Mary Wilson shows why she's still a supreme talent

By Sal Pizarro, spizarro@mercurynews.com
Today's lip-syncing pop stars don't have a thing on Mary Wilson.

Wilson, one of the founding members of the Supremes, opened her set at the Los Gatos Music & Arts Jazz Gala on Tuesday by sauntering through the crowd singing "Baby Love," one of her hits with the 1960s group.

But before she even reached the stage, the audio system cut out, eliminating her background music. Ever the pro, Wilson entertained the crowd with a couple a cappella numbers -- without even the aid of a microphone -- before the system came back online.

The gracious singer, not yet 70, delighted the audience at La Estancia -- the Los Gatos home owned by David Stonesifer and Larry Arzie -- by singing many of the Supremes' hits, plus a few ballads (it was a jazz gala, after all, celebrating the Summer of Gershwin, she pointed out). She even invited several of the female guests at the outdoor event onto the stage to back her up on a couple numbers.

And then the next day she played a free show at Los Gatos' weekly Jazz on the Plazz, this time without any audio hiccups.

FESTIVE SEND-OFF: With mariachi music playing in the background, a couple hundred family members, colleagues and friends gathered at the Holiday Inn in San Jose July 19 night to congratulate Gloria Chacon. She's retiring after 40 years of service to Santa Clara County, including the past 23 as the Superior Court Civil Grand Jury Manager.

Well-wishers included Superior Court Presiding Judge Brian Walsh, U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, County Supervisor Dave Cortese and Center for Employment Training CEO Hermelinda Sapien (who gave the opening invocation, "The Farmworker's Prayer"). Former members of the civil grand jury were there, others flew in from as far away as Texas and Washington, D.C., and even Chacon's fifth-grade teacher made an appearance.

DISTINGUISHED FELLOW: Jon Ball, an executive vice president of Hensel Phelps Construction in San Jose, will be honored this fall at the 39th Distinguished Citizen Award from the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In addition to his career with Hensel Phelps, Ball has distinguished himself through his involvement with Via Services, Cancer CarePoint and the Boy Scouts.

Ball will receive his honor at a Nov. 13 dinner at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_23741040?source=rss

Orchester Kurt Edelhagen: Big Bands Live

By JACK BOWERS, Published: July 28, 2013

Maestro Kurt Edelhagen's Orchestra was a band for its time, deftly blending elements of swing, pop and jazz to help move Germany—at least the Western part of it—away from Nazi strictures and toward a more open-handed environment that not only tolerated but nourished the country's alliance to big-band music that spawned a wide array of world-class contemporary ensembles.

As was true of many bands from overseas back in the day, not many of the Edelhagen Orchestra's recordings were readily available in the States, which makes this "new" anthology from 1954 that much more notable. The album's eighteen tracks, three of which are repeated, were recorded during two concerts and three studio dates in July-December '54. Edelhagen's rising young vocal star, Caterina Valente, is heard on two numbers, and as a bonus, the band is joined by the acclaimed pianist Mary Lou Williams for "Blues on the Bongo Beat" and "Nancy and the Colonel," taped at a November concert in Freiburg.

As one of Edelhagen's goals was to emulate his role model, Stan Kenton, it's interesting that the album should open with the Glenn Miller favorite "Tuxedo Junction," a song recorded by the Kenton Orchestra some five years later on the album Live from the Las Vegas Tropicana. Track 2, Roland Kovac's "3x2," doesn't try to hide the fact that it is actually "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To."

A shame that soloists aren't credited, as most of them are quite good. We do know that's baritone Helmut Reinhardt on "Tuxedo Junction" and "3x2," alto Franz von Klenck on "You Go to My Head," the admirable Werner Drexler wherever a piano solo is called for (save for Williams' two appearances), as on his back-to-back features, "St. Louis Blues," "The Man I Love" and Jerome Kern's "Yesterdays."

Valente sings (quite well) on "They Can't Take That Away from Me" and "Pennies from Heaven," two of ten standards that are amplified by Williams' numbers, Lester Young's "Lester Leaps In," Al Killian's "On the Upbeat" and Kovac's closing "Alpha Jazz."

Sound quality is well above par for an album recorded in the '50s, much of it in concert, while the ensemble is exemplary throughout, equal in many respects to Erwin Lehn's outstanding Sudfunk Jazz Orchester (now the SWR Big Band). For those who've not had the pleasure, a delightful introduction to the splendid Kurt Edelhagen Orchestra.

Read more: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=44952#.UfUtmxbhEhQ

Last Week Top 10

Last week RVJ (Radio.Video.Jazz) has posted on its Facebook page 38 handpicked videos.

Here are the 10 most watched & liked videos. Please enjoy them (one more time).

1		Anoushka Shankar - Ragas by Ravi Shankar   Watch now >
2		Pat Metheny Group - Minuano (1998)   Watch now >
3		George Benson - In Roma (2013)   Watch now >
4		JJ Cale, Eric Clapton - After Midnight & Call me the Breeze   Watch now >
5		Tony Williams - Montreux 1983 V.S.O.P. II   Watch now >
6		Miles Davis - Live in Antibes (1970)   Watch now >
7		Badi Assad - Basica   Watch now >
8		John Coltrane - Live in Antibes (1965)   Watch now >
9		Max Roach and Randy Weston Duo - Well you needn't (1999)   Watch now >
10		Joe Cocker - I Put A Spell On You (2005)   Watch now >

Novato native receives jazz scholarship

By Marinscope staff
Posted: Wednesday, July 24, 2013 12:00 pm
Novato native Carl Oser, a magna cum laude graduate of University of Southern California, performs and teaches in Marin County, plays jazz and classical piano, arranges music and teaches youth master classes.

He has directed elementary school choirs, designed outreach musical programs, taught voice and jazz history in Ecuador and written a musical score for a Los Angeles high school.  He is interested in mastering the jazz idiom with the aim of teaching advanced students. Oser will apply his scholarship to voice lessons. He is the winner of the Carol Randall Award for Jazz or Musical Comedy.

Read more: http://www.marinscope.com/novato_advance/news/article_4cb259fe-f493-11e2-8d92-0019bb2963f4.html

WBGO Jazz 88.3FM & WBGO.org Introduce ....

WBGO Jazz 88.3FM & WBGO.org Introduce WBGO RADAR

Presenting Exclusive Listening Opportunities

for New CDs Before Official Release to General Public

NEWARK, NJ, July 26, 2013 - Discover new music and listen to entire albums before they are officially released to the public on WBGO RADAR, a new online listening experience from WBGO, the area's only 24-hour jazz source.

New recordings are reviewed by the station's Music Director, Gary Walker, and Interim Vice President of Content, Josh Jackson, every week. After they select the best of the best, WBGO will debut these albums exclusively on WBGO.org/RADAR up to one week before they are available for purchase. Listeners to WBGO RADAR can pre-order CDs directly from Amazon, and a portion of those sales will benefit the station.

WBGO RADAR draws on the station's deep relationships with artists, their management and record labels to offer listeners this exclusive sneak peek at the best new music before it hits the market. It expands the station's innovative use of streaming and on-demand audio to showcase new music at WBGO.org.

Coming up on WBGO RADAR:

·  Chick Corea -  The Vigil (Mack Avenue Records), Listen July 29 - August 5; Street Date August 6

·  Christian McBride - Out Here (Concord Jazz), Listen August 2 - 5; Street Date August 6. McBride will perform at the WBGO Jazz Series at 54 Below on August 13 and at  the WBGO Gala in November

·  Steve Turre - Bones of Art (High Note), Listen August 13 -19; Street Date August  20

·  Albert Heath / Ethan Iverson / Ben Street - Tootie's Tempo (Sunnyside), Listen August 20 - 26; Street Date August 27

·  Roberto Fonseca - Yo (Concord Jazz),   Listen August 19 - 26; Street Date August 27

·  Geri Allen - Grand River Crossings (Motema), Listen September 3 - 9; Street Date September 10

·  Kenny Garrett - Pushing the World Away (Mack Avenue), Listen September 13 - 16; Street Date September 17

Founded in 1979, Newark Public Radio, Inc. is a publicly supported cultural institution that champions jazz at WBGO 88.3 FM in Newark, New Jersey and worldwide via wbgo.org. WBGO is the recognized world leader in jazz radio and one of the most respected jazz presenters in the country, and offers award-winning news and innovative children's programs. Beyond reaching 450,000 weekly listeners (including 17,000 contributing members) on air, online and via mobile devices, WBGO presents live broadcasts from prestigious jazz venues and produces acclaimed programs for NPR heard by millions.


From: Carolyn McClair / McClair Public Relations
Info@CarolynMcClairPR.com

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis: 1985

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

A year before his death in 1986, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis was in Copenhagen on tour with a quartet. For those unfamiliar with "Lockjaw" (or "Jaws"), the tenor saxophonist was a spectacular soloist dating back to the '40s, when his gruff, pushy style was admired and adopted by R&B honkers. Originally an East Coast bebopper, "Lockjaw" recorded many small-group albums in the '50s with organists and with saxophonist Johnny Griffin. But "Jaws" was always most at home soloing in front of a swinging big band, particularly Count Basie's in the late '50s and into the '60s and beyond.

What I've always loved about "Lockjaw's" playing is his biting aggression and aesthetic cockiness. Whether carrying his saxophone like a toy in one hand to the front of a stage for a solo or resting its shiny neck on his shoulder, "Lockjaw" in person exuded a level of cool that wasn't generally found in jazz, and his driving solos always exceeded his brazen showmanship. 

Even at age 63, with just months left to live, "Lockjaw" put on a quite show in Denmark. Here are six clips from that gig featuring Niels Jørgen Steen on piano, Jesper Lundgaard on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums...

Take the A Train...

- See more at: http://www.jazzwax.com/2013/07/eddie-lockjaw-davis-1985.html#sthash.i8qn9Wwj.dpuf

Read more: http://www.jazzwax.com/2013/07/eddie-lockjaw-davis-1985.html

Used with permission by Marc Myers

Count Basie & Helen Humes - I Cried for You

Jazz singer Karen Marguth returns to Livermore

Jazz singer Karen Marguth will perform with the band, Espacio, at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore. ( Wayfae Music )

By Jessica Yadegaran (jyadegaran@bayareanewsgroup.com)
POSTED:   07/26/2013 12:00:00 PM PDT | UPDATED:   ABOUT 22 HOURS AGO

Karen Marguth is an internationally acclaimed jazz singer who has performed with Gilbert Castellanos and Pearl Django. But the Fresno artist attributes most of her core vocal skills to her early music education in Livermore.

Named one of the finest American jazz vocalists by Jazz Times, Marguth's recordings have been listed twice in DownBeat's annual Best-of-the-Year issue. Recently, France's Jazz Magazine featured Marguth in its issue dedicated to the 101 greatest vocalists of all time.

At 53, she has toured the national jazz festival circuit and recorded several critically acclaimed albums, including this year's "A Way With Words," a two-disc tribute to the songs of British legend Carrol Coates. In advance

Jazz singer Karen Marguth will perform with the band, Espacio, at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore. ( Wayfae Music )
of her August performance at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore, we caught up with Marguth to talk about the state of women in jazz and those formative years at Granada High.
Q You are very proud of your Livermore roots. Any shout-outs to your favorite teachers?

A Mr. Stasko was the music teacher at Joe Michell Elementary School and the band teacher at Mendenhall Middle School. At Granada, Jim Brochman was my choir teacher. I credit him with teaching me all the basics of singing: musicality, listening and the etiquette of performance. He had very high expectations and was an outstanding music educator.

Q Any early gigs you care to recall (or not recall)?

A During college at CSU East Bay, I spent a few summers singing at Sea World. I'd do a medley of international songs about the sea. Five shows a day. I have to give credit to my private voice instructor, Muriel Brown-Older. She trained me to sing correctly so I wouldn't damage my voice.

Q Fresno is an epicenter for world-class jazz. How did your community develop?

A There are three colleges in the area with strong jazz programs. Jam sessions are always happening all over town, and there's an organization promoting local jazz called Jazz Fresno. People have an image of Fresno that's not artsy and cultural, but I have to say I've had more opportunities here than I did in the Bay Area.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/music/ci_23726502/jazz-singer-karen-marguth-returns-livermore

Music Review: Oliver Jones - 'Just For My Lady'

By Jack Goodstein, BLOGCRITICS.ORG
Published 10:00 pm, Thursday, July 25, 2013

When you hear about a violinist playing jazz, the first thing that comes to mind is Stephane Grappelli. So when the latest album from veteran Canadian pianistOliver Jones' fine trio has them playing with classical violinist Josée Aidans, the urge to compare is hard to resist. The trouble is that as well done as the new album, Just For My Lady, happens to be as a whole, Aidans (who is an excellent violinist) is not yet a jazz violinist. Part of being a jazz musician, in a real sense the largest part, is creative improvisation. And as well as she plays on this album, it seems she doesn't do her own improvising.

"Actually, Josée has never played any jazz before," Jones explains in a publicity release. "She's coming from a strictly classical background, so I ended up writing out some things for her to play on her solos. She's able to interpret it exactly the way that I wanted it because she's such a fine musician and she has a very wonderful approach. So I wrote everything down for her and she just went through it like butter." Certainly he likes what she does, and what is there not to like? But if she is interested in playing jazz on a regular basis, I would think she would want to develop her own improvisatory skills. As Jones concludes, "I'm looking forward to the next year of working with her and experimenting on a few other things. I'm really going to see if I can get her to start improvising on her own."

Still, if you have the talent and a mentor like Jones to guide you, you can't go wrong. Mixing a set of Jones originals with a standard or two, the new album makes clear that the septuagenarian pianist, who had claimed that the time had come to think about slowing down, isn't yet quite ready for the retirement home. He takes Aidans and the trio on a swinging trip, opening the album with his own "Josée's Blues" and later his three movement composition, "The Saskatchewan Suite." This last was composed for the 25th anniversary of the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival. Originally written for big band, Jones has adapted it for the smaller ensemble. The first movement is a ballad, the second has a bop vibe, and the third a Latin feel. The other Jones pieces are "Lights of Burgundy," "The Angel and Mr. Jones," "In the Key of Geoff," and the title song.

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcritics/article/Music-Review-Oliver-Jones-Just-For-My-Lady-4689566.php