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"A Passion For Jazz - Music History & Education"

Stefon Harris & Blackout Release New Jazz Album "Urbanus" On Concord Jazz


Mighty hot stuff...check out the Stefon Harris and Blackout video for "Gone" off the new album Urbanus, released on Concord Jazz on August 25th, 2009...Urbanus, the new release by vibraphonist-composer Stefon Harris signifies his 7th album as a band leader and his Concord Records debut. The new album picks up where 2004’s Evolution left off in that it features Blackout, his scintillating ensemble that’s as versed in modern jazz as it is with rhythms, melodies and soundscapes associated with R&B, pop, hip-hop and funk. More Info & Streaming Tracks.





VIDEO REMIX CONTEST
Inspired by the original artwork of the album which was then animated for the video, Stefon Harris and Blackout are challenging you to create your own remix of the video for "Gone." Simply download the music and the art, rework it and remix it, using free online software (or your own of your choosing), and post your video to the contest page on YouTube. The winner will be chosen by Stefon and the graphic artist/video designer, and the winner will receive a video premiere, autographed lithograph of the album art and a copy of the CD. Download all the necessary tools and get more info HERE.

ABOUT THE ARTIST, STACEY "SHABACH" ROBINSON
The artist on the original video for "Gone" is Stacey "Shabach" Robinson, graphic designer, comic book illustrator and artist. Recently he has exhibited his works across the U.S. and is working on various art projects and planning for solo art exhibitions. Samples of his work can be viewed at http://www.blackstar.cc/ and Myspace.com/staceyrobinson.

Top 10 Female Jazz Star "Up & Comers" (2009)


What follows is an article I came across entitled "The young lionesses: 10 future female jazz stars" by S. Victor Aaron via Jazz.com...thought it was well worth passing it on:

"The face of jazz is changing, largely because the gender makeup of jazz is changing. The stereotype of jazz women strictly being torch singers has always ignored their instrumental contributions to the art form, from Mary Lou Williams and Marian McPartland to Shirley Scott, Emily Remler and Jane Ira Bloom. But today, that stereotype is being torn asunder evermore with perhaps the largest crop ever of serious women jazz players. And these ladies, hailing from all corners of the world, bring both a faithfully deep respect to the tradition and the daring to make a new tradition. What’s more, their abilities as both performers and composers are at such a level to demand a recasting of the word “acu-men.” This isn’t a man’s world anymore, J.B.


Some of these performers of the fairer sex have already achieved notice. You’ve likely already heard of Esperanza Spalding, Grace Kelly and Tal Wilkenfeld. Nonetheless, there are plenty more behind those poised to bubble up into the jazz public’s consciousness because they are simply too good to be kept under wraps much longer. Below is a list of ten of the under-forty (with most under thirty) cadre of women jazz instrumental players, each of whom is ready to make that next step toward wider acclaim.

It’s by no means an all-inclusive list, but the range of instruments, styles and nationalities of these ten illustrate that this trend is a broad-based one. And, in this writer’s opinion, a very welcome one. Whenever you introduce more competition into a marketplace, the customer usually comes out the winner. And these ladies are tough competitors:



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Sharel Cassity

By the time Oklahoma City native alto saxophonist Sharel Cassity got around to recording her own album last year, she had already accomplished a lot. Holding a Master’s in Music from Julliard and having served as a sidewoman for Ingrid Jensen, Jimmy Heath and Mark Whitfield, Cassity piled up the kudos, like the 2007 ASCAP Young Composer Award and a couple of Downbeat Music Awards. In addition to the preferred alto, Cassity is also proficient with other saxophones (baritone, soprano and tenor), as well as clarinet, flute, alto flute and piccolo.

2008 saw the release her first CD as leader, the traditionally minded Just For You. While the up-and-coming trombonist Michael Dease produced the record and contributed three of the seven songs, it’s Cassity’s amazing alto that takes center stage. She’s got Parker’s vocabulary down pat with a sweet and sassy style. Whether it’s her commanding note runs on the perennial yardstick “Cherokee, ” the intricate interplay on Lennie Tristano’s dynamic “Wow,” or the sublime reading of “Lover Man,” Cassity’s got the goods for a wide range of situations.

The joy evident in Sharel Cassity’s horn in turn makes her a joy to listen to. Whenever she focus more of her award-winning songwriting talents into her records, we could well see a full flowering of a talent that’s ready to conquer the bebop world.

Featured Track:
Sharel Cassity: Lover Man



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Anat Cohen

Anat Cohen is part of a family of talented jazz and world fusion musicians from Israel that includes brothers saxophonist Yuval and trumpeter Avishai. The three have even made a couple of albums together as The Three Cohens, but with four albums already to her solo credit, sister Anat has shown without a doubt that she can stand on her own.

Cohen’s primary weapon of choice is the trusty old clarinet, but that doesn’t hold her back from tearing it up on just about any other woodwind available, whether that’s a bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, or a soprano saxophone. Her music of choice is jazz that’s world-flavored, particularly that part of the world where her native Israel is located. But she doesn’t constrain herself to some form of klezmer as some world-jazz clarinetists are prone to do these days; other elements such as Latin rhythms and classical arrangements often play a role in her musical tapestry, too.

This Berklee School of Music grad have brought home several accolades, such as Downbeat Magazine’s Rising Star-Clarinet for 2007 and 2008, as well as the Jazz Journalists Association Clarinetist of the Year for the same two years. Cohen’s latest album, 2008’s widely acclaimed Notes from the Village, is arguably her best, revealing continued growth as a bandleader, interpreter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. At the rate Anat is going, she may soon overtake brother Avishai’s high stature. Sometimes, sibling rivalry is a good thing.

Featured Track:
Anat Cohen: Washington Square Park



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Kait Dunton

A 2008 graduate of the well-regarded Jazz Studies at the University of North Texas, pianist Kait Dunton wasted no time in recording her first album, Real & Imagined, one in which she led a trio through eight songs that she composed herself. She also produced and arranged the album, and released it herself.

It’s one thing to do all these things, it’s quite another to do it all so impeccably as she did here, the first time out. While her meter and mood shifting compositions reveals an amazing amount of breadth and depth coming right out the gate, she also demonstrates restraint in all the right places. What’s more, she always leaves room in her carefully constructed pieces for human emotion, allowing them to groove, prance and meditate.

For these and other reasons, Real & Imagined is one of the top two or three jazz records I’ve heard put out by anybody in the past year, a statement I don’t make lightly. Dunton now resides back at her native Southern California, one of only a couple of our young lionesses not to work out of New York City. It’s not a question of if she’s ready for NYC, however. Rather, the question is, is NYC ready for Kait Dunton?

Featured Track:
Kait Dunton: Phase Faze



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Hiromi

Hiromi Uehara, better known as simply “Hiromi,” is unquestionably the furthest along in her career of these ten artists, having already made five albums as a leader. And this year’s records—her co-headlining a dueling pianos live set with Chick Corea (Duet) and her key appearance in the Stanley Clarke Trio’s Jazz In the Garden—are raising her profile even further.

A piano prodigy from Shizuoka, Japan, Hiromi had a chance encounter with Corea at 17 that quickly led to her performing with him the following evening. When Hiromi was studying at Berklee School Of Music, Ahmad Jamal discovered her from a demo tape and promptly got her into the studio, where he produced her first album, the mostly piano trio Another Mind. Subsequent records find her exploring an aggressive and technically demanding brand of fusion jazz. All of her releases reveal a talent not just at the piano, but also at composing, arranging and band-leading. Her stamina at piano is seemingly endless, as well as the depths she plumbs in harmonic complexity and dexterity.

So it might be a stretch to suggest that Hiromi has yet to arrive, when she is already garnering some attention for playing with the big dogs at an equal level. Her eagerness for challenges at a still-young thirty years of age suggests that she could go much further still, however.

Featured Track:

Hiromi: Sakura Sakura

See also
In Conversation with Hiromi by Larry Appelbaum


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Anne Mette Iversen

Born and raised in Denmark, double-bassist Iversen studied classical piano at The Royal Danish Academy of Music and then bass for four years at the Rhythmic Conservatory of Music in Copenhagen, graduating in 2001 from The New School University with a BFA degree in Jazz Performance. Then she moved to New York to supplement her formal music education with hands-on experience in arguably the best location on Earth to get that. With only her third release, Iversen last year put forth a rather ambitious project: a two-CD album which showcases her quartet on one disc (Many Places) and the same quartet supplemented by four string players on the other disc (Best Of The West).

Iversen’s presence on bass is assertive without being overbearing and her tone and timbre is precise. Both sets come from a composer who understands how to maximize the potential of each instrument, while making the whole add up to greater than the sum of the parts. Leveraging both classical and jazz backgrounds, Anne Mette Iversen has that ability to create vibrant, intelligent compositions and then make them come to life from behind the front line.

Featured Track:
Anne Mette Iversen: Many Places



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Hailey Niswanger

Of our Terrific Ten, only multi-reedist Hailey Niswanger (pronounced “NICE-wonger”) is not yet out her teens. But she has proven her ability to learn quickly after first trying out a clarinet at the age of eight—and her talent has earned her a full scholarship to the Berklee School of Music, where she recently completed her first year of studies.

She will undoubtedly learn so much more there in the next few years, not to mention from some great gigs awaiting her when she graduates. Yet, she’s already come far enough to share the stage with or study under the likes of Terri Lyne Carrington, Christian McBride, Taylor Eigsti, Phil Woods, McCoy Tyner, George Duke, Maceo Parker and Wynton Marsalis. In 2008 she won the saxophone competition at the Mary Lou Williams Women In Jazz Festival and was invited to return this year as a headliner act.

If that wasn’t enough, she has also already recorded her first record Confeddie with a trio of fellow Berklee students backing her up. On sale since the end of June, Confeddie presents Niswanger exclusively on alto sax (although she can also play soprano sax, flute and clarinet). With the help of her professor’s suggestions, Niswanger made some nice choices for the seven songs she covered, and threw in one of her own, her Eddie Harris tribute which serves as the title track. As an album, Confeddie is proof that Niswanger has already mastered many of the nuances of post-bop jazz with a saxophone style that swings and grooves with proficiency. The arrangements stick close to the traditional renditions of the songs, and give you a good sense of how she stacks up to her influences and heroes. Let’s just say that she passed these tests with flying colors.

Even though Niswanger has graduated from high school near Portland, Oregon only last year, she looks back as she looks ahead. She has spent this summer teaching piano to five to seven year olds at the same arts camp where she first picked up that clarinet. It’s a rare trait for someone to give back to the art form while she still has so much of her own art ahead of her.


Featured Track:
Hailey Niswanger: Oliloqui Valley



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Linda Oh

Linda Oh is a young female bass playing wiz from Australia, a description that immediately brings to mind Tal Wilkenfeld, but it’s there that the comparisons end. Born in Malaysia and raised in Western Australia, Oh moved through a wide variety of instruments in her childhood, from piano at age four, to woodwinds and electric bass throughout high school. She finally settled on the bass full time, playing acoustic bass for the first time in college. She later moved to New York, picking up her Masters at the Manhattan School Of Music.

She has tremendous composing abilities, having scored for films and big bands, and winning an ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award. She currently performs on both electric and acoustic bass around NYC, leading bands that range from big band swing to political rock. Last year she recorded her debut album Entry, which is due out this October. It’s a very unique sounding recording, utilizing a standup bass-trumpet-drums trio, and featuring free-form melodies with dark, serious overtones. It’s firmly in the jazz idiom, but there are some rock intonations, perhaps a spillover from Oh’s influences from such rock acts as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. There’s even a RHCP cover at the end of her record.

It’s Oh’s uncompromising approach in forging her own sound from the start, combined with a very modern, advanced style of bass playing that will make her stand out easily from the crowd.


Featured Track:
Linda Oh: Patterns



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Iris Ornig

“Her grasp of harmony, sound and rhythm place her in a select group of musicians who are ready to tackle whatever comes their way. I am always happy to hear a young bassist who has studied the tradition but has moved on to make their own form of contemporary music. Iris is such a musician.” Those are words of high praise for Iris Ornig, made more meaningful by the fact that they came from one of today’s top bassists Larry Grenadier. Like Iversen, the German-born Ornig applies her formal European training to the swing and vibrancy of jazz in New York, both as a performer and educator.

Her debut album New Ground, out last May, shows not just her ability to assemble tight distinctive melodies, but the ability to drive them with precise cadence and note selection. Even on the three tracks featuring vocalists, Ornig shows that she can swing confidently in concert with the singer. In NYC since 2003, she has been playing regularly at many of the top clubs there. It probably won’t be long before many jazz lovers will discover what Grenadier already knows.

Featured Track:
Iris Onig: It’s Time to Say Goodbye



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Matana Roberts

Alto saxwoman Matana Roberts is Chicago born and bred and a proud product of that town’s vibrant improvised music scene. This associate member of Chicago’s seminal Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians burnished her alto saxophone chops playing alongside such Chicago jazz heavies as Fred Anderson, Jeff Parker and Nicole Mitchell. Eventually she formed a local collective with bassist Josh Abrams, and drummer Chad Taylor called Sticks And Stones, which released two, well-received albums in 2002 and 2004.

In 2002, Roberts moved to New York and in 2008 perked up a lot of ears when she presented her first solo album The Chicago Project. Produced by Vijay Iyer, Chicago Project reveals how well she has grasped some deep harmonic concepts while injecting a great deal of humanness and spirituality into her work. For that reason, it is quite listenable while also being so adventurous. When Roberts solos, it’s more of a soliloquy rather than a bunch of scales and chords. That album helped to get her the attention in the Big Apple that she previously earned in the Windy City: Downbeat named her the Rising Star Alto Saxophonist for 2009, and in 2008 she just missed out to Lionel Loueke in being named Up and Coming Musician of the Year by The Jazz Journalists Association.

Roberts isn’t content to merely compose and perform small-group jazz; her epic Coin Coin is a musical narrative account of her rich family history, going back seven generations. “Matana” is the Hebrew word for “gift.” Roberts’ music is just that for fans of avant garde jazz.

Featured Track:
Matana Roberts: Love Call



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Ada Rovatti

Italian native Ada Rovatti is a specialist on tenor and soprano saxophones who went to Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship before cutting her teeth in Paris. She’s since settled in New York, working with a dazzling roster of major jazz and fusion artists that includes Joann Brackeen, Miroslav Vitous, Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker and John McLaughlin.

There are at least two reasons to pay close attention to Ms. Rovatti. First of all, she’s got really terrific chops and she knows when to throttle back and when to kick it into overdrive. Secondly, with the release earlier this year of her fourth album, Green Factor, she’s pushing her art into daring new territory with a delicious blend of jazz, fusion and Irish/Celtic forms. Rovatti arranged traditional Irish songs or wrote her own, as well as produced the record. It’s adventurous, advanced and alluring all at once.

An accomplished multi-talent like Ada Rovatti with a zeal for trying out fresh approaches is just the type who can make big waves. Surf’s up!

Featured Track:
Ada Rovatti: The Untold Story"


(source: jazz.com from an article by S. Victor Aaron published August 2009)

Chris Connor Jazz Vocalist Legend Passes At 81 Years


Legendary jazz vocalist Chris Connor, who first came to prominence with the orchestras of Claude Thornhill and Stan Kenton and went on to record dozens of successful albums and singles, died on Saturday evening, August 29 at the Community Medical Center in Toms River, NJ following a long bout with cancer, according to her publicist Alan Eichler. She was 81. Among her many hits were "All About Ronnie," "Trust in Me" and "I Miss You So." Nearly her entire recorded legacy has been reissued on CD, including such classic albums as "The George Gershwin Almanac of Song," "Witchcraft" and "Lullaby of Birdland." (note:

Chris Connor was among the most popular '50s vocalists, famous for altering rhythms on ballads, using little vibrato except on special occasions, and a husky, lush sound and she continued to record and perform successfully throughout the world for the next 50 years.

Born Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, MO on Nov. 8, 1927, Connor studied clarinet for eight years as a child, then began singing in her late teens. She was the vocalist with a large band at the University of Missouri led by Bob Brookmeyer modeled after the Kenton band. After working with a group in Kansas City, Connor moved to New York in 1949. She sang with Claude Thornhill, Herbie Fields and Thornhill again in the early '50s, performing with Thornhill's vocal group the Snowflakes.

An admirer of Kenton singers Anita O'Day and June Christy, Connor recalled, "I had my sights set on singing with Kenton." While appearing with Jerry Wald's band, she got her wish, receiving a phone call to join Kenton in 1952, with whom she recorded her biggest hit, "All About Ronnie." Connor went solo in 1953 and signed with Bethlehem Records for two years. She then moved to Atlantic, and enjoyed worldwide success as one of their biggest album sellers, having two chart singles in the late '50s. They were the songs "Trust In Me" and the title cut from the album "I Miss You So." Connor switched to Roulette and ABC-Paramount and was highly praised for her 1966 appearance at the Austin Jazz Festival. Following a period of semi-retirement, Connor made a comeback in the mid-'70s, cutting albums with Kenton and Maynard Ferguson. She continued recording into the '80s, '90s, and 2000s for such labels as Progressive, Contemporary, High Note and Enja, and touring throughout the world, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and top venues in Japan, where she was hugely popular. Her last appearance was at the Iridium jazz club in New York City in 2004 in a split engagement with her idol Anita O'Day.

She is survived by a nephew and her longtime companion and manager Lori Muscarelle. Services will be private.

Chris Connor won every conceivable critical and popular accolade in her half century reign as one of the most gifted and distinctive vocalists in jazz history. To the delight of fans and fellow musicians, her singing has never been more satisfying. Her warm, cello-like tones glow with new luster, and her interpretation of lyrics is more deeply felt than ever before. Connor's concert appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, an appearance at the Essence of Jazz Festival in Memphis, and her appearance as part of the star studded JVC tribute concert to Miss Peggy Lee, as well as jazz club engagements at such venues as Birdland and Iridium, have revealed an artist at the peak of her creative powers.
Born in 1927 in Kansas City, Missouri, Connor studied clarinet, but her career direction was clear at an early age. "I always knew I wanted to be a singer," she said, "I never wanted to be anything else." After completing her schooling, she took a secretarial job while commuting on weekends to the University of Missouri to perform with a Stan Kenton-influenced college jazz band. An admirer of Kenton singers Anita O'Day and June Christy, Connor recalls, "I had my sights set on singing with Kenton."

Frustrated by the lack of vocal musical opportunities in her hometown, Connor pulled up stakes and headed east in 1949. She was hired by Claude Thornhill and spent the next five years touring with his orchestra. Then, while appearing with Jerry Wald's band, she received the phone call she had been dreaming of. June Christy, Stan Kenton's current vocalist, had heard Connor on a radio broadcast and recommended her to the orchestra leader, who chose her from dozens of other vocalists eager for the job. "My voice seemed to fit the band," Connor said, "with that low register like Anita's and June's."

Connor's ten-month stint with Kenton during 1952-53 won her national recognition. Her haunting recording of Joe Greene's ballad "All About Ronnie" announced the arrival of a fresh new artist. But the years of one-night stands, fast food and interminable bus rides soured Connor's enthusiasm for life on the road. "By that time, I'd endured about six years of one-nighters and I'd just about had it." To this day she values the musical training she received with Kenton, especially the skills relating to time, phrasing and "how to come in on exactly the right note while 18 or 20 musicians are playing their parts."

Determined to forge a career as a solo artist, Connor returned to New York and signed with Bethlehem Records in 1953. Her three albums for that independent label, featuring Ellis Larkins, Herbie Mann, Kai Winding and J.J. Johnson, established her as a major jazz voice. In 1956, she began a six-year association with Atlantic Records that produced a string of chart-topping recordings arranged by Ralph Burns, Al Cohn, Jimmy Jones and Ralph Sharon, showcasing a host of jazz legends - John Lewis, Oscar Pettiford, Lucky Thompson, Phil Woods, Kenny Burrell, Milt Hinton, Clark Terry, Oliver Nelson and, in a particularly memorable pairing, Maynard Ferguson's big band. (note: Chris Connor was the first white female jazz singer to be signed by Atlantic Records)

The rock youthquake of the late '60s and '70s derailed the careers of many jazz artists, but Connor persisted, performing in clubs, touring Japan and recording for a variety of labels. The early '80s resurgence of interest in jazz singing revitalized her career, leading to a brace of highly-acclaimed Contemporary CDs. In the '90s she began to record for the Japanese label Alfa. Connor recorded two CDs with jazz pianist Hank Jones and his trio, "Angel Eyes" and "As Time Goes By." She then recorded two additional CDs with her own quintet, "My Funny Valentine," arranged by Richard Rodney Bennett, and "Blue Moon," a collection of movie songs, arranged by Michael Abene.

The new Millennium brought the timeless singer into yet another recording agreement, signing with the New York based High Note Records in 2000. Her first release, "Haunted Heart," also arranged by Michael Abene, was released September 2001, and a second CD "I Walk With Music," was released in 2002, also with Michael Abene arranging and producing.

Chris then returned to another Japanese label and recorded "Lullaby Of Birdland" for King Record Co.Ltd, with pianist/arranger David Matthews. It was released in September 2003.

Of her current singing, Connor said, "I haven't changed my approach, although my voice has become deeper and softer, and I don't experiment as much. When you're young, you overplay as a musician and you over-sing as a singer because you're trying all these ideas, and I was throwing in everything but the kitchen sink. I've eliminated a lot of things I used to do. The simpler it is, the better it works for me." She remains, as critic Larry Kart proclaimed in the Chicago Tribune, "a dominating vocal presence whose music is full of hard-earned wisdom and truth."

source: official press release written by publicist ALAN EICHLER photo source: ChrisConnor.com


Eddie Higgins Former Chicago Jazz Pianist Dies At Age 77


Haydn "Eddie" Higgins, well-known Chicago jazz pianist, passed away on August 31, 2009, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on February 21, 1932, he initially studied privately with his mother and then Higgins started his professional career in Chicago, while studying at the Northwestern University Music School. For twenty years Eddie worked at some of Chicago's best known jazz clubs, including the Brass Rail, Preview Lounge, Blue Note, Cloister Inn and Jazz Ltd. His longest and most memorable job was at the London House, where he led the house trio for twelve years, playing opposite the biggest jazz stars of the 50's and 60's, including Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Errol Garner, George Shearing, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans and many others. In 1966 he was a founder of Dunwich Records and he also had success with Japan's Venus Records label. He was most known as a soloist. However he played with Coleman Hawkins, Freddie Hubbard, and others. He married pianist and singer Meredith D'Ambrosio (professional website). A very comprehensive biography on Eddie Higgins by Bill Gallagher, can be found by clicking here, including jazz artists he worked and a complete discography. A Chicago Tribune article by Howard Reich (published September 2, 2009) on Eddie Higgins can be found by clicking on this link. (photo of Meredith D'Ambrosio and her husband Haydn "Eddie" Higgins circa 2001 by Sara Frooman).

Chicago Jazz Magazine / Mike Jeffers Offers Live Jazz At Their Chicago Jazz Fest Booth SEPT 4,5,6 2009




Hey There! Be sure to check out the free live jazz performances (schedule listed below) at our friend Mike Jeffers Chicago Jazz Magazine Booth offered during the 2009 Chicago Jazz Festival in Grant Park this weekend (September 4th-5th-6th)...also stop by and get the official program for the Festival:
PLUS hear some great Chicago Jazz performances:
Chicago Jazz Magazine Booth
Performance Schedule
(Booth Located on Jackson just East of Columbus Ave in Grant Park)

Friday (Sept 4th)
12:30pm-1:10pm Nikki George (vocalist)

1:20pm-1:50pm Patrick Noland
(jazz piano duo)

2pm-2:30pm lePercolateur (Gypsy Jazz)

2:40pm-3:10pm Lesley Beyers (vocalist)

3:50pm-4:20pm Ruby Harris (jazz violin)

4:30pm-5pm Libby York (vocalist)


Saturday (Sept 5th)
12:40pm-1:10pm Laury Shelley (vocalist)

1:20pm-1:50pm Clyde George (steelpan jazz )

2pm-2:30pm Arlene Bardelle (vocalist)

2:40pm-3:10pm Ava Logan (vocalist)

3:20pm-3:50pm Jeff Mackevich (saxophonist)

4:30pm-5pm Erin McDougald
(vocalist w/Paul Wertico)

Sunday (Sept 6th)
12pm-12:30pm Jim Sellers (pianist)

12:40pm-1:10pm Loretta Lee (vocalist)

1:20pm-1:50pm Elaine Dame (vocalist)

2pm-2:30pm James Sanders (jazz violin)

2:40pm-3:10pm Lin Roundtree (jazz trumpet)

3:20pm-3:50pm Tecora Rogers (vocalist)

4:30pm-5pm Mike Frost Project
(jazz organ trio)

5:15pm-6pm Tim Fitzgerald
Wes Montgomery Clinic

Visit ChicagoJazz.com for updated jazz festival schedules and information!

2009 Jazz-Blues-Music Fests Worldwide For September


Here is the listing of jazz, blues and music festivals Worldwide for September 2009
by state, town, festival (source:JazzNews)...
great to know if you are travelling this month:



jazz, blues and world music festival guide


Worldwide September 2009
by state, town, festival


USA September 2009

AL, Birmingham
Magic City Blues Fest
tba September 2009


AR, Hot Springs
Hot Springs Blues Festival
tba September 2009


AR, Hot Springs
Hot Springs JazzFest
tba September 2009


AR, Jonesboro
Blues Fest
tba September 2009


AZ, Bisbee
Bisbee Blues Festival
tba September 2009


AZ, Hot Springs
College Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


AZ, Sedona
Sedona Jazz on the Rocks Benefit Festival
tba September 2009


CA, Antioch
Delta Blues Festival
tba September 2009


CA, Brea
Brea Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


CA, Del Mar
Festival Del Mar
tba September 2009


CA, Guerneville
Jazz on the River
tba September 2009


CA, Inglewood
Jazz in the Park
tba September 2009


CA, Long Beach
Long Beach Blues Festival
tba September 2009


CA, Los Angeles
Sweet & Hot Music Festival
tba September 2009


CA, Los Angeles
Watts Towers Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


CA, Monterey
Monterey Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


CA, Novato
Rock n' Blues by the Lake
tba September 2009


CA, Oakland
Art & Soul
tba September 2009


CA, Ocean Beach
Ocean Beach Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


CA, Pleasanton
Vallejo Blues Festival
tba September 2009


CA, Riverside
Inland Empire BluesFestival
tba September 2009


CA, Riverside
Riverside Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


CA, Roseville
One Root Festival
tba September 2009


CA, San Diego
Adams Avenue Street Fair
tba September 2009


CA, San Francisco
San Francisco Blues Festival
tba September 2009


CA, Sausalito
Sausalito Art Festival
tba September 2009


CA, Vacaville
Vacaville Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


CO, Denver
Summit Jazz
tba September 2009


CO, Telluride
Telluride Blues & Brews Festival
tba September 2009


CO, Vail
Vail Jazz Festival & Party
tba September 2009


DC, Washington
Adams Morgan Day Festival
tba September 2009


DC, Washington
DC Blues Society Festival
tba September 2009


FL, Venice
Venice Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


GA, Atlanta
WRFG-FM Labor Day Blues Barbecue
tba September 2009


GA, Madison
Lake Oconee Jazz & Blues Festival
tba September 2009
IL, Chicago
tba September 2009

IL, Murphysboro
Murphysboro Bluesfest
tba September 2009

IL, Peoria
Miller Lite Illinois Blues Festival
tba September 2009


IN, Terre Haute
Blues at the Crossroads
tba September 2009


LA, Morgan City
Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival
tba September 2009


MA, Boston
BeanTown Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


MA, Boston
Boston Blues Festival
tba September 2009


MA, Lenox
Tanglewood Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


MA, Princeton
Wachusett Mountain Bluesfest
tba September 2009


MD, Baltimore
Alonzo's Memorial Picnic
tba September 2009


MD, Silver Spring
Silver Spring Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


MI, Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


MI, Detroit
Detroit International Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


MI, Lansing
Old Town BluesFest
tba September 2009


MI, MacKinac Island
Grand Hotel Labor Day Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


MI, Marquette
Marquette Area Blues Fest
tba September 2009


MO, Kansas City
Kansas City Jazz & Blues Festival
tba September 2009


MO, Saint Louis
Old Webster
tba September 2009


MO, Springfield
Greater Ozarks Blues Festival
tba September 2009


MO, St.Louis
Big Muddy Blues Festival
tba September 2009


MS, Greenville
Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival
tba September 2009


MS, Greenville
Mississippi Jazz & Heritage Festival
tba September 2009


NC, Durham
Bull Durham Blues Festival
tba September 2009


NJ, Cherry Hill
Tony Williams Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


NM, Santa Fe
Thirsty Ear Festival
tba September 2009


NY, Albany
Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


NY, Albany
PolishFeast
tba September 2009


NY, Chautauqua
Jazz at Chautauqua
tba September 2009


NY, Goshen
Goshen Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


NY, Lake George
Lake George Jazz Weekend
tba September 2009


NY, New York
Coca-Cola Women's Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


NY, New York
Williamsburg Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


OH, Bowling Green
Black Swamp Arts Festival
tba September 2009


OH, Cincinnati
MidPoint Music Festival
tba September 2009


OH, St. Marys
Riverside Bluesfest
tba September 2009


OH, Xenia
Xenia Old Fashioned Days
tba September 2009


OK, Rentiesville
Dusk 'Til Dawn Blues Festival
tba September 2009


OK, Tulsa
Oklahoma Blues Festival - Annual
tba September 2009


OR, Sisters
Sisters Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


PA, Delaware Water Gap
Delaware Water Gap Celebration Of The Arts
tba September 2009


PA, Johnstown
AmeriServ Johnstown FolkFest
tba September 2009


RI, Charlestown
Rhythm & Roots Festival
tba September 2009


TN, Nashville
Music City Jazz & Heritage Festival
tba September 2009


TX, Fort Worth
Jazz By The Boulevard
tba September 2009


TX, San Angelo
Cactus Jazz & Blues Festival
tba September 2009


TX, San Antonio
Jazz S'Alive
tba September 2009


TX, Wortham
Wortham Blues Festival
tba September 2009


VA, Roanoke
Taste of the Blue Ridge Blues and Jazz
tba September 2009


VA, Virginia Beach
Blues at the Beach Festival
tba September 2009


WA, Anacortes
Anacortes Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


WA, Oroville
Rendezvous Blues Festival
tba September 2009


WA, Seattle
Bumbershoot Seattle Arts Festival
tba September 2009


WA, Seattle
Pony Boy Records Jazz Picnic
tba September 2009


WI, Grafton
Paramount Blues Festival
tba September 2009


WI, West Bend
Ziegler Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


WV, Snowshoe
Snowshoe Mountain's Brews Blues & Barbeques Weekend
tba September 2009

Canada September 2009

Canada, Fredericton
Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival
tba September 2009


Canada, Guelph
Guelph Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


Canada, Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls Blues In The Park
tba September 2009


Canada, Pender Harbour
Pender Harbour Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


Canada, Penticton
Pentastic Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


Canada, Port Burwell
Coal Flats Blues Festival
tba September 2009


Canada, Port Credit
Southside Shuffle
tba September 2009


Canada, Port Elgin
Canadian Big Band Celebration
tba September 2009


Canada, Port Hope
All Canadian Jazz Festival
tba September 2009

South America September 2009

Aruba, Oranjestad
Caribbean Sea Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


Jamaica, Jamaica
Jamaica Rock 'n' Blues Jam
tba September 2009

Europe September 2009

Austria, Salzburg
Stiegl Swing Festival Anif
tba September 2009


Belgium, Beersel
Beersel Blues Rock Festival
tba September 2009


Belgium, Brabant
Pajot Blues Festival
tba September 2009


Belgium, Brussels
Saint-Jazz-Ten-Noode
tba September 2009


Belgium, Ciney
Dinant Jazz Nights
tba September 2009


Belgium, Dinant
Dinant Jazz Nights
tba September 2009


Belgium, Mechelen
http://www.jazzathome.be/
tba September 2009


Belgium, Mons
Mons en Jazz
tba September 2009


Belgium, Morlanwelz
Morlanwelz sur Mississippi
tba September 2009


Denmark, Copenhagen
Copenhagen Blues Festival
tba September 2009


France, Nantes
Rendez-Vous de l'Erdre Festival
tba September 2009


Germany, Kempen
Jazz Fest
tba September 2009


Germany, Loreley-FreilichtbÑŒhne, St. Goarshausen
Undisputed Peace Festival
tba September 2009


Germany, Osnabrueck
Open Strings
tba September 2009


Germany, Potsdam
Potsdamer Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


Germany, Syke
Jazz, Folk & Byke
tba September 2009


Germany, Viersen
International Jazz Festival Viersen
tba September 2009


Ireland, Galway
Galway Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


Netherlands, Breda
Stichting Rhythm
tba September 2009


Netherlands, Den Haag
Caribbean Latin Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


Netherlands, Den Haag
PURE JazzFest
tba September 2009


Netherlands, Dordrecht
Wereldjazzdagen
tba September 2009


Netherlands, Hoorn
Jazz at the Hop
tba September 2009


Netherlands, Rotterdam
Festival Jazz International Rotterdam
tba September 2009


Norway, Lillehammer
DolaJazz - Lillehammer Jazzfestival
tba September 2009


Poland, Slupsk
Komeda's Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


Scotland UK, Aberdeen
Aberdeen Jazz Festival
3-13th September 2009


Sweden, Falu
Falu Jazz & Blues Festival
tba September 2009


Switzerland, Willisau
Jazz Festival Willisau
tba September 2009


UK, Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes Beachcomber Jazz Weekend
tba September 2009


UK, London
Main Riverfront Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


UK, Portsmouth
Blues at the Fort
tba September 2009


UK, Scarborough
Scarborough Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


Ukraine, Koktebel
International Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


Ukraine, Odessa
Odessa Jazz Carnival
tba September 2009

Asia, Africa, Oceania September 2009

Australia, Kooringal
Wagga Wagga Jazz Festival
tba September 2009


Australia, Nambour
Sunshine Coast Blues Festival
tba September 2009


Australia, Nambour
Sunshine Coast Blues Festival
tba September 2009


Australia, Narooma
Great Southern Blues and Rockabilly Festival
tba September 2009


Australia, Sydney
Manly International Festival
tba September 2009


Nepal, Kathmandu
Blues Summit
tba September 2009

Nepal, Kathmandu
Himalayan Blues Festival
tba September 2009

Rashied Ali Jazz Drummer Of John Coltrane Fame Dead At 76


On August 13, 2009, Rashied Ali, a free-jazz drummer who backed John Coltrane and accompanied him in a duet album in the final months of the jazz master's life, has died. He was 76.

The Philadelphia native died at Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital of a blood clot in his lung on Wednesday, said his wife, Patricia Ali.

When Coltrane decided to use two drummers at a performance at the Village Gate in November 1965, he chose Ali to back up drummer Elvin Jones. He recorded with both men on the 1965 album "Meditations," and accompanied Coltrane alone on the duet album "Interstellar Space," recorded shortly before Coltrane died of cancer in 1967.

After the jazz master died, Ali toured Europe before returning to New York to play and record there. He opened the jazz club Ali's Alley in 1973 and launched the Survival Records label, which he maintained until his death. The club closed in 1979.

Over a career that spanned more than four decades, he performed with artists including Don Cherry, Albert Ayler, Alice Coltrane and Archie Shepp. In recent years he formed The Rashied Ali Quintet, and this year he released a "Live In Europe" album with the group.

"He was at the top of his game until his last day," his wife said Thursday night. "He just had such integrity about his music."

(source: sfgate.com)


Robert "Baabe" Irving III Jazz Homage To Miles Davis And Gil Evans

The Jazz Institute of Chicago presents "Sketches of Brazil: Robert Irving III's Orchestral Homage to Miles and Gil" in Chicago and its free!!! I have been a fan of "Baabe" for a long time and have seen him play/conduct at various venues around Chicago...he never fails to delight and this event should be another one he delivers on with his unique brand of "musicality"...don't miss this!

Thursday, August 13th
6:30 PM
FREE
Millennium Park: Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Composer, pianist and educator Robert Irving III conducts the newly formed Sonic Portraits Orchestra in the world premiere of Sketches of Brazil, an orchestral homage to his mentors, Miles Davis and Gil Evans. The concert features Robert Irving III (composer, conductor, piano); Sonic Portraits Orchestra (a blend of 33 classical and jazz musicians); Wallace Roney (trumpet, flugelhorn); Fareed Haque (guitar), Dede Sampaio (percussion), Felipe Fraga (percussion), Charles Heath (percussion) and Miles Evans (trumpet).

Special panel: Earlier that day from noon to 1:30 pm, the Chicago Cultural Center hosts a panel "50 Years from Sketches of Spain to Sketches of Brazil: A Symposium on the legacy of Miles Davis & Gil Evans" in the Claudia Cassidy Theater. Admission is free and open to the public. Professor Fareed Haque moderates a conversation with Sketches of Brazil composer/arranger Robert Irving III. Additional panelists include Wallace Roney, Vince Wilburn Jr. (nephew of Miles Davis), Miles Evans (son of Gil Evans), Dede Sampaio and Felipe Fraga.

Jazz Showcase Chicago/WDCB Free "Tribute To Bird" Featuring The Eric Schneider Quartet on 12AUG2009


Wednesday August 12th , 2009 from 8PM to 11PM...its WDCB (public radio) Night at the Jazz Showcase featuring Eric Schneider Quartet's Tribute to Bird. This event is being sponsored by the College Of Dupage radio station WDCB (located in Glen Ellyn, Illinois)...AND ITS FREE!!! The radio station hopes this will become a monthly event, being their first "WDCB Night at the Jazz Showcase"...and as August is Charlie "Bird" Parker Month at the Jazz Showcase... it is only fitting that we welcome the Eric Schneider Quartet in a Tribute to Bird!
The Jazz Showcase is located at: Dearborn Station 806 S. Plymouth Ct. (south of Polk St.) Chicago IL 60605 Telephone:
(312) 360-0234
Email:
jazzshowcase@jazzshowcase.com

Presenting Organization Name:
WDCB Public Radio
Telephone:
(630) 942-4200
Email Address:
WDCBMktg@cod.edu

History of Jazz Showcase
The Jazz Showcase is a famous jazz club in Chicago, a city that has had a prominent role in jazz history and still retains an influential jazz community. The club was first located at Grand Avenue and Clark Street, in the city's vibrant River North neighborhood. Founded in 1947 by Joe Segal, who still owns and runs the venue with his son Wayne, it is probably Chicago's most prestigious jazz club. Many famous musicians play at the Showcase on tour, including Chris Potter, Frank Morgan, Danilo Perez, Larry Coryell, Paul Wertico, James Carter, Winard Harper, McCoy Tyner and others. Ahmad Jamal recorded his trio album Chicago Revisited at the club in 1992. During the summer of 2006, Segal announced that the club was losing its lease, and would be moving out before the end of the calendar year. The club has relocated yet again, and (as of Summer 2008) is now located at Dearborn Station. (List of jazz clubs)

Review of Jazz Showcase
Its hard to imagine Edith Piaf crooning "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" in a smoke-free jazz club, but were she still alive, the Showcase is precisely the kind of joint she'd play. Owner Joe Segal's been booking bands since the rock stylings of Elvis and Chuck Berry pushed jazz to the popular fringe. On any given night, Segal, who has hosted legends like Ornette Coleman and Duke Ellington, still holds court in his trademark baseball cap, introducing bands and cautioning the audience not to talk during a performance. Along with Segal, the ghosts of be-bop and jazz loom large. Huge portraits and small photos of Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane and Art Blakey line the walls. A Chairman Mao-size portrait of Charlie Parker backdrops the stage, along with a pair of velvet curtains that would be at home at Back to the Future's Enchantment Under the Sea dance. Unlike the typical smoky, cramped, dingy confines of most jazz clubs, the Showcase is a comfortable candle-lit space with ample tables and wide aisles. The focus is on the players and not the decor. While you can still catch the occasional legend like saxophonist Von Freeman blowing on a Saturday night, the showcase long ago opened its doors to young lions respectful to the genre such as Nicholas Payton and Joshua Redman.There's no minimum drink requirement, though tickets will set you back $20-$25 (if you hit the early show, you can sometimes stay for the second without purchasing another ticket). Jazz Showcase is 21+ unless accompanied by one's parents.

Eric Schneider Jazz Artist Featured At Jazz Showcase
Long an institution in the Chicago jazz scene, tenor-saxophonist Eric Schneider is an unsung jazz talent who, without garnering headlines, has been playing top-notch jazz for 30 years. Schneider originally did not plan a career as a musician, earning a degree in advertising in 1976 from the University of Illinois and planning to become a copywriter. But he had played his saxophone throughout college and found it easy to find work after graduating from college. He gained some recognition when he was a member of the Earl Hines Quartet during 1979-82 (also playing alto and clarinet), and he toured with the Count Basie Orchestra during 1982-83. After that, Schneider decided to stop touring and settle in Chicago. Schneider has since worked in a wide variety of settings in the Chicago area including regularly at Andy’s for years. Along the way he has performed with Benny Goodman, Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughan, Rosemary Clooney and Billy Eckstine, recorded with Jim Beebe’s Chicago Jazz Band (back in 1979), used Earl Hines as a sideman on his Eric and Earl album in 1981, and appeared on records with Count Basie, Sir Charles Thompson and Jeremy Monteiro in addition to playing with virtually all of the top local jazz musicians and singers. Eric Schneider also teaches at the Merit School of Music.