<![CDATA[Jazzcorner's Speakeasy]]> http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/ en Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:19:26 GMT vBulletin 10 http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/images/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[Jazzcorner's Speakeasy]]> http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/ Glenn White Quartet http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26535&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:03:34 GMT Continuing our Wednesdays at Zinc Bar ( 82 West 3rd street) we are going back to see the Glenn White Quartet. Some of you have had the pleasure of hearing Glenn perform and it is always exceptional.

Described as "a brilliant gem," Glenn’s modern jazz compositions and highly-skilled, interactive playing have been called "a thoughtful, remarkable style," which "stems from a deeper understanding." With an educational background encompassing studies at New England Conservatory, Juilliard, and Arizona State University, Glenn has studied under such jazz greats as Steve Lacy, George Garzone, Jerry Bergonzi, Michael Cain, and Tony Malaby.

Glenn White - tenor saxophone
Casper Gyldensoe - guitar
Kevin Thomas - bass
Rob Mitzner - drums

The cover is 10 dollars with a one drink minimum. If you wish to stay for the rest of the night, there will be an additional 5 dollars for the whole night as well as one drink per set. This is a great deal! This is for NYC Jazz Meetup Members only!

AND... as an added incentive... if you bring a new member for the NYC Jazz Meetup you will have your Cover waived for the evening! (That's a dues paying member, not a guest :)) ]]> JAZZ NEWS bezu http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26535 NYC Jazz Meetup http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26534&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:56:36 GMT Meet other local fans of Jazz music! We will be going to jazz events all over the city... some will be pricey...some will be free! And everything in between. Jazz is wonderful up close and personal so join us (http://www.meetup.com/nyc-jazz)for some great events. Meet other local fans of Jazz music! We will be going to jazz events all over the city... some will be pricey...some will be free! And everything in between. Jazz is wonderful up close and personal so join us for some great events. ]]> LINKS bezu http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26534 Home Health Care http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26533&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:21:11 GMT x x ]]> THE ALLEY tippy http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26533 Randy Weston, CedarWalton, Lionel Loueke, Stefon Harris, Emilio Valdes 11/21 http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26532&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:58:04 GMT *Union County Performing Arts Center presents WORLD JAZZ SUMMIT 5 Concerts on 1 Night for 1 Low Price! featuring Randy Weston, Emilio Valdes, Cedar Walton, Stefon Harris and Lionel Loueke and Gala Pre-Performance Reception Saturday, November 21, 2009 Gala Pre-Performance Reception 4PM...
Union County Performing Arts Center presents
WORLD JAZZ SUMMIT
5 Concerts on 1 Night for 1 Low Price!
featuring Randy Weston, Emilio Valdes, Cedar Walton,
Stefon Harris and Lionel Loueke
and Gala Pre-Performance Reception

Saturday, November 21, 2009
Gala Pre-Performance Reception 4PM until 6PM
Concert starts at 6PM

Gala Pre-Performance Reception and Concert is $100
Concert only is $40
Box Office: 732-499-8226

Rahway, NJ, November 11, 2009 - The Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC), 1601 Irving Street in Rahway, NJ, presents five concerts on one night for one low price at the World Jazz Summit on Saturday, November 21, from 6:00 - 11:00 pm. The evening will feature Randy Weston, Cedar Walton, Lionel Loueke, Stefon Harris and Emilio Valdes in a wide-spectrum of musical settings from African rhythms to Cuban funk to American jazz vibes.

The evening's concert, produced by Jim Luce of WorldPianoSummit.com, is sponsored in part by Northfield Bank Foundation as well as Merck Company Foundation.

The evening will kick off with a Gala Pre-Performance Reception from 4pm to 6pm to benefit the Union County Performing Arts Center. Meet and talk with some these talented jazz artists from around the world and enjoy an elegant selection of delicious hors d'oeuvres catered by Luciano's Italian Ristorante & Lounge.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

After contributing six decades of musical direction and genius, Randy Weston remains one of the world's foremost pianists and composers today, a true innovator and visionary. Encompassing the vast rhythmic heritage of Africa, his global creations musically continue to inform and inspire. Weston has never failed to make the connections between African and American music. His dedication is due in large part to his father, Frank Edward Weston, who told his son that he was 'an African born in America' and that he had to learn about himself and his family. Weston said in an interview, "the only way to do it was I'd have to go back to the motherland one day." In the late 60's, Brooklyn-born Weston went to Africa. Though he settled in Morocco, he traveled throughout the continent tasting the musical fruits of other nations. One of his most memorable experiences was the 1977 Nigerian festival, which drew artists from 60 cultures. "At the end," Weston says, "we all realized that our music was different but the same, because if you take out the African elements of bossa nova, samba, jazz, blues, you have nothing ... To me, it's Mother Africa's way of surviving in the new world."

The Dallas-born, Denver-reared piano king Cedar Walton was a member of jazz's best diplomats Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers from 1961 to 1964, with a variety of bandmates and future stars that included the late Freddie Hubbard, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and trombonist Curtis Fuller. Blessed with a poetic and profound pianism that is sublimely lyrical as it is deeply swinging, Walton is a composer whose compositions "Bolivia," "Mosaic" and "Fantasy in D," recorded as "Ugetsu" on a Jazz Messengers LP of the same name in 1963, have become jazz standards. Along with his work with Sonny Criss, Abbey Lincoln, and Lee Morgan, Walton has recorded over 60 recordings as a leader, including Eastern Rebellion, Vol. 1-IV, The Trio, Vol. 1-III, Soundscape, The Latin Tinge, and Seasoned Wood.

The Lionel Loueke story begins in Benin, a small country in West Africa, where music was part of everyday life. When Loueke was 17, his brother, a guitarist, let him pick up his guitar, and he quickly realized that music was also for him. Lionel became enamored with the traditional African music of Benin, Nigeria, Congo, Zaire, Mali and Senegal. However, it was a CD of guitarist George Benson, followed by the music of Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass, which steered him toward jazz. Loueke left Benin to attend the National Institute of Art in the Ivory Coast. In 1994, he moved to Paris to pursue jazz studies at the American School of Modern Music, a small conservatory run by several alumni of the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduation, he was awarded a scholarship to Berklee, and then was accepted to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles. Since then, he has performed with his own band as well as with Herbie Hancock and Terence Blanchard. Loueke's debut recording, Karibu, which means "welcome" in Swahili, continues to receive rave reviews from critics and fans alike.

Jazz for the "here and now" is the best way to describe vibraphonist, composer and bandleader Stefon Harris' new disc, Urbanus, his 7th CD as a leader, which also marks his Concord Records debut. Recorded with his stellar band Blackout just a few days before the historic presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, the music sparkles with optimism, ingenuity and emotional immediacy. "How could it not? Being in the studio, knowing that we were getting ready for the inauguration of the first African-American president - how could that not change my life? I was extremely inspired and that created a great feeling of audacity and some fantastic energy." Feel the energy when he brings 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, to the World Jazz Summit.

Drummer Emilio Valdés was born in Havana in 1966 into a musical family. He studied at the Guillermo Tomás Conservatory specializing in drums and percussion under some of the area's renowned teachers/musicians, including the legendary Enrique Plá. He continued his education at the Amadeo Roldán School and the National Arts School. In Cuba, he played with Orquestra Riverside, Chukis and the PinoMar while also working with Annabell López, Maria Caridad Valdés, Alberto Tosca, Merceditas Valdés, Luis Carbonell and his own Changuito-Valdés Quintet Project. In 1993, Emilio left Cuba and went to Hamburg, Germany, where he lived for 11 years and traveled throughout Europe. He toured extensively with Lonnie Liston Smith and Craig Handy; in Barcelona, he accompanied Lalo Schifrin in the Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he has worked with Bebo Valdés Quartet, Chucho Valdés and Irakere. Emilio Valdés currently lives in New York City, working with his Cuban compatriots, the guitarist/composer Juan-Carlos Formell and pianist Chuchito Valdés as well as with the Chico O'Farrill Afro-Cuban Big Band.

The World Jazz Summit is presented as part of the WORLD MUSIC SUMMIT AT UCPAC, produced by Jim Luce of WorldPianoSumit.com and sponsored in part by Northfield Bank Foundation and Merck Company Foundation. Don't miss any of the other five concerts in the series ... it's music that is out of this world! The World Music Summit continues with:

World Piano Summit on Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 6pm featuring Aaron Diehl, Clarice Assad, Jean-Michel Pilc and more.

World Latin Piano Summit on Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 6pm featuring Chuchito Valdes, Jorge Luis Prats and more.

Simon Mulligan on Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 8pm playing Beethoven, Monk and The American Songbook.

World Guitar Summit on Friday, April 23, 2010 at 6pm featuring Peter Bernstein, Romero Lubambo, Armand Hirsch and more.

World Percussion Summit on Saturday, May 15, 2010 at 8pm featuring Spoken Hand Percussion Orchestra and more.

For tickets or more information, call the UCPAC Box Office at 732-499-0441 or visit us online at www.ucpac.org. The UCPAC Box Office, located at 1601 Irving Street, Rahway, NJ, is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11AM until 5PM.

Enjoying a prime location in Union County, Union County Performing Arts Center is dedicated to making this landmark theatre your choice for the performing arts. The Arts Center provides barrier-free access and seating for patrons upon request. Located at 1601 Irving Street in Rahway, the theatre is within walking distance of the Rahway NJ Transit train station and can be reached by taking exit 135 from the Garden State Parkway or exit 12 from the NJ Turnpike. Parking is available downtown at the Rahway Parking Garage. A free shuttle is often available to and from the theatre.

The Union County Performing Arts Center provides exciting live performances that are educational, affordable and responsive to the diverse interests of our communities. UCPAC would like to thank the following for their continued support: the County of Union Board of Chosen Freeholders, the City of Rahway, Merck Company Foundation, RSI Bank, Friends of the UCAC, Merck & Co., Inc., New Jersey Cultural Trust, Discover Jersey Arts, PennPAT, Northfield Bank, Northfield Bank Foundation, Rahway Junior Service League, The Employees of ConocoPhillips Bayway Refinery, Crowne Plaza (Clark), and Yellowbook. This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

# # #

Union County Performing Arts Center
1601 Irving Street
Rahway, NJ 07065
Box Office - 732-499-8226
Online - www.ucpac.org
]]> JAZZ NEWS McClairPR http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26532 Ballet Of The Bouncing Beagles - Phil Kelly http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26531&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:36:57 GMT Phil Kelly again delivers some great ear candy for us lovers of the big band sound.

BOTBB's ten tracks demonstrate Phil's brilliant writing and arranging. The Northwest Prevailing Winds are 22 heavyweight players including top notch soloists Pete Christlieb, Jerry Dodgion, Jim Coile, Bill Ramsay, Jay Thomas, Pat Coil and Grant Geissman.

The ten tracks are eclectic, to say the least, from full blast ensembles which, at time, are reminiscent of the later Basie sound to Thad Jones/Mel Lewis to Latin and funk but always with Phil's distinctive take on how a modern band should sound.

So get on the net and order this gem by one of our own. ]]> RECORD REVIEWS clinthopson http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26531 Reuben Diez Will Perform Menial Tasks for Free http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26530&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:58:06 GMT Contact him. He'll clean your toilet and play a bulerias at the same time. Gratis. ]]> OTHER MUSIC Pete C http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26530 Musicians who should record (or should have recorded) together ... http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26529&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:29:48 GMT ... but never have (or never did).

Name any two (or more, if you want) musicians who never recorded together, whose collaboration would have been interesting to hear.

I limit it to "recorded" because there may be occasions where musicians played together live but have never recorded an album together. Such occasions are hard to identify (at least for me, living in the hinterlands as I do). I didn't want this to turn into a thread where someone says "X and Y," and someone else says, "That doesn't count! X and Y played together at the Village Vanguard on April 23rd, 1992!" It has to be an actual recording.

Your choices can be possible or impossible. For instance, if someone wishes they could have heard Bix Biederbecke with Hamid Drake, that's okay (but you might want to explain why).

So, I'll start with one I'd like to have heard: Thelonious Monk and Eric Dolphy. (At least, I don't think they ever recorded together - did they?)

Who would you like to hear? ]]> SPEAK OUT Alek Hidell http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26529 The WOW thread http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26528&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:50:14 GMT I'll start:

WOW. ]]> THE ALLEY rollhead http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26528 jazz.com dead?? http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26527&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:33:33 GMT i know ted gioa has left. no new content in a week. what have y'all heard?:confused::confused: ]]> SPEAK OUT gonzo http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26527 Ruben Diaz Cd “Andalusian Flavor” 2009 http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26526&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:58:54 GMT Hello Amigos: Here I send you the Theme of my new record: “Andalusian Flavor” 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kQiW7DoZI0 Here are 2 audio HQ tracks of my last album 2009, “Andalusian Flavor” ( takes 2 minutes to download ) http://www.rdiaz.org/recordsincanada.html Hello Amigos: Here I send you the Theme of my new record:
“Andalusian Flavor” 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kQiW7DoZI0

Here are 2 audio HQ tracks of my last album 2009,
“Andalusian Flavor” ( takes 2 minutes to download )

http://www.rdiaz.org/recordsincanada.html

the comments and critics about my Cd “Andalusian Flavor”
are here
http://www.rdiaz.org/rdbegining.html

and some pics...
http://www.rdiaz.org/rdfoto12.html

http://www.rdiaz.org/rdfoto11.html

Ruben Díaz: Flamenco Guitar & handclaps.

Bill McBirnie: Flute.
Lorne Lofsky: Electric guitar.
Juan Pablo Domínguez: Bass.
Bhadra Dasi: Cajón.
Luis Deniz: Alto sax.
Alexander Brown: Trumpet.
Chris Butcher: Trombone.
Greg Gebert: guitar


I hope you like it!

Ruben Diaz
http://www.rdiaz.org/rdfoto2.html ]]> OTHER MUSIC rubendiaz http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26526 CareFusion New York Jazz Festival Set for June 17 - 26, 2010 http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26525&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:00:04 GMT
CareFusion New York Jazz Festival
Covers the City June 17 – 26, 2010

George Wein’s New Festival Productions
Produces 10-day Festival Including Partnerships
with Some of New York’s Most Unique and Culturally Significant Venues

NEW YORK, NY, November 19, 2009 – After being without the annual jazz festival this past June for the first time in 37 years, jazz fans from around the world can celebrate the music at the CareFusion New York Jazz Festival June 17 – 26, 2010. George Wein, along with his New Festival Productions, LLC, again will produce a 10-day festival that will cover the city with concerts.

CareFusion Corporation is a global provider of products and services that measurably improve the productivity and safety of healthcare.

“When CareFusion came on board to sponsor the 2009 jazz festival in Newport, I called it a miracle. When they agreed to sponsor the 2010 festival in New York, it was a sign that the tradition we established in 1972 could continue,” said Mr. Wein.

“However, producing a major jazz festival in New York is always a challenge,” he added. “With outstanding music presented nightly in the clubs and concert halls, this city is a festival all year round. So, to give jazz fans the great festival they deserve, we’re keeping in mind lyrics by my friend Johnny Mercer, ‘Accentuate the Positive.’”

For the 2010 CareFusion New York Jazz Festival, Wein will “accentuate the positive” by producing concerts in partnership with some of the city’s most unique and culturally significant venues. The venues will include: Carnegie Hall, City Parks Foundation’s Central Park SummerStage, Crotona Park in the Bronx, City Winery, Harlem Stage Gatehouse, The Jazz Gallery, Jazz Standard, (Le) Poisson Rouge, Louis Armstrong House Museum, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Peter Norton Symphony Space, Prospect Park Bandshell: Celebrate Brooklyn, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Studio Museum in Harlem and The Town Hall.

New Festival Productions and its partners already have contracted a number of artists. Most shows at partner venues will be priced between $15 – 20, making it possible for more music lovers to participate in festival events.

“The Jazz Gallery, which features exceptional younger and emerging jazz artists, is both pleased and honored to have been chosen by George Wein to be part of the 2010 CareFusion New York Jazz Festival,” said Hank O'Neal, Chairman, The Jazz Gallery. “This recognition of The Jazz Gallery's core mission and the confidence George has shown in Rio Sakairi to program events here is especially gratifying. It also underscores the fact that George is always looking to the future, and in partnership with CareFusion, insures that important young jazz voices continue to be heard.”

The Jazz Gallery is located at 290 Hudson Street (between Spring & Dominick Streets). There will be two sets each evening at 9:00 pm and 10:30 pm. For more information on the venue’s events, visit www.jazzgallery.org.

Additional artists and venue information for the CareFusion New York Jazz Festival will be announced at a later date.

The 2009 CareFusion Jazz Festival Series included George Wein’s CareFusion Jazz Festival 55 in Newport, RI; Chicago Jazz Festival presented by CareFusion; CareFusion Presents Dizzy’s Den at the Monterey Jazz Festival; CareFusion Manly Jazz Festival (Australia); and CareFusion Paris Jazz Festival.

For additional information, please log on to www.nycjazzfestival.com or www.carefusionjazz.com.

# # #
]]> JAZZ NEWS McClairPR http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26525 Why Do We Hate? http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26524&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:57:54 GMT November 18, 2009 Why do we hate? Academics seek answer in new field By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press Writer Why did the Nazis hate the Jews? Why did the Hutus hate the Tutsis? Hate is everywhere, but the fundamental question of why one person can hate another has never been... November 18, 2009
Why do we hate? Academics seek answer in new field
By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press Writer

Why did the Nazis hate the Jews? Why did the Hutus hate the Tutsis?

Hate is everywhere, but the fundamental question of why one person can hate another has never been adequately studied, contends Jim Mohr of Gonzaga University, who is developing a new academic field of hate studies.

The goal is to explain a condition that has plagued humanity since one caveman looked askance at another.

"What makes hate tick?" Mohr, director of Gonzaga's Institute for Action Against Hate, wondered. "How can we stop it?"

Gonzaga founded the institute a decade ago after some black law students received threatening letters. It has since started a Journal of Hate Studies, hosted a conference and offered its first class on hatred last spring.

The hope is that other universities will follow suit, said Ken Stern of the American Jewish Committee in New York, who has been involved in the effort. "We wanted to approach hate more intelligently," he said.

Stern, who has spent 20 years battling anti-Semitism, said the need for hate studies became obvious when people started fighting groups like the Aryan Nations, which once flourished in this area. Opponents galvanized against the Aryans, but didn't really know how best to fight them, Stern said.

"We were flying by the seat of our pants," he said. "There was no testable theory."

There is not even a good definition of hate, Stern contends.

Philosophers have offered numerous definitions: Rene Descartes said hate was the urge to withdraw from something that is thought bad. Aristotle saw hate as the incurable desire to annihilate an object.

In psychology, Sigmund Freud defined hate as an ego state that wishes to destroy the source of its unhappiness.

Gonzaga, a Jesuit university best known for its basketball team, offered a class on the subject taught by five professors from different disciplines.

Student Kayla De Los Reyes was in that class, and said the information both horrified her and gave her hope.

"Hate is something that is part of the human emotional makeup," she said. "Everyone feels it at one point or another. You have to learn to control it."

The goal is to create an academic home where a variety of disciplines, including history, psychology, religious studies, anthropology and political science, can be brought together to focus on hate. It's the same sort of effort that led to the creation of disciplines like black studies or women's studies, Mohr said.

Such academic efforts are not without controversy. Some skeptics fear they are little more than attacks on the dominant power structure.

"This stuff tends to be one dimensional and presumes the guilt of an archetypal white male," said Glenn Ricketts, spokesman for the National Association of Scholars.

Indeed, De Los Reyes said one of the more interesting topics in the class involved white privilege. The most recent Journal of Hate Studies contained articles about oppression of gays, Nazi experiments on Jews, the local battle against Aryan Nations, and Muslim support for suicide bombings.

Heather Veeder, a graduate assistant for the institute, said the organization has an important mission.

"Hate thrives in areas not illuminated by education," she said.

But Stern said it is too easy to blame ignorance for hate. People can have plenty of knowledge about something and still hate it, he said. The problem is when one person or group can separate another person or group from their humanity, thinking of them as an "other," Stern said.

"We dehumanize them and justify violence against them," Stern said.

There is no simple answer to why people hate, Mohr said. Hate can be sparked by greed, or fear, or a tribe bonding together in opposition to another. People looking to belong will hate others to fit into a group, he said.

With all the political conflict in the United States, it can seem that hate is on the rise. Some people seem to hate President Obama. Some hate Muslims. Some hate homosexuals.

But Mohr said he wouldn't pursue a field of hate studies if he didn't think something positive could be achieved.

"We can change," Mohr said. "There has to be hope." ]]> tippy http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26524 Chicago Jazz Ensemble Presents Music of Miles, Coltrane and Ornette, December 10 http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26523&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:51:52 GMT *THE CHICAGO JAZZ ENSEMBLE*®, with *ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JON FADDIS*®, *CONTINUES THE 11th AMERICAN HERITAGE JAZZ SERIES with HONORING 1959: THE MUSIC OF JOHN COLTRANE, ORNETTE COLEMAN AND MILES DAVIS* featuring Special Guests *DAVID SANCHEZ* and *STEVE WILSON* at *HARRIS THEATER* on...
THE CHICAGO JAZZ ENSEMBLE®,
with ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JON FADDIS®,
CONTINUES THE 11th AMERICAN HERITAGE JAZZ SERIES with
HONORING 1959: THE MUSIC OF JOHN COLTRANE,
ORNETTE COLEMAN AND MILES DAVIS
featuring Special Guests DAVID SANCHEZ and STEVE WILSON
at HARRIS THEATER on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 7:30 pm

Pre-Show Conversation with Jon Faddis and Neil Tesser at 6:30 pm

The CJE Introduces Listening Sessions on Saturday, December 5, 4:00 pm
at the Jazz Showcase with Dana Hall, Peter Margasak and Leonard Brown

CHICAGO, IL, November 19, 2009 – 1959 was a very good year. Hear how good it was when The Chicago Jazz Ensemble (The CJE) with Artistic Director Jon Faddis presents Honoring 1959: The Music of John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and Miles Davis at Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 East Randolph on the southeast corner of Chicago’s Millennium Park, on Thursday, December 10, at 7:30 pm. The concert celebrates the 50th anniversary of Coltrane’s Giant Steps, Davis’ Kind of Blue and Coleman’s Shape of Jazz to Come with performances of the renowned music by The CJE with special guest saxophonists David Sanchez and Steve Wilson.

Concert attendees are invited to a free Pre-Show Conversation with Jazz Critic Neil Tesser and Jon Faddis in the Donor’s Room at Harris Theater at 6:30 pm.

In addition to the concert and pre-show conversation on December 10, don’t miss the kickoff of The CJE’s Listening Sessions program at the Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Ct. in the historic Dearborn Station building, on Saturday, December 5, from 4:00 – 6:00 pm. The CJE’s Music Director/Drummer Dana Hall will host the inaugural event, with Music Writer Peter Margasak and Ethnomusicologist/Musician Leonard Brown. Each participant will discuss the year 1959 from a unique context and play recordings that were produced in 1959 or were influenced by the 1959 records. The audience is invited to participate in the discussion and bring their favorite music from that momentous year. The event is co-produced by The Chicago Jazz Ensemble and the Center for Black Music Research, Columbia College Chicago. Students will be admitted for free; general public $5.00.

Born in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, David Sánchez is one of the finest, most progressive players on the contemporary scene, as more than a decade’s worth of bold, brilliant work has already proven. As noted critic Bob Blumenthal observed, he "has been nurturing his own distinct variety in recent years, one that draws heavily on…Miles Davis and John Coltrane and weaves rhythms in fluid strands.” In 2004, the recording “Coral” earned David his first Latin Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Album and his fifth Grammy Award nomination. This recording features orchestrations and arrangements by Carlos Franzetti with the City of Prague Philharmonic. After that, Sánchez concluded a seven-album relationship with Sony Music. Three years of intensive writing, performing and shopping around for a new musical home led him to sign with Concord Records, where his latest album, “Cultural Survival,” was released in May 2008. Sánchez began playing percussion and drums at age 8 before moving to tenor saxophone four years later. While a student at the prestigious La Escuela Libre de Música in San Juan, he also took up soprano and alto saxophones as well as flute and clarinet. In 1986, Sánchez enrolled at the Universidad de Puerto Rico but dreamed of New York. By 1988, he had auditioned for and won a music scholarship at Rutgers University in New Jersey. With such close proximity to New York City, Sánchez quickly became a sought-after member of the jazz scene and began performing with Eddie Palmieri, Hilton Ruiz, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Barron, Roy Haynes, Charlie Haden, Lalo Schifrin, Tom Harrell and Elvin Jones. Whether with giants of jazz and Latin music or under his own name, Sánchez has continued to tour extensively, bringing his mix of mainstream jazz with Afro-Latin influences to delighted audiences around the globe.

A musician's musician with seven recordings under his own name, Steve Wilson has brought his distinctive sound to more than 100 recordings led by Chick Corea, George Duke, Michael Brecker, Dave Holland, Dianne Reeves, Maria Schneider, Joe Henderson, Charlie Byrd, Billy Childs, Don Byron, Bill Stewart, James Williams and Mulgrew Miller, among many others. A native of Hampton, VA, Wilson began his formal training at age 12. Playing saxophone, oboe, and drums in school bands, he also played in various R&B and funk bands throughout his teens, and went on to a year-long stint with singer Stephanie Mills. He then decided to major in music at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, affording him opportunities to perform and/or study with Jimmy and Percy Heath, Jon Hendricks, Jaki Byard, John Hicks, Frank Foster and Ellis Marsalis. In 1987, he moved to New York and the following year toured the US and Europe with Lionel Hampton. He later became a first-call choice for veteran and emerging artists alike. In 1996, he joined the acclaimed Dave Holland Quintet, and from 1998-2001, he was a member of Origin, Chick Corea's Grammy-winning sextet. Wilson continues to tour with the Steve Wilson Quartet and Generations and performs with his long-time friend and colleague Lewis Nash, in the Lewis Nash/Steve Wilson Duo. He is also a touring member of the Grammy-winning Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, The Buster Williams Quartet and Mulgrew Miller's Wingspan. Always willing to share what he has learned, Wilson is on the faculty at The Manhattan School of Music, The Conservatory of Music at Purchase College-SUNY, and Columbia University; he was the Artist-in-Residence at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg (Canada) for the 2008/2009 school year.

The 11th American Heritage Jazz Series continues with The Great Summit: The Music of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington on Friday, January 15, 2010 at 7:30 pm at Harris Theater for Music and Dance. The CJE performs Ellington favorites from The CJE’s library and special Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra of New York arrangements of Armstrong classics, including “What A Wonderful World,” “Swing that Music,” and “Stardust.” The CJE’s founder, William Russo, had a special relationship with Ellington. Mr. Faddis, who performed with Ellington, is a Yale University Duke Ellington Fellow and has presented the Duke’s music around the world. This concert officially kicks off the third annual Louis Armstrong Legacy Program and Celebration (LALPC), The CJE’s educational initiative for students in Chicago Public Schools.

Join The Chicago Jazz Ensemble at Harris Theater for Music and Dance on Friday, March 5, 2010, at 7:30 pm for an exploration of Jazz: Past, Present and Future, the American premier of Jon Faddis’ “Teranga” compositions (from his critically-acclaimed album) arranged for big band by Michael Philip Mossman. The concert also features Slide Hampton’s “Africa” (music commissioned in 2004–2005 by The CJE for Mr. Faddis’ first season as Artistic Director) and arrangements by The CJE’s founder, William Russo. Special guests on “Teranga” and “Africa” include Alioune Faye on djembe and Baba Faye on sabar. Dana Hall, The CJE’s Music Director and drummer, also will be featured.

Get In the Mood for Moody and head to The Cindy Pritzker Auditorium at the Harold Washington Library Center on Friday, April 16, 2010, and The DuSable Museum of African American History on Saturday, April 17, 2010, both at 7:30 pm. NEA Jazz Master and Grammy-nominee James Moody brings his saxophone and songs, including his trademark “Moody’s Mood for Love,” for an exciting evening with The Chicago Jazz Ensemble and long-time friend Jon Faddis. In addition, The CJE will present original Dizzy Gillespie charts from Mr. Faddis’ own library and new arrangements of Mr. Moody’s classics commissioned by The CJE.

The Chicago Jazz Ensemble® is: JON FADDIS®, Artistic Director & trumpet; alto saxophones, DAN NICHOLSON and JARRARD HARRIS; tenor saxophones, PAT MALLINGER and ROB DENTY (also clarinet); baritone saxophone, TIM McNAMARA; trombones, AUDREY MORRISON, TIM COFFMAN, TRACY KIRK, and THOMAS MATTA; trumpets, MARK OLEN, LARRY BOWEN, ART HOYLE and PHAREZ WHITTED; piano, JEREMY KAHN; guitar, FRANK DAWSON; bass, DAN ANDERSON; Music Director & drums, DANA HALL; vocals, BOBBI WILSYN.

Tickets for The CJE at Harris Theater for Music and Dance, located at 205 East Randolph on the southeast corner of Chicago’s Millennium Park, are $15 - $45, with discounts for senior citizens, students and groups. Tickets can be purchased at (312) 334-7777 or www.harristheaterchicago.com.

The Cindy Pritzker Auditorium at the Harold Washington Library Center is located at 400 South State Street in downtown Chicago. Tickets are $25.00 and can be purchased online at www.ticketweb.com; for directions and other information, please visit www.chipublib.org.

The DuSable Museum of African American History is located at 740 East 56th Place in Hyde Park. Tickets are $25.00 and can be purchased online at www.ticketweb.com; for directions and other information, please visit www.dusablemuseum.org.

The CJE, in residence at Columbia College Chicago since 1965, is sponsored in part by Downbeat, Schilke Music Products, MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at Prince, Illinois Arts Council, The Chicago Community Trust, Polk Bros Foundation, Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, The Robert Pritzker Family Foundation and media sponsor WDCB/90.9 FM. Log on to www.chicagojazzensemble.com for more information on the 11th American Heritage Jazz Series or call (312) 369-6270.

For more information on Columbia College Chicago, visit www.colum.edu.

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]]> JAZZ NEWS McClairPR http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26523 Sould Ruben Diaz Be Banned? http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26522&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:11:28 GMT Weigh in here. Of course, sould should be should. Weigh in here.

Of course, sould should be should. ]]> OTHER MUSIC Pete C http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26522 The New #6 in The New Village http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26521&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:31:37 GMT I'm two-and-a-half episodes into it so far, and quite enjoying it. It is not be the unforgettable riveting experience that the original series was, the first time through, and I don't think it aspires to be that.

Major differences between the old and the new:

McGoohan was a spy, edgy, always ready; even when nothing made sense he behaved as though he knew what was going on. The New #6 is more of an ingenue, many unspoken WTFs, he appeals to others' humanity whereas McGoohan trusted nobody.

The New Village is more mainstream. The original Village was like Fellini meets Lewis Carroll, dwarves on unicycles, jarring visual dissonances to go with the logical ones. The new Village is more coherent, more of our time than out of time. You could have a Desperate Housewives of The New Village, but never of the original.

Of special note in this series is #2, Sir Ian McKellen, who is the equal of Leo McKern (the best of the original #2s). I haven't yet decided whether or not a consistently mean #2 is scarier than the unpredictability of never knowing who #2 will be, but McKellen's weird family holds the promise of dark secrets to come.

Anyway, so far I'm liking it, at least partly because it is not as dreadfully bad as I feared it might be, but also because I'm finding it be a very enjoyable entertainment. ]]> THE ALLEY Squaredancecalling Steve http://speakeasy.jazzcorner.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=26521