DVD of the Day - "Weather Report: Live in Cologne 1983"

DVD of the Day
Weather Report: "Live in Cologne 1983" (MegaVision)

Diana Krall: two gala concerts in Italy

Tonight, November 15, at the Sala Sinopoli @ the Auditorium Parco Della Musica, Diana Krall performs with her quartet as one of the main attractions of the 33th Roma Jazz Festival.

Buy Tickets

Tomorrow, she celebrates her birthday on stage, appearing at the Teatro Arcimboldi in Milan. Buy Tickets
Official press-release of the Festival:

Domenica 15/11/2009 Sala Sinopoli, ore 21 Acquista

Fondazione Musica per Roma presenta Diana Krall

Un evento di Roma Jazz Festival 2009

Biglietti: Platea: 90.00 euro Galleria da 50 a 75 euro Biglietteria 892982 (Clicca e visualizza i costi del servizio)

Riduzioni: Parco della Musica Card, giovani fino a 26 anni, over 60 anni, American Express, Feltrinelli, Carta Per Due, Interclub, ACI, Bibliocard, Carta Giovani e cral convenzionati

Diana Krall piano, voce
Anthony Wilson chitarra
Robert Hurst contrabbasso
Karriem Riggins batteria

Per il Roma Jazz Festival arriva la cantante e pianista jazz canadese Diana Krall, fiore all’occhiello della produzione discografica recente della storica etichetta Verve, che presenterà dal vivo i brani contenuti nel suo dodicesimo album “Quiet Nights”. Anche in questo caso, attraverso le sue nuove interpretazioni di classici della musica brasiliana, Diana Krall saprà creare un’atmosfera intima unica e coinvolgente. In scaletta “Quiet Nights”, versione inglese dell’intramontabile classico della bossa nova “Corcovado” di Antonio Carlos Jobim dal quale l’album prende il nome, una versione profondamente soul di “You’re My Thrill“, una nuova appassionante versione di “Este Seu Olhar” di Jobim, e ancora di classici come “The Boy From Ipanema”, “Where Or When”, “Too Marvelous For Words”, “So Nice”. Figlia d’arte, Diana Jean Krall è nata nel 1964 a Nanaimo, nella Columbia Britannica. Ha frequentato il Berklee College of Music di Boston, poi l’ambiente musicale di Los Angeles e New York. Il suo debutto discografico risale al 1993 con “Stepping Out”. Al terzo album, “All For You” (A tribute to the Nat King Cole trio), arrivano la nomination per il Grammy Award e i primi posti nelle classifiche jazzistiche. Nel dicembre 2003 sposa Elvis Costello, sotto la cui influenza inizia a comporre propri pezzi. Il primo album di inediti fu “The Girl in the Other Room” del 2004: è il disco di “Temptation”, intrigante rilettura in chiave jazzistica di un pezzo di Tom Waits.
Queste le opere successive: “Christmas Songs” (2005), “From This Moment On” (2006), “The Very Best of Diana Krall” (2007), “Quiet Nights” (2009).

CD of the Day - "Seawind: Reunion"

CD of the Day
Seawind: "Reunion" (Seawind Jazz) 2009

The USA CD release of Seawind's first album in 29 years!

Previously released only in Japan last April, on Blue-Spec CD format exclusively.

This domestic printing comes with a new track-sequence ("Kept By Your Power" now is the opener), a new mixing (by Steve Sykes) and a new mastering by Doug Sax.

Beautiful new songs ("Wayne," "Liquid Spies") and great new versions of two tunes from their debut album for CTI in 1976: "Devil Is A Liar" and the dancefloor bossa-jazz hit "He Loves You," with Al Jarreau doing a superb scat solo. Lead vocalist Pauline Wilson is singing better than ever.

Produced by Larry Wiliams & Bob Wilson. Featuring: Bob Wilson (drums & primary writer), Pauline Wilson (vocals), Larry Williams (keyboards, sax & flutes), Ken Wild (acoustic & electric basses), Bud Nuanez (acoustic & electric guitars), Kim Hutchcroft (saxes & flutes) & Larry Hall (trumpet & flugelhorn).

Special guests: Al Jarreau (vocal solo on "He Loves You"), Gary Grant (trumpet & flugelhorn), Bill Reichenbach (trombone), Michito Sanchez (percussion) & Joe Turano (backing vocals).

Booklet Design, Photos & Digital Imaging by Mr. Blue Johnson, Seawind's dedicated manager.

"Around The World" @ JET, Nov 16

Don't miss the "Around The World" party @ JET Mirage Nightclub, this next Monday, November 16th, at The Mirage Hotel & Casino (3400 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109, Ph: 702 -791-7111), from 10pm to 4am. Grand prize credited to House of Travel to the girl with the most stamps on their passport. It will be hot night!

John Richmond's Quartet at Gillespie Auditorium, Nov. 17

Join saxophonist John Richmond with his Quartet featuring Bob DeVos on guitar, Bill Moring on bass, and Paul Wells on drums this coming Tuesday evening, November 17 at Jazz Tuesdays in the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium in the New York City Baha'i Center at 53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway). There will be 2 shows: 8:00 and 9:30 p.m.
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Tenor/soprano saxophonist John Richmond

Jazz writers and musicians have described his tenor saxophone sound as “muscular and commanding” and his style as "fluid, solid, individual, quite varied", and he "plays with harmonic intelligence." John Richmond's live engagements and recording sessions have included work with many of the top jazz musicians of our time.

Born and raised in the New York City area, his musical studies began at age nine with clarinet. He graduated from the Manhattan School of Music with a Bachelor of Music in saxophone where his principal teacher was Joe Allard.

His musical inspirations include Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Dexter Gordon, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Lester Young, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Jimi Hendrix among many others.

Over the years, he has led groups/ performed in numerous NYC/NJ area venues including Sweet Rhythm, the Blue Note, Cecil's Jazz Club, Trumpet’s, Seventh Avenue South, Roulette and Carnegie/Weill Recital Hall and he runs an ongoing Jazz series at the Turning Point Cafe in Piermont, NY. He has performed at venues all over Europe including the Umbria Jazz and San Remo Jazz Festivals.

For a period in his earlier life John was involved in boxing, and he made reference to this in his early recording called "Round Once" which was one of the very first releases on the Consolidated Artists label. It featured Mike Longo, Buster Williams and Al Harewood, received favorable critical reviews and radio air play and was a "feature pick" of Cash Box magazine. Among his recording credits, he has appeared on two CDs by bassist Ray Drummond.

His CD "Live at Cecil's" was recorded in January 2007 and he is presently preparing a CD studio recording session of originals and standards.

More info:
www.johnrichmondjazz.com
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Guitarist Bob DeVos

With long, blues-drenched lines; a warm, fat sound; and a horn-like, melodic approach, Bob has a strong following for his innovative work with a who’s who of jazz legends both in and outside of the Hammond B3 organ genre, including Richard “Groove” Holmes-Sonny Stitt, Jimmy McGriff-Hank Crawford, and The Charles Earland Band. With his signature mix of groove and sophistication, Bob is critically hailed as “a brilliant knowing bebop player, a master with a sound to die for--rich, full, deep, positive, round and warm” and a “guitar powerhouse.”

His recent release “Playing for Keeps” and his previous hit CD, “Shifting Sands” were in the top ten nationwide jazz radio airplay.

www.bobdevosjazzguitar.com
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Bassist Bill Moring

A veteran of the New York City jazz scene for 25 years, bassist Bill Moring has established a reputation as one of the city's most in demand players. The versatile musician has proven himself equally adept at anchoring the big bands of legends Count Basie and Woody Herman, jammin' jazz/funk and beyond with the Dave Stryker/Steve Slagle quartet or stretching harmonic and rhythmic boundaries with John Hart and Chris Potter. His recent CD “Spaces In Time” has met great critical success.

www.billmoring.com
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Drummer Paul Wells

Has performed and recorded internationally with a huge and diverse selection of artists including Debbie Harry, Joe Williams, The Duke Ellington Legacy, Mark Murphy, Norman Simmons, Houston Person, David Leonhardt, Randy Brecker, Joel Frahm, Rufus Reid, Rick Margitza, Dave Valentin. Paul is a contributing writer for Modern Drummer magazine.

http://www.paulwells.info
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Admission is 15.00, $10.00 for students.
Tickets will be sold at the door, or call 212-222-5159 for reservations and information.
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Jazz Tuesdays
in the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium
The New York Baha'i Center
53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway)

Joey DeFrancesco returns to Steamers, Nov 20-21

THIS FRI-SAT NOV 20-21, 8:30P-1A,
CALL 714-871-8800 TO RSVP!
THE JOEY DEFRANCESCO TRIO
WITH SPECIAL GUEST COLLEEN MCNABB

Steamers Jazz Club and Cafe
138 W. Commonwealth Ave
Fullerton, CA 92832
714-871-8800

Joey DeFrancesco has come a long way from "All of Me," his recording debut as a leader made in 1989 as a fresh-faced 17-year-old. From the get-go, the Philadelphia native established his credentials with virtuoso technique and an innate soulfulness that he brought to bear on the hulking Hammond B-3 organ which belied his young age but spoke of his deep Philly roots under the tutelage of his father, Papa John DeFrancesco, a B-3 burner in his own right. Through the 1990s, Joey was widely recognized as spearheading a renewed interested in the Hammond organ, an instrument that had fallen out of favor among musicians and the public since its golden period during the 1960s and early 70s.

Joey dazzling facility was once described as by guitar great Pat Martino, himself a veteran of many classic B-3 sessions. Combining monstrous chops with a flair for showmanship and an unquenchable urge to burn, DeFrancesco almost single-handedly put the Beast back in the public eye. As the late critic Leonard Feather wrote in the liner notes to his 1994 recording, "All About My Girl": "No less significant in the story of Joey's ascendancy is the ability he has shown to create excitement. The tension he is capable of building brings back to mind a tradition that began some 50 years ago, when Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts began stirring up audiences around the country. Listen to a "Donna Lee" and other cuts on this CD and you can hardly fail to be moved by the emotion Joey and his colleagues generate."

Today DeFrancesco is regarded by organ aficionados as the baddest B-3 burner in the business (a claim supported by consecutive DownBeat Critics and Readres Poll awards.) And while Joey has never made any boastful claims about his own ranking among the organ elite on the contrary, he has always respectfully deferred to his B-3 elders, the fact is, no organist today plays with the skill, harmonic depth, and authority of this phenomenon from Philly. With over 20 solo releases and historic associations with legends such as Miles Davis, Jimmy Smith, Bobby Hutcherson, Elvin Jones and John McLaughlin, DeFrancesco's place in the idiom's history is cemented.

In addition, Joey has become an owner in a new company, Diversi Organ. Diversi Organ manufactures a new drawbar organ, here in the United States near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Joey was so impressed with the sound produced by their cloning technology that he asked if he could "buy into" the company. This is truly historic as never before has any organist, of his stature, ever owned or been a partner in a company!

Now he is back @ Steamers with his wife, singer Colleen McNabb, as special guest.
CALL 714-871-8800 TO RSVP - THE BANDS PLAY UNTIL 12:30A!

Casting: Pregnant Couples

NOW CASTING AMAZING PREGNANT COUPLES (EARN $$$$)

IS THIS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY?

WE ARE SEARCHING FOR WOMEN WHO AREN’T SURE IF THE DAD TO BE IS PREPARED FOR FATHERHOOD OR HE IS JUST NOT STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE.

Are you and your boyfriend/husband having relationship issues? Do you want to find out if he is cut out to be a good Dad? Has this pregnancy added stress to your relationship?
We are looking for married and unmarried, pregnant women, 18+, who want to prepare the father to be for what’s to come!
Because you are never ready to become a parent, this therapeutic docu-style show will prepare Dads-to-be for their first-born child and help with relationship issues.

ALL SELECTED PARTICIPANTS WILL BE COMPENSATED!

If you are pregnant, and any of these scenarios are familiar to you, then email us your first name, contact phone number/email and a brief paragraph about your relationship status and how far along in your pregnancy you believe you are.

Email: lindsaycasting@gmail.com

Minika Herzig on Tour; Japan & more

Pianist Monika Herzig Tour Dates:

Friday, November 20, New Combo, Fukuoka, 8pm
http://www.f2.dion.ne.jp/~combo/

Saturday, November 21, House Concert hosted by Allan Sutherland, Kumamoto
http://www.kyushu-ns.ac.jp/~allan/concerts/20091121-01.html

Sunday, November 22, Lileth, Kagoshima
http://music.geocities.jp/lileth_jazz/top_ja.html

Monday, November 23, 3pm,"A Classical Music, Jazz and Wine from the Earth"
The Sawai Family "Space Amati" (Kyotanabe-shi, Kyoto)
Admission(Wine tasting)
http://www.amati.jp/sawaike/sawaike.html

Tuesday, November 24, MacArthurs Garage, Atsugi, 8pm
http://www.macarthurgarage.com/index.php

Wednesday, November 25th visit jam session at ko-ko in shibuya.
http://www3.point.ne.jp/~ko-ko/

Friday, November 27, Diglight, Tokyo, 8pm
http://www.diglight.co.jp/

Saturday, December 5, Conrad Hotel, Indianapolis
National CD release of Peace on Earth with fundraiser for musician John Anderson with Monika Herzig and many friends sponsored by Take Note

Friday, December 11, Kaleidoscope of Lights fundraiser for BAAC and JfB
Monika Herzig and Friends featuring music from Peace on Earth and more
John Waldron Arts Center Auditorium, corner of 4th and Walnut, Bloomington

Saturday, December 12, Jazz Avenue Christmas Special at Unitarian Universalist Church in Columbus hosted by Robert Hay-Smith with special guests Monika Herzig, Trumpet Fore, 25th St Singers, and many other performers
http://uucolumbusin.org/

Tuesday, December 15, CD Release concert with Monika Herzig, Frank Smith, and Kenny Phelps, featuring Sandy Susikind
Blue Wisp, Cinicnnati
http://www.thebluewisp.com/

Thursday, December 31, KRC Catering, Bloomington, 7.30pm
Celebrate New Year's Eve with the Monika Herzig Trio featuring Janiece Jaffe
Package deals for multi course dinner, free champagne, rooms at Courtyard Inn

Friday, January 29, Stables Studios, Spencer
Live video taping for DVD Documentary "Come With Me"?

Sunday, February 21, Monroe County Public Library Auditorium
Janiece Jaffe and Monika Herzig for Arts Week

April 12 through May 17, Mondays 6-10pm, Senior Center/ Chatterbox
An Introduction to Jazz History and the Indianapolis Jazz Scene
To sign up go to https://www.cln.iupui.edu/apps/catalog/index.asp?site=IUPUI and click on Personal Interests

May 13 through 16, 2010, featured guest performer for Jazz on the Lake
Clarksville, VA

May 23, 2010, 2pm, Monika Herzig Acoustic Project
Artsgarden, Indianapolis

June 11, 2010, Monika Herzig Quartet with Peter Kienle, Peter Lehel, Markus Faller
Schloss Lautlingen, Germany

June 18, 2010, Monika Herzig Quartet
Bechsteinzentrum Tuebingen, Germany

June 19, 2010, Monika Herzig Quartet, Karlsruhe

August 5, 2010, Monika Herzig and Peter Kienle
Brookfield Jazz Society

August 7, 2010, Monika Herzig Trio
Madison, WI - Magnus

DVD of the Day - "Miles Davis: Tanglewood Wizard"

DVD of the Day
Miles Davis: "Tanglewood Wizard" (MegaVision)

Filmed live @ Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood, Massachusetts, on August 18, 1970.
Featuring: Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Airto & Gary Bartz.
Includes "Directions," "Bitches Brew," "Sanctuary," "It's About That Time," "The Mask," "Sanctuary" and "Miles Run The Voodoo Down."

CD of the Day - "Michael Brecker: Milano 1988"

CD of the Day
Michael Brecker: "Milano 1998" (Rainbow Seeker)

Digially remastered 2008 version of a concert @ Teatro Orfeo, in Milan, Italy, on April 12, 1998.
This 2-CD set features drums legend Steve Gadd (drums), Motema recording artist Charnett Moffett (bass) and Mick Goodrick (guitar), including such tunes as "Supone," "Che or So", "Net Man," "Nothing Personal," "The Dance" and Bob Dylan's "Watchin' The River Flow," previously covered by The Gadd Gang. Unbelievable.

"An Evening with Rickie Lee Jones" in December

An Evening with Rickie Lee Jones
Sunday, December 6
Berklee Performance Center, 7:00 pm
Tix On Sale!

HT Productions announces “An Evening With Rickie Lee Jones” Sunday, December 6 at 7:00 P.M. at Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston. Tickets at $50 [golden circle], $38 and $33 [including Berklee Performance Center $1.00 restoration fee] go on sale November 3 at the Berklee Performance Center box office, at www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 800-745-3000. For more information, call: 617-747-2261. Berklee Performance Center is wheelchair accessible.

2009 marks the 30th anniversary of the dawn of Jones' storied recording career, which exploded in 1979 with her self-titled debut album and its top 10 hit, “Chuck E.'s in Love.” Jones had an immediate impact on pop culture, enjoying the massive buzz of an indelible SNL appearance and an instantaneous Rolling Stone cover, all while winning a Grammy® for Best New Artist. Three decades' worth of acclaimed creative detours have ensued with both her singing and writing “voice” remaining, despite her pervasive and incalculable influence on two or three entire generations of singer/songwriters, among the most distinctive and instantly recognizable in music.

November 3, 2009 is also the release date of Jones’ newest CD: "Balm in Gilead," a collection of emotionally powerful, texturally rich and endearing songs, many of which have been 'incubating' with Jones over the last several decades.

"This record is unique because most of it was written over the last 20 years," she says. "All the other records, I've written in a year or two or three after finishing the previous one. This one has threads from many, many years. Some were just written recently, most were finished recently but started a long time ago. 'Wild girl', for example, which ended up being about my daughter, was started before Flying Cowboys, and it was waiting all these years to finish. For me, the album feels close to a debut, because the only time you ever have to spend all these years writing a song is your first record, right?"

"Balm in Gilead's" songs flow easily through its roots and soul fabric; it reflects the lifetime work of a woman, whose very name is a genre. She's joined on the record by Ben Harper, Jon Brion, Vic Chesnutt, Bill Frisell, Victoria Williams and Alison Krauss among other highly talented friends.

While speaking with her friend David Tibet (Television) the two were waxing on the healing properties of the journey of music that she was finishing up. “It is like a balm,” she said, "even when the songs go to the darkest places. The feeling is: if there is a sun, I will watch it rise.” The inherent sorrow that leads to courage is left unspoken. The record is upbeat; the songs are accessible in a way Jones' recent work may not have been to everyone. While certainly each record is very different from the one before, they all share a raw emotion and powerful vocal identity. Jones' voice is better than it has been, maybe than it has ever been.

Jones intricately weaves a thread of disarming vulnerability through "Balm in Gilead"'s exquisite story-songs. The album's charms include the R&B flavored opener “Wild girl” which harkens back to the old Rickie Lee, with a mother's love--older and wiser, "The Gospel of Carlos, Norman and Smith (lololo)" which artfully widens the lens on society's racial injustice and its bottomless human ramifications; “Old Enough” (a duet with Ben Harper) is also classic Rickie Lee Jones, with its irresistible punchy horns that somehow miraculously transform pain to joy and the stunning “The Moon Is Made of Gold,” a star-dusted acoustic jazz gem, written by her father decades ago. The tune, with its gorgeously simple lyric and magical melody will be undoubtedly be covered and sung a hundred years from now. Other highlights include the emotionally raw and heartbreaking "Bonfires," the gorgeous ambient “His Jeweled Floor” on which she plays all the instruments except bass and accordion and the wild-dog howl of “Blue Ghazel.”

Single of the Day - "Jazzanova: I Can See"

Single of the Day (7" Vinyl)
Jazzanova feat. Ben Westbeech: "I Can See" (Verve) 2009

DJ Ozhee Birthday Bash @ Penthouse 808, tonight

DJ Ohzee @ Penthouse 808
DJ Ozhee Birthday Bash!!!
November 14, 2009, at 9pm

The Ravel Hotel
8-08 Queens Plaza South & Corner of Vernon Blvd
Long Island City, NY
*********
ILoveHouseMusicNYC.com presents Penthouse 808 @ Ravel Hotel w/ DJ Mike Direkt & DJ Ohzee!

Join us Sat. Nov. 14th for another FREE party, at one of the most amazing venues ever to hit L.I.C area. With amazing breathtaking views of Manhattan and the best house DJs NYC has to offer, this is your new spot for Saturday nights.

Tables 4-8 people $500 minimum (5 avail.)
Cabanas 8-15 people $1000 minimum (4 Avail)
(will receive VIP Card with Purchase of Cabana)

Contact Info:
poppa_pri@ilovehousemusicnyc.com
917.693.0495

jewels@ilovehousemusicnyc.com
646.236.9090

Diana Krall's "Quiet Nights" review

Diana Krall performed yesterday at the Cibona Hall in Zagreb, Croatia, promoting her recent releases "Quiet Nights" (Verve) and "Live in Rio" (Eagle/ST2).

http://www.croatiantimes.com/news/Panorama/2009-11-12/7148/Diana_Krall_to_sing_in_Zagreb

Here's a 4-star review published in the Kulturna mag about "Quiet Nights":

R.I.P.: Dick Katz

(Joe Newman, Dick Katz, Teddy Reig & Count Basie)

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/arts/music/13katz.html?ref=music

Dick Katz, 85, Jazzman of Many Gifts Over 6 Decades, Is Dead
by Ben Ratliff
New York Times, November 13, 2009

Dick Katz, a pianist, record producer, educator and writer whose knowledge of jazz from the stride-piano era to 1960s modernism made him a valuable presence on New York's jazz scene for six decades, died on Tuesday in Manhattan. He was 85.

The cause was lung cancer, said his son Jamie.

Mr. Katz's piano idols were soloist royalty: Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum, Fats Waller. But he was a more reserved musician, finding his place somewhere between accompanist, arranger and subtle improviser.

One of his breakthrough moments was his role as pianist on the saxophonist and composer Benny Carter's 1961 album "Further Definitions," meshing with a first-class multigenerational crew including swing-era veterans and younger musicians. Another was his 1965 collaboration with the singer Helen Merrill, "The Feeling Is Mutual," an arty, cooled-out album of jazz standards of which he was co-leader, arranger and producer.

Richard Aaron Katz, born in Baltimore on March 13, 1924, was already playing in local clubs there as a teenager before he left for the University of North Carolina to study music. He joined the Navy in 1942 and fought in the battle of Saipan; in 1946 he became a professional musician in New York.

While working for his father's advertising agency, he studied at the Manhattan School of Music, where John Lewis, later of the Modern Jazz Quartet, was a fellow student. In 1950 he took private lessons with Wilson. By the early 1950s he was performing regularly with the clarinetist Tony Scott's group at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem and making a string of records with Mr. Scott, including "Music After Midnight" and "Jazz for G.I.'s."

For several years in the mid-'50s, Mr. Katz played in the house rhythm section at the Cafe Bohemia in the West Village with the bassist Oscar Pettiford and the drummer Kenny Clarke, backing Miles Davis, among others. He also toured with the popular twin-trombone band led by J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding and played with the trumpeter Kenny Dorham's Jazz Prophets.

His old friend Lewis helped Mr. Katz secure a record deal with Atlantic in 1958, which resulted in the album "Piano and Pen." Through the '50s and '60s he appeared frequently as a sideman, on records by the vocalist Carmen McRae, the saxophonist Sonny Rollins and others. Starting in the late '60s, two of his most frequent collaborators were the trumpeter Roy Eldridge and the saxophonist Lee Konitz -- brilliant players on opposite chronological sides of bebop, jazz's great stylistic divide.

In 1966 Mr. Katz and the veteran record producer Orrin Keepnews founded the jazz label Milestone. Staying with the company until the early '70s, he produced records by Mr. Konitz and others, as well as "Alone Together," a highly regarded duet album by the guitarist Jim Hall and the bassist Ron Carter.

Beginning in the middle '80s Mr. Katz worked with the American Jazz Orchestra, a repertory ensemble directed by Lewis, and the saxophonist Loren Schoenberg's big band. From the '80s onward he taught at the New School, the Manhattan School of Music and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Mr. Katz was also among a select group of jazz musicians who wrote well about their art. His astute essays about Davis and Tatum in The Jazz Review, published in 1959 and 1960, led to other writings, for books and album liner notes. He received Grammy Award nominations for the notes he wrote for "Jazz Piano: A Smithsonian Collection" (1990) and "The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio" (1993).

Mr. Katz's first marriage, to the former Edith Shapiro, ended in divorce. He is survived by his wife, the former Joan Seifer, as well as four sons -- Jamie and Frank, of Manhattan; Jeffrey, of Washington; and Ivan, of Brooklyn -- and two grandchildren.

Jazz historian Marc Myers published, some months ago, an excellent interview with Katz:
http://www.jazzwax.com/2009/07/interview-dick-katz.html

DJ Tatiana Fontes: Happy B-Day Party @ Playhouse, tomorrow

LA-based Brazilian DJ Tatiana Fontes will be celebrating her Birthday tomorrow, November 13. behind the decks at Playhouse (6506 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA).

Casting for identical twins

AC Talent Agency is looking for identical twins both male and female for the CES show in Las Vegas Jan 7-10th

Rates and details will be discussed. Travel will be considered for out of state talent.

Please email pictures and contact info to: Info@ACtalentagency.com

Mamma Freedom's new single available for free download

Mamma Freedom, In Touch Records and The CMI Music Group LLP are proud to announce the release of the band's debut single. "Being Good Earns You Nothing" will be available through iTunes, Amazon and usual outlets from December 7th 2009. For more details, go to www.mammafreedom.com.
A video will also be released for the song and the band will be touring the UK fully in 2010.

To coincide with the single’s release, Mamma Freedom has recorded a version of Blackstreet’s 'No Diggity' as the B-side, which the band are offering as a FREE download from Last FM. For a full wav download email mammafreedom@myspace.com

Check out the video of the recording at:
www.youtube.com/mammafreedomvideos

Ramana Vieira live in San Francisco next month

Portuguese Fado sensation Ramana Vieira has a concert coming up at San Francisco's own North Beach night spot the famous Peña Pachamama, next December 20, at 7pm, to promote her latest CD, "Tears of a Queen."
1630 Powell Street S.F. Ca.
Phone: 415-751-6090
Tickets: 18.00 pre-paid
20.00 door
www.pachamamacenter.org

Spititual Events in LA this next week

See FREE calendar listing for details http://www.facebook.com/l/9bdad;www.SpiritualEventsLA.com
__________________________________________________________
S.F.V./GLENDALE/BURBANK
http://www.facebook.com/l/9bdad;https://www.spiritualeventsla.com/Glendale_Burbank.html

* Channeled Guidance and Teaching Circle with Allen Page and Djwhal Kuhl
* Healing with Art & Reiki
* Come Home for the Holidays
* Introduction to the Mandala
* Fun with Yoga: Children's Workshop with Tracy Korf
* Living (Raw) Food Preparation: Decadent Desserts with Kory Seaton
* Energy Healing Circle: Physical and Emotional Healing with Marina Goncharova
* New Moon Dumming & Manifestation Ceremony with Aimee Shea
* Awakening the Fire Within: The Alchemical Transformation of the New Earth with Indigo Rising Staff
* Loves to Dance! Meditation & Dancing
_________________________________________________________
HOLLYWOOD
http://www.facebook.com/l/9bdad;https://www.spiritualeventsla.com/Hollywood.html

* Group Past Life Regression and Book Signing
* Spiritual Healing Session
_________________________________________________________
LOS ANGELES
http://www.facebook.com/l/9bdad;https://www.spiritualeventsla.com/Los_Angeles.html

* Casual gathering Yogi Lunch
* Victorian Glass Seance
* Kundalini Yoga class Adi Shakti Power: Sexuality And Creativity
* Heroes of Humanity awards
* The Wisdom of True Forgiveness
* REACHING YOUR GOALS BY USING YOUR PSYCHIC GIFTS
* ALIENEVENT, NEW HOPE FOR HUMANITY GROUP
* New Moon Crystal Cleansing
* Qigong with Dao Yin and Taoist Stretching : 3 Levels per this 15 Week Series
* Qigong with Dao Yin and Taoist Stretching : 3 Levels per this 15 Week Series
* Face Reading
* Ananda Meditation
* R.I.S.E. Energetic Movement Yoga Therapy
* Yogi Lunch
* Angel Connecting & Healing Circle
* Belly Dance Returns
__________________________________________________________
PASADENA
http://www.facebook.com/l/9bdad;https://www.spiritualeventsla.com/Pasadena.html

* Spirits to the Rescue
* Color Therapy Workshop
* Byron Katie - Inquiry Circle
* Ethics for Psychics
* Creative Writing Workshop
* Spiritual Abilities 101
__________________________________________________________
ORANGE COUNTY
http://www.facebook.com/l/9bdad;https://www.spiritualeventsla.com/Orange_County.html

* Spiritual Life Skills: Becoming Truly Empowered
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OUTSIDE LA
http://www.facebook.com/l/9bdad;https://www.spiritualeventsla.com/Outside_LA.html

* Book Signing and talk with Dai Léon "Origins of the Tarot: Cosmic Evolution and the Principles of Immortality"
* Rob Jacobs Devotional Singing of Chants and Indian Bhajans
* "Prosperity Circle" Workshop w/ Christiane Schull
* Discussion and Book Signing w/ Susan Wisehart “Soul Visioning: Clear the Past, Create Your Future” & “Memories of the Afterlife”
* "Yoga & the Writing Muse" Workshop w/ Bea Ammidown
* An Enchanted Evening with Master Channel and Psychic Medium Riz Mirza
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Follow us for daily updates on Twitter:
http://www.facebook.com/l/9bdad;www.Twitter.com/SpiritEventsLA
Thanks to my friend Lisa Beachy for these listings.

"Fashion Show" by Warning Shop, tomorrow @ Bypass

Bypass Genève 2009
Carrefour de l’Etoile 1,
1227 Les Acacias Genève *** 0022 300 6565

Gail Pettis' new CD ready for release in January

"Here in the Moment," the assured new Origin/OA2 CD by Seattle jazz vocalist Gail Pettis, is only the second recording in a professional career that began in 2002. But Pettis has quickly worked to establish herself in a crowded field as a consummate stylist who sounds like no one but herself.

After spending nearly two decades as a successful orthodontist, Pettis turned to music in midlife and was soon attracting the cream of Seattle's jazz instrumentalists, who've backed her on her recordings and her gigs in Seattle and abroad. Named 2007 Northwest Vocalist of the Year by Earshot Jazz Society, Pettis debuted on record two years ago with the well-received "May I Come In?" (Origin/OA2). Cadence magazine called the CD "deliciously soulful," while critic Doug Ramsey praised her "warmth and intelligent interpretation. . . She is a standout."

On the new CD, which will be released on January 12 and was produced by Pettis, the singer mixed staples of her repertoire ("The Very Thought of You," "Night and Day") with others, such as "In the Still of the Night" and "I Could Have Danced All Night," that she had seldom sung prior to the recording. "It was interesting to look for a balance between familiarity and freshness," she says. Her accompanists on the disc are also her frequent collaborators on the stage: the pianists Darin Clendenin and Randy Halberstadt, bassists Clipper Anderson and Jeff Johnson, and drummer Mark Ivester.

"What makes Gail's musical overview so special is her remarkable combination of a sumptuous sound, a storyteller's capacity to find the deepest layers in the lyrics of a song, and an irresistible rhythmic lift in her phrasing," observes CD annotator Don Heckman. "Add to that her gift for melodic paraphrasing, and a selective ear for finding a new way to sing old songs, and the results completely fulfill the definition of the word 'unique.'"

Born in Kentucky in 1958 and raised in Gary, Indiana, Pettis comes from a family of medical professionals -- her father was an anesthesiologist, her mother a pediatric nurse, and several close relatives were dentists. As a result she followed the family trade, graduating from the Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry in Nashville and an orthodontic residency program at Harvard University. Pettis moved to Seattle in 1996 and opened a private practice. She also became an avid participant in West Coast Swing dance events in Washington and Oregon.

Although Pettis had been very involved with music as a child and through her teens -- as a singer in church and school ensembles and as a French horn player in her high school band -- it wasn't until years later that she became aware of a musical branch of the family tree. Her grandfather Arthur Pettis was a blues singer and guitarist who recorded for Victor Records in Memphis in 1928 and for Brunswick in Chicago in 1930. Her grandmother, Ninevah Pettis, played piano around Chicago.

When a 2001 knee injury ended Pettis's dancing aspirations, she started looking for another creative outlet and eventually found her way to a jazz workshop at MusicWorks Northwest. Her instructor, saxophonist Darren Motamedy, was more than encouraging: he invited her to participate in jam sessions with his band. Later, Pettis continued her jazz studies with Dee Daniels and Greta Matassa. From there, she has constructed a flourishing career as a singer and performer known for infusing her delivery with emotion and honesty.

"Often, what I do seems to stem more from emotion than from technique," says Gail, "because I find music to be a safe place for vulnerability. The simple fact that there is freedom to be completely in the moment influences my singing more than anything else."

Diana Krall in Basel and Bratislava

(pic from Diana Krall's sold-out concert at the Avo Session in Basel, Switzerland, yesterday)
(Arnaldo DeSouteiro, with the boarding pass, waiting for his flight to Basel)

DK's next concert will happen tomorrow at the NTC Sibamac Arena in Bratislava, the capital of the Slovak Republic, where she will be performing for the first time ever! So, she's very excited about it. November 12, at 8pm. Tix prices from € 159,00 to 179,00.

To order tickets online:

http://www.worldticketshop.com/concerts/diana_krall_tickets/52122_diana_krall_bratislava?network=cleafs


More pics from the wondrous Basel concert, by Dominik Plüss:

Curtis Stigers - BBC celebrates Johnny Mercer

Hi all Curtis Stigers-fans. Just thought you wanna know. Friday night you have the opportunity to experience Curtis as a host when BBC celebrates Johnny Mercer. Check it out !http://www.facebook.com/l/95f05;www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/johnny-mercer/"

Anat Cohen's upcoming concerts

Here's a list of upcoming shows by clarinet virtuoso and sax master (and jazz beauty) Anat Cohen. Back from another successful European tour, she will be performing (in different contexts & formats) in Chicago, Denver, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, NYC & Boston!

November 13th in Chicago, IL
With George Wein and the Newport All Stars
Jazz at Symphony Center
With:
Lew Tabackin, tenor saxophone
Randy Sandke, trumpet
Howard Alden, guitar
Dick Hyman, piano
Bucky Pizzarelli, guitar
Winard Harper on Drums
Anat Cohen, clarinet
George Wein, piano
Venue: Symphony Center
Show Time: 8 pm
Address: Symphony Center is located at 220 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60604
For info please call (312) 294-3000

November 14th in Denver, CO
Anat Cohen Quartet
With:
Frank Kimbrough on piano
Vicente Archer on Bass
Daniel Freedman on Drums
Venue: Shwayder Theater
Show Time: 8 pm
Address: Shwayder Theater is located at 350 S Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80246
in the JCC.
November 19th in Albuquerque, NM
Anat Cohen Quartet
with:
Jason Lindner on Piano
Joe Martin On Bass
Daniel Freedman on Drums
Venue: Outpost Performance Space
Show Time:7:30 pm
Address: The Outpost is located at:210 Yale SE 2 blocks south of Central
For more info please call (505) 268-0044

November 20th in Santa Fe NM
Anat Cohen Quartet
(Same personnel as Albuquerque show)
Venue: Vanessie's
Show Time: 8 pm
Address: 434 W San Francisco St
Phone number for info:505-988-1234

December 1-6 at the Village Vanguard, NYC
Anat Cohen at the Village Vanguard in a special show:
Sidney Bechet & Beyond
With:
Howard Alden on Guitar
Carlos Henriquez on Bass
Herlin Riley on Drums
Venue: Village Vanguard
Time: 9 pm & 11 pm
Address: 178 7 Avenue South, NYC

Coming up on New Year's eve:
December 31st, Boston, MA
Anat Cohen Quartet
with:
Jason Lindner on Piano
Joe Martin On Bass
Daniel Freedman on Drums
The show will be aired Live on NPR's Toast of the Nation
Venue: Berklee Performance Center
Time: 8 pm & 10 pm (To be confirmed)
Address: 136 Massachusetts Avenue
For more info please call: 617 747-2261

R.I.P.: Jerry Fuchs

(born December 31, 1974;
died November 8, 2009)
(photo by Emily Millette)

We were shocked to learn of the tragic passing of Jerry Fuchs this past Sunday morning in Williamsburg, NYC.

The musician, who was 34, died after a fall at a fundraising party at 338 Berry Street shortly after 12:30am on November 8 morning, reports theNew York Post. According to sources at the party, Fuchs and a friend had attempted to leap over a gap between an elevator and the building's fifth floor after a malfunction. He fell in the gap due to his clothing becoming caught on the elevator, falling down to his death. He was pronounced dead at 3:30am after being taken to Bellevue Hospital.

Jerry was an incredible musician, drumming for a slew of bands like Maserati, the Juan MacLean, LCD Soundsytem, Turing Machine and !!!, to name but a few, and a close friend to many. This is certainly a terrrible loss for his family and friends, and the music community at large. His presence and talent will be sorely missed.

CD of the Day - "Dana Hall: Into the Light"

CD of the Day
Dana Hall: "Into the Light" (Origin) 2009

Chicago-based drummer and composer Dana Hall has been in demand as a sideman for nearly two decades, working with major names in jazz such as Joe Henderson, Branford Marsalis, Maria Schneider, Benny Golson, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and Kenny Barron. He's also an educator, the musical director of the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and -- since 2006 -- leader of an all-star quintet featuring trumpeter Terell Stafford, tenor & soprano saxophonist Tim Warfield Jr., pianist Bruce Barth (on both acoustic & Rhodes electric piano), and bassist Rodney Whitaker. Renowned jazz critic Bill Milkowski signs the extensive liner notes.

On his outstanding CD debut as a leader, "Into the Light," Hall chose to feature his working band, a versatile and simpatico unit that shares his penchant for a broad stylistic range and "trying to go to the 21st century," rather than playing "like it's 1964 all the time." Recorded in a single Sunday afternoon earlier this year, with most of the tunes first takes, the CD will be released in the USA by Origin Records on November 17.

"'Into the Light' means a number of different things," says Hall. "It sort of has a religious connotation, when people think of going into the light and what they see when they're at the end of their lives. It can also mean just going into the unknown and having the courage and skill set to explore the unknown. And it can mean someone who's usually a sideman stepping out as a leader and stepping into the light as a composer, which is something a lot of people don't know about me."

Though the disc leads off with Herbie Hancock's "I Have a Dream," and closes with compositions by Whitaker and Warfield, Into the Light places Hall's writing at the heart of the proceedings -- six originals including the ballad "Orchids"; "The Path to Love," a mid-tempo swinger; and "Jabali," an adventurous suite named for drummer Billy Hart. Hall was inspired by great drummers like Jeff Watts, Victor Lewis, Max Roach, and Billy Higgins who "thought about compositions and conceptualizing a recording from the first song through the last song, not just about showing off some great drum stuff."

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Philadelphia, the 40-year-old Hall studied aerospace engineering and percussion at Iowa State University. He spent two years with the Boeing Company before committing to music full-time. That decision led to a move to New York City in 1991, and for the next several years Hall freelanced with Roy Hargrove, Betty Carter, Joshua Redman, and George Coleman, among others.

Based in Chicago since 1994, Hall is an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is pursuing a doctorate in ethnomusicology at the University of Chicago. (The subject of his dissertation is the soul music of Philadelphia and its relationship to the Black Power Movement.) The drummer has worked with Chicagoans such as Von Freeman, Malachi Thompson, Bobby Broom, Patricia Barber, and Kurt Elling, and for the last 15 years with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, serving as its music director for the past two.

Dana Hall's newest role is as a bandleader promoting a new CD with his favorite group of musicians. The quintet will appear in Cincinnati, at the Blue Wisp (1/29-30), with a hometown CD release event at the Green Mill 2/5-6; other bookings, in Cleveland, Washington DC, and New York, are being finalized. "Into the Light" has provided Hall and his band the opportunity "to finally document what we've been doing," says Hall. "Now we'll see if we can get some momentum going from that." Hall's musicianship, energy, and vision make momentum -- and exciting music -- inevitable.

Dana Hall Web Site:
www.danahallmusic.com

DVD of the Day - "Michael Brecker: The Stage 1998"

DVD of the Day
Michael Brecker: "The Stage 1998" (MegaVision)

Filmed live at Leverkusen on October 19, 1998, featuring piano wiz Joey Calderazzo, bassist James Genus and drummer Ralph Peterson.
Includes an inspired rendition of Monk's classic "'Round Midnight" plus "Cat's Cradle," "Madame Toulouse," "El Nino," "Delta City Blues" and, of course, "Song for Bilbao", by popular demand.

Free download for Cynthia Layne "All I Need" single

Free fan download of "All I Need" to the first 100 fans available as well, link available at
www.twitter.com/cynthialayne

Cynthia Layne and band appeared on the noon segment of WGN (Chicago) on November 5.
You can view the video of her performance here:
http://www.wgntv.com/news/middaynews/wgntv-live-music-cynthia-layne,0,3649881.story

www.myspace.com/cynthialayne
Bookings: cherylhughey@charter.net

Anna Mjoll @ Baked Potato & Charlie O's

Here are some pics from Icelandic jazz diva Anna Mjoll's gig at the Baked Potato last Thursday, November 5.
Her next performance will be at Charlie O's (13725 Victory Blvd - Valley Glenn, CA, ph: 818-994-3058), on Nov. 20th, backed by the John Heard Trio (led by the legendary bassist who played with Moacir Santos, Oscar Peterson, Wes Montgomery, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins...), with drummer Roy McCurdy (Cannonball Adderley, Sarah Vaughn, Carmen McRae, Ella Fitzgerald, Herbie Hancock, Joe Williams...) and pianist Andy Langham (Jon Hendricks, Randy Brecker, Clark Terry, Mike Stern...) Stay tuned for more details.

(John Chiodini, Bob Sheppard, Matt Gordy, Anna, Jeff DiAngelo, Edward Czach)

CD of the Day - "Songs From The Heart: Ramsey Plays Ramsey"

CD of the Day
Ramsey Lewis: "Songs from the Heart: Ramsey Plays Ramsey" (Concord) 2009

Featuring Ramsey Lewis (piano), Larry Gray (bass) & Leon Joyce (drums).
Produced by Ramsey Lewis & Frayne Lewis.
Recorded in Chicago, including some solo pieces comissioned by the Ravinia Festival.

DVD of the Day - "Michael Brecker: Live at Mexico City"

DVD of the Day
Michael Brecker: "Live at Mexico City" (MegaVision)

Featuring: Adam Rogers (Guitars), Chris Mihn Doky (bass) & Clarence Penn (drums).
Filmed in 2003, including great versions of "Song for Bilbao," "Renaissance Man" and "Slings and Arrows," among others.
Total Time: 86 minutes