News from the Jazzinstitut Darmstadt

12 March 2015                          
Düsseldorf, Germany / Wynton Marsalis

Holger Lodahl talks to two jazz fans who grew up in 1940s Düsseldorf, Germany, and experienced jazz as the music of liberation ( Rheinische Post) while Max Kirschner talks to the singer Lous Dassen who started her career in 1960 in Düsseldorf's Dr. Jazz club which she bought in 1985 and owned until 1998 ( Westdeutsche Zeitung). --- Joshua Goodman and Charles J. Gans report that Wynton Marsalis canceled performances of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in Caracas due to rising tensions between Venezuela and the United States ( Washington Times).


13 March 2015
Copyright

Ben Sisario and Noah Smith report about the law suit about copyright infringement concerning the 2013 pop hit "Blurred Lines" written by Pharrell Williams and performed by Robin Thicke which, as the jury found, used elements of the 1977 Marvin Gaye song "Got to Give It Up" ( New York Times). The lawsuit was originally brought on by Thicke and Williams as a preemptive attempt to protect "Blurred Lines" from claims of a rip-off ( Billboard). While opinions are divided about the jury verdict -- examples are Jon Caramanica's ( New York Times), Tim Wu's ( The New Yorker) and Thomas Lindemann's ( Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ) criticism of the ruling and the Marvin Gaye family attorney's description of their court strategy ( Billboard) --, outspoken Nicholas Payton had his word to say in September 2013, already ( NicholasPayton). A YouTube mix shows some of the similarities of the two songs ( YouTube). Among the experts heard at the trial was the musicologist and jazz expert Ingrid Monson. --- Meanwhile the Swiss composer and saxophonist Bruno Spoerri won a lawsuit against the rap star Jay Z whose song "Versus" uses ideas from Spoerri's 1978 recording "On the Way" ( Tageswoche, Daily Mail).

14 March 2015
Audience / Judy Carmichael

The saxophonist Jaleel Shaw takes his cue from a byline in a previous blog post by Ethan Iverson about the lack of interest in "black intelligentsia" for jazz to reflect upon why it is that jazz might not be as present in the African-American communities as it should be ( JaleelShaw Blogspot). --- Steve Wildsmith talks to the pianist Judy Carmichael about how Count Basie called her "Stride", about the sound color of Steinway pianos, and about the need of a professional attitude when you go on stage ( The Daily Times).

15 March 2015
Matana Roberts / Dave Douglas

Christina Lee talks to the saxophonist Matana Roberts about the problem of labels, personal, social as well as musical ones, about her research of American history and her own family history for her "Coin Coin" project and about herself being concerned about misrepresentations of her stories, about the complexity of ethnicity, about language (in general) still not dealing "with how the terminology is racist or sexist", and about the third chapter of her 12-album series "Coin Coin", entitled "River Run Thee" ( Rolling Stone). --- Devin Leonard talks to the trumpeter Dave Douglas, one of the "most venerated trumpeters in jazz", who "has figured out how to market his music to a global audience when the record industry is struggling to survive" ( Bloomberg). Douglas talks about his frustration with major record companies, about his decision to start his own label, Greenleaf, and about experimenting with new distribution models from CDs, downloads to flash drives and podcasts.

16 March 2015
Verve / Gregory Porter

Ted Gioia reports about the recent acquisition of the Verve record label by Interscope Geffen A & M, "the home of Eminem and Lady Gaga" ( The Daily Beast). He recounts the history of the legendary brand founded by Norman Granz in 1956 and finds Granz's vision lacking in the label's output under Universal's ownership in recent years. --- Olivia Parker talks to the singer Gregory Porter about his neighborhood in Brooklyn, about how his life and music changed when he became a father, about a perfect Sunday in New York, and being a fan of Jamie Oliver's cooking show ( The Telegraph).

16 March 2015            
Joe Viera / Paris

Hans Hielscher talks to the 83-year-old German saxophonist and educator Joe Viera about a workshop he organizes in Burghausen since 1972, about the need for jazz education in general and about the long way of jazz into academia ( Spiegel Online). --- Rebecca Dalzell visits the jazz clubs of Paris (France), looks back at the city's long love affair with the music and discovers unusual places to hear both more traditional and very contemporary sounds in the French capital ( Independent Online, South Africa).


18 March 2015
... what else ...
 
Simon Broll remembers Charlie Parker on the 50th anniversary of his death ( Spiegel Online). --- Anja Baumgart-Pietsch talks to the German pianist Andreas Hertel ( Wiesbadener Kurier). --- Martin Johnson's hears Jack DeJohnette's album "Made in Chicago" ( Wall Street Journal). --- Marc Myers revisits Herbie Hancock's album "Maiden Voyage" 50 years after it was recorded ( Wall Street Journal). --- Ben Ratliff attends a concert during the Village Vanguard's 80th anniversary week, featuring the Jason Moran trio as well as poets and comedians and thus recalling the not-only-jazz beginnings of the legendary New York club ( New York Times). Nate Chinen hears Charles Lloyd's sets with Moran's trio during the same week ( New York Times). --- The German record label Winter and Winter turns 30, and Johannes Kaiser pays tribute ( Bayerischer Rundfunk). --- Alun Rath talks to the drummer Albert 'Tootie' Heath ( NPR). --- Detlef Kinsler talks to Elisabeth Ok about her film about the German jazz pioneer Carlo Bohländer which will be premiered today in Frankfurt, Germany ( Journal Frankfurt).

Obituaries
We read further obituaries about the producer Orrin Keepnews ( The Guardian, Zeal NYC). --- We learned of the passing of the guitarist Daevid Allen at the age of 77 ( New York Times), the jazz radio DJ Bob Parlocha at the age of 76 ( Jazz FM), the bass player Mike Porcaro at the age of 59, as well as the bassist Jack Six at the age of 84.

Last Week at the Jazzinstitut:
Last week we staged the 19th Darmstadt Music Talk, an event co-organized by the three municipal music institutes of the city of Darmstadt involving the three institutes' directors as well as one guest. Last week's topic was "Culture to the Streets"; the event was held at the Kunsthalle Darmstadt (museum/gallery), and the guest was the event's host as well, the Kunsthalle director León Krempel. Our local newspaper has the story (Darmstädter Echo, via Musikgespräche).

The German pianist Achim Kaufmann and the American clarinetist / saxophonist Michael Moore performed at the Jazzinstitut last Friday with their vibrant duo playing originals as well as compositions by Herbie Nichols and Andrew Hill.

Last weekend the Neue Deutsche Jazzpreis (New German Jazz Award) competition took place in Mannheim, Germany. The winner was vocalist Filippa Gojo; a special composition price went to Jürgen Friedrich. The Jazzinstitut Darmstadt is a cooperation partner in the Neue Deutsche Jazzpreis; Arndt Weidler is a member of the jury for first screening; this year's finalists were decided upon by saxophonist Kenny Garrett ( Frankfurter Rundschau, Mannheimer Morgen).

We read... George Benson's autobiography "Benson. The Autobiography of a Jaz Legend ". The review of this and other books can be found on the book review page of our website.

Anna Mjöll live @ Vibrato, March 20

This Friday @ Herb Alpert's Vibrato Grill Jazz, Anna Mjöll with Pat Senatore, Tom Ranier and a mysterious drummer...hope to see you there!

Last Call for Killing Kittens' LA Party, tonight!

Still few spots for tonight Penthouse party! Join at www.killingkittens.com

12" EP of the Month - Idris Muhammad

12" EP of the Month
Idris Muhammad (Kudu) 1977/2015

Side A:
1. Could Heaven Ever Be Like This
Side B
1. Tasty Cakes
2. Turn This Mutha Out
All Tracks Composed by David Matthews & Tony Sarafino
Arranged, Conducted & Produced by David Matthews

Idris Muhammed's much-played, much-sampled and much re-edited 1977 jazz-funk meets disco jam "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This" is one of those records that should be in everyone's collection. A staple of both soul and disco sets, it's about as spiritual as disco gets, with dreamy vocals and parping horns riding a delicious groove. It's a magic track composed, arranged & produced by David Matthews for Creed Taylor's Kudu Records, and one of the highlights issued by the label.

If it's missing from your collection, this 12" EP repress released on January 23, 2015 -- featuring the same B-sides from the original Kudu release -- should be an essential purchase. Those B-sides -- the electric guitar-laden swing of "Tasty Cakes" and, in particular, the George Clinton-influenced "Turn This Mutha Out" -- a low-slung skip through deep disco-funk pastures -- are similarly impressive.

Arnaldo DeSouteiro Bio / JSR (Jazz Station Records) - Address & Contact Info

            (Arnaldo DeSouteiro during a recording session in 2014)

"People are going to talk about you, especially when they envy you and the life you live. Let them. You affected their lives, they didn't affect yours... you will eventually lose someone you love & love someone you never thought you'd find..."

Arnaldo DeSouteiro - Short Bio

Music Producer (with over 530 albums to his credit according to the All Music Guide), Voting Member of NARAS-GRAMMY and Jazz Journalists Association (NY), Member of LAJS (Los Angeles Jazz Society), Musical Philosopher, Journalist, Jazz & Brazilian Music Historian, Publicist, Public Relations, Composer (having written successful jazz & pop songs, some dance hits like "O Passarinho" for the Italian TV reality show "La Pupa e Il Secchione", and "Samba da Copa" for the "2006 World Cup" in Germany, plus many other soundtracks for movies, soap operas & TV series in the USA -- PBS, BET, Universal Cable etc --, Europe and Asia), Lyricist (he wrote lyrics to Dave Brubeck's "Broadway Bossa Nova" at the invitation of Brubeck himself, among other songs), Arranger, Percussionist, Keyboardist, Programmer, Educator (conducting clinics and panel sessions worldwide as the first Brazilian member of IAJE-International Association of Jazz Educators during its existence). He has also acted as consultant for several companies and jazz festivals all over the world.

Founder and CEO of JSR (Jazz Station Records), a Division of Jazz Station Marketing & Consulting - LA, Calif. Most recently, founded LaCalifUSA Pictures and JSR Casting in 2007 for movie & TV productions featuring music & fashion.

Produced the acclaimed CD compilation series "A Trip To Brazil," "CTI Acid Jazz Grooves," "Brazilian Horizons," "Focus on Bossa Nova," "Focus on Brazilian Music Grooves", "Bossa Nova Singers," "Bossa Nova Guitar","Jazz Rock" etc.

Produced special compilations for Quincy Jones ("Summer in the City - The Soul Jazz Grooves of Quincy Jones"), Chick Corea ("Electric Chick") and Deodato ("Do It Again - The Fantastic Jazz-Funk of Eumir Deodato"), all released by Verve/Universal. His latest CD for Verve is "Bossa Nova USA," released last May, featuring Dave Brubeck's title track performed by Quincy Jones.

Supervised and/or Directed TV specials featuring João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Dizzy Gillespie, Chuck Mangione, Flora Purim & Airto Moreira, Miles Davis, Dom Um Romão, Eliane Elias, Diana Krall, Eumir Deodato, Bjork et al. Worked with producers Creed Taylor, Yoichi Nakao, Susumu Morikawa, Matthias Kunnecke, and photographers Pete Turner, Victor Skrebneski, Robert Mappelthorpe, Duane Michals.

Mr. DeSouteiro has also worked in his native Brazil for TUPI-FM radio station (as musical programmer-DJ as well as hosting his own show, "Jazz Espetacular"), Manchete TV network (anchoring & supervising the "Terça Especial" series for which he interviewed such jazz giants as Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Chuck Mangione, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim etc), Globo TV network (screenplay, coordination and mix for the TV special "João Gilberto & Antonio Carlos Jobim - O Grande Encontro" in 1992, the last time these 2 geniuses performed together, plus the texts and screenplay for the "Minuto da Bossa" series), and as the jazz columnist for the "Tribuna da Imprensa" (Press Tribune) daily newspaper during 29 years (from 1979 to 2008). Before moving to the USA, he also worked as Brazilian correspondent of "Keyboard" magazine (from 1985 to 1994), as a free-lancer to Billboard, Cuadernos de Jazz, Swing Journal and International Music Magazine, and as entertainment-in-flight programmer for several airline companies like Varig Brazilian Airlines (from 1983 to 1998).

Produced over 380 albums and sessions featuring: Luiz Bonfa, João Gilberto, Dom Um Romão, Thiago de Mello, Dexter Payne, João Donato, Palmyra & Levita, Mario Castro-Neves, Jorge Pescara, Paula Faour, Fabio Fonseca, Claudio Roditi, Rodrigo Lima, Hermeto Pascoal, Ithamara Koorax, Don Sebesky, Sammy Figueroa, Anna Ly, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Pascoal Meirelles, Yana Purim, Pingarilho, Nelson Angelo, Marcelo Salazar, Ron Carter, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Steve Swallow, Herbie Hancock, Hugo Fattoruso, Larry Coryell, Sadao Watanabe, Jurgen Friedrich, Eloir de Moraes, Gazzara, Deodato, Jadir de Castro, Azymuth, Marcio Montarroyos, Sivuca, Laudir de Oliveira, Marcos Valle, Jay Berliner, George Young, David Matthews, Lew Soloff, Alphonso Johnson, Gene Bertoncini, John McLaughlin, Claus Ogerman, Raul de Souza, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and many others.

Produced and supervised CD reissues of albums by Ron Carter, Hank Crawford, Johnny Hammond, Sergio Mendes, Hubert Laws, Grant Green, Idris Muhammad, Joe Beck, Esther Phillips, Lonnie Smith, David Matthews & Whirlwind, Phil Upchurch, Tennyson Stephens, Miucha, Flora Purim, Carlos Lyra, Tamba Trio, Ivan Lins, Raul de Souza, Trio 3-D and many others. As annotator, he wrote liner notes and press releases for albums by Toots Thielemans, Hank Crawford, Stan Getz, Ella Fitzgerald, Pat Metheny, Eliane Elias, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Jeff Linsky and dozens of others for labels like RCA, CTI, Kudu, Milestone, Fantasy, Verve, Columbia, Irma, Alfa, JVC, Caju, Sonet, Paddle Wheel, JHO, Mercury, Imagem etc.

Mr. DeSouteiro also had the honor to be associated with some of the world's greatest photographers like Pete Turner (who did the cover photo for Jorge Pescara's CD "Grooves in the Temple," released on his own JSR label and featured on Turner's new book "The Color of Jazz"), Victor Skrebneski (the CD reissue of "Upchurch/Tennyson"), Bruce Weber (Esther Phillips' "For All We Know"), Robert Mappelthorpe ("Brazilian Horizons"), Alen MacWeeney, William Cadge, and Duane Michals (many of the CTI CDs) and so on. He has appeared in several movies and TV series such as the Award Winning documentary movie "Beyond Ipanema," for which he was interviewed alongside Creed Taylor, Lalo Schifrin, Wayne Shorter, Gene Lees and Norman Gimbel.

Jazz Station Marketing & Consulting, JSR Casting, LaCalifUSA Pictures
CEO & Founder: Arnaldo DeSouteiro
Address:
JSR - LA
9930 Liebe Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90210

JSR - NY Address:
Arnaldo DeSouteiro
PO Box 1338
Radio City Station
New York, NY 10003

Jazz Station Records (JSR), a division of Jazz Station Enterprises
CEO & Founder · Los Angeles ·
Address:
Arnaldo DeSouteiro
Jazz Station Records - LA
1545 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90017
JSR - NY
PO Box 1338
Radio City Station

(PLEASE, DO NOT SEND UNSOLICITED MATERIAL; any unsolicited CD or promo packets will be returned. If you wish to submit material, please contact us through comments on this post or through Facebook. Thx!)
https://www.facebook.com/arnie.gilberto

People are going to talk about you, especially when they envy you and the life you live. Let them. You affected their lives, they didn't affect yours... you will eventually lose someone you love & love someone you never thought you'd find...

Arnaldo DeSouteiro – Biografia ultra-resumida 

Produtor de discos, com cerca de 530 álbuns em sua discografia (incluindo novos CDs, reedições, coletâneas, trilhas sonoras, projetos especiais), conforme consta no All Music Guide, principal e mais acessado website sobre música no mundo. Jornalista e publicitário (formado em Comunicação pela PUC-RJ), tendo escrito para os jornais Tribuna da Imprensa (de 1979 até sua extinção em 2009, com 3.200 artigos publicados), Última Hora, O Globo e O Estado do Paraná, revistas Billboard, Keyboard (USA), Cuadernos de Jazz (Espanha), Swing Journal (Japão), Revista do CD (Brasil) etc. 

Roteirista de shows (João Gilberto, Diana Krall, Ithamara Koorax, Marcos Valle, Eumir Deodato, Bjork etc) e de especiais de TV para as emissoras Globo (Antonio Carlos Jobim & João Gilberto) e Manchete (Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Chuck Mangione, Airto Moreira & Flora Purim etc) no Brasil, BET e PBS nos EUA, NHK no Japão (Diana Krall, João Gilberto, CTI All Stars, Dave Brubeck etc).

Nascido no Rio de Janeiro (Brasil) em 1963, radicado em Los Angeles (EUA) desde 1999. Estudou piano clássico e harmonia com sua mãe, a pianista e maestrina Delza Agricola. É membro da Associação Brasileira de Imprensa (ABI) desde 1979, membro catedrático titular efetivo da Academia Internacional de Música desde 1985, membro votante do Grammy-Naras (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences) desde 2006, membro votante da Los Angeles Jazz Society (único brasileiro) desde 2007, e também único brasileiro que é membro votante da Jazz Journalists Association (sediada em Nova Iorque) desde 2002. Atua como consultor e parecerista para diversas empresas, centros culturais e festivais de música no Brasil e no exterior.

Também foi membro honorário e primeiro membro brasileiro da Associação Internacional de Educadores de Jazz (IAJE – International Association of Jazz Educators) durante 12 anos, até sua extinção em 2008, tendo realizado palestras e "panel sessions" nas convenções anuais realizadas nos EUA. Fundador e Presidente da gravadora JSR (Jazz Station Records), sediada em Los Angeles – EUA desde 2001, uma divisão da Jazz Station Marketing & Consulting. Dirige também a JSR Casting e a LaCalifUSA Pictures, empresa de cinema que produz conteúdo e trilhas sonoras (composição, produção, seleção) para filmes e séries de TV. 

Produziu discos e sessões de gravação com artistas como Luiz Bonfá, João Gilberto, Dom Um Romão, João Donato, Palmyra & Levita, Mario Castro-Neves, Claudio Roditi, Gaudencio Thiago de Mello, Dexter Payne, Rodrigo Lima, Don Sebesky, Hubert Laws, Fabio Fonseca, Marcos Ozzellin, Herbie Hancock, Jorge Pescara, Paula Faour, Anna Ly, Pascoal Meirelles, Yana Purim, Carlos Pingarilho, Nelson Angelo, Marcelo Salazar, Ithamara Koorax, Ron Carter, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Steve Swallow, Herbie Hancock, Hugo Fattoruso, Larry Coryell, Sadao Watanabe, Jurgen Friedrich, Gazzara, Eumir Deodato, Azymuth, Marcio Montarroyos, Sivuca, Laudir de Oliveira, Marcos Valle, David Matthews, Gene Bertoncini, John McLaughlin, Raul de Souza, Hermeto Pascoal, Gonzalo Rubalcaba e muitos outros. 

Como compositor e letrista, tem parcerias com Dave Brubeck (“Broadway Bossa Nova”), Francesco Gazzara (“O Passarinho”), Mamoru Morishita (“Hotaru”) e Fabio Fonseca (“Samba da Copa”, executado na cerimônia de abertura da Copa do Mundo de 2006). 

Produziu reedições de discos de Sergio Mendes, Flora Purim, Tamba Trio, Ivan Lins, Carlos Lyra, Miucha, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ron Carter, Idris Muhammad, Hank Crawford, Lonnie Smith, Johnny Hammond, Luiz Bonfá, Phil Upchurch, Tennyson Stephens, Eumir Deodato, Grant Green, Mario Castro-Neves, João Donato, Claus Ogerman, David Matthews, Esther Phillips, Joe Beck, Eric Gale e muitos outros.

Produziu as séries “A Trip To Brazil” (cujo Volume 1 chegou ao primeiro-lugar na parada de world-music na Europa em 1998, superando “Buena Vista Social Club”), “Brazilian Horizons”, “CTI: Acid Jazz Grooves”, “Jazz Club”, e retrospectivas - lançadas mundialmente entre 2006 e 2010 pelo selo Verve – das carreiras de Quincy Jones (“Summer In The City: The Soul-Jazz Groves of Quincy Jones”), Eumir Deodato (“Do It Again: The Fantastic Jazz Funk of Eumir Deodato”) e Chick Corea (“Electric Chick”).

Desde 1981, tem realizado, como free lancer, produção musical para diversas gravadoras, como RCA/BMG, Sony, Verve/PolyGram/Universal, CTI, King, Paddle Wheel, Pausa, Milestone/Fantasy, Warner/WEA, Motor Music, JVC/Victor, Sanyo, Movieplay, Imagem, Eldorado, CID, Alfa, RGE, Mr. Bongo, Terra Música, Blue Moon, Bomba, Cedar Tree, Treasure Trove, Irma, Vivid Sound, Motéma, e Huks Music, no Brasil, Europa, Estados Unidos, Japão e Coréia. 

Entre 1982 e 1984, atuou como assessor cultural do Serviço de Comunicação Social da Petrobras. Em 1983, criou, produziu e apresentou o programa "Jazz espetacular", transmitido pela Rádio Tupi FM. Em 1984, assumiu a responsabilidade da programação de bordo (musical e audiovisual) transmitida nos vôos internacionais da Varig, função que exerceu durante 14 anos. Também nesse período (1985 a 1987), participou da comissão de seleção do Free Jazz Festival. 

Escreveu textos de contracapa para discos de diversos artistas, como Toots Thielemans, Ella Fitzgerald, Eliane Elias, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Jeff Kinsky, Paulo Bellinati e Carlos Barbosa Lima, entre outros. Assinou textos para divulgação ("press releases") de artistas como João Gilberto, Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, Pat Metheny, Bill Evans, Jimmy Smith, Elvin Jones, Stanley Turrentine e Tony Bennett.

Atuou como entrevistador em depoimentos prestados para o Museu da Imagem e do Som (Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo) por João Donato, Stellinha Egg, Maestro Gaya, Eumir Deodato, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim e Carlos Barbosa Lima. Em 2001, recebeu o prêmio de International Man of The Year, concedido pelo International Biographical Centre, de Londres. Foi o primeiro brasileiro a receber essa premiação, oferecida anteriormente a apenas quatro outros produtores: Arif Mardin, Tommy LiPuma, Quincy Jones e Phil Ramone. Ainda nesse ano, a JSR (Jazz Station Records), de sua propriedade, foi considerada uma das cinco melhores gravadoras de jazz do mundo, em relação publicada na edição de dezembro da revista especializada norte-americana "Down Beat", premiação que se repetiu por quatro anos (7º lugar em 2003, 9º lugar em 2004, 5º lugar em 2005 e 6º lugar em 2006).  Foi entrevistado em vários programas de TV e filmes como o premiado documentário "Beyond Ipanema", no qual foi entrevistado ao lado de Creed Taylor, Lalo Schifrin, Wayne Shorter, Gene Lees e Norman Gimbel. Depois de apresentado em diversos festivais de cinema nos Estados Unidos e Europa, "Beyond Ipanema" foi transformado em série de televisão transmitida em território brasileiro pela emissora Canal Brasil em 2014.

Endereço para correspondência:
Jazz Station Marketing & Consulting, JSR Casting, LaCalifUSA Pictures
CEO & Founder: Arnaldo DeSouteiro
Address:
JSR - LA
9930 Liebe Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90210

JSR - NY Address:
Arnaldo DeSouteiro
PO Box 1338
Radio City Station
New York, NY 10003

Jazz Station Records (JSR), a division of Jazz Station Enterprises
CEO & Founder · Los Angeles ·
Address:
Arnaldo DeSouteiro
Jazz Station Records - LA
1545 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90017
JSR - NY
PO Box 1338
Radio City Station

Roberta Gambarini & Jimmy Cobb live in LA @ Catalina Jazz Club, this next weekend

For sure, the gig of the week! Jazz diva Roberta Gambarini with a stellar quartet featuring drummer Jimmy Cobb, a true living legend, will be appearing @ Catalina Jazz Club (6725 West Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles) during a 3-night engagement, from March 13 to 15th.

"I am so thriled and excited to be singing at Catalina Jazz Club in LA! Three evenings of music with my quartet, with grand master Jimmy Cobb as a special guest, and the amazing Eric Reed on piano and Ameen Saleem on bass," Gambarini says. "Come on down! We have lots of new music for you, including selections from the upcoming project dedicated to the music of Jimmy Heath, and much more."

This Friday, March 13th, Saturday March 14th, and Sunday March 15th. Sets start at 8 pm. Not to be missed.

Manolo Badrena's solo debut, which features Jaco Pastorius, will be reissued on CD next month

Originally recorded in 1979 for A&M, "Manolo" -- the debut album of the Puerto Rican percussionist extraordinaire Manolo Badrena as a leader, conceived after he left Weather Report -- comes out in Japan (by Universal) on March 25, 2015. Actually, that's the second Japanese reissue of the disc, which had been previously released in digital format 15 years ago.

It's a killer album that features bassists Jaco Pastorius and Abe Laboriel, keyboard genius Hugo Fattoruso and his wife at the time Maria de Fatima Fattoruso (who plays acoustic guitar and does the lead vocals on "Clube da Esquina," with Lani Hall backing her), trumpeter-trombonist Gary Gazaway, guitarist Carlos Rios, drummer Jorge Fattoruso, and violinist Alfredo de la Fe. Manolo plays percussion, drums, congas, tabla, synthesizer, Chinese gongs, tone bells, timbales, cencerro, chekere, bata drums and guiro. And sings!

Except for "Clube da Esquina" (written by Milton Nascimento, Lo Borges & Marcio Borges), all tunes were composed by Badrena, with Sybil Thomas providing lyrics & vocals to the samba "Canelas," on which Hugo Fattoruso plays cavaquinho and Manolo is heard on surdo (Brazilian bass drum). The song "Yana" is dedicated to singer Yana Purim.

But it's impossible to pick highlights in such a massive album. As Herb Alperts, who co-produced the sessions, states in his notes: "Manolo took me on a trip way beyond anything I had ever been exposed to before. I used to be rather quick to judge music based on melody, form and content. Manolo inadverthely showed me another equally important ingredient called ENERGY, and threre's no shortage here. Thanks 'Nolo', I love you."

Voted "best percussionist of 2014" on the 36th Annual Jazz Station Awards, Manolo Badrena is currently a member of Ahmad Jamal's ensemble.

CD Compilation of the Month - "Bjork: The Iceland Mysteries"

CD Compilation of the Month
Björk: "The Iceland Mysteries" (Blast Recording Company ‎– BJ 102603 A/B)

2-CD set including tracks co-produced by Eumir Deodato, Arnaldo DeSouteiro, Mark Bell, David Morales, Goldie, Graham Massey, Howie Bernstein, Nellee Hooper, Tricky and Guy Sigsworth.
Released in a thick double gatefold 8-panel digipak packaging.
Marketed by Swing Bros. Records Inc. – BJ 102603 A/B
Copyright: Swing Bros. Records Inc.
Barcode: 9 61358 74521 3
Label Code: LC 8421
Rights Society: GEMA
Made by Swing Music Manufacturing Europe

Tracklist:
Disc 1
1-1 Björk: You Only Live Twice (James Bond Theme) 4:20 - Written by John Barry and Leslie Bricusse
1-2 Björk: Gloomy Sunday 5:28 Written by Rezso Seress
1-3 Tricky & Björk: Keep Your Mouth Shut 6:03
1-4 Plaid & Björk: Lilith 4:41
1-5 Björk: Nu Flyver Anton 3:30
Lyrics by Jakob Gislason; Music by Björk and Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson
1-6 808 State & Björk: Ooops 4:42
1-7 Evelyn Glennie & Björk: Oxygen 3:52
1-8 Björk: Amphibian  4:36
1-9 808 State & Björk: Q/Mart 5:02
1-10 PJ Harvey & Björk: Satisfaction - Live 3:49
1-11 Tony Ferrino & Björk: Short Term Affair 3:56
1-12 Thorn & Björk: Takk 4:51 - Lyrics by Björk; Music by Thorn
1-13 Tricky & Björk: Yoga 4:33
1-14 Björk: Travessia 4:00 - Arranged By, Piano, Producer, Conductor: Eumir Deodato; Bass: Jamil Joanes; Co-producer: Arnaldo DeSouteiro; Drums – Carlos Bala; Guitar – Nelson Angelo
Written by Fernando Brant and Milton Nascimento
1-15 Avignon (Aurora Instrumental) 2:42
1-16 Our Hands  4:16
1-17 A Tribe Called Quest: Stressed Out (Björk Remix) Remix:  Björk / Vocals: Faith Evans 3:04
1-18 A Tribe Called Quest: Stressed Out (Björk Dandelions Remix) Remix: Björk / Vocals: Faith Evans 4:23
1-19 Björk Audio Biography 1:08
Disc 2
2-1 Play Dead (Tim Simeon Orchestral Mix) 3:50
2-2 Tappi Tíkarrass:  Sperglar 2:40
2-3 Sykurmolarnir: Ammæli 3:59
2-4 Sykurmolarni: Köttur 3:00
2-5 Possibly Maybe (Promo Version) 3:29
2-6 Jóga (Promo Version)  3:44
2-7 All Is Real (All Is Full Of Love Promo Version) 4:27
2-8 Joy (Alarm Call Promo Version) 4:12
2-9 All Is Full Of Love (All Is Full Of Lies Mix) Remix – Mark Bell 3:26
2-10 Amphibian (Mark Bell Remix) 2:49
2-11 Venus As A Boy (Anglo American Extension) 5:05
2-12 Big Time Sensuality (Nellee Hooper Extended Mix) 5:27
2-13 I Go Humble (Instrumental) Remix – LFO 4:20
2-14 Enjoy (The Beats Mix) Remix – Dom T.6:57
2-15 Hyperballad (David Morales Boss Dub Mix) 7:57
2-16 Violently Happy (Domestic Mix/Vocal & Organ Mix) 5:14
2-17 My Favorite Things (Written by Rodgers & Hammerstein) 2:46
2-18 The Last Song 2:15

Track 1-5 from soundtrack to Danish children movie "Anton". 

Track 1-8 from soundtrack to movie "Being John Malkovich". 

Track 1-10 live from Brit Awards '94. 

Track 1-11 from "Comic Relief" Gala [studio vers.] 

Track 1-12 from soundtrack to movie "Sódóma Reykjavík". 

Track 1-14 recorded for "Red Hot & Rio" compilation 1996. 

Track 1-16 released as "It's In Our Hands". 

Track 1-19 from Japanese Bachelorette Promo. 

Tracks 2-17 and 2-18 from movie "Dancer In The Dark" (not included in the soundtrack).

Tomasz Stanko live in California, March 28

Saturday, March 28, 2015 - 8:00pm
General: $30 Students: $20
Jazz Bakery Presents ECM recording artist, trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, with his New York Quartet
Featuring: David Virelles (piano & keyboards), Reuben Rogers (bass) & Gerald Cleaver (drums)

VENUE: Kirk Douglas Theatre
9820 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Kirk Douglas Theatre is the Jewel of the Culver City Theater District. Free Covered Parking at Culver City City Hall, enter on Duquesne Ave.
KJAZZ 88.1 - official media sponsor.

Killing Kittens LA Penthouse Party, March 14

Get ready for the next Los Angeles Kittens party on March 14! Join the sexual elite at www.killingkittens.com

The Michael Carvin Experience Available for Booking 2015

The Mike Longo Trio live in NY, tonight!

Help us celebrate the first hints of Spring with Hot Jazz from the Mike Longo Trio featuring Ray Mosca on drums and Paul West on bass when they pay tribute to Dizzy Gillespie & Miles Davis this Tuesday, March 10 at "Jazz Tuesdays".

"Jazz Tuesdays" is located in the Gillespie Auditorium at the New York Baha'i  Center at 53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway).  There will be two shows at 8:00 and 9:30 p.m. For advanced ticket sales and information call  212-222-5159.  Admission is 15.00, $10.00 for students.

Mike Longo, a Steinway artist, has performed with a list of jazz legends  that include saxophone great Cannonball Adderley, Henry Red Allen, Coleman  Hawkins, George Wettling, Gene Krupa, Nancy Wilson, Gloria Lynn, Jimmy  Witherspoon, Joe Williams, Jimmy Rushing, James Moody and many others. It was  in the mid-60s when Longo's trio was playing at the Embers West, that Roy  Eldridge told Dizzy Gillespie about this new pianist he had heard. Dizzy came  to hear him play and soon asked him to become his pianist. This started a  life-long musical relationship and friendship.

From 1966 through 1975, Longo  worked exclusively as Dizzy's pianist and musical director. Mike left the  Gillespie group officially in 1975 to venture out on his own, but continued  to work for Gillespie on a part-time basis until his death in 1993. Since that time Mike has recorded numerous albums and CDs on various labels with  some 45 recordings with artists such as Gillespie, James Moody, Astrud Gilberto etc. At present he has over 20 solo albums to his credit. He is sought after as a  music instructor and is in demand for jazz clinics and concerts at  universities and music schools throughout the world, and has appeared at the  Lincoln Center's new jazz room "Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola."

Longo is founder and  President of Consolidated Artists Productions (CAP), an independent recording  label, dedicated to allowing artists to pursue the types of projects that are  in line with their career objectives. Longo's latest venture, Jazz Tuesdays, is dedicated to allowing artists to  retain creative control of their work and providing students and the general  public with an opportunity to hear "world class jazz at affordable prices.".

The John Birks Gillespie Auditorium, dedicated to the late jazz great  Dizzy Gillespie, who was a Bahá'í, is located within the New York City Bahá'í  Center in the heart of Greenwich Village. Beginning on January 6, 2004, the  anniversary of Dizzy's death, his former pianist and musical director, Mike Longo, began presenting weekly jazz concerts every Tuesday evening at 8:00  and 9:30 PM.

For more about acts at "Jazz Tuesdays", check out our website at www.jazzbeat.com
Jazz Tuesdays
in the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium
The New York Baha'i Center
53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway)
Two shows: 8:00 and 9:30 p.m.

News from Jazzinstitut Darmstadt

5 March 2015                              
Drums / Buddy Rich

Ethan Iverson takes the occasion of three Oscars for the film "Whiplash" to reflect about the importance of the drums for jazz, covering all periods from Ellington's early 1920s music through recent hip hop, with Buddy Rich, Stan Kenton and Don Ellis for whom the original arrangement of "Whiplash" was written by Hank Levy in between ( Do the Math). --- In a guest post on Iverson's blog, Mark Stryker reflects about the art of the drummer Buddy Rich who is the hero for "Whiplash", the movie's, young Andrew Neiman ( Do the Math).

6 March 2015
AACM / Jazz in Hesse

The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians ( AACM) was founded in Chicago 50 years ago, and Howard Reich pays tribute to an arts initiative still going strong (Chicago Tribune ). Nate Chinen reports about the AACM's anniversary as well and talks to Jason Moran, Jack DeJohnette, George E. Lewis, Craig Taborn, and Nicole Mitchell ( New York Times). --- Jazz came to Germany in the 1920s, but its spirit really set foot in 1945 when the music became synonymous with freedom, democracy and an alternate aesthetic, as can be heard over the next couple of months in HR radio's series of features and interviews concentrating on "The Sound of Freedom - 70 Years Jazz in Hesse" ( HR Online).

7 March 2015
Willie Ruff / Malcolm X

Phillip Lutz talks to the french horn player Willie Ruff about a Yale event acknowledging the contribution of African-American music, about the Ellington Jazz Series which he organizes at Yale since 42 years, about the young pianist Aaron Diehl who will perform in the series on March 6 and who happens to be the grandson of Arthur Baskerville, a trombonist whom Ruff knew well as a teenage soldier, as well as about his long collaboration with the pianist Dwike Mitchell with whom he had traveled around the world ( New York Times). --- Hisham Aidi reflects about the recent terrorist attack in Paris which led experts to list indicators that a person might become an extremist, among them "if a person has stopped listening to music", to then examine Malcom X's passion for jazz, from Duke Ellington and Dakota Staton to Thelonious Monk and his "Muslim Band" ( The New Yorker).

8 March 2015
Christian McBride / Carolyn Breuer

Tony Sauro talks to the bassist Christian McBride about having been called "The Ambassador" by Down Beat magazine, about the message of jazz, about his involvement with the Brubeck Institute, about jazz education, and about jazz being a music you make out of love ( RecordNet). --- Peter T. Schmidt talks to the German saxophonist Carolyn Breuer about mixing elements from jazz, blues and folk music on her latest album "Shoot the Piano Player", about influences from Jimi Hendrix to her father, the trombonist Hermann Breuer, and about the problem of (German) jazz having far more young musicians than a young audience ( Münchner Merkur).

9 March 2015
Wolfgang Haffner / Ethiopia

The German drummer Wolfgang Haffner doesn't like genre labels. In an interview with German TV he reflects upon his musical initiation to jazz, about starting his career right out of school, and about his newest album "Kind of Cool", a reference to Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" ( Das Erste). The TV feature itself can be viewed here ( ARD Mediathek). --- The Jazzamba club in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's Taitu Hotel burnt to the ground in January, and local musicians like Misale Legesse and Henok Temesgen miss it dearly, as they had learned and perfected their craft in the club ( Nazret). Jazz was mostly forgotten during Mengistu Haile Mariam's communist dictatorship, but the interest in Ethio-jazz, the country's style using African-American as well as specifically Ethiopian elements has grown internationally. The musicians' work at Jazzamba paid for a music school near Addis Ababa; with the venue gone, an Ethiopian wine producer has stepped in to fund the school for one year.

10 March 2015         
Africa / Irma Curry

Charles Onyango-Obbo finds that, as opposed to 25 years ago, there "is no African country that doesn't have a notable jazz musician these days" ( Mail and Guardian Africa). He remembers the time when the jazz he heard used to come from the Voice of America and when Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim were the only African musicians known broadly even in Africa. And he interprets the fact that there are so many more musicians of note nowadays as a sign for the changes that have happened. --- Marc Myers talks to the singer Irma Curry about growing up in Baltimore, about her start in music, about joining Lionel Hampton's band in the early 1950s, about hanging out with Wes Montgomery and Quincy Jones ( JazzWax, part 1), about her album "Love Is a Necessary Evil" from 1962, about recording with Benny Carter, and about her singing approach being "by my ear and heart" ( JazzWax, part 2).

11. Februar 2015
... what else ...

Tom Gsteiger attends the Jazzwerkstatt Bern festival in Berne, Switzerland, and his review questions the tendency to schedule highly complex music and recommends to get back to what he considers the basics of jazz ( Der Bund). --- Benjamin Schaefer published the third installment of his series about audience development ( Jazzzeitung). --- Nate Chinen ( New York Times) and Ted Panken ( Down Beat) attend Keith Jarrett's solo concert at Carnegie Hall. --- Mike McGonigal reprints a Twitter photo of Ornette Coleman welcoming Cecil Taylor to his 85th birthday party ( Detroit Metro Times). --- Mechthild Schneiders talks to the German trumpeter Stefan Zimmer ( Wittlicher Zeitung). --- The German educator Hermann Rauhe has been honored on the occasion of his 85th birthday by the senate of the Hamburg city government ( Klassik).

Nachrufe / Obituaries
We learned of the passing of the trumpeter Clark Terry at the age of 94 ( St. Louis American, Hollywood Reporter, Jazz Times, Wall Street Journal (1), Wall Street Journal (2), New York Times, Rolling Stone, KSHB, Art Info), the producer Orrin Keepnews at the age of 91 ( Rolling Stone, KQED, San Francisco Chronicle , New York Times, NPR, Washington Post), the trumpeter Lew Soloff at the age of 71 ( Los Angeles Times, New York Times), the composer and pianist Tom McKinley at the age of 76 ( New York Times, New Music Box), the saxophonist Zane Musa at the age of 36 ( Contra Costa Times), the British photographer John 'Hoppy' Hopkins at the age of 77 ( The Guardian), the pianist David Maxwell at the age of 71 ( Boston Globe), the CEO of Newark's WBGO jazz station Cephas Bowles at the age of 62 ( NJcom), the Bakersfield, California, Jazz Festival organizer Adele Davis at the age of 76 ( The Bakersfield Californian), the choir director and educator Steve Zegree at the age of 61 (Western Michigan University ), the St. Louis vocalist and club owner Gene Lynn at the age of 78 ( St. Louis Post-Dispatch ), the Canadian producer and sound engineer Mike King, the German critic Lothar Lewien at the age of 61, as well as the blues guitarist and vocalist Robert Belfour at the age of 74. --- Larry Blumenfeld reports about Clark Terry's funeral service at Harlem's historic Abyssinian Baptist Church ( BluNotes); the photos in that report are by yours truly, in New York for that week.

Last Week at the Jazzinstitut
We are currently reviewing the submissions for our Darmstadt Jazzforum conference the call for papers of which ended in February. We received quite a number of excellent submissions and look forward to an outstanding program. The international conference on the topic "Gender and Identity in Jazz" till take place in early October in Darmstadt, Germany ( Darmstadt Jazzforum).

Our exhibition "Something Completely Different. Jazzplakate!" is being celebrated by the local press. The Darmstädter Echo featured it in late February with a title page as well as a spread in its Sunday edition ( Darmstädter Echo). The exhibition can be viewed during our office hours until the end of May.

Wolfram Knauer attended Clark Terry 's funeral at Harlem, New York's Abyssinian Baptist Church in late February; he also attended the start of a concert series honoring the anniversary of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM ) at Roulette in Brooklyn, New York, featuring the Amina Claudine Myers Trio as well as Thurman Barker's Strike Force.

Shannon Lee Blas live @ Steamers, tomorrow night

Tomorrow night, Monday, March 9
8pm-11pm  $2 All Ages
SHANNON LEE BLAS WITH BILL STROUT'S BIG BAND 2000

It's the second-Monday-of-the-month again so Shannon will be back onstage with 17-piece Bill Strout's Big Band 2000! Catch either set (8pm or 9:30pm) or both if you can. The cover-charge is just $2 per person; Shannon plus 17 cool jazz cats = great value for great live music. Call 714-871-8800 to RSVP. Hope to see you there!

CALL 714-871-8800 RSVP-
STEAMERS JAZZ CLUB
138 W. COMMONWEALTH AVE
FULLERTON, CA

Monday night is big band night @ Steamers! Don't miss Big Band 2000, on hand to present sounds drawn from the popular music of the 40's through the 90's. Check out this band's classic repertoire from the big band books of the likes of Count Basie, Stan Kenton, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, plus arrangements from such great jazz writers as Sammy Nestico, Bob Florence and Bill Holman.Shannon grew up in San Diego where she began her music and theatre studies.

Shannon Lee Blas holds an AA in Music for Vocal Performance and finished her BA in Drama, with Honors in Acting, at UC Irvine. Her music and dramatic training make her a dynamic performer and musical "storyteller." For over twenty years she has sung jazz & popular music with multiple bands and ensembles and has performed music from all over the world. She has shared the stage with the likes of Tom Kubis and Louie Bellson and performs regularly as the featured vocalist with Bill Strout's Big Band 2000. In 2011, Shannon completed an MBA/MFA in Theatre Management. She is now Patron Services Manager at Soka Performing Arts Center in Aliso Viejo, California while continuing to sing all over the country. You go, girl!

CD Reissue of the Month - "Idris Muhammad & David Matthews: Turn This Mutha Out"

CD Reissue of the Month
Idris Muhammad: "Turn This Mutha Out" (Kudu/Soul Brother) 1977/2015

Composed, Produced, Arranged & Conducted by David Matthews
Engineered by Joe Jorgensen, Dave Whitman, Dave Palmer
Cover Photo: White Gate
Original Album Design: Sib Chalawick & Carole Kawalchuk
CD Release Date in Europe: February 15, 2015
Reissued by Soul Brother Records (1 Keswick Road, London, SW15 2HL)
Manufactured & Marketed by Passion Music (5th Floor - Hyde Park Hayes 3, 11 Mullington Road, Hayes - Middlesex, UB 3 4AZ)
Distributed in the UK by Essential Music & Marketing

At long last, for the first time on CD: Idris Muhammad's third album for CTI's subsidiary Kudu label, after "Power of Soul" and "House of the Rising Sun," and before "Boogie To The Top." Oddly, Sony Music neither King Records, the companies that control CTI's catalog from the 70s, never had any interest in reissing it in USA, Europe or Japan, despite the fact that I had suggested it over a dozen times (as well as despite all the messages they received from customers begging for a digital reissue). The excuse: it will not appeal to jazz customers. Argh!

Finally, a miracle happened after the legendary drummer passed away in July 2014: Sony got a request from the UK label Soul Brother (the same company that released Johnny Hammond's "Gambler's Life" a decade ago, plus compilations by Esther Phillips, Freddie Hubbard, Norman, Willie Bobo, Dom Um Romão), and agreed to license the title to them. Now I have this classic jazz-funk album in heavy rotation in my CD player ("what's a CD player?" many will ask.... nevermind...)

It was not an easy task, though. "We have been trying to release it for over 7 years, so glad we finally got it," writes Laurence Prangell in his liner notes. "It has been remastered from the original tapes which were unearthed after investigation in the vaults of the label's previous distributor."

The mastering is pretty good, but there are some "problems" on the CD infos. The name of Brazilian percussion wiz Rubens Bassini was deleted from the opening track, the hit "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This," with guitarist Charlie Brown wrongly credited as percussionist on that particular track. And Tony Sarafino is not credited as lyricist on the title tune "Turn This Mutha Out."

Recorded between December 1976 and January 1977 at Mediasound and Electric Lady Studios in New York, "Turn This Mutha Out" wasn't produced by the label head, Creed Taylor. Instead, he gave the task to CTI/Kudu's chief arranger at the time, David Matthews, who was helped by Kudu's A&R man Tony Sarafino (he added lyrics to three of the tracks.) Hugely underrated here in the U.S. (altough a jazz star in Japan!), David Matthews is the unsung hero of this album, since he wrote, arranged and produced all the seven songs!!! All done specially for this project.

But Creed suggested the names of many great musicians that should be recruited to the sessions; people like The Brecker Brothers, Jon Faddis, Ronnie Cuber, Rubens Bassini (who had played on CTI dates led by Don Sebesky, Stanley Turrentine and Hank Crawford), and flutist Jeremy Steig, who was under contract to CTI. The album has that David Matthews signature Disco-Jazz-Funk sound perfected during his CTI days (when he arranged for George Benson, Joe Farrell, Ron Carter, Esther Phillips, Urbie Green, Art Farmer and Yusef Lateef, among others) after many years as James Brown's arranger and musical director.

It was well received in American and European dancefloors (specially in England), due to the marvelous opening track "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This," an undisputed dance classic. Idris, bassist Wilbur "Dud" Bascomb and Brazilian percussionist Rubens Bassini create the perfect bedrock for Michael Brecker on tenor sax, Hiram Bullock on guitar and Cliff Carter on synthesizer (who also plays the Hohner clavinet) to solo above, topped by a male vocal quartet (led by Frank Floyd) and adorned by Margareth Ross' harp. It has been sampled at least seventeen times, most notably by Jamiroquai, Drake, Jamie xx, Milk & Sugar, Lupe Fiasco and J. Cole. Absolute funkstastic.

The remaining tracks? Well, most of them sound simple in comparison to that hedonistic trip to paradise. But there are many nice moments. "Camby Bolongo" is a lovely instrumental groove featuring Randy Brecker on flugelhorn, Jeremy Steig on flute and Sue Evans on caxixi. "Crab Apple" is a wonderfully funky track with a great guitar riff (by Charlie Brown) and groove that has found favour with samplers. Michael Brecker, Hiram Bullock and Clifford Carter are the soloists. The result? It has been sampled in nothing less than19 songs (!!!), from Beck to 2Pac.

"Moon Hymn," a beautiful etherial track that features David Tofani playing the melody on soprano sax, develops into a mid-tempo funky groove, with a wild solo by Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax, but returns to a peaceful mood. The more disco-fied "Turn This Mutha Out" (propelled by Wilbur Bascomb's killer bass line, while Sue Evans shines on the cowbell, preparing the ground for a furious guitar solo by Bullock) and the electric guitar-laden swing of "Tasty Cakes" (Cliff Carter uses Rhodes & analog synths) are club floor fillers influenced by Sly and George Clinton, with lyrics by Tony Sarafino. ["Turn This Mutha Out" -- a low-slung skip through deep disco-funk pastures -- was sampled by Moodymann on "Amerika."]

The closing theme, "Say What," sounds like a rhythmic exercise over a very simple groove created by Idris on hi-hat and bass drum. David Matthews uses two acoustic guitars (by Charlie Brown and Hugh McCracken) as a carpet for solos by Eric Gale (electric guitar) and Jeremy Steig on flute. And now I feel sad when I think that most of these giants are already dead: Muhammad, Bullock, McCracken, Gale, Bassini, Michael Brecker... But the great music they've created has stood the test of time. The proof is that even "Say What" was sampled by EPMD ("Crossover," 1992), Nas ("Dr. Knockboot," 1999), Eminem ("Jealousy Woes II," 1996) and LL Cool J ("Jealous," 1989.) Could Jazz-Funk Ever Be Like This!

ps: on his autobiography, "Inside The Music - The Life Of Idris Muhammad" (the product of extensive tape-recorded interviews conducted by Britt Alexander), published by Xlibris in 2012, there's a Chapter called "Groove Ellation," on which Idriss tells he paid $80,000 cash for a tour bus to promote "Turn This Mutha Out." And there are many other great stories about his CTI sessions, Bob James, "Power of Soul" etc. Essential.

CD of the Month - "Karl Latham, Ryan Carniaux & Mark Egan: Constellations"

Instrumental Jazz CD of the Month
Karl Latham, Ryan Carniaux & Mark Egan: "Constellations" (Double Moon) 2015

Rating: ***** (musical performance, sonic quality & artwork)

Produced by Karl Latham
Recorded & Mixed @ Barbershop Studios (Lake Hopatcong, NJ) by Jeremy Gillespie
Mastered @ Kevorkian Mastering/Avatar Studios, NY by Fred Kevorkian
Cover Artwork: Knut Schötteldreier

Featuring: Karl Latham (drums & percussion), Mark Egan (electric bass), Nick Rolfe (Rhodes & keyboards) & Ryan Carniaux (trumpet & flugelhorn)

Track Listing: Hope; Draco Rexus; Wanderlust; Desired Constellation; Frejya; My Juvenile; The Dull Flame Of Desire; Godhi; I See Who You Are; Alugsukat; Hulda Folk; Ostara.
Total Time 72:17
**********
"Constellations" is the debut recording from Karl Latham, Ryan Carniaux and Mark Egan with special guest Nick Rolfe featuring their creative interpretations of the music from Icelandic iconoclastic pop star Bjork. And this is iconoclastic jazz, indeed. Everything sounds unorthodox, unexpected and oustanding.

On this 72-plus minute highly adventurous improvisational outing, the group draws from a wide palette of influences ranging from Miles Davis's "Live Evil" and "Bitches Brew" (updating Miles' early 70s aesthetic to the 21st Century) to open ended impressionistic variations. They have selected six Bjork's songs, complemented by other six tunes written collectively by Latham, Egan, Carniaux & Rolfe.

The Icelandic singer Bjork has created her own universe with her music and performances that are both exciting and original, but have not found a better jazz interpreter until now with "Constellations." Curiously, I was expecting to find songs from Bjork's early solo albums as "Debut", and mainly from the mid- to late 90s Deodato-arranged trilogy of "Post," "Telegram" and "Homogenic" (to which Brazilian genius Eumir Deodato added sumptuous orchestral arrangements). Things like "Isobel," "Hyper-Ballad" and "Possibly Maybe." Instead, Latham opted for more recent tunes.

Master drummer Karl Latham has been a Bjork fan for many years. Karl's "Resonance," released by Dropzone Jazz Records in 2007, included a cover version Bjork's “Pagan Poetry." Her “Volta" album was released that same year, and triggered an urgent desire in Latham not just to cover the songs but also to create compositions inspired by Bjork, which the group Constellations created for this first release, packaged in a beautiful artwork by German artist Knut Schötteldreier, who have prepared the covers for several productions I did for Verve.

Latham shared his thoughts and plans originally with his long-time friend and colleague bassist Mark Egan, his partner on the "Unity 1" trio project (with guitarist John Hart). His enthusiasm was contagious and they considered who else could fit into this creative concept. They found another partner during a recording session with the up and coming virtuoso trumpet player Ryan Carniaux, a rising star that follows a more "European style," with a loud and clear open sound, something that is a blessing in an era of so many bop rooted trumpeters.

It soon became apparent that master keyboardist Nick Rolfe, whom Karl and Mark knew from many joint performances, would be a perfect choice for the project. Rolfe, that often uses Rhodes, knows how to work with "sound colors" and paints many exhilarating landscapes. When the universe aligned in the Spring of 2013, with sound engineer Jeremy Gillespie on board, they created these groundbreaking interpretations of Bjork's musical cosmos.

A fascinating portrait of a singer and her music emerged from these sessions. My personal favorite tracks are the opener "Hope," "Wanderlust" -- the perfect synthesis of Bjork in a jazzy vision as well as of "jazz meets drum 'n' bass," with Nick using Rhodes sounds and a Nord organ that sounds like an Arp Strings synth, while Ryan applies electronic devices to his trumpet --, the 11-minute long track "Desired Constellation" (where the Zawinul textures, reminiscent of his work with Miles, become more evident), "The Dull Flame of Desire" (I only regret the fade-out), the ambient mood journey of "I See Who You Are," the Moog adventure on "Alugsukat" and the way Egan's fretless sings on "Ostara." But the whole album is a highlight, certainly one of the best releases of the year.

The bass lines, with Egan's signature fluid sound on his fretted and fretless green Pedulla 5-string basses, at times repetitive and then again free flowing, weave through the solid creative grooves created by Latham's masterful drumming. The powerful trumpet playing by Ryan Carniaux interprets Bjork's voice but never mimics it literally. The multi-layered keyboards of Mr. Rolfe support the quartet like a flying sound carpet. The combination of all four musicians creates the hovering thick atmosphere of the “Nordic" sound, which reminds you incessantly of Bjork and her performances.

Karl Latham, initiator of the project, is a world-class drummer who has performed and recorded with Don Braden, Joel Frahm, Andy Snitzer, Claudio Roditi, Clark Terry, Joe Lovano, Michal Urbaniak and rock icon, Johnny Winter. He tours internationally with the group Unit 1 and can be heard on numerous CDs.

Mark Egan is one of the top contemporary bassists. A disciple of Jaco Pastorius and for many years a member of the original Pat Metheny Group as well as of The Gil Evans Orchestra. Egan has also performed and recorded with David Matthews, Joe Beck, Chroma, Pat Martino, Larry Coryell, John Abercrombie, Bill Evans, Randy Brecker, Lew Soloff, the Elements group that he co-leads with drummer Danny Gottlieb, and most recently with the CTI All-Stars band. He has also recorded with Sting, Joan Osborn, John McGlaughlin and Marc Cohen, among others.

Ryan Carniaux from Providence, Rhode Island, studied music at Berklee in Boston. He currently lives in Cologne, tours throughout Europe and the USA and is considered a rising star among young trumpet players. He is Professor of Jazz Trumpet at the Folkwang University of the Arts. He has played with numerous German musicians including Wolfgang Lackersmid and internationally with Dave Liebman, Jerry Bergonzi, Mark Murphy and Benny Golson.

Nick Rolfe was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Seattle, Washington. He started classical piano lessons when he was six years old. He studied in New York and has been seen and heard time and again with musicians from Slide Hampton to Roy Hargrove as well as Lizz Wright, India Arie and Nona Hendryx. He is also a successful actor and has appeared in various TV and film productions.

R.I.P.: Lew Soloff

(born February 20, 1944 in New York, NY;

died March 7, 2015 in New York, NY)

          (Lew Soloff & Arnaldo DeSouteiro, New York, 1987)

Shocked and devastaded with the news about Lew Soloff's passing. He was having dinner with his daugher Laura and her family. As they were walking home, he had a heart attack on the sidewalk. 
He is one of my trumpet heroes (along with Freddie Hubbard, Miles Davis and Randy Brecker). Lew was a dear friend, with whom I had the honor to work in recordings and concerts; the first time was in 1987, in New York, during the sessions for Yana Purim's "Harvest Time" album with Herbie Hancock and two fellow members of the Manhattan Jazz Quintet: David Matthews and George Young.

It was a dream come true when Lew accepted the invitation to take part of the album. He had arrived that same day from Japan with MJQ but went to Deodato's Duplex Sound Studio and recorded in a couple of tunes, doing an absolutely superb performance specially on a very special arrangement (by another genius, Hugo Fattoruso) of Luiz Bonfa's "The Gentle Rain". In 7/4!!!! I was so dazzled and mesmerized by his solo that I couldn't speak. Then, Lew said to me: "You know I'm tired, with jetlag, so if you don't like what I played today, just call me tomorrow and I'll be back to re-record everything!" Of course it wasn't necessary, he had played brilliantly.

Some months later, he, his wife at that time (harpist Emily Mitchell) and "Little Laura" stayed for a week in my place in my native Rio when he went there to play with Gil Evans. I can't believe he's gone now, but he will be in my heart forever. I collect all albums recorded by Lew as a leader (most of them for Japanese labels) and as a sideman, including LaserDiscs and DVDs with both the Manhattan Jazz Quintet and the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra, as well as with Frank Sinatra (the fabulous LD "Portrait Of An Album," that documents the "LA Is My Lady" recording sessions produced by Quincy Jones, on which he was featured on "How Do You Keep The Music Playing?"), the supergroups Blood Sweat & Tears (many DVDs from the Musikladen programs for German TV) and Average White Band, The Gil Evans Orchestra (when Gil was still alive as well as on the final concert with Miles Davis at Montreux, with Quincy conducting the band), and also honoring Charles Mingus on "Epitaph."

 (Joe Beck, Mark Egan, Lew Soloff & Ronnie Cuber; pic by Arnaldo DeSouteiro)

Several times he was "elected" by me as "best trumpeter of the year" in the annual Jazz Station Awards. Every time I traveled to NY, I used to call him immediately to know where he was playing. So I was blessed with the chance to attend countless concerts and gigs he did with Gil Evans as well as, in later years, with three other dears friends -- Mark Egan, Ronnie  Cuber and the late Joe Beck -- and many others. My condolences to all his family. Rest in Peace, Lew.

His daugher Laura Solomon posted on Facebook:

Lew Soloff's funeral service and burial will take place tomorrow, Monday, March 9, 2015 at 1:00 PM in Kensico Cemetery (Sharon Gardens), Valhalla, NY. Rabbi Jeremias will oversee the service.

We are organizing a celebratory Memorial for him in the coming weeks. More details are forthcoming.

Tonight I lost my dad. We flew to New York to spend the week with him and my sister, enjoyed the day together, had dinner at our favorite grub spot. On the way home, he suffered a massive heart attack and collapsed into my arms on the sidewalk in front of my husband and children. I performed CPR with the help of a passerby and continued to assist after EMTs arrived. He died at the scene, was resuscitated, made it through an angioplasty but couldn't stabilize afterward and passed away just before 1:00 AM.

My dad was amazing. He could drive me fucking crazy, but that didn't make him any less essential to my life. He loved his grandkids. He loved my sister and me. He was one of the greatest trumpet players in the world and I'm so proud to be his daughter. I'm so happy to carry on a fraction of his musicality in the now rare moments that I pick up my violin.

Dad had more friends than anyone I know. He was always on the phone. Always. Even when it was totally inappropriate. He was so loved by so many. His life overflowed with people who cared for him. I am so thankful for you all.

I am devastated. I can't picture my life or my kids' lives without him in it. It doesn't seem real. It's definitely not fair. But I am so grateful to have spent my dad's last day on Earth together in New York City.

Please keep my family in your thoughts and respect our privacy during this awful time. We're hurting badly.

Lew Soloff, a true virtuoso musician, is likely best known in the USA for his work with Blood, Sweat & Tears and as a first-call session player. But, in Japan, the man is almost a pop star, due to countless tours promoting dozens of albums (and videos) he recorded as the main soloist of the Manhattan Jazz Quintet as well as with another ensemble led by arranger David Matthews, the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra. Not to mention his own fantastic CDs as a leader -- "Hanalei Bay," "Yesterdays," "But Beautiful" (aka "Speak Low") and "My Romance" are my personal favorites. The projects with the Manhattan Jazz Quintet are no less superb, and the first incarnation of the group also included David Matthews, George Young, Eddie Gomez (later replaced by John Patitucci) and Steve Gadd (eventually replaced by Dave Weckl, Peter Erskine and Victor Lewis.)

Soloff also worked for over three decades with The Gil Evans Orchestra. He played with everyone who's someone; from George Benson to Barbra Streisand, from Tony Scott to Stanley Clarke, from Bob James to Marianne Faithful, from Frank Sinatra to Blood Sweat & Tears, from Quincy Jones to Ted Rosenthal, from Jim Hall to Toots Thielemans, from Buddy Rich to Joss Stone. Plus such pop/soul/rock stars as Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Eric Clapton, Michael Franks, Burt Bacharach, James Brown, Sting, the groups Average White Band and Steely Dan, latin legends Mongo Santamaria and Tito Puente, Brazilian singers Yana Purim and Tania Maria, the Thad Jones & Mel Lewis Orchestra and countless others.

I had the honor to record with him for the first time back in 1987, in New York, during the sessions for Yana Purim's "Harvest Time" album with Herbie Hancock and two fellow members of the Manhattan Jazz Quintet: David Matthews and George Young. Lew made frequent guest appearances with jazz orchestras all over the world, such as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra. Most recently, he was in action with Icelandic singer Anna Mjöll.

Sheila Jordan & Ellen Johnson live in CA, tonight

Tonight, March 7, don't miss Sheila Jordan singing & signing (her biography "Jazz Child", written by another great jazz songstress, Ellen Johnson) at East Bay Coffee.

For tix info, please call (510) 964-7827.
Sheila & Ellen will be backed by Dan Zemelman (piano), Peter Barshay (bass) & Vince Lateano (drums).

CD + DVD of the Month - "Diana Krall: Wallflower"

Vocal CD + DVD of the Month
Diana Krall: "Wallflower" (Verve) 2015

Forget about the "regular" U.S. issue of this album, that sounds... dull. The one we recommend is this special "deluxe edition" 2-disc set that Jazz Station has just received and that came out in Japan last January 28th on SHM-CD, including a DVD. What makes a big difference are the four bonus tracks added to the CD, specially an amazing version of the main hit composed by my late friend Rodgers Grant, "Yeh Yeh"; a song that Diana performs with Georgie Fame, who scored a phenomenal success with this song in the 60s. There's also a bonus DVD that plays in North American DVD players since it's on NTSC format. Cheers!

This is the complete tracklist:
SHM CD
California Dreamin'
Desperado
Superstar
Alone Again (Naturally) feat. Michael Bublé
Wallflower feat. Blake Mills
If I Take You Home Tonight
I Can't Tell You Why
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
I'm Not In Love
Feels Like Home feat. Bryan Adams
Don't Dream It's Over

Bonus Tracks:
In My Life
Yeh Yeh / Diana Krall Featuring Georgie Fame
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word - Live
Wallflower - Live

DVD : NTSC, 12min
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
A Case Of You
Wallflower

R.I.P.: Orrin Keepnews

 

R.I.P.: Orrin Keepnews

So sad to know about the passing of my friend Orrin Keepnews yesterday. He would turn 92 today. I had the honor to produce reissues of many albums he produced, as well as to include Orrin's tracks in some of my compilations. All true jazz lovers know that he is one of the most important producers in the jazz history (IMHO, he, Norman Granz and Creed Taylor).

We all owe a great debt to Orrin for what he did at his Riverside label in the early 60s, by signing people like Wes Montgomery, Bill Evans, and Cannonball Adderley, and producing their first solo albums. He later sold Riverside to Fantasy Records, but founded a new label, Milestone, in 1966, signing people like Jim Hall and Lee Konitz. 

Once again, due to financial problems, he had to sold his trademark; and once again Fantasy got it (in '72). But they kept Orrin in creative control of Milestone, and soon it became one of the best jazz labes of the 70s, even signing the revolutionary Brazilian jazz vocalist Flora Purim in late '73 and producing the best six albums of her life (this photo below is from the "Open Your Eyes You Can Fly" sessions and shows Orrin sandwiched by Flora and Hermeto Pascoal, with George Duke and Airto on the back). 

(from left to right: Ndugu, Alphonso Johnson, Flora, Airto, Orrin, Duke, Hermeto; pic by Bruce Talamon, NOT used on the album)

He also signed Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, Gary Bartz, OPA, Raul de Souza, Joe Henderson and many others. When Ron Carter left CTI, Orrin also got him, and formed the Milestone Jazzstars (with Ron, Tyner, Rollins and drummer Al Foster). In 1980, Orrin left Milestone, and created Landmark Records in 1985, which was distributed by...Fantasy! Among the main releases, were albums by Bobby Hutcherson, Kronos Quartet and the late Mulgrew Miller, to whom I was introduced by Orrin, back in 1987. Till some years ago, he continued to supervise (for Concord, who now owns the whole Fantasy catalog) many reissues of his albums. Respect & Love, Forever!
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RIP: Orrin Keepnews
1953 grndeten die New Yorker Orrin Keepnews und Bill Grauer die Plattenfirma Riverside Records. Grauer, 1922 geboren, verantwortete die wirtschaftliche Seite, sein ein Jahr jngerer Freund Keepnews kmmerte sich als Produzent um die musikalischen Belange. Thelonious Monk war zwar nicht der erste Jazzmusiker, der von Riverside unter Vertrag genommen wurde. Doch die Alben, die der als kauzig und schrullig verrufene Pianist und Komponist zwischen 1955 und 1961 unter der Ägide von Keepnews im Studio aufgenommen hatte, begründeten den legendären Ruf dieses amerikanischen Jazz-Labels.

Auch wenn Monk mit der Idee, als erstes ein Album mit Duke-Ellington-Titeln aufzunehmen, nicht glcklich war, so war es dennoch ein geschickter Schachzug von Keepnews, weil er mit Plays Duke Ellington deutlich machte, was fr ein stilbildender Pianist Monk doch war. Und er konnte zeigen, dass er einen Riecher fr außergewöhnliche Jazzmusiker hatte. Den besaß er zum Beispiel auch, als er Julian Cannonball Adderley fr Riverside unter Vertrag nahm. Der Altsaxofonist war es dann, der ihm 1959 enthusiastisch den Gitarristen Wes Montgomery empfahl. Ich habe mich selbst immer als Katalysator verstanden, hat Keepnews einmal gesagt. Ich habe nie ein Instrument gespielt und fand heraus, dass genau dies meine Stärke als Produzent war. Mein Job war es, die bestmögliche Umgebung zu schaffen, in der Musiker sich verwirklichen konnten.

Sein Meisterstck machte Keepnews 1961. Auf zwei Riverside-LPs, Sunday At The Village Vanguard und Waltz For Debby, erschien der Livemitschnitt eines Konzerttages mit dem Bill Evans Trio im New Yorker Club Village Vanguard. Mit diesen LPs wurde die Besetzung Piano, Bass, Schlagzeug zur musikalischen Gattung - mehr noch: Diese setzten den Maßstab schlechthin für viele Jazz-Piano-Trios späterer Jahre. 1963 starb Bill Grauer unerwartet. Ein Jahr lang stemmte sich Keepnews gegen das Ende von Riverside. 1964 musste er aber aufgeben: Zu weit war der Spagat zwischen künstlerischem Anspruch und wirtschaftlicher Realität.

Aber Keepnews ließ sich nicht entmutigen. Zwei Mal sollte er noch Grnder von Plattenfirmen werden: 1966 von Milestone und 1980 von Landmark Records. Ab 1972 war er acht Jahre lang Head Of Artist & Repertoire fr das Label Fantasy Records, dem er zuvor die Kataloge von Riverside und Milestone verkauft hatte. Viermal bekam er einen Grammy, zuletzt 2004 den Trustees Award fr sein Lebenswerk. 2011 wurde er von der amerikanischen Stiftung National Endowment For The Arts zum NEA Jazz Master ernannt. Sein Name ist mittlerweile ein Gtesiegel: Unter dem Signet Orrin Keepnews Collection werden viele seiner Produktionen wiederveröffentlicht. Ein Tag vor seinem 92. Geburtstag, am 1. März, ist Keepnews im kalifornischen El Cerrito gestorben. Bereits 1962 schrieb der Pianist Bill Evans ein Stck zu Ehren seines Produzenten: Re: Person I Knew ist ein Anagramm des Namens Orrin Keepnews.