Tishara Cousino's birthday party @ Palms Casino, tomorrow

Tomorrow, Wednesday, July 1st, let's celebrate the birthday of my dear ultra-stunning friend Tishara Cousino (one of the most beautiful women of the creation) @ Palms Casino (room 29201) in Las Vegas. It's a private party, so please e-mail me for details if u wanna be there.

Kristin Korb @ Pasadena Jazz Institute, July 3

"Dear Arnaldo,

I'm getting ready to head out of town for a few weeks. Before I go, I'm hanging with you and your friends in Pasadena. My trio (with Llew Matthews & Matt Mayhall) will be on at 8:30 Friday night. Jennifer Hart will also be sitting in with us on a couple tunes.

If you want DISCOUNT TICKETS ($10), please call Dale Boatman at 909-945-3058. Otherwise, tickets will be $20 at the door.

THE LINEUP:
6:00-7:00 Kjersten Williams & The Conspiritors
7:15-8:15 Steve Snyder Quartet With Bill Watrous
8:30-9:30 Kristin Korb
9:45-12:00 San Gabriel 7 featuring Eric Marienthal & Katie Campbell (2 sets)

Pasadena Jazz Institute
260 E. Colorado Blvd., Ste. 206
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 398-3344

Happy 4th of July!
Kristin"
********
Upcoming Kristin Korb gigs:
July 5-12 - Golden Gate Bass Camp (Oakland, CA)
July 12 - Charlie O's w. Andy Martin
July 24 - KK3 @ Cafe Metropole
July 31 - KK3 @ Hip Kitty
Aug 3-7 - Lafayette Summer Music Workshop
Aug 9 - Concert and Clinic at the Jazz School (Berkeley, CA)
Aug 16 - KK/Kathleen Grace Diva Experience @ Lighthouse
Aug 20 - Magic Castle
Aug 28 - KK3 @ Steamers

Diana Krall @ Ann Arbor Music Fest, tonight

Ann Arbor Summer Festival with Diana Krall
Tonight, June 26 8:00PM, at the University of Michigan: Hill Auditorium

825 N. University Ave.

Ann Arbor, MI 48109

(734) 764-2538

For tickets:

http://events.detnews.com/ann-arbor-mi/events/show/86880310-ann-arbor-summer-festival-with-diana-krall

DK's next concerts, to promote both the "Quiet Nights" CD (Verve) and the "Live in Rio" DVD (Eagle/ST2):

June 27
Ravinia Pavilion
HIGHLAND PARK, Illinois, US
Buy Tickets

June 28
Riverside Theater
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin, US
Buy Tickets

June 30
State Theatre
Cleveland, OH
Buy Tickets

Mike Longo Big Band live @ Trumpets, tomorrow night

Join us for some foot-stompin’, burnin’ jazz when my dear friend Mike Longo returns with his swingin' 17-piece Big Band, The NY State of the Art Jazz Ensemble with vocalist Miss Hilary Gardner, to TRUMPETS at 6 Depot Square in Montclair, New Jersey on Saturday night, June 27. Show times are 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. Cover is $15.00 and minimum is $10.00. Call Trumpets at 973-744-2600 for reservations and information.

This is the big band that thrilled a sold-out house this past October at Dizzy Gillespie's birthday celebration and was voted "Band of the Year" in the 2004 Jazz Station Poll. You will be delighted by the NYSAJE's repertoire from their latest CD "Oasis", that topped the charts at # 7 in December 2004 and remained in the top 20 for an unprecedented 16 weeks. And you won't want to miss Hilary Gardner’s renditions of some jazz classics as well as some new compositions and arrangements.

Mike Longo 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, 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.

Kristin Korb and Alexa W. Morales live tomorrow in CA

(Kristin Korb, pic by Vic Huber)

For tomorrow, June 26, we recommend two performances in California:

firstly, bassist/vocalist Kristin Korb at the Steamers Cafe, in Fullerton (138 W. Commonwealth), from 8:30 to 12:30PM.

"I just got back from 2 weeks out on the East Coast and I'm ready to play with my friends again. The weather is warming up and making it the perfect opportunity to call your friends and enjoy a sunset, music, and good times," says Korb. "It has been toooooo long since I've done the hang at Steamers with everyone. Bring your friends for a fun night of groove. I'm working on some new stuff that I want to try out on you. Let me know your thoughts!"

Reservations recommended for priority seating: http://www.steamerscafe.com/

714- 871- 8800

Another smart option is to enjoy TYT (Today, Yesterday & Tomorrw) with Alexa Weber Morales at the Monterey Bay Blues Festival, at 7:00PM, in the Garden Stage of the Monterey County Fairgrounds. Expect funk, R&B and latin-jazz hits with vocals by Keith Hames, Terri Odabi and Alexa. Have a nice Friday!

R.I.P.: Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson
(born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, IN;
died on June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, CA)

Michael Jackson passed away this afternoon, June 25, 2009, at 2:26 PM, in LA, at the UCLA (University of California - Los Angeles) Medical Center. "It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is unknown until results of the autopsy are known," said Jermaine Jackson, one of his brothers.

Even though, obviously, his music wasn't jazz, it would never have been possible without jazz...

From jazz heroes Quincy Jones (who produced Jackson's best-selling albums ever), Johnny Mandel (who wrote the string arrangements for "Off The Wall") and Jimmy Smith (who played organ on the title track of "Bad") to Brazilian master percussionists Paulinho da Costa ("Off The Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad", also on The Jacksons' "Destiny", "Triumph" and "Victory", plus "The Wiz" soundtrack and the "We Are The World" benefit project) and Laudir de Oliveira ("Destiny") and Claudio Slon (also on "Destiny"), Michael was always surrounded by some of the best musicians from both the jazz/fusion and pop scenes - Eric Gale, Gary King, Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, George Duke, Larry Carlton, Phil Upchurch, Wah Wah Watson, Rick Marotta, Greg Phillinganes, Larry Williams, Jerry Hey, Kim Hutchcroft, David Paich, Michael Boddicker, Louis Johnson, David Foster, Rod Temperton, Paul Jackson, Jr., Jeremy Lubbock, Clare Fischer, Roland Bautista, Ricky Lawson... the list goes on and on.

Curiously, the two most successful jazz renditions of Michael Jackson's hits were done by trumpet players. Canadian master Maynard Ferguson recorded a massive version of "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" (from "Off The Wall") for his 1982 "Hollywood" album, produced by Stanley Clarke and featuring George Duke, Ndugu, Alex Acuña, David Sanborn, Lee Ritenour, Michael Sembello and others. On his turn, Miles Davis cut "Human Nature" (a song written by Steve Porcaro & John Bettis for "Thriller") in 1985 for the "You're Under Arrest" CD, co-produced & co-arranged by Miles & Robert Irving III, with John Scofield (guitar) and Steve Thornton (percussion). "Human Nature" became a permanent fixture of all Miles' concerts until his death, with several live versions appearing on other CDs and DVDs, usually featuring Kenny Garrett on alto sax solos.

However, the most important Michael Jackson musical associate, during his solo career, was the legendary Quincy Jones, who produced Michael's groundbreaking albums "Off The Wall" (1979), "Thriller" (1982, the best-selling album in the history of music) and "Bad" (1987), not to mention their collaboration on several other projects like "We Are The World," the best-selling pop single ever.

Quincy issued the following statement about the passing of the King of Pop:
"I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news. For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words. Divinity brought our souls together on 'The Wiz' and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the '80s. To this day, the music we created together on Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad is played in every corner of the world and the reason for that is because he had it all…talent, grace, professionalism and dedication. He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."
Herbie Hancock:
"This is an unbelievable tragedy, first of all for his family, for his devout fans, for the world of music and for the world of culture. Michael was one of the most diligent creators. His passion flowed through every pore of his being. His sense of invention was unparalleled. Who else could have thought of the moonwalk and who else could have created such a unique sense of movement in dance. His contribution to music and music videos; Off the Wall, Thriller, We are the World are expressions of his consummate talent. Above all his compassion for serving humanity and desire to uplift and encourage excellence are etched in his legacy.He changed the world."

DK @ Carnegie Hall - NYT & Variety reviews

(pic by Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times)

A review of Diana Krall's Carnegie Hall concert on June 23 was printed today in The New York Times. At long last a critic understood Claus Ogerman's concept, showing a good perception of his orchestrations to Ms. Krall. Congrats, Mr. Holden!
There's also a review on "Variety."

******
The Voice Is Dark and the Emphasis Mysterious
By STEPHEN HOLDEN
A version of this article appeared in print on June 25, 2009, on page C3 of the New York edition.

A subdued Diana Krall held forth on Tuesday at Carnegie Hall, where she gave the first of two concerts on consecutive nights with a 41-piece orchestra, augmented by a jazz trio (Jeff Hamilton on drums, Robert Hurst on bass, and Anthony Wilson on guitar). The music, much of it from her recent bossa-nova flavored album, “Quiet Nights” (Verve), maintained an aura of hushed introspection with occasional blips of swing, when her sturdy jazz pianism came to the fore.

When Ms. Krall paused to talk, her remarks — about traveling on a tour bus with her 2 ½-year-old twin sons; about meeting President Obama, who she said was unaware that her husband is Elvis Costello (he was impressed); about the similarity of New York’s recent rainy weather to the climate in her native Vancouver, British Columbia — were dry observations, offered in a low voice with barely a trace of a smile.

“Quiet Nights,” which closely follows the format of her enormously successful 2001 album, “The Look of Love,” has reversed the downward trajectory of Ms. Krall’s record sales. Both albums, arranged and orchestrated by Claus Ogerman, feature music that works equally well as ambient sound for the bedroom and restaurant and as foreground music of considerable psychological complexity.

Together Ms. Krall and Mr. Ogerman (who was absent; Alan Broadbent conducted the orchestra) treat songs as film-noir fragments in which everything remains ambiguous and unresolved. Ms. Krall doesn’t interpret lyrics in a literary manner. With her dark whispery alto, she slithers through songs in short stop-start phrases that sometimes reduce a melody to a single repeated note. One string of words may be elongated with an emphasis on a vowel or a scooped-up syllable; the next grouping may be nearly swallowed as she hurries to catch up.

The effect is to turn songs into mysterious stream-of-consciousness ruminations. Adopting a jazz singer’s prerogative, she turns standards (“Where or When,” “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye,” “Love Letters”) expressing familiar romantic sentiments into semi-abstract, personal reflections whose meanings may not necessarily coincide with — and may even contradict — the words as written.

At the same time Mr. Ogerman’s lush arrangements, with their cool, sighing choruses of woodwinds and strings, carry advanced chromaticism to the edge of dissonance. Instead of a harmonic happy ending, the typical arrangement fades out like a ghost in the fog. The combination of voice and orchestration sustains an undercurrent of erotic tension fraught with foreboding. The truth remains hidden. That aura of ambiguity applied even to those numbers, like “P.S. I Love You” and “A Case of You,” that Ms. Krall sang while accompanying herself on piano, without the orchestra.

The concert’s somber mood was interrupted by some moments of hard swing (“ ’Deed I Do” and “I Love Being Here With You,” the latter prefaced by an extended stride piano solo) in which Ms. Krall’s emphasis on vocal sound over verbal elucidation was even more pronounced. Yes, on one level, Ms. Krall is a middle-of-the-road pop-jazz diva. But just below the surface lies an interpreter who is talking to herself in a private language that is all about rhythm.
*************
Diana Krall (Carnegie Hall; 2,804 seats)
by Robert L. Daniels
Variety, June 25, 2009
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117940556.html?categoryid=34&cs=1&query=%22Diana+Krall%22

More than a decade ago, Diana Krall made her Gotham cabaret debut fronting a trio in the intimate Oak Room. This week the Grammy-winning jazz baby returned to Carnegie Hall for a two-show turn backed by the luxury of a 40-plus piece orchestra to celebrate the release of her Verve CD "Quiet Nights." Just when the fine art of jazz singing seems doomed, Krall's cool, understated presence and poise mark her as the keeper of the flame.

Krall's own feathery piano accompaniment reflects the inspiration of Nat "King" Cole, who in his trio days could make "Exactly Like You" a swinging testament to cocktail jazz. She also has a fondness for the old movie tunes, prompting a rare recall of Victor Young's "Love Letters," which pays homage to the lost art of ardent correspondence.

Krall's voice boasts decided allure, occasionally accented by a raspy little infectious purr in her throat.

At her most seductive, Krall turns the Rodgers and Hart query "Where or When" into a sultry search party, and with a poetically pure sense of discovery, she makes "I've Grown Accustomed to His Face" a personal romantic revelation. In the spacious concert hall, Krall still manages to summon an intimacy that leaves listeners breathlessly involved in the romantic narrative.

Krall's piano accompaniment boasts an effortless sense of swing and swagger. From her rhythmic new bossa-flavored CD she offered a lithe reading of Antonio Carlos Jobim's title track "Quiet Nights."

As the orchestra sat one out, the stately blond diva revealed the smoky grandeur that defines the classic cabaret singer with "P. S. I Love You," the haunting Gordon Jenkins-Johnny Mercer love letter that conveys loneliness and longing with measured heartbreak. Krall's storytelling gifts were never more poignantly evident.

For an encore Krall bid adieu with the torch singer's most telling farewell, Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye." The singer's comments between songs were brief, with only a casual mention of a White House performance, her 2-year-old twin boys and husband Elvis Costello.

Conducted with nuance and grace by Alan Broadbent, the orchestra lays a lush, cradling carpet of warmth, never intruding on the mood Krall so deftly and effortlessly creates.

CTI All-Stars: complete European tour dates

(Creed Taylor, the legendary CTI founder and producer)

The official line-up of the CTI All Stars 2009 consists of Hubert Laws (flute), Randy Brecker (trumpet), Bill Evans (tenor & soprano sax), Russell Malone (guitar), Niels Lan Doky (piano & keyboards), Mark Egan (electric bass), Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums), Airto Moreira (percussion) and Flora Purim (vocals) besides, obviously, CTI's boss Creed Taylor, who will be touring with the band. Todd Bashore is contributing with the arrangements and maybe will also perform as saxophonist. The repertoire will include such CTI hits as "Sugar" (Stanley Turrentine), "First Light" (Freddie Hubbard), "Road Song" (Wes Montgomery), plus lesser known songs as "She Was Too Good To Me" (from the Chet Baker album of the same title) and "San Francisco River" (from Airto's "Fingers"). Anders Bergcrantz and Bill W. Ketzer will be, respectively, the trumpeter and the drummer in the Istanbul concerts.

This is the complete schedule for the European tour, from July 7 to 15, of the CTI All Star supergroup (aka CTI Reunion Band). Their opening gala concert at the Miles Davis Hall of the Montreux Jazz Festival, which will be filmed in HighDefinition for a DVD release -- according to the first-hand info I got from CTI historian Doug Payne a couple of months ago -- is almost sold-out. The tickets for the concert at the Northsea Jazz Fest, on July 10, are also selling well.

July 7: Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland (double bill with Jamie Cullum)

July 8: Istanbul Jazz Festival, Turkey

July 9: Istanbul Jazz Festival, Turkey

July 10: Northsea Jazz Festival, Holland

July 11:Canary Islands / Tenerife

July 12:Canary Islands / Las Palmas

July 14:San Javier, Spain

July 15: Valencia, Spain

(Hubert Laws & Randy Brecker)

The CTI name (Creed Taylor Incorporated) stands for a multi-generational family of musicians who adhere to the musical values and quality criteria that was established by Creed Taylor and his associates decades ago.

Aside from an impressive lineup, all musicians of the highest caliber, a special emphasis should be made on the band's leader Creed Taylor. Eventhough his own name may not be instantly recognizable by all, his music remains the most popular and commercially successful in the history of jazz.

His multi-Grammy Award winning 1963 production "Getz/Gilberto" album has sold 42 million copies to date and still to this day sell 250,000 full price units each year without any promotion whatsoever - and the album is on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of The Greatest Albums Of All Time. And more recently, the rapper Dr. Dre has sold 8 million copies of the hit single "Nigga Witta Gun" which was built around a Creed Taylor sample from his CTI catalogue.

And the further list of acclaimed artists that Creed Taylor has produced is endless and speaks for itself (Hubert Laws, George Benson, Ron Carter, Antonio Carlos Jobim, John Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard, Airto, Bob James, Don Sebesky, Larry Coryell, the list goes on and on) and so does the list of modern day hip hop and rap artists who have sampled him (LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg.....). In other words, the music of Creed Taylor is - without comparison - present in far more minds than the music by any other jazz producer alive today.

"The CTI All-Stars 2009 is not a nostalgia/tribute-to-the-past band, but a new current CTI band that Creed Taylor is putting together to perform and record with, with music written specifically for this band," says Nels Lan Doky. "The band will of course continue in the same path and with the same high quality values as always, but we want to move forward not backwards musically, so it is therefore important to have some new players involved. However, most do have a substantial prior history with CTI, including Airto, Hubert Laws, Mark Egan, Randy Brecker and of course Creed Taylor himself."

Brecker, who recorded dozens of CTI session as sideman and also was featured on the CTI Superband that recorded/filmed the "Chroma: Music on the Edge" project in 1990, unfortunately will not perform on the concerts in Turkey: "I couldn't do that one on July 8-9th as part of Istanbul Jazz Fest. I'm playing at Warsaw Jazz Days on July 8th with orchestra a piece that was written for me by pianist Wlodek Pawlik called 'Tykocin' about my polish family roots...we did a CD which is out in Poland and got all kinds of awards and was featured in the polish Newsweek..it will be out in the US soon on Summit Records," explains Randy, who will be replaced by Swedish trumpeter Anders Bergcrantz in the Istanbul nights, while Bill W. Ketzer will take the drum chair, replacing Jeff Watts.

"Our task from a marketing point of view will be to communicate the above facts efficiently, so that we in fact do reach the very substantial audience that CTI music has," Creed adds.

For more details, please check:
http://jazzstation-oblogdearnaldodesouteiros.blogspot.com/2009/04/cti-all-stars-band-2009-will-perform-in.html
**************
A lesser known contributor to this CTI reunion, NY-based saxophonist/arranger/composer Tood Bashore, a current member of the Charlie Tolliver Big Band, is writing some of the charts.
His bio follows:

Todd Bashore was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He received his bachelor’s degree in music from Duke University where he studied saxophone, composition and arranging with Paul Jeffrey. Upon graduation, Todd moved to New York City to study with jazz legends Jimmy Heath and Roland Hanna at Queens College, where he received his master’s degree in 1996.

Todd has been active in the New York jazz scene ever since, performing and recording with Toshiko Akiyoshi, David Berger, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Star Big Band, Pedro Giraudo, Slide Hampton, Jimmy Heath, the Latin Giants Orchestra, matchbox twenty, the Mingus Big Band, the New York City Ballet, Chico O’Farrill, Ken Peplowski, Charli Persip, Valery Ponomarev, Bobby Short, Charles Tolliver, Bebo Valdéz, Howard Williams, Zen Zadravec and many others.

He recently completed tours of France, South Africa and Morocco with the Latin Giants Orchestra, Macau with Pedro Giraudo, and several tours of Europe and Japan with Charles Tolliver. Todd also performs at Birdland in New York City every Sunday with the Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra.

Todd keeps busy as a composer and arranger and has written for Slide Hampton’s recording Spirit of the Horn, for HBO’s "Sex and the City," and over fifty big band arrangements for The Supper Club in New York. In 2006 he received an excellent review from Nate Chinen in the NY Times for an arrangement of Wave he was commissioned to write for Slide Hampton’s band.

In December 2008 Todd received a commission to write five arrangements for reed and mouthpiece manufacturer Vandoren and currently he is arranging music for the CTI All-Star Band which will be premiered at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in July 2009.
Recent (2009) recordings of Todd include "El Viaje" by the Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra, "Ven Baila Conmigo" by the Latin Giants of Jazz, and "Emperor March: Live at the Blue Note" by Charles Tolliver where Todd is a featured soloist on the title track.

Willie Nelson & Diana Krall duet

On August 25, Willie Nelson will be releasing "American Classic," his first album of jazz standards since "Stardust," (1978) and his solo debut for Blue Note Records. Produced by Tommy LiPuma, "American Classic" features special guest appearances by Diana Krall (in a duet with Nelson on "If I Had You") & Norah Jones, string arrangements by Johnny Mandel, and a top shelf backing band that includes Nelson’s longtime sidekick Mickey Raphael on harmonica, and such notable jazzmen as pianist Joe Sample of "Crusaders" fame, bassist Christian McBride (currently with the Chick Corea/John McLaughlin band), and drummer Lewis Nash, former Ron Carter associate.

Back in '78, "Stardust" went on to become the most successful album of Nelson's career thus far. It reached #1 on the Billboard’s Country Albums chart; racked up more than five million in sales; earned Nelson a Country Male Vocal Performance Grammy; and, most significantly, helped to transform a colorful, middle-aged cult figure into a mainstream star.

Encouraging the "outlaw" entertainer's new project was Bruce Lundvall, President of Blue Note Records, who had the prescience to sign Nelson to Columbia in the ‘70s and, thirty years later, offer him a home at Blue Note. Nelson’s first effort for the label was his acclaimed 2008 collaboration with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, "Two Men With the Blues," a spirited live set that garnered wide acclaim, debuted at #20 on the Billboard pop chart, and was also released on DVD.

The track listing for "American Classic":
1. The Nearness Of You
2. Fly Me To The Moon
3. Come Rain Or Shine
4. If I Had You featuring Diana Krall
5. Ain’t Misbehavin’
6. I Miss You So
7. Because Of You
8. Baby It’s Cold Outside featuring Norah Jones
9. Angel Eyes
10. On The Street Where You Live
11. Since I Fell For You
12. Always On My Mind

Joe Biden: You've got to read these

Dear Arnaldo,

Our records show that you live in California's 22nd district.

A few weeks ago, President Obama asked you to share your personal story about how the health care crisis has affected you and the ones you love. Hundreds of thousands of stories poured in from every corner of the country. The President and I have read through many of them ourselves -- and now I'm encouraging you to do so as well.

Read these powerful, personal stories from people in your area and around the country.

And after you do, please forward this note on to as many people as you can.

For folks who don't yet understand why health care reform is such an urgent priority, these stories make the case far better than any statistics ever could.

For those who support health care reform but haven't yet found the time to join our campaign, these stories provide more motivation than any speech any politician could ever give.

So please read these stories, pass this note on to everyone in your address book, and help us show everyone in America why fixing our broken health care system is a necessity that just can't wait:
http://healthcare.barackobama.com/stories

Thank you,

Vice President Joe Biden

Amanda Carr: concert & radio interview in LA today!

Praised by veteran jazz historian Nat Hentoff, Amanda Carr, one of my favorite jazz singers in the contemporary scene, appears tonight in Temecula (see details below).
But I woke up earlier today also to tell yoy that this morning she will be at KPFK.org promoting her upcoming CD.

Tune into Pacifica Radio to KPFK at 90.7FM Los Angeles at 10:30am PST (1:30pm EST) for an interview on "Global Village" with guest host Ali Lexa. Amanda talks about her recent and upcoming performances in Southern California and plays preview cuts from her upcoming big band release, "The Common Thread" with the acclaimed Kenny Hadley Big Band.

KPFK is heard at 90.7 FM From Los Angeles to San Diego, on 98.7 FM in Santa Barbara and streaming worldwide live at www.kpfk.org The show will also be up as a podcast and online archive for one-week after the show at archive.kpfk.org

Tonight, Amanda will do a rare appearance at "JAZZ at The MERC" in Temecula for the last in her Southern California performance series. This intimate venue is a destination spot for music and art lovers. Each Thursday at 7:30pm listeners are treated to a different jazz group in the intimate space known as "The Merc".

The Mercantile, located at 42051 Main Street, is one of Temecula's original buildings and has been beautifully restored. Amanda is joined by the Bevan Manson Trio. Tickets are $15.

VISIT: http://tickets.temeculatheater.org/

The Four Freshmen live @ Culver Club for Jazz, June 26

In-House Music Presents:
"A Special Evening with The Four Freshmen"
Friday, June 26th
at the "Culver Club for Jazz"
located in the Radisson LA Westside Hotel
6161 W. Centinela Avenue
Culver City, CA 90239

Limited seating still available for both shows!
Not a bad seat in the house
ONLY ONE LOS ANGELES PERFORMANCE!
THEY ARE NOT TO BE MISSED!

One of the most influential vocal groups of the 1950s, The Four Freshmen pioneered a revolutionary new style of close-harmony vocals that set the stage for bands like the Beach Boys, the Manhattan Transfer and others. Their accomplishments: produced 45 albums, 70 top selling singles and 6 Grammy Nominations. Tonight's Four Freshmen perform with that same unmistakable sound of the original group – vocal harmonies like no other. They will perform classics like "Day by Day", "Blue World" & "Something's Gotta Give". With a fan club of over 3000, this dynamic group plays to packed houses across the US.

Two Shows: 7:30 pm & 9:30 pm
Tickets: One Show $25.00,
Stay for two, just $35.00

Reservations required; Call In-House Music
at 310-216-5861

Diana Krall live @ Carnegie Hall, June 23 & 24

Exactly a year ago, Diana Krall was at the Carnegie Hall to attend João Gilberto's solo concert at the JVC Jazz Festival, produced by George Wein. Now, unfortunately, the JVC Fest is over; but she is back to NY's most prestigious music hall for her own concerts, today and tomorrow, not coincidently with George Wein producing. As expected on this exhaustive marathon of 44 concerts in the US portion of the "Quiet Nights World Tour," after 20 concerts (in 30 days) in her native Canada, Krall will be performing songs mostly from her recents "Quiet Nights" CD (Verve) and "Live in Rio" (DVD), backed by her quartet and a 41-piece orchestra arranged by German genius Claus Ogerman & conducted by the LA-based New Zealand-born master Alan Broadbent.

"An Evening with Diana Krall"
Presented by George Wein
Carnegie Hall, June 23 & 24, 8PM
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
57th Street and Seventh Avenue
(212) 247-7800

Tix from $55 to 150

Here's a link to the NYT post about it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/arts/music/19jazz.html?ref=music

DK in Michael Mann's "Public Enemies"

From the the jazz concert halls to the big screen: catch Diana Krall in a cameo in the Michael Mann-directed film 'Public Enemies,' singing the jazz standard "Bye Bye Blackbird" (Mort Dixon/Ray Henderson), opening nationwide July 1st. Krall's rendition of the jazz classic will also appear on the soundtrack for the movie, scheduled for US release on June 30 by Decca, an associated label of Universal.

Starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger, and featuring original musical score by Elliot Goldenthal, the action-thriller "Public Enemies" is co-starred by Christian Bale and Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard in the story of legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger, the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoover's fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Bale), and a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public.

The soundtrack album includes six tracks by Academy and Golden Globe Award winning composer Elliot Goldenthal and eight interpolations of blues, jazz and standards. Elliot Goldenthal's work includes such film scores as "Aliens 3," "Batman Forever" and the Oscar winning "Frida."

Besides Krall's new version of "Bye Bye Blackbird," the other main tracks are: "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground," performed by Blind Willie Johnson; "Love Me Or Leave Me" & "The Man I Love" performed by Billie Holiday; and the opening song "Ten Million Slaves," by contemporary bluesman Otis Taylor, who also plays "Nasty Letter."

Programmer: Richard Martinez.

Audio Mixer: Joel Iwataki.

Audio Remasterer: Vlado Meller.

Arrangers: Mark Baechle, Jeff Toine, Elliot Goldenthal, Robert Elhai, Teese Gohl (who worked on Bruno Barreto's movie "Bossa Nova") and Bruce Fowler.

Michelle Obama: "Serving Together"

Dear Arnaldo:

Our records show that you live in California's 22nd district.

National and community service has been a cornerstone of my life, as I know it has been for many Americans. And with the daily struggles now confronting so many families, it's especially important for us to reach out to one another and offer a helping hand.

I've just launched United We Serve, a national initiative to tackle our toughest problems by working hand-in-hand in communities across the country. We aim to make a real difference right now and bring more and more Americans into a tradition of life-long service to make an even greater difference down the road.

I'd like to invite you to be a part of it by joining Organizing for America's National Health Care Day of Service this weekend. You can join up with other local OFA supporters to help improve health care services in your community and make a difference as we work to reform America's health care system.

Sign up now to participate in a National Health Care Day of Service event this Saturday, June 27th.

There's an old Thomas Edison quote I've always liked: "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." It's no secret that our country faces some enormous challenges right now, and meeting them will take a lot of hard work. But in that work lies an equally great opportunity -- a chance to serve. And I do believe the chance to serve is a precious gift indeed.

Service has played a transformative role in my life -- bringing me tremendous joy and helping me find the path that led to where I am today. As a parent, I believe service is a great way to demonstrate values and to teach our children firsthand what it means to commit to a purpose beyond ourselves.

It should be a part of everyone's life. From the moment someone can walk to the day they leave this planet, service should be a part of how we give back, how we say thank you, how we express our gratitude for the lives that we've been given.

So I'm deeply honored for this chance to support our United We Serve initiative and Organizing for America, and I hope you'll be able to participate this weekend. Please sign up now to volunteer at a local event:

http://my.barackobama.com/hcserviceattend

Thank you,

First Lady Michelle Obama

Pics by David Adam Beloff from DK's concert at nTelos

Photoblogging Beloff
David Adam Beloff, a photographer who grew up in Hampton Roads, captures many moments with his camera. David's work spans from artsy black & white images to the colorful rockstars that perform at various venues in Hampton Roads. See more of his work on his Website.

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True jazz makes its appearance last night in the form of Diana Krall.

Click on this link to see more pics from the concert:

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/06/true-jazz-makes-its-appearance-last-night-form-diana-krall

Five-time grammy award-winning jazz artist, Diana Krall graced the stage at the NTelos Portsmouth Amphitheater last night. Her performance was so beautiful, so touching, so honest. It was such a pleasure to hear live jazz again. Krall's contralto voice echoed throughout the venue and kept the audience completely entranced and silent. So silent, in fact, that you could hear a pin drop! What a great moment in such an intimate venue. To read more on Miss Krall's performace, click here to read Malcolm Venable's article in The Virginian Pilot.

Review of Diana Krall's yesterday concert at nTelos

(pic by vill Tiernan for The Virginian-Pilot)

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/06/diana-krall-makes-intimate-evening-it-ntelos

Diana Krall makes an intimate evening of it at nTelos
By Malcolm Venable
The Virginian-Pilot
June 22, 2009

No doubt they got ties, tools and special breakfasts on Sunday, but some of the luckiest dads in Tidewater got a chance to see the enthralling jazz singer Diana Krall at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion in Portsmouth for Father’s Day.

The cruel heat, which made the rest of the weekend unsuitable for outside gathering, had relented by the evening. And so with balmy breezes swooshing through the outdoor venue, a better scenario in which to enjoy Krall and her trio could hardly be imaginable.

Her brand is serious. Krall is not showy, ribald, gimmicky nor chummy, but an intense and almost humorless performer whose style of ethereal and piercing music is more often associated with clubs or concert halls. And that’s part of what made the show so transcendent — even at a big outdoor venue, even with her stoic, nearly cold sense of mystery.

Krall, who sang songs including “I Love Being Here With You” and “Let’s Fall in Love," proved adept at wooing the large crowd with an experience that felt intimate and sensual.

Krall took to the stage, wearing a black sleeveless dress that displayed arms rivaling Michelle Obama's, sat on a stool in front of a Steinway, said, "1, 2, 3" and started playing "I Love Being Here With You." She does not wear a lot of makeup, her hair was slightly curly but not very glamorous, and close-up shots of her hands manipulating the keys showed no jewelry and sensibly cut, unpolished nails. The message was that Krall is not showy, ribald, gimmicky or chummy, but intense and serious. And anyway, who needs smoke and mirrors when you're utterly captivating?

One could even have mistaken Krall for being entirely humorless as she and her perfect band -- drums, upright bass, guitar -- drove through more songs, including "You Call It Madness." Her voice is a somewhat scratchy, warm and tender blanket you kind of want to curl up in, but even still, she can seem aloof and distant.

Krall, who is married to the singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, does indeed have a sense of humor, and it is as wry and ironic as you'd expect from someone like her: the queen of the NPR set.

She acknowledged the holiday and sang a witty ditty she said was inspired by Groucho Marx. "According to mother," the lyrics went, "you're our father, and that's good enough for us." Then -- and this was roughly four songs in -- she said, "Hold on. Before I play another song, I should say hello."

"Where's Elvis?" someone called out.

"He's working," said the 44-year-old Canadian. "But I'll tell him you asked about him. I had the pleasure of meeting your fine president of the United States recently. He said, 'Hey, Diana! How's Elvis?' I said, 'He's good, thanks for asking.'" She went on to smirk, smile and guffaw, but these asides happened so infrequently, and with such a sense of restrained self-consciousness, that you knew that when she does it, she's sincere.

Krall regaled the audience with a few tales of family life -- being on the road with her two sons inspired a touching overture -- but she more importantly regaled the audience with top-notch jazz music. Her band would sometimes venture into thrilling displays; they showed the kind of coordination and free-falling experimentation often associated with clubs or concert halls rather than an outdoor arena.

And that's part of what made the show transcendent. Even at a big outdoor venue, even with her stoic, nearly cold sense of mystery, she proved adept at wooing the large crowd with an experience that felt intimate. At times, as when she sang "P.S. I Love You," the venue was so starkly quiet you could hear an empty plastic cup being dragged across the concrete floor by the wind.

Krall put on a performance that was ethereal, restrained and sensual; it was the kind of lovely, magical evening that might have prompted the mostly over-40 men in the audience to go home and become fathers anew.

Krall & Streisand: "Love Is the Answer"

Just got this press-released from Sony Music USA, regarding the Barbara Streisand collaboration with Diana Krall on the "Love Is The Answer" project, orchestrated by one of my all-time favorite arrangers, Johnny Mandel.
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Columbia Records Announces the Release of 'Love Is the Answer,' the New Studio Album of Jazz-Flavored Classics and Standards by Barbra Streisand

New York, June 22 -- Columbia Records proudly announces the release of "Love Is the Answer," the eagerly-awaited new studio album from Barbra Streisand, available everywhere on Tuesday, September 29.

The first full-length collection of new studio recordings from eight-time Grammy award winner Barbra Streisand since 2005's "Guilty Pleasures," and first new Barbra Streisand album since "Live in Concert 2006," "Love Is the Answer" presents the artist as a cabaret and jazz singer of emotional clarity, depth and maturity, offering the listener a warm and intimate selection of late night meditations on love's powers, heartbreaks and solaces.

"Love Is the Answer" provided an opportunity for Streisand to work for the first time with the Grammy-winning Canadian jazz artist Diana Krall (piano) and her quartet (guitar, bass, drums) who brought a refined and sensual poignancy to the album's spare and subtle accompaniments.

Rounding out the album's smoky after-hours ambience with his sublime orchestrations is the legendary songwriter ("The Shadow of Your Smile") and Grammy-winning arranger Johnny Mandel, who worked with Streisand on her 1993 "Back to Broadway" album and arranged/co-produced Krall's 1998 Grammy-winning "When I Look in Your Eyes."

According to the RIAA, Barbra Streisand is the #1 best selling female recording artist in history and the only woman to make the Top 10 all time best selling artists list, which includes Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Over the course of her career, Streisand has recorded 50 gold, 30 platinum and 13 multi-platinum albums. An artist of unparalleled accomplishments in multiple entertainment fields, Streisand has made her mark as an award winning actress of stage and screen, recording artist, concert performer, movie producer, film director, screenwriter and songwriter.

Having earned two Oscars (Best Actress and Best Song), five Emmys, 11 Golden Globes, 10 Grammys including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement and Grammy Legend Awards, a special Tony Award (in 1970 as "Star of the Decade"), two Cable Ace and three Peabody awards, she is the only performer to hold honors from all of those institutions. In addition, Streisand is a recipient of the American Film Institute's Lif e Achievement Award, America's National Medal of Arts and France's Legion of Honor. In December 2008 she became the first female director to receive the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor.

Remembering Bobby Scott

Around three weeks ago, the great NY-jazz based historian & journalist Marc Myers posted, on his JJA-nominated blog JazzWax, http://www.jazzwax.com/2009/05/who-was-bobby-scott.html, a great story titled "Who Was Bobby Scott?" Then, on June 2nd, after arriving in Heland, I decided to sent him this letter, along with scans of some of Bobby's own letters sent to me ages ago.

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Hi Marc,
Firstly, I must congratulate you for the excellent post about Bobby Scott.
Secondly, I must tell you that Bobby was a dear friend of mine - sadly, mainly during his last years, when we increased our correspondence.

Luiz Bonfá, another close friend I miss so much, introduced us in the mid-80s, when I starting to work as Bonfa's producer. Bonfa and Scott were very close since the early 60s. Bonfa always referred to Scott as a genius. And Scott referred to Bonfa as a... genius!

From 1987 to 1998, Bonfa and I were neighbors at the Barra da Tijuca area in Rio de Janeiro, we used to visit each other at least three times a week.

Many many times when I was at Bonfa's home, he showed me works (songs, albums, arrangements) by Scott. "Listen to this cello passage, listen to this flute detail," he used to say while listening to Bobby's scores. Bonfa always was all smiles. He was particularly fond of Scott's brilliant arrangements for an album titled "Braziliana," which Scott arranged/conducted/produced (besides having played piano too) for Bonfá in New York back in 1965; a CD reissue came out last year on Verve's "Original" series. It's a sublime album, with the most subtle piano backing and the most subtle string arrangements I've ever heard.

Later on, Bobby Scott produced Bonfa's groundbreaking "The Gentle Rain" soundtrack for the Mercury label. Oddly, despite the fact that the film was a big fiasco, its soundtrack became very popular, to the point that its main theme achieved the status of a jazz standard, having received over 200 recordings (from Jimmy Smith to Diana Krall).

Bonfa also loved Scott's orchestrations to his song "Non-Stop To Brazil," recorded on Quincy Jones' "Quincy Plays for Pussycats" (Bobby was the uncredited arranger and piano player throughout the album...)
In the late 80s, Bonfa also introduced to Scott his guitar protegé Carlos Barbosa-Lima, with whom Bobby immediately started a strong musical partnership, writing many guitar pieces for Barbosa-Lima (even beginning a guitar concerto that was never completed and many other solo pieces recorded on the guitarists' albums for the Concord label) and recording many chamber-music sessions with him that remain unreleased. Among them, such fantastic suites like "Solitude Book," "Book of Hours" and a trio masterpiece with Eddie Daniels (playing flute!) titled "All About Amber" aka "Suite Informal."

However, no label showed interest in releasing such material. Not to mention the magnificent works for NY harpist Gloria Agostini, great songs written to (and performed by) Jackie & Roy and so on.

I invited Scott to perform at a jazz festival in Rio, but he politely refused. "I'm not one to be lumped together with others, and my first inclination is to say no to the trip. But I will give the festival some thought and maybe change my mind. I have had a very different type career than have most of the players you know. I have avoided being part of such affairs in the past, including even the Newport Festivals. And I do not have much interest in the other players on a bill, frankly. I had something entirely different in mind. I had desired to play a few concerts with Carlos, a couple even with strings if possible, to show the breadth of what we've been doing over the last few years. Its hard to explain, Arnaldo, but if I had my own way it would not be as it looks like it may be..." he wrote me in a letter dated October 1st, 1989.
One of the dozens (maybe over one hundred) letters we exchanged for years. Attached, please find scans of some of them.

In another letter, he suggested me: "What about a Scott/Bonfa album as well? To play/sing in a nightclub with Brazilian musicians of a jazz bent would also be something worth doing for myself. It isn't for monetary reasons I suggest all these things, Arnaldo. Its just that its a long way to Rio, and it seems like I should do more than a concert."

When I was finally able to prepare "the big plan," a big tour, Bobby was beginning to lose his battle against cancer. He was not allowed to travel anymore.
But he kept sending me many private tapes of new (and still unreleased) recordings I treasure, as well as copies of two of his books unpublished, "Not By Sail" and "Retrospect." Both are very haunting.

On April 29, 1990, he wrote me a letter to thank for a review I had published about his latest CD, "For Sentimental Reasons," and he added: "Fifteen years ago I wanted to record an album and call it 'The Last Bobby Scott Album'! I was so tired of being avoided by the critics, and tired of the companies not working to sell my efforts. So, I wanted just one more swing at the bat, and then I'd call it a day, and go back to purely composing and forget entertaining the club. But life is odd. The people from Musicmasters now want a new album, plus two more, one of all my comps, and a totally 'blues' album, of whatever I deem ought to go into it! And they're working on my albums, so things, like life, can change, and DO change for the better, I happily report."

Still referring to "For Sentimental Reasons," he mentioned about the superb version of the standard "That's All":
"I am indeed proud of my faith, and proud I am a Catholic. And most of all I am enriched by the gift of Belief God Himself has instilled within me from my birth. So, Arnaldo, there is what is in the album. The joy of pleasing God with the gifts He has given me... The lyrics of 'That's All' have always been to me the voice of Christ speaking to life from the Cross. If you listen to it again, and note ecah word you'll see what I am driving at. He is in everything, wheter we hear Him or not!"

I've mentioned all of that and have enclosed copies of such letters because I felt I should share such meaningful and insightful commeents with people like you and Ira Gitler, who are not only jazz historians, but above all jazz lovers. Music lovers!

Last but least, a curious detail: I was the one who told Creed Taylor that Bobby had passed away. It happened when Creed invited me for lunch, back in October 1990, at a restaurant near the CTI office - the Gotham, at 12th Street, between University Place and 5th Ave. As you certainly know, Creed and Bobby worked together many times, even on a Wes Montgomery album ("Movin' Wes") for Verve.
Woosh, 'nuff said.
Take care,
Arnaldo DeSouteiro (heading to NY for Diana Krall's concerts at Carnegie Hall)

Diana Krall live @ nTelos Pavilion in Portsmouth, VA

Diana Krall performs tonight, June 21, at the nTelos Pavilion in Portsmouth, Virginia, at 8PM.

She's exhausted, with flu and fever, because this is not a tour anymore. It's a marathon, destined to promote both the "Quiet Nights" CD and the "Live in Rio" DVD.

Federico Aubele will appear as DK's opening act.

nTelos Wireless Pavilion

901 Crawford Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704

Directions Parking
Tickets:

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0100426B87B24BF2?artistid=773409&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=4

Orchestra: $75

Gold Circle: $55

Lawn: $25

Military Discount: Present a military ID at any Ticketmaster outlet or the box office and receive $3.00 off Gold Circle and Lawn tickets purchased.

All shows are rain or shine. All dates, times, and artists are subject to change without notice. A facility and parking fee is included each ticket price. Additional Ticketmaster charges will apply.

DVD of the Day - "Diana Krall: Jazzaldia Festival 2008"

DVD of the Day
Diana Krall: "Jazzaldia Festival, San Sebastian, Spain" (Blue Heaven) 2008

Featuring: Bob Hurst, Jeff Hamilton & Anthony Wilson
Tracklist:
01 Let's Fall In Love
02 The Look Of Love
03 Band Introduction
04 Deed I Do
05 I'll String Along With You
06 Exactly Like You
07 A Case Of You
08 Devil May Care
09 I Was Doing All Right
10 I Don't Know Enough About You

DVD shots:

Diana Krall live tonight in Atlantic City!

(DK pictured by Carlos Alvarez during press conference...)

Tonight, June 20, at 8:00 PM, Diana Krall will be performing songs from her recent releases "Quiet Nights" (Verve CD) and "Live in Rio" (Eagle/ST2 DVD) at the Borgata Events Center (3.700 seats and 30.000 sq. ft. of space) of the luxurious Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, NJ.

Voted "Best Casino Spa" & "Best Spa for Men" by readers of Spa Finder Magazine.
A very special nights for jazz and gambling fans and... nevermind!

Borgata
One Borgata Way
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
(866) 692-6742

Get tix while they last:
http://www.livenation.com/edp/eventId/405503/

(...and taking pictures of people in the audience in a previous night)

Borgata has The Event Center and The Music Box, which feature world-class entertainers.
The Borgata Events Center has 3700 seats and 30,000 sq. ft. of space. More intimate entertainment events are held in the smaller, 1000 seat Music Box.

In 2003, the 43 story Borgata opened as Atlantic City's newest upscale Casino Resort. It features a Tuscany theme, and is one of the stops on the World Poker Tour.

Located at One Borgata Way in the Marina District, it's a joint venture between Boyd Gaming and MGM Mirage.
The Borgata features one of the most active and largest casinos in town, big time entertainment and numerous fine dining choices.
The hotel has 2002 rooms, all with outstanding views. All rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows many of which which provide spectacular views of the bay and ocean; in-room amenities include a Sony 40" LCD Flat Panel HD TV, 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets, bathrobes and slippers and large bathrooms with granite countertops and glass-enclosed showers with Rain Dome showerheads.

"Water Club", a new 800-room tower opened in June of 2008, with five pools and a "Spa in the Sky," featuring signature in-room dining by Manhattan Chef, Geoffrey Zakarian, and shopping at six exclusive boutiques.
The Borgata now has "Izakaya", a new Japanese tapas restaurant and nightclub run by celebrity chef, Michael Schulson. The 5th season of the Fox Networks TV show, "Hell's Kitchen," was filmed at the Borgata.

The Borgata has 160,000 sq. ft. of gaming space that inculdes an 18 table Asiangaming pit. They have a total of 285 gaming tables that include 85 poker tables. The Borgata hosts daily and late night poker tournaments, offering 4000 slot machines.
Casino games include: Slots, Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Poker and other novelty games. They also have Baccarat, Mini-Baccarat, Pai Gow, Pai Gow Poker and Spanish 21. The Water Club has six exclusive boutiques: La Perla, Just Cavalli, Hugo Boss, Hearts on Fire, Fixation and Cameo.

'Nuff said.

EP of the Day - "Lady Gaga: Lovegame"

12" EP of the Day
Lady Gaga: "Lovegame - The Remixes" (Interscope) 2009
US release date: June 8, 2009

Side A
1. Dave Aude' remix
2. Space Cowboy remix
3. Robots To Mars remix
Side B
1. Album version
2. Instrumental
3. A Capella

Box Set of the Day - "The Ultimate Dance Weekender Album"

Box Set of the Day
"The Ultimate Dance Weekender Album" (Decadence 3-CD Set) 2009
Release Date: June 8, 2009

Featuring: Fatboy Slim, Angel City, Kurtis Mantronix, Deepest Blue, Suzi Carr, Studio B, Rozalla, Urban Cookie Collective et al.

DVD of the Day - "Elvis Costello, Diana Krall & Elton John"

DVD of the Day
Elvis Costello with Diana Krall & Elton John: "Spectacle" (Blue Heaven BHV-140) 2009

Featuring: Christian McBride & Karriem Riggins
Total Time: 47m, NTSC
01. INTRODUCTIONS & CHAT
02. BUT NOT FOR ME - DIANA KRALL
03. EXACTLY LIKE YOU - DIANA KRALL
04. SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD - DIANA KRALL & ELTON JOHN
05. NIGHT TRAIN - DIANA KRALL
06. A CASE OF YOU - DIANA KRALL
07. MAKIN' WHOOPEE - DIANA KRALL, ELTON JOHN & ELVIS COSTELLO

2008年からファンの間では噂となっていた、エルヴィス・コステロが司会進行役のインタビュー＆ライブ番組『Spectacle』が早くも登場！今回はホストにエルトン・ジョン、そしてゲストは、なんと、コステロ夫人のダイアナ・クラールが登場！ダイアナ・クラールが影響を受けた、ナット・キング・コール、オスカー・ピーターソン、ジョニ・ミッチェルのナンバーを披露。ここでの弾き語りやエルトン・ジョンとのDUOも素晴らしいのですが、TRIO編成でのChristian McBride、Karriem Rigginsのベースとドラムも最高です。そして、ラストにはエルヴィス・コステロも登場！本作は2009年3月5日のUK放映版をマスターにしていますので、最高の画質でお楽しみいただけます。

Diana Krall live @ The Mann Center in Philadelphia

After a day off in the "Quiet Nights World Tour 2009," Diana Krall appears tonight, June 19, at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, at 8PM.
To buy tickets:
https://tickets.ticketphiladelphia.org/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=8279
Phone orders: 215-893-1999

The Mann Center Box Office is located at 52nd St. and Parkside Ave.
Office hours are: 10am – 5pm Monday to Saturday; intermission on all show nights.
There are no handling fees charged for Mann Center Box Office purchases.
Kimmel Center Box Office is located at Broad and Spruce Sts.
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Jazz's Diana Krall Plays Mann, Borgata
Traveling to twin shows -- with twins
by David Hiltbrand
Philadelphia Inquirer, June 19, 2009

Ah, the glamorous life of the touring jazz musician.

Diana Krall is trying to do a phone interview from a Connecticut hotel room. Dexter and Frank, her 2-year-old twins with husband Elvis Costello, are clamoring for attention. And the singer has a debilitating flu that makes her distinctive voice sound more froggy than sultry.

She's also scheduled to perform in a couple of hours.

"You don't want to tell the audience. They freak out. Then you have to assure them, 'No, it's not that kind of flu,'" she says. "I haven't canceled anything yet, even though it was recommended I do."

She promises to be fully recovered by tonight when she and her trio play the Mann. Tomorrow they move on to the Borgata.

An inventive interpreter of standards and a remarkable pianist, the Grammy-winning Krall is the most celebrated crossover artist in modern jazz. Those stunning Veronica Lake looks probably don't hurt her popularity either.

Don't go expecting her to re-create her new album, the Brazilian-flavored "Quiet Nights." "I don't have the philosophy at this point in my life that I'm touring for an album," she says. "I'm playing some new tunes, some Nat King Cole, and some I haven't recorded before."

Then a 2-year-old is tugging at her sleeve.

"Would you like the paint open? Ohhhh, you've got watercolors. There you go, Dexter."

Touring with twin tots is a formidable challenge. "You have to babyproof a [hotel] room in 10 minutes," she says. "There's always that ornamental bowl of potpourri that you're like, 'Oh my God.'

"Or all of a sudden your kid is stuck in this very modern lamp."

Krall, 44, teams up with her husband whenever possible, but Costello is off promoting his own album, "Secret, Profane and Sugarcane." While she's in Philadelphia, he's halfway across the country, playing at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

Krall begins to talk about recording "Quiet Nights" when her attention shifts again without warning. "What do you have in your mouth, honey?" she asks.

Not to worry, ticket holders. When Krall is onstage, there are no distractions.

Win tix to Gary Wilson at Santos Party House, NY

This next Tuesday, June 23, Gary Wilson will be performing at Santos Party House, with Animal Cruel-T, Silk Flowers and a DJ set from our very own Duane Harriott. Other Music got a pair of tickets to give away and all you have to do to enter is email tickets@othermusic.com. They'll notify the winner on Monday morning.

Gary Wilson: Tuesday, June 23
Santos Party House
100 Lafayette Street,Ground Fl South (btwn Walker & White Streets)
NYC

Diana Krall: "Jazzwise" cover story

"It's All About Tempo," says Diana Krall in the cover story of the June issue (#131) of England's "Jazzwise" magazine. A very comprehensive list of DK articles -- interviews and reviews about "Quiet Nights" and "Live in Rio" -- can be found on the fabulous websites for Claus Ogerman and Antonio Carlos Jobim developed by the Pennsylvania-based discographer and researcher B.J. Major http://www.bjbear71.com/

Here's an extract from the "Jazzwise" article, with special thanks to Sergio Edgardo Benitez for his cooperation (and the graphic effects!):
Diana Krall - The Silence That Surrounds Us
From Barack to Bossa and Beyond

Singer Diana Krall may just have reached another peak in her career with the release of bossa-nova themed album Quiet Nights (editor's note: released in the UK on June 1st, 2009), arranged once again by Claus Ogerman. The very title conjures up a stylised image of Brazil, and at the same time draws on a world of lushness, sensuality and above all emotion. It also references the vast impact the title song has had on jazz under its English title or as it’s known in Portuguese, ‘Corcovado’. Krall talks to Peter Quinn about how the slow tempos of the album mattered to her above everything else in the recording of the album and, while it sees Krall return to working with a familiar team and the comfort of the zone she made her name in, it could regain the affection of those who took a dislike to her earlier album The Girl In The Other Room.

Critics then made their feelings clear despite the success of many of that album’s artistic ambitions and the undoubted quality of some of the songs Krall penned. However, the new album may, despite returning to familiar ground, lift the level of the jazz vocal style Krall presides over as one of its leading practitioners and relieve the sheer desperation many jazz fans feel about classic songbook and bossa repertoire. She’s the most famous living jazz singer, a Grammy award winner who has sold over 14 million records worldwide. But even Diana Krall still suffers the occasional bout of nerves. Then again, if you were performing at an intimate tribute to Stevie Wonder, and both he and President Barack Obama were sitting so close you could reach over and ask them for a light, chances are you’d feel a little nervous too.

Krall was one of a select group of guests asked to perform when Wonder was awarded the Second Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Held on 25 February in the East Room of the White House in celebration of African American History Month, other artists on the bill (“The most accomplished Stevie Wonder cover band ever assembled,” Obama reportedly joked) included Tony Bennett, Paul Simon, jazz bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding, hip hop artist and producer will.i.am., and country star (and fellow Canadian) Martina McBride.

“I sang ‘Blame It On The Sun’. I was a wreck, an absolute mess,” Krall tells me on the phone from New York. “I was in tears first of all because I walked on stage and there’s Barack and Michelle Obama looking the most gorgeous people, and we’re honouring Stevie Wonder in the White House. I was just so moved. I was invited to the White House during President Bush’s administration and did not go. It was such a cool thing to have the President of the United States say ‘Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Stevie Wonder’. I was just, like, ‘Aagh, this is the best’. Everybody felt it, everybody was emotional about it. And then when I finally met President Obama, he said to me: ‘You didn’t tell me your husband was Elvis Costello. That’s so cool’.”

To read the full article click here to subscribe and receive a free Warner Jazz CD.