Streisand talks about Krall - LA Times

... But it seems that everybody, even Streisand, thinks that Luiz Bonfá's "The Gentle Rain" belongs to the "Black Orpheus" soundtrack. Jesus!
Barbra Streisand
The singer's new 'Love Is the Answer,' produced by Diana Krall, is lushly orchestrated.
by Susan King
Los Angeles Times, August 31, 2009

Barbra Streisand may make beautiful music, but she rarely listens to it.

"I don't understand today's music," Streisand acknowledged, adding that she does enjoy some contemporary artists. "I saw John Mayer recently. My God, what a great guitarist and singer, but I don't turn on music. I listen so much when I am making a record.... I get so tired of music."

Especially when songs favor the beat over the lyrics.

"I can't relate," said the 67-year-old Streisand. "I guess the society is getting somehow angrier and angrier and less from the heart. It's sad. You know we are living in very hard times. We are living in fear and anger, and that is represented by the music."

Such negative emotions are nonexistent in her latest album, "Love Is the Answer," which will be released Sept. 29. The work, Streisand's first studio album since 2005's "Guilty Pleasures," is about melodies and lyrics, she said.

The bestselling female recording artist in history avoided the recording studio because of her touring schedule as well as the demands of building a new Cape Code-style house in Malibu.

"I didn't even know if I would have a voice left because I was full of sawdust and screaming over the hammers and the saws," she said.

"Love Is the Answer" also marks the first time the Oscar-, Emmy-, Tony- and Grammy-winning Streisand has worked with award-winning Canadian jazz artist Diana Krall and her combo.

Streisand was executive producer of the album; Krall was producer.

"We had a mutual respect for one another and admiration," said Streisand from New York during a recent phone interview.

"Her mom used to play my records," added Streisand, who met Krall at the Monterey Jazz Festival a few years ago. "So she kind of grew up with them. I usually produce a lot of my own things, so we did it as a collaboration."

Oscar-winning composer Johnny Mandel ("The Shadow of Your Smile"), who has worked with Krall and Streisand previously, provided the disc's lush orchestrations.

"We met several times to just go over songs," said Streisand of Krall. "She would send me songs. I would tell her what I would like to sing. What I haven't sung. What I meant to sing."

For example, the smoky bossa nova "Gentle Rain" from the 1959 classic film "Black Orpheus" was in Streisand's repertoire on her latest tour as "my opener because it was nice to open the voice with a gentle song. Diana had recorded it, so it was the perfect thing to put on this album."

Streisand had always wanted to record Jacques Brel and Rod McKuen's haunting "If You Go Away." Streisand was such a fan of the French singer Brel that she flew to Marseilles in the 1960s to hear him perform in concert, only to have him not sing his signature tune.

Krall suggested the lovely "Make Someone Happy" from the 1960s Broadway musical "Do Re Mi," composed by Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Jule Styne, who wrote the music for Streisand's Broadway hit "Funny Girl."

"I love the fact that my dear friend Jule Styne wrote it," she said. "I fell in love with that song. That was so fun. We did that several times to get it right."

Streisand even changed the lyrics for a fundraiser last year for then-Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama:

"Barack is the answer
We know that he is the answer
Since we've found him
Let's all rally 'round him"

The regular CD features the Mandel-arranged orchestra versions of the songs; the two-disc deluxe CD set also features Streisand performing the selections with Krall's jazz group.

Krall always records basic tracks with her band and then the orchestra is added later.

"David Foster records that way, where you do the tracks first," said Streisand. "I don't particularly like it. I love the inspiration of the orchestra. But it brought me back to the way I started, so there is something very pure about it, not innocent but young and youthful -- nostalgic."

Streisand is giving an intimate concert of selections from "Love Is the Answer" at the famed New York jazz club the Village Vanguard on Sept. 26 for 100 lucky fans.

Her website at http://www.barbrastreisand.com/ is offering three contests to win tickets: Pixel Puzzle Game, Show Us Your Streisand Video Contest and Sammie's Cutest Pet Photo Contest. Sammie is Streisand's fluffy white pooch.

The concert was the brainchild of her manager, Martin Erlichman, who has handled Streisand since she was a teenager making a name for herself at such New York nightclubs as the Bon Soir and the Blue Angel, which no longer exist.

When she was 19, she auditioned at the Vanguard. "Miles Davis was the star of the show. The opening girl singer was Joanie Sommers. My friend Rick Edelstein was the waiter and he got Miles' musicians to back me at the audition."

"I didn't get the job," she added.

Vinyl of the Day - "Chris Connor: New Again"

Vinyl of the Day
Chris Connor: "New Again" (Contemporary) 1988

Simultaneously released on both LP and CD formats, "New Again" was Chris' second (and last) album for the Contemporary label, then a subsidiary of Fantasy Records.
Recorded in August 1987, in NY, produced by Helen Keane (assisted by Barbara Borden), with Lori Muscarelle credited as executive producer.
Features keyboardists/arrangers Richard Rodney Bennett & Mike Abene, bassist Michael Moore, drummer Buddy Williams, percussionist Sammy Figueroa and the horns of Claudio Roditi (trumpet & flugelhorn), Billo Kirschner (tenor, alto & soprano saxophones plus flute & clarinet), and Dave Valentin (flute).
Highlights: "Dearly Beloved," a silky version of Michael Franks' bossa nova "Down in Brazil" (originally dedicated to João Donato when recorded a decade earlier by Franks with Donato himself, João Palma, Helio Delmiro, Wilton Felder & Larry Carlton for the "Sleeping Gypsy" masterpiece), "Antonio's Song" (another bossa by Michael Franks from that same album, but dedicated to Antonio Carlos Jobim), "Mad About The Boy," "I Wish I'd Met You" and the "Jukebox Medley."

R.I.P.: Chris Connor

(born Mary Loutsenhizer on November 8, 1927, in Kansas City, MO;

died August 29, 2009, in Toms River, NJ)

CD of the Day - "Chris Connor: Classic"

CD of the Day
Chris Connor: "Classic" (Contemporary) 1987

Recorded on August 5 & 6 in NY, produced by Helen Keane, features keyboardists Richard Rodney Bennett (who also wrote all the arrangements) & Mike Abene, bassist Rufus Reid, Japanese drummer Akira Tana, Cuban alto sax player Paquito D'Rivera and Brazilian trumpeter Claudio Roditi. Nice liner notes by Larry Kart.
The program includes two Brazilian songs: "Brazil" (aka "Aquarela do Brasil," by Ary Barroso) and "Sweet Happy Life" (the English title of Luiz Bonfá/Antonio Maria's "Samba de Orfeu"), both with their seldom heard English lyrics added by Bob Russell and Norman Gimbel, respectively.
Other highlights: "Laura," "In Love in Vain," "Blame it on My Youth," "We'll Be Together Again" and the CD bonus track "The Nearness of You."
Hope that Concord, which now controls the Contemporary/Fantasy catalog, will reissue it soon.

R.I.P.: Ion Muniz

(born Ion de Porto Alegre Muniz on June 19, 1948 in Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil;
died August 30, 2009 in Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil)

(Ion Muniz in a concert with Dom Um Romão & Nelson Angelo; pic by Arnaldo DeSouteiro)

No other Brazilian tenor saxophonist was more influenced by John Coltrane than Ion Muniz. And, as a flute player, he was our Eric Dolphy.
When I organized a concert series for Dom Um Romão at the Laura Alvim Hall (Casa de Cultura Laura Alvim) in late 1997, Dom Um and I invited Ion Muniz to join the band. He looked terrible on the stage, but played superbly throughout the nights, performing astonishing solos a la Coltrane on such tunes as "Afro Blue" and "Naima." Very long solos, indeed, but all marvelously constructed, lessons in both logic and fluency. Btw, the band was Dom Um on drums & percussion, Paulo Russo on bass, Nelson Angelo on guitars, Delia Fischer on keyboards, Ithamara Koorax on vocals and Ion Muniz on flute & sax. Federica Boccardo was the executive producer.
Three years later, I met him for the last time, when I attended a Claudio Roditi gig in Rio, and Ion sat in with the band.
Muniz, who started his career as a member of Victor Assis Brazil's sextet in 1967, performed and/or recorded with Edison Machado (his best friend, mentor and main influence along with Coltrane, with Muniz having recorded on Machado's legendary "Obras" album), Luiz Eça (with whom he cut another cult session, "Luiz Eça & A Sagrada Família", performing in Mexico with that all-star group), Egberto Gismonti, Maysa, Gal Costa, Agostinho dos Santos, Jards Macalé, Nelson Angelo, Ed Lincoln, the group A Bolha and many others.

After moving to New York in 1975, although he rarely recorded and never became a studio musician (session player), Muniz performed live gigs with Dom Um Romao, Claudio Roditi, Astrud Gilberto, Duduka Da Fonseca, Herbie Mann, Ron Carter, Jorge Dalto, Steve Gadd, Anthony Jackson, Joe Cuba, Dom Salvador, Walter Booker, Jimmy Cobb, Cecil McBee, Shunzo Ono, Onaje Allen Gumbs and Larry Willis (then married to Georgiana de Moraes).

He was also a member of Gaudencio Thiago de Mello's Amazon Big Band, being featured as a soloist during their engagements at the now-defunct Jazzmania club in NY.

Back in Brazil in 1983, worked once again with Luiz Eça, as well as with Pepeu Gomes, Baby Consuelo, Nana Caymmi, Joyce, Carlos Vergueiro, and on Mauricio Gueiros/Fernando Leporace's sought-after collaboration "Aldeia," (1986) not yet reissued on CD.

Having married his Finnish girlfriend, Muniz moved to Helsinki, Finland, in 1988, where he taught at music schools (like the prestigious Sibelius Akatemia), formed his own quartet, and performed as a sideman with local (Jarkko Toivonen, my dear friend whom I call "the Finnish Bonfa!") and visiting artists (Jimmy Heath). He return to Brazil in 1992, releasing his first (and, unfortunately, last) solo album in 2003, "Um Amor Eterno," for the Kalimba label, backed by the late Theomar Ferreira (a disciple of Edison Machado), Dario Galante, Edson Lobo, Lula Galvão, Franklin da Flauta, Bilinho Teixeira, Jorge Continentino & Jessé Sadoc. Ion Muniz also guested on sessions by Mauricio Gueiros & Iza Eirado ("Um Novo Amor"), Tomás Improta ("Certas Mulheres") and the landmark "Cafe Com Pão" CD, co-led by João Donato & Eloir de Moraes for Almir Chediak's Lumiar label.
Also in the early 2000s, two sessions that remained unreleased for three decades were finally issued in Europe by the UK-based label What Music: "Obras 2 - O Pulo do Gato" by Edson Machado, cut in 1971 with Haroldo Mauro Jr., Ricardo Santos, Edson Maciel & Ion, including the saxophonist's tune "Mr. Maciel") and "A Blue Donato" (with Ion on flute, alongside Edson Machado, Barnabé, Edson Lobo, Tita, Edson Maciel etc), both recorded at Bill Horne's studio. Btw, it was Bill, who passed away in 2006, who licensed such tapes. RIP.


Here's a link for a detailed bio in Portuguese:
http://www.dicionariompb.com.br/verbete.as?ome=Ion+Muniz&tabela=T_FORM_A

(CD reissue of "Luiz Eça & A Sagrada Familia")

Diana Krall live @ Chateau Ste. Michelle, Aug 29 & 30

Diana Krall will be performing this Saturday, August 29, and also tomorrow night, at the Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woosinville, Washington. Both concerts at 7:00 PM.
14111 NE 145th Street Woodinville,
Washington 98072
(425) 415-3300

Res $99.50 GA $49.50
For tickets, call Ticketmaster at 206.628.0888 or visit ticketmaster.com or any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets are also available in the Chateau Wine Shop.

************
Driving Directions:
Chateau Ste. Michelle is located 15 miles northeast of Seattle in Woodinville, Washington.
The winery is open to visitors daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To reach this historic winery:
Take Interstate 405 to Exit 23, heading east to Monroe/Wenatchee.
Immediately get in the right lane following the signs to the first exit, which is for Highway 202 East. Dairy Queen will be on your right.
Go down the hill and under the train trestle. You will come to a stoplight at NE 175th Street with a tire store on your right.
Turn right onto NE 175th Street and go one-quarter mile, over two sets of railroad tracks, until you come to stop light on an incline.
Turn left at the light onto Highway 202 and go 1.6 miles. Follow the road as it curves left and the Chateau’s entrance will be on your right.

"Blues To Bossa" @ the GRAMMY Museum Sound Stage

Reserve now for Jazz Bakery relocation funding event.
Saturday, August 29th at 7:30pm
Ernie Andrews / Dori Caymmi: "BLUES TO BOSSA" to be held at the 200-seat state-of-the-art GRAMMY Museum Sound Stage

ERNIE ANDREWS
Ernie Andrews - vocals
Llew Matthews - piano
Richard Simon - bass
Roy McCurdy - drums
Host: KJAZZ's LeRoy Downs

DORI CAYMMI
Dori Caymmi - guitar/vocals
Bill Cantos - piano/keys/vocals
Jerry Watts - bass
Michael Shapiro - drums
Scott Mayo -sax/vocals
Host: KPFK's Sergio Mielniczenko

Tickets: $40 (Museum Members: $35)

Call the Museum Box Office: 213.765.6803
hours: 11:30 AM - 7:30 PM
Tickets can also be purchased in-person at the Museum Box Office as available. Tickets held at will-call - valid id required.
For more info call the JB: 310 271-9039

Show: 7:30 pm Sat. Aug 29th, Doors open: 7:00 pm.
Location: on the corner of Olympic Bl and Figueroa St. in downtown Los Angeles, on the campus of L.A. LIVE. Museum entrance: on Figueroa. Parking: available in the "East Garage" off Olympic.
http://jazzbakery.org

SXSW 2009 Lawn Party Film Series # 2

Back in March, Other Music and Dig For Fire got together to throw our second annual South By Southwest Lawn Party, with a ton of our favorite bands playing on the rolling lawns of Austin's French Legation Museum. It's been a few months since SXSW but the films still feel fresh, and all eight episodes can be viewed on the video-streaming site, Babelgum, who also sponsored our party. Here's the second film in the series, which features a rousing performance from Efterklang and a truly pastoral appearance from Fleet Foxes' J Tillman.

While you can stream all of the episodes on Other Music Digital, you can also click to watch invidual song highlights from: A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Army Navy, Asa, Benjy Ferree, Cause Co-Motion!, Cursive, Dent May, Efterklang, Laura Gibson, J. Tillman, Marnie Stern, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, Pete and the Pirates, Rebecca Gates, Telekinesis, The Tallest Man on Earth, The Thermals, These Are Powers, Thomas Function, Viking Moses, Virgin Forest, Wavves.

We'd also like to invite you to check out Dig For Fire and Babelgum's new music series Road Trippin' With Ice Cream Man. This episode takes place in Chicago, where we catch up with A Band of Horses backstage at Lollapalooza, who take improvisation one step further, breaking into the never-before-performed "Modelo," complete with a beer-bottle orchestra accompaniment.

Produced by Dig for Fire [www.digforfire.tv] »

DK live in Portland, tonight

Tonight, August 28, Diana Krall will be appearing with her quartet at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon, as part of the Californian leg of her "Quiet Nights World Tour."

Buy Tickets

Kristin Korb 3 w/ Frank Potenza live at Steamers, tomorrow, Aug 28

Kristin Korb Trio with Llew Matthews (piano), Steve Barnes (drums) and guest guitarist Frank Potenza at Steamers this Friday!
http://www.steamerscafe.com/
8:30 -12:30

Reservations Recommended

138 W. Commonwealth

Fullerton, CA

Ph: (714) 871/ 8800

**********

"Dear Arnaldo, I hope you had a great week. Things are certainly heating up this weekend. I've been waiting to put on my summer dresses. Meet your friends down at Steamers this Friday to cool off from the week. Frank Potenza and I haven't played together in over a year, so you know there is going to be some serious fun happening on the band stand. Wahoo! Kristin"
**********

Next KK gigs:
Sept 11 @ Hip Kitty
Sept 12 @ Cafe Metropole w. Mark Winkler
Sept 17 @ Steamers (supporting Teryn Carter)
Sept 18 @ Parkway Grill w. David Arnay
Sept 20 @ Golden West College w. Gerry Schroeder

Tinariwen: free song download

This Week's Free Song Download
Tinariwen: Imidiwan Afrik Temdam World Village
Listen & Buy for $0.00

Free Song Download of "Imidiwan Afrik Temdam," taken from Imidiwan, Tinariwen's follow-up to their 2007 breakthrough, Aman Iman. Recorded last December in the Malian village of Tessalit (in locations such as a rented house, out in the bush and in nomad camps), this band of ex-militants deliver another great sultry set that's simultaneously transcendental and grooving, and sure to be loved in every corner of the globe. Read the full review of the album below.

R.I.P.: Senator Ted Kennedy

"Dear Arnaldo:

Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy. For nearly five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts. His ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives -- in seniors who know new dignity; in families that know new opportunity; in children who know education's promise; and in all who can pursue their dream in an America that is more equal and more just, including me.

In the United States Senate, I can think of no one who engendered greater respect or affection from members of both sides of the aisle. His seriousness of purpose was perpetually matched by humility, warmth and good cheer. He battled passionately on the Senate floor for the causes that he held dear, and yet still maintained warm friendships across party lines. And that's one reason he became not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy. I personally valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I've benefited as President from his encouragement and wisdom. His fight gave us the opportunity we were denied when his brothers John and Robert were taken from us: the blessing of time to say thank you and goodbye.

The outpouring of love, gratitude and fond memories to which we've all borne witness is a testament to the way this singular figure in American history touched so many lives. For America, he was a defender of a dream. For his family, he was a guardian. Our hearts and prayers go out to them today -- to his wonderful wife, Vicki, his children Ted Jr., Patrick and Kara, his grandchildren and his extended family. Today, our country mourns. We say goodbye to a friend and a true leader who challenged us all to live out our noblest values. And we give thanks for his memory, which inspires us still.
Sincerely,
President Barack Obama"

JazzCorner.com's Great Giveaway for Tanglewood Jazz

Message from Lois Gilbert:

"Jazz Corner.com continues our annual Great Summer Giveaway
We have 3 pairs of VIP tickets for The Tanglewood Jazz Festival Sept 4-6
Your VIP passes includes great seating, free parking and admission to all the Jazz Cafés
One Grand Prize winner will receive tickets for two for the whole weekend
Winners will be chosen at random and notified by email and announced
on JazzCorner's FaceBook Fan Page on August 31st

Here's just some of the great lineup for the Tanglewood Jazz Festival in Lenox, Mass in the beautiful setting of the Berkshires:

Friday - Sept 4 - 8pm - "An Evening with Paquito D'Rivera - The 2009 Tanglewood Jazz Festival opens with "An Evening with Paquito D’Rivera," in which the famed clarinetist performs pieces from his Latin jazz and classical repertoires. A 2005 NEA Jazz Master, winner of the 2008 Downbeat Reader’s Poll for best clarinetist, and guest artist on Yo-Yo Ma’s most recent recording, Songs of Joy & Peace, D’Rivera has extensive expertise in both the jazz and classical music worlds. Airing the week of the Festival will be a special JazzCorner.com Innerview with Paquito.

Saturday - Sept 5 - 2pm - John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey (in her Tanglewood debut) will tape their popular radio program, “Radio Deluxe,” at the festival for later broadcast on more than 60 stations nationwide. Normally broadcast from their living room “high above Lexington Avenue,” the Tanglewood program will officially take “Radio Deluxe” on the road for the first time since the program's inception in 2005. The show’s format, marked by the duo's urbane, sophisticated humor, inventive playlist, and extensive knowledge of the Great American Songbook, is expanding its repertoire to include such rock-era voices as Randy Newman and Joni Mitchell. The "Radio Deluxe" from Tangelwood will feature Harry Allen, Aaron Weinstein, Bucky Pizzarelli and Kurt Elling!

Saturday - Sept 5 - 8pm - Jazz violinist and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Regina Carter will perform with her quartet in a program titled “Reverse Thread,” which includes material from her Paganini project plus music from Mali, Senegal, and Uganda. O Magazine said “Carter is a knockout violinist who leads a knockout band.”

Following Ms. Carter will be Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon and classical vocalist Harolyn Blackwell in “Dreaming the Duke,” a program that celebrates the legacy and influences of the great Duke Ellington with innovative solo pieces, duets with chamber and jazz quartets, and intimate vocal-piano selections. Noted pianist and arranger Mike Garson, whose work with David Bowie and in jazz and classical genres has earned him high praise as an arranger, serves as accompanist and musical director. They will perform classical Ellington standards as well as selections from Ellington’s famed “Black, Brown and Beige Suite.

Sunday -Sept 5 - 2pm, will open with a rare and exclusive piano duet featuring Kenny Barron and Mulgrew Miller on two nine-foot Steinways performing spontaneous improvisations on original and jazz standard compositions. Performed at the 2005 Marciac Jazz Festival in France, this program has only been performed a few times in the U.S. and in Europe. Barron recently received the BNY Mellon Jazz 2008 Living Legacy Award by the Bank of New York/Mellon.

Barron and Miller will be followed by one of the most enduring large jazz ensembles in the U.S., the Grammy-winning Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Founded by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, the orchestra received two Grammy nominations in 2008 for its recording, Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard (Planet Arts Records) and received the award this week in the “Best Large Jazz Ensemble” category. For over four decades the Orchestra has performed on Monday nights at the world-famous jazz club, the Village Vanguard in New York. The Tanglewood performance will include trumpeter Terrell Stafford, trombonist Jason Jackson and pianist Jim McNeely among others.

Sunday -Sept 5 - 8pm, will be trumpeter Jon Faddis and his Quartet with two guest trumpeters: Sean Jones and Wallace Roney. “A Triumph of Trumpets” is a celebration of the role of the trumpet in jazz throughout the past century, from Louis Armstrong to Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and more. Airing the week of the Festival will be a special JazzCorner.com Innerview with Jon

Following Jon Faddis will be bassist and big-band leader, Dave Holland with his all-star band including saxophonist Chris Potter, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, and trombonist Robin Eubanks.

In the tradition of the Tanglewood Jazz Festival you can enjoy jazz in the afternoon whether sitting in the Osaka Hall or having a picnic on the lawn. Audiences are encouraged to make a day and night of the event by bringing their chairs, blankets and picnic baskets to Tanglewood. Food vendors and prepared boxed food as well as the Jazz Cafes' with emerging artists will be on site For more info and tickets visit: www.tanglewoodjazzfestival.org

All this week, we're featuring videos of performers at Tanglewood. Please check out JazzVision - where you can upload, share, and enjoy videos dedicated to jazz. JazzVision is the only video sharing site for Jazz videos. It's your site for your performances, epks, favorites videos, and vintage and classic Jazz videos!

JAZZ LIVES! A campaign has been launched on Twitter to prove there IS a large, vigorous audience for live jazz. This is a shout-out of performances you're going to see or just saw or live performances you heard on the radio. All you need to do is log into your Twitter account and after your post put #jazzlives. If you want to feed it to your Facebook page, after the #Jazzlives put #FB. You can see it in real time on the home page on JazzCorner.com

Let's send a big fat message to the world that Jazz indeed is heard everywhere, in all forms and we're saying it (or rather tweeting it) LOUD AND PROUD!!

Follow JAZZCORNER.COM on TWITTER

Coming soon: VIP Passes for the Detroit International Jazz Festival and a special classic interview with Percy Heath and Jimmy Heath. Jimmy will be performing with his brother Albert "Tootie" Heath at Detroit.

Peace and light,
Lois Gilbert
Managing Director
Jazzcorner®.com"

Diana Krall Quartet live in Jacksonville tonight

Tonight, August 26, Diana Krall leads her quartet @ the Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville, OR.

Buy Tickets

Single of the Day - "Michael Jackson & Jackson 5"

Single of the Day
"4 Sucessos de Michael Jackson & Jackson 5" (Motown/Top Tape) 1979

7" EP, 4 Tracks, Pic Sleeve
A1. Got To Be There
A 2. I'll Be There
B1. Music and Me
B2. Going Back to Indiana

Official Michael Jackson Opus Book Announced

The official Michael Jackson Opus is the definitive photographic tribute with exclusive and unseen images. This is the career anthology Michael Jackson was helping to create himself and the only one approved and endorsed by his estate. With exclusive access to Michael’s own archives, Opus brings you an amazing collection of previously unpublished photographs, personal essays and quotes from well-known names in the entertainment industry and will stand as a lasting tribute to this extraordinary performer.

- The only official publication
- Exclusive and never before seen photographs
- 400 pages
- Leather hand-bound book with silk covered case
- Online access to Opus Reality card and exclusive 3D experience
- Publication date: December 7th, 2009

Preorder & save 50% for a limited time:

http://www.ticketmaster.com/michaeljacksonopus?camefrom=USMJOPUS_MJ

Palmdale Jazz Fest Announces Paul Weimar as Host

The Palmdale Jazz and Wine Festival has announced that international saxophonist Paul "Shilts" Weimar" will be hosting the festival to be held on September 12, 2009 from 3-10 p.m. in Palmdale, California.

Paul "Shilts" Weimar originally hails from London, England and has been playing saxophone since his early teens. His career has spanned all forms of jazz, soul, rock and pop music. He has toured all over the world and performed with a host of international artists, such as Was (Not Was), The Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai, Rick Braun, Jeff Lorber, Peter White and many more. Eventually Shilts became the most visible and identifiable member of the UK jazz group Down To the Bone. In his eleven years with the group, he remained excited creating a separate identity for himself. He did this with his highly anticipated debut, "See What Happens," which earned a 2001 Smooth Jazz Award nomination, followed by his second and highly acclaimed follow up, "HeadBoppin."

His third and latest release, "Jigsaw Life" (nuGroove Records), is a showcase of Shilts' multitude of performing and composing talents, focusing not only on his tenor but also his instantly infectious melodies.

Other artists set to appear are Norman Brown, Euge Groove, Richard Smith and other artists to be announced soon.

Also featured at the Palmdale Jazz and Wine Festival will be a variety of outstanding local and California wineries as well as micro brewed beers. Guests will also be able to purchase a delicious selection of gourmet foods. Tickets are on sale at www.cityofpalmdale.org/jazz. Reserved seating tickets are $50, and festival seating tickets are $35. Guests who purchase Festival-seating tickets are encouraged to bring short back lawn chairs or blankets. Both tickets include four wine tasting tickets and a commemorative wine glass upon arrival. A designated driver ticket is available for $25. Designated drivers are encouraged to bring short back lawn chairs or blankets. Advance ticket sales end Friday, September 11 at 11:59 pm PST or when tickets sell out, whichever occurs first. On the day of the festival, tickets are $60 Reserved, $45 Festival and $35 Designated Driver. Parking is free.

The Palmdale Jazz & Wine Festival is generously sponsored by American Medical Response, Antelope Valley Mall, Antelope Valley Harley-Davidson, AT&T Real Yellow Pages, Fresco II, The Palmdale Hotel, Robertson's Palmdale Honda, Time Warner Cable, Valleywide Dental, and WineandJazz.com. Sponsorships are still available, and businesses that would like to participate as a sponsor to promote their business, products and services should contact parks and recreation at 661/267-5611.

Carry-in food, beverages, coolers, alcohol, and pets are not permitted. Smoking is permitted in designated areas. Designated drivers observed participating in wine tasting will be asked to leave the festival immediately without refund. Palmdale Jazz & Wine Festival guests must be at least 21 years of age to attend. Please be prepared to show valid ID upon arrival. Babies are not permitted.

For more information about the upcoming Palmdale Jazz and Wine Festival, please call the City of Palmdale parks and recreation department at (661)267-5611.

Reviews of Diana Krall's concerts @ Hollywood Bowl

Diana Krall Sings, and Talks, Appealingly in Bowl Show
by Peter Larsen
Orange County Register, August 24, 2009

Three songs into her show at the Hollywood Bowl, Diana Krall paused to pose a deadpan question to the crowd: "So... have you seen my husband lately?"

It was a funny line if you got it: She's Mrs. Elvis Costello, and for much of this month Krall and Costello have been hopscotching up and down the West Coast, playing many of the same venues. Three days before Krall arrived at the Bowl on Friday, Costello played the Greek Theatre.

And while the couple might seem to come from disparate musical backgrounds -- Krall a traditional jazz piano chanteuse, Costello a musical vagabond whose deepest roots lie in rock -- seeing both within a few days highlighted their similarities.

In particular, both share a common love for the classic songbook, and reinterpretations of numbers from it into their own unique styles. For Krall on Friday, that led to 13 songs over 80 minutes that mixed jazz standards she's performed since she was Canadian teenager with the Brazilian bossa nova-influenced tunes of her most recent album, "Quiet Nights."

"I Love Being Here With You," the Peggy Lee-penned classic, opened the show in perfect fashion, with the lyrics giving Krall a chance to sing about how delighted she was to be with us. (And on this night, to ad-lib lines such as "I love the thrill of a Hollywood Bowl show," and "I love being here with you, Ray Brown, Ray Brown," a shout-out to her late mentor, the legendary jazz bassist who more or less discovered her in a small town in British Columbia.)

The song also provided an introduction to her very sharp band -- guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Jeff Hamilton -- all of whom soloed to elegant effect during the number.

A slow and bluesy take on "Do It Again," a song most associate with Judy Garland, presented the sultry side of Krall while also featuring Hurst's work on bass. "Let's Fall In Love" opened prettily with just Krall's vocals and Wilson's gentle guitar work.

All of that we might have expected -- the velvety vocals, the solid jazz riffs and runs -- but Krall was in a particularly chatty mood, and so before bringing the Los Angeles Philharmonic in to accompany her for much of the rest of show, she started talking.

"This next song, I don't want you to think of my husband, but I do," she said in the first of several droll comic interludes that had the audience laughing with her stories.

"Well, I'm not about to do 'Pump It Up' as a bossa nova," she continued, a reference to one of Costello's early classics. "Save that for an Alaskan cruise ship in my twilight years."

"I've Grown Accustomed To His Face" eventually followed, opening with a long melodic piano solo, then the full orchestra, conducted by Alan Broadbent, joined in with the strings swelling beneath the quartet's playing and Krall's heartfelt, dreamy vocals.

The rest of the night followed much the same pattern. A funny tale told (riffs ranged from traveling with twin toddlers Frank and Dexter on the tour bus to meeting President Barack Obama), then a classic song performed, with each story eventually connecting back to introduce the song.

The tour bus anecdote wrapped around (and around a few more times) to be a story about cooking, which led to performance of Nat King Cole's "Frim Fram Sauce." The Obama tale led to a song she dusted off after hearing a reference to it in the inaugural speech, that being "Pick Yourself Up."

A rapid-fire version of Irving Berlin's "Cheek To Cheek" drew one of the biggest responses of the night from the crowd of just under 12,000 fans. "P.S. I Love You" made for another highlight, with Krall accompanying herself solo at the piano, her hushed vocals filling the lyric with bittersweet longing.

And, of course, the Brazilian-themed pieces, including "So Nice" and "Quiet Nights" (also known in their original '60s versions as "Summer Samba" and "Corcovado" respectively) and an encore of "The Boy From Ipanema," felt perfect for the setting, the kind of lovely, light numbers made for performance under the stars at the Bowl.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic offered terrific backing for those and other pieces Krall performed, but also served up a solid opening set on their own.

With conductor Benjamin Wallfisch at the podium, the orchestra played four pieces that fit nicely with the Latin jazz themes Krall later delivered, including two numbers by the Mexican composer Arturo Marquez and the Duke Ellington standard "Caravan."

Like Krall, Wallfisch proved an amusing raconteur, introducing the pieces with stories that included his initial bafflement at figuring out exactly what a fandango was, having grown up in Britain only knowing the word from Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." True or not, it made for one more good story.
Krall's Assured Use of Latin
The accomplished singer takes the theme of a Hollywood Bowl program in graceful, purposeful stride.
by Reed Johnson
Los Angeles Times, August 24, 2009

Friday at the Hollywood Bowl was billed as a Latin-themed night, with "an exotic lineup of romantic, jazzy and Latin American orchestral music" executed by the L.A. Philharmonic, segueing into an appearance by Diana Krall. The artist is fresh off releasing her "Brazilian-inspired" album "Quiet Nights," featuring "sultry selections of standards and sambas."

Krall, bless her, had a different idea. Rather than treat the material as some luscious, mysterious musical Other, she and her sterling bandmates made Latin-jazz syncopations and Brazilian New Wave riffs seem utterly organic to her performance, as if she'd grown up strolling the beach at Copacabana rather than the shores of British Columbia.

"I'm not about to do 'Pump It Up' as a bossa nova," she joked, alluding to one of her husband Elvis Costello's catchiest post-punk anthems. "Save that for the cruise ship."

Indeed, Friday's concert, the first of two weekend performances from Krall at the Bowl, was no Carnival-tourist musical excursion or buffet sampler of sounds. It was instead the type of selective program that marks a well-traveled connoisseur eager to share her finds.

Converting jazz into a syntax of daily emotional life is one of Krall's career achievements. It was in character for her to introduce one tune by talking about driving a tour bus like Shirley Jones of the Partridge Family, with her 2-year-old twin sons in tow.

That song turned out to be a stunning version of "I've Grown Accustomed to His Face," in which Krall perfectly captured the gentle irony of the lyrics -- about the singer's understated amazement at finding contentment after swapping independence for cozy domesticity. Conductor Alan Broadbent coaxed a low, sustained hum from the strings that enveloped Krall's husky, ruminative vocals in a blanket of warmth.

Aided by the arrangements of Claus Ogerman, John Clayton and others, Krall and her impeccable trio -- Anthony Wilson, guitar; Robert Hurst, bass; and Jeff Hamilton, drums -- were as attentive to Lerner and Loewe as they were to Gilberto and Jobim.

Without flaunting the evening's Latin leitmotif, Krall honored it by investing the Sergio Mendes song "So Nice (Summer Samba)" and her inevitable encore, "The Boy From Ipanema," with both a relaxed sway and a bluesy swing.

Most affecting of the Brazilian numbers was her rendition of Jobim's "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars," as the tune frequently is known in English, or originally "Corcovado," so named after the famous Rio de Janeiro mountain. Purged of its spiritually ecstatic references to the towering Christ the Redeemer statue, the English version is simply a secular romantic ballad.

But Krall, again austerely backed by the Phil's string section, sounded not like a moony dreamer but like a woman who'd managed through love to step back from the brink of profound disillusionment, of viewing life as "a bitter, tragic joke." Underscoring her un- derstatement, she let the song simply wind down and fade out.

The set started off light with the crowd-saluting "I Love Being Here With You" and alternated between the frothy delights of Cole Porter's "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" and the Nat King Cole-popularized "The Frim Fram Sauce," and the bolder stylistic experiments of "Cheek to Cheek."

Krall's nimble piano playing and Hamilton's multi-angled brushwork rendered that latter song as a kind of Cubist deconstruction of the Irving Berlin standard.

The evening began with conductor Benjamin Wallfisch, in his Hollywood Bowl debut, leading the Phil in a pair of familiar Latin American pieces, Arturo Marquez's "Conga del fuego nuevo" and "Danzon No. 2" (a signature number for incoming L.A. Phil music director Gustavo Dudamel).

These were followed by the effortlessly urbane Juan Tizol-Duke Ellington composition "Caravan" and Ernesto Lecuona's fandango-flavored "Malaguena," both arranged for orchestra by Morton Gould.

Wallfisch, an Englishman who has worked extensively in film-score conducting, kept his baton firmly on the music's Latin pulse, commanding the rhythms as he caressed the melodies.

Warren Chiasson at Gillespie Auditorium (NY), Aug 25

Treat yourself to an exciting and uplifting musical experience at " Jazz Tuesdays" when vibraphone master Warren Chiasson and his Trio with Ed MacEachen on Guitar and Ralph Hamperian on Bass present “A Tribute to Vibraphonist Victor Feldman” this coming Tuesday, August 25 in the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium at the New York City Bahá'í Center, located at 53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway). There will be two shows at 8:00 and 9:30 p.m.

Warren Chiasson has been called " one of the six top vibraphonists of the last half century" by the New York Times and a “musician’s musician” by Jazzbeat. Originally a member of the George Shearing Quintet, he has emerged as his own man with a distinctive four-mallet technique that he weaves into a percussive, melodic style. Prior to forming his own group, Chiasson was for many years best known for his creative contributions to the Chet Baker Quartet, the Tal Farlow Trio, and jazz-pop diva Roberta Flack .

In addition to recording his own albums, he has played on over 100 recordings with such artists as Eric Dolphy, Bill Dixon, Hank Crawford and was featured on a Grammy Award winning album with B.B. King. Chiasson has collaborated with some of the finest musicians in jazz including Paul Bley, Ron Carter, Roland Hanna and the late Jimmy Garrison from the original John Coltrane Quintet. In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, the Warren Chiasson/Jimmy Garrison Duo played regularly at Gregory's in New York City, while Chiasson also hosted a weekly jam session at the Signs of the Zodiac in Harlem. Regulars guests included Charlie Haden, Lee Konitz, Joe Farrell, Wilbur Ware and Joe Chambers.

His own albums include "Quartessence", " Good Vibes for Kurt Weill " (which was selected as a Billboard Pick of the Week), and "Point Counterpoint" with guitarist Chuck Wayne. He is particularly known for his elegant and often electrifying live performances, as evidenced by the 50th anniversary re-creation of the historic 1938 Benny Goodman concert. When Lionel Hampton was unable to appear due to a previous touring commitment, Chiasson was asked to take his place at Carnegie Hall. The result was a standing ovation performance before this knowledgeable, sold-out audience. Luminaries at this event included Isaac Stern, Doc Cheatham, Panama Francis, and Benny Goodman's daughter, who presented Goodman's clarinet to the hall museum.

Today, Chiasson is actively involved in jazz education and continues to travel extensively, performing at concerts and festivals. Recently, at the 20th anniversary of the Atlantic Jazz Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Chiasson was honored for his creative contributions to jazz and for being the first musician from eastern Canada to forge an international jazz career, thereby paving the way for others to follow. The concert was recorded by CBC RADIO for national air play.
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Jazz Tuesdays
in the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium
The New York Baha'i Center
53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway)
Two shows: 8:00 and 9:30 p.m.
For information and reservations: 212-222-5159

Hot Fashion Event @ Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood

My dear friend fro LA, Susie Anderson, is inviting for very HOT fashion event, at the Tropicana Bar, poolside at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Tomorrow night, August 27. Get there early. E-mail us privately for more details.

CD of the Day - "simakDialog: Demi Masa"

CD of the Day
simakDialog: "Demi Masa" (MoonJune) 2009



Featuring:
Riza Arshad - Fender Rhodes electric piano, Yamaha acoustic grand piano, Oberheim OBX analog synth
Tohpati - electric & acoustic guitar
Adhithya Pratama - bass guitar
Endang Ramdan - lead Sundanese kendang percussion, tambourine, claps, toys, vocals
Erlan Suwardana - Sundanese kendang percussion, claps, toys, vocals
with guests:
Emy Tata - Sundanese kendang percussion, claps, toys, vocals (track 2)
Mian Tiara - vocals (track 7)
Dave Lumenta - soundscapes (track 8)
All compositions and arrangements by Riza Arshad
Produced by Riza Arshad

Recorded in Jakarta, Indonesia by Riza Arshad in 2008

Video Clips:
Watch simakDialog on the band's YouTube page
Watch Tohpati on the artist's YouTube page
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This is the fifth album from Indonesian progressive jazz ensemble simakDialog. Led by keyboardist and composer Riza Arshad, the band also features guitarist Tohpati and bassist Adhitya Pratama, working alongside the twinned percussion thrust of Endang Ramdan and Erlan Suwardana. This latter pair are specialists in traditional Sundanese kendang drumming. Arshad's compositional approach opens up from a jazz-rock palette, but his Fender Rhodes electric piano is clearly influenced by the crisp ring and shimmer of the Indonesian gamelan's array of gongs, metallophones and double-headed drums. We can immediately hear the similarities between the keyboard's percussive crackle and the sharp detonations of tunefully struck metal.

The percussionists soon enter, clattering out their heavily organic patterns with roundly slapped skins, shaker bells and handclaps. Arshad frequently pushes his solos (or are they ongoing themes?) up to continually higher levels, urging repeated climaxes as each piece steadily amasses intensity. Tohpati is also attracted to resonant trebly zones, journeying from acoustic delicacy to a subtly distorted friction. The guitarist's presence has a significance beyond his role on this album, as Tohpati is one of the Indonesian music scene's most successful (and ubiquitous) players. Another element is tipped in later, with the percussionists chanting along to emphasise their dense structures. Arshad might recline in a hazy contemplation, but it doesn't take him long to develop an insistent pulse, invariably reaching a frenzied state.

There's a clear recalling of the classic moves made by Chick Corea and Terje Rypdal in the 1970s, but this is laced with authentic gamelan elements utilised as part of this jazz-rock vocabulary. The result sounds both natural and fully integrated. This a particular realm that couldn't be reached either by Western progressives or a traditional gamelan ensemble. The simakDialog involves a unique combination of both spheres, without making the commercially tempting mistake of cultural dilution.

Keyboardist/composer Riza Arshad and guitarist Tohpati formed simakDialog in 1993. Living in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, this band couldn't avoid being influenced by the traditional sound of the gamelan ensemble. As one of the culturally richest and diversified countries in the world, Indonesia treasures a vast variety of art and musical forms that have been a global inspiration. simakDialog are unique in having an understanding of the ancient rituals of temple music, as well as completely grasping the essence of those long-haired psychedelic sounds of slightly less ancient times. Prior to Demi Masa, simakDialog have released four albums: Lukisan, Baur, Trance/Mission and Patahan. They have won two trophies from Anugerah Musik Indonesia (Indonesian Music Awards 2003), for Best Jazz/Contemporary Jazz Album (Trance/Mission), and Best Jazz/Contemporary Jazz Producer (Riza Arshad).

Their international debut (Patahan) was released in 2007 with worldwide distribution by MoonJune Records, subsequently gaining enthusiastic reviews in over 25 countries worldwide. The band has performed extensively in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Nepal. Tours, festival appearances and seminars on ethnic percussion/music heritage are planned for 2009 and 2010, with the support of the Indonesian government.

The simakDialog road band features seven players: five core members, plus a guesting percussionist and female singer/keyboardist.
Exclusivelly managed internationally by Leonardo Pavkovic, MoonJune.

Artist's website: www.myspace.com/simakDialog

Win Tix to a Secret David Bazan Show

Next Tuesday, September 1st, Pedro the Lion's David Bazan will be releasing his first solo album, "Curse Your Branches," on Barsuk Records. That same evening, he'll be performing a secret, intimate show in Manhattan to celebrate the new album, and Barsuk has given Other Music 10 pairs of tickets to this private event! They'll be picking names at random and notifying the 10 winners on Monday morning, so enter right away by emailing: tickets@othermusic.com, and please include your daytime phone number. Good luck!

Diana Krall live in Santa Barbara tomorrow, Aug 23

After the sold-out concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, Diana Krall brings her Californian tour, tomorrow night, to the Santa Barbara Bowl, performing songs from her latest releases "Quiet Nights" and "Live in Rio".

Buy Tickets

CD of the Day - "Copernicus: Disappearance"

CD of the Day
Copernicus: "Disappearance" (Nevermore/MoonJune) 2009



COPERNICUS poetry, lead vocals, keyboards;
PIERCE TURNER musical director, Hammond B3 organ, acoustic piano, vocals, percussion;
LARRY KIRWAN electric guitar, vocals; MIKE FAZIO electric guitar; BOB HOFFNAR steel guitar; RAIMUNDO PENAFORTE violin, acoustic guitar, bandolin, percussion, vocals; CESAR ARAGUNDI electric & acoustic guitar; FRED PARCELLS trombone; ROB THOMAS violin; MATTY FILLOU tenor saxophone, percussion; MARVIN WRIGHT bass guitar, electric guitar, percussion; GEORGE RUSH tuba, contrabass, bass guitar; THOMAS HAMLIN drums, percussion; MARK BROTTER drums, percussion; JAMES FRAZEE recording & mixing engineer.

All lyrics by Copernicus. All music created spontaneously and instantly by the musicians.
All rights reserved. All vocals of Copernicus created by Joseph Smalkowski.
Executive production by Joseph Smalkowski.
(C) Nevermore, Inc. 2009. (P) Nevermore, Inc. (Ski Music Division) 2009.

Recorded on November 2nd, 2008 at Water Music Studios, Hoboken, NJ. Mastered by Kim Rosen at West West Side Music/Deko Music.

Special thanks to Michael Theodore. Additional thanks to Fernando Natalici & Adnor Pitanga.
Very special thanks to Marcela Smalkowski, Leonardo Pavkovic and Pierce Turner without whom this album would not have been created.
This album is dedicated to Jimmy No Coats.

This album is distributed and marketed by MoonJune Records: www.moonjune.com

Video Clips: watch Copernicus on his YouTube page
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The 'disappearance' of which the New York performer-poet Copernicus speaks is that of The Universe itself. His conceptual concerns are not with the everyday. He is not penning couplets about the changing fortunes of human existence, other than on the grandest (or lowliest) scale. He speaks of subatomic matter, and refuses to bear any glad tidings.

It all happened in Hoboken, New Jersey, on November 2, 2008, when Copernicus gathered together a large ensemble of improvising musicians and booked a day-long session dedicated to existential immersion (or possibly non-existential immersion). Many of these are artists that he's worked with for more than two decades, all of them attuned to the willing abandonment of pre-meditation, well-versed in the dangers of deliberate free-fall. The longtime musical director of Copernicus' assemblage is the Irish keyboardist and composer Pierce Turner, long resident in New York City. His fellow countryman, Black 47 leader Larry Kirwan is one of the album's four guitarists, along with Mike Fazio, César Aragundi and Bob Hoffnar. Other musicians appearing on the album are: Raimundo Penaforte (violin, acoustic guitar, percussion, vocals), Fred Parcells (trombone), Rob Thomas (violin), Matty Fillou (sax), Marvin Wright (electric bass guitar and additional electric guitar), George Rush (tuba, acoustic and electric bass), Thomas Hamlin (drums & percussion) and Mark Brotter (drums & percussion).

Is Copernicus celebrating The Universe, or observing its collapse? This ageless sage orates like a windswept preacher who has just witnessed visions of the apocalypse. Turner is rolling out swathes of Gothic Hammond organ, leading the ensemble in their surging accumulations. A bassline walk begins, a slide guitar floats, a trombone starts up its funereal sway. Copernicus declaims, and almost rants. He's taking things (matter) to the precipice, as he deals with the nature of subatomic particles. A chorus of voices from the band fill the edges around the congregation's void. Does Copernicus herald doom or salvation? A synthesizer whine melds with acoustic guitar traceries, as the music moves like slow-scudding clouds. Copernicus will invoke the blues, violins steadily sawing. He'll tell of the “god of nothingness” asking, “Do you like him better?... Does he look like you?” A bassline stalks around a metronomic hi-hat beat, building up to a pounding insistence, a frothing climax. Copernicus mocks humanity, almost exultant as he repeatedly screams, “Nothing exists!” with his intensity feeding back and forth between himself and the players. The band marches down to New Orleans, Copernicus angry, desperate, defiant, triumphant and forlorn, rising out of a free jazz maelstrom as he booms, “The revolution is here!...The revolution that does not exist!”
*******
Liner Notes:
Leonardo, designer of this Copernicus’ album writes on the back cover of this album: "Copernicus is a conceptual creation of Joseph Smalkowski." The comment bothered Copernicus and he answered that, "Joseph Smalkowski is actually the creation of Copernicus!" Copernicus does not like Joseph Smalkowski, the way that most artists do not like their patrons. Now, these two characters occupy the same illusionary brain and flesh. One day a while ago, they were arguing over poor Joe’s wife, Marcela, because Copernicus said that she didn’t exist and that it was impossible to love anyone since neither the lover nor the loved existed. Joe promised to cut off Copernicus’ money since actually half of the money belongs to Marcela. Anyway, Copernicus shouted out vindictively, "Leonardo does not exist and that’s the main thing!"

Existing. Nonexisting. The macrocosm. The microcosm. Money. Fame. Truth. Lies. Illusion. Reality. Ignorance. Wisdom. Time. Nontime. It is impossible for a human to experience the nonexistent present, since by the time the human senses pick up on sound and light waves emanated from someone or some thing that is actually a cauldron of subatomic fury, that person or thing has subatomically changed into something else and keeps changing nonstop.

There is no present and since there is no present, there is no past and definitely no future. Is it possible that in the flick of a nanosecond, a nonexistent creature like Copernicus could create a slave, Joseph Smalkowski, to go out into the world of illusion and acquire wealth for him, Copernicus, to piss away in recording studios with no return other than the reward of evolving in the complexities of nonexistence? Who created whom? Did Copernicus create Leonardo? That is the real question. Did Copernicus create the illusionary world of the planet Earth and all of its illusionary inhabitants just so he wouldn’t be alone in the consciousness of nonexistence?

Copernicus is protesting the comment that he is a creation of his personal slave, Joseph Smalkowski. Actually, it is that noone exists — neither poor slaving Joe nor the evolving artist, Copernicus. In a world of nonexistence, who wins and who loses, as King Lear once wondered? Anyway, the winner of this battle should be the nonexistent public. The public has another piece of work from Copernicus and his musical family this time directed by the master, Pierce Turner. Copernicus calls for us to move into nothingness, now! Away we go.
*********
Artist Profile:

Perhaps the most fitting way to describe Copernicus is as a performance poet. Even though he (originally named Joseph Smalkowski) plays keyboards, Copernicus refuses to be categorised as a musician. Despite often having inhabited the alternative New York rock'n'roll scene, his music also exudes strong elements of jazz, classical and the avant garde. Even though Copernicus' preferred recording strategy is that of improvisation, his epic pieces tend to revolve around themes, riffs and repeated clusters, moving along a clearly linear pathway.

The booming delivery and abstract texts evoke the spirit of classic beat generation poetry, but the Copernicus stance goes back even further to the theatrical confrontations of the Dada movement. He's always preferred the improvisatory approach, even though each poem's grist might be prepared in advance, their rhythms and content might be disassembled in the moment.
Copernicus has always been fiercely independent, since he first started recording in this manner, back at the dawn of the 1980s. He organizes the recording sessions, sculpts the assembled band, oversees the album artwork and releases each disc on his own Nevermore, Inc. label. 1985 brought Nothing Exists, which emphatically laid out the themes of his subsequent work. A burst of creativity led to the swift succession of Victim Of The Sky (1987), Deeper (1989) and Null (1990). Often, Copernicus would perform with large-scale ensembles, but in 1991 he initiated the practice of giving completely solo performances, revealing his declamations in a stripped, confrontational space. He views himself as a conduit for abstract ideas and philosophical notions. Copernicus decided that his particular marriage of music and narrative was the best way to communicate his thoughts and concepts to a receptive audience.

He released No Borderline in 1993, but there was to be a longer gap before 2001's Immediate Eternity which moved in a completely different direction as its creator was spending increasing amounts of time in Ecuador, where the Spanish version of the album La Eternidad Inmediata was released the same year. The album is followed by 2005 releases of Immediate Eternity II, Die Sofortige Ewigkeit II (in German), L'Eternite Immediate II (in French) and La eternidad inmediata II (in Spanish). Copernicus was evolving after having spent three years penning his book, also called Immediate Eternity. He linked up with Los Nomadas from Guayaquil, the country's biggest city, and his music moved temporarily more towards the zone of jazz-rock fusion. Now, with disappearance, Copernicus has made a return to the old established methods, refining them into what is probably his key distillation of an ongoing obsession with the freedom and beauty of nothingness.

Artists' websites:
www.copernicusonline.net

Diana Krall: two concerts at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic

Diana Krall performs tonight & tomorrow with her quartet (Anthony Wilson, Bob Hurst, Jeff Hamilton) plus the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Alan Broadbent and Benjamin Wallfisch, at the Hollywood Bowl (2301 North Highland Ave., Hollywood, CA), at 8:30PM. The program includes the superb arrangements written by German genius (and my dear friend) Claus Ogerman for DK's latest releases: the "Quiet Nights" CDs (Verve) and the even better "Live in Rio" (Eagle/ST2) DVD. Not to be missed.

Setlist for tonight:
1. I Love Being Here With You
2. Do It Again
3. Lets Fall In Love
4. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
5. Frim Fram Sauce
6. Summer Samba
7. Cheek To Cheek
8. Quiet Nights
9. Love Letters
10. Pick Yourself Up
11. P.S. I Love You
12. I'm Walkin'
Encore:
Boy From Ipanema
The Look of Love

Tickets:
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0B004286E90382F6?artistid=773409&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=4

R.I.P.: Gianni Basso

Gianni Basso

(born May 24, 1931, Asti/Italy;

died Aug. 17, 2009, Asti/Italy)

The Italian tenor saxophonist Gianni Basso died August 17 in his hometown, in Asti, at the age of 78. Basso started out as a clarinetist, and then took up the saxophone while playing in the band of Raoul Falsan while living in Belgium. Back in Italy he formed a very successful quintet together with the trumpeter Oscar Valdambrini. He regularly played with visiting American jazz musicians such as Chet Baker or Gerry Mulligan and in the 1960s also sat in with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band, the Maynard Ferguson Big Band and the Thad Jones Big Band. Obituary: La Stampa.

Ramana Vieira live in LA, Aug 22

Portuguese fado sensation Ramana Vieira & Ensemble to perform at Bootleg Theater, tomorrow night, August 22, 2009 at 10:00 p.m.
All ages! $18
Join us and listen to music from the new acclaimed album "Lágrimas De Rainha."
It's two shows: The 9:00 show will feature Fabiano do Nascimento on guitar.

"No one in the United States is doing more to breathe new life into Fado than
Ramana Vieira, a sultry, dramatic singer." -Andrew Gilbert, San Francisco Chronicle

Bootleg Theater
2220 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles CA
213.389.3856
www.bootlegtheater.com

Ticket Reservations online click here

There is free parking available to Bootleg customers behind the Praise Christian Fellowship Church across the street from Bootleg at 2235 Beverly Blvd. Turn North on Roselake Ave. off of Beverly and the parking lot entrance will be on your left.
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And in San Diego the same weekend:

A Cultura De Portugal, featuring
August 23, 2009 - 4:00 p.m.
Tango Del Rey
3567 Del Rey Street
San Diego, CA 92109

"Abe Torchinsky Remembered" by B.J. Major

(Abe Torchinsky (right) in 1972, talking with George Allen,a teacher at Simon Gratz High School)

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/obituaries/20090821_Abe_Torchinsky__89__tubaist_with_Philadelphians.html

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"My own brief thoughts on this influential musician:

I had the pleasure to meet Abe decades ago when I was a teenager. I think I was 14 or 15 years old at the time. My own brass instructor at the time, Dr. Donald Reinhardt, took me and my mother to arranger Frank Hunter's home in Newtown, PA. Abe was there with his wife and I remember briefly speaking to him and telling him of my trombone studies at the time. We all had a nice meal together and then left for home. It was a pleasant summer afternoon. I distinctly remember Doc addressing Abe as "Torchy" and they knew each other well as Doc was a substitute trombonist for the Philadelphia Orchestra on and off through his Curtis Institute days.

When I came to work for Apple in 2004, Abe was already a member of our One to One personal training sessions and came faithfully to these sessions each and every week. Very rarely did he call to cancel. I remember talking to him on the phone several times when for one reason or another he was not able to reschedule or book his session from home. A few years ago I got up the nerve to go out and speak to him for a few minutes while he was still in the store. I introduced myself and brought up meeting him at Frank Hunter's home in the late 1960s. He did not remember meeting me that afternoon, but he expressed genuine interest in my music background and I even got a few minutes to show him my music discographies online. He recognized many of the recordings he saw on my artist sites.

It was unusual that a person of Abe's age had such a strong interest in technology, but he did.Through his sessions at the store, we helped him learn to do many different projects -- from the newsletter he continued to write for the Philadelphia Orchestra long after retirement, to converting old films to digital from his early days - priceless footage that might have been lost forever without digitizing it. What I will remember most was his steadfastness in coming to the store, such that he became a de facto part of the store. A few weeks ago I even noticed him handling an iPhone. In the last year, I saw that he was coming to the store in a wheelchair and lost the vision in an eye, which he then wore a patch over. But he kept coming in to learn, despite these difficulties - and that, along with his extraordinary musicianship - is what I will remember about Abe."
-- B.J. Major.
The Music Discographies at bjbear71.com - http://bjbear71.com/
"Serving up the best internet discographies on select musicians since 1999."

Alexa, singing salsa tonight in SF; Sunday, jazz in Sacramento

"Dear Arnaldo ~

Apologies for the late notice... tonight I'll be singing some new tunes with Andy y Su Orquesta Callao at Cafe Cocomo in San Francisco. Dance lesson at 8 pm with Salsa by Jake, and Jake later joins the jumpin' too-many-pieces-to-count salsa band, starting at 10 pm!

I was trying to get my videos of my pledge breaks for KCSM-TV uploaded today for your viewing pleasure, but my computer had other plans. Next news!

Also, this Sunday I'll be joining the California poet laureate at my mom's (Pastor Christine's) church in Rancho Cordova at 10 am, where I'll sing and he'll read some inspiring words. Then, at 5 pm I'd love to see you or your Sacramento-area friends at my jazz show at JB's Lounge, recently remodeled in the Red Lion. It's a beautiful room and last time we played we sold out! Here are the particulars:

Sunday, August 23rd, 2009
Capitol Sunday Jazz Series, 5-8 PM - 5:00pm

JB's Lounge (formerly Savanna's) at the Red Lion Hotel

1401 Arden Way
Sacramento, CA 95815
916-723-5517 press 3 for reserva
Price: $8

With Jeff Minnieweather, drumset, Rob Lemas, bass, and Scott Collard, piano. It's been over a year since we played this gorgeous lounge and its enthusiastic audience, MC'd by the vivacious Vivian Lee. Don't miss our return appearance!

Siempre adelante,
Alexa"

Fourplay live in San Diego tomorrow, Aug 21

Tomorrow night, August 21, at 7:30pm, another great gig in California: the all-star quartet Fourplay (Bob James, Larry Carlton, Harvey Mason & Nathan East) live at "Anthology, "San Diego's excellent new live music venue & very charming dining restaurant. A modern, supper club featuring chef Bradley Ogden fine cuisine with incomparable live performances in jazz, blues and rock. Located in downtown's Little Italy.
1337 India Street
San Diego, CA
Ph: (619) 595 0300

The only seating areas that are available for both the 7:30pm and 9:30pm shows is the Upper Level General Admission. Please call the box office at 619/595-0300 with any questions.
Ticket options: $15 Food & Beverage minimum per guest.
BOX OFFICE
619-595-0300
HOURS
Doors open 5:30 Tuesday through Sunday. All seating based on arrival.
DINING
Kitchen is open until 11pm Limited menu after 9pm
BOX OFFICE HOURS
Mon: 11am-4pm Tues-Sun: Noon - 10pm
ATTIRE
Upscale Casual
TICKETS
Your tickets are your reservation. You will be able to enjoy food and beverages in your ticketed area. Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.

DIRECTIONS

Interstate 5 (Southbound)
- Take I-5 South toward Downtown San Diego. Exit the Front St exit- Exit 17 Front Street - toward Civic Center. Turn Right onto "B" St. Turn Right onto INDIA ST. Anthology is located at 1337 India Street between A and Ash Streets.

Interstate 94 (Westbound)
- Take 94 West toward Downtown San Diego. Merge onto I-5 North via Exit 1A toward Los Angeles. Take the Hawthorne St exit- EXIT 17- toward San Diego Airport. Turn Slight Left onto West Hawthorn St. Turn Left onto Kettner Blvd. Turn Left onto W "A" St. Turn Left onto India St. Anthology is located at 1337 India St.

Interstate 8 (Westbound)
- Take I-8 West toward the Beaches. Merge onto CA-163 South toward Downtown. Take the I-5 North exit- EXIT 1B- toward 4TH Avenue. Take the exit toward 4TH Ave. Turn Left onto 4th Ave. Turn Right onto ASH St. Turn Left onto Front St. Turn Right onto West "B" St. Turn Right onto India St.

DVD of the Day - "Jeff Beck Live at Ronnie Scott's"

DVD of the Day
Jeff Beck: "Performing This Week... Live at Ronnie Scott's" (Eagle Vision/ST2)

After having attended Beck's beyond words performance at Montreux last month (http://jazzstation-oblogdearnaldodesouteiros.blogspot.com/search?q=Montreux) and
http://jazzstation-oblogdearnaldodesouteiros.blogspot.com/2009/07/unbelievable-jeff-beck-miles-davis-hall.html,
it's great to remember some of those great moments by watching this DVD that also features the amazing talents of the Bass Princess Tal Winkenfeld and the virtuoso drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. Jeff Beck is a true guitar hero, a living legend. From his time with the Yardbirds in the sixties, through the Jeff Beck Group and throughout his solo career his unique guitar style and constant desire to explore new musical areas and sounds has won him the admiration of his peers and the adoration of legions of fans.

In 2007, Beck performed a series of concerts at the renowned Ronnie Scott's club in London. They became the must have ticket of the year with a packed audience every night of the famous and the fans. This DVD features pieces recorded across the different nights and presents the best version of each track. Jeff is also joined by guests Joss Stone (looking delicious and singing very well in an ordinary song, "People Get Ready"), Imogen Heap (exotic looking in not so good tunes either) and Eric Clapton (the usual competence) for some not so special performances. The best tracks are performed without the guests, my personal favorite one being a groovin' killer version of Billy Cobham's fusion classic "Stratus." Curiously, Billy's name is not credited nor mentioned anywhere/anytime in this 155-minute long DVD...

The track list also includes "Beck's Bolero" (the stunning opening theme), "Eternity's Breath," a lovely version of Stevie Wonder's ballad "Cause We've Ended As Lovers," "Behind The Veil," "You Never Know," "Nadia," "Blast From The East," "Led Boots," "Angel (Footsteps)", a great medley of "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" (yes, the Charles Mingus jazz standard) with "Brush With The Blues," an inspired take on The Beatles' "A Day In The Life" (memories of Wes!) and the very last moving encore "Where Were You."

Bonus Material includes a are in depth Jeff Beck interview talking about Ronnie Scott's, his band, the setlist and his guest performers, plus interviews with the fantastic band members: Tal Wilkenfeld (bass), Vinnie Colaiuta (drums) & Jason Rebello (keyboards).

OFA National Health Care Forum with the President

"Dear Arnaldo:

Our records show that you live in California's 22nd district. So, reminder: The President is holding a National Health Care Forum TODAY for all Organizing for America supporters.

The forum begins at 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. CT/12:30 p.m. MT/11:30 a.m. PT and should last approximately 90 minutes.

Sign up now to participate: http://my.barackobama.com/forum

This is an incredible opportunity to huddle with the President, ask questions, and discuss how we're going to pass real health insurance reform this year.

Talk to you very soon,

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America"

P.S. -- At 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time, go here to watch the forum live:
http://my.barackobama.com/watch

Universal licenses Sinatra rights

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/94dbb6de-8db4-11de-93df-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
Universal Music licenses Sinatra rights
By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in New York
Published: August 20, 2009

Universal Music has secured the international rights to 38 albums recorded by Frank Sinatra, heralding an acceleration of plans to commercialise the entertainer’s estate on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the release of My Way.

Frank Sinatra Enterprises, a joint venture established in 2007 between the Sinatra family and Warner Music, will announce on Friday that Universal Music Group International will take over the catalogue rights outside North America from Warner.

To read the complete story on Financial Times, please visit:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/94dbb6de-8db4-11de-93df-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1