Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Ted Curson live in NY, March 6

Join us for an exciting musical evening on Tuesday evening, March 6 when Trumpet Great Ted Curson brings his dynamic ensemble to the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium in the New York City Baha'i Center at 53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway). This evening Ted Curson’s ensemble features Ted Curson on Trumpet, Michael Cochrane on Piano, Bruce Cox on Drums, Calvin Hill on Bass, and Paul Abler on Guitar. There will be 2 shows at 8:00 and 9:30 p.m. Please call 212-222-5159 for reservations and information.

An outstanding and flexible trumpeter, Ted Curson is well-known for his work with Charles Mingus’ quartet (which also included Eric Dolphy and Dannie Richmond). He studied at Granoff Musical Conservatory; moved to New York in 1956; played in New York with Mal Waldron, Red Garland, and Philly Joe Jones; and recorded with Cecil Taylor (1961). After the 1959-60 Mingus association (which resulted in some classic recordings), Curson co-led a quintet with Bill Barron (1960-65), played with Max Roach, and led his own groups. He spent time from the late ‘60s on in Europe (particularly Denmark) and then returned to the US in 1976.

Ted Curson has led sessions for Old Town (1961), Prestige, Fontana, Atlantic, Arista, Inner City, Interplay, Chiaroscuro, and several European labels. A dogmatic approach to playing one’s own way that has marked the work of his mentors - Mingus, Miles, Dolphy and Cecil - is what defines Curson’s incredibly difficult to pinpoint approach, one that seems to hit every adjective in the book while harping on none. 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.

Admission is 15.00, 10.00 for students.
Tickets will be sold at the door, or call 212-222-5159 for reservations and information.
For more about the NYSAJE and other acts at "Jazz Tuesdays", check out our website at www.jazzbeat.com

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

DK - Ticket Pre-Sale Alert for Massachusetts / Chautauqua, NY / Santa Rosa, CA

DIANA KRALL IN CONCERT
Ticket Pre-Sale & VIP Offer Alert!
The following performances have just been announced:

June 29, 2012
Cape Cod Melody Tent
Hyannis, MA

June 30, 2012
South Shore Music Circus
Cohasset, MA

July 6, 2012
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
Chautauqua, NY

August 28, 2012
Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
Santa Rosa, CA

Pre-Sale tickets for the above dates will be available tomorrow, February 29 at 12pm local time:
http://dianakrall.artistarena.com
username: diana
password: krall

Pre-Sale VIP offers will be available for these shows!

Diana Krall Premium Ticket Bundle Package includes:
One Premium Reserved Seat Ticket
One Limited Edition Signed Diana Krall Poster
One Exclusive Diana Krall T-Shirt
One Diana Krall Cork Screw
One Commemorative VIP Laminate

Regular pre-sale tickets will also be available.

Monday, February 27, 2012

R.I.P.: Red Holloway

(born May 31, 1927, in Helena, Ark;
died february 25, 2012, in Morro Bay, CA)

From www.redholloway.com:

James W "Red" Holloway was born in Helena, Arkansas on May 31, 1927 to a mother who played piano and a father who played violin. At the age of five, he and his mother moved to Chicago, where he graduated from DuSable High School and attended the Conservatory of Music.

During grade school, Red played banjo and harmonica in school bands. His first musical instrument, a tenor sax, was given to him by his stepfather when he was twelve years old. During high school, he was in the DuSable big band, where he sat next to fellow classmate and reedman Johnny Griffin. At sixteen and while still in school, he was hired for his first professional engagement by bassist Gene Wright, who later went on to become a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Red played with Wright's Big Band for three years at the Parkway Ballroom. When Red was nineteen, he joined the Army, where he became bandmaster for the U.S. Fifth Army Band.

After completing his military service, Red returned to Chicago and played with Yusef Lateef and Dexter Gordon, among others. In 1948 he was asked by blues vocalist Roosevelt Sykes to join Sykes' U.S. Road Tour. During this time, other bluesmen heard him and subsequently hired him, including Nat "Lotsa Poppa" Towles, Willie Dixon, Junior Parker, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Lloyd Price, John Mayall, and B.B. King. Because of these associations, Red became typecast, perhaps unfairly, as primarily a blues player.

During the Fifties, Red continued playing in the Chicago area with such notables as Billie Holiday, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Ben Webster, Jimmy Rushing, Arthur Prysock, Dakota Station, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Wardell Gray, Sonny Rollins, Red Rodney, Lester Young, Joe Williams, Redd Foxx, Aretha Franklin,a nd many others. During this same period, he also played road tours with Danny Overbee, Sonny Stitt, Memphis Slim, Lefty Bates, and Lionel Hampton.

The public finally became aware of Red during the Sixties as a result of his association with organist "Brother" Jack McDuff. Another member of this band was guitarist George Benson. The band was together from 1963 to 1966 and performed road tours in the States as well as concerts in Europe. Red recorded several albums with McDuff on Prestige, including the hit single Rock Candy.

In 1967 Red moved to Los Angeles and in 1969 became the coordinator of talent and member of the house band at the famed Parisian Room. This association lasted for the next fifteen years and saw Red hire virtually everyone who was anyone in the world of jazz and blues. Red quit as talent coordinator for the Parisian Room after his request for a cost-of-living raise was denied. The club closed eight months later.

During Red's tenure at the Parisian Room, he took occasional breaks for European, South American, and Japanese tours. From 1977 to 1982, he and altoist Sonny Stitt became a duo and cut two records on Catalyst: Forecast; Partners - Sonny and Red. In fact, it was Sonny who encouraged Red to take upthe alto saxophone, believing that anyone who could also play clarinet, flute, piccolo, piano, bass, drums, and violin could probably master yet another instrument. Sonny was right, and Red is equally proficient on both tenor and alto. In The Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Seventies, Leonard Feather wrote that "Holloway is capable of generating great excitement with his big sound and hard-driving, mainstream-modern style."

Since Stitt's untimely death in 1982, Red has spent most of his time touring the States and Europe, either as a single or with his own band. He is now in partnership with trumpeter Clark Terry, with whom he has recorded on both Concord and Delox.
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-0227-red-holloway-20120227,0,3139932.stor

Red Holloway, 1927-2012
Highly regarded L.A. tenor, alto saxophonist played with A-list stars
by Don Heckman for Los Angeles Times
February 27, 2012

Red Holloway, a tenor and alto saxophonist who was one of Los Angeles' most highly regarded jazz artists for more than four decades, died Saturday in San Luis Obispo. He was 84.

The cause was kidney failure, complicated by several strokes, according to family spokeswoman Linda Knipe.

Holloway's career reached from the post-World War II arrival of bebop to 21st century jazz fusion. Whatever genre he played, the powerful muscularity of his sound, combined with his propulsive sense of swing, consistently made him one of the most listenable tenor saxophonists in jazz.

His creative focus was enhanced by far-reaching versatility. "Music to me is music," he told Jazz Journal International some years ago. "I really don't care what kind it is. I just try and figure out how I can make that particular type of music swing. That's what is important."

Holloway had already affirmed that viewpoint early in his career, when he played with an A-list of artists covering the full gamut of jazz -- from Sonny Rollins and Lester Young to Red Rodney, Lionel Hampton and dozens of others.

His capacity to enhance his style with lyrical expressiveness also made him a favorite companion to singers such as Etta James, Joe Williams, Carmen McRae and Jackie Ryan.

James W. Holloway was born May 31, 1927, in Helena, Ark. His mother was a pianist and his father played violin. He and his mother moved to Chicago when Holloway was 5, where, at his mother's insistence, he began piano lessons, supplementing them with banjo and harmonica.

After taking up the tenor saxophone at the age of 12, Holloway played his first job as a professional musician in 1943 with bassist Eugene Wright's Dukes of Swing. At 19, he joined the U.S. Army, eventually serving as headmaster of the U.S. Fifth Army Band.

When he was discharged from the service, Holloway returned to Chicago, frequently playing with such artists as Roosevelt Sykes, Willie Dixon and B.B. King. And his intimate understanding of the subtleties of the blues always remained an essential part of his music.

In the early '60s, he began to achieve visibility with the wider jazz audience via a 2 1/2-year run with organist Jack McDuff, working alongside newly arrived guitarist George Benson.

Holloway moved to Los Angeles in 1967. Two years later he played in the house band at the famed jazz club the Persian Room. He retained the position for 15 years, meeting and often performing with some of the biggest names in the jazz world.

From 1977 to 1982, Holloway was teamed with veteran bop alto saxophonist Sonny Stitt, recording a pair of albums together. In addition to more than a dozen albums under his own name, he recorded with McDuff, Clark Terry, Plas Johnson, Horace Silver, George Benson and John Mayall.

In the mid-'60s, Holloway moved to the Central California coastal town of Cambria, where he ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2004. From the early '90s until this year , he played a prominent role in the town's Famous Jazz Artist Series. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Jazz Society in 2004.

Holloway, who was divorced, is survived by sons Michael and John; daughters Lianne Holloway, Marsha Aregullin and Denice Holloway-Rivers; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. A third son, James "Binkey" Holloway, died in 1995.

FOR THE RECORD:
The LA Times obituary said that he died in San Luis Obispo. He died at a nursing home in Morro Bay. It also misidentified the Parisian Room music venue in Los Angeles as the Persian Room. Additionally, the obituary said that Holloway ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Cambria, his home since the mid-1980s. The post is an honorary position, not an elected one.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Tonight is THE Night! Anna Mjoll & Lew Soloff live @ Vibrato with the Pat Senatore Trio

Your best choice for tonight in California: the LA-based Icelandic jazz princess Anna Mjoll with trumpet master Lew Soloff and the Pat Senatore Trio live @ Herb Alpert's Vibrato in Bel-Air (2930 Beverly Glen Circle). 9PM!

NO COVER but reservations are a must.
Call 310.474.9400.

For more details, please check:
http://jazzstation-oblogdearnaldodesouteiros.blogspot.com/2012/02/anna-mjoll-live-vibrato-with-pat.html

Scot Albertson & David Pearl Duo @ Tomi Jazz, NYC, Feb. 28

R.I.P.: Mike Melvoin

(born May 10, 1937, in Oshkosh, WIS, USA;
died February 23, 2011, in Burbank, CA, USA)

For more detailed info, please check his official website: www.mikemelvoin.com
************
Mike Melvoin Dies at 74; Studio Musician, Composer
by Don Heckman - Los Angeles Times
February 24, 2012

Mike Melvoin, a pianist-composer-arranger whose credits reach from Stan Getz and Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson and the Beach Boys, and who was the first active musician to serve as national president of the Recording Academy, has died. He was 74.

A first-call pianist and keyboardist since the early 1960s, Melvoin died Wednesday at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, said his daughter Wendy. He had cancer.

In addition to his studio work, Melvoin remained strongly linked to jazz, his first musical love, performing on a regular basis in local clubs, frequently touring internationally and releasing numerous recordings of his own groups.

Pianist-composer Michael Lang, also a busy member of the Los Angeles community of jazz and studio musicians, expressed high praise for Melvoin's many accomplishments, noting his "unique, significant contributions to jazz and popular music as a pianist, arranger and songwriter as well as a composer of film music."

Jazz alto saxophonist Phil Woods, who performed on Melvoin's album "It's Always You," was equally enthusiastic about another area of Melvoin's skills -- his songwriting. "They're not just your regular Tin Pan Alley," Woods said. "It's the American song form raised a notch. Mike is like fine wine."

Among the numerous sessions in his lengthy resume, Melvoin played on such memorable recordings as Frank Sinatra's "That's Life," Natalie Cole's "Unforgettable," the Jackson 5's "ABC," and "Pet Sounds" and "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys.

"It was a marathon," Melvoin said, mentioning the "Good Vibrations" recording dates while describing the ups and downs of life as a studio musician. "Six double sessions," he recalled. "All for one song."

His name turns up with remarkable consistency among the backing players for one varied hit after another, including Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman," John Lennon's "Stand By Me," Barbra Streisand's "Evergreen" and Quincy Jones' all-star collective, "We Are the World."

As a busy studio musician for a good part of his career, Melvoin was always quick to defend the skills and the versatility of the players who performed, as he did, on recordings, films, television shows and beyond, bringing life to every style and genre of music.

"Studio guys get sold short," he told the Boston Herald in 2004. "There's an innate distrust that people have that if you do one thing, somehow that's the authentic article, and if you do more than one thing, somehow it's not. The truth is the great studio players are the authentic article in everything they do."

In 2011, when the Recording Academy made changes in the Grammy awards structure, Melvoin was in the vanguard of the movement to rescind the category changes. As a pianist whose career had touched every stylistic area, he was especially bothered by the effect of the changes upon instrumentalists.

"Everyone who has ever played an instrument," he said in a public statement, "has had the possibility of receiving recognition from the Grammys gutted. That cannot and will not stand."

Melvoin's advocacy for the recognition of instrumental musicians continued until his death.

Michael Melvoin was born May 10, 1937, in Oshkosh, Wis. He began to play piano at the age of 3, and was an active performing musician as a teenager.

After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in English, he moved to New York, focusing on a career as a professional musician. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1961.

Melvoin, who was separated from his wife, Sandra, is survived by twin daughters Wendy and Susannah, both singer-songwriters; four grandchildren; a brother; and Melvoin's companion, actress Theresa Russell. His son, Jonathan, a member of the group Smashing Pumpkins, died in 1996 of a fatal heroin overdose.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Bria Valente's new single, "2 Nite," produced by Prince, comes out today!

IN STORES WORLDWIDE - OUT NOW
AVAILABLE ON 12" VINYL, CD SINGLE, LIMITED PICTURE DISC & DIGITAL FORMATS

Purple Music proudly announces the release of a new club anthem: "2NITE" by Bria Valente. Produced by PRINCE!

BRIA VALENTE (born Brenda Fuentes) is an American singer based in Minneapolis. She released her debut album, ELIXER as part of a three-album set with Prince's LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSoUND in 2009, which debuted at #2 on the top Billboard albums chart. She first met Prince at the age of 17 at Paisley Park Studios while working with keyboardist Morris Hayes and later began her association with Prince, contributing vocals to his 2007 album "Planet Earth."
In 2009 she recorded the Elixer album, singing lead vocals with Prince on guitar and Morris Hayes providing beats.

2NITE comes out today, Feb 23, on vinyl, CD-single and picture disc formats featuring brand new club mixes by Jamie Lewis (Purple Music) & David Alexander (Icon Collective).

R.I.P.: Kay Davis

Kay Davis, Coloratura, Soared in Wordless Songs, Dies at 91 - by Dennis Hevesi for The NY Times
February 23, 2012


Kay Davis, who wove her haunting soprano tones through many of Duke Ellington's records in the 1940s, often using her voice as an instrument within the orchestra, died on Jan. 27 at her home in Apopka, Fla. She was 91.

Her death was confirmed by her son, Edward Lawson Wimp.

Ms. Davis performed with the Ellington orchestra from 1944 to 1950. As a member of a trio of female vocalists -- the others were Joya Sherrill and Maria Ellington (no relation) -- she offered the maestro an opportunity to reprise something he had long relished: wordless vocalization.

"She was a classically trained coloratura," Phil Schaap, curator of Jazz at Lincoln Center, said in an interview on Tuesday, noting that Ellington had used "the high-register female voice as instrumental color" in the middle and late 1920s. Among the best-known wordless works was "Creole Love Call," sung by Adelaide Hall in 1927.

"With Kay Davis, he returned to this practice," including revisiting "Creole Love Call" in 1944, Mr. Schaap said. "And he took a work that featured the trombone, 'Blue Light,' renamed it 'Transblucency,' and blended trombone with her highest-notes coloratura voice."

While "Transblucency" may be her signature piece in the genre, Ms. Davis recorded several other noteworthy wordless vocals -- many accompanied by the renowned trombonist Lawrence Brown -- including "Violet Blue," "Minnehaha" and "On a Turquoise Cloud."

Kay Davis was born Kathryn McDonald in Evanston, Ill., on Dec. 5, 1920, one of three children of Samuel and Katherine McDonald.

"As early as the age of 10 I knew I wanted to sing professionally," she said in a 2001 interview with Northwestern magazine, published by Northwestern University, from which she received a bachelor's degree in 1942 and a master's degree a year later.

As one of only six African-American students enrolled in the school of music at the time, she was not allowed to stay in the residence halls. "We used to drool over Willard Hall, which was right across from the music building," she said. "I had a good time at Northwestern, but there were those limitations."

Ellington came to Evanston in 1944 and, after hearing Ms. Davis at a recital, asked her to join his band. She was soon singing alongside Ms. Sherrill and Al Hibbler. She and Mr. Hibbler handled the vocals on one of the Ellington band's best-known songs of that era, "I Ain't Got Nothin' but the Blues." A major moment in her career came on Nov. 13, 1948, when she sang Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life," with Strayhorn at the piano, at Carnegie Hall.

Ms. Davis left the band in 1950 to marry Edward Wimp; he died in 1991. Besides her son, she is survived by a grandson.

"She had a purity of tone and accuracy of intonation that added another instrumental voice to the Ellington palette," Richard A. Wang, a jazz scholar and an associate professor emeritus of music at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said.

"If one made a classical reference, it would be to the sounds in Sergei Rachmaninoff's 'Vocalise' -- also a wordless vocal," he added.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Barbra Streisand re-signs with Columbia

(Diana Krall & Barbra Streisand during the "Love Is The Answer" recording sessions in 2009)

Barbra Streisand Re-Signs with Columbia Records, Will Celebrate 50 Years (Exclusive)
by Shirley Halperin
Hollywood Reporter, February 22, 2012

Barbra Streisand will remain on Columbia Records, the Sony Music-owned label has announced today.

The Grammy- and Oscar-winning singer and actress has been with the label for 50 years, having originally signed in the early 1960s. She released her first album, "The Barbra Streisand Album," in 1963. Only crooner Tony Bennett has been on the label longer.

"From the day Goddard Lieberson signed me almost 50 years ago, Columbia Records has been my recording home, and I am thrilled to continue that partnership for many years to come," said Streisand in a statement.

Added Steve Barnett, Chairman and COO of Columbia Records: "There are stars and there are superstars, and there's Barbra Streisand... Columbia Records is proud to play a vital role in her extraordinary career. We're looking forward to the next chapter in our long and fruitful relationship."

In July, The Hollywood Reporter wrote about "heated" talks to keep Streisand in the Sony family. Manager Marty Erlichman told THR at the time, "I'm not peddling Barbra. I will stay with Columbia unless I can't make a deal, then I'll go elsewhere."

To commemorate the landmark anniversary, Columbia will also release a 12-set DVD featuring unprecedented access into Streisand's professional and personal life. The DVD set will consist of never before seen footage directly from Barbra's archives.

Streisand has sold over 70 million albums in the U.S. including her most recent Grammy nominated album, "What Matters Most," which was her 31st to reach the Top Ten.

Diana Krall's ticket pre-sale & VIP offer alert

The following Diana Krall performance has just been announced:
August 10, 2012
Pala Casino at Starlight Theater
Pala, CA

Pre-Sale tickets for the show in Pala, CA will be available today, February 22 at 12pm local time:
http://dianakrall.artistarena.com
username: diana
password: krall

A Pre-Sale VIP offer will be available for this show!

Diana Krall Premium Ticket Bundle
Package includes:
One Premium Reserved Seat Ticket
One Limited Edition Signed Diana Krall Poster
One Exclusive Diana Krall T-Shirt
One Diana Krall Cork Screw
One Commemorative VIP Laminate

Regular pre-sale tickets will also be available.

Carol Welsman live @ Steamers, this Friday

This Friday, February 24, at 8:30pm, Canadian jazz pianist & vocalist Carol Welsman will be appearing @ Steamers. Call 714-871-8800 for reservations.

Steamers Jazz Club and Cafe
138 W. Commonwealth Ave
Fullerton, CA 92832
www.steamersjazz.com

Hugh Masakela and DJ Prince Segue Segue at NJPAC, Feb. 24-25

Turn up the heat with NJPAC's Cheza! Festival of African Music, February 24th and 25th!

Get your weekend jumpin' with the Afropop Dance Party, Friday, February 24th at 7:30. Party with DJ Segue Segue, creator of 91.5 FM’s Afropop Worldwide, spinning everything from old-school Afropop to the fresh new beats of today. Cash bar and refreshments available.

Then, feel the energy when South African, multi-instrumentalist Hugh Masekela graces the hottest stage in Newark. Rolling Stone calls him, "One of the most thrilling live performers around.” Experience the best of world music fusion, Saturday, February 25th at 7:30.

Fresh off the release his newest CD, "Jabulani," South African trumpet and vocal superstar Hugh Masekela headlines the inaugural Alternate Routes Cheza! Festival of African Music at NJPAC February 24-25. An Afropop Dance Party featuring Sean Barlow (aka DJ Prince Segue Segue) spinning sounds from across the African continent kicks off the festival.

On Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 7:30pm, South African superstar Hugh Masekela brings his mix of jazz and pop to R&B, disco and Afro-Pop to the Arts Center’s intimate Victoria Theater. The festival begins on Friday, February 24 at 7:30pm when DJ Prince Segue Segue (aka Sean Barlow), the creator of the nationally syndicated radio program Afropop Worldwide, spins old-school Afro-Pop—rumba, soukous, salsa, samba, Afrobeat, chimurenga, juju, Manding swing and mbalax—as well as some of the new generation of dance favorites like coupé décolé, kuduro, baile funk.

Tickets are $48 and $58 for Masekela and $16 for the dance party, and are available by telephone at 1-888-466-5722, at the NJPAC Box Office at One Center Street in downtown Newark, and at www.njpac.org. To purchase tickets for groups of 10 or more, call 973-297-5804. The festival is made possible in part by American Express and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
**********
About the Artists:

Hugh Masekela first picked up the trumpet in 1954. His music reflects his upbringing as a boy in Witbank, South Africa combined with his interest in the sounds created by African America musical pioneers such as Duke Ellington, Horace Silver, Ma Rainey and many others. Masekela was inspired to hone his trumpeting talent by Kirk Douglas’ portrayal of American jazz trumpeter Bix Beiderbeck in the film “Young Man With A Horn.” After leaving South Africa during Apartheid, Masekela, with help from Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte, began recording. Masekela has performed across the world, toured with Paul Simon, conceived a Broadway Musical (“Sarafina”), created the Botswana International School of Music, and has recorded dozens of albums.

At the end of January, Masekela released "Jubulani," his new CD, as part of the Listen 2 Africa Series from Listen 2 Entertainment Group. Sometimes wise, sometimes comical, oftentimes both, the 11-song set includes many traditional songs that date back several generations in South African wedding tradition. And Verve released "Hugh! The Best of Hugh Masekela," a compilation produced by Germany's top trumpeter Till Bronner.

DJ Prince Segue Segue (Sean Barlow) is the creator and producer of public radio's "Afropop Worldwide," the first nationally syndicated program in the US devoted to world music, and www.afropop.org. Hosted by Georges Collinet from Cameroon, the program reaches listeners throughout the US, Africa and Europe. He consults for numerous festivals, educators, film-makers, and venues.

Calendar Listing:

New Jersey Performing Arts Center presents Cheza! Festival of African Music: February 24, 2012 at 7:30pm

Hugh Masekela
February 25, 2012 at 7:30pm

New Jersey Performing Arts Center
1 Center Street, Newark, NJ 07102
Tickets: $48-$58 for Hugh Masekela, $16 for the dance party
Available at www.njpac.org, 1-888-466-5722 or at the box office at 1 Center Street, Newark, NJ


NJPAC Box Office Hours:
Tues. – Sat. Noon to 6pm
Sun. Noon to 5pm
Mon. CLOSED
* For special performance on sales, hours may vary.

By Phone:
Mon. – Sat. 10am to 6pm
Sun. Noon to 5pm
* For special performance on sales, hours may vary.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is the sixth largest performing arts center in the United States. As New Jersey’s Town Square, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the State’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted over 6 million visitors (more than one million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents. Visit www.njpac.org for more information.

Programming has been made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

NJPAC is a wheelchair accessible facility and provides assistive services for patrons with disabilities. For more information, call 888-GO-NJPAC.
ORDER TICKETS & Get More INFORMATION about Hugh Masakela at NJPAC: http://njpac.org/show_events_list.asp?shCode=15828

Randy Weston live in Tribeca, Feb 25

Randy Weston's African Rhythms Orchestra Celebrates James Reese Europe & Harlem Hellfighters
Saturday, February 25, 8PM At Tribeca Performing Arts Center NYC
Tickets: $35, $45, $55

Randy Weston, internationally renowned pianist, composer and bandleader, has performed throughout the world. "Weston has the biggest sound of any jazz pianist since Ellington and Monk as well as the richest most inventive beat," -jazz critic Stanley Crouch stated.

James Reese Europe was an American ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer. In 1918, Lt. James Reese Europe made military and music history by being the first African American to lead troops into battle during World War One and to spread the 'jazz germ' throughout continental Europe. Mr. Europe obtained a Commission in the New York Army National Guard, where he saw combat as a lieutenant with the 369th Infantry Regiment (the "Harlem Hellfighters"), the band of which he directed to great acclaim.

Randy Weston at Tribeca Performing Arts Center
African Rhythms Orchestra: T.K.Blue — saxophones, Neil Clarke — percussion, Alex Blake — bass, Howard Johnson — tuba, Vincent Ector — drum, Ayodele Ankhtawi Maakheru — banjo and Robert Trowers - trombone.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Obama: "This seat is yours"

"Dear Arnaldo De Souteiro --

Tomorrow night, we'll pick the first of four supporters who will sit down with me for dinner.

According to our records, you are currently living and registered in California's 30th Congressional District. I'm hoping you'll take me up on the invitation.

Donate $2 or whatever you can today to be automatically entered for the chance to be my first dinner guest.

These meals are one simple thing that sets this campaign apart. The seats at our table don't belong to any Washington lobbyist or powerful interest.

These seats are yours.

Donate $2 or more today and be automatically entered to win:
https://donate.barackobama.com/The-First-Guest

Hope to see you,

Barack Obama"

No purchase, payment, or contribution necessary to enter or win. Contributing will not improve chances of winning. Void where prohibited. Winners will be selected throughout the promotion. Entries must be received by 2/22/12, 3/3/12, 3/18/12, and 3/31/12 to be eligible for each successive drawing. You may enter by contributing to Sponsor here or click here to enter without contributing. Four winners will each receive the following prize package: one round-trip ticket from within the fifty U.S. States, DC, or Puerto Rico to a destination to be determined by the Sponsor; hotel accommodations for one; and dinner with President Obama on a date to be determined by the Sponsor (approximate combined retail value $1,150). Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Promotion open only to U.S. citizens, or lawful permanent U.S. residents who are legal residents of 50 United States, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and 18 or older (or of majority under applicable law). Promotion subject to Official Rules and additional restrictions on eligibility. Sponsor: Obama for America, 130 E. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60601.

Contributions or gifts to Obama for America are not tax deductible

Anna Mjöll @ Vibrato with The Pat Senatore Trio and special guest Lew Soloff, Feb. 24

Iceland's First Lady of Jazz, Miss Anna Mjoll -- one of the top singers in the current jazz scene -- plays another near-guaranteed sellout at Herb Alpert's Vibrato in Bel-Air Friday, February 24th, 2012 at 9PM. As usual, with the always impeccable Pat Senatore Trio, but this time presenting another dear friend of mine, trumpet master Lew Soloff, as her very special guest.

Anna Mjoll and The Pat Senatore Trio
Special guest: Lew Soloff

Anna Mjöll / vocals
Pat Senatore / bass
Ed C / piano
Bob Leatherbarrow / drums
Lew Soloff / trumpet

Herb Alpert'S VIBRATO
2930 Beverly Glen Circle
Bel Air, CA 90077
310.474.9400

February 24th 2012 - 9 PM.
NO COVER but reservations are a must.
Call 310.474.9400 for res.

“The sweetest voice in the current Jazz scene. Period." —Arnaldo DeSouteiro

“Lightly twisted, jazzy..." —Los Angeles Times

“Do yourself a favor and catch her now, at an intimate small club, before she breaks out into larger venues." —Charles Andrews, Music Forums Moderator, HomeTheaterSpot.com
Lew Soloff, a true virtuoso musician, is likely best known in the USA for his work with Blood, Sweat & Tears and as a first-call session player. But, in Japan, the man is almost a pop star, due to countless tours promoting dozens of albums (and videos) he recorded as the main soloist of the Manhattan Jazz Quintet as well as with another ensemble led by arranger David Matthews, the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra. Not to mention his own CDs as a leader.

Soloff has also worked for two decades with The Gil Evans Orchestra. He has played with everyone who's everyone from George Benson to Barbra Streisand, from Tony Scott to Tito Puente, from Bob James to Marianne Faithful. And I had the honor to record with him for the first time back in 1987, in New York, during the sessions for Yana Purim's "Harvest Time" album with Herbie Hancock. Lew makes frequent guest appearances with jazz orchestras all over the world, such as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra. Now I can't wait the see him in action with the gorgeous and multi-talented Anna Mjoll.(Lew Soloff & Anna Mjöll)

"Big Band Vocalists: My Music" Premieres March 3 on PBS

TJL Productions announced today that "Big Band Vocalists," the latest installment of the popular "My Music" series, will premiere on PBS stations nationwide March 3, 2012. Hosted by Nick Clooney (whose sister, Rosemary Clooney, is among those featured on the show) and Peter Marshall, "Big Band Vocalists" showcases the timeless "crooners and canaries" of the 1940s when they started their careers performing with orchestras and dance bands, before they became stars on their own.

Featuring rare archival film footage not seen in years, this nostalgic look back offers romantic favorites from an all-star roster of legendary artists including the Andrews Sisters, Louis Armstrong, Perry Como, Doris Day, Helen Forrest, Dick Haymes, Peggy Lee, Dinah Shore, Kate Smith, Jo Stafford and the Pied Pipers and many more. Among the classic World War II era bands backing up these iconic voices are groups led by Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Harry James and Stan Kenton.

"This music has never gone away and these singers are the reason why," says co-host Nick Clooney. "They are the finest popular vocalists we've ever known."

Highlights include Doris Day singing "It's Magic" in her film debut, "Romance on the High Seas," which received an Oscar nomination for best original song; the earliest known footage of Peggy Lee with a big band, singing "Why Don't You Do Right"; and a rousing rendition of "God Bless America" delivered by Kate Smith.

As a companion to the television special, "My Music" executive producer TJ Lubinsky has also compiled a new CD collection of big band favorites exclusively for PBS. The 5-CD set, available exclusively at PBS.org, offers three volumes of the most popular singers from the era -- original classics mastered from first generation tapes -- plus two discs featuring new stereo orchestra recordings of timeless big band hits.

"Big Band Vocalists: My Music" premieres March 3, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. on PBS nationwide and airs throughout the March pledge period. Check local listings for stations and times.

Upcoming Movie needs Songs with Retro Female Vocals

Below is a special opportunity that we wanted to give you a heads up about. Just got the word about this project today, and they need the music by 9:30 AM (PST) TOMORROW, Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012. You can find this listing under the Film/TV/Video Games (Film & TV) genre in the Submit Music section of your TAXImusic.com hosting site.

TOP MUSIC SUPERVISOR is URGENTLY looking for a song with Retro Style Female Vocals for use in an upcoming Feature Film. This spot will pay in the range of $2,500 to $10,000. The Supervisor on this one is looking for songs in the spirit of...

"I Want to See The Bright Lights" by RICHARD AND LINDA THOMPSON - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57PENuNVapc

"Hey Sparrow" by THE PEAKING LIGHTS -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRJO5lVYEPU

The instrumentation, atmosphere, and mood of "Hey Sparrow" works very well - but the tempo is too slow for this particular scene. NIKO AND THE VELVET UNDERGROUND also came up as a possible stylistic reference for this spot - but they DO NOT want a slow song. The director likes the juxtaposition of singing happy words with a melody and tone that doesn't sound that happy. As always- DO NOT copy or rip-off the referenced artists. You must own or control 100% of your composition and master recording. This is DIRECT to the Music Supervisor, so you will KEEP 100% of the income -- NO Publisher Splits! All submissions will be screened by a person hand picked by the music supervisor, on a YES/NO BASIS ONLY.

Please submit 1-3 songs online by TOMORROW at 9:30 AM (PST) Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012. TAXI # Y120222FM
TAXI, 5010 N. Parkway Calabasas, Suite 200, Calabasas, CA 91302, USA

Monday, February 20, 2012

CD of the Week - "Enoch Smith Jr.: Misfits"

CD of the Week
Enoch Smith Jr.: "Misfits" (Music4MyPeople Ent.) 2011

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

Produced by Enoch Smith Jr.
Recorded & Mixed @ Peter Karl Studio (Brooklyn, NY)
Mastered by Katsuhiko Naito @ Avatar Studios (New York, NY)
Photos: Brian Cole
Cover Art: Sophia Dawson

Pianist/composer Enoch Smith Jr. has taken his own unconventional path to a rising career in music, the latest chapter of which is the release of his CD "Misfits." The new disc, on Smith's label Music4MyPeople Entertainment, is an engaging follow-up to his 2010 debut "Church Boy."

"Misfits" boasts eight originals by the Rochester, NY native, including "Wise Man," inspired by Ellis Marsalis; the instrumental "She Moves Me," written for his wife Gabriella; and "I Want You," composed for the 2007 independent film of the same title.

The opening "A Misfits Theme" -- which contains the lyric "Misfit, misfit, misfit/You will never fit in/Nonconformist creature of peculiar inclination" -- draws on the feeling Smith had when he first attended Berklee College of Music. A self-taught musician with extensive experience as a church pianist, Smith auditioned for admission to the school at the suggestion of his high school choir director and was accepted on the spot. At the time, however, he clearly needed to upgrade his formal musical skills. His years at Berklee were "amazing and intimidating and exciting," says Smith, who possesses a rich touch and profound sense of melody and groove all his own. "I definitely saw that I didn't fit into the mold."

Throughout the album, Smith receives agile support from his rhythm team of bassist Noah Jackson, a former Detroiter whom he first met, and played with, at the Greenwich Village jazz club Smalls; and drummer Sangmin Lee, a Seoul, South Korea-born Berklee colleague who, when not playing jazz in the U.S., tours with Korean pop superstar Rain. The ringing alto tones of Sarah Elizabeth Charles are featured on six tracks. Saunders Sermons (formerly with Maxwell and currently with the Susan Tedeschi-Derek Trucks Band) sings on two selections, Mavis Poole on one ("I Won't Complain," Smith's arrangement of the classic 1990 recording by the late Rev. Paul Jones).

Misfits' other non-originals include the jaunty run through Duke Ellington's hit "Caravan" (here credited only to Duke's trombonist Juan Tizol); and Paul McCartney's "Blackbird," penned as a salute to the Civil Rights Movement.

"I've always loved the Beatles," Smith reflects. "I always loved the way they arranged music, the vocals, and some of the unorthodox recording techniques. And 'Blackbird' is a song that goes with the Misfits theme. It talks about being free and breaking out of the box and not being chained with the structure you're presented with."

Enoch Smith Jr., 33, is a true "church boy" who was raised in Rochester in the Church of God by Faith, a Pentecostal denomination, where he began singing at age 3 in the children's choir. He later played drums for services, then got a chance to sub for the regular pianist, making his way through trial and error. "Growing up and playing mostly in church, you get a whole different side of what music is all about," he says. "For me, it was always more of a spiritual connection than a connection of the head."

Smith continues playing piano in two churches, serving as music director for the Calvary Baptist Church in Paterson, New Jersey, and United Palace Cathedral, in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, a large church founded by the late "Reverend Ike."

In addition to his musical pursuits, Smith works as an aide to New Jersey Assemblywoman Elease Evans, for whom he writes, reviews, and researches legislation and meets with her Paterson-area constituents. Law was his original career choice, and he'd done several internships at Rochester law firms while still in high school. Then came that life-altering Berklee audition.

Although Oscar Peterson is his favorite pianist, he has a special fondness for Bobby Timmons, whose soulful music "encouraged me that you can go down this road and be successful with the skills you have," says Smith. "Of course, you'll grow, but you've already got what you need. Just own it."

Web Site: www.enochsmithjr.com

Other Music Mondays @ The Ace Hotel, NYC

Other Music returns to the gorgeous lobby of NYC's Ace Hotel for the rest of the month of February, each Monday night featuring an eclectic DJ set from 8 p.m. to midnight by one of their staff members. While you're at the Ace, check out Other Music's new release display by the front desk, where they've stocked Bollywood Bloodbath, the Big Pink, Mighty Sparrow, Porcelain Raft, and several other titles on CD and LP formats.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20: DJ SCOTT MOU
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27: DJ AMANDA COLBENSON

ACE HOTEL
20 W. 29th St.
NYC, NY

Evan Stone Quartet w/ Katie Thiroux live @ Steamers, Feb. 23

This Thursday, February 23, from 8pm till Midnight
Evan Stone & Katie Thiroux with Matt Politano (piano) and Duane Allen (guitar)
Steamers Jazz Club and Cafe
138 W. Commonwealth Ave
Fullerton, CA 92832
714-871-8800

Katie Thiroux, born February 3, 1988, and raised in Los Angeles, California, is a bassist and vocalist of outstanding talent and determination. In early 2009, Thiroux joined Terri Lyne Carrington at the Munster Jazz Festival. Shortly after the performance in Germany, they formed a trio with Dr. Billy Taylor for a special performance in Boston, Massachusetts.

While in her last semester at Berklee College of Music, to which she was awarded the Presidential Scholarship, Miss Thiroux received an invitation to join the faculty at the University de San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador for one year. In late August 2009, Thiroux began teaching over 30 bass and vocal students. Between working on her pedagogical techniques, composing new material and adapting to the fascinating culture in Ecuador, Thiroux performs with her own trio and other notable artists across the world. Being on the road and performing internationally galvanizes her to collect influences for her art.

Most recently Katie and her trio performed at the 2010 Rochester International Jazz Festival. Other notable performances include club venues such as Catalina's, Regattabar, The Kitano, The Lighthouse, and festivals such as The Monterey Jazz Festival (Berklee Monterey Quartet), Beantown Jazz Festival, San Miguel Allende International Jazz Festival (Mexico), Quito International Jazz Festival (Ecuador), Punta de Este International Jazz Festival (Uruguay), Newport Beach Jazz Festival and the Sweet & Hot Jazz Festival. Katie is a rising force in today's jazz scene.

"All The Things You Are: The Life of Tony Bennett" by David Evanier

New Tony Bennett Biography by David Evanier Has Singer's Son Steamed
by Frank DiGiacomo for The New York Daily News
February 19, 2012

Tony Bennett is staying mum on David Evanier's secrets-baring biography of him, but the author says he's been told the crooner's son would like to fly him on a one-way trip to the moon.

Six months after Wiley published Evanier's "All The Things You Are: The Life of Tony Bennett," the former Paris Review senior editor says he'd love to get some feedback from the singer, but all he's gotten is second-hand guff from his son and manager Danny Bennett.

Evanier says the 85-year-old music legend's longtime press rep, Sylvia Weiner, informed him that Danny is angry about "inaccuracies" in the book but won't be specific.

"Nothing was cited, not a word," says Evanier, who insists: "There are no inaccuracies."

He says he interviewed more than 60 individuals for the book and spent 2 1/2 years finishing it.

Rather, Evanier suspects Danny is upset because the book shines a spotlight on some of the less savory aspects of his father's life and career.

"I celebrate him, but not in a way he wants," Evanier says. "He's not Snow White, but no one is."

"All The Things You Are" chronicled the rise of Bennett -- born Anthony Dominick Benedetto, which means "blessed" in Italian -- from Astoria, Queens, to the pantheon of popular music.

Along the way, Evanier documented Bennett's service in World War II, where he helped liberate a Nazi concentration camp, his participation in the civil rights movement and other noble moments.

But he also wrote about Bennett's struggles with pills and cocaine in the 1970s and his controversial ties to organized crime.

Bennett, Evanier writes, received money from the Capone family to help jump-start his career.

He also quoted musicians who saw Bennett at mafia events over the years and got Bennett's late former manager Derek Boulton to corroborate that in the late 1960s, Bennett forked over $600,000 to the mob to get them off his back.

The author also says he's heard Danny took offense at passages in which his father is referred to as "banana nose," a derogatory nickname given to the singer by the late jazz pianist and vocal coach Tony Tamburello when the pair auditioned for the mob in the early 1950s.

Publishers Weekly described "All The Things You Are" as "heartfelt" and noted that "Evanier's passion for Bennett shines through." The New York Times called the book a "raw, quintessential New York story" and "unvarnished."

Evanier calls Bennett "one of my heroes" and says he'd just like some honest feedback from the singer.

"It's not an expose, it's a real story," says Evanier, who notes that Bennett spent a "a lifetime being Mr. Sweetness."

Weiner and Bennett did not respond to our requests for comment by deadline.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Meredith Monk CD release party give away

This Sunday, Joe's Pub will be hosting the release party for Monk Mix, a double-CD tribute to pioneering composer/singer/director/choreographer Meredith Monk. Several of the artists who contributed to the album will be on hand to perform, including DJ Spooky, Don Byron, DJ Rekha, Rubin Kodheli, and more, not to mention Meredith Monk herself. Other Music is giving away one pair of passes to this special night, and you can enter by emailing tickets@othermusic.com. They'll notify the winner tomorrow.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19 @ 9:30 P.M.
JOE'S PUB
425 Lafayette St.
NYC, NY

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Vinyl of the Day - "Dory Previn: We're Children of Coincidence and Harpo Marx"

Vinyl of the Day
Dory Previn: "We're Children of Coincidence and Harpo Marx" (Warner Bros.) 1976

Produced by Joel Dorn
All Words & Music by Dory Previn
Arranged & Conducted by William Eaton and William S. Fischer
Recorded, Mixed & Mastered @ Regent Sound Studios (New York, NY)
Engineered by Robert Liftin
Photo: Joby Baker

Featuring: Dory Previn (vocals & acoustic guitar), Hank Jones (piano), Arthur Jenkins (keyboards & percussion), Ron Carter (acoustic bass), Francesco Centeno (electric bass), Ronnie Zito, John Sussewell & Ted Sommer (drums), Dom Um Romão (percussion), Don McLean & Eric Weissberg (banjo), John Tropea & Keith Loving (electric & acoustic guitars), Peter Jameson (acoustic guitar), Dave Carey (marimba), Seldon Powell, Frank Wess, Phil Bodner & Billy Slapin (reeds), Burt Collins, Ernie Royal & Joe Shepley (trumpets), Wayne Andre & Jack Jeffers (trombones), Jonathan Dorn (tuba), Gene Orloff (strings concertmaster), Cissy Houston, Frank Floyd & Patti Austin (backing vocals) et al

R.I.P.: Dory Previn

Dory Previn, Songwriter, Is Dead at 86
by Bruce Weber for The New York Times

February 15, 2012

Dory Previn, the lyricist for three Oscar-nominated songs who as a composer and performer mined her difficult childhood, bouts of mental illness and a very public divorce to create a potent and influential personal songbook, died on Tuesday at her home in Southfield, Mass. She was 86.

Her death was confirmed by her husband, Joby Baker.

Ms. Previn rose to prominence as a singer-songwriter with a substantial cult following in the early 1970s and she enriched a period in pop music history that also saw the emergence of Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Laura Nyro.

She never became as widely known as they were (though she did record a live double album at Carnegie Hall), partly because her voice was never as big as theirs, but also because her lyrics -- frank and dark, even when tinged with humor, and often wincingly confessional -- were not the stuff of pop radio. They were, however, clear antecedents of the work of later balladeers like Sinead O'Connor and Suzanne Vega.

In "With My Daddy in the Attic," Ms. Previn wrote of her complicated relationship with her disturbed father. In "Esther's First Communion," she wrote about a girl's indoctrination into religious ritual and her revulsion at it. In "Yada Yada La Scala," she wrote about women in a mental hospital. In "Lemon Haired Ladies," she wrote about an older woman pining for a younger man:

Whatever you give me
I'll take as it comes
Discarding self-pity
I'll manage with crumbs.

Unusually for a pop singer of the day, Ms. Previn's background was in neither folk nor rock. Her early success came in Hollywood, writing songs for the movies, generally as a lyricist working with her husband, Andre Previn, who later earned fame as a classical composer and conductor.

Together they were nominated for two Academy Awards: in 1960 for "Faraway Part of Town," from "Pepe," and in 1962 for "Second Chance," from "Two for the Seesaw." But their best-known collaboration was the theme from the 1967 film version of Jacqueline Susann's drug-soaked show-business novel "Valley of the Dolls" (later recorded by Dionne Warwick), which begins:

Gotta get off, gonna get
Have to get off from this ride
Gotta get hold, gonna get
Need to get hold of my pride.

The halting, almost stammering progression of laments, Ms. Previn later said, came from her own experience of relying on pills.

In 1969, working with the composer Fred Karlin, Ms. Previn earned a third Oscar nomination, for "Come Saturday Morning" from "The Sterile Cuckoo," which became a hit for the Sandpipers.

By then, however, the Previn marriage was in a shambles. Mr. Previn had begun an affair with the actress Mia Farrow, then in her early 20s, whom he later married, and Ms. Previn, who had a history of emotional fragility and mental illness, fell apart. Fearful of traveling in general and of flying in particular, she had a breakdown on an airplane that was waiting to take off, shouted unintelligibly and tore at her clothes, and spent several months in a psychiatric hospital.

The episode, as awful as it was, proved to be a turning point in her life and career.

Her first album afterward, "On My Way to Where" (1970) -- the title was a reference to the airplane debacle -- included perhaps her most famous song, "Beware of Young Girls," about Ms. Farrow, and received polarized reviews. On her second, "Mythical Kings and Iguanas" (1971), many critics noticed a growing vocal confidence. Her third, "Reflections in a Mud Puddle/Taps Tremors and Time Steps" (1971), included a pained report of and reflection on her father's death, and drew praise from the New York Times music critic Don Heckman.

"Ms. Previn is no great singer, her guitar playing is only adequate, and her melodies sometimes have an uncomfortable tendency to move in too-familiar directions," he wrote. "But her message is stated so brilliantly in her lyrics, and the tales she has to tell are so important, that they make occasional musical inadequacies fade away."

Dorothy Veronica Langan was born in New Jersey -- sources differ on the town, Rahway or Woodbridge -- on Oct. 22, 1925, and she grew up in Woodbridge. Her father, Michael, was a laborer and a frustrated musician who pushed her toward music and dance. He had also been deranged, Ms. Previn wrote in a 1976 memoir, by his service in World War I. He had been gassed, she wrote, and he was convinced the gassing had made him sterile; therefore she could not be his daughter. For a while he locked himself in the attic.

Ms. Previn left home as a teenager and worked in summer stock and in commercials and sang in small clubs, writing new verses to popular songs. Her work came to the attention of Arthur Freed, the producer of MGM movie musicals like "An American in Paris" and "Singin' in the Rain," who hired her for MGM, where she met Mr. Previn. They married in 1959. She had been married and divorced previously.

In addition to her husband, Mr. Baker, a painter whom she met in the 1970s and married in 1986, she is survived by three stepchildren, Michele Wayland, Fredricka Baker and Scott Zimmerman, and six step-grandchildren.

In the 1980s, Ms. Previn and Mr. Previn reconciled as friends, and she came to loathe the fact that she was best known for their breakup. But the pain and grief were the foundation of her art. In the hospital after her breakdown, she was encouraged to write down her feelings, and they emerged as poems.

"I was always afraid to write music," she said in 1970. "I wouldn't have presumed to with a musician like Andre around the house. But I play a little guitar. So I started working them out on the guitar, thinking I could interest some singer in recording them and that's how all these songs were born."

Grammy: and the winners are...

The 2012 Grammy Awards have been announced, and in jazz-related categories the winners are: Tony Bennett ("Body and Soul" with Amy Winehouse, pictured above, for Best Pop Duo/Group performance; "Duets II" with various artists, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album), Pat Metheny ("What It's All About", Best New Age album), Chick Corea ("500 Miles High", Best Improvised Jazz Solo; "Forever" with Stanley Clarke & Lenny White, Best Jazz Instrumental Album), Terri Lyne Carrington ("The Mosaic Project", Best Jazz Vocal Album), Christian McBride ("The Good Feeling" with Big Band, Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album), Tedeschi Trucks Band ("Revelator", Best Blues Album), Rebirth Brass Band ("Rebirth of New Orleans", Best Regional Roots Music Album), Bela Fleck & Howard Levy ("Life in Eleven", Best Instrumental Composition), Gordon Goodwin ("Rhapsody in Blue", Best Instrumental Arrangement), Jorge Calandrelli ("Who Can I Turn To" with Tony Bennett, Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)), Adam Machado ("Hear Me Howling! Blues, Ballads & Beyond as Recorded by the San Francisco Bay by Chris Strachwitz in the 1960s", Best Album Notes).

The complete list of nominees and winners can he seen at the Grammy website. Latin jazz musicians protested outside the Staples Center to reinstate 31 Grammy categories which were eliminated by the Recording Academy in 2011.
*******
More details:

Category 11 - Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Winner: "Duets II" - Tony Bennett and Various Artists [Columbia Records]

Also nominated:
"The Gift" - Susan Boyle [Syco Music/Columbia Records]
"In Concert on Broadway" -Harry Connick Jr. [Columbia Records]
"Music Is Better Than Words" - Seth MacFarlane [Universal Republic]
"What Matters Most - Barbra Streisand Sings the Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman" - Barbra Streisand [Columbia Records]

Category 31 - Best Jazz Vocal Album

Winner: "The Mosaic Project" - Terri Lyne Carrington and Various Artists [Concord Jazz]

Also nominated:
"'Round Midnight" - Karrin Allyson [Concord Jazz]
"The Gate" - Kurt Elling [Concord Jazz]
"American Road" - Tierney Sutton [BFM Jazz]
"The Music of Randy Newman" -Roseanna Vitro [Motema Music]

Category 53 - Best Musical Theater Album

Winner: "The Book Of Mormon" (Original Broadway Cast)
Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells, principal soloists; Anne Garefino, Robert Lopez, Stephen Oremus, Trey Parker, Scott Rudin and Matt Stone, producers; Robert Lopez, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, composers/lyricists
[Ghostlight Records]

Also nominated:
"Anything Goes" (New Broadway Cast Recording)
Sutton Foster and Joel Grey, principal soloists; Rob Fisher, James Lowe and Joel Moss, producers (Cole Porter, composer/lyricist)
[Ghostlight Records]

"How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" (The 2011 Broadway Cast Recording)
John Larroquette and Daniel Radcliffe, principal soloists; Robert Sher, producer (Frank Loesser, composer/lyricist)
[Decca]

Category 59 - Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)

Winner: "Who Can I Turn To"
Jorge Calandrelli, arranger (Tony Bennett and Queen Latifah)
Track from: Duets II [RPM/Columbia Records]

Also nominated:

"Ao Mar"
Vince Mendoza, arranger (Vince Mendoza)
Track from: Nights on Earth [Horizontal]

"Moon Over Bourbon Street"
Rob Mathes, arranger (Sting and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra)
Track from: Sting Live in Berlin [Deutsche Grammophon]

"On Broadway"
Kevin Axt, Ray Brinker, Trey Henry, Christian Jacob and Tierney Sutton, arrangers (The Tierney Sutton Band)
Track from: American Road [BFM Jazz]

"The Windmills of Your Mind"
William A. Ross, arranger (Barbra Streisand)
Track from: What Matters Most - Barbra Streisand Sings the Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman [Columbia Records]

Full list: http://www.grammy.com/nominees

NYT: Diva's Sudden Death Casts a Long Shadow

A tribute to Whitney Houston, and Adele's first public performance since her vocal cord surgery marked the 54th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/arts/music/whitney-houstons-death-casts-shadow-on-grammys.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha28

R.I.P.: Whitney Houston

Obituary: Whitney Houston, Pop Superstar, Dies at 48
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/arts/music/whitney-houston-dies.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha28

CD of the Week - "Moraine: Metamorphic Rock"

CD of the Week
Moraine: "Metamorphic Rock" (MoonJune) 2011

Featuring:
DENNIS REA - electric guitar
ALICIA DeJOIE - electric violin
JAMES DeJOIE - saxophone, flute, effects
KEVIN MILLARD - electric bass
STEPHEN CAVIT - drums

Recorded live at North East Art Rock Festival (NEARfest) 2010, Bethlehem, PA, June 20, 2010
Front-of-house engineer: Phil Leibowicz. Live recording engineer: Brett Kull, Area 602 Studios
Mixed by Steve Fisk at Steve F Studio in Seattle, WA, July-August 2011
Mastered by Barry Corliss at Master Works, Seattle
Produced by Moraine & Steve Fisk
Executive Producer & Graphics: Leonardo Pavkovic
Front Cover Photo: Dennis Rea
Liner Photos: Joe del Tufo

Tracklist:
1. Irreducible Complexity (3:39)
2. Manifest Density (3:45)
3. Save the Yuppie Breeding Grounds (4:02)
4. Disillusioned Avatar/Dub Interlude/Ephebus Amoebus (10:25)
5. Disoriental Suite (11:46)
6. Kuru (4:31)
7. The Okanogan Lobe (7:36)
8. Uncle Tang's Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (3:44)
9. Blues for a Bruised Planet (4:35)
10. Waylaid (5:31)
11. Middlebräu (9:09)

Since releasing their widely acclaimed debut CD "manifest deNsity" (MJR028) in 2009, Seattle’s Moraine has quickly built a reputation as one of the most electrifying and original instrumental rock bands anywhere -- winning over listeners across the globe with its unique amalgam of art rock, forward-thinking jazz, world music, and more.

The band ups the ante with its highly-anticipated new release, "Metamorphic Rock: Live at NEARfest." Captured in peak form at NEARfest 2010, Moraine wowed listeners with their inventive compositions, formidable musicianship, and tightly meshed interplay. Documenting a major advance in the group’s evolution from its chamber-rock origins toward a more forceful and dynamic sound, Metamorphic Rock consists largely of new and previously-unreleased material, augmented by a number of radically retooled tunes from manifest deNsity.

Having been compared to King Crimson, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Terje Rypdal, the group has forged its own distinct sonic identity. Whether engaging in jazz-inflected improvisation, executing intricate ensemble passages, or dishing out crushing, twisted riffs, the band displays a warmth and lyricism often lacking in avant-rock. "Metamorphic Rock" amply demonstrates that Moraine, like its geological namesake, is truly a force of nature.

Please check this interview with Dennis Rea:
http://www.moonjune.com/blog/9.27.11_interview_dennis-rea/

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Diana Krall's Tix Pre-Sale Alert: 13 New U.S. & International Tour Dates

Diana Krall "Summer Nights"
Ticket Pre-Sale & VIP Offer Alert!
New U.S. & International Tour Dates Announced!

The following U.S. performances have just been announced:

June 27, 2012 - American Music Theatre - Lancaster, PA
August 18, 2012 - Thunder Valley Casino Resort - Lincoln, CA
August 19, 2012 - Davies Symphony Hall - San Francisco, CA
August 31, 2012 - Keller Auditorium - Portland, OR

Pre-Sale tickets for the above U.S. shows will be available Wednesday, February 15 at 12pm local time:
http://dianakrall.artistarena.com

username: diana
password: krall

The following International performances have just been announced:
October 29, 2012 - Bozar - Brussels, Belgium
November 3, 2012 - Palais des Congres - Strasbourg, France
November 4, 2012 - Stadthalle - Vienna, Austria
November 13, 2012 - Arena - Budapest, Hungary
November 21, 2012 - Palais des Congres - Paris, France
November 24, 2012 - l'Auditori - Barcelona, Spain
November 27, 2012 - Teatro degli Acrimboldi - Milan, Italy
November 28, 2012 - Auditorium Santa Cecilia - Rome, Italy
November 30, 2012 - NTC - Bratislava, Slovakia

Pre-Sale tickets for the above International shows will be available Tuesday, February 14 at 12pm local time:
http://www.artistarena.eu.com/dianakrall

username: diana
password: krall

Pre-Sale VIP offers will be available for all above dates!

Diana Krall Premium Ticket Bundle Package includes:
One Premium Reserved Seat Ticket
One Limited Edition Signed Diana Krall Poster
One Exclusive Diana Krall T-Shirt
One Diana Krall Cork Screw
One Commemorative VIP Laminate

Regular pre-sale tickets will also be available.

Monday, February 6, 2012

CD of the Week - "Slivovitz: Bani Ahead"

CD of the Week
Slivovitz: "Bani Ahead" (MoonJune) 2011

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

Featuring:
DOMENICO ANGARANO: electric bass
DEREK DI PERI: harmonica
MARCELLO GIANNINI: guitar
SALVATORE RAINONE: drums
CIRCO RICCARDI: trumpet
PIETRO SANTANGELO: tenor & alto sax
RICCARDO VILLARI: violin

Recorded by Daniele Chiariello at Zork Studio (Buccino, Salerno) between March 8-12, 2011
Mixed by Peppe de Angelis at Monopattino Studios (Sorrento, Napoli) April-May 2011
Mastered by Enzo Rizzo at Soulfingers Studios in May 2011
Produced & Arranged by Slivovitz
Executive Producer & Graphics: Leonardo Pavkovic

Tracklist:
1. Egiziaca (6:57)
2. Cleopatra Through (5:23)
3. Fat (5:03)
4. Vascello (6:05)
5. 02-09 (5:37)
6. Opus Focus (3:51)
7. Bani Ahead (5:20)
8. Pocho (5:51)

On "Bani Ahead," Slivovitz’s delectable instrumental casserole of violin, woodwinds, brass, harmonica, electric guitar, and potent rhythm section exhibits such finely-calibrated ensemble playing that the players sound like a single organism -- whether executing dizzying unison passages, engaging in ingenious dovetailing melodic counterpoint, or supporting an impassioned solo. There’s more richness of detail here than on any ten albums by the latest vaunted ‘neo-prog’ bands, with a wholly refreshing lack of attitude or affect.

Slivovitz’s music has been likened to that of the great Frank Zappa and at times recalls the rarefied chamber-rock of RIO artists such as Henry Cow. From the opener “Egiziaca” with its odd-metered Balkan-flavored melodic figures juxtaposed against gritty overdriven guitar, to the serpentine ensemble passages of “Cleopatra Through,” to the brooding, enigmatic “Opus Focus” (written by saxophonist Pietro Santangelo), "Bani Ahead" represents a new benchmark for a band quickly cementing their reputation as one of Europe’s leading purveyors of progressive instrumental music of any kind.

There's no grandstanding here: seven superbly-talented musicians ripping through a set of exhilarating originals, drawing from art-rock, jazz, European classical music, and ethnic influences. A masterful, breakthrough album.

Diana Krall's upcoming concerts in New Brunswick, NJ & Beaver Creek, CO

The following upcoming performances by Diana Krall have just been announced:

June 26, 2012
State Theatre
New Brunswick, NJ

August 5, 2012
Vilar Performing Arts Center
Beaver Creek, CO

Pre-Sale VIP offers for both dates!

Diana Krall Premium Ticket Bundle
Package includes:
One Premium Reserved Seat Ticket
One Limited Edition Signed Diana Krall Poster
One Exclusive Diana Krall T-Shirt
One Diana Krall Cork Screw
One Commemorative VIP Laminate

Regular pre-sale tickets will also be available.

Pre-Sale tickets for the shows in New Brunswick, NJ & Beaver Creek, CO will be available Tuesday, February 7 at 12pm local time:
http://tixx1.artistarena.com/dianakrall

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password: krall