Tomorrow, "The Music of David Lynch" in LA!

THE MUSIC OF DAVID LYNCH
8PM - WED APR 01, 2015
$45 - $1000 - THE THEATRE AT ACE HOTEL, LOS ANGELES
929 SOUTH BROADWAY, LOS ANGELES, CA 90015
TEL: 213.623.3233 / FAX: 213.235.9611

ENQUIRE.DTLA@ACEHOTEL.COM / @ACEHOTEL

WITH PERFORMANCES AND INTERPRETATIONS BY:
ANGELO BADALAMENTI, CHRYSTA BELL, REBEKAH DEL RIO, DONOVAN, DURAN DURAN, JIM JAMES, JULEE CRUISE, KAREN O, KINNEY LANDRUM, MOBY, ROB MATHES, SKY FERREIRA, TENNIS, TWIN PEAKS, WAYNE COYNE AND STEVEN DROZD OF THE FLAMING LIPS, ZOLA JESUS, PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS.

Be it the synthesized echo of the Twin Peaks theme song, the Angelo Badalamenti score to Blue Velvet or Mulholland Drive's "Llorando," David Lynch deploys music in his work to stirring effect, creating layers of meanings in a sequence of melancholic minor chords or startled key changes.

On April 1, the David Lynch Foundation celebrates its 10th Anniversary with The Music of David Lynch, an exploration of the director's use of immersive and ambient sound in his films, Twin Peaks and original catalog.  All proceeds benefit the non-profit Foundation to bring Transcendental Meditation to at-risk populations suffering with PTSD.

$1,000 VIP includes the best seats, a private pre-concert event with David Lynch, top shelf cocktails and crafted hors d'oeuvres, and a limited edition concert poster designed by Shepard Fairey.
$125 Reserved Orchestra
$75 Reserved Front Balcony
$45 Reserved Rear Balcony

R.I.P.: Ralph Sharon

(born on September 17, 1923 in London, England;
died on March 31, 2015 in Boulder, Colorado, USA)

An excellent pianist with a light touch, a natural taste for sophisticated harmonies and a highly sophisticated style, Ralph Sharon was pure musical elegance. He died today at age 91, from natural causes. A soft-spoken true gentleman, his charming playing mirrored his mood.

He could be called "the man behind Tony Bennett," due to his four-decade association with the singer. I had the honor to met Sharon several times when I attended Tony's concerts in my native Brazil -- the first time was in 1980 during an engagement at the Rio Palace Hotel, when Sharon, from the piano chair, also conducted the orchestra that had saxophonist Harold Land as the main soloist; the last time in 1985 when I interviewed Bennett for a Manchete TV special broadcast filmed at the "Teatro do Hotel Nacional" -- as well as in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Rest in Peace.

                       (Ralph Sharon performing with Tony Bennett)

Mimi Jones: East Coast, Midwest & European Tours Coming Soon

For bassist/composer Mimi Jones, the release one year ago of her second CDBalance accomplished several goals. It tested her mettle as a businesswoman, as the CD was released on the Hot Tone Music label she'd founded in 2009. It highlighted her propensity for collaboration and support of other indie jazz musicians, particularly women, as Hot Tone Music simultaneously released Jones's album with new discs by saxophonistCamille Thurman and drummer Shirazette Tinnin. And it established Jones as a leader to watch, a protean instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer/arranger.

"Satisfying on every level," Marc Myers wrote of Balance on JazzWax.com. "The bassist plays with enormous strength and enthusiasm but she also has a cohesive vision for how the music should sound. Each track is an important statement expressed with sensuality and chops. . . . She is Grammy-worthy."

Since that time, native New Yorker Jones, who celebrates her 43rd birthday today, has been expanding her professional horizons -- all of them -- with her customary dynamism. She's been appearing in a series of sidewoman dates with the Tia Fuller Quartet, Toshi Reagon, andLuis Perdomo & Controlling Ear Unit (whose new CD, Twenty Two, will be released by Hot Tone Music 5/19).

Jones's work as a composer is being featured as part of the D.O.M.E. Experience, co-led by Jones and ArcoIris Sandoval and performed by artists including Steve Wilson, Jamie Baum, Bob Stewart, Tia Fuller, and many others.

She shared her DIY label experience with attendees at the JazzConnect conference earlier this year and will deliver a lecture on "The Business of Music" at the International Society of Bassists convention in Fort Collins, CO on 6/4.

As a leader, she's been running a weekly residency and jam session, the Lab Session, at Bar Thalia/Symphony Space (Broadway and 95th Street) most Friday nights which includes Mimi's band as well as a rotating cast of first-rate vocalists, horn players, drummers, pianists, guitarists, tap dancers, rappers, and comics. Some regulars seen at the Jazz Party are Mark Shim, Miki Hayama, Marion Cowings, Rodney Green, Jonathan Barber, and Victor Gould, among others. And now she plans to take her Mimi Jones Band on the road to points east (New England, Europe) and west (Chicago, Michigan).

 L. to. r.: Mimi Jones, Jonathan Barber, Miki Hayama, Mark Shim.

"It's been a terribly long winter," says Jones, "but spring is here and I'm looking forward to all the wonderful things manifesting. It will be my first time performing as a leader around the country, whether it be at the annual iRock Jazz Festival in Michigan or the London Jazz Festival later this year. I am thrilled to be physically bringing this music to the people."

Jones is currently in the process of choosing music for her next Hot Tone Music CD, due for early 2016 release.

Born in New York City and raised in the Bronx, Mimi Jones attended Fiorello LaGuardia High School and earned a B.A. in music at the Manhattan School of Music Conservatory. She missed her graduation, however, because she'd been hired to tour Japan with saxophonist Masa Wada and drummer Denis Charles. It was the first of numerous overseas tours that would take her to Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas, some under the auspices of the U.S. State Department. In addition to leading her own groups, Jones has worked with jazz artists including Kenny Barron, Joanne Brackeen, Terri Lyne Carrington (who chose Jones to play on her Grammy-winning The Mosaic Project), Ravi Coltrane, Lizz Wright, Lionel Hampton, Roy Hargrove, and many more. She has recorded two albums as leader: A New Day (2009) and Balance (2014).

The Mimi Jones Band (trio/quartet):

Fridays at Bar Thalia/Symphony Space (2537 Broadway), NYC, The Lab Session, 8-11pm

5/7 Smoke, NYC

(Mark Shim, sax, wci; Miki Hayama, p; Clarence Penn, d)

5/29 Loews Hotel Jazz Series, Chicago

(Ryan Cohen, p; Marcus Evans, d)

5/30 iRock Jazz Festival, New Buffalo, MI

(Pharez Whitted, tpt; Ryan Cohen, p; Marcus Evans, d)

6/4 International Society of Bassists, Fort Collins, CO (solo lecture: The Business of Music)

6/11 Burlington (VT) Discover Jazz Festival

6/12 Riverwalk Cafe and Music Bar, Nashua, NH

6/13 The Side Door, Old Lyme, CT

6/16 Jazz Journalists Awards, Blue Note, NYC

(Mark Shim, sax, wci; Miki Hayama, p; Jonathan Barber, d; + Marvin Sewell, g, 6/16 only)

8/10 Bushnell Park, Hartford (CT) Monday Night Jazz

(Band TBD)

11/11-22 European Tour

Photography: Jose Infante (Mimi), Phillis Kwentoh (group) 

Last Call for the Manhattan Transter & Take 6 reunion in Los Angeles

Catalina Jazz Club
6725 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles 90028
Tix for Tonight, March 24: http://bit.ly/March24Catalina

Combining forces for the first time, The Manhattan Transfer and Take 6, two of the most acclaimed, award-winning vocal groups in pop music, create an unforgettable concert event that will thrill audiences of all ages. Between them, the two groups boast a remarkable 20 Grammy Awards, and a range of styles that covers nearly every genre of popular music; from jazz to swing, from gospel to R&B.

As The Manhattan Transfer mark the 40th Anniversary of their debut recording on Atlanta Records, original members Janis Siegal, Alan Paul, and Cheryl Bentyne will honor founding member Tim Hauser as they continue to tour with their newest member Trist Curless, while Take 6 shares their crystal clear harmony, innovative arrangements and funky grooves, demonstrating why this sextet is recognized as the pre-eminent A cappella group in the world.

No ordinary double bill, this is a show combining unexpected twists and turns to create a once-in-a-lifetime event!

Les McCann @ Book Soup, this Saturday

Saturday, March 28, 5pm @ Book Soup (8818 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood):

"Invitation To Openness: The Jazz & Soul Photography Of Les McCann 1960-1980"

Les McCann book signing and round-table discussion about the book featuring the man himself: Les McCann! 

Plus: the book's curators (Les' producer/manager) Alan Abrahams and (Listen Whitey author) Pat Thomas, with jazz journalist A. Scott Galloway (who wrote the book's intro), a slide-show display of photos from the book, AND musician/DJ Mocean Worker, aka Adam Dorn (son of the legendary Joel Dorn, who produced the 1972 album "Invitation to Openness" ), spinning Les' vast vinyl catalog.

The book is published by Fantagraphics Books Inc.

Throughout Les McCann’s incredible jazz career, he took hundreds of photos—at clubs, studios, and festivals around the world—and documented the vibrant cultural life of jazz and soul between 1960 and 1980. These photos include a young Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sammy Davis Jr., John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson, Richard Pryor, Quincy Jones, Tina Turner, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, B.B. King, Errol Garner, Stanley Clarke, Bill Evans, Lionel Hampton, and others such as Muhammed Ali, Stokely Carmichael, Redd Foxx and Angie Dickinson (on the set of Police Woman), Jerry Lewis, Jack Lemmon, James Coburn (in the 60's and 70's) 

These photos are characterized by their intimacy, and the cross-section of names listed is merely the tip of the iceberg. The book features candid commentary by McCann himself and is curated by Pat Thomas (Listen, Whitey!: The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975) and maverick music producer Alan Abrahams (Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, Taj Mahal.)

It's going to be a book signing like never before with many of Les' musician/celebrity friends stopping through to wish the legend well. Wouldn't you like to be among them? Come meet "McCann The Man," have him sign your personal copy of his book and celebrate with a store full of friends and family directly across the street from where the classic Tower Records used to be.

Kaylene Peoples & Bunny Brunel CD Release Concert Benefiting Bella Composers

April 8, 8:30pm @ Catalina Jazz Club (6725 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles)

Dual CD release concert for Kaylene Peoples' "My Man" and Bunny Brunel's "Invent Your Future," Benefiting Bella Composers

Come celebrate with talented singer Kaylene Peoples and bassist extraordinaire Bunny Brunel (whom I love since his albums with Chick Corea in the late 70s such as "Secret Agent" and "Tap Step") their new CD releases benefitiing Bella Composers. 

This exciting concert features pianist Patrice Rushen, drummer Tom Brechtlein, guitar player Tony MacAlpine, with guitarist Mark Hammond, saxophonist Doug Webb, and percussionist Monette Marino (with surprise guest performances); and Mistress of Ceremonies Chase Masterson at Catalina Bar & Grill, Wednesday, April 8, 2015. Showtime 8:30pm/Red Carpet arrivals 7:00pm.

Tickets: $25 (Plus 2 Drink Minimum)

Link to purchase tickets: 

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/kaylene-peoples-bunny-brunel-cd-release-benefiting-bella-composers-tickets-16189903437

Bella Composers is a charity designed to spotlight women composers. There will be a competition where five women are chosen to have their compositions performed by a live orchestra in a performing arts center (an annual event). One of the female composer's work will be presented posthumously, resurrecting her composition for the world to hear. Bella Composers was created to offer women composers new opportunities, self-expression, empowerment, and employment in the world of classical, neoclassical, and other traditional musical genres by showcasing their music through live performance. Bella Composers was created by Kaylene Peoples, who is a singer/instrumentalist and composer/arranger. 

The benefit concert held at Catalina Bar & Grill is a red carpet event. 

Tonight, Melena is back @ Steamers!

TONITE SAT MAR 21  THE RETURN OF CUBAN PERCUSSIONIST EXTRAORDINAIRE MELENA 

AND HER AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ BAND W/

Natanael Molina, Brian Wright, Anderson Quintero, Pablo Calogero & Jeff Jarvis

Steamers Jazz Club and Cafe

138 W. Commonwealth Ave

Fullerton, CA 92832

Ph: 714-871-8800 

Melena Francis Valdes is a world-class percussionist and educator of Afro/Cuban Music History and Percussion. She has toured, performed and recorded with legendary artists such as Barry White, Stevie Wonder, Macy Gray, Julio Iglesias, Chucho Valdes & Irakere, Chayanne, John Tesh, Eva Ayllone, Peru Negro, Giovanni Hidalgo, Ray De La Paz, Mario Ortiz Jr., Chino Nunez and many more. Melena teaches all levels of percussion, and has experience with special needs students as well. 

She has conducted Master Classes nationally and internationally such as: Montreal Drum Festival, Puerto Rico Music Conservatory, Percussion Gallery (Ponce, P.R.), Los Angeles Music Academy, Brownsville University, Remo Drum Center, Braille Institute, Boys and Girls Club, and more. She has specialized her studies in the Afro-Cuban tradition, and has taught her students the importance of the history and knowledge of Afro-Cuban drumming. Melena performs with her Afro-Cuban Jazz and Salsa band worldwide and is one of the most accomplished female percussionists in the Latin Music Industry. Enjoy!

"Fifty Shades Of Chill" comes out today

"Fifty Shades Of Chill: 50 Sensual Tracks Inspired By A Worldwide Phenomenon" (Irma) comes out today in Europe, USA and Asia, including tracks produced & arranged by Arnaldo DeSouteiro.

TBT Masterpiece - "Carlos Franzetti & Eddie Gomez: Duets"

TBT Masterpiece
Carlos Franzetti & Eddie Gomez: "Duets" (Acqua Records AQ203) 2008
JAZZ STATION MASTERPIECE SEAL
Rating: ***** (musical performance & sound quality)

Produced by Carlos Franzetti
Recorded on March 1st & May 17, 2007 @ The Studio (New York, NY, USA)
Recording & Mixing Engineer: Katherine Miller
Art Direction: Finx Duvey

Tomorrow, "Remix Friday" @ Elevate Lounge in LA

Tomorow night, March 20, from 10pm to 2am
Don't miss "Remix Fridays" @ Elevate Lounge
811 Wilshire Blvd 21st Fl, Los Angeles 90017
Use their Guest List app to ensure you get in for free! http://ow.ly/z9xp5

This #RemixFriday get your groove on at Elevate Lounge! Enjoy the best music, views, and dancing at the #1 lounge in downtown LA! Only at Elevate's Remix Friday!

As always, guest list is FREE before 10:30pm. RSVP to get on the list!

To reserve a table please call/text (213) 400-1560 or email reservations@elevatelounge.com with your name and number of guests. Don't forget to ask about their drink specials! Cheers!!!

Two albums by fusion cult band Caldera will be reissued on CD next week

Two albums by the LA-based fusion band Caldera will be reissued in Japan next Wednesday, March 25, as part of the "Fusion Crossover Ultimate Collection" prepared by Universal Music LLC. The multi-cultural group was formed in California in 1976 and recorded four critically acclaimed LPs for Capitol Records.

Their self-title debut album, "Caldera" (1976), features the original members -- keyboardist Eduardo Del Barrio, guitarist Jorge Strunz, reedman Steve Tavaglione, bassist Dean Cortez, drummer Carlos Vega and percussionist Mike 'Baiano' Azevedo -- plus guests Raul de Souza (the Brazilian trombone virtuoso), Robertinho Silva (Brazilian percussionist) and singer Carolyn Davis.

Their fourth and last project, "Dreamer" (1979), showcases the last incarnation of the group, with former Santana bassist Greg Lee, Weather Report-famed drummer Alex Acuña (born in Peru) and percussionist Luis Conte joining founding members Del Barrio, Strunz, Tavaglione and Azevedo.

Blu-Spec CD of the Month - "George Benson: White Rabbit"

Blu-Spec CD of the Month
George Benson: "White Rabbit" (CTI)

Highlight: the frenetic adaptation of Villa-Lobos' "Little Train" (O Trenzinho do Caipira), with a superb Hancock solo on the Rhodes, and Airto singing the melody in unison with Benson's guitar. But it's a 5-star album, also including great arrangements of Jefferson Airplane's hit "White Rabbit" (written by Grace Slick), Mamas & Papas' "California Dreaming" (previously covered by Wes Montgomery after Creed Taylor's suggestion), Michel Legrand's "Summer of '42" and Benson's own "El Mar," which marked Earl Klugh's recording debut at 17.

Produced by Creed Taylor
Recorded & Mixed by Rudy Van Gelder
Engineered @ Van Gelder Studio (Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA) on November 23, 24 & 30, 1971
Cover Photo: Pete Turner
Album Design: Bob Ciano

Arranged & Conducted by Don Sebesky
Featuring: George Benson (guitar), Jay Berliner (acoustic guitar), Earl Klugh (guitar), Herbie Hancock (Fender Rhodes electric piano), Ron Carter (acoustic bass), Billy Cobham (drums), Airto Moreira (percussion & vocals), Phil Kraus (vibes & percussion), Hubert Laws (flute, alto flute, piccolo), John Frosk, Alan Rubin (trumpet & flugel), Wayne Andre (trombone & baritone horn), Jim Buffington (French horn), Phil Bodner (flute,alto flute, oboe, baritone horn), George Marge (flute, alto flute, clarinet, oboe, English horn), Romeo Penque (clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, alto flute, oboe, English horn), Jane Taylor (bassoon), Gloria Agostini (harp)
********
"White Rabbit" (recorded in 1971 & released in 1972) is George Benson’s masterpiece for CTI, featuring the signature title track arrangement of the Jefferson Airplane classic – a 1972 Grammy® nominee for Best Jazz Performance by a Group. Other highlights: "El Mar" (the only track with Earl Klugh) and a superb adaptation of Villa-Lobos' "Little Train," on which Herbie Hancock performs one of his best Fender Rhodes solos ever!

Arranged & conducted by Don Sebesky, it also includes nice renditions of Michel Legrand's love theme for the "Summer of '42" soundtrack (aka "The Summer Knows") and The Mamas & The Papas' "California Dreaming" (previously produced by Creed Taylor & arranged by Sebesky as an instrumental hit for Wes Montgomery's "California Dreaming" Verve album, back in 1966).

The all-star cast features Ron Carter (acoustic bass only), Billy Cobham (drums), Airto Moreira (not only as a percussionist but also providing subtle wordless vocals in several moments), John Frosk (lead trumpet on the title track), Hubert Laws (a short but perfect flute solo on "White Rabbit" too), and specially the Spanish-tinged acoustic guitar playing (in 4 of the 5 tracks) of the underrated master Jay Berliner, the unsung hero of this project.

Highlight: the frenetic adaptation of Villa-Lobos' "Little Train" (O Trenzinho do Caipira), with a superb Hancock solo on the Rhodes, and Airto singing the melody in unison with Benson's guitar. But it's a 5-star album, also including great arrangements of Jefferson Airplane's hit "White Rabbit" (written by Grace Slick), Mamas & Papas' "California Dreaming" (previously covered by Wes Montgomery after Creed Taylor's suggestion), Michel Legrand's "Summer of '42" and Benson's own "El Mar," which marked Earl Klugh's recording debut at 17.

That's what CTI's top connoisseur wrote about this reissue:
http://dougpayne.blogspot.com/2011/01/celebrating-cti-records-40th.html 

Guitarist George Benson had already recorded one album for CTI (Beyond the Blue Horizon) plus three notable albums for Creed Taylor’s CTI production house at A&M (an additional album recorded during this time was issued years later) when he waxed White Rabbit in November 1971.

White Rabbit ranks among the strongest and most consistently satisfying and artistic of all of George Benson’s jazz albums, even though each and every one of his CTI albums contains something of significant worth.

Recorded under the auspices of arranger Don Sebesky, who had arranged Benson’s earlier Shape of Things to Come (1969) and The Other Side of Abbey Road (1970), White Rabbit is probably now best known as one of the earliest recordings of Detroit-based guitarist Earl Klugh, who was 17 at the time of this recording (on Benson’s excellent “El Mar” only – yes, he solos briefly too…Klugh joined Benson’s band in 1973). Elsewhere, guitarist Jay Berliner nicely counters Benson’s guitar and is most notable on the album’s track.

Issued in May 1972, White Rabbit overflows with exceptionally strong performances by both Benson and Sebesky, most notably on two hippie-era rock odes, The Mamas & the Papas’ “California Dreaming” and Jefferson Airplane’s title track. Both pieces were no doubt brought to the session by arranger Don Sebesky, a specialist then of transforming such rock staples into dynamic jazz performances (he had earlier written “Big Mama Cass” in tribute to the vocalist from The Mamas & the Papas). It’s no stretch to imagine that Creed Taylor was on board for these covers, imaginatively reconsidered by Sebesky (who uses an effectively minimal deployment of brass and winds throughout) and brought to life by Benson’s warm and reassuring guitarisms.

Benson also covers Heitor Villa-Lobos’ “Little Train” (aka “The Little Train of Caipira”), the second of nine suites written by the Brazilian composer. Producer Creed Taylor had previously covered the popular fifth suite of this musical series in recordings by Lalo Schifrin (Verve, 1964) and Soul Flutes (CTI/A&M, 1968 – arranged by Don Sebesky) and would later capture the piece on the 1972 CTI album by Jackie & Roy, Time & Love, again, arranged by Don Sebesky.

Benson is accompanied here by Herbie Hancock on electric piano (who is bountifully featured throughout), Ron Carter on bass and Billy Cobham on drums, all of whom were first captured together on Benson’s Giblet Gravy (Verve, 1967). Hancock and Carter had, of course, also played with George Benson on Miles Davis’ Miles in the Sky (Columbia, 1968). So these guys were not unfamiliar with each other’s creativity.

Hubert Laws solos on flute for “White Rabbit” while trumpeter John Frosk solos on the title track and the substantial “El Mar.” Airto Moriera is featured on percussion throughout and takes several audibly vocal turns on “Little Train” and “El Mar.”

The excellent and artistically and commercially satisfying White Rabbit was nominated for a 1972 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance – Group (in competition with another CTI performance by Joe Farrell for “Outback”) but lost to yet another CTI performance of “First Light” – also arranged by Don Sebesky – by Freddie Hubbard.

Alex Nester Band live @ The Lighthouse Cafe

Sunday, March 29, 9pm @ The Lighthouse Cafe (30 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA)

Vocals/Keys - Alex Nester
Guitar - Max Rich
Bass - Tristan Gajate Garcia
Drums - Johnny Franco

News from the Jazzinstitut Darmstadt

12 March 2015                          
Düsseldorf, Germany / Wynton Marsalis

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


13 March 2015
Copyright

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

14 March 2015
Audience / Judy Carmichael

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

15 March 2015
Matana Roberts / Dave Douglas

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

16 March 2015
Verve / Gregory Porter

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

16 March 2015            
Joe Viera / Paris

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

Anna Mjöll live @ Vibrato, March 20

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

Last Call for Killing Kittens' LA Party, tonight!

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

12" EP of the Month - Idris Muhammad

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

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

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

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

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

            (Arnaldo DeSouteiro during a recording session in 2014)

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

Arnaldo DeSouteiro - Short Bio

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Arnaldo DeSouteiro – Biografia ultra-resumida 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Track 1-10 live from Brit Awards '94. 

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

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

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

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

Track 1-19 from Japanese Bachelorette Promo. 

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

Tomasz Stanko live in California, March 28

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

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

Killing Kittens LA Penthouse Party, March 14

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

The Michael Carvin Experience Available for Booking 2015

The Mike Longo Trio live in NY, tonight!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News from Jazzinstitut Darmstadt

5 March 2015                              
Drums / Buddy Rich

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

6 March 2015
AACM / Jazz in Hesse

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

7 March 2015
Willie Ruff / Malcolm X

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

8 March 2015
Christian McBride / Carolyn Breuer

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

9 March 2015
Wolfgang Haffner / Ethiopia

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

10 March 2015         
Africa / Irma Curry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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