Blue Note in NY Times

At 70, a Legendary Jazz Label Asks, 'Now What?'
By NATE CHINEN
Now part of a larger corporate entity, Blue Note has entered a pivotal moment in its history.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/arts/music/07blue.html?th&emc=th
Published: February 6, 2009

At a recent 70th-anniversary reception for Blue Note Records at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, the alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson played his trademark hit, “Alligator Boogaloo,” from 1967. Norah Jones, who made her multiplatinum debut in 2002, mingled at the bar. And presiding over the evening was Bruce Lundvall, who has run the label for the last 25 years.

Mr. Donaldson, Ms. Jones and Mr. Lundvall represent points along a continuum in the history of the most storied label in jazz. Founded in 1939 by a German émigré, Alfred Lion, Blue Note has built a catalog that includes almost every major figure in the music, from pioneers like Sidney Bechet to modern masters like Wayne Shorter.

Now part of a larger corporate entity, facing both a parlous music industry and the looming prospect of Mr. Lundvall’s retirement, Blue Note has entered a pivotal moment in its history. Branching beyond jazz, it has moved into what Mr. Lundvall calls “the adult sophisticated pop area.” Its best-selling release last year was by Al Green (“Lay It Down,” which has sold more than 175,000 copies). Next in line was a live album from Wynton Marsalis and Willie Nelson, who will reunite for two sold-out shows on Monday and Tuesday at the Rose Theater, with Ms. Jones as a featured guest. (Their album has sold more than 100,000 copies.)

The quandary for Blue Note is how it can remain the pre-eminent jazz label while surviving as a profitable business. “One of the first things that Alfred Lion said to me was, ‘What are you going to do to be commercial?’ ” Mr. Lundvall, 73, recalled recently in his office. It’s a question that resonates even more today.

Blue Note was for many years a shoestring operation run with conviction by Mr. Lion and a childhood friend, Francis Wolff. During its postwar heyday, the label released a flood of albums that defined the hard-bop era and helped document an emerging avant-garde.

“Nowhere else in the pantheon of jazz labels is there one with that much majesty or regality in the lineage,” said the alto saxophonist Greg Osby, whose Blue Note tenure lasted 16 years.

Mr. Lundvall took the helm in 1984, after more than two decades at CBS Records and a stint as president of Elektra. At that point Blue Note had been dormant for several years, following the purchase of its parent company by EMI. Under Mr. Lundvall, the label has signed the jazz singers Dianne Reeves and Cassandra Wilson, along with leading instrumentalists like the tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano and the guitarist Lionel Loueke, who released his debut album last year.

“I think that Bruce Lundvall is like Alfred Lion,” said the pianist Bill Charlap, “in the sense that he believes in the musicians and also happens to have a great gift for recognizing when someone is ripe.” Mr. Charlap, on tour with the Blue Note 7, an anniversary tribute band, added, “This is not Blue Note, the small independent record label, anymore; this is Blue Note, the subsidiary of EMI.”

Blue Note’s identity shifted with Ms. Jones’s folk-inflected debut, which sold five million copies within a year of release. (That figure has since doubled.) Suddenly the label was receiving proposals from nonjazz artists like Anita Baker, whom Mr. Lundvall deemed too good to pass up. Later the label signed folk-rockers like Amos Lee and the Wood Brothers, and the retro-pop duo the Bird and the Bee.

“So we’ve extended our reach beyond jazz, but we’ve stayed very true to jazz,” Mr. Lundvall said, citing Mr. Loueke and a couple of new signings planned for this year. “And it’s going to be that way as long as I’m here, that’s for sure.”

But Mr. Loueke’s album, though widely acclaimed, has sold just 6,000 copies — and that figure is on the high side for a jazz release. “With the serious jazz artists,” Mr. Lundvall said, “you look to break even or make a small profit. You keep the budgets in line, do the best marketing job that you can, and stay with the artists as they develop.”

The ideal result of that investment is catalog, a cornerstone of the Blue Note legacy and business. (Last year the 1957 John Coltrane album “Blue Train” sold 15,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan; Herbie Hancock’s 1965 “Maiden Voyage” sold 10,000.) But where catalog once accounted for about half of Blue Note’s revenue, that share is now closer to a third, Mr. Lundvall said, because the albums have been available for so long.

Late last year the label made a round of catalog deletions; any title that sold fewer than 350 copies over a 12-month period was vulnerable. Jazz fans noted with alarm that a handful of significant titles were on the list. Mr. Lundvall said he understood the outcry: “I’m monitoring this like a hawk now. Because some things escaped me the last time.”

The deleted albums are still being offered in digital form, he added. There are catalog promotions through services like iTunes and Rhapsody. In addition, as a 70th-anniversary tie-in, Amazon recently introduced an exclusive on-demand CD series, Back From the Vault, with more than 200 out-of-print titles.

The digital focus reflects the impact of a recent reorganization. Over the last year Blue Note’s operations have been more fully absorbed into the structure of EMI, which was bought in 2007 by Terra Firma, a private equity firm. Though jarring in some ways — “At first I thought I was going to fight it,” Mr. Lundvall said — the change has opened up new resources for the label.

“We’re focused on providing jazz artists with a full suite of services, and that’s one of the advantages of the way that we’re organized right now,” said Howard Handler, the executive vice president for marketing at EMI. “There are more resources to do tour marketing. We have new technology that gives us insight to get catalog to newer generations of fans.”

Mr. Handler pointed to the label’s 70th anniversary as a chance to flex some of that promotional muscle. Among the related events is a bonanza of concerts and club engagements in New York this month and an album and 50-city tour by the Blue Note 7. The Portland (Ore.) Jazz Festival, which begins on Friday, will feature past and present Blue Note artists. And as part of the Grammy Salute to Jazz in Los Angeles last week, the Record Academy gave the label its President’s Merit Award.

“It’s an opportunity to mark the occasion and also do a little bit of reinvention,” said Nick Gatfield, EMI’s president for A&R. “Blue Note as a label and a heritage is very important to EMI. There is no question that it’s not going to be just a catalog. It needs to flourish and grow.”

To that end, Mr. Lundvall said he still had full autonomy over the Blue Note roster. “As long as we’re not seriously in the red — and we have never been, as long as I’ve been here, thank God — they’re not going to say, ‘Get rid of this one or that one.’ They seem to think we know what we’re doing after all these years.”

How much that depends on Mr. Lundvall himself is unclear, but increasingly relevant. Onstage at Dizzy’s he noted that this would be his 49th year in the record business and said that he hoped to make it to an even 50. Whether he serves another year or a few more, there are sure to be more changes ahead for the label.

Mr. Osby, the saxophonist, who now runs his own label, was asked to picture a post-Lundvall Blue Note. “My answer is I don’t,” he said. “He’s the last man standing. He’s Clint Eastwood. And when he saunters into the sunset, I don’t see it.”

Of course no one at EMI puts it quite that way. Mr. Lundvall said he would start a consultancy after his retirement. “I don’t want to sit around the house and mow the lawn,” he said. “I don’t want to be a crossing guard for the Wyckoff, N.J., school system. I want to keep doing this.”

A version of this article appeared in print on February 7, 2009, on page C1 of the New York edition.

DVD of the Day - "Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis"

DVD of the Day
Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis: "Live from New York City" (Eagle Vision/ST2) 2009

Filmed over 2 nights - January 12 & 13, 2007 at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York -, this concert sees Willie and Wynton combine their unique talents in a blend of jazz, blues, and country music which takes in Nelson originals, traditional songs, and standards by the likes of Hoagy Carmichael ("Stardust") and Duke Ellington ("Don't Get Around Much Anymore"). The tracks are intercut with interview segments in which Willie and Wynton give insights into the choice of songs they performed and the peculiar mix of musical styles that resulted.

Two icons of the American south - the outlaw country legend Willie Nelson and the trumpet virtuoso Wynton Marsalis - bring their own brand of the blues to bear in this powerful Lincoln Center concert. Each musician offers his unique style and perspective to the songs at hand, resulting in a moving blend of jazz and country that reinvigorates such tunes as "Georgia On My Mind," "Caldonia," "Night Life," "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Down By The Riverside."

Featuring: Dan Nimmer (piano), Carlos Henriquez (bass), Ali Jackson, Jr. (drums), Walter Blanding (saxophones) and Mickey Raphael (harmonica).
Directed by Danny Clinch, who benefits from the cinematic city panorama offered by the Frederick P. Rose Hall.
Total time: 86 minutes
Region 0, NTSC
Keep Case
Full Frame -
1.33
Widescreen -
1.78
Audio:
Dolby Digital 2.0 - English
DTS 5.1 - English

"We Are The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra"

JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS
"WE ARE THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA"
MARCH 2009 U.S. TOUR DATES

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis hits the road once again for a tour that will take the world-renowned big band to U.S. cities including Chicago, Minneapolis, Sioux City, Washington, D.C. , Boston and Philadelphia. The tour, entitled “We Are the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra,” takes its name from the rousing manner in which Wynton Marsalis has introduced the band at each JLCO concert for over 20 years. The tour will conclude on three nights of homecoming concerts at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on March 26, 27 & 28.
On this tour, the virtuosic 15-piece band may perform classic tunes by Thelonious Monk, works from the iconic Blue Note catalog, and other selections from the jazz big band canon and compositions and arrangements by members of the band.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is: Music Director and Trumpet: WYNTON MARSALIS; Trumpets: FREDDIE HENDRIX, RYAN KISOR, MARCUS PRINTUP; Trombones: CHRIS CRENSHAW, VINCENT GARDNER, ELLIOT MASON; Reeds: WALTER BLANDING, VICTOR GOINES, SHERMAN IRBY, TED NASH, JOE TEMPERLEY; Piano: DAN NIMMER; Bass: CARLOS HENRIQUEZ; Drums: ALI JACKSON.

For more information on the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra; http://www.jalc.org/concerts/jlco.html
, http://www.jalc.org/jazzcast/jvid_band.html
and www.myspace.com/jazzatlincolncenterorchestra

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra recordings are available on iTunes.
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Tour Dates:
February 27
Orchestra Hall, Chicago, IL

February 28
University of Illinois, Sangamon Auditorium, Springfield, IL

March 1
The Madame Walker Theater, Indianapolis, IN

March 3
Orpheum Theater, Sioux City, IA

March 4
Herrick Chapel, Grinnell, LA

March 6&7
Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, MN

March 8
Uihlein Hall at the Marcus Theater for the Performing Arts, Milwaukee, WI

March 10
University of Michigan: Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor MI

March 15
Symphony Hall, Boston, MA

March 16
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington, D.C.

March 19
Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, NJ

March 20
Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA

March 21
The Community Theatre, Morristown, NJ

March 26-28
Frederick P. Rose Hall, New York, NY

Brooks Brothers is the official clothier of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.

CD of the Day - "Gary McFarland: America The Beautiful"

CD of the Day
Gary McFarland: "America The Beautiful" (Skye) 1968/2004

One of McFarland's masterpieces, along with "The Gary McFarland Orchestra with Special Guest Soloist: Bill Evans" (Verve) and "October Suite" (with Steve Kuhn on Impulse!)
Liner notes by Executive Producer Norman Schwartz
Recorded in October 1968, featuring George Ricci (wonderful performances on cello), Chuck Rainey & Jerry Jemmott on bass, Bill Lavorgna & Bernard Purdie on drums, Warren Smith on percussion, Warren Bernhardt on piano, plus a horn section including Marvin Stamm, Randy Brecker, Jerome Richardson (who also assembled the orchestra), Hubert Laws, Ray Alonge, Jim Buffington, Earl Chapin, Snooky Young, Ernie Royal, Bernie Glow, Richard Williams, Harvey Phillips, Joe Farrell, Romeo Penque et al.

LD of the Day - "Freddie Hubbard: Live at Blue Note"

LaserDisc of the Day
Freddie Hubbard: "Live at Blue Note - Tokyo" (LOB) 1991

Filmed on April 5, 1990 at Blue Note - Tokyo, never reissued on DVD not even in Japan!
Featuring: Benny Green (piano), Jeff Chambers (bass), Carl Allen (drums) & Don Braden (flute & tenor sax)
Includes great versions of Hubbard's originals "Up Jumped Spring" and "The Intrepid Fox" plus Cedar Walton's "Bolivia," the standard "All of You," and a ballad medley with "Stardust" and "Body and Soul"

Box Set of the Day - "Divas"

Box Set of the Day
"Fundamentals Vol. 02 - Divas" (Leader/ST2)

A 4-CD box set featuring jazz divas Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington & Ella Fitzgerald

Alla Cohen in "Bay Windows"

Alla Cohen Concert: Thursday, February 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at The Boston Center for the Arts
********
Distinguished composer, pianist, music theorist and teacher Alla Elana Cohen who came to the United States from Moscow in 1989, escaping the Communist regime is quoted in today’s Bay Windows in an extensive interview with arts writer Scott Kearnan.

"I never considered my life here as hard times," says Cohen in Bay Windows. "For me, financial difficulties are not really something that would constitute hard times. A hard time was Russia... here, there were problems and difficulties that I absolutely knew, without any doubt, sooner or later would be resolved. Therefore, I was patient." Her courageous struggle to come to the United States, seeking freedom is detailed here:

http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=arts&sc=arts_and_culture&sc2=news&sc3=&id=86842

Thursday, February 12, 2009 will mark Alla Cohen’s first American public concert at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for The Arts’ Wimberly Theatre, located at 527 Tremont Street, in Boston’s South End. The concert, which will be hosted by TV icon Joyce Kulhawik and esteemed third stream/jazz pianist Ran Blake, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets at $24.50 [orchestra] ,$18.50 [balcony] and $15.00 for students [balcony] are on sale now at the Box Office at the Calderwood Pavilion [527 Tremont Street, Boston], at the Box Office at the Boston University Theatre [264 Huntington Avenue], on line at www.BostonTheatreScene.com
and by phone by calling 617-933-8600. For more information, call 617-933-8600.

Cohen’s formidable program will feature a diverse array of chamber ensembles. Pieces for violin and piano, for cello and piano, for marimba and vibraphone, for string quartet, for solo piano, for solo cello, for brass quintet and for an eleven-piece chamber orchestra will punctuate the evening’s program which will last approximately 90 minutes.

CD of the Day - "Delta Saxophone Quartet: Dedicated to You"

CD of the Day
Delta Saxophone Quartet: "Dedicated to You... But You Weren't Listening - The Music of Soft Machine" (MoonJune) 2008

One of the Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2008, according to our Jazz Station Poll.
Listen to Tracks:
1. Dedicated 2:46
2. Facelift 8:30
3. Somehow With The Passage Of Time (...Kings And Queens 33 years later) 6:54
4. Mousetrap 4:40
5. Everything Is You 6:49
6. To 2:06
7. Outrageous Moon 5:47
8. Aubade 2:22
9. Noisette 4:38
10. Floating World 5:42
11. You 1:32
12. The Tale Of Taliesin 1:54
13. Dedicated To You 3:22
14. Epilogue 2:58
Graeme Blevins soprano sax
Peter Whyman alto & soprano sax
Tim Holmes tenor & soprano sax
Chris Caldwell baritone & soprano sax
with special guests
Hugh Hopper bass guitar, loops (on Facelift)
Morgan Fischer vocals, hurdy gurdy, background electronics (on Outrageous Moon)

Arrangements commissioned by The Delta Saxophone Quartet from:
Issie Barratt, Joe Duddell, Paul Englishby, Morgan Fisher, Adrian Revel and Mike Smith.
Recorded @ The Premises Studios, Hackney, London, England. March 29 & 30, 2007 + May 29, 2007.
Produced by John Winfield, assisted by Graeme Blevins and Chris Caldwell.
Editing by Graeme Blevins; Mixed + Mastered by John Winfield

This recording was sponsored by Kingston University, London, England (Delta Saxophone Quartet is currently the Ensemble in Residence at Kingston University for the period 2003-2008

Video Clips:
FaceliftKings & Queens, feat. Hugh Hopper
Esther's Nose Job Part 1, feat. Hugh Hopper
Esther's Nose Job Part 2, feat. Hugh Hopper

The Delta Saxophone Quartet was formed in 1984 and is ithe Ensemble in residence 2003-2008 at Kingston University, London, UK. The group aims to present British and international new music in a dynamic and thought provoking way. A sample of its repertoire may include works by Gavin Bryars, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Louis Andriessen or jazz composer Mike Westbrook to re-workings from the legendary 70's Jazz/Rock grouhe Soft Machine.
For more detailed information about the band visit Music On The Edge

In the President's words

Dear Arnaldo,

Our records show that you live in California's 23rd district.
Last night, President Obama recorded a series of national network and cable news interviews about the urgent need for an economic recovery plan.

Watch the video and share it with your friends and family:
President Obama discussed why we need an immediate effort to create millions of jobs while investing in long-term challenges like energy and health care.
He called for swift investment in job creation while continuing to assist those who are out of work, without health insurance, or in danger of losing their homes. The Economic Recovery plan passed the House of Representatives, and the Senate is preparing to vote on it very soon. The final version can and will be improved. But the President's core plan will positively affect families and communities all across the country.

You can help make sure the American people have all the facts so they can support this crucial effort to boost our struggling economy. The President is leading.
Help is on the way. Lend your voice by sharing this video with everyone you know. Then sign up to join thousands of people across the country who are organizing Economic Recovery House Meetings this weekend: http://my.barackobama.com/recoveryplan

Thank you for staying involved,

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager - Obama for America

Jens Wendelboe's compositions & arrangements

Award winning European composer, trombonist. Conn-Selmer and recording artist –
JENS WENDELBOE (please click on any underlined words to get videos, pictures or sound samples), now permanently residing in the US as the new member of BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS
offersSheet Music and Services for
Big Band (CD’s), Concert Band (CD’s), Marching Band, Choir, Chamber Orchestra,
Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Quartet (CD’s), Brass, and more.

High quality original compositions.
Big Band Charts and div. arrangements are available for all levels of performing.

For more information please visit the Composers website at: Crazyenergy.com

More Original Charts with sound samples are found at: Sheet music
for viewing more videos

Agents of Karma live at Desmond's Tavern, NY

Agents of Karma at Desmond's!
Saturday, February 7th,
Start Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Desmond's Tavern, 433 Park ave. South, New York

Steve & Eydie - "Happy Valentine's Day"

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY~
COME AND CELEBRATE WITH
STEVE LAWRENCE & EYDIE GORME
AND LISTEN TO ~

EYDIE IN LOVE
http://www.steveandeydie.com/eg_eydieinlove.html
♪♫
THE WARM HOURS
http://www.steveandeydie.com/thewarmhours.html
AND COZY
http://www.steveandeydie.com/se_camaw.html
♥ IT SURE WORKED FOR THEM ♥

EP of the Day - "Lalo Schifron: Jaws Remix"

12" EP of the Day
"Lalo Schifrin - Special Club Disco Mix" (CTI) 1976

The first CTI remix ever!
Produced by Creed Taylor
Arranged & Conducted by Lalo Schifrin
A "Special Club - Disco Mix Long Cut" featuring Lalo's massive version of John Williams' main theme for the motion picture "Jaws"
This remix of "Jaws", intended to the European dancefloor market during the disco-music heyday, is 8:15 minute long, while the original version included on the "Black Widow" LP lasts only 5:48
Side B includes the original mixes of two other tracks from that same album: "Turning Point" and "Flamingo"
Featuring: Anthony Jackson, Clark Spangler, Andy Newmark, Don Alias, Sue Evans, Eric Gale, John Tropea, Joe Farrell, Jon Faddis, Hubert Laws, Jerry Dodgion, Pepper Adams, Barry Rogers, Wayne Andre et al.

2009 "ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards" Recipients Announced

Honorees to Be Recognized at ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame Ceremonies on June 16 in NYC

ASCAP Foundation President Marilyn Bergman has announced the recipients of the 2009 ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards. This program, established in 2002, was created to encourage gifted jazz composers from throughout the United States. The recipients,
who range in age from 15 to 29, are selected through a juried national competition. They receive cash awards, and will be recognized at the annual ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame ceremony on June
16, 2009, which will be held in The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln
Center on Broadway at 60th Street, New York City.

Commenting on the awards, Marilyn Bergman said, "The young jazz creators recognized through this program represent the future of this uniquely American art form. We congratulate the recipients and extend thanks to the dedicated panel of ASCAP composers who selected the honorees."

The Young Jazz Composer Awards are in their fourth year of sponsorship by Gibson Foundation, the philanthropic division of musical giant Gibson Guitar Corp. The Gibson Foundation supports The ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards in fulfillment of its commitment to educational excellence through music and the arts.

This year’s ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award recipients, ages 18-29, are: Mike Baggetta, 29 (Brooklyn, NY); Tyler Gilmore, 26 (Denver, CO); Victor Gould, 21 (Boston, MA); Aaron Grad, 28 (Takoma Park, MD); Nick Grondin, 26 (Boston, MA); Alex Heitlinger, 28 (Brooklyn, NY); Armand Hirsch, 18 (New York, NY): Matt Holman, 26 (New York, NY); Remy
Le Boeuf, 22 (New York, NY); Ben Markley, 27 (Longmont, CO); Kendall R. Moore, 22 (Miami, FL); Rob Mosher, 29 (Brooklyn, NY); Daniel Ori, 29 (New York, NY); Travis Reuter, 22 (Brooklyn, NY); Albert Rivera, 25 (Bronx, NY); Sam Sadigursky, 29 (Brooklyn, NY); Nikos
Syropoulos, 20 (Los Angeles, CA); Matthew Vashlishan, 26 (Coral Gables, FL); Justin Vasquez, 26 (Austin, TX); and Brandon Wright, 26 (Brooklyn, NY).

The youngest ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composers, ages 15 to 17, are: Lucas Apostoleris, 15 (MA); Phillip Golub, 15 (CA); Nicolas Hetko, 17 (NY); David Lantz, 17 (PA); Caili O’Doherty, 16 (OR) and Keshav Singh, 17 (CA).

Composers receiving Honorable Mention are: Benj Bellon, 17 (CA); Michael Collins, 29 (Tempe, AZ); Zaccai Curtis, 27 (Bronx, NY); Douglas Detrick, 25, (Eugene, OR); James Hirschfeld, 27,(New York, NY); Pascal Le Boeuf, 22 (Santa Cruz, CA); Chase Morrin, 15 (CA); Joshua Moshier, 22 (Evanston, IL); Matt Savage, 16, (NH); Erica Seguine, 21 (Rochester, NY); and Stephen W.(Red) Wierenga, 29, (New York, NY).

The ASCAP composer/judges for the 2009 competition were: John Fedchock, Jay Leonhart, and Phil Markowitz.
*********
About Gibson Foundation
Founded in 2002 as the philanthropic division of Gibson Guitar, the Gibson Foundation is committed to making the world a better place for children through its own initiatives and by its support of other non-profit organizations that advance music and the arts, health and welfare,
education, and environmental causes. The impact of the support provided by the Gibson
Foundation benefits millions of people each year.
www.gibsonfoundation.org

About The ASCAP Foundation
Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs, and public service projects for senior composers and lyricists. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from
ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org

CD of the Day - "Hank Crawford: We Got A Good Thing Going"

CD of the Day
Hank Crawford: "We Got A Good Thing Going" (CTI) 1987

Originally cut for Creed Taylor's Kudu label in 1972, it was reissued on CD in 1987, distributed by CBS in the USA, but quickly became out-of-print.
This album, Crawford's second for Kudu, features arrangements by Don Sebesky and Bob James, with the usual CTI all-star supporting cast: Ron Carter, Gordon Edwards, Richard Tee, Bernard Purdie, George Benson, Cornell Dupree, Phil Kraus, Arthur Jenkins and a string section.
The reissue producer, Didier Deutsch, added four previously unreleased bonus tracks to the CD: "Dirt Dobbler" (by Alfred Ellis), the Gordon Jenkins sumptuous ballad "This Is All I Ask", Sebesky's own "Jazz Bridge" and a lovely remake of the Thom Bell-Linda Creed r&b hit "Betcha By Golly Wow", later also covered for CTI by Freddie Hubbard on the "Polar AC" sessions.

EP of the Day - "Grover Washington, Jr."

12" EP of the Day
Grover Washington, Jr.: "Mister Magic/Inner City Blues" (CTI) 1977

Produced by Creed Taylor
Arranged & Conducted by Bob James
Includes the title tracks of two of Grover's albums for the Kudu label
Featuring: Harvey Mason, Eric Gale, Idris Muhammad, Airto Moreira, Richard Tee et al.
Great pressing quality!

Book of the Month: "Ron Carter - Finding the Right Notes"

Book of the Month:
"Ron Carter - Finding The Right Notes" by Dan Ouellette (ArtistShare)
Foreword by Nat Hentoff
ArtistShare Bronze Participants (Sponsors): Robert Bruice, Madeleine Crouch, Arnaldo DeSouteiro, Cliff Furgison, Rev. Darren Hirst, Phil Ouellette, Verena Marie Pfister & Patrick Smith

CD of the Month - "Inventions Trio: Delaware River Suite"

CD of the Month
Inventions Trio: "Delaware River Suite" (No Blooze Music) 2009

Chamber-jazz of the highest caliber. Recorded in October 2007 & July 2008, this is the follow-up to the magical "Fantasy", the Inventions Trio debut CD. And it's another sublime album by Marvin Stamm (trumpet & flugelhorn), Bill Mays (acoustic piano) & Alisa Horn (cello).
Stamm contributes also with the delightful original "Charlotte Delights," while Mays, who handles most of the arrangements, composed the album centerpiece, "Delaware River Suite."
Brazilian music is represented by Jobim's "Zingaro" (aka "Retrato em Branco e Preto", treated almost like a classical piece) and Villa-Lobos' "Bachianas Brasileiras # 5".
A medley of Miles Davis' "Sippin' at Bells" and Bud Powell's "Dance of the Infidels", and a subtle version of Django Reinhardt's "Nuages" complete the program.

DVD of the Month - "John McLaughlin: Meeting of the Minds"

DVD of the Day
John McLaughlin: "Meeting of the Minds" (Abstract Logix) 2008

Produced & Directed by Ina & John McLaughlin
Recorded & Videotaped at AM Studios, Chennai (India)

This is real 21st Century jazz! For the first time, an intimate view of what happens at a John McLaughlin recording session. Filmed over a period of five days, here's an inside look at the recording of McLaughlin's latest album, "Floating Point," one of the very few CDs (only five, actually) which received a 5-star rating in DownBeat in 2008. "A shared sense of exhilaration, intensity, joy and purpose emerged... This is a case of Indian musicians using their extraordinary skills to explore U.S. fusion, giving the guitarist an amazing platform for compositional/improvisational development," Ken Micallef wrote in the September 2008 issue of DownBeat.

McLaughlin's compositions come alive through meticulously planned studio setups and spontaneous moments. Through the interviews of all musicians, you will get to know how they approach John's works. In addition, there is an extra audio track with the
guitar wizard commenting on the entire recording. For "Floating Point," recorded in India, McLaughlin (the Englishman who currently lives in Monaco) used some of the best local musicians: keyboardist Louiz Banks ("I decided to become a jazz keyboardist after listening to Herbie Hancock," he tells to the camera), drummer Ranjit Barot, electric sitarist Niladri Kumar, flautists Shashank and Naveen Kumar, percussionist Anant Sivamani, vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, electric mandolinist U.Rajesh, and Hindustini slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya. Joining them were other Western stars, saxophonist George Brooks and bassist Hadrien Feraud, fusing elements of both the Shakti and Mahavishnu days.

"Now while the sessions feature predominantly Indian musicians, we are in quite another form compared to the group Shakti," McLaughlin says. "The music is for the most part jazz-fusion if a label has to be put on it. But with the musicians involved, it has also a world-music kind of atmosphere."

McLaughlin adds, "I really am happy with this project which actually came about quite spontaneously. You can hear in the music where I am in my development, and in which directions I'm moving. It was a real thrill to play with these players, and I offer my thanks to them for their unique contributions. I truly wish and hope that it brings something to the listeners. I also offer my deep thanks to them for their continued support to my dedicated work."

February 2009 @ the Jazz Bakery

(Mose Allison; picture by Carol Fridman)

February 2009 at the Jazz Bakery

Don't miss Wayne Horvitz, Jacky Terrasson, Dori Caymmi, Kenny Barron and the living legends Mose Allison and Lou Donaldson plus, on March 1st, Polish vocalist Aga Zaryan at "Jazz Bakery", my favorite jazz club in Los Angeles! Two shows nightly at 8 and 9:30PM 3233 Helms Ave. - Culver City, LA, except as indicated.

Info: (310) 271-9039
MAKE A RESERVATION ON LINE!

Click the performer's name to order tickets on line, call Brown Paper Tickets at: 800-838-3006 or, as always, the Jazz Bakery Information line: 310 271-9039 - and you can still come down to the JB.

Feb 2: Holly Hofmann & Bill Cunliffe flute & pno CD Preview $25

Feb 3: pianist Wayne Horvitz & Sweeter Than the Day $25

Feb 4 - 7: pianist Jacky Terrasson Trio Ben Williams bass Karriem Riggins dr Wed $25 Thr, Fri, Sat $30

Feb 8: trombonist John Egizi Group $25

Feb 9: USC Thornton Big Band feat. Peter Erskine & Bob Mintzer $25

Feb 10: Izzy Chait Valentine Celebration! $25

Feb 11 - 14: Dori Caymmi Quartet Bill Cantos pno Jerry Watts bass Michael Shapiro dr Wed $25 Thr, Fri, Sat $30 matinee

Feb 15: vocalist Bobbi Page & Dream Street CD Release $25

Feb 15: guitarist Brent Canter Trio $25

Feb 16: saxophonist David Brennan Quartet $25

Feb 17: vocalist Melissa Sweeney & pianist Bill Cunliffe do Harold Arlen $25

Feb 18 - 21: Mose Allison Tom Warrington bass Wed $25 Thr, Fri, Sat $30 matinee Feb 22: solo pianist Ven Olac original composition: Water Music $20 / students $10 Feb 23: saxophonist Sean Nowell Electric Band $25

Feb 24 - 26: altoist Lou Donaldson Quartet Randy Johnston gtr Akiko Tsuruga bass Rudy Petschauer dr $30

Feb 27 - Mar 1: pianist Kenny Barron Trio Kiyoshi Kitagawa bass Francisco Mela dr $30 matinee

Mar 1: Polish vocalist Aga Zaryan Larry Koonse gtr Darek Oles bass Munyungo Jackson dr $25

"Tribue to Red Norvo" tomorrow in NYC

Treat yourself to an exciting and uplifting musical experience at " Jazz Tuesdays" when Vibraphone Master Warren Chiasson and his Quartet with Ed McEachen on Guitar, Ralph Hamperian on Bass, and Jackie Williams on drums, present “A Tribute to Red Norvo” this coming Tuesday, February 3 in the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium at the New York City Bahá'í Center, located at 53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway). There will be two shows at 8:00 and 9:30 p.m.

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

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

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

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

This month at Jazz at Lincoln Center

Get Tickets While They Last!

Eddie Palmieri & La Perfecta II February 6-7, 8pm, Rose Theater
Nine-time GRAMMY® winner Eddie Palmieri revisits the music and sound of his influential 1960s La Perfecta band with this latest edition of his ensemble, featuring energized new versions of La Perfecta-era salsa and fiery new Latin jazz compositions. Buy Tickets Now!

Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis: Two Men With the BluesSpecial Guest Appearance by Norah Jones - SOLD OUT! February 9-10, 8pm, Rose Theater
Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis, two of the most significant figures in modern-day country and jazz, stand on common ground in their love for jazz standards and the blues, creating two must-see evenings full of swing.

Miles and Coltrane: 50th Anniversary of Kind of Blue & Giant StepsF ebruary 12-14, 8pm, Rose Theater
Jimmy Cobb, the legendary drummer from both albums, unites with music director Mulgrew Miller and a capella masters Take 6 in a new interpretation of Kind of Blue, including "So What" and "Freddie Freeloader." Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) saxophonist Ted Nash debuts new arrangements of "Naima" and "Mr. P.C." from Giant Steps, joined on stage by fellow JLCO saxophonists Walter Blanding and Sherman Irby. Buy Tickets Now!
Free with your tickets! Pre-Concert Lecture, Nightly Irene Diamond Education Center, 7pm
JLCO saxophonist and arranger Ted Nash talks with Jazz at Lincoln Center's Ken Druker about crafting the highly original arrangements for this unique concert.

Valentine Nights with Bill Charlap February 13-14, 7:30pm & 9:30pm, The Allen Room
Pianist Bill Charlap and his trio featuring bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington return to The Allen Room to deliver a very special Valentine, made complete with the backdrop of Manhattan's skyline and the unsurpassingly romantic vocals of Freddy Cole and tenor saxophonist Houston Person. Buy Tickets Now!

The Best of Blue Note Records® February 19-21, 8pm, Rose Theater
Vocalist Dianne Reeves and saxophonist Joe Lovano join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis to celebrate the legacy and ongoing history of Blue Note Records, marking the legendary label's 70th anniversary. Buy Tickets Now!
Free with your tickets! Pre-Concert Lecture, NightlyIrene Diamond Education Center, 7pmCelebrate 70 years of Blue Note Records and learn little-known facts about its history with the label's visionary president, Bruce Lundvall (2/19), and legendary producer Michael Cuscuna (2/20-2/21).

To view the complete Jazz at Lincoln Center concert season, click here.
Free Exhibition on view through February 14, 2009:
Looking at the Music: The Jazz Photography of Chuck Stewart, the first in a series of rotating jazz exhibitions in Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

This February at Dizzy's Club, NY

(Clifton Anderson)

Live jazz nightly! Winner of Zagat's In the Spotlight 2008 Award for Excellence, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, located in the heart of Columbus Circle, offers panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline, warm ambiance and a delectable menu of down-home comfort foods served with sophistication.
This month features: Clifton Anderson Quintet, Benny Golson New Jazztet 80th Birthday Celebration, Cinema Paradiso: Modern Romantic Film Music of Ennio Morricone, Johnny Mandel & Henry Mancini w/Joe Locke, Geoffrey Keezer, George Mraz, Clarence Penn & vocalist Kenny Washington and Ann Hampton Callaway w/Ted Rosenthal, Jay Leonhart & Victor Lewis.

Don't miss our Monday UPSTARTS!: Juilliard Jazz Ensemble w/Special Guest Steve Turre, Dominick Farinacci Quintet w/Joe Locke and Purchase Jazz Orchestra w/Jimmy Greene.

MAKE RESERVATIONS NOW!

Exclusive Offer for MasterCard® Card Holders Only!

Receive exclusive access to a premium table at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola when you use your MasterCard® card to make and pay for a reservation.

(Phone reservations only. Table subject to availability.)

Hank Crawford in NYT

(Hank Crawford in the mid-70s, during his Kudu years)

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/arts/music/03crawford.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries

Hank Crawford, Prolific Saxophonist, Dies at 74
By BRUCE WEBER - The New York Times
Published: February 2, 2009

Hank Crawford, whose fluidly emotional saxophone solos as a sideman for Ray Charles led to a long career as a leader of jazz and soul bands and a lengthy discography for Atlantic, Kudu and Milestone Records, died Thursday at his home in Memphis. He was 74.

The cause was complications of a stroke he had in 2000, his sister Delores said.

Beginning in the early 1960s, when Mr. Crawford was music director for Charles’s big band and also recorded on his own as a bandleader, he was best known as an alto saxophonist who melded a wailing blues style to the melodic and rhythmic exigencies of modern jazz, funk and soul. He proved an especially flexible musician over the decades as styles of popular music swiveled hither and yon.

A sampling of his recorded tracks from the ’60s and ’70s would encompass, say, “The Peeper,” a bluesy swing number reminiscent of the Duke Ellington tunes he first listened to at home as a child; “New York’s One Soulful City,” an example of the rhythmically funky if melodically saccharine sounds of some television themes of the ’70s; and “I Hear a Symphony,” a soulful disco cover of the 1965 Supremes hit.

But Mr. Crawford’s distinctively piercing sound remained constant, a forceful and urgent plaintiveness that was rooted in the blues and delivered with a preacher’s fervor. In addition to working with Charles, over the years he was an arranger, co-leader or sideman for blues masters of several different stripes, among them Eric Clapton, Etta James, B. B. King and Jimmy McGriff.

“He has a rich, throbbing tone and a way of phrasing like a blues singer,” Jon Pareles wrote in The New York Times in 1986. “Mr. Crawford’s solos are artfully shaped, but they convey a naked emotionality.”

Bennie Ross Crawford Jr. was born in Memphis on Dec. 21, 1934, into a large family and “a jazz and gospel household,” as Delores Crawford described it in a phone interview Monday. A pianist who played in church, he attended Manassas High School, an incubator of musical talent with alumni including Jimmie Lunceford and Isaac Hayes. Among Mr. Crawford’s own schoolmates were the future jazz notables George Coleman, Harold Mabern and Charles Lloyd.

Mr. Crawford’s father was a truck driver who badly wanted to play the saxophone but did not have the chops; still, he contributed to the history of music.

“He was a confused saxophone player,” Ms. Crawford said. “But he brought a saxophone home with him from the Army, and put it in Hank’s hands.”

Mr. Crawford was given his nickname as a teenager by some fellow musicians who thought he sounded like a local saxophonist named Hank. He attended Tennessee State University in Nashville and was just short of a degree when Ray Charles came to town and offered him a gig in his band playing baritone sax.

Mr. Crawford played baritone on several of Charles’s records, including “Ray Charles at Newport” and “What’d I Say.” During his years with Charles, the saxophone section also included David (Fathead) Newman, with whom he later collaborated frequently, and Leroy (Hog) Cooper. Both Mr. Newman and Mr. Cooper also died in January.

Mr. Crawford, whose first marriage ended in divorce, was a widower. In addition to Delores Crawford, he is survived by two brothers, Danny and Ceylon; three sisters, Shirley, Marva and Alma; a son, Michael; a daughter, Sherri; and a granddaughter. All live in Memphis.

CD of the Day - "Hank Crawford's Back"

CD of the Day
Hank Crawford: "Hank Crawford's Back" (Kudu) 2007

Original LP released in 1976
First CD reissue ever released in Japan on March 7, 2007
Produced by Creed Taylor
Mixed & Mastered by Rudy Van Gelder
Highlight: John Stubblefiled's "Midnight Over Memphis". The peculiar scores to "Canadian Sunset" (which I first heard on an album by Os Gatos) and "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" (yes, the Gamble & Ruff hit) are also worth of attention.
Arranged & Conducted by David Matthews
Featuring: Richard Tee, Anthony Jackson, Gary King, Steve Gadd, Andy Newmark, Nicky Marrero, Eric Gale, Jeremy Steig, Fred Wesley, Frank Floyd, Zachary Sanders & Ray Simpson

Cassette of the Day - "Hank Crawford: Tico Rico"

Cassette Tape of the Day
Hank Crawford: "Tico Rico" (Kudu) 1977

Recorded at A&R in November 1976 and mixed at Electric Lady Studios in May 1977, NY
Produced by Creed Taylor, engineered by Dave Palmer, Joe Jorgensen & Don Hahn
Arranged & Conducted by David Matthews
Super highlight: a lush ballad version of "Teach Me Tonight", one of Crawford's best recordings ever!
Featuring: Cliff Carter, Gary King, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Jeremy Steig, Nicky Marrero, Sue Evans, a horn section (Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, Michael Brecker) and strings

EP of the Day - "Hank Crawford: "The Spirit The Power"

12" EP of the Day
Hank Crawford: "The Spirit, The Power" (Gimme! Gimme!) 2008

Remixed by Chris Rhythm & Mark Kamins

Single of the Day - "Hank Crawford: I Hear A Symphony"

Single of the Day
Hank Crawford: "I Hear A Symphony / Madison" (CTI) 1976

Produced by Creed Taylor, engineered by Rudy Van Gelder
Arranged & Conducted by David Matthews
Featuring: Leon Pendarvis, Gary King, Steve Gadd, Idris Muhammad, Ralph MacDonald, Eric Gale, Patti Austin, Frank Floyd etc
Recorded June & July, 1975
Cover Photo by the genius Pete Turner

R.I.P.: Hank Crawford

Hank Crawford
(born December 21, 1934 in Memphis, Tennessee)
died January 29, 2009 in Memphis, Tennessee)

I was preparing to log-off and go to sleep when Lisa Marie sent me an e-mail with a single line: "Hank Crawford died". Then I told my dear friend, Douglas Payne, with whom I have worked in the reissue of Crawford's "I Hear A Symphony", and he promptly wrote me back: "... Doesn't surprise me though - I was kind of expecting it for some reason...too much indeed, all of these greats going at once." Of course he was referring to the fact that two other members of the Ray Charles band, David "Fathead" Newman (HC's colleague in the sax section) and Leroy Cooper (who had just left the band when Ray recruited Hank), passed away a couple of weeks ago. Not to mention the death of our adored Freddie Hubbard on December 29, 2008.

Blues was the wellspring of everything Hank Crawford (David Sanborn's main idol) played. Critic and historian Rudi Blesh observed some 40 years ago that the Memphis-born saxophonist “penetrates to the blue core that has been at the heart of our popular song in the long half century since W.C. Handy first wrote out the song of his people and made it everyone’s song. Crawford knows where the night hides in the bright measures, and where the cry lingers so darkly on the half-minor thirds and sevenths of most American music, from spiritual to blues to ballad.”

Jazz historian Thom Jurek wrote on the All Music Guide: "With an unmistakable blues wail, full of emotion and poignancy, altoist Hank Crawford bridges the gap between that tradition and that of jazz more completely than any other (living) horn player."

The distinguished saxophone stylist recorded eight solo albums for Creed Taylor's Kudu label (a subsidiary of CTI) during the 70s. I grew up listening to such records, on which Hank's alto sax cried out with trademark urgency over a solid jazz-blues-funk platform. However, some of my personal favorite Hank Crawford performances were cut for live albums with the CTI All Stars dream-team, such as the 2-LP set "California Concert" and the "CTI Summer Jazz Live at Hollywood Bowl" series.

(Hank Crawford with the CTI All-Stars in 1972. From left to right: Frankie Crocker (WBLS DJ), Hank Crawford, Grover Washington Jr., Joe Farrell, Jack DeJohnette, Bob James, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Hubert Laws, Jackie Cain & Roy Kral)
Later on, I had the honor to produce and supervise, in 2001 and 2007, the Japanese CD reissues of Crawford's best-selling albums for Kudu: "Help Me Make It Through The Night" (his solo debut on the label) and "I Hear A Symphony" (for which I invited CTI historian Douglas Payne to write new liner notes).
http://jazzstation-oblogdearnaldodesouteiros.blogspot.com/search?q=%22I+Hear+A+Symphony%22
http://jazzstation-oblogdearnaldodesouteiros.blogspot.com/2007/04/hank-crawford-help-me-make-it-through.html
After a long stint at Atlantic in the '60s, Crawford was one of the first artists signed by Creed Taylor to the Kudu label, and the last hero of the original CTI/Kudu cast to leave Creed in 1978, a few months before CTI was forced to file for Chapter XI. Hank appeared on Kudu's debut album, Johnny Hammond's "Breakout." He also contributed to Hammond's last album for Kudu, "Higher Ground," having done a few other sideman appearances with Esther Phillips ("From A Whisper To A Scream" and "Alone Again, Naturally," both already available on CD) and the gospel group B. C. & M. Choir ("Hello Sunshine," the album which inaugurated another CTI subsidiary, the Salvation label; this one was never reissued in any format after its original LP release).
Then came an excellent string of albums for Milestone/Fantasy. "After Dark," Crawford’s fourteenth album for Milestone (counting the four on which he has shared co-billing with organist Jimmy McGriff), closed with a heartfelt rendition of “Amazing Grace,” taking him back to Sunday mornings at Springdale Missionary Baptist Church, where he gained his earliest performing experience.

Crawford’s searing alto saxophone style will forever remain as one of the most distinctive in all of American music—an intense wail filled with blues-bitten grace notes, sensuously slurred phrases, and shivering, vibrato-rich sustains—and had a major impact on crossover star David Sanborn. As an arranger, Crawford has a special gift for voicing a small horn section to make it sound larger. He put this talent on the backburner during his stint with the Kudu label, but has returned to a prominence as an arranger in the late 70s and early 80s, contributing meaty horn charts (and his alto sax) to albums by B.B. King, Lou Rawls, David “Fathead” Newman, Arthur Prysock, Johnny Copeland, Etta James, and others.

Born Bennie Ross Crawford, Jr. on December 21, 1934, he began formal piano studies at age nine and was soon playing for his church choir. His father had brought an alto saxophone home from the service, and when Bennie Jr. entered high school, he took it up in order to join the band. He credits Charlie Parker, Louis Jordan, Earl Bostic, and Johnny Hodges as early influences.

At school, he hung out with Phineas Newborn, Jr., and his brother Calvin, Booker Little, George Coleman, Frank Strozier, and Harold Mabern all of whom would go on to become important jazz figures. “We had a pretty good education just by being around each other,” says Crawford, who was dubbed “Hank” after legendary Memphis saxophonist Hank O’Day.

Although their after-school hours were largely devoted to studying the bebop bible as handed down by Charlie Parker, the teenagers cut their professional teeth on the blues. Before he had finished high school, Crawford was playing in bands led by Ben Branch, Tuff Green, Ike Turner, and Al Jackson, Sr., which frequently backed up-and-coming local blues singers like B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Junior Parker, Johnny Ace, and Roscoe Gordon at the Palace Theater, the Club Paradise, and other Memphis venues.

In 1953, Crawford went away to Tennessee State College in Nashville, where he developed his arranging skills as leader of the school’s dance band. Discovered one night at the Subway Lounge by producer Roy Hall, the group cut a single, “The House of Pink Lights”/”Christine,” for a local label with Crawford as the featured vocalist.

His big break came in 1958 when Ray Charles passed through Nashville. Baritone saxophonist Leroy “Hog” Cooper had just left the band, and Charles offered Crawford the baritone chair. “I learned a lot about discipline and phrasing from Ray,” Crawford once remarked. “He would keep me up a lot of nights and dictate arrangements to me. I learned how to voice and get that kinda soulful sound. I think I kinda had it before, but being around him just helped that much more.”

“Sherry,” Crawford’s first composition and arrangement for the Charles septet, was recorded for the Ray Charles at Newport album shortly after he joined the band. In 1959, when Cooper returned to the fold, Crawford switched to alto. Two years later, Charles expanded to full big-band size and appointed Crawford musical director.

By the time Crawford left Charles in 1963 to form his own septet, he had already established himself with several solo albums for Atlantic. From 1960 through 1970, he recorded 12 albums for the label. Signing with Creed Taylor’s Kudu in 1971, he cut one album a year over the next eight years in the then-fashionable CTI fusion-crossover mold (or "fusion-y groove jazz dates" in the words of Thom Jurek), often backed by large ensembles arranged by people like Don Sebesky, Bob James and David Matthews.
Crawford returned to classic form upon signing with Milestone Records in 1983, playing alto saxophone and often writing for little big band in the soulful manner that first made him famous. Six of his albums for the company — "Midnight Ramble," "Indigo Blue," "Roadhouse Symphony," "Night Beat," "Groove Master," and one track of "South-Central" — featured the churchy, Ray Charles inspired piano and organ of Dr. John. In 1986, the saxophonist began working with blues-jazz organ master Jimmy McGriff. They’ve recorded four co-leader dates for Milestone—"Soul Survivors," "Steppin’ Up," "On the Blue Side," and "Road Tested"—and toured together when Crawford wasn’t performing with his own group.
But Crawford eventually revisited his Kudu years in the "Milestone-souns-like-CTI" album "Tight" (1996), going back to Rudy Van Gelder's studio and covering such tunes as Freddie Hubbard's "Little Sunflower" and Hubert Laws' "I Had a Dream", with his Kudu stablemate Idris Muhammad on drums.
Although he spent much of his adult life based in New York City and touring Europe, Mr. Crawford returned to Memphis in 2000 after his stroke to recuperate with his family. He spent his remaining years splitting time between the Big Apple and his hometown.Mr. Crawford's death comes just over a week after the passing of his longtime collaborator David "Fathead" Newman. The two horn players were, for many years, the backbone of Charles' band.Mr. Crawford also leaves a son, Michael Crawford; a daughter, Sherri Crawford; a granddaughter, Tiffany Crawford, and six siblings. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Hank Crawford was also a blues singer—one who sings through his horn. “My approach to playing is vocal,” he once explained. “It’s not a technical approach. It’s like singing. You can almost hear the words instrumentally.” If you doubt, just listen to his renditions of "Teach Me Tonight" (from the "Tico Rico" LP for Kudu in 1976) and "Because of You" (the opening track from "Soul Survivors", his CD for Milestone in 1986 with Jimmy McGriff, also featuring his old friend from the CTI days, George Benson).
Saxofonist Hank Crawford gestorben

Für David Sanborn war Hank Crawford einer der Größten und einer der geistigen Paten seines aktuellen Albums „Here And Gone". „Ich war dabei, viele alten Musik auf meinen iPod zu schaufeln, von Cd und anderen alten Aufnahmen", erzählte Sanborn im vergangenen Sommer dem Musikjournalisten Ralf Dombrowski und meinte weiter: "Dabei habe ich mir vieles Sachen angehört, die ich schon beinahe vergessen hatte. Alte Aufnahmen von Hank Crawford etwa.

Das ist tatsächlich der Sound, mit der es für mich losging. Ich war sofort wieder in die Essenz dieser Musik verliebt, die weder Jazz, noch Soul, noch Gospel oder Rhythm'n'Blues war, sondern alles auf einmal. Es ist diese Art, die Elemente zu verbinden, die amerikanische Musik ausmacht."

Hank Crawford (1934-2009) stammte aus Memphis in Tennessee. Als dreizehnjähriger Teenager begann er, Saxofon zu spielen, und baute sein Wissen durch ein Kompositionsstudium an der Tennessee State University aus. Er begann seine Karriere Mitte der 1950er Jahre in Rhythm-'n'-Blues-Bands, bevor er von 1959 bis 1963 in Ray Charles Orchester spielte.

Später leitete er eigene Bands, arbeitete viel mit dem ebenfalls unlängst verstorbenen David „Fathead" Newman und trat mit Künstlern wie Etta James, Lou Rawls, Jimmy McGriff, B.B.King oder Dr. John auf. Crawford gehört zu den Meistern des souljazzigen Saxofons. Am 29.Januar 2009 starb er im Alter von 74 Jahren in seiner Heimatstadt Memphis.

Diana Krall: the promo video of "Quiet Nights"

The official promo video for Diana Krall's upcoming "Quiet Nights" album:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid7012608001

This video includes short takes from the recording sessions (arranger Claus Ogerman conducting the orchestra at Capitol Studios, in LA), but most of the images come from the night that the forthcoming DVD "Live in Rio" was filmed on November 1st, 2008 - excerpts from "The Boy of Ipanema" (the crowd sings in Portuguese while Diana sings in English...), "Too Marvelous for Words," "Quiet Nights," "Summer Samba".
There also interviews with Diana and producer Tommy LiPuma filmed at the Fasano Hotel in Ipanema (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), as well as with musicians Anthony Wilson, John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton (no words from nor about Paulinho da Costa, unfortunately), plus images from the Copacabana beach and the Museum of Modern Art of Niterói, designed by the legendary Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. And, of course, Diana walking on the sands of the Ipanema beach at the sunset.
There's also a scene filmed at Fasano's lobby, on which Krall sings "Cheek to Cheek" backed only by guitarist Anthony Wilson, with Brazilian composer Carlos Lyra (who served as MC on the November 1st concert) seated next to him on the sofa.
As previously informed here, months ago, "Quiet Nights" will be released by Verve Records on March 31 in the USA, while the "Live in Rio" DVD is scheduled for June or July on Eagle Vision.
http://jazzstation-oblogdearnaldodesouteiros.blogspot.com/search?q=%22Quiet+Nights%22+%2B+%22Diana%22+

R.I.P.: Jazz Journal International

Sadly, the February issue of Jazz Journal International, out this weekend, will be the last edition of the magazine. "JJI is closing down following the death of Janet Cook (Associate Publisher) last January 23. Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Eddie Cook has beens seriously ill for some years and quite clearly unable to continue alone. End of an era, I suppose," states the renowned jazz historian Bruce Crowther, a regular contributor to Jazz Journal for several years. The magazine was about to enter its 63rd year.

"ADLiB" - February 2009

Cover Story:
Quasimode

ADLiB Photo Gallery - Jeff Beck
Master Piece Story "Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul"
David Foster
Blues Alley Japan
Kyoji's Sound Wonderland
Best 10 -Bass Albums Selected By Baijaku Nakamura-
Nilo Koizumi
Tal Wilkenfeld
Incognito
Kenny G
Priscilla Ahn
Spotlight: Kokia / Yoshitaka Minami Takibitai / Asato Shizuku / Seal / Philippe Saisse / Tower Of Power
ADLiB Audio Topics
Jacket Gallery
ADLiB Chart
New Disc
Imported Disc
Coming Soon
VIP Producers: Chuck Loeb
Blue Note
Star Story -Larry Carlton-
History Of Japanese Fusion
Hot Live Report: Toshiki Kadomatsu / Sting / David Sanborn / etc.
Il Divo
Hiram Bullock
Talking Heads
John McLaughlin
Interviews: Kirk Whalum / Craig David / Billy Cobham / Joe Sample / Juana Milina / Rachael Yamagata / Dego / Norio Kotanai
Toshiki Kadomatsu-No End Talk
Soul Kiss
AOR
Tina / Katsumi Horii / Shiro Sagisu / Cindy Suzuki / Yuji Muraoka / Paper & Web / Yumi Kudou / Yoshinori Ohtomo / Sound Planet
News Of The World
News In Japan
Concert Information
Letters
Last Chorus

"Swing Journal" - February 2009

Cover Story
Chick Corea & Hiromi Uehara

2008 Jazz Disc Awards
The Serial : The Truth Behind Masterpieces - Liner Notes Tell A Golden Era of Jazz Giants : Wes Montgomery
Hiromi Won Three Awards!
Return To Forever Returns
Blue Note 70th Anniversary: Quasimode
Keith Jarrett Back in 2001
Venus Records
2008 Jazz Disc Awards - Foreword
Gold Award "Beyond Standard / Hiromi - Hiromi's Sonicbloom"
Silver Award "V.S.O.P. / Manhattan Jazz Quintet"
Jazz of Japan Award "Jakkou / Terumasa Hino"
Vocal Award "Moon River / Nicki Parrott"
Vocal Award "Songs of Our Time / Cheryl Bentyne"
Vocal Award "Batucada-Jazz'n Bossa / Marica Hiraga"
Best Reissue Award : Blue Note RVG Editions
Best Production Award "Duet / Chick Corea & Hiromi"
Best Production Award "My Foolish Heart / Renato Sellani" "Amapola / Renato Sellani & Danilo Rea" "O Sole Mio / Renato Sellani Trio"
Jazz Video Award "Hiromi's Sonicbloom Live in Concert"
Best Engineering Award "My Foolish Heart / Renato Sellani"
Best Engineering Award "Amazing Grace / Tiffeny"
New Star Award "Five for Fun / High Five"
New Star Award "Here I Am / Amanda Brecker"
New Star Award "Negai / Hitomi"
Postscripts
Nanri Fumio Award Goes to Isao Suzuki
Serial: Basics About Jazz Instruments: Bass Part 1
Questions For Jazz Beginners
Hot News: Overseas
Manhattan Struttin' By Marica Hiraga
New York Jazz Monthly
Topics
Hot News: Domestic
Jazz On Air
The Monthly Disc Review
Top Chart
This Month's Gold Disc
Import Discs
New Discs Release Information
Let's Dig The Re-Issued Discs
Three Beauties Live in Tokyo: Awa - Nicole Henry - Fredrika Stahl
Here Comes New Masterpieces
1968-1970 Miles Davis
What's up now! : Akiko Grace / Junko Moriya
SJ Focus
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"DownBeat" - February 2009

COVER STORY
75 Great Guitarists -- For the first feature to celebrate DownBeat’s 75th anniversary, we shine the spotlight on 75 of the all-time great jazz, blues and beyond guitarists who have graced the pages of the magazine. It’s sure to be keepsake issue, which readers will spend hours with combing the selections, agreeing with (and most definitely debating) the choices for the list.
João Gilberto is the Brazilian guitar hero on the list.

FEATURES
David Binney -- The saxophonist has made a slow and steady rise to prominence in the New York scene, and now, with a signature harmonic esthetic, he’s one of the hardest working –and most influential–artists on the hardcore jazz scene.

SPECIAL SECTION: Jazz Club Guide -- We offer details on 100 of the top jazz clubs in the world—proof that great improvised music can be heard on stages every night in locales around the globe.

SPECIAL SECTION: DownBeat U -- Guitar School
Jack Bruce -- The Cream bassist delves into the jazz and blues roots that allowed him to ascend to such a legendary status in the music world.
Wes Montgomery -- DB Archives July 20, 1961
Mark Elf & Ken Hatfield master classes
Stanley Clarke transcription

PLAYERS
Clifton Anderson (trombone)
Pete Zimmer (drums)
Bill Stewart (drums)
Vince Mendoza (composer/arranger)

BLINDFOLD TEST -- Jeff Ballard

THE BEAT
• Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition
• New York Public Library/Grammy Foundation joint venture
• Big Bob Brookmeyer program planned for St. Louis
• Fame Records relaunches
• European Scene; Backstage With .. Don Byron
• Caught: Berlin, Umbrella Fest, Umea

TOOLSHED
• PRS Al Di Meola Prism guitar
• Blue BottleRocket Stage One & Two Microphones
• Peavey Vypyr Modelling Guitar Amp

GEAR BOX
• Sabine ZOID
• New Vox Valvetronix amps
• CruzTools Bass Player tech kit
• Fender Kenny Wayne Shepherd Stratocaster
• Reunion Blues all natural straps
• Pat Martino Quantum Guitar DVD from Alfred

WOODSHED
Jazz on Campus: Victor Goines at Northwestern

REVIEWS
Hot Box
Joshua Redman, Compass (Nonesuch)
Biréli Lagène, Electric Side (Dreyfus)
Nels Cline, Coward (Cryptogramophone)
Mostly Other People Do The Killing, This Is Our Moosic (Hot Cup)

Reviews
Joey DeFrancesco, Joey D! (HighNote)
Lisa Hilton, Sunny Day Theory (Lisa Hilton)
Dave Pietro, The Chakra Suite (Challenge)
Derek Trucks Band, Already Free (RCA Victor)
Andrew Hill/Chico Hamilton, Dreams Come True (Joyous Shout)
Chico Hamilton Trio!, Live @ Artpark (Joyous Shout)
Bobby Previte/Gianluca Petrella/Antonello Salis, Big Guns (Auand)
Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, Showtime At The Spotlite (Uptown)
Charlie Parker, Washington, D.C., 1948 (Uptown)
Hilario Duran & Perspectiva, Encuentro En La Habana (Alma)
Igor Butman, Magic Land (Sony Classical)
Roger Kellaway, Live At The Jazz Standard (IPO)
Grant Calvin Weston, Nassira (Amulet)
Alex Cline, Continuation (Cryptogramophone)
Craig Green & David King (Long Song)
Sonny Rollins, Road Shows, Volume 1 (Doxy)
Larry Gray, 1, 2, 3 ... (Chicago Sessions)
String Trio Of New York, The River Of Orion: 30 Years Running (Black Saint)
Avishai Cohen, Flood (Anzic)
Wolf Pac, Raw (Warren Wolf Music)
Eliane Elias, Bossa Nova Stories (Blue Note)
Stephane Wrembel Trio, Gypsy Rumble (Amoeba)
Chet Baker & the Bradley Young Trio, Chet In Chicago (enja)
John Beasley, Letter To Herbie (Resonance)
Randy Sandke, Unconventional Wisdom (Arbors)
The Warren Vaché–John Allred Quintet, Jubilation (Arbors)
Bill Carrothers, Home Row (Pirouet)
Andy Scherrer Special Sextet, Wrong Is Right (TCB)
Blue Note 7, Mosaic (Blue Note)
Marshall Gilkes, Lost Words (Alternate Side)

Jazz
Shan Kenner Raw Trio, Brooklyn Sketches (Shan Kenner)
Chico Pinheiro & Anthony Wilson, Nova (Goat Hill)
Hot Club Of San Francisco, Bohemian Maestro (Azica)
Royce Campbell Trio, Roses & Wine (Philology)
Will Bernard, Blue Plate Special (Palmetto)
Gene Bertoncini & Roni Ben-Hur, Smile (Motéma)

Blues
Sleepy John Estes, On 80 Highway (Delmark)
Bo Diddley, Roadrunner (Chess/Universal)
Bex Marshall, Kitchen Table (House of Mercy)
Gravelroad, Shot The Devil (Uncle Larry’s)
Boo Boo Davis, Name Of The Game (Black & Tan)
Various Artists, Family Meeting (Ruf, DVD)
Bill Abel: One Man Band (Blue Skunk)
Matthew Stubbs, Soul Bender (Vizztone)
Root Doctor, Live At The Cadillac Club (Big O)

Beyond
Elephant 9, Dodovoodoo (Rune Grammofon)
Angles, Every Woman Is A Tree (Clean Feed)
Maria Kannegaard, Camel Walk (Jazzland)
Fredrik Nordström, Blue (Moserobie)
Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli, Yeraz (ECM)
Jonas Westergaard, Helgoland (Stunt)

Historical
Anthony Braxton, The Complete Arista Recordings Of Anthony Braxton (Mosaic)

Book
Richard Carlin, Worlds Of Sound: The Story of Smithsonian Folkways (HarperCollins)