Continuity is theme at JVC Jazz NY

By kindofblue

What to make of the recently announced JVC Jazz Festival New York schedule, the first under the aegis of Festival Network?

It’s worth studying carefully, if only because, while George Wein clearly had a hand in planning this year’s festival, he also clearly won’t be around that much longer, and this lineup presumably offers some clues at to how Festival Network is going to be running things.

At first glance (and second, and third), the lineup looks pretty much like more of the same, with maybe a little more of a pop crossover slant (Chris Botti, Al Green, Mos Def) and a little less nostalgia (only one tribute concert to a dead person, Alice Coltrane, and no 70th or 80th birthday celebrations).

The former is a shoulder-shrugger — festivals have to make money, you need pop acts to sell tickets, and blah blah blah. The latter is either encouraging (more focus on the present, less on the past) or saddening (they’re running out of old and/or dead people to honor), depending on your point of view.

On the positive side, there are some new venues (most intriguingly a new nightclub on the site of the old Village Gate) and some unfamiliar acts: I’m psyched to see Charles Lloyd’s new quartet with Jason Moran on piano, and the Bad Plus augmented by Kurt Rosenwinkel’s guitar sounds like a good idea.

And it’s always good to see any festival take a chance on Cecil Taylor, probably the most polarizing artist in jazz. (I’ll never forget, many years ago, seeing a JVC double bill at Carnegie Hall of Oscar Peterson and Taylor. Peterson played first. About half the audience left at intermission, and about half of the remaining audience walked out in a steady stream during Taylor’s set. Me, I can’t wait to see him again.)

My overall take? It looks like business as usual, more or less — which isn’t really so bad. I’m just glad, in the face of all the
economic gloom and all the radical changes in the music business, that there are still enough artists promoters feel comfortable booking for a two-week jazz festival. And that most of them are actual jazz artists.

Jazzfest Threadheads raffle benefits New Orleans music

For Jazzfest attendees, check out this report from Lisa G at Festive Living on a worthy fund raiser.

New Orleans Jazzfest is only weeks away and I CAN'T WAIT! A highlight of my trip to Jazzfest for the past several years has been festing and partying with other Jazzfest fanatics from all over the US, Canada and overseas that I've met through the Jazzfest message board. This forum is a great way to keep up with all the news and tips on stuff to do in New Orleans before, during and after Jazzfest. Due to the somewhat addictive nature of the board, and the fact that topics are called "threads", those of us who read and post there have come to be called Threadheads.

In 2008, for the third year in a row, some of the Threadheads have organized an online raffle to benefit New Orleans Musicians Clinic, which provides access to health and social welfare services for the local music community. A new beneficiary this year is a charity called Fest4Kids, which partners with Silence is Violence in a program to give New Orleans youth an opportunity to learn and play music, mentored by some of the talented local musicians, and to send kids to fest that might not otherwise be able to afford it.

There are over 100 items being raffled off this year, in so many categories - collectibles, music, art, travel and more. The way the raffle works, is you buy tickets for specific items on the website, threadheadraffle.org using Paypal. Some of the prizes are for use in New Orleans, like tickets to night shows and restaurant certificates, but there are lots of other fun items that can be enjoyed anywhere, like t-shirts, posters, one-of-a-kind hand made artwork, jewelry, wine, and so much more. In the Travel category, there is a trip to Disney World being offered, as well as a weekend in New Orleans. And in the category of "Other", there's even an animatronic parrot - Squawkers McCaw - who loves to go to festivals!

The raffle will be held on 4/28, the Monday between Jazzfest weekends in New Orleans, but you need not be present to win. Prizes not picked up in New Orleans will be shipped to the winner, who will be notified by email. I can assure you this is 100% legit, as I have been present at the raffle the last 2 years, and the organizers of this raffle are friends of mine. A list of the winners will also be posted on the messageboard. You can read more about the Threadheads, the raffle, and other related projects here.

If you love New Orleans, or the music of New Orleans and the Louisiana as much as we do, and want to help us keep it going, please consider helping out these causes by buying some tickets on the raffle site, shown below. You can contribute a few bucks and maybe win a cool prize too. And please forward this message to anyone else like us who loves New Orleans and may want to help support some of the musicians - present and future - who are nurtured there.

http://www.ThreadheadRaffle.org

Merci, and laissez les bon temps roulez!

Vibrant program for JVC NY 2008

Festival Network rolled out a dynamic program for JVC Jazz Festival New York, playing at Carnegie Hall and all around town for 14 days June 15-28. It's the first full festival produced under the new management, which bought out producer George Wein last year, and a quick review of the program shows the same combination of big jazz names, interesting pairings and all-star tributes that we've seen in recent years.

Some of the highlights: Herbie Hancock's River of Possibilities Tour; a Bossa Nova celebration starring João Gilberto; a JVC exclusive with Bad Plus 1 featuring Kurt Rosenwinkel; festival debuts by Jill Scott, Mos Def Big Band with special guest Gil Scott-Heron, Charlie Haden Quartet West and Bill Frisell Trio; tributes to pianist Hank Jones and to producers Art D’Lugoff and Jack Kleinsinger; and standout performers Chris Botti, Al Green, Cecil Taylor, George Cables, Sergio Mendes, Soulive with special guest Joshua Redman, and Charles Lloyd.

Major venues for the festival include seven headline shows at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium; 10 concerts at the New York Society for Ethical Culture; and six shows at the old Village Gate, now called Le Poisson Rouge. Other venues are the Rubin Museum of Art in Chelsea, uptown at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Masonic Temple in Brooklyn.

The festival also presents free events in city parks. June 19 at the Prospect Park Bandshell looks like a great night with Medeski, Martin & Wood, Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog and Taylor McFerrin. Besides the scheduled events, many of the clubs in town will be running late night shows with two-for-one discounts for festival ticketholders. Check out The Blue Note, Birdland, Cachaca, Iridium, Smoke and Zinc.

51st Monterey Lineup Released

It's not as if you've never seen these names in Monterey lineups, but that's not really the point. What is the point is the second-half century of an annual festival that has adapted to the times but never lost its focus-- bringing the best from all styles en masse for a (relatively) affordable price. The Derek Trucks, on the Arena stage on Saturday, is probably the biggest outlier this year. 

As far as tickets go, it's $220 for a three-day pass with Arena access, $110 for three days without the Arena and $35 for a one-day Grounds-only ticket. All classes of tickets give festivalgoers access to the myriad panels, exhibitions and conversations that will be going on from Friday to Sunday. Read more about it here.

Brian Bromberg

Photo Credit: No photo credit available

Brian Bromberg

Bromberg started a full-time career as a session musician immediately upon dropping out of high school. Since then, he's performed with a who's-who of jazz (Bill Evans, Lee Ritenour, Dizzy Gillespie, ad infinitum) and then some (Josh Groban, Lalo Schiffren, Robben Ford). So he must have the chops. But even on his own recordings, he hasn't flaunted them to the point of exhaustian like other session guys who finally lead the band. Instead he's opted for pushing the foundational boundaries of fusion. From funk to rock, he puts down the type of grooves that both rocket scientists and the rest of humanity can enjoy.

Personnel: Brian Bromberg (bass, programming)

Upcoming: Berks Jazz Festival March 28-April 6

Bromberg Performing Some Nice Lead Lines on "Bassface"



Video by Brian Bromberg.

Berks Jazz Festival

Photo Credit: Berks Arts Council

Berks Jazz Festival

While Berks's lineup doesn't quite match up with those of the last two featureds-- SFJAZZ and Mellon Jazz in Philly's spring seasons, respectively-- it only has 10 days to show its stuff. Within this span of time however, the festival manages to do pretty well for itself. There's enough variety (funk, blues and hip-hop) to keep casual fans entertained, as well as the right new-and-old mix (Regina Carter and Pat Martino, for example) when it comes to the event's advertised genre. Prices for the festival's various shows range from $0 to $49, depending on performance and seating location.

Headliners: Nancy Wilson, Buddy Guy, Chris Botti, Regina Carter, Rick Braun and Richard Elliot, Pat Martino, Jason Miles and DJ Logic, Euge Grooe and Alex Bugnon

Pat Martino Performing at Berks 2007



Video by DWillygtr.

Los Angeles Latin Jazz Festival 2008 Announced

                                  Photo Credit: Arts Link (Word Press)
This year's Los Angeles Latin Jazz Festival, located at the L.A. Greek Theater, goes down on Saturday May 10th and features Eddie Palmieri plus the Latin Giants of Jazz, which is just a tad confusing-- isn't Eddie Palmieri a "Latin Giant of Jazz"? Anyway, that name, in short, refers to legendary former members of the Tito Puente Orchestra, as elaborated directly below: 

The Los Angeles Latin Jazz Festival will play the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles for an incredible night of music on Saturday, May 10th.

The date has been set and all the artists have been booked for the “Salsa meets Jazz” night, which will open the world famous Greek Theater’s season on May 10, featuring the Los Angeles Latin Jazz Festival 2008. The headliner for this year’s event is Pianist, Composer, arranger, nine (9) time Grammy Winner Eddie Palmieri. Mr. Palmieri will be performing his big band arrangements of his famous original compositions that have made him one of the most beloved Latin Jazz and Classic Salsa artists throughout the world for over fifty (50) years. Palmieri will perform his classic West Coast favorites (for listening and dancing) compositions like Vamonos pal Monte, Azucar pa Ti, Puerto Rico and Pa la Ocha Tambor among others.

The reunion of former members of the Tito Puente Orchestra “The Latin Giants of Jazz” for the first time in Los Angeles since the untimely passing of ‘El Rey” eight years ago is another highlight of this year’s show. Under the leadership of percussionist Johnny ‘Dandy” Rodriguez and musical direction of arranger, percussionist Jose Madera the other 15 plus year veterans of the Tito Puente Orchestra ( Mitch Froman, Lewis Kahn, Reynaldo Jorge, Pete Miranda and John Walsh among others) will perform music of ‘The King”. During the set The Latin Giants of Jazz will be joined by flautist Dave Valentin, timbale player Oreste Vilato and violinist Alfredo De La Fe who will appear as special invited guests.

Los Angeles local favorites The Jazz on the Latin Side All-Stars (who are keeping our big band Latin Music tradition alive) will perform the music that has made them a contender in global Jazz and Latin scene. Jose Rizo’s concept of uniting the best musicians in town to perform “Nuestra Musica” has turned out to be a hit in cities outside of Los Angeles. TJL All-Stars will pay a special salute to Master Congero Francisco Aguabella. Other artists will be confirmed for this special salute to el maestro.

The night will end with a jam session of all mother jam sessions.

Monterey Jazz artist in residence to open season April 3 at Next Generation Festival

The Monterey Jazz Festival's 51st year gets underway next month with a special concert by the festival's 2008 artist in residence as part of its fourth Next Generation Festival featuring top youth jazz bands from around the world. Renowned bassist and composer Christian McBride will give his first performance as part of his official role with the festival, performing with the Christian McBride Situation, a combo with keyboard, saxophone, bass and DJ.

The concert takes place April 3 at the historic Golden State Theater in downtown Monterey CA. Details and ticket information is available at the MJF website. The Next Generation Festival runs April 3-6 at the Monterey Conference Center. The festival includes the annual National High School Jazz Competition, which was described by one-time winner Joshua Redmond as "the Super Bowl of California high school jazz competitions."

5th Annual Portland Jazz Festival Lineup

                                             Photo Credit: Portland Jazz Festival
                                 
This is an excerpt from the press release introducing the program for the Portland (OR) Jazz Festival, running from Feb. 15-24:

A great deal of contemporary mainstream jazz, generally speaking, is risk free. Most jazz festivals in America play it safe, sticking with a successful and predictable stable of artists who rarely take the music beyond its resting place in history.

The fifth annual Portland Jazz Festival, presented by Qwest & The Oregonian A&E, set for February 15-24, dares to go where few jazz festivals in North America have ever been -- moving ever forward. Indeed, any jazz event which opens with free jazz innovator Ornette Coleman and later closes with avant-garde pianist Cecil Taylor, is admittedly ‘out there.' But, along with the likes of Parker, Coltrane, Rollins, Monk, Mingus and Miles, these were the players who kept pushing jazz foward; more afraid of standing still perhaps than spinning off the road out of control.

Yet even with the emphasis on the cutting edge art, the 2008 Portland Jazz Festival remains an diverse experience -- a kaleidoscope of sounds and colors going every which way.

When one adds during this 10-day event the names of Joshua Redman, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Maceo Parker, Tord Gustavsen, Nik Bartsch’s Ronin, Jillian Lebeck, Avishai Cohen, Rob Scheps, Glen Moore, Myra Melford, Tim Berne, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas, Stefon Harris, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Bill Charlap, Nancy King, Fred Hersch, The Bad Plus, Portland Jazz Orchestra, Miguel Zenon, Renee Rosnes, Eric Harland, and the Oregon Symphony,
you’ve got the ingredients for a spicy, yet delicious jazz stew that should please the tastes of just about everybody who claims to be a jazz aficianado.

The rest of the release, which elaborates on the festival's lineup as well as jazz education and outreach programs, can be found here.

Tune Up for New Orleans Jazz Fest

Tune up for the festival with our playlist of two songs likely to be played by each major artist at the upcoming New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which takes place April 21-May 4 at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. The playlist is organizaed by festival day and covers headline artists playing the first weekend of the festival. Another playlist covering the second weekend will be posted soon.

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