The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme CT, now in its fifth year, is having a bang-up summer, combining programs that feature artists rarely seen in Connecticut to shows with regular visitors, some who are Connecticut natives. This weekend (7/20-21) marks the return of saxophonist (tenor and soprano) and composer Jimmy Greene. The Hartford native, graduate of the Hartt School of Music/Jackie McLean Institute, and currently on the music faculty of Western CT State University, has worked with many greats artists including Harry Connick, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Kenny Barron, Tom Harrell, and another CT native, the late Horace Silver.
Sadly, Jimmy Greene may be best known as the father of Ana Grace Marquez-Greene, one of the 26 people killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012. The two albums that have appeared since that horrible event - 2014's "Beautiful Life" and 2017's "Flowers - Beautiful Life Volume 2", both on Mack Avenue Records - include original music inspired by his daughter, all of it life-affirming, much of it powerful. Professor Greene plays with power and direction, his emotions poured into performances that are spirited and spiritually moving.
He's bringing his Quartet, a group that features the fine drummer Otis Brown III, bassist Luke Sellick, and pianist Taber Gable. They will take the stage both Friday and Saturday nights at 8:30 p.m. for two sets. For ticket information, go to thesidedoorjazz.com or call 860-434-2600.
To find out more about his music as well as the ongoing Ana Grace Project, go to www.jimmygreene.com.
Here's a funky track from the latest album:
Pianist, composer, and educator Laszlo Gardony is one of the more joyful musician on the contemporary scene. Whenever he sits at the piano, it seems as if the everyday craziness of the world disappears and he plus the audience are transported to a better place. He can ever-so-melodic as well as percussive and pounding, bluesy as well as lyrical. With his trio of bassist John Lockwood and drummer Yoron Israel, that world expands to include creative interpretations of standards and pop songs. When Gardony adds the reeds of Stan Strickland (tenor and soprano saxes, bass clarinet), Don Braden (tenor and soprano saxes, flute), and Bill Pierce (tenor and soprano saxes), the musical universe expands even more with touches of New Orleans and Kansas City blues and jazz, Broadway, and more standards plus more of Gardony's inspiring music.
The Laszlo Gardony Sextet comes to Hartford CT on July 23 to perform as part of the Paul BrownBushnell Park Monday Jazz Series. The free concert opens at 6 p.m. with a set by the Don DePalma Trio with vocalist Linda Ransom. Mr. Gardony and friends take the stage at 7:30. In case of rain, the concert moves indoors to the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Avenue, in Hartford. For more information, go to hartfordjazzsociety.com/paul-brown-monday-night-jazz-2018/.
To learn more about Lazslo Gardony and the Sextet, go to www.lgjazz.com.
Here's a track to get you dancing:
On Friday July 27, The Side Door Jazz Club opens its door to New Faces, a sextet of musicians personal chosen by Marc Free, President of Posi-Tone Records for a project of "Straight Forward" music. That's the title of the album as well as the emphasis in the music. Gathering people who have recorded for the label, the ensemble includes vibraphonist Behn Gillece, tenor saxophonist Roxy Coss, trumpeter Josh Lawrence, pianist Theo Hill and the "veteran" rhythm section of bassist Peter Brendler and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza. Several members contribute new arrangements of older pieces plus there are pieces by label mate Jon Davis and one song from back at the company's early days. The front line sounds well matched with trumpeter Lawrence and saxophonist MS Coss easilymatching their sounds. Gillece's vibes blend nicely with Hill's piano throughout. And, this is one fine rhythm section!! The sextet should be dynamite in person, stretching some of the tunes, everyone getting a chance to really dig into their solos. Make no mistake, they are all fine soloists (Lawrence is developing impressively each time he picks up his trumpet and Hill's work is quite a treat). First set starts at 8:30 p.m. To find out more, go to thesidedoorjazz.com.
Earlier this year, saxophonist and CT native Noah Preminger released "Dark Is The Night, Cold Is The Ground", a collection of blues songs recorded at The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme with his regular quartet of Jason Palmer (trumpet), Kim Cass (bass) and Ian Froman (drums). Reminiscent, at times, of the blues-based sound of Ornette Coleman's band early in his career at Atlantic Records, Preminger and company dig deep into the original melodies and make them their own. They pay proper respect to the melodies and the go in fascinating directions. The impressive work of the rhythm section and the talented front line earned many rave reviews.
Jimmy Katz
This coming Monday evening (8/08), Messrs. Preminger, Cass, and Froman are the headlining act in the penultimate concert in the Paul Brown Monday Night Jazz in Bushnell Park 2016 series. Mr. Palmer is in Banff Alberta Canada teaching in the Banff International Workshop in Jazz & Creative all next week so Dave Douglas will be playing with the quartet - not too shabby, eh?
Opening the show at 6 p.m. will be Jeff Fuller & Friends. Based in New Haven and a graduate of Yale, bassist Fuller always has a busy schedule. Through his career, he has worked with many of the best artists on the East Coast including Paquito D'Rivera and the late Hilton Ruiz. He currently is co-leader of Sambaleeza and teaches at the ACES-Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven.
He's just released a new CD, "Shoreline Blues", featuring Darren Litzie (piano) and Ben Belillo (drums); those two men will join him on the Bushnell Park stage playing material off the new record and more. The recording is mostly originals with some Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins tunes for good measures. To find more about the bassist and the CD, go to www.jefffuller.net.
'Tis the weekend for the annual Litchfield Jazz Festival, this year celebrating its 20th year. Taking place on the Goshen Fairgrounds in Goshen, CT over 3 days (August 7-9), the music covers a wide swath of musical territory, small to large groups, swing to fusion and many stops in-between.
Opening night includes 2 shows, the first at 7:45 p.m. featuring the Litchfield Jazz Orchestra, a 19-piece ensemble featuring the musicians who have have been working with the students at the Festival's Jazz Camp. This year, trumpeter Dave Ballou, along with bassist Mario Pavone and trombonist Peter McEachern, are paying tribute to the late saxophonist/composer Thomas Chapin. Both Pavone and McEachern played with the Manchester, CT native and suggested this program for the Festival. The headlining act is the Anat Cohen Quartet who hit the stage at 9:15. The Israeli-born clarinetist/saxophonist continues to impress audiences around the world with her emotionally rich playing and knowledge of blues, jazz and Brazilian choro.
photo by L Sumulong/JALC
Saturday is quite a full day. Highlights include "Sharpe Meets Tharpe" (12 noon) with bassist Avery Sharpe's Gospel Choir saluting the music of guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Following that raucous opening will be harmonica virtuoso Gregoire Maret and his Quartet (1:45), Matt Wilson's Topsy-Turvy (3:30), Wycliffe Gordon & Friends (6 p.m.) and the evening's headline, guitarist Mike Stern's Band.
Drummer Wilson (pictured above) is a Festival favorite (this is his 20th appearance on stage!) and this ensemble is an expansion of his great Quartet. Joining Jeff Lederer (saxophones, clarinet), Kirk Knuffke (cornet) and Chris Lightcap (bass) will be pianist Helen Sung, alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw and the mighty trombonist Ray Anderson. This "little big band" plays music from the 1940s and 50s plus 1 or 2 surprises that the drummer always seems to have in his kit bag.
Sunday's schedule begins with "A Salute to the Great Drummer Charli Persip." The fine musician (pictured left), who turned 86 two weeks ago, has had quite the career, working with artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine, Cannonball Adderley and so many more plus leading the Supersound big band. The 12noon set features drummers Wilson, George Schuller, Robin Batyas, and Cory Cox and a horn section led by trumpeter Ballou. Following that set (1:45 p.m.) will be Les Paul's Trio featuring bassist/vocalist Nicki Parrott and legendary guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. At 3:45 p.m., trumpeter Sean Jones makes his Festival debut leading a quartet that features the fine pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Luques Curtis, and drummer Mark Whitfield, Jr.
At 5:30, the trio pictured at the top of the post - bassist Christian McBride, pianist and New Haven native Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. - bring the Festival to a rousing finish. The bassist, who can and does play just about anything, loves this ensemble for its youthful vitality and willingness to stretch.
The Festival will also include the premiere showing (at least, the premiere of the short version) of "Night Bird Song - The Thomas Chapin Story", a documentary of the life and music of Chapin (1957-1998) that has been the project of documentarian Stephanie Castillo (Chapin's sister-in-law). The screening takes place on Saturday but the Festival website does not give a time. You can still donate to the project - scheduled to be released in early 2016 - by going to thomaschapin.com.
To find out more about the weekend's events and to be part of the fun, go to litchfieldjazzfest.com.
If you'd rather be inside a wonderful club setting, The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme has 2 fine shows this weekend. On Friday, Jan and Ken present vocalist Laurin Talese with her quartet composed of drummer Jonathan Michele, bassist Marcus Myers, guitarist Tim Schilling, and pianist Luke Carlos O'Reilly. Ms. Talese, a native of Cleveland, OH, now lives and works in Philadelphia. Judging from her post on SOUNDCLOUD, she's has a wonderfully facile voice and really understands how to deliver a lyric to make it sound "true." She and the band take the stage at 8:30 p.m.
On Saturday night at 8:30, NEA Jazz Master Dave Liebman performs at The Side Door with his Quartet. Liebman, who plays both tenor and soprano saxophones, has been a contributor to the music scene since the early 1970s, playing and/or leading numerous groups as well as a being a leading educator. He has worked alongside fellow saxophonists Joe Lovano, Joshua Redman, and Ravi Coltrane and co-leads QUEST with pianist Richie Bierach (who's worked with him since the early days), bassist Ron McClure and drummer Billy Hart.
The group he's bringing to Old Lyme includes Billy Test (piano), Evan Gregor (bass) and Willy Rodriguez (drums). Should be a splendid evening for such modern music.
The Monday Night Jazz in Bushnell Park/Hartford comes to a close on August 10 with the Mimi Jones Quartet. Bassist/composer/vocalist Jones (pictured left) is a very busy person, leading the HotTone Music label, working in groups led by drummer Rudy Royston, pianist (and husband) Luis Perdomo, and saxophonist Tia Fuller. Her Quartet features Mark Shim (saxophones), Miki Hayama (piano) and Hartford native Jonathan Barber (drums).
Opening the show at 6 p.m. will be drummer Jocelyn Pleasant & Medusa. For more information, go to hartfordmondaynightjazz.com.
If you can't get to the Park, the concert will aired on WWUH-93.1 FM in Hartford (streaming live at www.wwuh.org.)
This coming Monday evening (August 3), the Hartford Jazz Society presents the penultimate concert in its 2015 Monday Night Jazz Series and the headliner is Noah Baerman Resonance Ensemble. Mr. Baerman (pictured left) has composed a new full-length work, "The Rock and The Redemption", and this is the 3rd opportunity he has had to present the work to an audience (and the first time outdoors as the Series takes place in Hartford's Bushnell Park). Joining him onstage will be Kris Allen (tenor saxophone, flute), Chris Dingman (vibraphone), Melanie Hsu (cello, vocals), Henry Lugo (acoustic and electric basses), Bill Carbone (drums, percussion), Claire Randall (vocals) and Latanya Farrell (vocals) while he composer adds piano, synthesizer, slide guitar, and vocals.
Opening the show at 6 p.m. will be trumpeter Haneef Nelson and his group. In case of rain, the concert moves indoors to the Asylum Hill Congregational Church. For more information, go to hartfordmondaynightjazz.com.
Bassist Joe Fonda is also the curator of the annual Connecticut Composers Festival held in Middletown in September . This year it's his 10th annual edition and the even is taking place on November 14 in The Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main Street. I'm telling you now because the performance space is fairly small and the event usually sells out. Opening the evening will be the duo of Dominique Eade (vocals) and Allan Chase (saxophones), both of whom teach in Boston and had a long musical relationship.
Mr. Fonda is also sharing the stage playing alongside the creative whirlwind that is pianist Satoko Fujii. Ms. Fujii is one of the busiest performers in creative music leading several different ensembles plus having big bands in New York City, Japan, and now Berlin, Germany.
The final set of the night belongs to saxophonist (and Bloomfield, CT native) Jimmy Greene. Mr. Greene, who graduated from the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford, now teaches at Western Connecticut State University. He'll be playing a solo set which is something the tenor and soprano saxophonist does not do very often (if ever). This should be quite a fascinating evening. For more information and reservations, go to www.buttonwood.org.
You'll notice no listing for The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme for the coming weekend and it's for a good reason. They are closed so that the owner and manager can attend The Newport Jazz Festival. In fact, The Side Door is still selling tickets, in association with WBGO-FM Newark, for bus rides to the Festival. Call 860-434-0886 for more information. Go online to thesidedoorjazz.comto check out the lineup for the coming weeks. Shows include the Dave Liebman Quartet (8/08), Ellis Marsalis (8/14), and the Linda Oh Quartet (8/28).
The Uncertainty Music Series moves to a new venue this Wednesday (7/22), the Ball & Socket Arts Garage, 530 West Main Street in Cheshire. Scheduled to perform is the trio known as Broadcloth (pictured left) composed of Anne Rhodes (voice), Adam Matlock (accordion, recorders) and Nathan Bontrager (cello). The trio plays "avant-garde chamber improvisational music" and does so with a great sense of adventure and drama. Scheduled to open the show at 7 p.m. is the trio of Bontrager, Loren Ludwig (analog synth, viola da gamba), and Spiff Wiegand (guitar).
This weekend, The Side Door Jazz Club presents 2 artists with a strong connection to the late saxophonist and educator Jackie McLean (1931-2006). On Friday (July 24), the Club presents pianist and composer Alan Jay Palmer brings his Nu Soil Ship to the Shoreline venue. Palmer, a native of Washington D.C., first encountered Mr. McLean when the young man came to Hartford to study at the Hartt School of Music. There, he studied with pianists Jaki Byard and Hotep Galatea. In Palmer's senior year, he toured Europe and Japan with the McLean Quintet and eventually made his recording debut on the alto saxophonist's 1992 recording "Rhythm of the Earth". Palmer continued to tour with McLean until a few years before the saxophonist passed. The pianist has gone on to work with trumpeter Roy Hargrove, rappers Mos Def and Common as well as saxophonist Kenny Garrett and many others.
Nu Soil Ship is the name of Palmer's large ensemble but there is no information about the group he's bringing to Old Lyme save the names of saxophonists Bruce Williams and Ronald Sutton, Jr. No matter who's in the band, the music should be energizing and challenging. Palmer and Nu Soil Ship hit the stage at 8:30 p.m.
On Saturday 7/25, saxophonist and educator Jimmy Greene returns to The Side Door Jazz Club. The Hartford-native plays a hearty tenor saxophone and has become quite proficient on the soprano. He attended Jackie McLean's Artists Collective and earned his undergraduate degree at the Hartt School of Music/University of Hartford and his Master's from Boston University. Now on the faculty of Western Connecticut State University, Greene has worked with the late Horace Silver, Kenny Barron, Harry Connick Jr., Mario Pavone and so many others. He's bringing his Quartet but, as of this writing, I'm not sure who's in the band but you know that it will be a top-notch group as much of Greene's music is not for the faint of heart.
The door opens at 7:30 p.m. and the Jimmy Greene Quartet hits the stage at 8:30. For reservations and more, call 860-434-0886 or go to thesidedoorjazz.com. To learn more about the saxophonist, go to www.jimmygreene.com.
The Bushnell Park Monday Night Jazz series is in full swing and next week's show should be quite a good one. Trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson & Sicilian Defense come to Hartford to perform original music that builds on modern beats and classic African American music from the likes of Ornette Coleman, Woody Shaw, and especially Steve Coleman. The trumpeter has been a member of Coleman's Five Elements since 2000, recording a number of impressive CDs and touring throughout the world. Finlayson's 2013 debut album "Moment and the Message" (issued on Pi Recordings), covered a wide swath of musical territory, filled with exciting playing and striking improvisations.
For more information about the series, parking and rain location, go to hartfordmondaynightjazz.com. And, if you can't get to the Park, you can listen to the entire shore on WWUH-91.3 FM or online at www.wwuh.org.
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I have had the joy of hearing bassist and composer Mario Pavone many times over the past 4+ decades. I have seen him anchor and power groups led by the late Thomas Chapin and guitarist Michael Musillami plus play the fascinating music of reed master Anthony Braxton. He has recorded 17 albums as a leader, including 9 for Musillami's Playscape label, with groups of differing sizes composed of impressive musicians, composing music that pushes the boundaries and decidedly ignores genres.
Recording # 18 is here and it's his first on a European label. "Blue Dialect" arrives on Clean Feed based in Lisbon, Portugal. Pavone, who turns 75 in November of this year, wrote all of the pieces save for one group improvisation and is in the impressive company of pianist Matt Mitchell (Tim Berne's Snakeoil) and drummer Tyshawn Sorey (Paradoxical Frog, Steve Lehman). As to be expected from a Pavone program, the pieces are composed to features the interactions of the trio and build upon the impressive melodies. There's a mighty undertow of "swing" on "Two One" (listen to how Sorey converses with his cohorts from the drum chair) while "Xapo" has an intensity fired again by the propulsive drumming and the powerful countermelodies from the bass. "Silver Print" may remind some of the Duke Ellington/Max Roach/ Charles Mingus 1962 "Money Jungle" especially in how the rhythm section creates the tension that is released when the pianist moves into a higher gear.
Several pieces display an Andrew Hill influence in the melody lines and approach to the performance. "Reflections" has a quirky beat but a straight-forward melody that Mitchell splays over the rhythm. The unrelenting forward motion of "Suitcase in Savannah" pulls the listener in and makes one pay attention to the strong piano solo and the leader's active bass lines. There's a blues tinge to "Zines" as well as an Ornette Coleman feel in the hesitant piano lines. The group improvisation, "Trio Dialect", concerns itself with how these 3 musicians share a common language yet maintain their individuality.
I do love the energy of these performances, the tension and release, the leaps of faith each musician takes because of their relationship to each other and the music. "Blue Dialect" doesn't reinvent the piano trio as much as the 3 musicians shun the conventional approaches, eschew cliches, and has a relentless forward motion. Kudos to leader Mario Pavone, Matt Mitchell and Tyshawn Sorey for this splendid music.
For more information, go to www.mariopavone.com (although it needs a bit of an update).
Here's the group in action courtesy of Scott Friedlander:
For his second PosiTone release, tenor saxophonist and composer Walt Weiskopf takes to the "Open Road" with a quartet that features pianist Peter Zak, bassist Mike Karn and the dynamic drummer Steve Fidyk. The urgency in the saxophonist's attack is on display throughout, flying right out of the gate with the first 3 tracks, all originals (10 of the 12 cuts come from the pen of the leader.) The opener, "Premonition", leaps atop the fiery Fidyk, pushed forward by the 2-handed attack of the pianist and active "walking" bass lines. In the middle of the piece, Weiskopf and the drummer have a short but very high-energy exchange similar to ones that John Coltrane had with Elvin Jones on the early-to-mid 1960s.
Playing hard and forceful soloing is the modus operandi for the majority of the program. Weiskopf, who also tours the world with Steely Dan, drives the band with solo after solo that explode from the speakers. Whether it's the joyful fury of "Electroshock" or the clarion call of "Invitation to the Dance", the leader's energy never flags. The quartet does take its time on ballads such as "Stage Whisper" and the Matt Dennis-penned standard "Angel Eyes"; still, the tenor solos have an unmistakeable passionate edge. On "Nancy With the Laughing Face", the bass and saxophone lead the song in with a gentle reading of the theme before Zak's bluesy solo. When Weiskopf re-enters, his lines crackle with excitement.
The music and performances on "Open Road" refers back to the Prestige, Blue Note and Impulse sessions of the late 1950s through the mid-1960s. And the musicians do so without sounding deferential or imitative. For his 15th date as a leader, Walt Weiskopf gives listeners a welcome rush of fresh musical air to breathe deeply and savor.
Busy of week of in the Nutmeg State starting this Thursday July 10 with the Rob Garcia 4 at The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme. Drummer, composer and arranger Garcia stays busy with numerous projects but the RG4 is his "baby." He formed the ensemble in 2009 with Noah Preminger (tenor saxophone), Dan Tepfer (piano) and a rotating lineup of bassists including John Hebert, Chris Lightcap and the current favorite, Joe Martin. That lineup has just issued its new CD, "The Passion of Color" (BJU Records) and the show at The Side Door will serve as the CT CD Release Party. Expect that the 2 sets (the first one commences at 8:30 p.m.) will feature material from all 3 of the RG4's recordings. For ticket information, call 860-434-0886 or go to thesidedoorjazz.com.
To find out more about Mr. Garcia and the band, go to www.robgarcia.com.
Bassist and educator David Chevan is and about this week, playing 2 gigs with his group, Bassology. Built around the drums and vocals of Ron Braggs, this trio version of the ensemble also features saxophonist Will Cleary. They'll be playing their infectious blend of jazz, funk, pop music and more on Thursday at 7 p.m. at The 9th Note, 56 Orange Street in New Haven (with later sets at 8:30 and 10 p.m.) as well as Saturday July 12 at 9 p.m. in the Park Central Tavern, 1640 Whitney Avenue in Hamden. Click on the venue names for more information.
On Friday night, The UMOJA Music Series presents the 3rd of 4 free concerts, this one featuring Rene McLean & The Cosmic Brotherhood at 6 p.m. Mr. McLean (pictured left), the son of the late saxophonist/educator Jackie McLean, was born in New York City in 1946 and learned his craft at the feet of his father as well as attending both NYU and the University of Massachusetts. He has performed in venues around the world, first as a co-leader of his father's group and, even before the elder McLean passed in 2006, a leader of his own groups. He has also taught in schools and universities in the United States and South Africa. Rene McLean is a "Senior Artist Teacher" on the faculty of the Jackie McLean Institute at the University of Hartford.
Joining for this concert, which takes place in The Pump House Gallery in Bushnell Park (60 Elm Street in Hartford), will be Nat Reeves (bass), Alan Palmer (keyboards), Ronnie Burrage (drums) and Neil Clarke (percussion). Opening the show will be vocalist Shenel Johns and her Quartet. Rain location is the Greater Hartford Academy of The Arts, 15 Vernon Street, in the Capital City. For more information, go to umojamusic.com.
The Monday Night Jazz Series in Bushnell Park has resumed and this coming Monday (7/14) presents the Marc Cary Focus Trio. Pianist/composer Cary was born in Washington D.C. but grew up in New York City. Since emerging on the scene in 1988, Cary has worked with many artists, from Max Roach to Shirley Horn to drummer Arthur Taylor, and spent 12 years (1994 - 2005) working with vocalist Abbey Lincoln. In fact, one of the 2 CDs Cary released in 2013 was dedicated to his mentor (the lovely solo recording "For the Love of Abbey" on Motema Music).
His Trio features drummer/percussionist Sameer Gupta and bassist Rahsaan Carter. Their music, documented on the other 2013 Motema release "Four Directions", sparkles with creativity and splendid interactions. At times, it's downright funky. Opening the show at 6 p.m. will be the Peter Greenfogel Quintet. In case of rain, the event moves indoors to the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Avenue. These concerts, arranged and sponsored by the Hartford Jazz Society, are free and open to the public. For more information, go to hartfordmondaynightjazz.com. If you don't wish to venture out of your house, the concert is carried live on WWUH-91.3FM (online at www.wwuh.org.)
The penultimate concert in the Bushnell Park Monday Night Jazz series (sponsored by the Hartford Jazz Society) takes place this Monday - August 5 - and features the Will Calhoun Trio. Drummer Calhoun, a native of Brooklyn, New York, is best known for the quarter-century he has manned the percussion chair in the powerful jazz-rock/hip hop/metal experience known as Living Colour (the quartet disbanded in 1995 and re-connected in 2000). To call him a muscular player does not tell the whole; Calhoun studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and has worked with artists as varied as B.B. King, Dr. John, Herb Alpert, Jaco Pastorious and Pharoah Sanders.
This year, Motema Records released Calhoun's first CD as a leader since 2005; titled "Life in ThisWorld", a majority of the 12 tracks find him in the company of the rhythm section he's bringing to the Park in Hartford, pianist Marc Cary and bassist Charnett Moffett. Both record for the same label and both have issued new CDs in the past few months - in the case of Moffett, he's released 2 new recordings, one an impressive solo acoustic bass project, the other featuring members of his family (including his wife and son).
The Monday night gig starts at 6 p.m. with an appearance by the Orice Jenkins Septet. Joining the talented young pianist/composer will be vocalists Shenel Johns and Erica Bryan plus Alden Hellmuth (alto sax), Nathan Davis (trombone), Tom Sullivan (bass) and Eric Hallenbeck (drums). The Will Calhoun Trio hits the stage at 7:30. If you cannot attend, WWUH-91.3 FM is broadcasting the series - go to wwuh.org and listen online. In case of rain, the concert moves indoors to the Asylum Hill Congregational Church. For more about the concerts, go to hartfordjazzsociety.com.
The smiling face to your left belongs to pianist/composer Eddie Palmieri, one of the performers headlining this weekend's Litchfield Jazz Festival. The LJS, inaugurated in 1996, takes place Friday - Sunday (August 9-11) on the Goshen Fairgrounds in Goshen, CT.
The Festival starts Friday with a "Friends Opening Night Gala" followed by the Emmet Cohen Trio (7:45) and "Strings Attached" - Christine Ebersole & the Aaron Weinstein Trio (9:15).
Mr. Palmieri and his Latin Jazz Orchestra is the closing act on Saturday, taking the stage at 7:45 p.m. The day actually starts at 12 noon with the Val Ramos Flamenco Ensemble followed at 1:45 by bassist Avery Sharpe Gospel Explosion & Sacred Songs. At 3:30 p.m., Gary Smulyan's Baritone Summit will perform - the front line includes the baritone saxophones of Lauren Sevian, Clare Daly, Andrew Hadro and Mr. Smulyan supported by the rhythm section of Helen Sung (piano), Jon Michel (bass) and the irrepressible Matt Wilson on drums.
Vocalist Gregory Porter, who has been showered with critical acclaim since his debut 3 years ago, takes the stage with his group at 6 p.m.
Sunday's festivities begin at 12 noon with the Orrin Evans Trio (the pianist is pictured left) followed by a "Tribute to Chet Baker" featuring vocalist JuneBisantz at 1:45. The Don Braden Quartet featuring pianist Geri Allen will be onstage at 3:45 to followed at 5:30 by the Vincent Herring/Eric Alexander Quintet with the wonderful pianist Harold Mabern. Closing the day and the Festival will be more Latin jazz, this time Papo Vazquez Mighty Pirate Troubadors. They will rock the tent at 7:15 p.m.
The week-long New Haven Jazz Festival, with events happening in venues all around the Elm City, takes place from August 12 - 18. More on that great event, including an outdoor concert featuring saxophonist Wayne Escoffery with Jeremy Pelt, later this week.
The news came as a bit of a surprise. Jason Crane had closed his podcast "The Jazz Session" in October of 2012 hoping to find gainful employment out in the real world (those of us who write about or broadcast Black American Music know full well it's not a growth industry. That writ, there are plenty of fine young writers and radio people involved with the music and its people.)
"The best-laid plans...", as they say, don't always pan out and Jason, while he did find a job and did create a new radio program (not to forget the fine poetry he has written in the past 8+ months) is now out of that job. His missive, which arrived via email, reads (in part):
Why do musicians do what they do?
Answering that question was at the heart of the 417 episodes of The
Jazz Session that aired from 2007-2012. My guests included Sonny
Rollins, Ron Carter, Maria Schneider, John Abercrombie, Robert Glasper, Marian
McPartland, Darcy James Argue and hundreds of others. I loved asking questions
that got beyond the mechanics and uncovered the passion, the thought, the
inspiration behind the music.
Let's do it again.
So
many of you helped me keep the show going in its first five years. Now I'm
asking you to help me produce 12 new episodes -- one per month for a year. The
money raised in this campaign will send me to New York for a week to conduct
the interviews, and it will help pay for the production costs and the server
space for the show. That server space alone is getting very expensive, given
the show's 2.5 million downloads (and counting).
But let's
do even more.
The
centerpiece of each episode will still be an in-depth interview with a jazz
musician. But each episode will also have an extra segment. It might be a jazz
book or CD recommendation; a short talk with an author or writer about a
particular jazz-related topic; or maybe a look behind the scenes at a special
event. One thing is for sure: there will be even more jazz info in each and
every episode.
You don't
have to wait to hear a new show.
Visit http://thejazzsession.com right now to hear a
brand new episode featuring pianist Geoffrey Keezer talking about his new solo
piano record. It's my way of saying "thank you" for your support, and
I hope it makes you want even more episodes. And no, this doesn't count toward
the 12 new shows. So really, you're getting 13.
If you
love jazz ... if you love music ... if you care about documenting history as it
happens, please help me bring back The Jazz Session.
Summer has certainly arrived in Connecticut, especially with the news that the "Monday Night Jazz in Bushnell Park" series is resuming on Monday July 8 and running through August 12. The arts scene in Hartford has really come back to life in the past year and it's great to see that this series, which began in 1967 and was curated by bassist Paul Brown, continues to bring quality music to the city and region for free!
Mario Pavone, the gentleman resting on his bass violin above, kicks off the 2013 series and he's bringing his Orange Double Tenor Septet. The ODTS features Connecticut natives Jimmy Greene and Noah Preminger on saxophones, Dave Ballou on trumpet, and long-time Pavone associates Peter MacEachern (trombone), Steve Johns (drums) and the great Peter Madsen on piano. Pavone is also appearing this Friday July 5 at Cafe Nine, 250 State Street in New Haven - everyone but Jimmy Greene will appear on that night. (For more information, go to cafenine.com.) The Bushnell Park show kicks off at 6 p.m. with Rahstet, saxophonist Rich McGhee's tribute to Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
The series continues on July 15 with a double bill featuring the Stanley Cowell Quartet (the pianist is pictured left) with the Nita Zarif Quintet as the opening act. July 22, the series hosts the Jay Hoggard Quintet with the Norman Gage-Kenny Reed Quintet opening the festivities. July 29 will have a serious Latin feel when the New Cuban Express led by pianist Manuel Valera and featuring saxophonist Joel Frahm come to the Insurance City. The opening act that evening Hartford's own Tropiijazz. The 2 shows in August feature the Will Calhoun Trio with the Orice Jenkins Septet (8/05) and harpist Brandee Younger's Quintet featuring Hartford native Dezron Douglas on bass with the Shenel Johns opening the evening. Did I mention this is free? The rain venue is the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Avenue. For more information, go to www.hartfordjazzsociety.com/mnj-schedule.html.
And, if that's not enough live music for you, you can head over to Black-eyed Sally's, 350 Asylum Street, for its "Jazz Mondays" series. Scheduled to appear in July are the Haneef Nelson Sextet (7/08), the Lauren Sevian Quartet (that's Ms. Sevian above and she's in the Park on 7/15), the Larry Willis Quintet featuring Steve Davis and Mike DiRubbo (7/22) and Radam Schwartz & Organ-ized featuring drummer Ralph Peterson (7/29). All this is sponsored by the Charter Oak Cultural Center. For more information, go to www.charteroakcenter.org/index.php/category/jazz-mondays or call the venue at 860-278-7427.
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