Ring in the new year with solid music, join All For One at Smoke in New York on New Years Eve. One of the most consistently swinging bands, a all-star hard bop sextet, One For All has been performing for about ten years. This year they released their 11th album, Lineup on Sharp Nine Records. In the style of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers or the other great hard-bop groups of the 50's and 60's, One For All is a 'super group' of the finest seasoned jazz musicianss. As their name implies, they work together for a common goal of delivering solid musical collaboration with all members contributing their individual styles. One For All includes Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone), Jim Rotondi (trumpet), Steve Davis (trombone), David Hazeltine (piano), Nat Reeves (bass), and Joe Farnsworth (drums).
Trumpeter Jim Rodondi is a worthy successor to Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw, Rotondi is a stylist who continues to explore rich harmonies with original and soulful eloquence. He often performs with vibraphonists and organists, providing rich overtones and a dense aural carpet with which he weaves intricate and logical patterns of sound. Whether he is blowing with fiery fury or a mournful cry, Rotondi never looses the emotional connection with the audience.
Rontondi attended North Texas State University, where he graduated with a degree in trumpet performance. Jim was awarded first place in the International Trumpet Guild's jazz trumpet competition for the year 1984. After college Jim began recording and touring internationally with the Ray Charles Orchestra. Then he join the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. During this time Jim also became a member of organist Charles Earland's quintet. He currently tours with his own group, as well as with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and Grammy-winner Toshiko Akiyoshi.
Jim's extensive recording experience most recently includes the release of his fifth date as a leader, titled "Destination Up", for the Sharp Nine label following the successful release of four CDs on the Criss Cross Jazz label. He can also be heard on several of Charles Earland's Highnote Records releases. Other recordings include saxophonist George Coleman's Octet, featuring Harold Mabern, as well as drummer Ray Appleton's Sextet, which features Slide Hampton, Charles McPherson, and John Hicks.
With 16 CD's out under his own name and appearing as sideman on countless others, Eric Alexander has made his mark on the jazz world and documented his progress as a tenor master. He has a rich tone and an aggressive, driving style that grabs the listeners attention and doesn't let go. One can hear the influence of Sonny Stitt, Jackie McLean and George Coleman in his playing. At William Paterson College in New Jersey Eric advanced his studies under the tutelage of Mabern, Joe Lovano, Rufus Reid, and others. "The people I listened to in college are still the cats that are influencing me today," says Alexander. "Monk, Dizzy, Sonny Stitt, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson--the legacy left by Bird and all the bebop pioneers, that language and that feel, that's the bread and butter of everything I do. George Coleman remains a big influence because of his very hip harmonic approach, and I'm still listening all the time to Coltrane because I feel that even in the wildest moments of his mid- to late-Sixties solos I can find these little kernels of melodic information and find ways to employ them in my own playing."
During the 1990s, after placing second behind Joshua Redman in the 1991 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition, Alexander threw himself into the whirlwind life of a professional jazz musician. He played with organ trios on the South Side of Chicago, made his recording debut in 1991 with Charles Earland, and cut his first album as leader in 1992. Fifteen recordings followed including his latest recording, 'Nightlife in Tokyo'.
Brilliant pianist David Hazeltine has successfully forged his own distinctive style and musical voice out of the accumulated greatness and weight of a modern piano tradition. David's influences include Art Tatum and Bud Powell and such great living masters as Buddy Montgomery, Barry Harris and Cedar Walton.
Since moving to New York City in 1992, David has made a name for himself as a "musician's musician." In addition to his working trio (with drum legend Louis Hayes and bassist Peter Washington), David is in constant demand as a sideman. Recent credits include work with Freddie Hubbard, James Moody, the Faddis-Hampton-Heath Sextet, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, the Louis Hayes Quintet, and Marlena Shaw, for whom he serves as pianist, arranger, and musical director. Recently David was spotlighted on Marian McPartland's "Piano Jazz" radio program.
In addition to David's fifteen dates as a leader, his recorded work as a featured sideman reflects his status as one of the first call pianists in New York. Recent efforts include sessions with James Moody, Freddy Cole, Marlena Shaw, Jon Faddis, and Louis Hayes.
Steve Davis is widely regarded as one of today's leading improvisers on the trombone. His lyrical, hard-swinging style first gained him broad recognition during the 1990's while working with the bands of jazz legends Art Blakey, Jackie McLean, Chick Corea's acclaimed sextet Origin
Born in Worcester, MA in 1967, Steve Davis was raised in Binghamton, NY and graduated in 1989 from The Hartt School's Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz (University of Hartford). Davis has released eight CDs as a leader and is also featured on over seventy recordings and has worked in recent years with a broad range of jazz icons including Freddie Hubbard (New Jazz Composers Octet), The Horace Silver Octet, The Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Star Big Band, Slide Hampton`s World of Trombones, quintets led by Larry Willis, Cecil Payne, Phil Woods, Steve Turre`s One 4-J and sextets led by Geri Allen, Andy Bey and Toshiko Akiyoshi (feat. Lew Tabakin).
Nat Reeves has been teaching at the Hartt School in Hartford, Connecticut for 16 years, began performing professionally in the 70's. He began playing jazz and the acoustic bass in Richmond, Virginia and soon found his way to New York City where he performed with up and coming musicians including Kenny Garrett, Mulgrew Miller and Tony Reedus. In 1982, Mr. Reeves toured Japan with Sonny Stitt and began teaching at the Artist Collective, directed by Jackie and Dollie McLean. For the next 12 years, he primarily performed with the great Jackie McLean throughout the world and appears on five of Mr. McLean's recordings. In 1995, Mr. Reeves once again teamed up with Kenny Garrett and he has been touring throughout the world with him ever since. Mr. Reeves appears on Kenny Garrett's last recording released in 1997. Songbook was produced by Warner Bros. and was nominated for a Grammy.
Joe Farnsworth has been living in the New York area since 1990. He studied with the great drummer Art Taylor while attending William Patterson College. While still living at home in Massachusetts, Joe studied with Alan Dawson who was also Tony Williams' teacher. Joe has been playing with tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander since the two met while they were students at William Patterson. It has been a very fruitful musical association. Farnsworth and Alexander have been together on too many sessions to list, with Eric as leader or a fellow sideman.
All For One on December 31st, New Years Eve at Smoke Jazz Club & Lounge, 2751 Broadway in New York. The club phone number is: (212) 864 6662 and website is www.smokejazz.com.
by Don Berryman
Friday, December 29, 2006
Friday, October 06, 2006
'Ambassador of Jazz' Shares Music With Kids
(CBS 5 - Barbara Rodgers) SAN JOSE For Eddie Gale, playing a horn has been almost a life-long passion, since he was introduced to the bugle in the early 50's as a Cub Scout.
"I liked it so much that I stayed through the Cub Scouts, and then the Boy Scouts at 12, and then the Explorers at 14," he says. "So I had a full-fledged time in scouting just to play the instrument."
Playing jazz trumpet became a career and a salvation. In 1972, Eddie moved from his native New York to San Jose, where then Mayor, Norman Mineta, named him Ambassador of Jazz two years later. At the time, Mineta said, "He has that steady rhythm with an unpredictable undercurrent that epitomizes jazz at its best."
Eddie Gale takes his honorary position as San Jose's Ambassador of Jazz very seriously, using it to help scores of charities raise funds and to spread the word about jazz, not only in San Jose, but beyond -- especially to young people.
"For quite a while now, I've been interested in giving back by helping young people to be able to express themselves, because I found a lot of inner peace in doing music," Eddie explains.
He's conducted dozens of jazz workshops in Bay Area public schools at a time when most schools had no music programs at all, providing the only outlet some young people had for developing their musical talents. He includes lessons on the philosophy and lifestyle of the jazz artist.
"To know that this music was born in America, was developed in America, and young people need to have pride in that point of view," he says.
Eddie also started a music program at San Jose State University and brought his musical genius to students at Stanford as well. Then a few years ago, he decided to revive here in the Bay Area an event that he had started many years ago in New York: a concert for world peace.
"The idea is that our young people that we touch will grow up with this idea of world peace as a part of their lifestyle," he says. "And when they become doctors and lawyers and politicians and business people, they would carry that with them to help them make better decisions about world affairs."
Now he's added a peace poetry contest with prizes for children of all ages, with prizes of up to one hundred dollars.
So for educating young people about the history and significance of jazz, helping them to develop their musical talents, promoting world peace and inner peace, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Eddie Gale of San Jose.
"I liked it so much that I stayed through the Cub Scouts, and then the Boy Scouts at 12, and then the Explorers at 14," he says. "So I had a full-fledged time in scouting just to play the instrument."
Playing jazz trumpet became a career and a salvation. In 1972, Eddie moved from his native New York to San Jose, where then Mayor, Norman Mineta, named him Ambassador of Jazz two years later. At the time, Mineta said, "He has that steady rhythm with an unpredictable undercurrent that epitomizes jazz at its best."
Eddie Gale takes his honorary position as San Jose's Ambassador of Jazz very seriously, using it to help scores of charities raise funds and to spread the word about jazz, not only in San Jose, but beyond -- especially to young people.
"For quite a while now, I've been interested in giving back by helping young people to be able to express themselves, because I found a lot of inner peace in doing music," Eddie explains.
He's conducted dozens of jazz workshops in Bay Area public schools at a time when most schools had no music programs at all, providing the only outlet some young people had for developing their musical talents. He includes lessons on the philosophy and lifestyle of the jazz artist.
"To know that this music was born in America, was developed in America, and young people need to have pride in that point of view," he says.
Eddie also started a music program at San Jose State University and brought his musical genius to students at Stanford as well. Then a few years ago, he decided to revive here in the Bay Area an event that he had started many years ago in New York: a concert for world peace.
"The idea is that our young people that we touch will grow up with this idea of world peace as a part of their lifestyle," he says. "And when they become doctors and lawyers and politicians and business people, they would carry that with them to help them make better decisions about world affairs."
Now he's added a peace poetry contest with prizes for children of all ages, with prizes of up to one hundred dollars.
So for educating young people about the history and significance of jazz, helping them to develop their musical talents, promoting world peace and inner peace, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Eddie Gale of San Jose.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Trumpeter and Bandleader Maynard Ferguson Dies
Date: August 25, 2006
Written By: Roxana Hadadi
Maynard Ferguson, the powerhouse trumpeter and bandleader who helped carry the big-band torch into the new millenium and was known to pop-culture buffs for his version of "Gonna Fly Now," Bill Conti's Rocky theme, died Wednesday of kidney failure. He was 78.
An exciting performer who toured nonstop and garnered a large following of student musicians through his frequent high-school performances, Ferguson had just returned home to California after several sold-out concerts in July at the Blue Note in New York City. Ferguson had also recently completed recording a new album at Bennett Studios in Englewood, N.J.
Born May 4, 1928 in Montreal, Ferguson started his jazz career at the young age of 13 as a member of the Canadian Broadcasting Company Orchestra. While only a young adult, Ferguson played with greats like Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie before leading his own band—at the age of 17. He then went on to record over 60 albums and receive a Grammy nomination for "Gonna Fly Now." Last year Ferguson was awarded the "Order of Canada," Canada’s highest civilian honor.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Maynard Ferguson Music Scholarship Fund at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. A memorial concert is also planned to take place in St. Louis, and Ferguson’s last work will be released later this year.
Written By: Roxana Hadadi
Maynard Ferguson, the powerhouse trumpeter and bandleader who helped carry the big-band torch into the new millenium and was known to pop-culture buffs for his version of "Gonna Fly Now," Bill Conti's Rocky theme, died Wednesday of kidney failure. He was 78.
An exciting performer who toured nonstop and garnered a large following of student musicians through his frequent high-school performances, Ferguson had just returned home to California after several sold-out concerts in July at the Blue Note in New York City. Ferguson had also recently completed recording a new album at Bennett Studios in Englewood, N.J.
Born May 4, 1928 in Montreal, Ferguson started his jazz career at the young age of 13 as a member of the Canadian Broadcasting Company Orchestra. While only a young adult, Ferguson played with greats like Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie before leading his own band—at the age of 17. He then went on to record over 60 albums and receive a Grammy nomination for "Gonna Fly Now." Last year Ferguson was awarded the "Order of Canada," Canada’s highest civilian honor.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Maynard Ferguson Music Scholarship Fund at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. A memorial concert is also planned to take place in St. Louis, and Ferguson’s last work will be released later this year.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Russian Sundays at the Y: From Moscow to NY on a Magical Jazz Trumpet
Sun Sep 10 2006 4:00 pm
Lovers of Russian culture in the New York area have a new home—Russian Sundays at the 92nd Street Y. Held in the Y’s intimate Weill Art Gallery, the series offers an ideal setting for enjoying Russian and Russian-Jewish culture in a relaxing atmosphere, with time to mingle and drink tea around a traditional samovar. The series opens with renowned jazz musician and storyteller Valeri Ponomarev, who recalls how he learned to play forbidden music behind the Iron Curtain and how he made it from Moscow to Art Blakey and his legendary Jazz Messengers. Ponomarev also performs with his ensemble, the Hard-Bop Quintet. All programs are conducted in English.
Contact Information: 212-415-5500, www.92y.org
Brought to you by: 92nd Street Y
92nd Street Y
1395 Lexington Ave.
New York, NY
Lovers of Russian culture in the New York area have a new home—Russian Sundays at the 92nd Street Y. Held in the Y’s intimate Weill Art Gallery, the series offers an ideal setting for enjoying Russian and Russian-Jewish culture in a relaxing atmosphere, with time to mingle and drink tea around a traditional samovar. The series opens with renowned jazz musician and storyteller Valeri Ponomarev, who recalls how he learned to play forbidden music behind the Iron Curtain and how he made it from Moscow to Art Blakey and his legendary Jazz Messengers. Ponomarev also performs with his ensemble, the Hard-Bop Quintet. All programs are conducted in English.
Contact Information: 212-415-5500, www.92y.org
Brought to you by: 92nd Street Y
92nd Street Y
1395 Lexington Ave.
New York, NY
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Metropolitan Opera Commissions New Work from Wynton Marsalis and John Guare
By Matthew Westphal
August 15, 2006
The Metropolitan Opera has commissioned a new opera from composer/jazz powerhouse Wynton Marsalis and award-winning playwright John Guare. The project was revealed during an interview Met general manager Peter Gelb gave to Playbill.com yesterday.
The venture is in its earliest stages, so no subject or working title has yet been chosen and no anticipated completion date has yet been set, according to a Met spokesperson.
Marsalis is, of course, a world-renowned trumpeter and bandleader; he is the founding artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center and music director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. He plays classical as well as jazz trumpet and has made several classical recordings, including a best-selling disc of duets with soprano Kathleen Battle. Among Marsalis's classical compositions are the chamber works At the Octoroon Balls and A Fiddler's Tale (a response to Stravinsky's L'Histoire du soldat), both co-commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; the orchestral score Them Twos, written for New York City Ballet; and the oratorio All Rise for big band, gospel choir and symphony orchestra, premiered by Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic.
Guare, winner of the Tony, Obie, Drama Desk, Olivier and many other awards and honors, is the author of, among other plays, Six Degrees of Separation, House of Blue Leaves, Bosoms and Neglect, Four Baboons Adoring the Sun, Marco Polo Sings a Solo and Lydie Breeze. While he wrote the libretto for the 1972 musical version of Two Gentlemen of Verona, this will be his first opera text.
The Marsalis/Guare commission is part of Gelb's endeavor to increase collaboration between the Metropolitan Opera and the vibrant New York theater scene — and to acquaint drama lovers with the theatrical power opera can offer. The centerpiece of that effort is a long-term collaboration with Lincoln Center Theater on a series of projects that, depending on how they develop, could end up as large-scale operas, chamber operas or serious musicals seen on either company's stage. Among the other participants in this project are composer Jake Heggie, who has already written the operas Dead Man Walking and The End of the Affair; Michael John LaChiusa, who has written music and text of both musicals (The Wild Party, Hello Again, Bernarda Alba) and operas (Lovers and Friends (Chautauqua Variations) and Send (who are you? i love you), which premiered at Houston Grand Opera earlier this year with Audra McDonald); music theater composer Adam Guettel (The Light in the Piazza, Floyd Collins); the composer/librettist team of Jeanine Tesori and Tony Kushner (Caroline, or Change and the new adaptation of Brecht's Mother Courage starring Meryl Streep currently playing in Central Park); and renowned folk-pop singer/male diva/opera queen Rufus Wainwright.
Among other upcoming Met projects involving theater luminaries are a new production of Tosca for fall 2009 directed by former New York Shakespeare Festival head George C. Wolfe; a Carmen for that same season directed by Richard Eyre (former head of Great Britain's Royal National Theatre), cheoreographed by Matthew Bourne (best known for his Swan Lake with male swans) and starring Angela Gheorghiu; and a new Wagner Ring cycle for 2010-11 staged by director/filmmaker/auteur Robert Lepage.
The Met's 2006-07 season opens on Monday, September 25, with a new production of Madama Butterfly directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Anthony Minghella. Cristina Gallardo-Domâs, Marcello Giordani and Dwayne Croft star; Asher Fisch conducts; the run continues with 11 more performances through November 18.
August 15, 2006
The Metropolitan Opera has commissioned a new opera from composer/jazz powerhouse Wynton Marsalis and award-winning playwright John Guare. The project was revealed during an interview Met general manager Peter Gelb gave to Playbill.com yesterday.
The venture is in its earliest stages, so no subject or working title has yet been chosen and no anticipated completion date has yet been set, according to a Met spokesperson.
Marsalis is, of course, a world-renowned trumpeter and bandleader; he is the founding artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center and music director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. He plays classical as well as jazz trumpet and has made several classical recordings, including a best-selling disc of duets with soprano Kathleen Battle. Among Marsalis's classical compositions are the chamber works At the Octoroon Balls and A Fiddler's Tale (a response to Stravinsky's L'Histoire du soldat), both co-commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; the orchestral score Them Twos, written for New York City Ballet; and the oratorio All Rise for big band, gospel choir and symphony orchestra, premiered by Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic.
Guare, winner of the Tony, Obie, Drama Desk, Olivier and many other awards and honors, is the author of, among other plays, Six Degrees of Separation, House of Blue Leaves, Bosoms and Neglect, Four Baboons Adoring the Sun, Marco Polo Sings a Solo and Lydie Breeze. While he wrote the libretto for the 1972 musical version of Two Gentlemen of Verona, this will be his first opera text.
The Marsalis/Guare commission is part of Gelb's endeavor to increase collaboration between the Metropolitan Opera and the vibrant New York theater scene — and to acquaint drama lovers with the theatrical power opera can offer. The centerpiece of that effort is a long-term collaboration with Lincoln Center Theater on a series of projects that, depending on how they develop, could end up as large-scale operas, chamber operas or serious musicals seen on either company's stage. Among the other participants in this project are composer Jake Heggie, who has already written the operas Dead Man Walking and The End of the Affair; Michael John LaChiusa, who has written music and text of both musicals (The Wild Party, Hello Again, Bernarda Alba) and operas (Lovers and Friends (Chautauqua Variations) and Send (who are you? i love you), which premiered at Houston Grand Opera earlier this year with Audra McDonald); music theater composer Adam Guettel (The Light in the Piazza, Floyd Collins); the composer/librettist team of Jeanine Tesori and Tony Kushner (Caroline, or Change and the new adaptation of Brecht's Mother Courage starring Meryl Streep currently playing in Central Park); and renowned folk-pop singer/male diva/opera queen Rufus Wainwright.
Among other upcoming Met projects involving theater luminaries are a new production of Tosca for fall 2009 directed by former New York Shakespeare Festival head George C. Wolfe; a Carmen for that same season directed by Richard Eyre (former head of Great Britain's Royal National Theatre), cheoreographed by Matthew Bourne (best known for his Swan Lake with male swans) and starring Angela Gheorghiu; and a new Wagner Ring cycle for 2010-11 staged by director/filmmaker/auteur Robert Lepage.
The Met's 2006-07 season opens on Monday, September 25, with a new production of Madama Butterfly directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Anthony Minghella. Cristina Gallardo-Domâs, Marcello Giordani and Dwayne Croft star; Asher Fisch conducts; the run continues with 11 more performances through November 18.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Jazz Trumpet Lesson #1
As an improviser, one of my main goals is to be able to play what I hear immediately. This is the basis of my improvisation education.
An improviser is a type of composer. One of the most important things a composer/improviser can do is to listen to as much music as possible and learn how to translate what he or she hears into a performance or composition. This will help immensely when one attempts to translate one's own ideas into a performance or composition.
You can start to develop your translating abilities by mimicking recorded sounds that are easy to recognize, such as major scales or blues scales.
Your first assignment is to learn and perform as little as two or as many as all choruses of Miles Davis' solo on "Trane's Blues" by listening to the recording, on the CD Workin'. If you do not have this recording, please purchase it here.
Miles uses notes from the C major scale and the C blues scale throughout.
C Major: C D E F G A B C
C Blues: C Eb F F# G Bb C
Listen carefully to each phrase as many times as needed. Practice each phrase on your instrument and then play along with Miles. Try to mimic everything exactly as Miles plays it -the rhythm, articulation, style, dynamics, everything. Do not worry about writing anything down. It is more important to listen and play back at this point.
If this solo is too difficult for you, please try learning the melody "Sonnymoon for Two" by Sonny Rollins. The CD, "The Best of Sonny Rollins" on Blue Note has a good recording of this as well as others. The melody is mostly a decending blues scale (minus one note) and repeats itself three times. Please do not use written music (you must rely upon your ears).
Have fun and please share your comments below.
An improviser is a type of composer. One of the most important things a composer/improviser can do is to listen to as much music as possible and learn how to translate what he or she hears into a performance or composition. This will help immensely when one attempts to translate one's own ideas into a performance or composition.
You can start to develop your translating abilities by mimicking recorded sounds that are easy to recognize, such as major scales or blues scales.
Your first assignment is to learn and perform as little as two or as many as all choruses of Miles Davis' solo on "Trane's Blues" by listening to the recording, on the CD Workin'. If you do not have this recording, please purchase it here.
Miles uses notes from the C major scale and the C blues scale throughout.
C Major: C D E F G A B C
C Blues: C Eb F F# G Bb C
Listen carefully to each phrase as many times as needed. Practice each phrase on your instrument and then play along with Miles. Try to mimic everything exactly as Miles plays it -the rhythm, articulation, style, dynamics, everything. Do not worry about writing anything down. It is more important to listen and play back at this point.
If this solo is too difficult for you, please try learning the melody "Sonnymoon for Two" by Sonny Rollins. The CD, "The Best of Sonny Rollins" on Blue Note has a good recording of this as well as others. The melody is mostly a decending blues scale (minus one note) and repeats itself three times. Please do not use written music (you must rely upon your ears).
Have fun and please share your comments below.
FESTIVAL VANCOUVER MAINSTAGE SERIES
ARTURO SANDOVAL (Afro-Cuban jazz-trumpet legend) performs with Orquesta Goma Dura Aug. 13, 8 pm, Orpheum Theatre (603 Smithe), tix $29-59
Thursday, August 10, 2006
IRVIN MAYFIELD Tour information
Grammy nominee and DownBeat Critic's Poll Winner
IRVIN MAYFIELD (with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra unless otherwise noted)
9/9/06 Orono, ME TBA
9/14/06 Ames, IA TBA
9/15/06 Grinnel, IA TBA
9/16/06 Bloomington, IL TBA
10/20/06 Ithaca, NY TBA
10/21/06 Utica, NY TBA
10/24/06 Kerrville, TX
10/26/06 Tyler, TX TBA
10/27/06 Richardson, TX TBA
10/29/06 Lafayette, LA TBA
11/2/06 Springfield, MO TBA
11/4/06 New Orleans, LA PRIVATE (Quintet)
11/25/06 Newark, NJ NJPAC
1/22/07 Hays, KS TBA
1/31/07 Lebanon, IL TBA
2/1/07 Cincinnati, OH TBA
2/2/07 Indianapolis, IN TBA
2/3/07 Notre Dame, IN TBA
2/6/07 Stuart, FL TBA
2/7/07 Palm Beach, FL TBA
2/8/07 Miami, FL TBA
2/25/07 Torrance, CA TBA
3/2/07 Houston, TX TBA
3/6/07 Naples, FL TBA
3/10/07 Charleston, SC TBA
3/13/07 Charlottesville, VA TBA
3/16/07 Philadelphia, PA TBA
4/25/07 Palo Alto, CA TBA
4/26/07 Los Angeles, CA TBA
4/27/06 Santa Barbara, CA TBA
IRVIN MAYFIELD (with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra unless otherwise noted)
9/9/06 Orono, ME TBA
9/14/06 Ames, IA TBA
9/15/06 Grinnel, IA TBA
9/16/06 Bloomington, IL TBA
10/20/06 Ithaca, NY TBA
10/21/06 Utica, NY TBA
10/24/06 Kerrville, TX
10/26/06 Tyler, TX TBA
10/27/06 Richardson, TX TBA
10/29/06 Lafayette, LA TBA
11/2/06 Springfield, MO TBA
11/4/06 New Orleans, LA PRIVATE (Quintet)
11/25/06 Newark, NJ NJPAC
1/22/07 Hays, KS TBA
1/31/07 Lebanon, IL TBA
2/1/07 Cincinnati, OH TBA
2/2/07 Indianapolis, IN TBA
2/3/07 Notre Dame, IN TBA
2/6/07 Stuart, FL TBA
2/7/07 Palm Beach, FL TBA
2/8/07 Miami, FL TBA
2/25/07 Torrance, CA TBA
3/2/07 Houston, TX TBA
3/6/07 Naples, FL TBA
3/10/07 Charleston, SC TBA
3/13/07 Charlottesville, VA TBA
3/16/07 Philadelphia, PA TBA
4/25/07 Palo Alto, CA TBA
4/26/07 Los Angeles, CA TBA
4/27/06 Santa Barbara, CA TBA
Jazz on the Terrace - Dizzy Atmosphere
Thursday, Friday & Saturday, August 10, 11 & 12. Pasadena Museum of California Art, 490 East Union Street
Tickets $35. (626) 398.3344, www.pasjazz.org.
On loan from the Count Basie Orchestra, trumpet great William “Scotty” Barnhart brings the music of Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and Dizzy Gillespie together tocelebrate the publication of his new book, “The World of Jazz Trumpet.”
Tickets $35. (626) 398.3344, www.pasjazz.org.
On loan from the Count Basie Orchestra, trumpet great William “Scotty” Barnhart brings the music of Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and Dizzy Gillespie together tocelebrate the publication of his new book, “The World of Jazz Trumpet.”
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Recommended Recordings
Study In Brown by Clifford Brown
Kind of Blue by Miles Davis
Hub Tones by Freddie Hubbard
Hot Fives & Sevens by Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong - Verve Jazz Masters by Louis Armstrong
Eternal Triangle by Dizzy Gillespie
Sidewinder by Lee Morgan
Caravan by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
Roy & Diz by Dizzy Gillespie and Roy Eldridge
TrumpetJazz.com
Welcome to trumpetjazz.com!
The website is undergoing some changes. We have lost the bulletin board where you all conversed about trumpet topics, but hopefully in the near future that kind of fun-ctionality will return.
Until then, new articles should appear regularly on this site. I hope you will find them to be worth reading.
The website is undergoing some changes. We have lost the bulletin board where you all conversed about trumpet topics, but hopefully in the near future that kind of fun-ctionality will return.
Until then, new articles should appear regularly on this site. I hope you will find them to be worth reading.
With horn in hand, Jon Faddis is back in jazz's forefront
By Bill Beuttler, Globe Correspondent
Jon Faddis seems to spend more time directing orchestras these days than he does playing trumpet. Which makes the release this summer of his album "Teranga" -- and the tour supporting it that will bring him to Scullers tomorrow and Friday -- something special.
Faddis, 53, burst onto the jazz scene nearly 35 years ago and was hailed as a second coming of Dizzy Gillespie. He was a just-out-of-high-school kid who joined phenomenal technique with an amiable, audience-friendly personality. No less an authority than Gillespie himself declared Faddis "the best ever -- including me!"
Faddis's trumpeting is no less phenomenal now, but his directing various large ensembles -- he currently leads the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble -- limits his opportunities to show it off.
"As my wife tends to remind me," Faddis says during a recent tour stop in Atlanta, "one of the things that I do when I'm leading a big band is I tend to shine the spotlight on other members, more so than myself."
Faddis is far more comfortable in the spotlight now than he used to be. After roaring through apprenticeships in the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra and groups led by Lionel Hampton, Charles Mingus, and Gil Evans, Faddis spent most of his 20s supporting himself as a studio musician. This was in the late '70s and early '80s, a period in which work was scarce for most young straight-ahead jazz players. But Faddis says he could have been an exception.
"I was actually approached by [legendary producer] Norman Granz to put together a group and to go on the road," Faddis says. "But I think more than anything it was my own fear -- or fears, plural -- that kept me from going out and getting my own group and trying to live up to all of the pressures I felt at the time of being the next trumpet player. And studio music was, I guess, a pretty convenient escape from that."
So instead of taking on the role Wynton Marsalis would assume a few years later -- the young man with the horn calling people back to undiluted jazz -- Faddis began popping up in low-profile roles on high-profile albums by the likes of Frank Sinatra, the Rolling Stones, Luther Vandross, and Billy Joel, among many others. His horn was heard, too, on "The Cosby Show" theme, the soundtracks to the Clint Eastwood films "The Gauntlet" and "Bird " and on countless commercials.
A White House appearance with Gillespie in 1982 brought Faddis's attention back to live performance and, within a year, he was leading a combo that included saxophonist Greg Osby and pianist James Williams. His work leading big bands began with a celebration of Gillespie's 70th birthday in 1987, which eventually led to a decade-long run leading the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, the group that in 2003 evolved into the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra.
Faddis maintained a quartet all along. For the past several years it's consisted of pianist David Hazeltine, bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa, and drummer Dion Parson. But he hasn't put out an album with one since 1991. The decision to shift gears and record "Teranga", Faddis says, is "not a conscious move to do more small-group playing, but it's a more conscious move to do something in my own direction, do more of my own music."
Hazeltine, for one, is glad to see Faddis doing so. "I've always encouraged him to play his original material," says Hazeltine, who's been playing with Faddis for about a decade. "He's got a lot of great compositions lying around."
All but one tune on the new disc are written by Faddis. They include a graceful waltz dedicated to jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker and his ongoing struggle against a life-threatening illness ("Waltz for My Fathers & Brothers"), a song paying tribute via high-note trumpet pyrotechnics to "some very, very important women in [Faddis's] life" ("The Hunters & Gatherers"), a bebop burner honoring Faddis pal and pianist Kenny Barron ("The Baron"), a ballad with guest guitarist Russell Malone celebrating Faddis's wife ("Laurelyn"), and a blues, featuring the comic mumbling of guest trumpeter Clark Terry ("The Fibble-Ow Blues").
Guest percussionists Abdou M'boup and Alioune Faye join the quartet for the album's West African-accented title track, whose meaning Faddis finds particularly significant.
"It's more than just a word," he explains. "It's a Senegalese way of life. It's sort of, I guess, a great manifestation of the golden rule. It's something started by the mothers in Senegal, ensuring that their children will not ever be without, or wanting. And the way it works is that if strangers come and ask for a favor or anything, you take them in and treat them as family. And that will ensure that when their children are somewhere else, they can be taken in and treated as family."
Jon Faddis seems to spend more time directing orchestras these days than he does playing trumpet. Which makes the release this summer of his album "Teranga" -- and the tour supporting it that will bring him to Scullers tomorrow and Friday -- something special.
Faddis, 53, burst onto the jazz scene nearly 35 years ago and was hailed as a second coming of Dizzy Gillespie. He was a just-out-of-high-school kid who joined phenomenal technique with an amiable, audience-friendly personality. No less an authority than Gillespie himself declared Faddis "the best ever -- including me!"
Faddis's trumpeting is no less phenomenal now, but his directing various large ensembles -- he currently leads the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble -- limits his opportunities to show it off.
"As my wife tends to remind me," Faddis says during a recent tour stop in Atlanta, "one of the things that I do when I'm leading a big band is I tend to shine the spotlight on other members, more so than myself."
Faddis is far more comfortable in the spotlight now than he used to be. After roaring through apprenticeships in the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra and groups led by Lionel Hampton, Charles Mingus, and Gil Evans, Faddis spent most of his 20s supporting himself as a studio musician. This was in the late '70s and early '80s, a period in which work was scarce for most young straight-ahead jazz players. But Faddis says he could have been an exception.
"I was actually approached by [legendary producer] Norman Granz to put together a group and to go on the road," Faddis says. "But I think more than anything it was my own fear -- or fears, plural -- that kept me from going out and getting my own group and trying to live up to all of the pressures I felt at the time of being the next trumpet player. And studio music was, I guess, a pretty convenient escape from that."
So instead of taking on the role Wynton Marsalis would assume a few years later -- the young man with the horn calling people back to undiluted jazz -- Faddis began popping up in low-profile roles on high-profile albums by the likes of Frank Sinatra, the Rolling Stones, Luther Vandross, and Billy Joel, among many others. His horn was heard, too, on "The Cosby Show" theme, the soundtracks to the Clint Eastwood films "The Gauntlet" and "Bird " and on countless commercials.
A White House appearance with Gillespie in 1982 brought Faddis's attention back to live performance and, within a year, he was leading a combo that included saxophonist Greg Osby and pianist James Williams. His work leading big bands began with a celebration of Gillespie's 70th birthday in 1987, which eventually led to a decade-long run leading the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, the group that in 2003 evolved into the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra.
Faddis maintained a quartet all along. For the past several years it's consisted of pianist David Hazeltine, bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa, and drummer Dion Parson. But he hasn't put out an album with one since 1991. The decision to shift gears and record "Teranga", Faddis says, is "not a conscious move to do more small-group playing, but it's a more conscious move to do something in my own direction, do more of my own music."
Hazeltine, for one, is glad to see Faddis doing so. "I've always encouraged him to play his original material," says Hazeltine, who's been playing with Faddis for about a decade. "He's got a lot of great compositions lying around."
All but one tune on the new disc are written by Faddis. They include a graceful waltz dedicated to jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker and his ongoing struggle against a life-threatening illness ("Waltz for My Fathers & Brothers"), a song paying tribute via high-note trumpet pyrotechnics to "some very, very important women in [Faddis's] life" ("The Hunters & Gatherers"), a bebop burner honoring Faddis pal and pianist Kenny Barron ("The Baron"), a ballad with guest guitarist Russell Malone celebrating Faddis's wife ("Laurelyn"), and a blues, featuring the comic mumbling of guest trumpeter Clark Terry ("The Fibble-Ow Blues").
Guest percussionists Abdou M'boup and Alioune Faye join the quartet for the album's West African-accented title track, whose meaning Faddis finds particularly significant.
"It's more than just a word," he explains. "It's a Senegalese way of life. It's sort of, I guess, a great manifestation of the golden rule. It's something started by the mothers in Senegal, ensuring that their children will not ever be without, or wanting. And the way it works is that if strangers come and ask for a favor or anything, you take them in and treat them as family. And that will ensure that when their children are somewhere else, they can be taken in and treated as family."
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Hurricane-hit New Orleans celebrates Satchmo's birthday
NEW ORLEANS - Trumpets wailed and tubas boomed as New Orleanians danced in the streets on Sunday, on a weekend celebrating jazz great Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong's birthday and praying for the return of musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
"Without Louis Armstrong, we wouldn't really have a clue. He gave us a foundation," said Troy Andrews, known as 'Trombone Shorty', but whose trumpet solos brought down the house during a jazz mass at St. Augustine Catholic Church in the historic Treme neighbourhood near the French Quarter.
The service began with a call to prayer for musicians not yet home. Trumpeter Lionel Ferbos, 95, who had met Louis Armstrong, played with 20-year-old Andrews, testifying to both the history and staying power of jazz in the city.
Armstrong was an international hit playing jazz trumpet and singing hits such as What a Wonderful World and Hello Dolly.
Many New Orleans musicians still revere Armstrong, who was born August 4, 1901 but celebrated his birthday on July 4. He died on July 6, 1971. This year he would have been 105.
Musicians strive to make ends meet after Katrina because housing is scarce and expensive, and many smaller music clubs have closed. The storm killed 1,339, according to the National Hurricane Centre, and flooded 80 per cent of New Orleans.
"It's terrible right now because all of the musicians are scattered around the United States," said Ferbos.
That may not be apparent to tourists ambling through the French Quarter, where musicians play at all hours on the streets, and in bars and hotels.
During the weekend "Satchmo" festival, tents popped up at the French Market. Favourites such as Trombone Shorty and singer Charmaine Neville worked from wrought iron balconies on nearby Frenchman Street.
Morgan Clevenger, founder of the New Orleans Jazz Legacy Foundation, said the city had begun to appreciate Armstrong in the last few years but needed to work harder to preserve his legacy. "I celebrate Louis Armstrong any day of the week," she said.
Vocalist John Boutte, listening to the mass, said that despite the city's continued struggle, jazz musicians had to return.
"New Orleans is a power spot. I've been all over the world, but like Dorothy says, there's no place like home," he said.
- REUTERS
"Without Louis Armstrong, we wouldn't really have a clue. He gave us a foundation," said Troy Andrews, known as 'Trombone Shorty', but whose trumpet solos brought down the house during a jazz mass at St. Augustine Catholic Church in the historic Treme neighbourhood near the French Quarter.
The service began with a call to prayer for musicians not yet home. Trumpeter Lionel Ferbos, 95, who had met Louis Armstrong, played with 20-year-old Andrews, testifying to both the history and staying power of jazz in the city.
Armstrong was an international hit playing jazz trumpet and singing hits such as What a Wonderful World and Hello Dolly.
Many New Orleans musicians still revere Armstrong, who was born August 4, 1901 but celebrated his birthday on July 4. He died on July 6, 1971. This year he would have been 105.
Musicians strive to make ends meet after Katrina because housing is scarce and expensive, and many smaller music clubs have closed. The storm killed 1,339, according to the National Hurricane Centre, and flooded 80 per cent of New Orleans.
"It's terrible right now because all of the musicians are scattered around the United States," said Ferbos.
That may not be apparent to tourists ambling through the French Quarter, where musicians play at all hours on the streets, and in bars and hotels.
During the weekend "Satchmo" festival, tents popped up at the French Market. Favourites such as Trombone Shorty and singer Charmaine Neville worked from wrought iron balconies on nearby Frenchman Street.
Morgan Clevenger, founder of the New Orleans Jazz Legacy Foundation, said the city had begun to appreciate Armstrong in the last few years but needed to work harder to preserve his legacy. "I celebrate Louis Armstrong any day of the week," she said.
Vocalist John Boutte, listening to the mass, said that despite the city's continued struggle, jazz musicians had to return.
"New Orleans is a power spot. I've been all over the world, but like Dorothy says, there's no place like home," he said.
- REUTERS
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Jazz festival coming up; duck into right businesses for free tickets
BY KIMBERLY JACOBSON - Anacortes American staff writer
Duck Severinsen is hiding out around town for the next seven weeks in preparation for the third annual Anacortes Jazz Festival.
The little yellow duck featuring cool shades is named after Doc Severinsen, a jazz trumpet player and former music director of “The Tonight Show.”
Clues posted on the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce Web site (www.anacortes.org) Wednesday mornings Aug. 2 through Sept. 13 will lead you to a local business.
The first five people to pick up a duck at the correct business and bring it to the chamber office by the end of the week get a free ticket to the Jazz Festival on Curtis Wharf.
Stephanie Hamilton, chamber events coordinator, said they want to encourage people to check out local businesses while promoting the festival.
“I really want our own community to be excited about it,” she said.
She said the focus is to bring in not only people from Anacortes, but also fill the hotels with tourists.
“Our goal is still to have this festival be a huge regional draw,” Hamilton said.
If you’re not one of the 35 lucky winners, you can purchase tickets to the festival online or at the chamber office.
Visit www.anacortes.org and click on the Jazz Festival link.
The opening gala dinner and concert is at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15. Cost is $45.
The event features the Dena DeRose Trio. Dena DeRose is a dynamic vocalist and assertive, swinging pianist whose talents and style have launched her into a position of international acclaim in the jazz world.
All About Jazz named her Jazz Artist of the Year in 2003 and Cadence Magazine awarded her Album of the Year and Best Vocal Jazz Album for two of her five released CDs.
The Festival on the Wharf is from 11:30 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 for $25 and from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 for $20.
Both days are at Curtis Wharf.
A two-day pass is $37. With a student ID, cost is $10 per day.
A Gospel Brunch will be from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 at the Port Warehouse, featuring Debbie Cavitt. Cost is $27.
A full package is $99 and includes the opening gala dinner and concert, Saturday and Sunday at Curtis Wharf and the Sunday Gospel Brunch.
Other performers include: Garfield High School Jazz Combo, Clarence Acox Quintet with Bernie Jacobs, Dillinger’s Clambake, Thomas Marriott’s Willie Nelson Project, the Trish Hatley Quintet and the Eric Madis Swing Trio.
For a complete schedule visit the chamber Web site.
Volunteers are still needed for the event.
Call the chamber at 293-7911.
Duck Severinsen is hiding out around town for the next seven weeks in preparation for the third annual Anacortes Jazz Festival.
The little yellow duck featuring cool shades is named after Doc Severinsen, a jazz trumpet player and former music director of “The Tonight Show.”
Clues posted on the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce Web site (www.anacortes.org) Wednesday mornings Aug. 2 through Sept. 13 will lead you to a local business.
The first five people to pick up a duck at the correct business and bring it to the chamber office by the end of the week get a free ticket to the Jazz Festival on Curtis Wharf.
Stephanie Hamilton, chamber events coordinator, said they want to encourage people to check out local businesses while promoting the festival.
“I really want our own community to be excited about it,” she said.
She said the focus is to bring in not only people from Anacortes, but also fill the hotels with tourists.
“Our goal is still to have this festival be a huge regional draw,” Hamilton said.
If you’re not one of the 35 lucky winners, you can purchase tickets to the festival online or at the chamber office.
Visit www.anacortes.org and click on the Jazz Festival link.
The opening gala dinner and concert is at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15. Cost is $45.
The event features the Dena DeRose Trio. Dena DeRose is a dynamic vocalist and assertive, swinging pianist whose talents and style have launched her into a position of international acclaim in the jazz world.
All About Jazz named her Jazz Artist of the Year in 2003 and Cadence Magazine awarded her Album of the Year and Best Vocal Jazz Album for two of her five released CDs.
The Festival on the Wharf is from 11:30 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 for $25 and from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 for $20.
Both days are at Curtis Wharf.
A two-day pass is $37. With a student ID, cost is $10 per day.
A Gospel Brunch will be from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 at the Port Warehouse, featuring Debbie Cavitt. Cost is $27.
A full package is $99 and includes the opening gala dinner and concert, Saturday and Sunday at Curtis Wharf and the Sunday Gospel Brunch.
Other performers include: Garfield High School Jazz Combo, Clarence Acox Quintet with Bernie Jacobs, Dillinger’s Clambake, Thomas Marriott’s Willie Nelson Project, the Trish Hatley Quintet and the Eric Madis Swing Trio.
For a complete schedule visit the chamber Web site.
Volunteers are still needed for the event.
Call the chamber at 293-7911.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Musician Strays from Jazz for Iraqi Musical Tradition
by Joel Rose
Amir ElSaffar put his New York City jazz club career on hold four years ago. ElSaffar, an Iraqi-American, put down the trumpet to learn the centuries-old singing style known as maqam. He has now released his own CD of maqam and is writing music that blends the form with jazz.
ElSaffar traveled to Baghdad and London to study what some call the classical music of Iraq from the masters. Before that, Iraqi music was not a big part of his life. He grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and jazz was his first love. After studying classical and jazz trumpet in college, he moved to New York City and worked as a sideman for pianist Cecil Taylor and others. He also led a band of his own.
Iraqi maqam is a repertoire of melodies -- some of them dating to ancient times -- that fit together into larger compositions. Texts range from secular poetry to Sufi mysticism. The complex improvisations and vocal flourishes can take years to master.
ElSaffar was curious enough about Middle Eastern music to attend a workshop in Massachusetts in 2001. "They were talking about Egyptian music or Syrian music or Lebanese music," ElSaffar says. "I was thinking, 'OK, where's the Iraqi tradition?' I learned it was in many ways a vastly different tradition than what is found in the rest of the rest of the Arab world."
Using $10,000 he had won in a trumpet competition, ElSaffar sought musical teaching in Baghdad (he left a few months before the U.S. invasion in 2003) and Europe. He learned how to play the santur, a traditional hammered dulcimer, and how to sing dozens of maqams.
ElSaffar released his first CD of maqam in June, and has been performing the music in the United States for audiences that include a lot of Iraqi expatriates. ElSaffar says he's been amazed at the emotional response the music can generate.
" I've seen people get teary-eyed," he says. "I've seen people cry at performances. People come up to me and say it's brought them back to Baghdad. They can just feel the energy of the place again."
Now, ElSaffar is trying to combine that energy with his first love. He is writing and performing music that combines elements of maqam and jazz.
Amir ElSaffar and his band played his composition Two Rivers for the first time this spring in Philadelphia. There will be another performance in October during the Festival of New Trumpet Music in New York City. But first, ElSaffar is spending the summer in Europe, continuing his education.
Joel Rose reports from WHYY in Philadelphia.
Amir ElSaffar put his New York City jazz club career on hold four years ago. ElSaffar, an Iraqi-American, put down the trumpet to learn the centuries-old singing style known as maqam. He has now released his own CD of maqam and is writing music that blends the form with jazz.
ElSaffar traveled to Baghdad and London to study what some call the classical music of Iraq from the masters. Before that, Iraqi music was not a big part of his life. He grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and jazz was his first love. After studying classical and jazz trumpet in college, he moved to New York City and worked as a sideman for pianist Cecil Taylor and others. He also led a band of his own.
Iraqi maqam is a repertoire of melodies -- some of them dating to ancient times -- that fit together into larger compositions. Texts range from secular poetry to Sufi mysticism. The complex improvisations and vocal flourishes can take years to master.
ElSaffar was curious enough about Middle Eastern music to attend a workshop in Massachusetts in 2001. "They were talking about Egyptian music or Syrian music or Lebanese music," ElSaffar says. "I was thinking, 'OK, where's the Iraqi tradition?' I learned it was in many ways a vastly different tradition than what is found in the rest of the rest of the Arab world."
Using $10,000 he had won in a trumpet competition, ElSaffar sought musical teaching in Baghdad (he left a few months before the U.S. invasion in 2003) and Europe. He learned how to play the santur, a traditional hammered dulcimer, and how to sing dozens of maqams.
ElSaffar released his first CD of maqam in June, and has been performing the music in the United States for audiences that include a lot of Iraqi expatriates. ElSaffar says he's been amazed at the emotional response the music can generate.
" I've seen people get teary-eyed," he says. "I've seen people cry at performances. People come up to me and say it's brought them back to Baghdad. They can just feel the energy of the place again."
Now, ElSaffar is trying to combine that energy with his first love. He is writing and performing music that combines elements of maqam and jazz.
Amir ElSaffar and his band played his composition Two Rivers for the first time this spring in Philadelphia. There will be another performance in October during the Festival of New Trumpet Music in New York City. But first, ElSaffar is spending the summer in Europe, continuing his education.
Joel Rose reports from WHYY in Philadelphia.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Malachi Thompson: 1949-2006
As posted on "All About Jazz"
Delmark Records has very sad news to report as our long time Delmark family friend and musician, Malachi Thompson, passed away yesterday morning at home, July 16th, 2006. Malachi (1949-2006) was a beautiful soul and an extremely kind man and will be dearly missed by so many people whose lives he has positively touched. Malachi was a brilliant trumpet player and composer, writer and jazz historian, and a highly influential advocate for jazz and arts education. As part of the 2nd generation of AACM, Malachi Thompson is best known for his innovative approach in combining free jazz with the discipline of bop and the emotion of the blues and gospel. Malachi sadly passed away from leukemia, which had been in remission for almost 20 years. Just like his main musical heroes, Coltrane and Lester Bowie, Malachi was more than a musician, but a musician with vision and purpose. Malachi's band Africa Brass with Billy Harper will be performing in a tribute to Malachi Thompson at the world famous Chicago Jazz Festival on Friday, Sept 1, 2006 from 6- 7 pm at the Petrillo Main Stage. This will be a special tribute and very moving performance. I know Malachi was looking forward greatly to this anticipated event.
No other details about Malachi's memorial service are announced at this point.
”Jazz is the music of freedom.” - Malachi Thompson “In my reality, time moves in one direction, ever forward. I've got to live and create in the present in order to shape the future. I hope I can maintain the imagination and the chops to keep pushing the boundaries of jazz trumpet.” - Malachi from Delmark's “Timeline” liners.
Biography
Delmark recording artist Malachi Thompson was a composer, band leader, trumpet soloist, artist, teacher and arts activist. Born in Princeton, Kentucky on August 21, 1949, Thompson's jazz roots are on Chicago's South Side. In 1968, he joined the influential Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) playing the music of Henry Threadgill and Richard Muhal Abrams. He also became a member of Dr. M.L. King's Operation Breadbasket Orchestra, the musical arm of SCLC in 1968, working for civil rights for African Americans. In 1974, after completing work for a degree in Music Composition, Thompson was encouraged to move to NYC by jazz legend Art Blakey. While in NYC, Thompson performed with many of the greatest names in jazz: Joe Henderson, Sam Wooding, Jackie McLean, Frank Foster, Leon Thomas, Sam Rivers, Lester Bowie, and Archie Shepp to name a few. In 1978, he formed the highly acclaimed Freebop Band. After 10 years in NYC, he moved to Washington DC and later Vienna, Austria performing and composing for various bands.
In 1989, Thompson was diagnosed with cancer and returned to his native Chicago. After his recovery, he became an outspoken advocate for jazz and arts education. He is also a published writer and jazz historian. He often performs or serves as an artist in residence in Chicago's public schools. He conducts master classes, jazz workshops and lectures on all things jazz at colleges and universities nationwide.
In 1991, Mr. Thompson founded the Sutherland Community Arts Initiative (SCAI), a not for profit 501 (c)3 arts and arts education presenting organization on Chicago's South Side. As a member of S C A I, Mr. Thompson helped found and establish the Hyde Park /Kenwood J A A Z Festival, The Visiting Jazz Artists Program and “Creativity” magazine. In 1994 Thompson helped develop the cultural component of the award winning proposal to HUD that brought 8 million dollars in federal Empowerment Zone (EZ) funds to cultural institutions in Chicago's EZ communities.
In 1997, Thompson's Freebop Band recorded “47th Street” for Delmark Records featuring original music from the play The Sutherland, written by playwright Charles Smith and based partly on Mr. Thompson's life and struggles to overcome cancer. The Sutherland had a successful 6-week run at Victory Gardens Theater in the fall of 1997 and won the Illinois Arts Council's New Play Award. Thompson's original music from The Sutherland won the prestigious Jeff award (the equivalent of a Tony in NYC). “47th Street” was selected as jazz record of the year by the “Chicago Sun- Times” and made it to the top ten of the CMJ national jazz charts. Thompson's recordings consistently track high on jazz radio charts indicating substantial national airplay. Thompson's 8th CD for Delmark Records, “Rising Daystar” (featuring Gary Bartz) was released October 1999 was charted at #4 on “Jazziz” radio charts. Over the past 25 years, Thompson's Freebop Band has featured jazz masters like Carter Jefferson, Billy Harper, Joe Ford, Albert Dailey, George Adams and David Murray. Recently, Thompson scored the sound track for the PBS documentary “Remembering 47th Street,” which won an Emmy for Best Documentary in 2001. In 2003, Thompson received a commission from Chamber Music America to compose new works to commemorate the band's 25th Anniversary.
In 1991, Thompson created Africa Brass, a thirteen piece brass ensemble as a larger vehicle for his original compositions. Africa Brass was inspired by the traditional brass bands that became popular around the turn of the century in New Orleans. However Africa Brass is no re-creation, but a logical extension of the brass band tradition that combines big band jazz with Afro-Cuban music forms. Africa Brass has three highly acclaimed CDs on Delmark, including “Lift Every Voice” and ”Buddy Bolden's Rag” featuring special guest soloist Lester Bowie. In 2002 Africa Brass received a grant from the Aaron Copland Fund to record Thompson's “Black Metropolis Suite” and “Blues For A Saint Called Louis.” These new works were released in November 2003 on the Delmark Records CD, “Blue Jazz,” featuring Gary Bartz and Billy Harper. The CD peaked at #2 on CMJ's Jazz Chart and received worldwide critical acclaim.
In 1995 Thompson was selected as an Arts Midwest Jazz Master. Thompson was also selected as a “Chicagoan of the Year” in 1996 by the “Chicago Tribune” for his efforts to bring jazz back to the South Side of Chicago. In 1997 Thompson was honored by the Chicago Endowment for the Arts for his arts activism. Mr. Thompson's trumpet playing has been recognized in “DownBeat” magazine's annual International Critic's Poll. Mr. Thompson is featured on 29 recordings of which thirteen he is the featured artist. Thompson has performed in over 15 countries around the world and in 22 states across the U.S. In June 1998 Thompson's Freebop Band performed at the St. Louis International Jazz Festival in Senegal, West Africa sponsored by the United States Information Agency. Thompson composed two new compositions for the performance. Thompson is known in international jazz circles for his exciting, innovative music and as a leading exponent of Chicago jazz.
For more information about Malachi Thompson reference these publications: All Music Guide to Jazz; The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz by L. Feather and I. Gitler; The Blackwell Guide to Recorded Jazz (2nd Edition); Music Hound: The Essential Album Guide; The Penguin Guide to Jazz (4th Edition); Gramophone Jazz: Good CD Guide and The Jazz Scene by Royal Stokes. Search the internet under Malachi Thompson or Freebop or www.delmark.com
Discography on Delmark
1) TIMELINE (1972-1988) 2000 DE 421
2) SPIRIT (1984-1987) 1990 DE 442
3) THE JAZ LIFE 1991 DE 453
4) LIFT EVERY VOICE 1992 DE 463 *
5) NEW STANDARDS 1993 DE 473
6) BUDDY BOLDEN'S RAG 1995 DE 481 *
7) 47th STREET 1997 DE 497
8) FREEBOP NOW! 1998 DE 506
9) RISING DAYSTAR 1999 DE 518
10) TALKING HORNS 2001 DE 532
11) BLUE JAZZ 2003 DE 548 *
12) future Delmark release!
* with Africa Brass
Also featured on many more recordings, including Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Archie Shepp, Gil Scott-Heron, Quincy Jones.
MALACHI THOMPSON QUOTES
“...among the next wave of jazz innovation.” - Robert Palmer, New York Times
“...one of the ageless innovators of jazz...(Thompson has) a gift for conceiving arrangements and solos of stunning technical and emotional range.” - Reuben Jackson, Washington Post
“...universally recognized as one of Chicago's most innovative, insightful and colorful musicians.” - Arts Midwest
“...by choosing to advance jazz, both structurally and compositionally, rather than dwelling within the safe confines of bebop, Thompson has pushed jazz forward into the new millennium.” - Fred Jung, L.A. Jazz Scene “... (Thompson) demonstrates commitment to the proper historical development of jazz myth.” - John MacCalkies, New City
“...trumpeter Malachi Thompson long ago established himself as one of the more innovative composer-bandleaders in jazz.” - Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune “...a trumpet player who's racked up acclaim for his always innovative technique.” - Mike Breen, Cincinnati City Beat “...Thompson's trumpet styling recall a master whose approach has not been truly appreciated.” - Willard Jenkins Jazz Times THE FREEBOP BAND ”...Thompson leads his small band through some innovative turns on standards and originals.” - Rapport Magazine
“...Thompson's Freebop Band from Chicago begins about 10 steps ahead of most jazz ensembles.” -Lazaro Vega, Grand Rapids Press
“...as intellectually probing and viscerally exciting as anything in jazz today.” - Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
“...the group attempts to shatter, or more accurately, stretch the mainstream.” - Robert Goldblum, Richmond Times Dispatch
“...This is hard bop like it ought to be but is seldom heard.” - Village Voice
AFRICA BRASS ”...Outstanding originals range from New Orleans-style...to hard driving free-ism.” - Billboard Critic's Choice “...a book full of infectious and occasionally intoxicating arrangements.” - Neil Tesser, Playboy “...power and ingenuity.” - Bob Blumenthal, Boston Globe
“...There is the spirit of adventurousness that recalls the innovation of the Bebop era.” - Stereo Review
“...I dare say this group collectively will stand the test of time.” - Lofton Emenari, Hyde Park Citizen
Delmark Records has very sad news to report as our long time Delmark family friend and musician, Malachi Thompson, passed away yesterday morning at home, July 16th, 2006. Malachi (1949-2006) was a beautiful soul and an extremely kind man and will be dearly missed by so many people whose lives he has positively touched. Malachi was a brilliant trumpet player and composer, writer and jazz historian, and a highly influential advocate for jazz and arts education. As part of the 2nd generation of AACM, Malachi Thompson is best known for his innovative approach in combining free jazz with the discipline of bop and the emotion of the blues and gospel. Malachi sadly passed away from leukemia, which had been in remission for almost 20 years. Just like his main musical heroes, Coltrane and Lester Bowie, Malachi was more than a musician, but a musician with vision and purpose. Malachi's band Africa Brass with Billy Harper will be performing in a tribute to Malachi Thompson at the world famous Chicago Jazz Festival on Friday, Sept 1, 2006 from 6- 7 pm at the Petrillo Main Stage. This will be a special tribute and very moving performance. I know Malachi was looking forward greatly to this anticipated event.
No other details about Malachi's memorial service are announced at this point.
”Jazz is the music of freedom.” - Malachi Thompson “In my reality, time moves in one direction, ever forward. I've got to live and create in the present in order to shape the future. I hope I can maintain the imagination and the chops to keep pushing the boundaries of jazz trumpet.” - Malachi from Delmark's “Timeline” liners.
Biography
Delmark recording artist Malachi Thompson was a composer, band leader, trumpet soloist, artist, teacher and arts activist. Born in Princeton, Kentucky on August 21, 1949, Thompson's jazz roots are on Chicago's South Side. In 1968, he joined the influential Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) playing the music of Henry Threadgill and Richard Muhal Abrams. He also became a member of Dr. M.L. King's Operation Breadbasket Orchestra, the musical arm of SCLC in 1968, working for civil rights for African Americans. In 1974, after completing work for a degree in Music Composition, Thompson was encouraged to move to NYC by jazz legend Art Blakey. While in NYC, Thompson performed with many of the greatest names in jazz: Joe Henderson, Sam Wooding, Jackie McLean, Frank Foster, Leon Thomas, Sam Rivers, Lester Bowie, and Archie Shepp to name a few. In 1978, he formed the highly acclaimed Freebop Band. After 10 years in NYC, he moved to Washington DC and later Vienna, Austria performing and composing for various bands.
In 1989, Thompson was diagnosed with cancer and returned to his native Chicago. After his recovery, he became an outspoken advocate for jazz and arts education. He is also a published writer and jazz historian. He often performs or serves as an artist in residence in Chicago's public schools. He conducts master classes, jazz workshops and lectures on all things jazz at colleges and universities nationwide.
In 1991, Mr. Thompson founded the Sutherland Community Arts Initiative (SCAI), a not for profit 501 (c)3 arts and arts education presenting organization on Chicago's South Side. As a member of S C A I, Mr. Thompson helped found and establish the Hyde Park /Kenwood J A A Z Festival, The Visiting Jazz Artists Program and “Creativity” magazine. In 1994 Thompson helped develop the cultural component of the award winning proposal to HUD that brought 8 million dollars in federal Empowerment Zone (EZ) funds to cultural institutions in Chicago's EZ communities.
In 1997, Thompson's Freebop Band recorded “47th Street” for Delmark Records featuring original music from the play The Sutherland, written by playwright Charles Smith and based partly on Mr. Thompson's life and struggles to overcome cancer. The Sutherland had a successful 6-week run at Victory Gardens Theater in the fall of 1997 and won the Illinois Arts Council's New Play Award. Thompson's original music from The Sutherland won the prestigious Jeff award (the equivalent of a Tony in NYC). “47th Street” was selected as jazz record of the year by the “Chicago Sun- Times” and made it to the top ten of the CMJ national jazz charts. Thompson's recordings consistently track high on jazz radio charts indicating substantial national airplay. Thompson's 8th CD for Delmark Records, “Rising Daystar” (featuring Gary Bartz) was released October 1999 was charted at #4 on “Jazziz” radio charts. Over the past 25 years, Thompson's Freebop Band has featured jazz masters like Carter Jefferson, Billy Harper, Joe Ford, Albert Dailey, George Adams and David Murray. Recently, Thompson scored the sound track for the PBS documentary “Remembering 47th Street,” which won an Emmy for Best Documentary in 2001. In 2003, Thompson received a commission from Chamber Music America to compose new works to commemorate the band's 25th Anniversary.
In 1991, Thompson created Africa Brass, a thirteen piece brass ensemble as a larger vehicle for his original compositions. Africa Brass was inspired by the traditional brass bands that became popular around the turn of the century in New Orleans. However Africa Brass is no re-creation, but a logical extension of the brass band tradition that combines big band jazz with Afro-Cuban music forms. Africa Brass has three highly acclaimed CDs on Delmark, including “Lift Every Voice” and ”Buddy Bolden's Rag” featuring special guest soloist Lester Bowie. In 2002 Africa Brass received a grant from the Aaron Copland Fund to record Thompson's “Black Metropolis Suite” and “Blues For A Saint Called Louis.” These new works were released in November 2003 on the Delmark Records CD, “Blue Jazz,” featuring Gary Bartz and Billy Harper. The CD peaked at #2 on CMJ's Jazz Chart and received worldwide critical acclaim.
In 1995 Thompson was selected as an Arts Midwest Jazz Master. Thompson was also selected as a “Chicagoan of the Year” in 1996 by the “Chicago Tribune” for his efforts to bring jazz back to the South Side of Chicago. In 1997 Thompson was honored by the Chicago Endowment for the Arts for his arts activism. Mr. Thompson's trumpet playing has been recognized in “DownBeat” magazine's annual International Critic's Poll. Mr. Thompson is featured on 29 recordings of which thirteen he is the featured artist. Thompson has performed in over 15 countries around the world and in 22 states across the U.S. In June 1998 Thompson's Freebop Band performed at the St. Louis International Jazz Festival in Senegal, West Africa sponsored by the United States Information Agency. Thompson composed two new compositions for the performance. Thompson is known in international jazz circles for his exciting, innovative music and as a leading exponent of Chicago jazz.
For more information about Malachi Thompson reference these publications: All Music Guide to Jazz; The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz by L. Feather and I. Gitler; The Blackwell Guide to Recorded Jazz (2nd Edition); Music Hound: The Essential Album Guide; The Penguin Guide to Jazz (4th Edition); Gramophone Jazz: Good CD Guide and The Jazz Scene by Royal Stokes. Search the internet under Malachi Thompson or Freebop or www.delmark.com
Discography on Delmark
1) TIMELINE (1972-1988) 2000 DE 421
2) SPIRIT (1984-1987) 1990 DE 442
3) THE JAZ LIFE 1991 DE 453
4) LIFT EVERY VOICE 1992 DE 463 *
5) NEW STANDARDS 1993 DE 473
6) BUDDY BOLDEN'S RAG 1995 DE 481 *
7) 47th STREET 1997 DE 497
8) FREEBOP NOW! 1998 DE 506
9) RISING DAYSTAR 1999 DE 518
10) TALKING HORNS 2001 DE 532
11) BLUE JAZZ 2003 DE 548 *
12) future Delmark release!
* with Africa Brass
Also featured on many more recordings, including Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Archie Shepp, Gil Scott-Heron, Quincy Jones.
MALACHI THOMPSON QUOTES
“...among the next wave of jazz innovation.” - Robert Palmer, New York Times
“...one of the ageless innovators of jazz...(Thompson has) a gift for conceiving arrangements and solos of stunning technical and emotional range.” - Reuben Jackson, Washington Post
“...universally recognized as one of Chicago's most innovative, insightful and colorful musicians.” - Arts Midwest
“...by choosing to advance jazz, both structurally and compositionally, rather than dwelling within the safe confines of bebop, Thompson has pushed jazz forward into the new millennium.” - Fred Jung, L.A. Jazz Scene “... (Thompson) demonstrates commitment to the proper historical development of jazz myth.” - John MacCalkies, New City
“...trumpeter Malachi Thompson long ago established himself as one of the more innovative composer-bandleaders in jazz.” - Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune “...a trumpet player who's racked up acclaim for his always innovative technique.” - Mike Breen, Cincinnati City Beat “...Thompson's trumpet styling recall a master whose approach has not been truly appreciated.” - Willard Jenkins Jazz Times THE FREEBOP BAND ”...Thompson leads his small band through some innovative turns on standards and originals.” - Rapport Magazine
“...Thompson's Freebop Band from Chicago begins about 10 steps ahead of most jazz ensembles.” -Lazaro Vega, Grand Rapids Press
“...as intellectually probing and viscerally exciting as anything in jazz today.” - Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
“...the group attempts to shatter, or more accurately, stretch the mainstream.” - Robert Goldblum, Richmond Times Dispatch
“...This is hard bop like it ought to be but is seldom heard.” - Village Voice
AFRICA BRASS ”...Outstanding originals range from New Orleans-style...to hard driving free-ism.” - Billboard Critic's Choice “...a book full of infectious and occasionally intoxicating arrangements.” - Neil Tesser, Playboy “...power and ingenuity.” - Bob Blumenthal, Boston Globe
“...There is the spirit of adventurousness that recalls the innovation of the Bebop era.” - Stereo Review
“...I dare say this group collectively will stand the test of time.” - Lofton Emenari, Hyde Park Citizen