Jazz journalism is alive and well, as JJA members are getting their news and views about the music out in every media platform — locally, nationally and internationally. We never sleep, we only listen and work! See the most recent publications and other work reported by the extremely active members of the Jazz Journalists Association after the jump.
New members include Cathy Segal-Garcia (L.A.-based producer/curator/teacher/communty-builder and vocalist), and writer Rob Shepherd of Austin, Tx (“primarily focused on where jazz pushes the music forward”). Welcome back to photographer Enid Farber, author Mark Stryker, AllAboutJazz columnist and guitarist Dom Minasi, writer Suzanne Lorge, blogger Francesca Miano, author/blogger/radio and audio producer/DC Jazz fest artistic director Willard Jenkins, Georgia-based promoter Kari Gaffney, author and editor of The Sentinel and Rural News (Wisconsin) Travis Rogers Jr., and Aukland, New Zealand writer-photographer-videographer John Fenton.
If you’re a JJA member and want your recent activities included in the next installment of Member Updates, send a brief paragraph beginning with your name to membernews@jazzjournalists.org by January 31, 2020.
Noal Cohen completed his four-part series entitled “The Birth of the Cool Legacy.” The last installment discusses the 1955-1957 nonet recordings of Gigi Gryce and can be found here.
Jose Dos Santos contributed to the organization of the 50th anniversary of the Jazz Corner radio program, for which he wrote more than 250 programs, and to the creation of its First Improvisation Contest. He also saw his book about young Cuban jazz players edited, wrote notes for the to-date unedited disc of pianist Emiliano Salvador and kept growing his place in Cubarte’s jazz website, with more than 500 notes.
Enid Farber was invited to speak on a panel about “Women in Jazz” at the premier of the West Kowloon Jazz Festival in Hong Kong in November. As well, she photographed the festival and portraits of local jazz musicians in their studios. Her work was featured on a 19’ LED screen with an emphasis on women musicians. T.K. Blue’s new recording The Rhythms Continue (JaJa Records) features Farber’s photos on the cover, back and inside.
Sid Gribetz wrote the liner notes for Lafayette Harris’ You Can’t Lose With The Blues (Savant Records). In recent weeks on WKCR radio Sid produced three-hour special broadcasts on trumpeter Richard Williams and tenorman Houston Person, and three-hour memorial programs honoring Harold Mabern and Richard Wyands.
James Hale profiled the jazz programs at the Hartt School of Music and the University of Kentucky for DownBeat, and determined his recordings of the decade for SoundStageXperience.com, the same site where he reviewed Jimi Hendrix’s two-night stand at the Fillmore East, recorded 50 years earlier.
Doug Hall attended a CD release performance by prodigy jazz saxophone artist Grace Kelly at TCAN in Natick, MA, who will be touring on her GO TIME: Live in LA 2019 recording. He also reviewed the CD release for California-based jazz composer and pianist Lisa Hilton, touring for her Chalkboard Destiny 2019 release. His review was posted Jan. 3, 2020 at Allaboutjazz.com.
Hank Hehmsoth was guest artist with the Grammy-nominated jazz group “Times Ten,” performing at the JEN (Jazz Educators Network) 11th International Conference in New Orleans. Hank is the 2019 Berger-Carter-Berger Jazz Research Fellow of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers. He is finishing his 2019 National Endowment for the Arts project “The Reminiscences of NEA Jazz Master Dan Morgenstern” and is beginning work on the 2020 Mellon Foundation’s Recordings at Risk project “Preserving the Interview Recordings of Phil Schaap.”
Patrick Hinely’s work was published by ECM Records and the New York Times to lead off obituaries of engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug, specifically a shot of him with producer Manfred Eicher (from the 1996 recording sessions for Kenny Wheeler’s album Angel Song). ECM’s web site also included another shot of the two men from the same sessions, an image which had been published in that cd’s booklet.
C. Andrew Hovan‘s full-page capture of Wayne Shorter was featured in DownBeat with an article on the saxophonist’s big win in the 84th Annual Readers Poll. Hovan’s liner notes will also be part of Grant Stewart’s upcoming Cellar Music release, Like This, recorded live at the historic Van Gelder Studio back in November. As a drummer, Hovan let his Organic Trio to kick off New Year’s weekend at Detroit’s historic Cliff Bell’s jazz club.
Sanford Josephson wrote about the “Giants of Jazz” concert honoring Harold Mabern in the January-February issue of Jersey Jazz. The highlight of the concert, held at the South Orange Performing Arts Center, was an emotional solo by 84-year-old tenor saxophonist George Coleman on Hank Mobley’s “This I Dig of You.”
Ralph Lampkin is very happy to be very busy this new year. He attended the 2020 Jazz Congress at Lincoln Center. In addition, he is continuing to work in public relations for LA-based producer/songwriter Hillary Rollins Inc., for LA-based singer/songwriter Michele Brourman, and as a producer for Alexandra Billings.
Howard Mandel wrote about the avant-garde in Mexico City for The Wire, about Chicago vocalist Dee Alexander interpreting Billie Holiday songs with the Metropolitan Jazz Octet on Too Hot for Words (Delmark) for DownBeat, and completed his year-long, WDCB-aired radio series “Jazz Chicago Revisited” (in honor of the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s 50th anniversary year) with “Junior Wells Live at Theresa’s Lounge, 1980,” a one-hour special broadcast on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Sammy Stein‘s book Women In Jazz has received several five-star reviews was given a distaff editor’s award by JazzTimes and listed as a recommended buy. She will also be doing more radio work in the New Year.
Scott Thompson has been keeping busy with a host of new world-class clients. He continues writing the Playbill lead feature for Jazz at Lincoln Center, including recent exclusive interviews with Jack DeJohnette, Steve Miller, Herlin Riley and Jazzmeia Horn. He continues to work with Lenny White and Carol Green at Redwood Entertainment representing a multitude of musicians, including the new release by Turkish pianist Fahir Atakoğlu featuring female vocalists Concha Buika, Luciana Souza, Letizia Gambi, and Aimée Allen.
Linda Yohn in 2019 consulted with Blue Llama Jazz Club; managed the acoustic stage at Ann Arbor Summer Festival; coordinated stage announcers for Detroit Jazz Festival; joined WRCJ-FM in Detroit to host “Swing Set” on Sundays, 7–9 p.m.; was filmed by Detroit Public Television for a “History of Detroit Jazz” series; hosted concerts for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Blue Llama Jazz Club, Vincent York’s Jazzistry, and Kerrytown Concert House; and coordinated the 2019 JJA Jazz Hero Award for Oliver Ragsdale.
