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! See the most recent publications and other work reported by the extremely active members of the Jazz Journalists Association after the jump.
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 March 3, 2019.
David R. Adler wrote liner notes for the 20th anniversary vinyl reissue of Reid Anderson’s Abolish Bad Architecture (Fresh Sound), as well as Eric Hofbauer and Dylan Jack’s duo release Remains of Echoes (Creative Nation), Jim Snidero’s Waves of Calm (Savant) and Laurie Antonioli’s The Constant Passage of Time (Origin). David also wrote a feature for Flagpole (Athens, GA) on David Bixler’s Auction Project featuring Arturo O’Farrill.
Mirian Arbalejo had a meeting with JazzMadrid (Madrid Jazz Festival – Festival Internacional de Jazz de Madrid) regarding gender equality. She’s been fighting this issue in her country (Spain) for years now. She submited her ballot to the influential Francis Davis / NPR’s Jazz Critics Poll. She also has published her favorite albums of 2018. You can read in english her conversation with Dave Liebman.
Joe Bebco reviewed albums from The Candy Jacket Jazz Band, Norbert Susemihl, and Ralph Pastore, for The Syncopated Times. He also reviewed the 2nd edition of King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and his Era and reported on several notable passings.
Jane Ira Bloom performs with the Sarah Weaver Ensemble for the NowNet Arts Festival 2019 February 17, 2019 at 7:00pm at DiMenna Center for Classical Music, Benzaquen Hall, 450 W. 37th St, New York City.
Philip Booth reviewed the new Eric Clapton bio for The Washington Post, and interviewed Michael Connelly, Ace Atkins and other crime-fiction writers for a feature on the Bouchercon conference published in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He continues to review CDs for Relix, Jazziz, and JazzTimes. With his band Acme Jazz Garage, he recorded new original compositions at Springs Theatre, and he plays bass on frequent Tampa Bay area gigs with Acme, Swan City Jazz Project and others.
Sharonne Cohen‘s photo of Theon Cross and Sons of Kemet was featured in Mike West’s JazzTimes piece”Tuba in the House.” She also wrote the liner notes for Spirit Walker, the new album by Haitian-American singer-songwriter Malou Beavoir.
Jose Dos Santos continues to cover jazz from Havana, Cuba. He participated as a judge for the Cubadisco 2018 (the Cuban Grammy) and in the International Colloqium of the Jazz Plaza Festival 2019. In it, he spoke about the half a century history of the radio program, The Jazz Corner, for which he is the producer and writer His book Jazz Cubano: Leyendas del Manana (Cuban Jazz: Legends of Tomorrow) is being published by Editorial Campana in New York and is expected to appear in English in 2020.
Ken Franckling compiled his annual review of goings on in the world of jazz for All About Jazz. He also reviewed on his blog a variety of southwest Florida concerts, including saxophonist Harry Allen’s Four Others project, Veronica Swift with the Jeff Rupert quartet, and recent Florida transplant Randy Sandke, as well as the South Carolina-based Mike Frost Band’s first Florida performance. Ken also shipped a dozen photographs north for the Images of Jazz multiple-artist gallery exhibit in Tarrytown NY.
Krin Gabbard was a keynote speaker at a conference held in Dublin in January 2018, called “Documenting Jazz.” This may well have been the first ever jazz conference in Ireland.
Steve Griggs contributed an article on pianist Randy Halberstadt for Earshot Jazz. Griggs performed at Tula’s with multi-instrumentalist Jay Thomas, organist Scott Lytle, and drummer Milo Petersen. Griggs started working as an administrator at Music of Remembrance, a chamber music organization that for the past 20 years has remembered the holocaust through music.
James Hale wrote for DownBeat about the 40 years of the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, going behind the scenes to show how the festival collaborates with the City of Montreal. Also for DownBeat, he wrote about the late Michel Legrand and reviewed a new book about how Leonard Bernstein used the language of jazz in his work. For SoundStageXperience.com he wrote about Joe Lovano’s ECM Records debut and the Resonance Records boxset featuring Eric Dolphy’s recordings from 1963.
Douglas Hall reviewed “Imagine Meeting You Here” by Alister Spence (accompanied by the Satoko Fujii Orchestra Kobe), a recognized leader in Australia’s new music directive and one of the country’s most original and distinctive jazz pianists and composers of orchestral pieces. He also interviewed legendary jazz trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith for a review of his upcoming CD release Rosa Parks: Pure Love. An Oratorio of Seven Songs.
Robin Lloyd hosts Mid Day Jazz and Jazz Caliente on 88.5 KNKX-FM in Seattle. In January, she hosted the Big Band Bash for saxophonist Bill Ramsey’s 90th birthday, and interviewed Brazilian pianist/composer André Mehmari prior to his performances in the Pacific NW.
Eugenio Mirti interviewed Sheila Jordan, Vanessa Rubin, Alfredo Rodriguez, Claudio Filippini, Claudio Donà (Caligola records), Raffaele Casarano, Juian Oliver Mazzariello, Giuseppe Bassi, for both Jazzit and Jazzespresso.
Allen Morrison interviewed label executives, club owners and New York-based artists for the lead article on NYC in DownBeat‘s feature, “The World’s Best Jazz Cities” (February). Also for DownBeat, he interviewed Miles Evans (son of Gil) and saxophonist Alex Foster for an “Indie Life” feature on the revived Gil Evans Orchestra (March). For JazzTimes, he recently conducted a “Before & After” listening session with singer/guitarist Raul Midón (December; interview and playlist available at JazzTimes.com).
Fernando Rodriguez and his Jazz en Dominicana project have been quite busy since the beginning of 2019. Very recently published an interview with vocalist Anthony Jefferson in All About Jazz titled ¨Anthony Jefferson: A New Orleans Vocalist at home in the Dominican Republic¨. Has written the Liner Notes for the debut album of guitarist Alfredo Balcacer (Suspended Seas) and the third album of pianist Josean Jacobo (Cimarron) both due out in March/April.
Ron Scott just returned from Cuba where he covered the Havana Jazz Festival for the Amsterdam News. Upon the unfortunate death of the legendary singer/stylist Nancy Wilson, he appeared on two syndicated radio shows to discuss the singer’s great contribution to the music and community. He also appeared on two radio shows to discuss his visit to Cuba.
Sammy Stein has a book commission on Women In Jazz on the Go and another already to follow. She is covering Walthamstow jazz Festival for Jazz Bites Radio in the US and has an interview with Ginger Baker published on Something Else Reviews. Sammy has covered several key artists and her articles can be read on Something Else Reviews and Free Jazz Collective as well as All About Jazz.
Carol Sudhalter toured Italy in December, to promote her new CD, Carol Sudhalter Quartet Live at St. Peter’s Church, released on AlfaMusic label (Rome). She played concerts with local musicians (including famed organist Vito Di Modugno) in Lombardy, Rome, Latina, Mantova, Bari, Molfetta, Taranto and Bisceglie. The CD is available for review and can be obtained from her; and from Amazon and iTunes after February 8.
Scott H. Thompson continues with forward momentum adding a growing A-list client roster for www.scottthompsonpr.com. Working currently with 2019 Grammy® nominee Elio Villafranca, Lenny White (IYOUW), Jessica Jones, vocalists Kristen Lee Sergeant and Abigail Rockwell, Mark Morganelli & The Jazz Forum All-Stars and power-jazz-rock trio Eddie Arjun. “I enjoyed a successful APAP and Jazz Congress get together with many of you.” He continues to write the Playbill lead feature for Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Jim Wilke recorded the 30th annual Seattle performance of Duke Ellington’s Sacred Music presented by Earshot Jazz at St.Mark’s Cathedral in December. The concert by The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, Northwest Chamber Chorus, soloists and tap dancer was broadcast in two parts on KNKX and may be streamed at jazznw.org. Call Me, featuring The Jack Wilson Quartet with Roy Ayers from live radio shows produced by Jim in 1966, has been issued on Century 67 Records.
Member Updates are edited by Michael J. West. Use our JJA Member Directories to find JJA members qualified to contribute to your publication or production or to assist you with your jazz-related project. The directories can be searched by name, area of expertise and geographic location.
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