JJA members are getting their news and views about the music out in every media platform, locally, nationally and internationally. You’ll find the most recent publications and other work reported by the extremely active members of the Jazz Journalists Association after the jump. We never sleep! If you are a JJA member and would like your recent activities included in the next installment of Member Updates, send a brief paragraph beginning with your name to membernews@jazzjournalists.org by December 3, 2017.
Mirian Arbalejo reflects on the role of women in intellectual and educational expressions in jazz on her blog.
Dan Bilawsky reviewed new albums from Joey Alexander, Scott DuBois, Ron Miles, Mike Downes, Delfeayo Marsalis, and Earl MacDonald for All About Jazz. In addition, October saw the publication of two of Dan’s feature pieces–“Peter Eldridge – Working with the Spice of Life” for JAZZed Magazine and “The Tools of Engagement” for JazzTimes‘ Jazz Education Guide.
Jane Ira Bloom performs the first in a series of All Acoustic duo concerts at St. Paul’s German Lutheran Church, 315 West 22nd St, NYC on Friday, November 17 at 7:30pm. She’ll be joined by long-time bandmate bassist Kent McLagan. The Duo will perform music from Bloom’s most recent release Wild Lines: Improvising Emily Dickinson as well as original compositions specially selected for performance in the unique acoustic environment of the church.
Anna Harwell Celenza was just awarded The Bridge Book Award for Jazz Italian Style: From Its Origins in New Orleans to Fascist Italy and Sinatra. The book reveals a forgotten chapter in jazz history – the development of jazz in Mussolini’s Italy – and demonstrates how this new musical style eventually influenced quintessentially “American” performers like Frank Sinatra. Most importantly, the book recovers a lost repertoire and an array of Italian musicians whose stories and performances are compelling and well worth remembering.
Noal Cohen published a new discography of trumpeter, flugelhornist, flumpeter Art Farmer.
Alex Dutilh won the “Victoires du jazz 2017” as the jazz journalist of the year. It’s the first time that the Victoires (equivalent of Grammy Awards in France) were given to some professionals (sound engineer, bookers, labels, festival artistic directors, journalists).
Ken Franckling‘s Jazz Notes blog took a look at a welcome change to UNESCO’s International Jazz Day selection of Global Host Cities going forward. Ken also checked out Southwest Florida’s newest jazz venue, reviewed and photographed the Charlotte County Jazz Society’s concert season opener with the Dick Hamilton Sextet and Mike Markaverich Trio, and reviewed new CDs by The Black Butterflies featuring Gato Barbieri, Miles Donahue, Chuck Owen & The Jazz Surge, and Matt Wilson.
Steve Griggs will reprise Blues for John T. Williams, a 75-minute program of stories and music honoring the native carver killed by Seattle Police in 2010, at Alki UCC on Nov 18. His group Dowsing will have a 60-minute free improvisation broadcast at midnight PST on Nov 26 for Sonarchy (KEXP.org) (available after as podcast). Griggs is currently recording Sound in Stone, musical settings of poetry by stone sculptor James Washington.
Robin Lloyd had another busy October attending and MC’ing Earshot Jazz Festival concerts: Danilo Perez Trio, Omar Sosa’s Quarteto Afrocubano, Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra and Matt Wilson’s Honey and Salt Ensemble, and introduced the Cuban music and dance retrospective, “Soy Cuba” at the Triple Door. Robin reviewed and hosted the screening of the film Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band. She hosts Mid Day Jazz and Jazz Caliente at KNKX-FM.
Allen Morrison was honored to write the December 2017 Downbeat cover story on the life and career of Wynton Marsalis, on the occasion of his induction into the magazine’s Hall of Fame. He will be traveling to Brazil later this month to cover the MIMO music festival in Rio de Janeiro.
Jim Wilke‘s photo of Fred Hersch was published full page in the September issue of DownBeat Magazine. Live broadcasts from 1966 produced by Jim provided the material for Smokin’ In Seattle featuring Wes Montgomery and Wynton Kelly, which placed third in Historical Album of the Year in the annual Readers Poll in DownBeat‘s December issue. Jim also provided notes for the album.
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.
If you aren’t a JJA Member yet, consider joining us. Membership is open to both Professional Journalists (writers, bloggers, photographers, videographers, web producers and others who cover jazz) and Industry Associates (musicians, educators, presenters, promoters and others who work in the industry and support our work.)
