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 October 3, 2017.
David R. Adler is writing liner notes, bios, features and reviews from his new and roomy home office in Athens, Georgia. In late August he wrote a profile of guitarist Dan Nettles and Kenosha Kid for Flagpole, the Athens alt-weekly.
Jane Ira Bloom joins bassist Mark Dresser at his residency at the Stone (Ave C & 2nd St) on Fri, Sept 15 at 8:30pm for a performance of the Mark Dresser Quartet (Mark Dresser – bass, Denman Maroney –piano, Michael Sarin – drums).
Kaye Blum recently published www.stkildajazztour.
Steve Griggs premiered his new show Blues for John T Williams at the memorial totem pole his brother carved for him. Williams was shot by a Seattle police officer in 2010, which initiated the Justice Department investigation into Seattle police use of force. Griggs continued his series of 6 free concerts in a Seattle park sponsored by the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture. Several books from Griggs’ collection about Seattle jazz were displayed in an exhibit at the Seattle Public Library. Griggs performed songs from Blowing in from Chicago with Joel Spencer and Joan Hickey at Seattle’s Royal Room.
Sheila Jordan performed September 6 at the Chicago Jazz Festival September 6 with the Steve Kuhn Trio; September 14 – September 24 on a tour of Austria and Germany; and September 30 at Deer Head Inn, Pennsylvania with Rosanna Vitro.George Korval provided research assistance and located a rare photograph for a project on the artist known as “Harvey” whose artwork appeared on 200 gospel and jazz LP covers for the Savoy family of labels [Savoy, Gospel, Sharp, and Regent].
Ralph Lampkin, Jr., of Lampkin Music Group, is the promotions manager of the South Bend Jazz Festival which returns to the Century Center on September 23rd, 2017. Ralph is also booking manager of the weekly Jazz Series at the historic Tippecanoe Place Restaurant, in South Bend featuring the Foster/Tidaback Jazz Duo. In addition, he is booking manager of the weekly music series at the South Bend Chocolate Cafe. “Peace and love to everyone.”
Robin Lloyd reviewed the re-release of the film Saxophone Colossus, wrote an update on the campaign to save Hermann’s Jazz Club in Victoria BC, wrote weekly web posts for her Saturday Jazz Caliente program, and hosted “Big Jazz in the Park” at Seattle’s Columbia City Park featuring the Jazz Night School all-star band “Big Band Blue.”
Robin continues to host the afternoon Mid Day Jazz and Saturday Jazz Caliente programs on KNKX-FM.
Howard Mandel wrote liner notes for new albums by François Bourassa (Number 9)and Joanie Pallatto with Bradley Parker-Sparrow (Float Out to Sea); reviewed four albums for DownBeat; created an annotated list of movies about jazz for a potential film series; blogged about Sánta Csaba István’s Northsea fest photos, the Jazz and Blues Art Box, and social commentary on war by the Marx Brothers, Tom Lehrer, Charlie Chaplin and Stanley Kubrick.
Eugene Marlow‘s forthcoming book–Jazz in China: From Dance Hall Music to Individual Freedom of Expression–is in production (University of Mississippi Press), for release in spring 2018. In August he gave a talk on “How the Germans Directly and Indirectly Brought Jazz to China” at the Annual Aspen Composers Conference in Aspen, Colorado. He also organized a benefit concert with local jazz musicians for the Snowmass Village Community Center, Colorado.
Steve Monroe’s August Jazz Avenues for East of the River print and capitalcommunitynews.com online editions included a preview of shows by B. J. Jansen, Cyrus Chestnut and Jessica Boykin-Settles, who performed a tribute to Carmen McRae at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Monroe also remembered recently departed Geri Allen with the review of her 2013 show during the Washington Women in Jazz Festival, and also presented saxophonist and bandleader Charles Rahmat Woods’ take on this year’s DC Jazz Festival.
Adrien Tillmann has moved to New-York City to cover the local Jazz scene and collaborate with various medias and Labels. He has been published by Downbeat, NYC Jazz Record, Allaboutjazz.com and CitizenJazz. His portrait of New-York vibraphonist Joel Ross has been featured by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and he has also been commissioned by the MoMA in New-York to cover concerts happening in the Summer Garden and create portraits. (Portfolio & Blog: www.aht1985.com)
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 bothProfessional 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.)
