Andrew Gilbert wrote about the premiere of guitarist Karl Evangelista’s Apura project featuring Andrew Cyrille at the Oaktown Jazz Workshop for the East Bay Express and the reopening of the historic Black-owned Oakland nightspot Geoffrey’s Inner Circle for The Oaklandside. He covered a project devoted to Michael Brecker’s music by drummer Jon Krosnick and his trio Charged Particles with tenor saxophonist Tod Dickow for the San Francisco Chronicle and wrote about a Contemporary Jewish Museum exhibition “Experience Leonard Cohen” that includes a residency by percussionist Marshall Trammell for J. Weekly.
James Hale interviewed “Tone Poet” Joe Harley about Andrew Hill’s Passing Ships and other upcoming Blue Note releases for SoundStageXperience.com. He also wrote at length for that site about the expanded reissue of one of his favorite recordings,, Lee Morgan Live at the Lighthouse.
Richard Kamins and his wife drove to Chicago to visit family and he took the time to speak to reed player/composer/arranger/bandleader Sam Pilnick about the debut of his nonet project The Adler Suite. He also met with reed player/composer Shawn Maxwell to talk about his new Jazzline Records “pandemic” album, Expectation & Experience.
Chuck Koton has in recent weeks photographed live-streamed performances at The World Stage in L.A.’s Leimert Park neighborhood, including the Brandon Coleman/Ryan Porter band with guest vocalist Katherine Wood; bassist Ben Williams and his band; and the Brian Hargrove band. The World Stage has re-started their jam sessions, with vocalists featured on Sunday nights and the Billy Higgins Jam Session for instrumentalists on Thursday nights. The LA jazz scene is slowly coming back to life!
Ralph Lampkin, Jr. provided pr and promotions for two separate concerts— the CD release party for Chicago-based singer Joanie Pallatto’s My Original Plan at Green Mill, and the debut of singer Josie Falbo at Winter’s Jazz Club, both July 18 — as well as a new single, “I Am Blessed,” from Grammy-nominated New York-based artist Marieann Meringolo.
Howard Mandel attended improvising-painter/JJA member Lewis Achenbach’s memorial tribute to AACM vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Saalik A Ziyad at Elastic Arts, singer Lezlie Harrison’s debut at Winter’s Jazz Club, and, at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Tuesdays on the Terrace, bassist Tatsu Aoki’s Fred Anderson Memorial band (with reedists Ari Brown, Edward Wilkerson Jr. and Mwata Bowden and drummer Dushun Mosely). He republished his 1989 interview with Pulitzer Prize winner Tania Leon on his blog and consulted with musicians/publicists curators/writers on topics including the JJA’s mentoring efforts, how to get press for a little known player with an all-star band, where jazz singles might be reviewed, and the JJA’s celebration of 2021 Jazz Awards winners.
Dom Minasi is working on mixes of himself and JJA Award-winning pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn that they recorded in Baltimore, also downloading his videos of his 2011 organ trio and remixing them for a possible album. After dealing with chemo and radiation treatments, he is practicing guitar again, preparing to start rehearsals for two groups and two recordings, writing music for an Off-Broadway play and has revived his blog Thoughts of the Day. He will soon start writing for AllAboutJazz.com.
Russell Perry broadcast “Jazz at 100,” a radio history of 100 years of jazz recordings, in 100 one-hour programs weekly starting with the centennial in 2017. His station, WTJU 91.1 FM, has been approved for a $20,000 NEA Arts Education grant to support the development of an online jazz history curriculum based on the series. This project will creatively engage students around the unique story and passion of jazz music. “Jazz at 100” is available through PRX and online.
Neil Tesser wrote the 10,000-word essay and track listing for Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans, a favorably reviewed 5-CD retrospective, released in June, that spans a quarter-century of the pianist’s career; also, the previously unreleased Evans set On a Friday Evening. Other recent album notes include an upcoming SteepleChase collection of Bud Powell recordings (Copenhagen 62); and a new work, Vonology by Mike Allemana, inspired by the Chicago guitarist’s 14 years working with Von Freeman’s.
Scott Thompson PR has been working on vocalist Sarah Partridge’s Beautiful Minds – Celebrating Extraordinary Women – Jazz Meets STEM and has taken on as a client Brazilian bassist/composer Ilana Lipsztein with her new single “Life Without You” featuring Nanny Assis and his son Dani Assis. Ann Hampton Callaway also has new singles including “Revelation” and “The Moon Is A Kite,” while pianist Clifford Lamb’s Blues & Hues – New Orleans features Donald Harrison, Nicholas Payton, Herlin Riley and Roland Guerin in the band. Thompson also handled Dave Bass’s The Trio – Vol. 1, which hit high on the Jazz Week chart.
