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 July 3, 2019.
Jim Anderson, Jane Ira Bloom and Ulrike Schwarz will present new recordings for Dolby Atmos and PMC speakers at the Munich High End Audio Show, May 9-12. Anderson will also present Patricia Barber’s new album Higher for Merging Technologies at the Munich show.
Ken Franckling profiled drummer Antonio Sanchez in the May issue of Hot House. He reviewed and photographed the Marcus Roberts Trio’s April 19 concert in Fort Myers, FL on his Jazz Notes blog. He also blogged about Marty Morell’s M&M Latin Jazz Ensemble’s Charlotte County Jazz Society concert in Port Charlotte. Morell, best known for his long stint as Bill Evans’ drummer, plays vibes in this unit.
Ludovico Granvassu has continued to host Mondo Jazz on Radio Free Brooklyn with episodes focusing on new releases, on a Kneebody retrospective and jazz renditions of Henry Mancini and Ennio Morricone. He has launched a new concert series at the InterContinental Barclay, called Suite Sessions, with a concert by Ajoyo and continued to curate the Rizzoli Music Aperitivo at the Rizzoli Bookstore on Broadway with performances by Michael Blake and Musette Explosion.
James Hale contributed two feature articles to DownBeat’s annual Critics Poll issue, as well as a “Jazz On Campus” profile of Southwestern Community College’s jazz program. For SoundStageXperience.com he reviewed Michael Gregory Jackson’s latest recording.
Marcia Hocker was interviewed by a student from Lewis and Clark College (the saxophonist in a jazz combo) on the importance of jazz. She was emcee for the John and Gerald Clayton performance honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She attended an outstanding Sullivan Fortner Trio performance. She also gave an hourlong presentation with visuals on the resilience of jazz and its impact on humanity for the PDX Jazz Adult Education Class.
Martin Johnson saw the Wall Street Journal published his review of Anna Webber’s superb recording Clockwise. The review is presently behind a paywall, but he will post it at his blog Rotations after May 10. (His recent review of Vanessa Rubin’s superb tribute to Tadd Dameron is currently available there.) Johnson has also begun posting older items on the blog, such as this feature on Steve Lacy from 2004.
Sheila Jordan toured Spain April 24-May 3. She will host a workshop at City College, NYC, on May 9, and perform a concert at the Vermont Jazz Center in Brattleboro, Vermont with Eurene Umann trio on May 31.
Robin Lloyd plays jazz on 88.5 KNKX-FM Tacoma/Seattle. In April she hosted a studio session with the Rumba Kings, welcomed pianist Danilo Perez to the University of Puget Sound, promoted Cuban drummer Ignacio Berroa for his shows with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, co-hosted the Gray Sky Blues Festival, hosted Ann Reynolds’s Clave Gringa CD release party, and provided a live introduction to the opening night of “Amazing Grace,” the Aretha Franklin movie.
Joe Maita published a new edition of Jerry Jazz Musician, including an interview with Dexter Gordon biographer Maxine Gordon, as well as an interview with National Book Award winning author Jeffrey Stewart on the life of Alain Locke. Also published a new collection of jazz poetry, and several short stories. Interviews with producer Michael Cuscuna and photographer Carol Friedman were conducted, to be published in June.
Allen Morrison‘s interview with Wynton Marsalis about writing the music for the film Bolden appeared in the May 2019 issue of JazzTimes. He reviewed the Jazz at Lincoln Center annual gala (with the theme “The Birth of Jazz – From Bolden to Armstrong”) for DownBeat. For upcoming stories in DownBeat, he wrote about a spate of new vinyl reissues celebrating the 80th anniversary of Blue Note Records and did an in-depth interview with John Patitucci about his new solo album.
Doug Ramsey continues to discuss music on his blog, Rifftides. He occasionally writes liner note essays. His most recent notes were for Scott Robinson’s widely discussed Tenormore on Arbors Records, Robinson’s first all-tenor-sax release.
Mark Stryker launched a new website in association with his forthcoming book Jazz from Detroit, which will be published by the University of Michigan Press on July 8, 2019. The book explores Detroit’s pivotal role in shaping the course of modern and contemporary jazz from the 1940s to the present.
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.)
