Looking for proof that jazz is alive and well? 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 June 3, 2016.
David R. Adler wrote liner notes for saxophonist Anna-Lena Schnabel’s debut release Books, Bottles and Bamboo (Enja) and two forthcoming releases by guitarist Eric Hofbauer: the solo guitar session Ghost Frets and the quintet album Prehistoric Jazz Vol. 3: Charles Ives’ Three Places in New England (Creative Nation). David’s article on guitarist Miles Okazaki is also slated to run in JazzTimes.
Brita Brookes covered The Bad Plus Joshua Redman at Michigan Theater for the Detroit Metro Times. She is assigned to cover the Detroit Jazz Festival, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Wynton Marsalis, Kamasi Washington and Aaron Diehl and more in the coming months as part of her photography work for the media weekly. Her latest assignments can be found on her web page. “I’m open for more assignments from other publications/promotors; please see contact info at www.britabrookesphoto.com.”
Stephanie J. Castillo, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and journalist, has been invited by the Monterey Jazz Festival to screen her acclaimed film Thomas Chapin, Night Bird Song on Sept. 18. She and her team headed to Europe in May to screen at the Nice International Film Festival where the film won a Best Story award, and then go on to the Cannes film market where international distribution will be sought.
Paul Simeon Fingerote announces publication of Jazz on My Mind: Liner Notes, Anecdotes and Conversations from the 1940s to the 2000s, written in collaboration with the late Dr. Herb Wong, KJAZ DJ, education pioneer, industry leader. Includes the best of Herb’s 400+ liner notes, personal artist anecdotes and one-on-one conversations with legends and legends-to-be. “Delightful and substantial … vivid anecdotes … insightful accessible analysis … a volume that stands tall” to quote JJA President Howard Mandel.
Ken Franckling reviewed several southwest Florida jazz concerts in April and early May in his Jazz Notes blog, including a Tampa Jazz Club concert by trumpeter James Suggs’ quintet featuring classic Miles Davis material with the approach of his 90th birth anniversary. He also blogged about his list of his 12 favorite jazz tunes. One of Ken’s Miles portrait photos is featured in the booklet of Rhino Music’s compilation box: The Last Word: The Warner Bros. Years.
Steve Griggs‘s article about John Coltrane’s performance in Seattle was selected for the anthology Stories of Music, Volume 2. He also was awarded a 4Culture Heritage Project grant to digitize and transcribe the interview tapes from the Joe Brazil collection. The subjects interviewed include Donald Byrd, Ron Carter, Andrew Cyrille, Dizzy Gillespie, Grant Green, Herbie Hancock, Eddie Harris, Joe Henderson, Gil Scott Heron, Bobby Hutcherson, Milt Jackson, Ahmad Jamal, Elvin Jones, Bill Kotic, Al McKibbon, Sonny Rollins, and Reggie Workman.
James Hale profiled three artists selected by DownBeat magazine as being among “25 for the Future” — musicians who are expected to make significant contributions in coming years. He also wrote about Pat Metheny and The Allman Brothers Band’s 1971 recording at A&R Studios for SoundStage.com.
Marcia Hillman, who is also the producer of Lenore Raphael’s Jazz Spot radio show series (heard on www.pureradio.org), reports that www.jazzlondonradio.com and www.radioverbergin.com.uk (South Africa) are now broadcasting the series as well.
Thomas Jacobsen‘s new book, The New Orleans Jazz Scene Today, A Guide to the Musicians, Live Jazz Venues, and More, has just been released. Contents: Chapter One, The Club Scene; Chapter Two, The Musicians and Bands; Chapter Three, The Festivals; Chapter Four, Louis Armstrong Park and The New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park; Chapter Five, Jazz Education in New Orleans; and Chapter Six, Preservation of the Past. For more, see www.neworleansnotes.com.
Kiyoshi Koyama’s weekly NHK-FM “Jazz Tonight” show (every Saturday from 11:00pm–1:00am) will celebrate Miles Davis’ 90th birthday with two special program this month. Part:1(May 14th) will feature 3 different versions of “Ah-Leu-Cha” including Miles’ first recording with Charlie Parker. Part:2 (May 21st) will feature “Kind of Blue” and after.
Robin Lloyd spent the month being very active in the Save KPLU Campaign, the effort by the non-profit community group Friends of 88-5 FM to purchase the radio station before it is sold to the University of Washington. However, she made time to review the film “Miles Ahead.”
Fran Morris-Rosman, of the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, loves May because May brings ESSENTIALLY ELLINGTON with our jazz friends at Jazz at Lincoln Center. We’ve been supporting this fabulous high school program for many years and we burst with pride every May when the “Ella Fitzgerald Outstanding Soloist” Award is presented to a very talented young musician or vocalist. Ella’s Foundation would like to thank all the great staff and leadership at JALC.
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.)
