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 October 3, 2013.
David R. Adler reviewed Ellery Eskelin’s Mirage (Clean Feed) and Ben Monder’s Hydra (Sunnyside) for Stereophile, and several CDs, including Christian McBride’s Out Here (Mack Avenue) for The New York City Jazz Record. David’s articles on trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson and drummer Gerald Cleaver are soon to appear in JazzTimes.
Brian Arsenault recently reviewed albums by the Mark Dresser Quintet, Fred Fried and Core, the Jacob Szekely Trio for the International Review of Music. He also reviewed The Jimi Hendrix Experience Purple Box Set and Salsa De LaBahia for Irom as well as Bird: The Life and Music of Charlie Parker by Chuck Haddix.
Bob Blumenthal will participate in a panel discussion of “Jazz and the NEA” at the symposium “Arts Policy on the Ground: The Impact of the National Endowment for the Arts” at 3:15 PM on Thursday, September 26 at UMass-Amherst. The panel will also include UMass Fine Arts Center Director Dr. Willie Hill, saxophonist Tia Fuller and NEA Director of Music and Opera Wayne Brown. It is open to the public but requires advanced registration.
Andrea Brachfeld just recently came back from the National Flute Convention playing with the Ali Ryerson Jazz Flute Big Band. Andrea played with Maraca on a Latin Jam session and also played on Ana Maria. She will be doing the live TV show “Open” on Bronx Net on September 13, 2013 at 10:00 am with Bill O’Connell, Andy Eulau, and Steve Johns.
Kenneth K. Martinez Burgmaier‘s acclaimed Jazz Alley TV series will broadcast the 2nd Annual Maui Jazz & Blues Festival for 2012 featuring Louis Hayes, Javon Jackson, Joe Louis Walker, Chubby Carrier, Eric Marienthal and all the beauty of Maui. Go to www.Jazz Alley TV.com and www.mauijazzandbluesfestival.com. He says,” My 3rd Annual Maui Jazz & Blues Festival was Sept. 3-8th! Our 2nd Annual Big Island Jazz & Blues Festival will be airing soon too!”
Tim Coakley spent August playing a variety of gigs and getting ready for the fall series, A Place for Jazz in Schenectady, NY, which he and a group of volunteers put on. This year’s lineup includes Joe Magnarelli and Jerry Weldon; the Jeff Hamilton Trio; Conrad Herwig’s Latin Jazz; Catherine Russell; and Michael-Louis Smith.
Renetta DeBlase sends monthly updates about the Washington, DC, jazz scene to Rich Keith, general manager of www.purejazzradio.org and is a frequent guest host on radio station WBGO. Rich asked to receive a copy of “Mingus Speaks” by John Goodman and at my request, will play some of jazz organist Brian Charette’s CDs on his shows. Renetta has also recommended Brian and his trio to the Kennedy Center and other DC venues.
Jeremy Gossett began broadcasting his public radio program, Backstage Jazz, on July 5, 2013, hitting the airwaves on NPR member stations KGOU and KCCU. The program celebrates the form of jazz, centering on backstage interviews and live performances featuring a different jazz musician weekly. The program can be heard on a streaming simulcast at kgou.org on Fridays @ 9 p.m. CST, and Sundays @ 7 p.m. CST.
Steve Griggs performed his Panama Hotel Jazz project in Seattle 4 times to full house crowds, was the cover story in the August Earshot Jazz, and was interviewed on KKNW.
Marcia Hillman has reviewed CDs by Madeleine Peyroux and Pete McGuinness for The New York City Jazz Record. She continues to write her column for The Jassman – a magazine publlshed in Johannesburg, South Africa six times a year.
Thomas Jacobsen has learned that his book, An Illustrated Survey of the New Orleans Jazz Scene, 1970-the Present (Volume 1), will appear by fall, 2014. It will be officially announced in the fall 2014 catalogue of the Louisiana State University Press. Jacobsen has also reviewed a recent CD by the fine Danish-born, New Orleans-resident reedman, Christian Winther, in Offbeat magazine.
Wolfram Knauer will present a paper about “‘Jazz’ or not ‘Jazz’. From word to non-word and back” at the 13th Darmstadt Jazzforum conference organized by the Jazzinstitut Darmstadt, Germany, from September 26-28, 2013.
David Less finished producing a record for Warner Brothers Sweden on the great Louise Hoffsten. Next up is a show on October 26th with our big band performing all Ellington music. The band is a floating number of players anchored by Sam Shoup on bass and Gary Topper on saxophones. For this performance we will use a 15-piece band and mix original Ellington arrangements with six new ones done by Shoup and Topper.
Joe Maita of Jerry Jazz Musician posted his interview with John F. Goodman, author of Mingus Speaks. He also hired fiction writer Arya F. Jenkins to contribute jazz fiction on a quarterly basis. This month’s edition of “Reminiscing in Tempo” features Matthew Shipp, Pete Escovedo, Jeff “Tain” Watts and others answering the question, “What was the first motion picture you saw (in a theater) without your parents, and what do you recall about the experience?”
Steve Monroe‘s August Jazz Avenues for the East of the River print and capitalcommunitynews.com online editions included a review of the Buck Hill tribute featuring musicians Davey Yarborough, James King, Nasar Abadey, Keith Killgo, and Michael Thomas and others, a review of Reginald Cyntje’s LOVE CD release party at Twins Jazz, and a preview of the Transparent Productions 2013-14 jazz series. Monroe also blogged on Lena Seikaly’s Looking Back CD and the new Let There Be Jazz series in D.C.
Dan Morgenstern made his big-time at the 13th Annual Satchmo Summerfest in New Orleans, as vocalist with the Satchmo Summerfest All-Stars (Yoshio Toyama, trumpet; Wycliffe Gordon, David Sager, trombones; Ricky Riccardi, piano; David Ostwald, tuba; Bruce Raeburn, drums), producer Marci Schramm’s idea. “We’ve been re-booked for next year!”
Jeff Nania has been working hard this summer to spread the word about the upcoming A Place for Jazz concert season that begins in just a few weeks with a show by Joe Magnarelli, Jerry Weldon and co. The lineup culminates with rising stars Michael Louis Smith and Stacy Dillard, as well as many other great acts in between.
Jennifer Odell wrote about the challenges of presenting modern jazz in New Orleans and how the dearth of such performances affects local players for Offbeat magazine. The piece was pegged to the Little Gem’s new modern jazz series, the Gem Sessions, which kicks off Sept. 12 and aims to help fill that void. The next JJA meeting in the Crescent City will be held Sept. 20 at 6p.m. at dba on Frenchmen Street.
Peter Pullman will appear at Strand, 828 Broadway, to talk about his biography Wail: The Life of Bud Powell Tuesday, September 17, at 7 pm. He’ll focus on Powell’s first record date as a leader, one for which he was released from a psychiatric hospital — to which he was returned as soon as the session was over. Luminaries of jazz writing and record producing are coming, Dan Morgenstern and Michael Cuscuna among them.
Lew Shaw’s book, JAZZ BEAT: Notes on Classic Jazz can now be ordered online. Review copies are available to journalists on request by contacting azscribe@cox.net.
Arnold Jay Smith checks in with his report on the 59th Newport Jazz Festival. He also offers reminiscences of his friends Marian McPartland and Carline Ray on his blog.
W. Royal Stokes recently penned an autobiographical article about his earlier career as a professor of Greek and Latin and ancient history in the 1960s and the educational process that prepared him for it. Royal is currently proofreading his completed novel trilogy Backwards Over for publication later this year, compiling the materials for A W. Royal Stokes Jazz, Blues & Beyond Reader, and writing a memoir.
Karl Stober has been approached by Ground Hero Film to take his concept on Addiction and Creativity and turn it into a documentary this coming year. He is working on the pre-script now. This involves many musicians and actors whose addiction had an effect on their music and craft. Interested parties (musicians/artists) may contact me at waxtrenzz@me.com. Also interviewing Patricia Kaas on her world tour Kaas Chante Piaf.
Scott H. Thompson has begun his own PR business, following 9-years as Assistant Director of Public Relations at Jazz at Lincoln Center. New clients include: Antonio Ciacca, Dion Parson, Elio Villafranca, Loston Harris, Ted Nash, Chris Washburne, The Blues Broads, Nicole Zuraitis, Derek Gripper and Jazzheads records.
Nancy Valentine will be performing the Billy Strayhorn repertoire with special guest Warren Vache featuring John Di Martino, Neal Miner, Alvin Atkinson, Jr. and Joel Frahm Sept. 19 at Saint Peter’s Church NYC 54th & Lexington Ave. from 7:30PM – 9:30PM Free for members. Donations: $10.00 students and $20.00 nonmembers.
Michael J. West interviewed Arturo Sandoval on his receipt of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for Downbeat, and Jason Moran on the forthcoming season of jazz programming at the Kennedy Center for Washington City Paper.
Member Updates are edited by Michael J. West with assistance from Tanya Ellerbee.
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.)
