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, 2015.
Andrea Brachfeld will be releasing her 7th CD in October on Jazzheads. The CD features Bill O’ Connell, Rufus Reid , and Winard Harper with special guests Wycliffe Gordon and Nancy Harms. Andrea was just nominated as a finalist for the Hot House Jazz Awards to be celebrated on September 16 at the Metropolitan Room. She recently returned from Croatia performing and giving clinics. She travels to Cuba often to perform and will be returning in December.
Grace-Mary Burega is the new editor of the JazzBoston newsletter, reporting for the greater Boston community. Burega covered the Detroit Jazz Festival on her jazz education website for teenagers, Kind of Pink and Purple, and her jazz poetry blog, Without a Poem.
James Hale wrote about Bill Charlap’s appointment as Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University for the November issue of DownBeat and contributed an article about trumpeter Dave Douglas to the SoundStage Network.
Marcia Hillman has submissions of her song “The Blues Are Out Of Town” for the upcoming Grammy awards in the Song of the Year, Best Jazz Vocal album (recorded by Carol Welsman) and Best Jazz Instrumental Solo (by Rufus Reid) categories. She also recently interviewed trombonist Bill Watrous for an article to appear in a future issue of The NYC Jazz Record.
Sanford Josephson produced the Flemington segment of the Central Jersey Jazz Festival. The Flemington event was held on September 18 in front of the historic courthouse in downtown Flemington. Performers: Sarah Partridge Quartet, Mona’s Hot Four, Chuck Lambert Blues Band, and Bria Skonberg Quintet.
Steve Monroe’s August Jazz Avenues for the East of the River print and capitalcommunitynews.com editions included a Happy 50th Birthday Tribute to Blues Alley with personal remembrances of artists there, and a review of Elijah Jamal Balbed’s Lessons From The Streets CD. Monroe also blogged on William Hooker at Twins Jazz, trombonist Reginald Cyntje’s Jegna School of Music and new venue Jazz and Cultural Society shows with guitarist Tom Newman and saxophonist Ron Pender.
John Pietaro‘s September NYC Jazz Record cover story on Gary Bartz is out now.
Daniel Smith’s Jazz Suite for Bassoon (his 22nd solo album) was released world-wide recently on the Summit label to unanimous critical raves. Big Band Bassoon, which will be recorded later this month in Astoria, Queens, will consist of 13 selections, each being a tribute to one of the great swing bands. He will be in England at the end of October recording two concertos written for, and dedicated to him by British composer Simon Proctor.
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.)
