Jason Berry’s film on jazz funerals, City of a Million Dreams, had its first screening at the Sarasota Film Festival in May and was shown again Aug. 9-15 at Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival. A review ran in the Daily Beast.
Philip Booth covered the opening night of King Crimson’s US tour, in Clearwater, Florida, for Relix magazine, and he attended the band’s dress-rehearsal show two nights earlier. He continues to review new albums for JazzTimes and Jazziz. Sharkskin, the second album from Booth’s long-running Tampa band Acme Jazz Garage, was released Aug. 27 on Solar Grooves. Booth wrote or co-wrote the album’s originals and plays upright bass, fretless bass guitar, and French horn.
Jose Dos Santos continues working through his website d’Cuba Jazz and daily radio program La Esquina del Jazz (The Corner of Jazz). He follows good examples, like the majority of the Cuban people, and got the three doses of Abdala, the only COVID vaccine available in Latin America.
Jordannah Elizabeth wrote about Camille Thurman for the August issue of The New York City Jazz Record, and an essay Writing Through the Black Girl Lens for Bookishends ahead of the December 2021 release of her children’s book, She Raised for Voice! 50 Black Women Who Sang Their Way Into Music History (Running Press Kids). She’s also been hired to teach at The New School Jazz and Contemporary Music School.
Ken Franckling previewed Jimmy Greene’s July 30-31 quartet performances at Jazz Forum for the July issue of Hot House and Benny Green’s August 27-28 solo performances at Mezzrow for the magazine’s August issue. He also has documented more than 100 jazz-related COVID-19 deaths worldwide since the pandemic began for JJA and his Jazz Notes blog. Ken covered his 40th consecutive Newport Jazz Festival, July 30–August 1. This time, his assignments were for Offbeat, JazzTimes and his blog.
Joanie Harmon posted Q&As on her blog Making Life Swing with Tom Ranier, a multi-instrumentalist who helps shape Seth McFarlane’s musical visions for “American Dad!” and “Family Guy”; L.A. funk musician Cliff Beach, whose cover of “You’re a Mean One, Mister Grinch” was noted by Jazziz Magazine, and David Ross, a bass player who discovered the joys and challenges of presenting concerts of top-drawer jazz musicians – and learning to play alongside them at the tender age of 58.
Patrick Hinely photographed the band Oregon in 1974, a week before their first European tour. Later that year, it appeared on the cover of DownBeat. Forty-seven years later, it now adorns one of the two CDs of Oregon’s latest album, 1974, on the Moosicus label. Hinely’s band photo on the album’s other CD was shot in 1977. This, having his photos on the actual CDs as well as their packaging, is a first.
Chuck Koton has been fortunate to see “live” jazz as the photographer for The World Stage in LA’s Leimert Park! On July 24, legendary alto saxophonist Charles McPherson brought an All Star band to celebrate his 82nd birthday. At 82, McPherson sounds better than ever. He led the band through a frenzied “Cherokee,” an uptempo “The Song Is You” and several originals from his recent recording “Jazz Dance Suites.” McPherson is truly a jazz treasure!
Howard Mandel wrote a blog post celebrating Chicago In Tune, a city-wide, month-long, all-genre initiative; reported on Delmark Records’ success under new owner Julia A. Miller, and reviewed Russell Gunn’s Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra’s The Sirius Mystery for DownBeat. He’s prepared more of the late Lona Foote’s photos for publication and exhibition, edited pieces on JJANews.org and attended performances by guitarist Karl Evangelista (online), in-person Extraordinary Popular Delusions and Josie Falbo as well as vibist Stu Katz at the Jazz Showcase during Charlie Parker Month.
Dee Dee McNeil continues reviewing CDs at her Musical Memoirs jazz column, most recently featuring “Women to Watch, Listen To, Appreciate.” Her feature on iconic bassist Brian Bromberg became the cover story for LA Jazz Scene online.
Dom Minasi is working on mixes of himself and Susan Alcorn that we recorded in Baltimore, as well as downloading his videos of his 2011 organ trio and remixing them for a possible album. He is finally practicing again after dealing with chemo and radiation, preparing to start rehearsals for two groups and two recordings. He is also 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.
Fiona Ross was thrilled to have Women in Jazz Media awarded the Best Jazz Media Award 2021 by the prestigious Parliamentary Jazz Awards. Fiona founded Women in Jazz Media only a short time ago, so this a significant achievement and recognition from the industry. She is currently launching a new podcast series for Women in Jazz Media in partnership with Celine Peterson and the UK organization Black Lives in Music. She has been busy writing articles for Jazz in Europe.
Luciano Rossetti, Italian photojournalist, is enjoying the restarting of cultural activities and live music festivals. He’s been in Novara for the Novara Jazz Festival, then in Brescia for the Ground Music Festival and Forlì for Forlì Open Music. At the end of July he reported on Siena music workshops; in August and September he is in Sardinia island where two jazz festivals will take place.
Rob Shepherd recently completed his series on the history of the Newport Jazz Festival for PostGenre, covering its history from the 1950s upto Christian McBride’s appointment as Artistic Director. It concluded with a two-part interview with McBride. Rob also provided live coverage of the 2021 Festival. He also recently interviewed trumpeter Steven Bernstein for a forthcoming piece and continues to work on a Miles Davis themed project scheduled for later this year.
Carol Sudhalter is enjoying her 50th year as a house-to-house music teacher (piano, flute, saxophones, and clarinet) and is thinking about writing a book of the amazing anecdotes she has accrued over this time.
Neil Tesser completed the relatively short (1500 words) liner essay for the extravagantly long (nine discs) boxed set Brass and Ivory Tales, each disc of which features the expressionistic tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman in duet with a different pianist, including Marilyn Crispell, Dave Burrell, Sylvie Courvoiser, and Vijay Iyer. Tesser also has annotated two new SteepleChase albums featuring previously unissued performances by pianist Bud Powell in Scandinavia. For the fall issue of Jazziz, he wrote a short reminiscence celebrating the career arc of vocalist Roseanna Vitro.
Scott Thompson has been working several new projects, including vocalist Sarah Partridge’s Beautiful Minds: Celebrating Extraordinary Women. He has also taken on new clients: Brazilian bassist/composer Ilana Lipsztein, with her new single “Life Without You”; Ann Hampton Callaway, with singles including “Revelation” and “The Moon Is A Kite”; and Clifford Lamb’s Blues & Hues: New Orleans, including Donald Harrison, Nicholas Payton, Herlin Riley, Roland Guerin, and more. Thompson also handled Dave Bass’s The Trio – Vol. 1.
