Category: music

Northeastern State University Jazz Ensemble to perform at Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date December 3, 2010

The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame presents Northeastern State University Jazz Ensemble at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010, at the Jazz Depot, 111 E. First Street, in Tulsa, OK. Attendees will hear NSU Jazz professor and music director Dr. Tommy Poole and his band, along with special guest vocalists Cynthia Simmons and Shannon Unger plus Jon Bueno on percussion and Mike Bennett on trumpet. General admission is $15, or $10 for seniors and students. Front-row table seating available for $20 per person. Tickets can be obtained online at http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=2762&pid=6852091 or by calling (918) 281-8600. Tickets are also available at the door on the evening of the concert. Doors will open at 4 p.m.

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Ryan and Ryan duo performs Sunday at Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in Tulsa

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date November 13, 2010

The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame will host Jazz Hall inductee, piano icon Donald Ryan and his son Barron at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010, at the Jazz Depot, 111 E. First Street in Tulsa, OK. Donald and Barron will play favorite jazz standards and a bit of ragtime.
Doors will open at 4 p.m. Tickets are $15, or $10 for seniors and students, and front-row table seating is available for $20 per person. Tickets may be purchased online at myTicketOffice.com or call (918) 281-8600.

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Saxophonist Steve Cole releases project “Moonlight” on Feb. 1, 2011

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date November 13, 2010

Saxophonist Steve Cole returns to the spotlight with a new release “Moonlight,” scheduled for Feb. 2011 on Mack Avenue/Artistry Music label. The project is described as ” a collection of classic pop songs and standards set against an orchestral backdrop.” The project includes such iconic songs as Burt Bacharach’s The Look of Love, the classic torch song Cry Me a River, Lennon/McCartney’s The Long and Winding Road, the Guess Who’s Undun and James Taylor’s Close Your Eyes.
Cole is considered one of the most celebrated players in contemporary jazz, having sold hundreds of thousands of albums worldwide and scored four #1 R&R Smooth Jazz hits. His previous projects are on the Atlantic, Warner Brothers and Narada Jazz music labels.
In a recent news release regarding “Moonlight,” Cole says, “I am so anxious to have the opportunity to present this new project to audiences in live theater settings where I will have the chance to connect with them in an emotional way, providing a memorable night of music for all to enjoy. The legacy of popular music in an orchestral setting is timeless, and I am quite fortunate to be able to present this collection of timeless songs in this fashion.”

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Kevin Eubanks signs with Mack Avenue Records

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date September 30, 2010

Kevin Eubanks (Photo Credit: Raj Naik)

Mack Avenue Records recently announced the signing of guitarist Kevin Eubanks. The former leader of the Tonight Show Band is set to release Zen Food on Nov. 23, 2010, his debut for the label and first project since his Tonight Show departure.
“It’s so refreshing to find a record label that feels ‘right’ from so many aspects,” said Eubanks, who completed his final and 18th season of The Tonight Show in May. “Mack Avenue Records is the company I’ve been hoping to find to release the music I’ve been wanting to play.”
“When Kevin first announced that he was departing the Tonight Show with a desire to record and tour again I knew he would be an ideal artist for us,” says Mack Avenue Records President Denny Stilwell in a news release. “He is a musician of uncompromising artistry who has chosen an opportune moment to re-establish his roots in jazz and Mack Avenue is honored to be working with him.”
Over his 30-year career, Eubanks has performed with esteemed musicians such as Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Roy Haynes, Slide Hampton, Sam Rivers, Dave Holland, Greg Osby, and Jean Luc Ponty, among others. In 1992, Eubanks moved to the West Coast to assume the guitar spot in the Tonight Show Band and become the band’s leader from 1995 – 2010.
Hailing from a musical family (distinguished uncles, pianist Ray Bryant and bassist Tommy Bryant, and brothers, trombonist Robin Eubanks and trumpeter Duane Eubanks), the Philadelphia native and Berklee College of Music alumni has appeared on more than 100 albums, with releases on Elektra, GRP and Blue Note; as well as founding his own record label, Insoul Music.

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“Oklahoma City Music: Deep Deuce and Beyond” presented to Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date September 24, 2010

From left: Gov. Brad Henry and author Anita Arnold

Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry was presented a copy of the recently published book, “Oklahoma City Music: Deep Deuce and Beyond” by Anita Arnold, author and executive director of Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC) Inc. in Oklahoma City.

Gov. Henry was pleased to receive the book that covers more than 70 years of music history from the late 1920s to the late 1990s. Henry said he was interested in this history that has contributed so much to Oklahoma.
According to Emily Higgins, publicist of Arcadia Publishing of Mount Pleasant, S.C., “Oklahoma City Music: Deep Deuce and Beyond” was also selected to compete with 10 other books in the region as part of a national sales competition within Arcadia.

“We have already had a number of book signings in and around Oklahoma City that have been fun,” Arnold said. “Each audience is different and raises new questions each time.”
Arnold will participate in other book signings scheduled through February 2011 at various locations in the Oklahoma City area. “Oklahoma City Music: Deep Deuce and Beyond” is available at Barnes and Nobles, Borders, Capitol Square Station, Charlie’s Jazz, Rhythm & Blues Store, Dean’s Typesetting, Hastings Books, Music and Videos, Hopkins Haircare, Learning Tree Toy Store and Walgreens.

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Monthly jazz program series begins at Oklahoma City’s Douglass High School

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date September 14, 2010

Left to right, Earl Day, Keyboards, Delmar Burge, Drums and Kirbie Greene, Congas.

According to a recent news release, Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC) Inc. is sponsoring a monthly jazz program as a reward for students at Frederick A. Douglass High School in Oklahoma City. The program is a new initiative that starts this month at the request of Douglass High School Principal Brian Staples as part of the comprehensive program funded by the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association (NBMOA).
“The 2010–11 school year begins a long term commitment for NBMOA to work with students and faculties of Frederick A. Douglass High School and its feeder schools to provide services through BLAC, Inc. to get student state performance scores up to meet state and national standards,” NBMOA President Darryl Umphries said. “We have adopted this project to ensure the success of Douglass and its associated schools. In doing so, we will have contributed significantly to improving the entire community. It is a strong collaboration of partners that will demonstrate that positive change will result when people work together. We are happy to be a part of an exciting future for our community and our schools.”
The Earl Day Trio kicked-off the jazz series on Sept. 10, 2010, and will be followed by the Moe Williams Band on Oct. 8, 2010, and Kelvin Drake Band on Nov. 5, 2010. The free performances are open to the public.
“Other bands will be scheduled for the rest of the school year,” said Anita Arnold, BLAC Inc. executive director. “These bands will perform from 1:15 p.m. until 2:40 p.m. on each date.”

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Danilo Pérez obtains 2010 ASICOM International Award

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date September 10, 2010

According to a recent news release, Panamanian pianist, educator and social activist Danilo Pérez has been awarded the 2010 ASICOM International Award by the (ASICOM) and the University of Oviedo (Principality of Asturias). ASICOM gives this prize each year to individuals who have made or are making significant contributions in IBEROAMERICA, helping to build and rebuild that historical region through their work and vision.
“It is encouraging and a tremendous honor to be considered for such an important award,” said Pérez, who will be honored along with four other prominent individuals at 7 p.m. Oct. 8, 2010 at the University of Oviedo in Spain.
His annual Panama Jazz Festival has brought world-renowned musicians to the country for the last seven years, not only to perform but also to work closely with local youth. That mission is carried on yearlong by the Fundación Danilo Pérez, which offers musical and cultural education to disadvantaged young people in Panama City. In the United States, Pérez serves as artistic director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute in Boston, which offers music students an opportunity to explore creativity, advance the social power of music, and connect music with the restoration of ecology and humanity.
Pérez released his Mack Avenue records debut, Providencia, on August 31. He made his first U.S. performance in support of the album on Labor Day weekend at the 2010 Detroit International Jazz Festival.

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Justin Echols presents “Life is a Cabaret: A Tribute to NYC Cabaret Legend Bobby Short”

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date August 19, 2010

Justin Echols will perform at 5 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 22, 2010, at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame‘s Jazz Depot, 111 E. First Street (Upper Level) in Tulsa, OK.

After spending the winter at New York City’s Carlyle Hotel playing the piano, Justin Echols will bring his first-hand experience from the cabaret scene, paying tribute to the legendary vocalist/ pianist Bobby Short.

General admission is $15 or $10 for seniors and students. Front-row table seating is available for $20 per person.

Tickets may be purchased on the day of the show. Doors will open at 4 p.m. For more information, call (918) 281-8600.

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2010 Angel City Jazz Festival will convene Oct. 2-9, 2010, in Los Angeles

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date August 19, 2010

The 2010 Angel City Jazz Festival – Los Angeles’ only non-commercial jazz and new-music festival – will be held on Oct. 2-9, 2010, organizers announced in a news release.

The weeklong festival will be held at six venues in the city, combining music, film, art, dance, poetry and food with two world premieres. Featured artists at the 2010 Angel Music Festival include The John Abercrombie Quartet, Nels Cline’s DIRTY BABY, The Ravi Coltrane / Ralph Alessi Quintet, Henry Grimes and Friends, Wadada Leo Smith’s Golden Quartet with Vijay Iyer, Myra Melford’s Trio, The Sons of Champignon (Tim Berne, Jim Black and Nels Cline) and many others.

The festival is produced by Angel City Arts in association with the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CalArts, L.A. Filmforum, Cryptogramophone Records and the Jazz Bakery. For more information (including schedule of events), visit angelcityjazz.com or call Rocco Somazzi at (323) 573-2110.

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Kurt Rosenwinkel partners with Portugal’s Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos for “Our Secret World” release

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date August 19, 2010

Bandleader, composer and improviser Kurt Rosenwinkel collaborates with Portugal’s Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos for his upcoming release, Kurt Rosenwinkel & OJM: Our Secret World. The project is to be released on the Wommusic label on Sept. 7, 2010.

The Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos (OJM) is a Portugal-based big band with an impressive track record of collaborative projects, ranging from Portology with Lee Konitz and Ohad Talmor, over Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos Invites Chris Cheek, featuring the acclaimed American saxophonist, to performances with Maria Rita – the highly successful and critically acclaimed daughter of Elis Regina.

Kurt Rosenwinkel & OJM: Our Secret World took place over a 6-day period in September 2009.

“We had three days of rehearsal which were totally intense – 12-hour rehearsals with almost no breaks,” Rosenwinkel said in a news release. “What made the whole project work was the attitude and enthusiasm of all the musicians. I really felt that everybody was supporting me, supporting the music, and really giving their best. It was a great challenge for them and they rose to the occasion. The spirit that was present during the whole thing was just beautiful.”

Philadelphia native Rosenwinkel studied at Berklee in Boston and gained his first formative professional experiences in bands led by Gary Burton and Paul Motian. Following his early albums East Coast Love Affair and Intuit came four highly regarded discs on the Verve label: The Enemies of Energy, The Next Step, Heartcore and Deep Song. In particular, Heartcore, produced by rapper Q-Tip (formerly of A Tribe Called Quest), revealed Rosenwinkel’s openness to sonic exploration beyond jazz. He now lives in Berlin, Germany, and heads the guitar department as a tenured professor at the Jazz Institute of Berlin.