Categories
Aspen Aspen Music Festival and School Boz Scaggs Colorado Dukes of September festivals jazz Jazz Aspen Snowmass Joe Cocker k.d. lang Michael McDonald performances rock Snowmass soul United States

K.D. Lang, the Dukes of September, and others to headline Jazz Aaspen Snowmass June Festival

k.d. lang
The Dukes of September
It has been announced in a recent news release that The Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) June Festival returns to the Benedict Music Tent with a line-up including new faces and old favorites, an expanded JAS Café Downstairs at the Nell series, and the addition of a nightly pre-concert Lawn Party prior to the headline concerts.
           
The festival kicks off on Friday, June 22, 2012, with three of the biggest names in jazz-rock and soul, The Dukes of September, featuring Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs.  Saturday, June 23 brings the iconic blues-rocker, Joe Cocker, to the stage, who last played at JAS in June 2003.  The first weekend concludes on Sunday, June 24 with pop/country singer/songwriter k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang in her first ever JAS appearance.    
The following two weeks will feature an array of eclectic performances at the JAS Café Downstairs at the Little Nell: on Friday, June 29 the French/Brazilian magic of vocalist Cyrille Aimee and guitar virtuoso Diego Figueiredo returns after wowing audiences with their January performances; Saturday, June 30 will feature the Gypsy Jazz of the Hot Club of Detroit; Thursday, July 5 the 14-piece Cuban Band Wil Campa Y su Gran Union takes the stage; and on Friday, July 6 New Orleans trombonist, and 21-year head horn playing in Harry Connick’s Big Band, Lucien Barbarin and the New Orleans Rhythm Revue will close out the Nell shows.  On August 10-11 singer/songwriter/guitarist Raul Midon will be featured at the JAS Café with more summer acts still to be announced.  Each evening will feature performances at 7:30 and 9:15pm.  Tickets are $32/each in advance, $40 at the door.

The June Festival concludes with jazz trumpeter Chris Botti and special guest Caroline Campbell on violin, Saturday July 7 at the Benedict Music Tent, presented in association with the Aspen Music Festival and School.  Botti tickets are available now at 970-925-9042 or aspenmusicfestival.com.

New this year is a nightly JAS pre-concert Lawn Party on the Benedict Music Tent grounds (June 22-24).  Live music and multiple food and beverage vendors will be available from 6pm nightly for the public to enjoy.

June Festival Host Sponsors include The Town of Snowmass Village and The Denver Post.  Other sponsors include CME, Coors Light, Alpine Bank, Patron Tequila, KSPN, The Myers Roberts Collective and Aspen Sojourner. 

Tickets for the June 22-24 shows are on sale now.  They can be purchased at 866-JAS-TIXX (527-8499), jazzaspensnowmass.org, or the Belly Up Box Office (544-9800).  For information on festival patron (VIP) tickets please contact the JAS office at 970-920-4996 or visit  jazzaspensnowmass.org

JAS Café tickets are available at 866-JAS-TIXX or jazzaspensnowmass.org In addition to the June Festival Café shows, additional Café performances will take place July 27-28 (acts tba) and August 10-11 (featuring singer/songwriter/guitarist Raul Midon & an additional act to be announced).

Categories
Berklee College of Music Boston education music rock rock history Steve Morse United States

Berklee School of Music announces Rock History course

Berkleemusic.com, the online school of Boston’s renowned Berklee College of Music, is launching Rock History, an online course that chronicles the evolution of one of the greatest periods of music. Rock History takes an in-depth look at the highs and lows of rock over the past 60 years; the key heroes and villains, the movers and shakers from the studio and the concert stage, and a behind-the-scenes look at the managers, industry executives, promoters, and cultural trends that shaped it.  The course launches April 2, 2012.


Berkleemusic has tapped Steve Morse to author and teach Rock History.  Morse brings a lifetime of real-world experience to the material. Steve was the senior rock writer at the Boston Globe for over three decades, and has contributed to other top-tier press outlets such as Billboard and Rolling Stone. He has also served on the nominating committee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Steve has a rich background in rock history, having interviewed and developed strong, decades-long ties with dozens of the most important artists and bands in rock, including the Rolling Stones (first seeing them in 1966), U2, Paul McCartney, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley, Metallica, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam, Stevie Wonder, Coldplay, Tom Petty, and others. 

“The new Rock History online course from Berklee is a comprehensive, interactive, and immersive way to experience the most important and interesting time ever in the music industry,” says Dave Kusek, CEO at Berkleemusic.com in a news release.  “Steve Morse has such a wealth of knowledge and insight into what actually happened behind the scenes and the way the course is crafted, it is simply the most unique and exciting way to learn about this incredible time in the history of music.  You will not find a better way to learn about and appreciate the classic albums and live shows that were created by the true legends of rock and roll, as the music industry ignited.”

Throughout the course, students will view exclusive, never-before-seen Berkleemusic video interviews with rock luminaries including: Joe Perry of Aerosmith; Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead; Mike Mills of R.E.M.; Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers; George Clinton of P-Funk; producer Jack Douglas (who has worked with Aerosmith, Patti Smith, and John Lennon); promoter Don Law; Amanda Palmer; Hugo Burnham of Gang of Four; Duke Levine (who has played with the J. Geils Band and Aimee Mann); and English super-session drummer Dave Mattacks. Berkleemusic has also partnered with Wolfgang’s Vault to provide additional rare audio, video, and other forms of historical rock media presented in an educational context for the very first time. 

“I have known Steve Morse for over twenty years,” concludes Aerosmith’s Joe Perry. “Steve is a musicologist and his love of music makes him a very enthusiastic teacher. Steve has an undying love of music and a proven ability to be one of music’s finest critics and writers.”


Berkleemusic will host a free live Rock History event in Berkleemusic’s studio Thursday, March 8 at 4 p.m. EST: an exclusive conversation between Rock History’s Morse, and Boston DJ John Laurenti. Laurenti joins Morse in the Pantheon of the Boston music scene. John is a DJ at Boston’s #1 classic rock station in Boston, WZLX is the music director at University of Massachusetts’ radio station, WUMB. Laurenti has also hosted a number of historical music documentaries shown on WGBH in Boston. To register, sign up at https://www.berkleemusic.com/openhouse-signup/.
To learn more about the Rock History online course, visit:  www.berkleemusic.com/rockhistory 
Categories
Bartlesville blues fundraiser jazz music nonprofit Oklahoma performances rock United States

GNOTE to headline 9th annual All That Jazz Fundraiser on Feb. 19 in Bartlesville

GNOTE (from left): George Allen, Annette Peters and Toby Denton

GNOTE, a high energy trio that specializes in music from the 50s through today’s hits, will headline the 9th annual All That Jazz Fundraiser at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011, at the Hillcrest Country Club, 1901 Price Road in Bartlesville, OK. Attendees will enjoy a reception featuring hors d’oeuvres and music by the Bartlesville High School Jazz Band at 6 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m., program at 7:45 p.m. and music by GNOTE from about 8:15-11:15 p.m. For ticket information, call (918) 336-6760.
GNOTE, consisting of group members George Allen, Annette Peters and Toby Denton, covers genres from R&B to country to rock-‘n’-roll to jazz as well as blues. Oklahoma Magazine selected the group as one of the Who’s Who of Oklahoma Entertainment in 2005.
All That Jazz is a fundraiser that supports the programs of the Westside Community Center (WCC) in Bartlesville. The Westside Community Center, founded in 1950 as a center for the black community, has enriched the lives of Bartlesville residents through the encouragement of self-motivation and self-reliance. The Westside Community Center also provides vital services and meets many needs that aren’t addressed by other local organizations. Although the center primarily serves minorities, low-income families, senior citizens and children who reside in the western sector of Bartlesville, membership is open to anyone who wishes to join and benefit from WCC programs.