Category: United States

Pianist/Composer Helen Sung announces East Coast tour dates

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date April 12, 2011

Jazz pianist/composer Helen Sung

According to a recent news release, award-winning jazz pianist/composer Helen Sung has announced a run of East Coast tour dates, which will include the debut of her experiment with all things electric titled “Wired” at the 55 Bar in New York City on April 26 and May 25, 2011. Other New York area dates include Sung with her trio at WBGO Radio’s “Jazz For Kids” series at the Montclair, N.J., Museum on April 16, 2011, presenting the program “I Got Rhythm, You Got Rhythm, We All Got Rhythm” with special guest tap dancer Maurice Chestnut. Sung will also perform in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Chamber Jazz Series in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 2011.
Sung recently released a collection of re-worked jazz standards from the American songbook, titled (re)Conception. Sung said in a release, “Nils Winther, owner of Steeplechase Records, called me on a Thursday in October 2009 asking if I’d like to do a trio recording session for him that coming Sunday: there’d been a cancellation. I’d done a couple of Steeplechase sessions before with other bands (Greg Tardy, Ronnie Cuber) and enjoyed them; besides, recording is always a terrific multi-faceted learning experience: producing, arranging, composing, the whole studio setting with its constellation of booths, mikes, the control room. Thus, I accepted this last minute opportunity.”
“I’ve always felt the American songbook is one the great proving grounds in jazz artistry,” Sung said. Referred to as “jazz standards”, these songs are timeless and have a strength that can withstand almost any type of treatment. For more information on Sung’s tour dates, go to http://www.helensung.com/.

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Jared Johnson, others honor longtime Tulsa jazz drummer Art Blakey on March 27, 2011

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date March 26, 2011

Art Blakey

The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame will close out the month of March with a tribute to Tulsa jazz icon and drummer Art Blakey at 5 p.m. Sunday, March 27, 2011, at the Jazz Depot, 111 E. First Street (Upper Level) in Tulsa, OK. Jared Johnson will lead some of Tulsa’s finest jazz musicians to honor this legendary jazz drummer.

Swinging the night away, the all-star cast includes trumpeter Jeff Shadley, tenor saxophonist Dr. Tommy Poole, bassist Jim Loftin, Scott McQuade on piano and Johnson on drums. Doors open at 4 p.m. General admission is $15 and front-row table seating is $20. For more information, call (918) 281-8609 or go online to http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=2762&pid=6950615.

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Trumpeter Sean Jones to release sixth album “No Need for Words” on May 24, 2011

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date March 17, 2011

After five previous albums, Sean Jones is particularly adept at plumbing complex emotional depths through his trumpet playing and composing.
“I didn’t want to do your typical love songs record that just deals with one aspect of love,” Jones said in a news release. “Not just the love from a man to a woman or the positive emotional side of falling in love. I wanted to do an album that really dealt with a few different shades of love.”
2010 was certainly a year of change for the trumpeter. In the spring, he stepped down from his position as lead trumpeter of Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, a position that Jones held for over half a decade. Additionally, he formed a new relationship with Marcus Miller, joining the bassist this past summer for a European tour.
This year, the title of Jones’ sixth CD for Mack Avenue, No Need For Words, sums up his overall approach. This is music that cuts straight to the emotional heart, whether dealing with passion, sensuality, parental nurturing, or spiritual forgiveness. Regardless of the particular feeling involved, Jones and his band communicate directly and movingly.
“It’s definitely an emotional statement,” Jones said. “I tried to make sure that the melodies I created and the vibe that I put on each particular tune really carried the message rather than having it expressed verbatim.”
Joining Jones on the project is Philadelphia-based pianist Orrin Evans, whose recent projects include his raucous Captain Black Big Band and the collective group “Tarbaby”; bassist Luques Curtis, who co-leads a Latin-oriented quartet with his pianist brother Zaccai; and Miami-born drummer Obed Calvaire, who has also performed with Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Lizz Wright and Steve Turre.

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Ailey II performance to bridge gaps in Oklahoma City

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date March 16, 2011

In a recent news release Anita Arnold, executive director of Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC), Inc. announced that the 8:00 p.m. Ailey II performance on Saturday, March 26, 2011, at Douglass High School Auditorium in Oklahoma City has become a family engagement activity.

“One of the common complaints we hear about lack of success in schools is that there is little or no parental involvement,” Arnold said. “As we contacted principals at Douglass High School, M. L. King, Wilson, and Highland Park Elementary Schools, for distribution of complimentary tickets to students made possible by one of the local foundations, it was suggested that this event could engage children and parents to bridge the gap between family and school. We embraced the idea.”

The idea caught on quickly and the request for tickets quickly outpaced available tickets. BLAC Inc. immediately extended their fundraising campaign to provide tickets to fill the requests.

Hundreds of children and two members of their families will have an opportunity to see and meet the artists that perform with this world renowned dance company, in their community and in one of the local high schools.

“It gives children a chance to dream and see new possibilities that they never imagined. In some cases, it may be the light in a life filled with hopelessness,” Arnold said. “We are happy to step forward to provide this service to our community. It just might inspire a student to go on to a better future with parental support.”

Family packets of 3 are available for $75, and 10 tickets may be purchased for $250 by persons or organizations interested in making a tax-deductible donation to sponsor families in the family engagement project. Donors will be acknowledged in the printed program and by letter.
Ailey II will perform several well-known pieces such as “I Been Buked,” “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel,” “Fix Me, Jesus” “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham” and “I Wanna Be Ready.” General admission is $30, and tickets are on sale at Capitol Square Station, Charlie’s Jazz Rhythm and Blues Store, Hopkins Haircare, KM66, and Learning Tree Toys and Books. $60 tickets for reserve seating and VIP reception may be purchased through BLAC Inc. For more information on family packets, students, seniors and groups discounts, call BLAC Inc. at (405) 524-3800 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (405) 524-3800 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
This performance is made possible through funding from the Inasmuch Foundation and the Oklahoma Arts Council.

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Trombonist Joe Fiedler releases “Sacred Chrome Orb” on March 29 on Yellow Sound Records

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date March 16, 2011

Trombonist Joe Fiedler’s Sacred Chrome Orb (to be released on Yellow Sound Records) represents a delight in the incongruous, a refreshingly skewed perspective, and an off-kilter sense of humor, all qualities that pervade the music of his unique, intensely expressive trio.
Sacred Chrome Orb is the Joe Fiedler Trio’s third project. Playing with Fiedler is bassist John Hebert and drummer Michael Sarin – two highly individual voices who meld into a chameleonic unit, able to morph from the airy to the explosive with supple, surprising grace. Fiedler is an inventive trombonist whose talents have found him founding the eccentric brass band Big Sackbut, working with visionary leaders Andrew Hill, Lee Konitz and Maria Schneider and avant-garde giants Anthony Braxton and Cecil Taylor; in big bands led by Satoko Fujii and Charles Tolliver; a member of the Captain Beefheart tribute band Fast and Bulbous; or accompanying pop stars like Jennifer Lopez and Wyclef Jean.
Fiedler announces his bold take on multiphonics from the outset, entering the opening track, “Occult”, with a sound like a train whistle. The atmosphere that this striking sound creates is sustained throughout the ensuing six minutes, with both the leader and Hebert stretching out over Sarin’s simmering intensity.
As its title implies, the groove-heavy “Two Kooks” is an opportunity for the trio to embark on a more light-hearted excursion. “I felt like we needed to just swing and get funky on something,” Fiedler says in a news release, “to do something fun and not as serious.”
On a more personal note, “Chicken” was named for the composer’s six-year-old daughter, though, as Fiedler says, “it’s not really a kid tune. When I played it for her, she ran out of the room and buried her head in the sofa. I’m not sure what that means.”
Whatever it means for Fiedler’s young daughter, Sacred Chrome Orb is likely to provoke strong reactions in any listener, even if it doesn’t send them scrambling for the couch cushions.

Ailey II arts Black Liberated Arts Center Inc. Oklahoma Oklahoma City United States

Black Liberated Arts Center Inc. closes 40th anniversary season with Ailey II Dance Company

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date March 5, 2011

Ailey II’s Solomon Dumas. Photo by Eduardo Patino, NYC

Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC) Inc. closes its 40th anniversary season with the renowned Ailey II Dance Company from New York City at 8 p.m. March 26, 2011, in the Douglass High School auditorium, 900 N Martin Luther King Ave. in Oklahoma City, OK.

The Ailey II Dance Company, a 35-year-old company under the direction of artistic director Sylvia Waters, will perform the several well-known performances such as Revelations and Take Me to the Water.

Ailey II embodies Alvin Ailey’s pioneering mission to establish an extended cultural community that provides dance performances, training and community programs for all people using the beauty and humanity of the African-American heritage and other cultures to unite people of all races, ages and backgrounds.

While in the city, the company will conduct two master classes at Oklahoma City University and the University of Central Oklahoma. Tickets are available at BLAC Inc. or the following ticket outlets: Capitol Square Station, Charlie’s Jazz, Rhythm and Blues Store, Hopkins Haircare, KM66, or Learning Tree Toy Store. For group discounts, senior and student discounts contact BLAC Inc. at (405) 524-3800. General admission is $30, and $60 for reserved seating and VIP reception.

This event is sponsored in part by Inasmuch Foundation and the Oklahoma Arts Council.

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Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame hosts Saturday Mardi Gras Celebration at the Depot

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date March 5, 2011

Mary Cogan

The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame presents a Mardi Gras bash at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 5, 2011, at the Jazz Depot, 111 E. First Street (Upper Level) in Tulsa, OK.
Mary Cogan is the entertainment for Mardi Gras 2011. Joining Cogan will be Shelby Eicher (mandolin and violin), Pat Savage and Ron Morgan, as well as a surprise musical guest. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. King Cake and New Orleans Gumbo will be served and participants are encouraged to wear masks and costumes. For tickets, call Bettie at (918) 281-8609 or go online to http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=2762&pid=6962783. Doors will open at 7 p.m.

Cynthia Simmons

At 5 p.m. Sunday, March 6, 2011, jazz vocalist Cynthia Simmons plans an evening of the “Songs I Love to Sing” highlighting many of her favorite jazz standards, including My Funny Valentine, Cry Me a River, Mood Indigo, Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me and more. Joining Simmons is special guest vocalist Pam Crosby and trumpeter Jeff Shadley. Doors will open at 4 p.m. For tickets, go to http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=2762&pid=6950612.

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JustLuxe offers “Trips of a Lifetime” sweepstakes

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date March 4, 2011

Dreaming about an exotic vacation? Chances are, you might be able to win it in the “Trips of a Lifetime” sweepstakes, sponsored by JustLuxe. JustLuxe is the largest affluent lifestyle guide in the world, and they’ve teamed up with some of the most prestigious hotels in the world to offer luxury vacation giveaways every month. Featured destinations are Paris, Greece, St. Lucia, Vienna, and others.
The grand prize winner will get a 4 night stay in suite at the Halekulani Hotel and Resort in Honolulu, roundtrip airfare, and if that is not enough, an exotic car rental complete with a personal chauffeur. Paying for that yourself would cost more than $30,000.
Head to JustLuxe http://www.justluxe.com/promotions/16/?ptr=bcatmitchmuse to enter.

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Vijay Iyer introduces new band and album Tirtha on March 8, 2011

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date March 3, 2011

(Left to right: Nitin Mitta, Vijay Iyer, Prasanna) Photo credit: Alan Nahigian

Vijay Iyer, 2011 Grammy nominee & JJA Musician of the Year, Chennai (formerly Madras)-born guitarist-composer Prasanna, and Hyderabad native and tabla player Nitin Mitta have achieved a fully realized, deeply thoughtful, and truly innovative collaboration called Tirthia.
Tirthia, to be released on March 8, 2011, combines the elemental directness of rock, the chamber-like intimacy of raga, and bebop’s hard, angular drive, and achieves a profound interplay of melody and rhythm that characterizes jazz.
“Tirtha (the band) formed in response to an invitation,” said Iyer in a news release. “In 2007, I was asked to put together a concert celebrating 60 years of Indian independence. Normally I’ve steered clear of fusion experiments that attempt to mix styles – to “create something,” as John Coltrane famously admonished, “more with labels, you see, than true evolution.” For this event, I hoped to avoid those pitfalls, and offer something personal.
“I invited along Prasanna and Nitin Mitta, two outstanding musicians from India who have settled in the States. None of us had collaborated previously, but at our first rehearsal we felt a jolt of recognition. There was no question of “fusion,” no compromise, no attempt to sound more or less “Indian”; just a fluid musical conversation among three individuals, an atmosphere of camaraderie, a sense of beginning.”
Composer-pianist Iyer is one of today’s most acclaimed and respected young American jazz artists. He received the Musician of the Year Award in the 2010 Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards, the 2010 Echo Award (the “German Grammy”) for best international ensemble with his trio, and the Downbeat Critics Poll for rising star jazz group of the year. His latest recordings on the ACT label include Solo (2010) and the trio album Historicity (2009). Historicity subsequently received a Grammy Nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.

contemporary jazz jazz Ralph Peterson releases United States

Drummer Ralph Peterson set to release album Outer Reaches on April 5

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date March 1, 2011

Outer Reaches, drummer Ralph Peterson‘s 15th album as a leader overall, is also the inaugural release on his Onyx Music label and will be available on April 5, 2011.
The composer-bandleader and talent scout extraordinaire Ralph Peterson has carried on in the tradition of his mentor and idol Art Blakey, who was renowned for his hard-driving approach to the kit and his uncanny knack for discovering new talent. Similarly, Peterson helped launch the careers of several promising young players in his various bands over the years, including trumpeters Sean Jones and Jeremy Pelt, saxophonists Steve Wilson, Ralph Bowen and Tia Fuller, vibist Bryan Carrot and pianist Orrin Evans. With his Unity Project, Peterson adds three new names to the list – trumpeter Josh Evans, tenor saxophonist Jovan Alexandre and Hammond B-3 organist Pat Bianchi. Together with their fearless leader, they collectively push the envelope to extremes on Outer Reaches, an exhilarating homage to Larry Young’s classic 1965 Blue Note recording Unity.
“This is something that I’ve always wanted to do,” says Peterson in a news release of his new Unity Project release. “It was another goal realized, and now we’re trying to wake everybody up to the good news about it as I plot the next move.”
A respected educator who is a professor at the Berklee College of Music, Peterson’s protégés include such potent new drummers on the New York scene as Ari Hoenig, E.J. Strickland, Justin Faulkner, Rodney Green, Vince Ector, Jonathan Blake, Dion Parsons and Mark Whitfield Jr. He is also a clinician and endorser for Mapex Drums, Vic Firth Sticks, Axis Pedals as well as Bosphorus Cymbals, where he designed their newest cymbal line aptly called The Oracle.