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Queen Latifah to portray Bessie Smith in HBO biopic – Oakland Jazz music | Examiner.com

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** Queen Latifah to portray Bessie Smith in HBO biopic
————————————————————
Queen Latifah

Blues legend Bessie Smith is the subject of a small-screen biopic (safari-reader://www.examiner.com/topic/biopic) coming to HBO (safari-reader://www.examiner.com/topic/hbo) later this year. It looks to be a first-class production and will feature Academy Award nominee Queen Latifah (safari-reader://www.examiner.com/topic/queen-latifah) in the title role.
Hard to believe, but it’s been 25 years since Latifah released her debut album, a hip-hop affair that set the pattern for her ‘90s output. Latifah demonstrated that she has serious vocal chops, however, on “The Dana Owens Album” (2004) and “Trav’lin’ Light” (2007), which found her singing vintage jazz (safari-reader://www.examiner.com/topic/jazz) and pop material including “Lush Life,” “Moody’s Mood for Love,” “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.” “California Dreaming,” “Poetry Man” and “I Want A Little Sugar in My Bowl.” Great stuff, as were her performances in “Bringing Out the Dead,” “Chicago” and “Stranger Than Fiction.”
That said, Latifah has noted in press interviews that she had a lot to learn about Smith before taking on the project.

“I had no idea who Bessie Smith was, to be honest with you,” she told USA Today. “I had to become familiar with who she was in particular.”
But once she did discover facts about the legendary musician, she was more than just surprised. Bessie is famed for being one of the founders of blues back in the 1920s, and is currently noted as an inspiration for much of today’s jazz music.
“I was just blown away,” explained Queen. “I could hear her voice in so many people who came after her. If there was a Bessie Smith alive today, she’d blow everyone else out of the water. I could never match her true ability.”
Queen herself is most known for her hip-hop prowess. She told the publication that when the role of Bessie was first presented to her by producers, she was more interested in rap and had no knowledge of the blues mother. But she’s since altered her perspective.
“The blues, the blues, I’ve gained such a great amount of respect for the blues,” Queen gushed. “The blues are just as stunning to me now as when this first came to me. If anything, I feel like I have a little more of the story of what Bessie had to say.”
The Bessie Smith biopic follows her life as she struggles to overcome personal issues to become a superstar in the music industry. It’s based on both her life and Chris Albertson’s biography of her, and the script was penned and will be directed by Dee Rees.
A release date for Bessie is yet to be announced, but it’ll premiere on HBO sometime in 2015.

Want to keep up with the best in Bay Area jazz and blues?
Subscribe to me: Have our jazz and blues Examiner columns sent to your inbox. Click the SUBSCRIBE button on this page. It’s free. (And I won’t spam you or give out your information.) Bookmark me: http://www.examiner.com/jazz-music-in-oakland/brian-mccoy.CONTACT ME FOR YOUR JAZZ AND ARTS GRANT WRITING NEEDS

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Queen Latifah to portray Bessie Smith in HBO biopic – Oakland Jazz music | Examiner.com

http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
http://www.examiner.com/article/queen-latifah-to-portray-bessie-smith-hbo-biopic?CID=examiner_alerts_article

** Queen Latifah to portray Bessie Smith in HBO biopic
————————————————————
Queen Latifah

Blues legend Bessie Smith is the subject of a small-screen biopic (safari-reader://www.examiner.com/topic/biopic) coming to HBO (safari-reader://www.examiner.com/topic/hbo) later this year. It looks to be a first-class production and will feature Academy Award nominee Queen Latifah (safari-reader://www.examiner.com/topic/queen-latifah) in the title role.
Hard to believe, but it’s been 25 years since Latifah released her debut album, a hip-hop affair that set the pattern for her ‘90s output. Latifah demonstrated that she has serious vocal chops, however, on “The Dana Owens Album” (2004) and “Trav’lin’ Light” (2007), which found her singing vintage jazz (safari-reader://www.examiner.com/topic/jazz) and pop material including “Lush Life,” “Moody’s Mood for Love,” “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.” “California Dreaming,” “Poetry Man” and “I Want A Little Sugar in My Bowl.” Great stuff, as were her performances in “Bringing Out the Dead,” “Chicago” and “Stranger Than Fiction.”
That said, Latifah has noted in press interviews that she had a lot to learn about Smith before taking on the project.

“I had no idea who Bessie Smith was, to be honest with you,” she told USA Today. “I had to become familiar with who she was in particular.”
But once she did discover facts about the legendary musician, she was more than just surprised. Bessie is famed for being one of the founders of blues back in the 1920s, and is currently noted as an inspiration for much of today’s jazz music.
“I was just blown away,” explained Queen. “I could hear her voice in so many people who came after her. If there was a Bessie Smith alive today, she’d blow everyone else out of the water. I could never match her true ability.”
Queen herself is most known for her hip-hop prowess. She told the publication that when the role of Bessie was first presented to her by producers, she was more interested in rap and had no knowledge of the blues mother. But she’s since altered her perspective.
“The blues, the blues, I’ve gained such a great amount of respect for the blues,” Queen gushed. “The blues are just as stunning to me now as when this first came to me. If anything, I feel like I have a little more of the story of what Bessie had to say.”
The Bessie Smith biopic follows her life as she struggles to overcome personal issues to become a superstar in the music industry. It’s based on both her life and Chris Albertson’s biography of her, and the script was penned and will be directed by Dee Rees.
A release date for Bessie is yet to be announced, but it’ll premiere on HBO sometime in 2015.

Want to keep up with the best in Bay Area jazz and blues?
Subscribe to me: Have our jazz and blues Examiner columns sent to your inbox. Click the SUBSCRIBE button on this page. It’s free. (And I won’t spam you or give out your information.) Bookmark me: http://www.examiner.com/jazz-music-in-oakland/brian-mccoy.CONTACT ME FOR YOUR JAZZ AND ARTS GRANT WRITING NEEDS

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

‘The Holler Sessions’: Portrait of a radio jazz evangelist | The Arts | The Seattle Times

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http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
http://seattletimes.com/html/thearts/2025442308_hollersessionsreviewxml.html

** ‘The Holler Sessions’: Portrait of a radio jazz evangelist
————————————————————

The word “fan” is an abbreviation of “fanatic.” In both cases, Ray qualifies.

Holed up in a cramped broadcast studio, this Kansas City radio jock plays vintage jazz records and waxes poetic and pissed-off between tunes for, one guesses, a very small late-night audience.

Ray, the sole character in Frank Boyd’s humorous, impassioned solo show “The Holler Sessions” at On the Boards, also sleeps, eats and drinks in this hoarder’s cubbyhole.

He inhabits the place, body and soul. The flurry of stick-’em notes, the piles of newspapers and boxes of files, the tacked-up photos of jazz greats like Charlie Parker and Charles Mingus, the bottle of whiskey in a drawer — all are projections of Ray’s total devotion to a seminal American art form and his evangelical advocacy for it.

Worshipping at the shrine of jazz, Ray urges, seduces, all but begs us to join his flock. Through mutual listening to the sublimely inventive sounds of Mingus and Ellington, Ray insists, “We collectively create a thing of beauty.”

Boyd, who also wrote and staged “The Holler Sessions,” recently had a magnetic turn in Book-It Rep’s “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” (he was Kavalier). More germane here is his previous work with Elevator Repair Service and other experimental New York theater troupes.

“The Holler Sessions” is framed as an experiential plunge that dares to romanticize, a total-immersion music-appreciation seminar taught by the most enthusiastic prof imaginable. And it is Boyd’s worthy attempt to incorporate the riffing improvisational essence of jazz into Ray’s reveries, exhortations and bantering with listeners, as comics like George Carlin and Lenny Bruce did in their routines.

At 80 minutes, the show hits some snags and slack spots on occasion (starting with an overextended and grossly scatological metaphor). And the purposeful omission of any backstory for Ray cuts two ways.

But Boyd the actor is on fire. His hipster New York accent (an homage to comedian Carlin, one of the models for Ray?) never flags. His mercurial physicality impresses, whether he’s doing manic calisthenics, or sitting stock still, in droopy-eyed wonder, taking in Satchmo’s consummate trumpet solo on “West End Blues.”

He gives a lover’s sensuous appreciation of every note of sax-player Ben Webster’s brushed-velvet version of “Body and Soul,” as well as a purist’s cocky put-down of “square” music, especially folk and commercial pop (James Taylor and Justin Timberlake get sacked). He despairs over the corporate “branding” and marketing of music.

“The Holler Sessions” can get static. The energy dips when improv chats with audience members (who “call in” on smartphones) don’t click. And it can get lecture-y (e.g., reverent quoting from the sayings of Miles Davis, who could really dish the jive when he pleased).

Presenting Ray as a sui generis phenom, without any backstory or analysis, is an admirable creative risk. But a sprinkling of tantalizing glimmers from the guy’s past could add more contours, without over-explaining eccentricities.

Whatever adjustments Boyd may make, “The Holler Sessions” should delight many fellow jazz aficionados and turn some of the uninitiated on to a treasure trove of brilliant music. (A playlist of tunes Ray spins is handed out post show.)

It’s a marvel, in this age of perpetual distraction, to sit with a large group in darkness, raptly listening to and really hearing, the furious wonders of bebop. “The Holler Sessions” also tags on a coda, a copacetic surprise I won’t reveal. Let’s just say it brings jazz even more to life.

Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com (mailto:mberson@seattletimes.com)

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=54575d300e) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=54575d300e&e=[UNIQID])

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

‘The Holler Sessions’: Portrait of a radio jazz evangelist | The Arts | The Seattle Times

http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
http://seattletimes.com/html/thearts/2025442308_hollersessionsreviewxml.html

** ‘The Holler Sessions’: Portrait of a radio jazz evangelist
————————————————————

The word “fan” is an abbreviation of “fanatic.” In both cases, Ray qualifies.

Holed up in a cramped broadcast studio, this Kansas City radio jock plays vintage jazz records and waxes poetic and pissed-off between tunes for, one guesses, a very small late-night audience.

Ray, the sole character in Frank Boyd’s humorous, impassioned solo show “The Holler Sessions” at On the Boards, also sleeps, eats and drinks in this hoarder’s cubbyhole.

He inhabits the place, body and soul. The flurry of stick-’em notes, the piles of newspapers and boxes of files, the tacked-up photos of jazz greats like Charlie Parker and Charles Mingus, the bottle of whiskey in a drawer — all are projections of Ray’s total devotion to a seminal American art form and his evangelical advocacy for it.

Worshipping at the shrine of jazz, Ray urges, seduces, all but begs us to join his flock. Through mutual listening to the sublimely inventive sounds of Mingus and Ellington, Ray insists, “We collectively create a thing of beauty.”

Boyd, who also wrote and staged “The Holler Sessions,” recently had a magnetic turn in Book-It Rep’s “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” (he was Kavalier). More germane here is his previous work with Elevator Repair Service and other experimental New York theater troupes.

“The Holler Sessions” is framed as an experiential plunge that dares to romanticize, a total-immersion music-appreciation seminar taught by the most enthusiastic prof imaginable. And it is Boyd’s worthy attempt to incorporate the riffing improvisational essence of jazz into Ray’s reveries, exhortations and bantering with listeners, as comics like George Carlin and Lenny Bruce did in their routines.

At 80 minutes, the show hits some snags and slack spots on occasion (starting with an overextended and grossly scatological metaphor). And the purposeful omission of any backstory for Ray cuts two ways.

But Boyd the actor is on fire. His hipster New York accent (an homage to comedian Carlin, one of the models for Ray?) never flags. His mercurial physicality impresses, whether he’s doing manic calisthenics, or sitting stock still, in droopy-eyed wonder, taking in Satchmo’s consummate trumpet solo on “West End Blues.”

He gives a lover’s sensuous appreciation of every note of sax-player Ben Webster’s brushed-velvet version of “Body and Soul,” as well as a purist’s cocky put-down of “square” music, especially folk and commercial pop (James Taylor and Justin Timberlake get sacked). He despairs over the corporate “branding” and marketing of music.

“The Holler Sessions” can get static. The energy dips when improv chats with audience members (who “call in” on smartphones) don’t click. And it can get lecture-y (e.g., reverent quoting from the sayings of Miles Davis, who could really dish the jive when he pleased).

Presenting Ray as a sui generis phenom, without any backstory or analysis, is an admirable creative risk. But a sprinkling of tantalizing glimmers from the guy’s past could add more contours, without over-explaining eccentricities.

Whatever adjustments Boyd may make, “The Holler Sessions” should delight many fellow jazz aficionados and turn some of the uninitiated on to a treasure trove of brilliant music. (A playlist of tunes Ray spins is handed out post show.)

It’s a marvel, in this age of perpetual distraction, to sit with a large group in darkness, raptly listening to and really hearing, the furious wonders of bebop. “The Holler Sessions” also tags on a coda, a copacetic surprise I won’t reveal. Let’s just say it brings jazz even more to life.

Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com (mailto:mberson@seattletimes.com)

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=54575d300e) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=54575d300e&e=[UNIQID])

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

‘The Holler Sessions’: Portrait of a radio jazz evangelist | The Arts | The Seattle Times

http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
http://seattletimes.com/html/thearts/2025442308_hollersessionsreviewxml.html

** ‘The Holler Sessions’: Portrait of a radio jazz evangelist
————————————————————

The word “fan” is an abbreviation of “fanatic.” In both cases, Ray qualifies.

Holed up in a cramped broadcast studio, this Kansas City radio jock plays vintage jazz records and waxes poetic and pissed-off between tunes for, one guesses, a very small late-night audience.

Ray, the sole character in Frank Boyd’s humorous, impassioned solo show “The Holler Sessions” at On the Boards, also sleeps, eats and drinks in this hoarder’s cubbyhole.

He inhabits the place, body and soul. The flurry of stick-’em notes, the piles of newspapers and boxes of files, the tacked-up photos of jazz greats like Charlie Parker and Charles Mingus, the bottle of whiskey in a drawer — all are projections of Ray’s total devotion to a seminal American art form and his evangelical advocacy for it.

Worshipping at the shrine of jazz, Ray urges, seduces, all but begs us to join his flock. Through mutual listening to the sublimely inventive sounds of Mingus and Ellington, Ray insists, “We collectively create a thing of beauty.”

Boyd, who also wrote and staged “The Holler Sessions,” recently had a magnetic turn in Book-It Rep’s “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” (he was Kavalier). More germane here is his previous work with Elevator Repair Service and other experimental New York theater troupes.

“The Holler Sessions” is framed as an experiential plunge that dares to romanticize, a total-immersion music-appreciation seminar taught by the most enthusiastic prof imaginable. And it is Boyd’s worthy attempt to incorporate the riffing improvisational essence of jazz into Ray’s reveries, exhortations and bantering with listeners, as comics like George Carlin and Lenny Bruce did in their routines.

At 80 minutes, the show hits some snags and slack spots on occasion (starting with an overextended and grossly scatological metaphor). And the purposeful omission of any backstory for Ray cuts two ways.

But Boyd the actor is on fire. His hipster New York accent (an homage to comedian Carlin, one of the models for Ray?) never flags. His mercurial physicality impresses, whether he’s doing manic calisthenics, or sitting stock still, in droopy-eyed wonder, taking in Satchmo’s consummate trumpet solo on “West End Blues.”

He gives a lover’s sensuous appreciation of every note of sax-player Ben Webster’s brushed-velvet version of “Body and Soul,” as well as a purist’s cocky put-down of “square” music, especially folk and commercial pop (James Taylor and Justin Timberlake get sacked). He despairs over the corporate “branding” and marketing of music.

“The Holler Sessions” can get static. The energy dips when improv chats with audience members (who “call in” on smartphones) don’t click. And it can get lecture-y (e.g., reverent quoting from the sayings of Miles Davis, who could really dish the jive when he pleased).

Presenting Ray as a sui generis phenom, without any backstory or analysis, is an admirable creative risk. But a sprinkling of tantalizing glimmers from the guy’s past could add more contours, without over-explaining eccentricities.

Whatever adjustments Boyd may make, “The Holler Sessions” should delight many fellow jazz aficionados and turn some of the uninitiated on to a treasure trove of brilliant music. (A playlist of tunes Ray spins is handed out post show.)

It’s a marvel, in this age of perpetual distraction, to sit with a large group in darkness, raptly listening to and really hearing, the furious wonders of bebop. “The Holler Sessions” also tags on a coda, a copacetic surprise I won’t reveal. Let’s just say it brings jazz even more to life.

Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com (mailto:mberson@seattletimes.com)

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=54575d300e) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=54575d300e&e=[UNIQID])

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

Jeff Golub, 59, Smooth Jazz Guitarist, Is Dead – NYTimes.com

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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/10/arts/music/jeff-golub-59-smooth-jazz-guitarist-is-dead.html

** Jeff Golub, 59, Smooth Jazz Guitarist, Is Dead
————————————————————
Continue reading the main story

Jeff Golub (http://www.jeffgolub.com/) , a guitarist who worked with rock stars like Rod Stewart and Billy Squier and for the last two decades had a successful genre-crossing solo career, died on Jan. 1 at his home in Manhattan. He was 59.

The cause was complications of progressive supranuclear palsy (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/psp/detail_psp.htm) , a rare brain disorder for which there is no known cure, said his wife, Audrey Stafford Golub. Mr. Golub lost his eyesight in 2011 but continued to perform and record until 2013, when his condition left him unable to play.

Mr. Golub was for many years a fixture on the smooth jazz charts and was most closely associated with that often critically maligned genre, which puts as much emphasis on steady, relaxed grooves as it does on improvisation. But his playing, which incorporated jazz, rock, blues and even country influences, resisted categorization.

“There’s only two kinds of music,” he once said, “the kind that’s from the heart and the kind that’s not.”

Born in Akron, Ohio, on April 15, 1955, and raised in nearby Copley, Mr. Golub decided to become a guitar player at age 8, when his father took him to see the Grand Ole Opry. He attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston for a year before leaving to study privately with the jazz guitarist Mick Goodrick.

Mr. Golub toured and recorded extensively with Mr. Squier before forming his own band, Low Profile. In 1988 — the same year he released his first album, “Unspoken Words” — he joined Mr. Stewart’s group, with which he remained until shortly after forming another band, Avenue Blue, in 1994. He also performed and recorded extensively as a sideman in those years, with the singers Tina Turner and Vanessa Williams, the saxophonist Gato Barbieri and many others.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Chris and Matthew; his mother, Pearl Golub; a brother, Pete; and a sister, Patti Hippler.

Mr. Golub recorded about a dozen albums as a leader for various labels, the most recent of which emphasized the bluesier aspects of his playing. His last album (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3WKEDlTUHA) , a collaboration with the keyboardist Brian Auger, was recorded not long after Mr. Golub narrowly survived a fall (http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/good-samaratins-save-blind-jazz-guitarist-falls-upper-west-side-subway-tracks-article-1.1152811) onto the tracks at a New York subway station in 2012. The title of the record was “Train Keeps a Rolling.”

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USA

Jeff Golub, 59, Smooth Jazz Guitarist, Is Dead – NYTimes.com

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http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/10/arts/music/jeff-golub-59-smooth-jazz-guitarist-is-dead.html

** Jeff Golub, 59, Smooth Jazz Guitarist, Is Dead
————————————————————
Continue reading the main story

Jeff Golub (http://www.jeffgolub.com/) , a guitarist who worked with rock stars like Rod Stewart and Billy Squier and for the last two decades had a successful genre-crossing solo career, died on Jan. 1 at his home in Manhattan. He was 59.

The cause was complications of progressive supranuclear palsy (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/psp/detail_psp.htm) , a rare brain disorder for which there is no known cure, said his wife, Audrey Stafford Golub. Mr. Golub lost his eyesight in 2011 but continued to perform and record until 2013, when his condition left him unable to play.

Mr. Golub was for many years a fixture on the smooth jazz charts and was most closely associated with that often critically maligned genre, which puts as much emphasis on steady, relaxed grooves as it does on improvisation. But his playing, which incorporated jazz, rock, blues and even country influences, resisted categorization.

“There’s only two kinds of music,” he once said, “the kind that’s from the heart and the kind that’s not.”

Born in Akron, Ohio, on April 15, 1955, and raised in nearby Copley, Mr. Golub decided to become a guitar player at age 8, when his father took him to see the Grand Ole Opry. He attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston for a year before leaving to study privately with the jazz guitarist Mick Goodrick.

Mr. Golub toured and recorded extensively with Mr. Squier before forming his own band, Low Profile. In 1988 — the same year he released his first album, “Unspoken Words” — he joined Mr. Stewart’s group, with which he remained until shortly after forming another band, Avenue Blue, in 1994. He also performed and recorded extensively as a sideman in those years, with the singers Tina Turner and Vanessa Williams, the saxophonist Gato Barbieri and many others.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Chris and Matthew; his mother, Pearl Golub; a brother, Pete; and a sister, Patti Hippler.

Mr. Golub recorded about a dozen albums as a leader for various labels, the most recent of which emphasized the bluesier aspects of his playing. His last album (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3WKEDlTUHA) , a collaboration with the keyboardist Brian Auger, was recorded not long after Mr. Golub narrowly survived a fall (http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/good-samaratins-save-blind-jazz-guitarist-falls-upper-west-side-subway-tracks-article-1.1152811) onto the tracks at a New York subway station in 2012. The title of the record was “Train Keeps a Rolling.”

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Jeff Golub, 59, Smooth Jazz Guitarist, Is Dead – NYTimes.com

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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/10/arts/music/jeff-golub-59-smooth-jazz-guitarist-is-dead.html

** Jeff Golub, 59, Smooth Jazz Guitarist, Is Dead
————————————————————
Continue reading the main story

Jeff Golub (http://www.jeffgolub.com/) , a guitarist who worked with rock stars like Rod Stewart and Billy Squier and for the last two decades had a successful genre-crossing solo career, died on Jan. 1 at his home in Manhattan. He was 59.

The cause was complications of progressive supranuclear palsy (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/psp/detail_psp.htm) , a rare brain disorder for which there is no known cure, said his wife, Audrey Stafford Golub. Mr. Golub lost his eyesight in 2011 but continued to perform and record until 2013, when his condition left him unable to play.

Mr. Golub was for many years a fixture on the smooth jazz charts and was most closely associated with that often critically maligned genre, which puts as much emphasis on steady, relaxed grooves as it does on improvisation. But his playing, which incorporated jazz, rock, blues and even country influences, resisted categorization.

“There’s only two kinds of music,” he once said, “the kind that’s from the heart and the kind that’s not.”

Born in Akron, Ohio, on April 15, 1955, and raised in nearby Copley, Mr. Golub decided to become a guitar player at age 8, when his father took him to see the Grand Ole Opry. He attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston for a year before leaving to study privately with the jazz guitarist Mick Goodrick.

Mr. Golub toured and recorded extensively with Mr. Squier before forming his own band, Low Profile. In 1988 — the same year he released his first album, “Unspoken Words” — he joined Mr. Stewart’s group, with which he remained until shortly after forming another band, Avenue Blue, in 1994. He also performed and recorded extensively as a sideman in those years, with the singers Tina Turner and Vanessa Williams, the saxophonist Gato Barbieri and many others.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Chris and Matthew; his mother, Pearl Golub; a brother, Pete; and a sister, Patti Hippler.

Mr. Golub recorded about a dozen albums as a leader for various labels, the most recent of which emphasized the bluesier aspects of his playing. His last album (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3WKEDlTUHA) , a collaboration with the keyboardist Brian Auger, was recorded not long after Mr. Golub narrowly survived a fall (http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/good-samaratins-save-blind-jazz-guitarist-falls-upper-west-side-subway-tracks-article-1.1152811) onto the tracks at a New York subway station in 2012. The title of the record was “Train Keeps a Rolling.”

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=840fdf21e9) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=840fdf21e9&e=[UNIQID])

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Exclusive: John Coltrane Documentary in the Works From ‘John Lennon’ Director | Billboard

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http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6363536/exclusive-john-coltrane-documentary-in-the-works-from-john-lennon-director

** Exclusive: John Coltrane Documentary in the Works From ‘John Lennon’ Director
————————————————————

The story of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane (http://www.billboard.com/artist/304915/john-coltrane/chart) , one of the last major innovators in American music, will be told through the stories of people he influenced in the next documentary from the director-writer of Who is Harry Nilsson (and Why is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?).

Director-writer-producer John Scheinfeld — whose credits include The U.S. vs. John Lennon (http://www.billboard.com/artist/304965/john-lennon/chart) and Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson (http://www.billboard.com/artist/297276/brian-wilson/chart) and the Story of “Smile” with David Leaf — began pre-production on the film (http://coltranefilm.com/) in November. Spencer Proffer is producing through his Meteor 17 company; longtime music video executive John Beug and Concord Music Group managing director Scott Pascucci are also producers.

“He was an artist whose work resonated with fans from all walks of life — the architect Frank Gehry, Clint Eastwood, Bono (http://www.billboard.com/artist/277577/u2/chart) , Philip Glass (http://editbbma.billboard.com/artist/334133/philip-glass/chart) , Alicia Keys (http://www.billboard.com/artist/278600/alicia-keys/chart) , Bill Clinton — and that fascinated me: What is it about this music that touches people so deeply?” says Scheinfeld, whose goal is to humanize instead of glorify Coltrane.

Pharrell & More Salute Bill Clinton’s Love of Jazz in L.A. (http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6312229/bill-clinton-jazz-award-los-angeles)

“Most of the books attempt to analyze his music,” Scheinfeld added. “We’ll make the film different by showing the impact the music made. He’s like the Beatles (http://www.billboard.com/artist/383540/beatles/chart) in that he never repeated himself; he found what worked and moved on. He had a restless creativity, and that, to me, is quite admirable.”

Proffer, a music and film producer who brought Coltrane’s son onboard as a consultant in February 2012, and Scheinfeld intend to have the film ready by the end of 2015 for an unveiling on the film-festival circuit in 2016, after which they will sell to a theatrical distributor.

Coltrane, born in 1926 in North Carolina, had his breakout in Miles Davis (http://www.billboard.com/artist/311267/miles-davis/chart) ‘ quintet in the late-1950s and in partnership with Thelonious Monk (http://www.billboard.com/artist/419482/thelonious-monk/chart) . Between 1957 and his death at age 40 in 1967, he released nearly two dozen albums as a leader, among them the genre landmarks A Love Supreme, Giant Steps and Live at the Village Vanguard.

John Coltrane Fans Hope to Turn Jazz Great’s Home Into A Museum (http://www.billboard.com/articles/5778141/john-coltrane-fans-hope-to-turn-jazz-greats-home-into-a-museum)

Music rights have been cleared for more than 90 percent of his recorded music; Coltrane’s best-known work is owned by Universal Music Group (Impulse and Blue Note labels), Concord Music Group (Prestige) and Warner Music Group (Atlantic Records).

“Long-term relationships,” Proffer says of the project securing vital music rights, “and the desire of the labels to get into a project that’s good for the catalogs.”

Despite an abundance of recorded material, the visuals are more challenging. He did only one American television performance as a leader: one with Davis on CBS and only three or four in Europe. The Coltrane family is providing home movies and unreleased audio; collectors are being contacted as well.

“The John Coltrane story is simple,” says Ravi Coltrane (http://www.billboard.com/artist/364037/ravi-coltrane/chart) , who was 2 when his father died. “He worked his ass off, going to gigs and then coming home to practice. [Proffer and Scheinfled’s] hearts are in the right place. They’re film people, not jazz people, so I think it allows for a fresh take. What excites me is how this one artist affected so much outside the realm of music. It’s about vision and discipline.”

An edited version of this story originally appeared in the Dec. 12 issue of Billboard (http://shop.billboard.com/products/billboard-back-issue-volume-126-issue-41) .

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=a99ce9c302) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=a99ce9c302&e=[UNIQID])

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE ON THIS MAILING LIST PLEASE RESPOND WITH ‘REMOVE’ IN THE SUBJECT LINE. IF YOU ARE RECEIVING DUPLICATE EMAILS OUR APOLOGIES, JAZZ PROMO SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENT LIST IS GROWING LARGER EVERY DAY…..PLEASE LET US KNOW AND WE WILL FIX IT IMMEDIATELY!

Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

Exclusive: John Coltrane Documentary in the Works From ‘John Lennon’ Director | Billboard

http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6363536/exclusive-john-coltrane-documentary-in-the-works-from-john-lennon-director

** Exclusive: John Coltrane Documentary in the Works From ‘John Lennon’ Director
————————————————————

The story of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane (http://www.billboard.com/artist/304915/john-coltrane/chart) , one of the last major innovators in American music, will be told through the stories of people he influenced in the next documentary from the director-writer of Who is Harry Nilsson (and Why is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?).

Director-writer-producer John Scheinfeld — whose credits include The U.S. vs. John Lennon (http://www.billboard.com/artist/304965/john-lennon/chart) and Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson (http://www.billboard.com/artist/297276/brian-wilson/chart) and the Story of “Smile” with David Leaf — began pre-production on the film (http://coltranefilm.com/) in November. Spencer Proffer is producing through his Meteor 17 company; longtime music video executive John Beug and Concord Music Group managing director Scott Pascucci are also producers.

“He was an artist whose work resonated with fans from all walks of life — the architect Frank Gehry, Clint Eastwood, Bono (http://www.billboard.com/artist/277577/u2/chart) , Philip Glass (http://editbbma.billboard.com/artist/334133/philip-glass/chart) , Alicia Keys (http://www.billboard.com/artist/278600/alicia-keys/chart) , Bill Clinton — and that fascinated me: What is it about this music that touches people so deeply?” says Scheinfeld, whose goal is to humanize instead of glorify Coltrane.

Pharrell & More Salute Bill Clinton’s Love of Jazz in L.A. (http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6312229/bill-clinton-jazz-award-los-angeles)

“Most of the books attempt to analyze his music,” Scheinfeld added. “We’ll make the film different by showing the impact the music made. He’s like the Beatles (http://www.billboard.com/artist/383540/beatles/chart) in that he never repeated himself; he found what worked and moved on. He had a restless creativity, and that, to me, is quite admirable.”

Proffer, a music and film producer who brought Coltrane’s son onboard as a consultant in February 2012, and Scheinfeld intend to have the film ready by the end of 2015 for an unveiling on the film-festival circuit in 2016, after which they will sell to a theatrical distributor.

Coltrane, born in 1926 in North Carolina, had his breakout in Miles Davis (http://www.billboard.com/artist/311267/miles-davis/chart) ‘ quintet in the late-1950s and in partnership with Thelonious Monk (http://www.billboard.com/artist/419482/thelonious-monk/chart) . Between 1957 and his death at age 40 in 1967, he released nearly two dozen albums as a leader, among them the genre landmarks A Love Supreme, Giant Steps and Live at the Village Vanguard.

John Coltrane Fans Hope to Turn Jazz Great’s Home Into A Museum (http://www.billboard.com/articles/5778141/john-coltrane-fans-hope-to-turn-jazz-greats-home-into-a-museum)

Music rights have been cleared for more than 90 percent of his recorded music; Coltrane’s best-known work is owned by Universal Music Group (Impulse and Blue Note labels), Concord Music Group (Prestige) and Warner Music Group (Atlantic Records).

“Long-term relationships,” Proffer says of the project securing vital music rights, “and the desire of the labels to get into a project that’s good for the catalogs.”

Despite an abundance of recorded material, the visuals are more challenging. He did only one American television performance as a leader: one with Davis on CBS and only three or four in Europe. The Coltrane family is providing home movies and unreleased audio; collectors are being contacted as well.

“The John Coltrane story is simple,” says Ravi Coltrane (http://www.billboard.com/artist/364037/ravi-coltrane/chart) , who was 2 when his father died. “He worked his ass off, going to gigs and then coming home to practice. [Proffer and Scheinfled’s] hearts are in the right place. They’re film people, not jazz people, so I think it allows for a fresh take. What excites me is how this one artist affected so much outside the realm of music. It’s about vision and discipline.”

An edited version of this story originally appeared in the Dec. 12 issue of Billboard (http://shop.billboard.com/products/billboard-back-issue-volume-126-issue-41) .

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=a99ce9c302) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=a99ce9c302&e=[UNIQID])

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE ON THIS MAILING LIST PLEASE RESPOND WITH ‘REMOVE’ IN THE SUBJECT LINE. IF YOU ARE RECEIVING DUPLICATE EMAILS OUR APOLOGIES, JAZZ PROMO SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENT LIST IS GROWING LARGER EVERY DAY…..PLEASE LET US KNOW AND WE WILL FIX IT IMMEDIATELY!

Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

Exclusive: John Coltrane Documentary in the Works From ‘John Lennon’ Director | Billboard

http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6363536/exclusive-john-coltrane-documentary-in-the-works-from-john-lennon-director

** Exclusive: John Coltrane Documentary in the Works From ‘John Lennon’ Director
————————————————————

The story of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane (http://www.billboard.com/artist/304915/john-coltrane/chart) , one of the last major innovators in American music, will be told through the stories of people he influenced in the next documentary from the director-writer of Who is Harry Nilsson (and Why is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?).

Director-writer-producer John Scheinfeld — whose credits include The U.S. vs. John Lennon (http://www.billboard.com/artist/304965/john-lennon/chart) and Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson (http://www.billboard.com/artist/297276/brian-wilson/chart) and the Story of “Smile” with David Leaf — began pre-production on the film (http://coltranefilm.com/) in November. Spencer Proffer is producing through his Meteor 17 company; longtime music video executive John Beug and Concord Music Group managing director Scott Pascucci are also producers.

“He was an artist whose work resonated with fans from all walks of life — the architect Frank Gehry, Clint Eastwood, Bono (http://www.billboard.com/artist/277577/u2/chart) , Philip Glass (http://editbbma.billboard.com/artist/334133/philip-glass/chart) , Alicia Keys (http://www.billboard.com/artist/278600/alicia-keys/chart) , Bill Clinton — and that fascinated me: What is it about this music that touches people so deeply?” says Scheinfeld, whose goal is to humanize instead of glorify Coltrane.

Pharrell & More Salute Bill Clinton’s Love of Jazz in L.A. (http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6312229/bill-clinton-jazz-award-los-angeles)

“Most of the books attempt to analyze his music,” Scheinfeld added. “We’ll make the film different by showing the impact the music made. He’s like the Beatles (http://www.billboard.com/artist/383540/beatles/chart) in that he never repeated himself; he found what worked and moved on. He had a restless creativity, and that, to me, is quite admirable.”

Proffer, a music and film producer who brought Coltrane’s son onboard as a consultant in February 2012, and Scheinfeld intend to have the film ready by the end of 2015 for an unveiling on the film-festival circuit in 2016, after which they will sell to a theatrical distributor.

Coltrane, born in 1926 in North Carolina, had his breakout in Miles Davis (http://www.billboard.com/artist/311267/miles-davis/chart) ‘ quintet in the late-1950s and in partnership with Thelonious Monk (http://www.billboard.com/artist/419482/thelonious-monk/chart) . Between 1957 and his death at age 40 in 1967, he released nearly two dozen albums as a leader, among them the genre landmarks A Love Supreme, Giant Steps and Live at the Village Vanguard.

John Coltrane Fans Hope to Turn Jazz Great’s Home Into A Museum (http://www.billboard.com/articles/5778141/john-coltrane-fans-hope-to-turn-jazz-greats-home-into-a-museum)

Music rights have been cleared for more than 90 percent of his recorded music; Coltrane’s best-known work is owned by Universal Music Group (Impulse and Blue Note labels), Concord Music Group (Prestige) and Warner Music Group (Atlantic Records).

“Long-term relationships,” Proffer says of the project securing vital music rights, “and the desire of the labels to get into a project that’s good for the catalogs.”

Despite an abundance of recorded material, the visuals are more challenging. He did only one American television performance as a leader: one with Davis on CBS and only three or four in Europe. The Coltrane family is providing home movies and unreleased audio; collectors are being contacted as well.

“The John Coltrane story is simple,” says Ravi Coltrane (http://www.billboard.com/artist/364037/ravi-coltrane/chart) , who was 2 when his father died. “He worked his ass off, going to gigs and then coming home to practice. [Proffer and Scheinfled’s] hearts are in the right place. They’re film people, not jazz people, so I think it allows for a fresh take. What excites me is how this one artist affected so much outside the realm of music. It’s about vision and discipline.”

An edited version of this story originally appeared in the Dec. 12 issue of Billboard (http://shop.billboard.com/products/billboard-back-issue-volume-126-issue-41) .

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=a99ce9c302) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=a99ce9c302&e=[UNIQID])

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE ON THIS MAILING LIST PLEASE RESPOND WITH ‘REMOVE’ IN THE SUBJECT LINE. IF YOU ARE RECEIVING DUPLICATE EMAILS OUR APOLOGIES, JAZZ PROMO SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENT LIST IS GROWING LARGER EVERY DAY…..PLEASE LET US KNOW AND WE WILL FIX IT IMMEDIATELY!

Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

Hod O’Brien and Bob Gurland in The Greene Space – YouTube

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http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCC7uvfHCZQ

Props to list subscriber Joesph Banks for pulling my coat to this video.

One of the best practitioners of this art is Bob Gurland who used to be a member of Jon Hendricks and Family. Bob now practices law, but I have seen him sit in with Stephanie Nakasian, who was also in the Hendricks group for a while, on several occasions, and he is superb. Here is a sample of his work with Hod O’Brien, Stephanie’s husband:

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=edb9b1eda3) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=edb9b1eda3&e=[UNIQID])

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

Hod O’Brien and Bob Gurland in The Greene Space – YouTube

http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCC7uvfHCZQ

Props to list subscriber Joesph Banks for pulling my coat to this video.

One of the best practitioners of this art is Bob Gurland who used to be a member of Jon Hendricks and Family. Bob now practices law, but I have seen him sit in with Stephanie Nakasian, who was also in the Hendricks group for a while, on several occasions, and he is superb. Here is a sample of his work with Hod O’Brien, Stephanie’s husband:

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=edb9b1eda3) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=edb9b1eda3&e=[UNIQID])

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE ON THIS MAILING LIST PLEASE RESPOND WITH ‘REMOVE’ IN THE SUBJECT LINE. IF YOU ARE RECEIVING DUPLICATE EMAILS OUR APOLOGIES, JAZZ PROMO SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENT LIST IS GROWING LARGER EVERY DAY…..PLEASE LET US KNOW AND WE WILL FIX IT IMMEDIATELY!

Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

Hod O’Brien and Bob Gurland in The Greene Space – YouTube

http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCC7uvfHCZQ

Props to list subscriber Joesph Banks for pulling my coat to this video.

One of the best practitioners of this art is Bob Gurland who used to be a member of Jon Hendricks and Family. Bob now practices law, but I have seen him sit in with Stephanie Nakasian, who was also in the Hendricks group for a while, on several occasions, and he is superb. Here is a sample of his work with Hod O’Brien, Stephanie’s husband:

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=edb9b1eda3) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=edb9b1eda3&e=[UNIQID])

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE ON THIS MAILING LIST PLEASE RESPOND WITH ‘REMOVE’ IN THE SUBJECT LINE. IF YOU ARE RECEIVING DUPLICATE EMAILS OUR APOLOGIES, JAZZ PROMO SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENT LIST IS GROWING LARGER EVERY DAY…..PLEASE LET US KNOW AND WE WILL FIX IT IMMEDIATELY!

Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

Laws That Are Out of Tune By Larry Blumenfel- WSJ

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http://www.wsj.com/articles/laws-that-are-out-of-tune-1420500187

** Laws That Are Out of Tune
————————————————————
People participate in a jazz funeral for trumpeter Lionel Ferbos. ENLARGE

People participate in a jazz funeral for trumpeter Lionel Ferbos.Associated Press
By

Larry Blumenfeld
Jan. 5, 2015 6:23 p.m. ET

Last year in New Orleans, the calls and responses of a storied musical tradition were often drowned out by back-and-forth arguments over ordinances. At stake are a number of things, not least a culture that the city’s Convention & Visitors Bureau website correctly claims “bubbles up from the streets.”

This past January, dozens of musicians led a crowd of hundreds into New Orleans’s City Council chamber. “We’re here to bury the noise ordinance,” announced a trombonist before raising his instrument. The protest took musical form—a dirgelike rendition of the hymn “Just a Closer Walk With Thee,” a standard at any local jazz funeral.

In April, one day before the annual Jazz & Heritage Festival opened, council chambers were again full. The lobbying regarding decibel levels and regulations of musical expression revealed growing public rifts. Some speakers warned of threats to musicians’ livelihoods and the infringement of rights. Others sought protection from nuisances, particularly the bombast of amplified music along one stretch of Bourbon Street, in the French Quarter. One contentious item was Section 66-205, which states: “It shall be unlawful for any person to play musical instruments on public rights-of-way between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.” Never mind that tourists arrive with the precise expectation of hearing music played on streets at night. Or that a city attorney had already declared that curfew unconstitutional. (The mayor has promised that this will no longer be enforced. However, it remains on the books.)

In late October, the council concluded public comments about a new Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance—a sweeping document to replace the existing ordinance that, according to the City Planning Commission’s website, “is an obstacle to creating the city of the future.” By revisiting zoning, the council highlights one deep irony in a city known for music: The existing legislation essentially prohibits live entertainment in New Orleans save for spots either grandfathered in or specially designated as exceptions. One speaker equated a proposed citywide allowance for limited music in restaurants with making “all neighborhoods de facto entertainment districts.” Others feared steering live music mostly to designated arts-and-culture zones, and away from the neighborhood clubs that have long nurtured a locally bred scene. As David Freedman, the general manager of listener-supported WWOZ-FM (self-proclaimed “Guardians of the Groove”), said: “An unintended consequence may be the death of
spontaneous culture in New Orleans. Some may think this is good for tourism and development, but it is not good for the distinct musical traditions at the core of our identity.”

If there’s a culture war going on in New Orleans, that’s hardly news. According to historian Freddi Williams Evans’s book “Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans,” Congo Square—where enslaved Africans danced and drummed on Sundays—was codified by an 1817 city ordinance restricting such activities to a single spot. A 1996 photograph that ran in the Times-Picayune newspaper, of a protest march, showed a teenage snare drummer wearing a sign: “I Was Arrested for Playing Music.”

The past decade lends heightened context to current debate. In the years since the 2005 flood resulting from levee failures that followed Hurricane Katrina, tensions surrounding culture led to clashes. In 2007, a consortium of Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs defeated, in federal court on First Amendment grounds, jacked-up city permit fees for their weekly brass-band-led second-line parades; later that year, police busted up a memorial procession for a beloved tuba player, igniting a fight over who owns the streets. This narrative unfolded despite the city’s pervasive use of these traditions to rekindle a tourism business that, in 2013, hosted more than nine million visitors who spent more than $6 billion.

Now, as a yet undefined “new” New Orleans rubs up against whatever is left of the old one, brass bands have been shut down on their customary street corners. Music clubs have increasingly been hit with lawsuits and visited by the police responding to phoned-in complaints. A revival of rarely enforced ordinances has met a fresh groundswell of activism. All this has happened in the context of swift gentrification of neighborhoods such as Tremé, long a hothouse for indigenous culture.

In any city, gentrification raises questions: What happens when those who build upon cultural cachet don’t want that culture next door? But even long-standing residents of the city’s historic neighborhoods have had a sometimes uneasy coexistence with the city’s largely organic culture, and their legitimate quality-of-life expectations (noise, crowds, and such) beg for clear and enforceable rules. Yet in New Orleans such concerns are underscored by an exceptional truth—a functional jazz culture that is, for many, elemental to daily life and social cohesion.

The Disneyfication of New Orleans that people warned of in 2005 was supposed to be quick and dramatic. But, as Alex Rawls, a veteran local music critic, told me: “The danger is not like that. If you take your hands off the wheel and let business interests rule, that sort of thing happens more gradually, almost without people noticing.”

People have noticed. The TV cameras won’t descend upon New Orleans until August, marking a decade since Katrina. Yet those with a stake in the city’s culture should watch closely in the coming months, when the city council plans to rule on all the above issues.

New Orleans loves to relive its past. Yet simply because its culture has long occupied embattled space doesn’t mean that must forever be the case. Despite sometimes-heated rhetoric, those advocating for enlightened policies have begun speaking less like combatants than like willing partners, or as activists completing a mission. Jordan Hirsch, who formerly headed the nonprofit Sweet Home New Orleans, now works with a nascent organization billed as a “cultural continuity conservancy.” “Where we were once focused on simply getting musicians home,” he said, “the job now is to create equitable policies that assure a sustainable cultural community.”

During a news conference at last year’s Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu told me, “there is a way to organize culture without killing it.”

This year, the New Orleans City Council has the chance to craft policies that nurture culture and remove it from the cross hairs of controversy. If it can’t strike the right balance, that next brass band may not find its audience on a streetcorner. And that city like no other may start to sound and feel a bit more like every place else.

Mr. Blumenfeld writes about jazz for the Journal. He also blogs at blogs.artinfo.com/blunotes (http://blogs.artinfo.com/blunotes/) .

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Laws That Are Out of Tune By Larry Blumenfel- WSJ

http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
http://www.wsj.com/articles/laws-that-are-out-of-tune-1420500187

** Laws That Are Out of Tune
————————————————————
People participate in a jazz funeral for trumpeter Lionel Ferbos. ENLARGE

People participate in a jazz funeral for trumpeter Lionel Ferbos.Associated Press
By

Larry Blumenfeld
Jan. 5, 2015 6:23 p.m. ET

Last year in New Orleans, the calls and responses of a storied musical tradition were often drowned out by back-and-forth arguments over ordinances. At stake are a number of things, not least a culture that the city’s Convention & Visitors Bureau website correctly claims “bubbles up from the streets.”

This past January, dozens of musicians led a crowd of hundreds into New Orleans’s City Council chamber. “We’re here to bury the noise ordinance,” announced a trombonist before raising his instrument. The protest took musical form—a dirgelike rendition of the hymn “Just a Closer Walk With Thee,” a standard at any local jazz funeral.

In April, one day before the annual Jazz & Heritage Festival opened, council chambers were again full. The lobbying regarding decibel levels and regulations of musical expression revealed growing public rifts. Some speakers warned of threats to musicians’ livelihoods and the infringement of rights. Others sought protection from nuisances, particularly the bombast of amplified music along one stretch of Bourbon Street, in the French Quarter. One contentious item was Section 66-205, which states: “It shall be unlawful for any person to play musical instruments on public rights-of-way between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.” Never mind that tourists arrive with the precise expectation of hearing music played on streets at night. Or that a city attorney had already declared that curfew unconstitutional. (The mayor has promised that this will no longer be enforced. However, it remains on the books.)

In late October, the council concluded public comments about a new Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance—a sweeping document to replace the existing ordinance that, according to the City Planning Commission’s website, “is an obstacle to creating the city of the future.” By revisiting zoning, the council highlights one deep irony in a city known for music: The existing legislation essentially prohibits live entertainment in New Orleans save for spots either grandfathered in or specially designated as exceptions. One speaker equated a proposed citywide allowance for limited music in restaurants with making “all neighborhoods de facto entertainment districts.” Others feared steering live music mostly to designated arts-and-culture zones, and away from the neighborhood clubs that have long nurtured a locally bred scene. As David Freedman, the general manager of listener-supported WWOZ-FM (self-proclaimed “Guardians of the Groove”), said: “An unintended consequence may be the death of
spontaneous culture in New Orleans. Some may think this is good for tourism and development, but it is not good for the distinct musical traditions at the core of our identity.”

If there’s a culture war going on in New Orleans, that’s hardly news. According to historian Freddi Williams Evans’s book “Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans,” Congo Square—where enslaved Africans danced and drummed on Sundays—was codified by an 1817 city ordinance restricting such activities to a single spot. A 1996 photograph that ran in the Times-Picayune newspaper, of a protest march, showed a teenage snare drummer wearing a sign: “I Was Arrested for Playing Music.”

The past decade lends heightened context to current debate. In the years since the 2005 flood resulting from levee failures that followed Hurricane Katrina, tensions surrounding culture led to clashes. In 2007, a consortium of Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs defeated, in federal court on First Amendment grounds, jacked-up city permit fees for their weekly brass-band-led second-line parades; later that year, police busted up a memorial procession for a beloved tuba player, igniting a fight over who owns the streets. This narrative unfolded despite the city’s pervasive use of these traditions to rekindle a tourism business that, in 2013, hosted more than nine million visitors who spent more than $6 billion.

Now, as a yet undefined “new” New Orleans rubs up against whatever is left of the old one, brass bands have been shut down on their customary street corners. Music clubs have increasingly been hit with lawsuits and visited by the police responding to phoned-in complaints. A revival of rarely enforced ordinances has met a fresh groundswell of activism. All this has happened in the context of swift gentrification of neighborhoods such as Tremé, long a hothouse for indigenous culture.

In any city, gentrification raises questions: What happens when those who build upon cultural cachet don’t want that culture next door? But even long-standing residents of the city’s historic neighborhoods have had a sometimes uneasy coexistence with the city’s largely organic culture, and their legitimate quality-of-life expectations (noise, crowds, and such) beg for clear and enforceable rules. Yet in New Orleans such concerns are underscored by an exceptional truth—a functional jazz culture that is, for many, elemental to daily life and social cohesion.

The Disneyfication of New Orleans that people warned of in 2005 was supposed to be quick and dramatic. But, as Alex Rawls, a veteran local music critic, told me: “The danger is not like that. If you take your hands off the wheel and let business interests rule, that sort of thing happens more gradually, almost without people noticing.”

People have noticed. The TV cameras won’t descend upon New Orleans until August, marking a decade since Katrina. Yet those with a stake in the city’s culture should watch closely in the coming months, when the city council plans to rule on all the above issues.

New Orleans loves to relive its past. Yet simply because its culture has long occupied embattled space doesn’t mean that must forever be the case. Despite sometimes-heated rhetoric, those advocating for enlightened policies have begun speaking less like combatants than like willing partners, or as activists completing a mission. Jordan Hirsch, who formerly headed the nonprofit Sweet Home New Orleans, now works with a nascent organization billed as a “cultural continuity conservancy.” “Where we were once focused on simply getting musicians home,” he said, “the job now is to create equitable policies that assure a sustainable cultural community.”

During a news conference at last year’s Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu told me, “there is a way to organize culture without killing it.”

This year, the New Orleans City Council has the chance to craft policies that nurture culture and remove it from the cross hairs of controversy. If it can’t strike the right balance, that next brass band may not find its audience on a streetcorner. And that city like no other may start to sound and feel a bit more like every place else.

Mr. Blumenfeld writes about jazz for the Journal. He also blogs at blogs.artinfo.com/blunotes (http://blogs.artinfo.com/blunotes/) .

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=ec45915f29) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=ec45915f29&e=[UNIQID])

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
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Laws That Are Out of Tune By Larry Blumenfel- WSJ

http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
http://www.wsj.com/articles/laws-that-are-out-of-tune-1420500187

** Laws That Are Out of Tune
————————————————————
People participate in a jazz funeral for trumpeter Lionel Ferbos. ENLARGE

People participate in a jazz funeral for trumpeter Lionel Ferbos.Associated Press
By

Larry Blumenfeld
Jan. 5, 2015 6:23 p.m. ET

Last year in New Orleans, the calls and responses of a storied musical tradition were often drowned out by back-and-forth arguments over ordinances. At stake are a number of things, not least a culture that the city’s Convention & Visitors Bureau website correctly claims “bubbles up from the streets.”

This past January, dozens of musicians led a crowd of hundreds into New Orleans’s City Council chamber. “We’re here to bury the noise ordinance,” announced a trombonist before raising his instrument. The protest took musical form—a dirgelike rendition of the hymn “Just a Closer Walk With Thee,” a standard at any local jazz funeral.

In April, one day before the annual Jazz & Heritage Festival opened, council chambers were again full. The lobbying regarding decibel levels and regulations of musical expression revealed growing public rifts. Some speakers warned of threats to musicians’ livelihoods and the infringement of rights. Others sought protection from nuisances, particularly the bombast of amplified music along one stretch of Bourbon Street, in the French Quarter. One contentious item was Section 66-205, which states: “It shall be unlawful for any person to play musical instruments on public rights-of-way between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.” Never mind that tourists arrive with the precise expectation of hearing music played on streets at night. Or that a city attorney had already declared that curfew unconstitutional. (The mayor has promised that this will no longer be enforced. However, it remains on the books.)

In late October, the council concluded public comments about a new Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance—a sweeping document to replace the existing ordinance that, according to the City Planning Commission’s website, “is an obstacle to creating the city of the future.” By revisiting zoning, the council highlights one deep irony in a city known for music: The existing legislation essentially prohibits live entertainment in New Orleans save for spots either grandfathered in or specially designated as exceptions. One speaker equated a proposed citywide allowance for limited music in restaurants with making “all neighborhoods de facto entertainment districts.” Others feared steering live music mostly to designated arts-and-culture zones, and away from the neighborhood clubs that have long nurtured a locally bred scene. As David Freedman, the general manager of listener-supported WWOZ-FM (self-proclaimed “Guardians of the Groove”), said: “An unintended consequence may be the death of
spontaneous culture in New Orleans. Some may think this is good for tourism and development, but it is not good for the distinct musical traditions at the core of our identity.”

If there’s a culture war going on in New Orleans, that’s hardly news. According to historian Freddi Williams Evans’s book “Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans,” Congo Square—where enslaved Africans danced and drummed on Sundays—was codified by an 1817 city ordinance restricting such activities to a single spot. A 1996 photograph that ran in the Times-Picayune newspaper, of a protest march, showed a teenage snare drummer wearing a sign: “I Was Arrested for Playing Music.”

The past decade lends heightened context to current debate. In the years since the 2005 flood resulting from levee failures that followed Hurricane Katrina, tensions surrounding culture led to clashes. In 2007, a consortium of Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs defeated, in federal court on First Amendment grounds, jacked-up city permit fees for their weekly brass-band-led second-line parades; later that year, police busted up a memorial procession for a beloved tuba player, igniting a fight over who owns the streets. This narrative unfolded despite the city’s pervasive use of these traditions to rekindle a tourism business that, in 2013, hosted more than nine million visitors who spent more than $6 billion.

Now, as a yet undefined “new” New Orleans rubs up against whatever is left of the old one, brass bands have been shut down on their customary street corners. Music clubs have increasingly been hit with lawsuits and visited by the police responding to phoned-in complaints. A revival of rarely enforced ordinances has met a fresh groundswell of activism. All this has happened in the context of swift gentrification of neighborhoods such as Tremé, long a hothouse for indigenous culture.

In any city, gentrification raises questions: What happens when those who build upon cultural cachet don’t want that culture next door? But even long-standing residents of the city’s historic neighborhoods have had a sometimes uneasy coexistence with the city’s largely organic culture, and their legitimate quality-of-life expectations (noise, crowds, and such) beg for clear and enforceable rules. Yet in New Orleans such concerns are underscored by an exceptional truth—a functional jazz culture that is, for many, elemental to daily life and social cohesion.

The Disneyfication of New Orleans that people warned of in 2005 was supposed to be quick and dramatic. But, as Alex Rawls, a veteran local music critic, told me: “The danger is not like that. If you take your hands off the wheel and let business interests rule, that sort of thing happens more gradually, almost without people noticing.”

People have noticed. The TV cameras won’t descend upon New Orleans until August, marking a decade since Katrina. Yet those with a stake in the city’s culture should watch closely in the coming months, when the city council plans to rule on all the above issues.

New Orleans loves to relive its past. Yet simply because its culture has long occupied embattled space doesn’t mean that must forever be the case. Despite sometimes-heated rhetoric, those advocating for enlightened policies have begun speaking less like combatants than like willing partners, or as activists completing a mission. Jordan Hirsch, who formerly headed the nonprofit Sweet Home New Orleans, now works with a nascent organization billed as a “cultural continuity conservancy.” “Where we were once focused on simply getting musicians home,” he said, “the job now is to create equitable policies that assure a sustainable cultural community.”

During a news conference at last year’s Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu told me, “there is a way to organize culture without killing it.”

This year, the New Orleans City Council has the chance to craft policies that nurture culture and remove it from the cross hairs of controversy. If it can’t strike the right balance, that next brass band may not find its audience on a streetcorner. And that city like no other may start to sound and feel a bit more like every place else.

Mr. Blumenfeld writes about jazz for the Journal. He also blogs at blogs.artinfo.com/blunotes (http://blogs.artinfo.com/blunotes/) .

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=ec45915f29) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=ec45915f29&e=[UNIQID])

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Mouth Trumpet Lets You Toot Your Own Horn, but Without the Horn – WSJ

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http://www.wsj.com/articles/mouth-trumpet-lets-you-toot-your-own-horn-but-without-the-horn-1420502061

** Mouth Trumpet Lets You Toot Your Own Horn, but Without the Horn
————————————————————

Mouth Trumpet, a vocal technique first made popular during the Jazz Age, using the lips to imitate the sound of a trumpet, is seeing an unexpected revival. Photo: Courtesy of Victoria Vox
By
Angus Loten
Jan. 5, 2015 6:54 p.m. ET

BALTIMORE—Side-by-side on folding chairs, Rick and Sonia Samuel pursed their lips and blew. With his face turning red, Mr. Samuel managed to produce a low-frequency buzzing. His wife’s mouth emitted noises several octaves higher.

“Sometimes people think that if they just blow, they’re going to produce music,” their instructor, Victoria Vox, explained to the group of about 20 people, gathered in a turn-of-the-century townhouse.

The Samuels, both in their 40s, were here to learn basic “mouth trumpet”—a vocal technique using the lips to imitate the sound of a trumpet, but without a trumpet. “It takes practice to get the tone and pitch,” said Ms. Vox, a professional singer-songwriter who led the group in a mouth-trumpet version of the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love.” “You have to sing, and you have to know what note to hit, too.”

Ms. Vox, who also plays ukulele and piano, is among a group of performers who are leading an unlikely revival of the mouth trumpet—also known as “vocal” or “lip” trumpet—even as they seek respect as serious musicians.

The 36-year-old, whose given name was Victoria Davitt, has held similar workshops across the country while touring to promote her eighth album, “Key,” which was nominated in March for an Independent Music Award. She wrote or co-wrote all of the songs in the album, many of which feature a real trumpet that Ms. Vox mimics onstage.

“It is singing and it is my voice,” she says. “It’s not just a joke.”

Certainly, mouth trumpet has a rich heritage in popular music, much of it linked to the ukulele craze of the 1920s. Some of the earliest known mouth-trumpet recordings were by Cliff “Ukelele Ike” Edwards, whose signature high-pitched vocal solos are a cross between a muted trumpet and the kind of improvised scat singing popularized by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Mouth-trumpet solos figure prominently in his biggest hits, including “Singin’ in the Rain,” which topped the U.S. pop charts for three weeks in 1929.
Singer songwriter Victoria Vox is leading a revival of the ‘mouth trumpet,’ a vocal technique popularized during the 1920s ukulele craze. ENLARGE
Singer songwriter Victoria Vox is leading a revival of the ‘mouth trumpet,’ a vocal technique popularized during the 1920s ukulele craze. Philip Edward Lubner

Another early mouth trumpeter was Harry Mills, the second youngest of the four Piqua, Ohio, Mills Brothers, who is said to have lost his kazoo at a talent show and played mouth trumpet on stage instead. By 1930, the Mills Brothers were stars on CBS radio, appearing regularly on the Fleischmann’s Yeast Hour with singer Rudy Vallee. Performers as varied as Dean Martin and the Bee Gees have cited Harry Mills as a musical influence.

But as the Jazz Age faded in the Depression, mouth trumpet lost its appeal in mainstream music; it could still be heard in folk, blues and other traditional songs.

Its current revival comes amid a broader rediscovery of early jazz, and the renewed popularity of the ukulele in recent years, says Vince Giordano, whose New York jazz band The Nighthawks recorded the Grammy-winning soundtrack for the 1920s-era HBO series “Boardwalk Empire.” He says good mouth trumpet, like good scat singing, is something of a lost art: “Not everyone can do it. You’ve got to be musical and have good pitch,” he says.

“There’s nothing worse than bad scatting, except maybe bad mouth trumpet,” says Bria Skonberg, co-founder of the New York Hot Jazz Festival, and a 2014 winner for Best Trumpet and Best Female Vocalist by Hot House Jazz Magazine. “Mouth trumpet may sound like a trumpet, but it’s really more like playing a kazoo,” Ms. Skonberg says, adding that she’s glad performers are learning to do it well again.

“The instant you do your solo, the audience has a bit of a chuckle,” says
Like singing, mimicking the sound of a trumpet ’takes practice to get the tone and pitch,’ Ms. Vox says. ENLARGE

Like singing, mimicking the sound of a trumpet ’takes practice to get the tone and pitch,’ Ms. Vox says. Scott Habicht

Earl Okin, a British musician who has performed mouth trumpet at London’s Royal Albert Hall, among other top venues. “But after a while they start to really listen.”

More are listening every day, to judge from some alternative-music charts. In October, Lawrence “Lipbone” Redding, a 47-year-old guitar player who taught himself mouth trumpet as a street busker, reached No. 9 on the JamBand charts with his latest album, “Esmeralda.” That put him ahead of such established singers as Ryan Adams, and the bands Primus and String Cheese Incident.

Mr. Redding, whose artistry can be heard on MTV’s “Jersey Shore” and A&E’s “Parking Wars,” among other television shows, describes his music as having a New Orleans lilt. He honed his mouth-trumpet skills over several years in New York’s ceramic-tiled subway stations in the 1990s, often late at night: “The acoustics are amazing. It’s like this beautifully tiled toilet that just sounds great,” he says, referring to the way the stations’ ceramic walls amplified his sound.

Rick Samuel says he and his wife, who both work in the health-care software industry, are huge fans of Ms. Vox. “We’ve gone to a number of her shows and it’s really amazing” that her sound so closely resembles that of an instrument, he says.

Jennifer Hug, another workshop attendee, first heard Ms. Vox a few years ago, when she performed mouth trumpet on a radio show. “I was completely fooled, I thought it was a real trumpet,” she adds.

Ms. Vox, who took trumpet lessons in high school and still plays, says she practices mouth trumpet by listening to great trumpet players, like Louis Armstrong and Chet Baker, copying their solos note for note. “If you tighten your lips just right, you can squeak out notes that are higher than you can sing,” she says. “Rolling the tongue can add texture to the sound, and you can add vibrato to longer notes,” she adds.

Her own rise to prominence began five years ago with an appearance on the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno (http://topics.wsj.com/person/L/Jay-Leno/5364) , where she performed a mouth-trumpet version of Europe’s 1986 hit song “The Final Countdown.” “When I take a musical solo with my mouth trumpet, for me it’s music,” she says, calling her style “family-friendly pop rock with folk and jazz influences.”

She says she thinks she gets what’s behind the mouth trumpet’s growing appeal. “Ultimately it’s singing, and maybe it’s like singing in the shower” in that everybody secretly does it, she adds: “There are more mouth trumpeters out there than we know.”

Write to Angus Loten at angus.loten@wsj.com (mailto:angus.loten@wsj.com)

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Mouth Trumpet Lets You Toot Your Own Horn, but Without the Horn – WSJ

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http://www.wsj.com/articles/mouth-trumpet-lets-you-toot-your-own-horn-but-without-the-horn-1420502061

** Mouth Trumpet Lets You Toot Your Own Horn, but Without the Horn
————————————————————

Mouth Trumpet, a vocal technique first made popular during the Jazz Age, using the lips to imitate the sound of a trumpet, is seeing an unexpected revival. Photo: Courtesy of Victoria Vox
By
Angus Loten
Jan. 5, 2015 6:54 p.m. ET

BALTIMORE—Side-by-side on folding chairs, Rick and Sonia Samuel pursed their lips and blew. With his face turning red, Mr. Samuel managed to produce a low-frequency buzzing. His wife’s mouth emitted noises several octaves higher.

“Sometimes people think that if they just blow, they’re going to produce music,” their instructor, Victoria Vox, explained to the group of about 20 people, gathered in a turn-of-the-century townhouse.

The Samuels, both in their 40s, were here to learn basic “mouth trumpet”—a vocal technique using the lips to imitate the sound of a trumpet, but without a trumpet. “It takes practice to get the tone and pitch,” said Ms. Vox, a professional singer-songwriter who led the group in a mouth-trumpet version of the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love.” “You have to sing, and you have to know what note to hit, too.”

Ms. Vox, who also plays ukulele and piano, is among a group of performers who are leading an unlikely revival of the mouth trumpet—also known as “vocal” or “lip” trumpet—even as they seek respect as serious musicians.

The 36-year-old, whose given name was Victoria Davitt, has held similar workshops across the country while touring to promote her eighth album, “Key,” which was nominated in March for an Independent Music Award. She wrote or co-wrote all of the songs in the album, many of which feature a real trumpet that Ms. Vox mimics onstage.

“It is singing and it is my voice,” she says. “It’s not just a joke.”

Certainly, mouth trumpet has a rich heritage in popular music, much of it linked to the ukulele craze of the 1920s. Some of the earliest known mouth-trumpet recordings were by Cliff “Ukelele Ike” Edwards, whose signature high-pitched vocal solos are a cross between a muted trumpet and the kind of improvised scat singing popularized by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Mouth-trumpet solos figure prominently in his biggest hits, including “Singin’ in the Rain,” which topped the U.S. pop charts for three weeks in 1929.
Singer songwriter Victoria Vox is leading a revival of the ‘mouth trumpet,’ a vocal technique popularized during the 1920s ukulele craze. ENLARGE
Singer songwriter Victoria Vox is leading a revival of the ‘mouth trumpet,’ a vocal technique popularized during the 1920s ukulele craze. Philip Edward Lubner

Another early mouth trumpeter was Harry Mills, the second youngest of the four Piqua, Ohio, Mills Brothers, who is said to have lost his kazoo at a talent show and played mouth trumpet on stage instead. By 1930, the Mills Brothers were stars on CBS radio, appearing regularly on the Fleischmann’s Yeast Hour with singer Rudy Vallee. Performers as varied as Dean Martin and the Bee Gees have cited Harry Mills as a musical influence.

But as the Jazz Age faded in the Depression, mouth trumpet lost its appeal in mainstream music; it could still be heard in folk, blues and other traditional songs.

Its current revival comes amid a broader rediscovery of early jazz, and the renewed popularity of the ukulele in recent years, says Vince Giordano, whose New York jazz band The Nighthawks recorded the Grammy-winning soundtrack for the 1920s-era HBO series “Boardwalk Empire.” He says good mouth trumpet, like good scat singing, is something of a lost art: “Not everyone can do it. You’ve got to be musical and have good pitch,” he says.

“There’s nothing worse than bad scatting, except maybe bad mouth trumpet,” says Bria Skonberg, co-founder of the New York Hot Jazz Festival, and a 2014 winner for Best Trumpet and Best Female Vocalist by Hot House Jazz Magazine. “Mouth trumpet may sound like a trumpet, but it’s really more like playing a kazoo,” Ms. Skonberg says, adding that she’s glad performers are learning to do it well again.

“The instant you do your solo, the audience has a bit of a chuckle,” says
Like singing, mimicking the sound of a trumpet ’takes practice to get the tone and pitch,’ Ms. Vox says. ENLARGE

Like singing, mimicking the sound of a trumpet ’takes practice to get the tone and pitch,’ Ms. Vox says. Scott Habicht

Earl Okin, a British musician who has performed mouth trumpet at London’s Royal Albert Hall, among other top venues. “But after a while they start to really listen.”

More are listening every day, to judge from some alternative-music charts. In October, Lawrence “Lipbone” Redding, a 47-year-old guitar player who taught himself mouth trumpet as a street busker, reached No. 9 on the JamBand charts with his latest album, “Esmeralda.” That put him ahead of such established singers as Ryan Adams, and the bands Primus and String Cheese Incident.

Mr. Redding, whose artistry can be heard on MTV’s “Jersey Shore” and A&E’s “Parking Wars,” among other television shows, describes his music as having a New Orleans lilt. He honed his mouth-trumpet skills over several years in New York’s ceramic-tiled subway stations in the 1990s, often late at night: “The acoustics are amazing. It’s like this beautifully tiled toilet that just sounds great,” he says, referring to the way the stations’ ceramic walls amplified his sound.

Rick Samuel says he and his wife, who both work in the health-care software industry, are huge fans of Ms. Vox. “We’ve gone to a number of her shows and it’s really amazing” that her sound so closely resembles that of an instrument, he says.

Jennifer Hug, another workshop attendee, first heard Ms. Vox a few years ago, when she performed mouth trumpet on a radio show. “I was completely fooled, I thought it was a real trumpet,” she adds.

Ms. Vox, who took trumpet lessons in high school and still plays, says she practices mouth trumpet by listening to great trumpet players, like Louis Armstrong and Chet Baker, copying their solos note for note. “If you tighten your lips just right, you can squeak out notes that are higher than you can sing,” she says. “Rolling the tongue can add texture to the sound, and you can add vibrato to longer notes,” she adds.

Her own rise to prominence began five years ago with an appearance on the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno (http://topics.wsj.com/person/L/Jay-Leno/5364) , where she performed a mouth-trumpet version of Europe’s 1986 hit song “The Final Countdown.” “When I take a musical solo with my mouth trumpet, for me it’s music,” she says, calling her style “family-friendly pop rock with folk and jazz influences.”

She says she thinks she gets what’s behind the mouth trumpet’s growing appeal. “Ultimately it’s singing, and maybe it’s like singing in the shower” in that everybody secretly does it, she adds: “There are more mouth trumpeters out there than we know.”

Write to Angus Loten at angus.loten@wsj.com (mailto:angus.loten@wsj.com)

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Mouth Trumpet Lets You Toot Your Own Horn, but Without the Horn – WSJ

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http://www.wsj.com/articles/mouth-trumpet-lets-you-toot-your-own-horn-but-without-the-horn-1420502061

** Mouth Trumpet Lets You Toot Your Own Horn, but Without the Horn
————————————————————

Mouth Trumpet, a vocal technique first made popular during the Jazz Age, using the lips to imitate the sound of a trumpet, is seeing an unexpected revival. Photo: Courtesy of Victoria Vox
By
Angus Loten
Jan. 5, 2015 6:54 p.m. ET

BALTIMORE—Side-by-side on folding chairs, Rick and Sonia Samuel pursed their lips and blew. With his face turning red, Mr. Samuel managed to produce a low-frequency buzzing. His wife’s mouth emitted noises several octaves higher.

“Sometimes people think that if they just blow, they’re going to produce music,” their instructor, Victoria Vox, explained to the group of about 20 people, gathered in a turn-of-the-century townhouse.

The Samuels, both in their 40s, were here to learn basic “mouth trumpet”—a vocal technique using the lips to imitate the sound of a trumpet, but without a trumpet. “It takes practice to get the tone and pitch,” said Ms. Vox, a professional singer-songwriter who led the group in a mouth-trumpet version of the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love.” “You have to sing, and you have to know what note to hit, too.”

Ms. Vox, who also plays ukulele and piano, is among a group of performers who are leading an unlikely revival of the mouth trumpet—also known as “vocal” or “lip” trumpet—even as they seek respect as serious musicians.

The 36-year-old, whose given name was Victoria Davitt, has held similar workshops across the country while touring to promote her eighth album, “Key,” which was nominated in March for an Independent Music Award. She wrote or co-wrote all of the songs in the album, many of which feature a real trumpet that Ms. Vox mimics onstage.

“It is singing and it is my voice,” she says. “It’s not just a joke.”

Certainly, mouth trumpet has a rich heritage in popular music, much of it linked to the ukulele craze of the 1920s. Some of the earliest known mouth-trumpet recordings were by Cliff “Ukelele Ike” Edwards, whose signature high-pitched vocal solos are a cross between a muted trumpet and the kind of improvised scat singing popularized by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Mouth-trumpet solos figure prominently in his biggest hits, including “Singin’ in the Rain,” which topped the U.S. pop charts for three weeks in 1929.
Singer songwriter Victoria Vox is leading a revival of the ‘mouth trumpet,’ a vocal technique popularized during the 1920s ukulele craze. ENLARGE
Singer songwriter Victoria Vox is leading a revival of the ‘mouth trumpet,’ a vocal technique popularized during the 1920s ukulele craze. Philip Edward Lubner

Another early mouth trumpeter was Harry Mills, the second youngest of the four Piqua, Ohio, Mills Brothers, who is said to have lost his kazoo at a talent show and played mouth trumpet on stage instead. By 1930, the Mills Brothers were stars on CBS radio, appearing regularly on the Fleischmann’s Yeast Hour with singer Rudy Vallee. Performers as varied as Dean Martin and the Bee Gees have cited Harry Mills as a musical influence.

But as the Jazz Age faded in the Depression, mouth trumpet lost its appeal in mainstream music; it could still be heard in folk, blues and other traditional songs.

Its current revival comes amid a broader rediscovery of early jazz, and the renewed popularity of the ukulele in recent years, says Vince Giordano, whose New York jazz band The Nighthawks recorded the Grammy-winning soundtrack for the 1920s-era HBO series “Boardwalk Empire.” He says good mouth trumpet, like good scat singing, is something of a lost art: “Not everyone can do it. You’ve got to be musical and have good pitch,” he says.

“There’s nothing worse than bad scatting, except maybe bad mouth trumpet,” says Bria Skonberg, co-founder of the New York Hot Jazz Festival, and a 2014 winner for Best Trumpet and Best Female Vocalist by Hot House Jazz Magazine. “Mouth trumpet may sound like a trumpet, but it’s really more like playing a kazoo,” Ms. Skonberg says, adding that she’s glad performers are learning to do it well again.

“The instant you do your solo, the audience has a bit of a chuckle,” says
Like singing, mimicking the sound of a trumpet ’takes practice to get the tone and pitch,’ Ms. Vox says. ENLARGE

Like singing, mimicking the sound of a trumpet ’takes practice to get the tone and pitch,’ Ms. Vox says. Scott Habicht

Earl Okin, a British musician who has performed mouth trumpet at London’s Royal Albert Hall, among other top venues. “But after a while they start to really listen.”

More are listening every day, to judge from some alternative-music charts. In October, Lawrence “Lipbone” Redding, a 47-year-old guitar player who taught himself mouth trumpet as a street busker, reached No. 9 on the JamBand charts with his latest album, “Esmeralda.” That put him ahead of such established singers as Ryan Adams, and the bands Primus and String Cheese Incident.

Mr. Redding, whose artistry can be heard on MTV’s “Jersey Shore” and A&E’s “Parking Wars,” among other television shows, describes his music as having a New Orleans lilt. He honed his mouth-trumpet skills over several years in New York’s ceramic-tiled subway stations in the 1990s, often late at night: “The acoustics are amazing. It’s like this beautifully tiled toilet that just sounds great,” he says, referring to the way the stations’ ceramic walls amplified his sound.

Rick Samuel says he and his wife, who both work in the health-care software industry, are huge fans of Ms. Vox. “We’ve gone to a number of her shows and it’s really amazing” that her sound so closely resembles that of an instrument, he says.

Jennifer Hug, another workshop attendee, first heard Ms. Vox a few years ago, when she performed mouth trumpet on a radio show. “I was completely fooled, I thought it was a real trumpet,” she adds.

Ms. Vox, who took trumpet lessons in high school and still plays, says she practices mouth trumpet by listening to great trumpet players, like Louis Armstrong and Chet Baker, copying their solos note for note. “If you tighten your lips just right, you can squeak out notes that are higher than you can sing,” she says. “Rolling the tongue can add texture to the sound, and you can add vibrato to longer notes,” she adds.

Her own rise to prominence began five years ago with an appearance on the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno (http://topics.wsj.com/person/L/Jay-Leno/5364) , where she performed a mouth-trumpet version of Europe’s 1986 hit song “The Final Countdown.” “When I take a musical solo with my mouth trumpet, for me it’s music,” she says, calling her style “family-friendly pop rock with folk and jazz influences.”

She says she thinks she gets what’s behind the mouth trumpet’s growing appeal. “Ultimately it’s singing, and maybe it’s like singing in the shower” in that everybody secretly does it, she adds: “There are more mouth trumpeters out there than we know.”

Write to Angus Loten at angus.loten@wsj.com (mailto:angus.loten@wsj.com)

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

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Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

Mercury Records co-founder Irwin Steinberg dead at 94 – Oakland Jazz music | Examiner.com

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http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/mercury-records-select-jazz-discography
Mercury Records Select Jazz Discography
Mercury
View all 13 photos (http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/mercury-records-select-jazz-discography)

Word has come this morning that Mercury Records co-founder Irwin Steinberg has died at age 94. The Chicago native graduated from the University of Chicago and served in the Air Corps before beginning his career in the music business. After starting Mercury and serving at its helm for several years, he became chairman and CEO of Polygram Records, where he remained for more than 30 years.
Mercury under Steinberg was a major force in the recording industry, spanning a wide variety of eras and genres. In my ‘70s youth, for example, it was home to Bachman Turner Overdrive and the Ohio Players, Rush and Barry White. Mercury also made an important impact in jazz (http://www.examiner.com/topic/jazz) , even if its contributions are somewhat overlooked today. Here’s the background on its jazz efforts.
Mercury Records

Mercury Records

Mercury’s jazz division had two distinct and important fathers. John Henry Hammond, Jr. brought his expertise and connections when Mercury bought Keynote Records in the late 1940s. And Mercury was the issuing company and distributor for Norman Granz’s pre-Norgran/Verve recordings. Although both Hammond and Granz had departed Mercury by the mid-1950s, they established the company in the jazz world. Mercury, under its EmArcy label, released LPs by many important post-swing and bebop artists including Clifford Brown and Max Roach, Clark Terry, Dinah Washington, Nat and Cannonball Adderley, Ernestine Anderson, Sarah Vaughn, Maynard Ferguson, Jimmy Cleveland, Herb Geller and others. By the early 1960s, Mercury was releasing jazz under the flagship label and was an early leader in the new stereo sound releases. Highlights of the early and mid-1960s included albums by Quincy Jones, Buddy Rich, Cannonball Adderley, Charles (then called Charlie) Mingus, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn,
Max Roach and others. In the early 1950s, Norman Granz started his own record company, Norgran, which later became Verve.

The 1995 release, “Mercury Records Jazz Story,” is both a fine compilation and a fitting tribute to the label’s guiding light. It features many of the artists listed above as well as tracks Gerry Mulligan (“Demanton”), John Coltrane (“Weaver Of Dreams”), Ben Webster (“The Iron Hat”), Art Blakey (“Eleanor”), Erroll Garner (“I’ve Got To Be A Rug Cutter”), Oscar Peterson (“Squeaky’s Blues”) and Dizzy Gillespie (“Groovin’ High”), among many others.

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Mercury Records co-founder Irwin Steinberg dead at 94 – Oakland Jazz music | Examiner.com

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http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/mercury-records-select-jazz-discography
Mercury Records Select Jazz Discography
Mercury
View all 13 photos (http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/mercury-records-select-jazz-discography)

Word has come this morning that Mercury Records co-founder Irwin Steinberg has died at age 94. The Chicago native graduated from the University of Chicago and served in the Air Corps before beginning his career in the music business. After starting Mercury and serving at its helm for several years, he became chairman and CEO of Polygram Records, where he remained for more than 30 years.
Mercury under Steinberg was a major force in the recording industry, spanning a wide variety of eras and genres. In my ‘70s youth, for example, it was home to Bachman Turner Overdrive and the Ohio Players, Rush and Barry White. Mercury also made an important impact in jazz (http://www.examiner.com/topic/jazz) , even if its contributions are somewhat overlooked today. Here’s the background on its jazz efforts.
Mercury Records

Mercury Records

Mercury’s jazz division had two distinct and important fathers. John Henry Hammond, Jr. brought his expertise and connections when Mercury bought Keynote Records in the late 1940s. And Mercury was the issuing company and distributor for Norman Granz’s pre-Norgran/Verve recordings. Although both Hammond and Granz had departed Mercury by the mid-1950s, they established the company in the jazz world. Mercury, under its EmArcy label, released LPs by many important post-swing and bebop artists including Clifford Brown and Max Roach, Clark Terry, Dinah Washington, Nat and Cannonball Adderley, Ernestine Anderson, Sarah Vaughn, Maynard Ferguson, Jimmy Cleveland, Herb Geller and others. By the early 1960s, Mercury was releasing jazz under the flagship label and was an early leader in the new stereo sound releases. Highlights of the early and mid-1960s included albums by Quincy Jones, Buddy Rich, Cannonball Adderley, Charles (then called Charlie) Mingus, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn,
Max Roach and others. In the early 1950s, Norman Granz started his own record company, Norgran, which later became Verve.

The 1995 release, “Mercury Records Jazz Story,” is both a fine compilation and a fitting tribute to the label’s guiding light. It features many of the artists listed above as well as tracks Gerry Mulligan (“Demanton”), John Coltrane (“Weaver Of Dreams”), Ben Webster (“The Iron Hat”), Art Blakey (“Eleanor”), Erroll Garner (“I’ve Got To Be A Rug Cutter”), Oscar Peterson (“Squeaky’s Blues”) and Dizzy Gillespie (“Groovin’ High”), among many others.

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Mercury Records co-founder Irwin Steinberg dead at 94 – Oakland Jazz music | Examiner.com

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http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/mercury-records-select-jazz-discography
Mercury Records Select Jazz Discography
Mercury
View all 13 photos (http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/mercury-records-select-jazz-discography)

Word has come this morning that Mercury Records co-founder Irwin Steinberg has died at age 94. The Chicago native graduated from the University of Chicago and served in the Air Corps before beginning his career in the music business. After starting Mercury and serving at its helm for several years, he became chairman and CEO of Polygram Records, where he remained for more than 30 years.
Mercury under Steinberg was a major force in the recording industry, spanning a wide variety of eras and genres. In my ‘70s youth, for example, it was home to Bachman Turner Overdrive and the Ohio Players, Rush and Barry White. Mercury also made an important impact in jazz (http://www.examiner.com/topic/jazz) , even if its contributions are somewhat overlooked today. Here’s the background on its jazz efforts.
Mercury Records

Mercury Records

Mercury’s jazz division had two distinct and important fathers. John Henry Hammond, Jr. brought his expertise and connections when Mercury bought Keynote Records in the late 1940s. And Mercury was the issuing company and distributor for Norman Granz’s pre-Norgran/Verve recordings. Although both Hammond and Granz had departed Mercury by the mid-1950s, they established the company in the jazz world. Mercury, under its EmArcy label, released LPs by many important post-swing and bebop artists including Clifford Brown and Max Roach, Clark Terry, Dinah Washington, Nat and Cannonball Adderley, Ernestine Anderson, Sarah Vaughn, Maynard Ferguson, Jimmy Cleveland, Herb Geller and others. By the early 1960s, Mercury was releasing jazz under the flagship label and was an early leader in the new stereo sound releases. Highlights of the early and mid-1960s included albums by Quincy Jones, Buddy Rich, Cannonball Adderley, Charles (then called Charlie) Mingus, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn,
Max Roach and others. In the early 1950s, Norman Granz started his own record company, Norgran, which later became Verve.

The 1995 release, “Mercury Records Jazz Story,” is both a fine compilation and a fitting tribute to the label’s guiding light. It features many of the artists listed above as well as tracks Gerry Mulligan (“Demanton”), John Coltrane (“Weaver Of Dreams”), Ben Webster (“The Iron Hat”), Art Blakey (“Eleanor”), Erroll Garner (“I’ve Got To Be A Rug Cutter”), Oscar Peterson (“Squeaky’s Blues”) and Dizzy Gillespie (“Groovin’ High”), among many others.

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=0f44e7de6c) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=0f44e7de6c&e=[UNIQID])

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USA

Song and Daughter Inspire Plans to Celebrate People With Disabilities – NYTimes.com

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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/05/nyregion/song-and-daughter-inspire-plans-to-celebrate-people-with-disabilities.html?ref=arts

** Song and Daughter Inspire Plans to Celebrate People With Disabilities
————————————————————
Photo
Mike LeDonne, the jazz pianist, and his daughter Mary at their apartment on West 43rd Street. Credit James Estrin/The New York Times

In July, a month after the Gay Pride March (http://www.nycpride.org/) is scheduled to unfold, a different kind of pride procession is set to commence: the Disability Pride NYC (http://disabilitypridenyc.com/jazz-legends-for-disability-pride/) parade.

The impetus behind the inaugural march, which organizers call the first of its kind in New York City, might seem unlikely: the jazz pianist Mike LeDonne (http://mikeledonne.net/) .

Mr. LeDonne, a fixture on the city’s jazz scene for decades, said he has been working for several years to create an annual Disability Pride Day and parade to shine a spotlight on people with mental and physical disabilities.

“Actually, she’s the reason for the parade,” said Mr. LeDonne, 58, pointing to his daughter, Mary, 10, inside their apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. She was on the floor, cradling a musical toy, and repeatedly pressing its buttons to hear a variety of tinny melodies.

Mary was born with Prader-Willi (http://www.pwsausa.org/) syndrome, a genetic disorder that has left her developmentally disabled and without speech. She is legally blind and often uses a wheelchair.

She is also highly sensitive to music and has an insatiable appetite for it, which has helped her learn, develop and interact with the world, said Mr. LeDonne. He was moved by his daughter to create a lively public musical procession that celebrates people whose distinctiveness is usually described in negative terms.

Mr. LeDonne said he enlisted as much volunteer help as he could to organize the parade, which is scheduled for July 12 and will proceed from Madison Square to Union Square. He has created a nonprofit organization and is holding a fund-raiser on Thursday featuring prominent jazz musicians, including Ron Carter (http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/84339/Ron-Carter) , Benny Golson (http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/289696/Benny-Golson) and Brad Mehldau (http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/388799/Brad-Mehldau) .

Mr. LeDonne is also performing, and plans to bring his daughter.

The event, Jazz Legends for Disability Pride (http://lepoissonrouge.com/lpr_events/jazz-legends-play-for-disability-pride-nyc-january-8th-2015/) , will take place at the Quaker Friends Meeting Hall near Gramercy Park (http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-1859-friends-meeting-house-28.html) . The musicians, Mr. LeDonne said, are his friends and colleagues and are donating their performances.

“I called in all my favors,” he said. “Actually, they said, ‘I’d be insulted if you didn’t ask me to do it.’ That’s the spirit of the jazz world.”

Mary has been exposed all her life to Mr. LeDonne’s practicing and composing at home, and to his extensive collection of recordings.

Mr. LeDonne’s wife, Margaret Patterson-LeDonne, works full time, leaving Mr. LeDonne to care for Mary when she is not in school at the Jewish Guild School For the Blind.

“I’m the daytime Mr. Mom guy,” said Mr. LeDonne, who plays Mary Liszt piano recordings each morning. She serves as his sounding board when he is trying out arrangement ideas.

“I turn around, and if she’s moving to the music, then I know I got something good,” he said.

Mr. LeDonne said that taking Mary out in public has led to staring and pointing, as well as remarks that are overly apologetic and drenched in sympathy.

“Often, people will say, ‘Oh, you have a disabled child, I’m sorry,’ ” he said. “I tell them, ‘Don’t be sorry. I love my child and she really is cool. She’s a miracle and a blessing.’ ”
Continue reading the main story
Continue reading the main story

The goal of the pride day is to increase awareness and help “break the stereotypes and show people that these people are not to be pitied,” he said, adding that he hoped the parade offered a way for “the general public and the disabled to mix together on a day when they’re just having fun and being people.”

The parade idea came to him while listening to a choir of children at Mary’s school, he said. The children were joyously singing “Put On a Happy Face.”

Mr. LeDonne set up a Facebook page to gauge interest. It gained a following, “and it just grew from there,” he said.

The parade will likely follow Broadway, with vendors and informational kiosks along the route, and rallies at both ends that will include entertainment and speakers, said Mike Schweinsburg, a disability activist and board member with Mr. LeDonne’s group.

The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (http://www.nyc.gov/html/mopd/html/home/home.shtml) has helped with street permits and other logistics for the parade, said the office’s commissioner, Victor Calise (http://www.nyc.gov/html/mopd/html/about/message.shtml) .

“We love the idea of the parade and we’re working to make it happen,” said Mr. Calise, a Queens native who was paralyzed following a mountain biking accident in 1994. “It’s a great opportunity,” he added, to remind “New York City residents and the world that people with disabilities are part of society, demand equal rights and most of all, celebrate who we are.”

As a tribute to Mary and her classmates, Mr. LeDonne recorded “Put On a Happy Face” on his 2014 release “I Love Music,” and began including it in his performances. As a composer, Mr. LeDonne has written music for Mary, including the five-part “Suite Mary” on “Speak,” a 2013 recording.

In his apartment recently, he sat at his Steinway baby grand piano and played the “Listen” segment of the suite, a tune he often plays to calm her. Then he played a lush rendition of the song “Love, I Found You,” with Mary rocking her head as Mr. LeDonne anchored the tune with an insistent pedal bass.

Mary’s musical taste as a listener is fairly mature. She favors the funk of James Brown (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/james_brown/index.html) and Sly and the Family Stone (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/s/sly_and_the_family_stone/index.html) , and enjoys organ jams by Jimmy Smith (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/10/arts/music/10smith.html) and also Brother Jack McDuff (http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/27/arts/jack-mcduff-74-organist-of-soul-jazz.html) . Among jazz guitarists, she favors Grant Green (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/15/arts/year-boxes-bjork-dylan-dischord-grant-green-retrospective-1961-66-blue-note-four.html) and Wes Montgomery (http://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/25/arts/jazz-festival-wes-montgomery-is-remembered.html) .

“We hang out like two college kids, just rocking tunes real loud,” Mr. LeDonne said. Mary did not begin walking until age 5, and her first steps were taken to get to a piano, Mr. LeDonne said, as his daughter stood at the keyboard, playing separate, purposeful patterns with either hand.

She plays repeating patterns with odd combinations of notes, which she develops into themes, he said.

“She’ll do this for hours,” he said. “She finds sounds I never knew existed.”

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=23c9c680fe) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=23c9c680fe&e=[UNIQID])

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Song and Daughter Inspire Plans to Celebrate People With Disabilities – NYTimes.com

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http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/05/nyregion/song-and-daughter-inspire-plans-to-celebrate-people-with-disabilities.html?ref=arts

** Song and Daughter Inspire Plans to Celebrate People With Disabilities
————————————————————
Photo
Mike LeDonne, the jazz pianist, and his daughter Mary at their apartment on West 43rd Street. Credit James Estrin/The New York Times

In July, a month after the Gay Pride March (http://www.nycpride.org/) is scheduled to unfold, a different kind of pride procession is set to commence: the Disability Pride NYC (http://disabilitypridenyc.com/jazz-legends-for-disability-pride/) parade.

The impetus behind the inaugural march, which organizers call the first of its kind in New York City, might seem unlikely: the jazz pianist Mike LeDonne (http://mikeledonne.net/) .

Mr. LeDonne, a fixture on the city’s jazz scene for decades, said he has been working for several years to create an annual Disability Pride Day and parade to shine a spotlight on people with mental and physical disabilities.

“Actually, she’s the reason for the parade,” said Mr. LeDonne, 58, pointing to his daughter, Mary, 10, inside their apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. She was on the floor, cradling a musical toy, and repeatedly pressing its buttons to hear a variety of tinny melodies.

Mary was born with Prader-Willi (http://www.pwsausa.org/) syndrome, a genetic disorder that has left her developmentally disabled and without speech. She is legally blind and often uses a wheelchair.

She is also highly sensitive to music and has an insatiable appetite for it, which has helped her learn, develop and interact with the world, said Mr. LeDonne. He was moved by his daughter to create a lively public musical procession that celebrates people whose distinctiveness is usually described in negative terms.

Mr. LeDonne said he enlisted as much volunteer help as he could to organize the parade, which is scheduled for July 12 and will proceed from Madison Square to Union Square. He has created a nonprofit organization and is holding a fund-raiser on Thursday featuring prominent jazz musicians, including Ron Carter (http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/84339/Ron-Carter) , Benny Golson (http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/289696/Benny-Golson) and Brad Mehldau (http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/388799/Brad-Mehldau) .

Mr. LeDonne is also performing, and plans to bring his daughter.

The event, Jazz Legends for Disability Pride (http://lepoissonrouge.com/lpr_events/jazz-legends-play-for-disability-pride-nyc-january-8th-2015/) , will take place at the Quaker Friends Meeting Hall near Gramercy Park (http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-1859-friends-meeting-house-28.html) . The musicians, Mr. LeDonne said, are his friends and colleagues and are donating their performances.

“I called in all my favors,” he said. “Actually, they said, ‘I’d be insulted if you didn’t ask me to do it.’ That’s the spirit of the jazz world.”

Mary has been exposed all her life to Mr. LeDonne’s practicing and composing at home, and to his extensive collection of recordings.

Mr. LeDonne’s wife, Margaret Patterson-LeDonne, works full time, leaving Mr. LeDonne to care for Mary when she is not in school at the Jewish Guild School For the Blind.

“I’m the daytime Mr. Mom guy,” said Mr. LeDonne, who plays Mary Liszt piano recordings each morning. She serves as his sounding board when he is trying out arrangement ideas.

“I turn around, and if she’s moving to the music, then I know I got something good,” he said.

Mr. LeDonne said that taking Mary out in public has led to staring and pointing, as well as remarks that are overly apologetic and drenched in sympathy.

“Often, people will say, ‘Oh, you have a disabled child, I’m sorry,’ ” he said. “I tell them, ‘Don’t be sorry. I love my child and she really is cool. She’s a miracle and a blessing.’ ”
Continue reading the main story
Continue reading the main story

The goal of the pride day is to increase awareness and help “break the stereotypes and show people that these people are not to be pitied,” he said, adding that he hoped the parade offered a way for “the general public and the disabled to mix together on a day when they’re just having fun and being people.”

The parade idea came to him while listening to a choir of children at Mary’s school, he said. The children were joyously singing “Put On a Happy Face.”

Mr. LeDonne set up a Facebook page to gauge interest. It gained a following, “and it just grew from there,” he said.

The parade will likely follow Broadway, with vendors and informational kiosks along the route, and rallies at both ends that will include entertainment and speakers, said Mike Schweinsburg, a disability activist and board member with Mr. LeDonne’s group.

The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (http://www.nyc.gov/html/mopd/html/home/home.shtml) has helped with street permits and other logistics for the parade, said the office’s commissioner, Victor Calise (http://www.nyc.gov/html/mopd/html/about/message.shtml) .

“We love the idea of the parade and we’re working to make it happen,” said Mr. Calise, a Queens native who was paralyzed following a mountain biking accident in 1994. “It’s a great opportunity,” he added, to remind “New York City residents and the world that people with disabilities are part of society, demand equal rights and most of all, celebrate who we are.”

As a tribute to Mary and her classmates, Mr. LeDonne recorded “Put On a Happy Face” on his 2014 release “I Love Music,” and began including it in his performances. As a composer, Mr. LeDonne has written music for Mary, including the five-part “Suite Mary” on “Speak,” a 2013 recording.

In his apartment recently, he sat at his Steinway baby grand piano and played the “Listen” segment of the suite, a tune he often plays to calm her. Then he played a lush rendition of the song “Love, I Found You,” with Mary rocking her head as Mr. LeDonne anchored the tune with an insistent pedal bass.

Mary’s musical taste as a listener is fairly mature. She favors the funk of James Brown (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/james_brown/index.html) and Sly and the Family Stone (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/s/sly_and_the_family_stone/index.html) , and enjoys organ jams by Jimmy Smith (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/10/arts/music/10smith.html) and also Brother Jack McDuff (http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/27/arts/jack-mcduff-74-organist-of-soul-jazz.html) . Among jazz guitarists, she favors Grant Green (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/15/arts/year-boxes-bjork-dylan-dischord-grant-green-retrospective-1961-66-blue-note-four.html) and Wes Montgomery (http://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/25/arts/jazz-festival-wes-montgomery-is-remembered.html) .

“We hang out like two college kids, just rocking tunes real loud,” Mr. LeDonne said. Mary did not begin walking until age 5, and her first steps were taken to get to a piano, Mr. LeDonne said, as his daughter stood at the keyboard, playing separate, purposeful patterns with either hand.

She plays repeating patterns with odd combinations of notes, which she develops into themes, he said.

“She’ll do this for hours,” he said. “She finds sounds I never knew existed.”

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=23c9c680fe) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=23c9c680fe&e=[UNIQID])

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

Song and Daughter Inspire Plans to Celebrate People With Disabilities – NYTimes.com

http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/05/nyregion/song-and-daughter-inspire-plans-to-celebrate-people-with-disabilities.html?ref=arts

** Song and Daughter Inspire Plans to Celebrate People With Disabilities
————————————————————
Photo
Mike LeDonne, the jazz pianist, and his daughter Mary at their apartment on West 43rd Street. Credit James Estrin/The New York Times

In July, a month after the Gay Pride March (http://www.nycpride.org/) is scheduled to unfold, a different kind of pride procession is set to commence: the Disability Pride NYC (http://disabilitypridenyc.com/jazz-legends-for-disability-pride/) parade.

The impetus behind the inaugural march, which organizers call the first of its kind in New York City, might seem unlikely: the jazz pianist Mike LeDonne (http://mikeledonne.net/) .

Mr. LeDonne, a fixture on the city’s jazz scene for decades, said he has been working for several years to create an annual Disability Pride Day and parade to shine a spotlight on people with mental and physical disabilities.

“Actually, she’s the reason for the parade,” said Mr. LeDonne, 58, pointing to his daughter, Mary, 10, inside their apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. She was on the floor, cradling a musical toy, and repeatedly pressing its buttons to hear a variety of tinny melodies.

Mary was born with Prader-Willi (http://www.pwsausa.org/) syndrome, a genetic disorder that has left her developmentally disabled and without speech. She is legally blind and often uses a wheelchair.

She is also highly sensitive to music and has an insatiable appetite for it, which has helped her learn, develop and interact with the world, said Mr. LeDonne. He was moved by his daughter to create a lively public musical procession that celebrates people whose distinctiveness is usually described in negative terms.

Mr. LeDonne said he enlisted as much volunteer help as he could to organize the parade, which is scheduled for July 12 and will proceed from Madison Square to Union Square. He has created a nonprofit organization and is holding a fund-raiser on Thursday featuring prominent jazz musicians, including Ron Carter (http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/84339/Ron-Carter) , Benny Golson (http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/289696/Benny-Golson) and Brad Mehldau (http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/388799/Brad-Mehldau) .

Mr. LeDonne is also performing, and plans to bring his daughter.

The event, Jazz Legends for Disability Pride (http://lepoissonrouge.com/lpr_events/jazz-legends-play-for-disability-pride-nyc-january-8th-2015/) , will take place at the Quaker Friends Meeting Hall near Gramercy Park (http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-1859-friends-meeting-house-28.html) . The musicians, Mr. LeDonne said, are his friends and colleagues and are donating their performances.

“I called in all my favors,” he said. “Actually, they said, ‘I’d be insulted if you didn’t ask me to do it.’ That’s the spirit of the jazz world.”

Mary has been exposed all her life to Mr. LeDonne’s practicing and composing at home, and to his extensive collection of recordings.

Mr. LeDonne’s wife, Margaret Patterson-LeDonne, works full time, leaving Mr. LeDonne to care for Mary when she is not in school at the Jewish Guild School For the Blind.

“I’m the daytime Mr. Mom guy,” said Mr. LeDonne, who plays Mary Liszt piano recordings each morning. She serves as his sounding board when he is trying out arrangement ideas.

“I turn around, and if she’s moving to the music, then I know I got something good,” he said.

Mr. LeDonne said that taking Mary out in public has led to staring and pointing, as well as remarks that are overly apologetic and drenched in sympathy.

“Often, people will say, ‘Oh, you have a disabled child, I’m sorry,’ ” he said. “I tell them, ‘Don’t be sorry. I love my child and she really is cool. She’s a miracle and a blessing.’ ”
Continue reading the main story
Continue reading the main story

The goal of the pride day is to increase awareness and help “break the stereotypes and show people that these people are not to be pitied,” he said, adding that he hoped the parade offered a way for “the general public and the disabled to mix together on a day when they’re just having fun and being people.”

The parade idea came to him while listening to a choir of children at Mary’s school, he said. The children were joyously singing “Put On a Happy Face.”

Mr. LeDonne set up a Facebook page to gauge interest. It gained a following, “and it just grew from there,” he said.

The parade will likely follow Broadway, with vendors and informational kiosks along the route, and rallies at both ends that will include entertainment and speakers, said Mike Schweinsburg, a disability activist and board member with Mr. LeDonne’s group.

The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (http://www.nyc.gov/html/mopd/html/home/home.shtml) has helped with street permits and other logistics for the parade, said the office’s commissioner, Victor Calise (http://www.nyc.gov/html/mopd/html/about/message.shtml) .

“We love the idea of the parade and we’re working to make it happen,” said Mr. Calise, a Queens native who was paralyzed following a mountain biking accident in 1994. “It’s a great opportunity,” he added, to remind “New York City residents and the world that people with disabilities are part of society, demand equal rights and most of all, celebrate who we are.”

As a tribute to Mary and her classmates, Mr. LeDonne recorded “Put On a Happy Face” on his 2014 release “I Love Music,” and began including it in his performances. As a composer, Mr. LeDonne has written music for Mary, including the five-part “Suite Mary” on “Speak,” a 2013 recording.

In his apartment recently, he sat at his Steinway baby grand piano and played the “Listen” segment of the suite, a tune he often plays to calm her. Then he played a lush rendition of the song “Love, I Found You,” with Mary rocking her head as Mr. LeDonne anchored the tune with an insistent pedal bass.

Mary’s musical taste as a listener is fairly mature. She favors the funk of James Brown (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/james_brown/index.html) and Sly and the Family Stone (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/s/sly_and_the_family_stone/index.html) , and enjoys organ jams by Jimmy Smith (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/10/arts/music/10smith.html) and also Brother Jack McDuff (http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/27/arts/jack-mcduff-74-organist-of-soul-jazz.html) . Among jazz guitarists, she favors Grant Green (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/15/arts/year-boxes-bjork-dylan-dischord-grant-green-retrospective-1961-66-blue-note-four.html) and Wes Montgomery (http://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/25/arts/jazz-festival-wes-montgomery-is-remembered.html) .

“We hang out like two college kids, just rocking tunes real loud,” Mr. LeDonne said. Mary did not begin walking until age 5, and her first steps were taken to get to a piano, Mr. LeDonne said, as his daughter stood at the keyboard, playing separate, purposeful patterns with either hand.

She plays repeating patterns with odd combinations of notes, which she develops into themes, he said.

“She’ll do this for hours,” he said. “She finds sounds I never knew existed.”

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=23c9c680fe) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=23c9c680fe&e=[UNIQID])

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

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Jimmy Mulidore “The Vegas Player” Sandy Kastel Show- YouTube

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Sandy Kastel interviews saxophonist Jimmy Mulidore about his new book “The Vegas Player” + live performances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1CcXVhtWQQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1CcXVhtWQQ

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

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Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

Jimmy Mulidore “The Vegas Player” Sandy Kastel Show- YouTube

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http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
Sandy Kastel interviews saxophonist Jimmy Mulidore about his new book “The Vegas Player” + live performances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1CcXVhtWQQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1CcXVhtWQQ

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

Jimmy Mulidore “The Vegas Player” Sandy Kastel Show- YouTube

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http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
Sandy Kastel interviews saxophonist Jimmy Mulidore about his new book “The Vegas Player” + live performances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1CcXVhtWQQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1CcXVhtWQQ

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Music Downloads Plummet in U.S., but Sales of Vinyl Records and Streaming Surge – WSJ

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http://www.wsj.com/articles/music-downloads-plummet-in-u-s-but-sales-of-vinyl-records-and-streaming-surge-1420092579

** Music Downloads Plummet in U.S., but Sales of Vinyl Records and Streaming Surge
————————————————————
Vinyl record sales hit 9.2 million in the U.S. in 2014, up 52% from 2013, according to Nielsen SoundScan. ENLARGE

Vinyl record sales hit 9.2 million in the U.S. in 2014, up 52% from 2013, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Zuma Press
By
Ethan Smith
Jan. 1, 2015 1:09 a.m. ET

Sales of downloaded albums and songs plummeted in the U.S. in 2014, according to Nielsen SoundScan, offset by rises in vinyl-record sales and streaming services, such as Spotify AB and Google (http://quotes.wsj.com/GOOGL) Inc. ’s YouTube.

Paid downloads of albums and songs declined 9% and 12% respectively, the company said. American consumers bought 257 million albums in 2014, 106.5 million of them downloads.

Vinyl-record sales of 9.2 million were the highest since SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991, and a 52% increase from 2013.

The company didn’t break out compact-disc sales in a preliminary year-end report issued late Wednesday.

Digital song sales fell to 1.1 billion from 1.26 billion in 2013.

The use of streaming grew sharply to 164 billion songs—a 54% increase from 106 billion in 2013, the company said.

But the music industry might need even stronger growth in the future if streaming is to make up for continued sales declines.

Using the industry’s standard conversions, counting 1,500 song streams or 10 individual song downloads as an album sale, overall music consumption didn’t change significantly from 2013 to 2014.

The biggest album of the year in the U.S. was Taylor Swift ’s “1989,” which sold more than 3.66 million copies.

The “Frozen” soundtrack and Sam Smith ’s “In the Lonely Hour,” were No. 2 and No. 3. Pentatonix, an a capella pop group, had the fourth-biggest seller, with “That’s Christmas to Me.”

Pharrell Williams ’ “Happy” was the best-selling song of the year in the U.S., with more than 6.4 million sold.

It was followed by John Legend ’s “All of Me” and Katy Perry ’s “Dark Horse.”

Write to Ethan Smith at ethan.smith@wsj.com (mailto:ethan.smith@wsj.com)

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Music Downloads Plummet in U.S., but Sales of Vinyl Records and Streaming Surge – WSJ

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http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
http://www.wsj.com/articles/music-downloads-plummet-in-u-s-but-sales-of-vinyl-records-and-streaming-surge-1420092579

** Music Downloads Plummet in U.S., but Sales of Vinyl Records and Streaming Surge
————————————————————
Vinyl record sales hit 9.2 million in the U.S. in 2014, up 52% from 2013, according to Nielsen SoundScan. ENLARGE

Vinyl record sales hit 9.2 million in the U.S. in 2014, up 52% from 2013, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Zuma Press
By
Ethan Smith
Jan. 1, 2015 1:09 a.m. ET

Sales of downloaded albums and songs plummeted in the U.S. in 2014, according to Nielsen SoundScan, offset by rises in vinyl-record sales and streaming services, such as Spotify AB and Google (http://quotes.wsj.com/GOOGL) Inc. ’s YouTube.

Paid downloads of albums and songs declined 9% and 12% respectively, the company said. American consumers bought 257 million albums in 2014, 106.5 million of them downloads.

Vinyl-record sales of 9.2 million were the highest since SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991, and a 52% increase from 2013.

The company didn’t break out compact-disc sales in a preliminary year-end report issued late Wednesday.

Digital song sales fell to 1.1 billion from 1.26 billion in 2013.

The use of streaming grew sharply to 164 billion songs—a 54% increase from 106 billion in 2013, the company said.

But the music industry might need even stronger growth in the future if streaming is to make up for continued sales declines.

Using the industry’s standard conversions, counting 1,500 song streams or 10 individual song downloads as an album sale, overall music consumption didn’t change significantly from 2013 to 2014.

The biggest album of the year in the U.S. was Taylor Swift ’s “1989,” which sold more than 3.66 million copies.

The “Frozen” soundtrack and Sam Smith ’s “In the Lonely Hour,” were No. 2 and No. 3. Pentatonix, an a capella pop group, had the fourth-biggest seller, with “That’s Christmas to Me.”

Pharrell Williams ’ “Happy” was the best-selling song of the year in the U.S., with more than 6.4 million sold.

It was followed by John Legend ’s “All of Me” and Katy Perry ’s “Dark Horse.”

Write to Ethan Smith at ethan.smith@wsj.com (mailto:ethan.smith@wsj.com)

Unsubscribe (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]&c=2d11ebc3e8) | Update your profile (http://jazzpromoservices.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=911f90f0b1&e=[UNIQID]) | Forward to a friend (http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=3186fe64133adb244b1010be2&id=2d11ebc3e8&e=[UNIQID])

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

Music Downloads Plummet in U.S., but Sales of Vinyl Records and Streaming Surge – WSJ

http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
http://www.wsj.com/articles/music-downloads-plummet-in-u-s-but-sales-of-vinyl-records-and-streaming-surge-1420092579

** Music Downloads Plummet in U.S., but Sales of Vinyl Records and Streaming Surge
————————————————————
Vinyl record sales hit 9.2 million in the U.S. in 2014, up 52% from 2013, according to Nielsen SoundScan. ENLARGE

Vinyl record sales hit 9.2 million in the U.S. in 2014, up 52% from 2013, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Zuma Press
By
Ethan Smith
Jan. 1, 2015 1:09 a.m. ET

Sales of downloaded albums and songs plummeted in the U.S. in 2014, according to Nielsen SoundScan, offset by rises in vinyl-record sales and streaming services, such as Spotify AB and Google (http://quotes.wsj.com/GOOGL) Inc. ’s YouTube.

Paid downloads of albums and songs declined 9% and 12% respectively, the company said. American consumers bought 257 million albums in 2014, 106.5 million of them downloads.

Vinyl-record sales of 9.2 million were the highest since SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991, and a 52% increase from 2013.

The company didn’t break out compact-disc sales in a preliminary year-end report issued late Wednesday.

Digital song sales fell to 1.1 billion from 1.26 billion in 2013.

The use of streaming grew sharply to 164 billion songs—a 54% increase from 106 billion in 2013, the company said.

But the music industry might need even stronger growth in the future if streaming is to make up for continued sales declines.

Using the industry’s standard conversions, counting 1,500 song streams or 10 individual song downloads as an album sale, overall music consumption didn’t change significantly from 2013 to 2014.

The biggest album of the year in the U.S. was Taylor Swift ’s “1989,” which sold more than 3.66 million copies.

The “Frozen” soundtrack and Sam Smith ’s “In the Lonely Hour,” were No. 2 and No. 3. Pentatonix, an a capella pop group, had the fourth-biggest seller, with “That’s Christmas to Me.”

Pharrell Williams ’ “Happy” was the best-selling song of the year in the U.S., with more than 6.4 million sold.

It was followed by John Legend ’s “All of Me” and Katy Perry ’s “Dark Horse.”

Write to Ethan Smith at ethan.smith@wsj.com (mailto:ethan.smith@wsj.com)

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269 State Route 94 South
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USA

FRANK SINATRA’S 78 RPM SEEBURG HOME JUKEBOX RECORD MUSIC LIBRARY

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“THIS IS AN ALL ORIGINAL SEEBURG 78 rpm LIBRARY UNIT, BUILT FOR FRANK SINATRA. A1 CONDITION. WORKING.”

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

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269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

FRANK SINATRA’S 78 RPM SEEBURG HOME JUKEBOX RECORD MUSIC LIBRARY

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“THIS IS AN ALL ORIGINAL SEEBURG 78 rpm LIBRARY UNIT, BUILT FOR FRANK SINATRA. A1 CONDITION. WORKING.”

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

Jazz Promo Services
269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

FRANK SINATRA’S 78 RPM SEEBURG HOME JUKEBOX RECORD MUSIC LIBRARY

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http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
“THIS IS AN ALL ORIGINAL SEEBURG 78 rpm LIBRARY UNIT, BUILT FOR FRANK SINATRA. A1 CONDITION. WORKING.”

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New Orleans jazz saxophonist Al Belletto has died at age 86 | NOLA.com

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http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2015/01/new_orleans_jazz_saxophonist_a.html

** New Orleans jazz saxophonist Al Belletto has died at age 86
————————————————————

al belletto
New Orleans jazz saxophonist Al Belletto died on Dec. 26, 2014, at the age of 86.
Print (http://blog.nola.com/entertainment_impact_music/print.html?entry=/2015/01/new_orleans_jazz_saxophonist_a.html)
http://connect.nola.com/user/kspera/index.htmlBy Keith Spera, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune (http://connect.nola.com/user/kspera/posts.html)
| Follow on Twitter (http://twitter.com/KeithSpera)
on January 03, 2015 at 11:57 AM, updated January 03, 2015 at 12:13 PM

Reddit

** NOTABLE DEATHS
————————————————————
* Percy Duhe remembered as both teacher, student of football in New Orleans (http://www.nola.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/11/percy_duhe_remembered_as_both.html#incart_story_package)
* J.J. Witmeyer Jr., decorated veteran of World War II, dies at 93 (http://www.nola.com/military/index.ssf/2014/09/jj_witmeyer_jr_wounded_world_w.html#incart_story_package)
* Nicky da B, rising young New Orleans rapper, remembered by friends, family and media (http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2014/09/nicky_da_b_rising_young_new_or.html#incart_story_package)
* Highly respected New Orleans jazz saxophonist Tim Green has died (http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2014/08/new_orleans_jazz_saxophonist_t.html#incart_story_package)
* James Garner, star of ‘Maverick’ and ‘The Rockford Files,’ dies at 86 (http://www.nola.com/celebrities/index.ssf/2014/07/james_garner_star_of_maverick.html#incart_story_package)

All Stories (http://topics.nola.com/tag/news%20obituaries/posts.html) |
http://ads.nola.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.nola.com/music/2015/01/new_orleans_jazz_saxophonist_a.html/1529018981/StoryAd/NOLALIVE/default/empty.gif/524d55316f45362b5437594142532f62

Modern jazz alto saxophonist Al Belletto, who enjoyed a long career in New Orleans as both a bandleader and a featured sideman, died Dec. 26, 2014, at his home in Metairie after a long illness. He was 86.

Mr. Belletto was born in New Orleans. As a student at Warren Easton High School, he already was working as a professional musician. He continued to study music at Loyola University, and eventually earned a master’s degree from Louisiana State University.

Beyond the classroom, Mr. Belletto learned music – he was an early fan of bebop in a city that favored more traditional jazz – by listening and playing. Even as he earned his undergraduate degree, he worked on Bourbon Street, sometimes providing musical accompaniment for strippers. In the 1940s, he played with Louis Prima, Sharkey Bonano, and the Dukes of Dixieland.

He would go on to front his own combos and big band. In the 1950s, via connections made in New York, he was signed to Capitol Records. Capitol released his “Sounds and Songs” in 1955, followed by “Half and Half” in 1956 and “Whisper Not” in 1957.

In 1958, the prominent bandleader Woody Herman recruited Mr. Belletto and his sextet for a State Department-sponsored tour of Central and South America.

Back in New Orleans, Mr. Belletto became the entertainment director for the Playboy Club, booking bands and performing in the French Quarter franchise of the national chain. After hearing a teenage drummer named Johnny Vidacovich at a collegiate stage band competition, he offered him a job with the Playboy Club’s jazz combo; Vidacovich is now one of the city’s most respected drummers.
http://media.nola.com/entertainment_impact_music/photo/al-belletto-cd-cover-f262097db2135a05.jpeg

Mr. Belletto also served a lengthy tenure as the director of famed trumpeter Al Hirt’s Big Band. Other prominent musicians who worked alongside him early in their careers include Ellis Marsalis, John Mahoney, Bill Huntington, Michael Pellera, Richard Payne and Rick Trolsen.

Along the way, Mr. Belletto earned the nickname Coach; his 1973 album was titled “Coach’s Choice.”

He was among the organizers of the International Jazz Festival in 1968 and 1969, the precursor of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which launched in 1970. According to his family, Mr. Belletto insisted that black musicians be featured at the festival, and receive pay equal to that of white musicians.

Years later, he also was involved in the founding of the French Quarter Festival.

Mr. Belletto released his final full-length album, “Jazznocracy,” for Louisiana Red Hot Records in 1998. Credited to the Al Belletto Big Jazz Band, it was recorded live at New Orleans’ Christ Church Cathedral in August 1997 with a 16-piece band that included Trolsen, Vidacovich and Mahoney.

Survivors include his wife, Linda; a son, Brad Belletto; and two grandchildren.

The New Orleans Musicians Union Hall at 2401 Esplanade Ave. will host a celebration of Mr. Belletto’s life on Saturday, Jan. 3, from 2 to 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that donations be made to Local 174-496 Altruist Fund, which provides assistance to musicians in need.

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269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

New Orleans jazz saxophonist Al Belletto has died at age 86 | NOLA.com

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http://twitter.com/#!/jazzpromo https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Promo-Services/216022288429676
http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2015/01/new_orleans_jazz_saxophonist_a.html

** New Orleans jazz saxophonist Al Belletto has died at age 86
————————————————————

al belletto
New Orleans jazz saxophonist Al Belletto died on Dec. 26, 2014, at the age of 86.
Print (http://blog.nola.com/entertainment_impact_music/print.html?entry=/2015/01/new_orleans_jazz_saxophonist_a.html)
http://connect.nola.com/user/kspera/index.htmlBy Keith Spera, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune (http://connect.nola.com/user/kspera/posts.html)
| Follow on Twitter (http://twitter.com/KeithSpera)
on January 03, 2015 at 11:57 AM, updated January 03, 2015 at 12:13 PM

Reddit

** NOTABLE DEATHS
————————————————————
* Percy Duhe remembered as both teacher, student of football in New Orleans (http://www.nola.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/11/percy_duhe_remembered_as_both.html#incart_story_package)
* J.J. Witmeyer Jr., decorated veteran of World War II, dies at 93 (http://www.nola.com/military/index.ssf/2014/09/jj_witmeyer_jr_wounded_world_w.html#incart_story_package)
* Nicky da B, rising young New Orleans rapper, remembered by friends, family and media (http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2014/09/nicky_da_b_rising_young_new_or.html#incart_story_package)
* Highly respected New Orleans jazz saxophonist Tim Green has died (http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2014/08/new_orleans_jazz_saxophonist_t.html#incart_story_package)
* James Garner, star of ‘Maverick’ and ‘The Rockford Files,’ dies at 86 (http://www.nola.com/celebrities/index.ssf/2014/07/james_garner_star_of_maverick.html#incart_story_package)

All Stories (http://topics.nola.com/tag/news%20obituaries/posts.html) |
http://ads.nola.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.nola.com/music/2015/01/new_orleans_jazz_saxophonist_a.html/1529018981/StoryAd/NOLALIVE/default/empty.gif/524d55316f45362b5437594142532f62

Modern jazz alto saxophonist Al Belletto, who enjoyed a long career in New Orleans as both a bandleader and a featured sideman, died Dec. 26, 2014, at his home in Metairie after a long illness. He was 86.

Mr. Belletto was born in New Orleans. As a student at Warren Easton High School, he already was working as a professional musician. He continued to study music at Loyola University, and eventually earned a master’s degree from Louisiana State University.

Beyond the classroom, Mr. Belletto learned music – he was an early fan of bebop in a city that favored more traditional jazz – by listening and playing. Even as he earned his undergraduate degree, he worked on Bourbon Street, sometimes providing musical accompaniment for strippers. In the 1940s, he played with Louis Prima, Sharkey Bonano, and the Dukes of Dixieland.

He would go on to front his own combos and big band. In the 1950s, via connections made in New York, he was signed to Capitol Records. Capitol released his “Sounds and Songs” in 1955, followed by “Half and Half” in 1956 and “Whisper Not” in 1957.

In 1958, the prominent bandleader Woody Herman recruited Mr. Belletto and his sextet for a State Department-sponsored tour of Central and South America.

Back in New Orleans, Mr. Belletto became the entertainment director for the Playboy Club, booking bands and performing in the French Quarter franchise of the national chain. After hearing a teenage drummer named Johnny Vidacovich at a collegiate stage band competition, he offered him a job with the Playboy Club’s jazz combo; Vidacovich is now one of the city’s most respected drummers.
http://media.nola.com/entertainment_impact_music/photo/al-belletto-cd-cover-f262097db2135a05.jpeg

Mr. Belletto also served a lengthy tenure as the director of famed trumpeter Al Hirt’s Big Band. Other prominent musicians who worked alongside him early in their careers include Ellis Marsalis, John Mahoney, Bill Huntington, Michael Pellera, Richard Payne and Rick Trolsen.

Along the way, Mr. Belletto earned the nickname Coach; his 1973 album was titled “Coach’s Choice.”

He was among the organizers of the International Jazz Festival in 1968 and 1969, the precursor of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which launched in 1970. According to his family, Mr. Belletto insisted that black musicians be featured at the festival, and receive pay equal to that of white musicians.

Years later, he also was involved in the founding of the French Quarter Festival.

Mr. Belletto released his final full-length album, “Jazznocracy,” for Louisiana Red Hot Records in 1998. Credited to the Al Belletto Big Jazz Band, it was recorded live at New Orleans’ Christ Church Cathedral in August 1997 with a 16-piece band that included Trolsen, Vidacovich and Mahoney.

Survivors include his wife, Linda; a son, Brad Belletto; and two grandchildren.

The New Orleans Musicians Union Hall at 2401 Esplanade Ave. will host a celebration of Mr. Belletto’s life on Saturday, Jan. 3, from 2 to 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that donations be made to Local 174-496 Altruist Fund, which provides assistance to musicians in need.

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New Orleans jazz saxophonist Al Belletto has died at age 86 | NOLA.com

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** New Orleans jazz saxophonist Al Belletto has died at age 86
————————————————————

al belletto
New Orleans jazz saxophonist Al Belletto died on Dec. 26, 2014, at the age of 86.
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http://connect.nola.com/user/kspera/index.htmlBy Keith Spera, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune (http://connect.nola.com/user/kspera/posts.html)
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on January 03, 2015 at 11:57 AM, updated January 03, 2015 at 12:13 PM

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** NOTABLE DEATHS
————————————————————
* Percy Duhe remembered as both teacher, student of football in New Orleans (http://www.nola.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/11/percy_duhe_remembered_as_both.html#incart_story_package)
* J.J. Witmeyer Jr., decorated veteran of World War II, dies at 93 (http://www.nola.com/military/index.ssf/2014/09/jj_witmeyer_jr_wounded_world_w.html#incart_story_package)
* Nicky da B, rising young New Orleans rapper, remembered by friends, family and media (http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2014/09/nicky_da_b_rising_young_new_or.html#incart_story_package)
* Highly respected New Orleans jazz saxophonist Tim Green has died (http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2014/08/new_orleans_jazz_saxophonist_t.html#incart_story_package)
* James Garner, star of ‘Maverick’ and ‘The Rockford Files,’ dies at 86 (http://www.nola.com/celebrities/index.ssf/2014/07/james_garner_star_of_maverick.html#incart_story_package)

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Modern jazz alto saxophonist Al Belletto, who enjoyed a long career in New Orleans as both a bandleader and a featured sideman, died Dec. 26, 2014, at his home in Metairie after a long illness. He was 86.

Mr. Belletto was born in New Orleans. As a student at Warren Easton High School, he already was working as a professional musician. He continued to study music at Loyola University, and eventually earned a master’s degree from Louisiana State University.

Beyond the classroom, Mr. Belletto learned music – he was an early fan of bebop in a city that favored more traditional jazz – by listening and playing. Even as he earned his undergraduate degree, he worked on Bourbon Street, sometimes providing musical accompaniment for strippers. In the 1940s, he played with Louis Prima, Sharkey Bonano, and the Dukes of Dixieland.

He would go on to front his own combos and big band. In the 1950s, via connections made in New York, he was signed to Capitol Records. Capitol released his “Sounds and Songs” in 1955, followed by “Half and Half” in 1956 and “Whisper Not” in 1957.

In 1958, the prominent bandleader Woody Herman recruited Mr. Belletto and his sextet for a State Department-sponsored tour of Central and South America.

Back in New Orleans, Mr. Belletto became the entertainment director for the Playboy Club, booking bands and performing in the French Quarter franchise of the national chain. After hearing a teenage drummer named Johnny Vidacovich at a collegiate stage band competition, he offered him a job with the Playboy Club’s jazz combo; Vidacovich is now one of the city’s most respected drummers.
http://media.nola.com/entertainment_impact_music/photo/al-belletto-cd-cover-f262097db2135a05.jpeg

Mr. Belletto also served a lengthy tenure as the director of famed trumpeter Al Hirt’s Big Band. Other prominent musicians who worked alongside him early in their careers include Ellis Marsalis, John Mahoney, Bill Huntington, Michael Pellera, Richard Payne and Rick Trolsen.

Along the way, Mr. Belletto earned the nickname Coach; his 1973 album was titled “Coach’s Choice.”

He was among the organizers of the International Jazz Festival in 1968 and 1969, the precursor of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which launched in 1970. According to his family, Mr. Belletto insisted that black musicians be featured at the festival, and receive pay equal to that of white musicians.

Years later, he also was involved in the founding of the French Quarter Festival.

Mr. Belletto released his final full-length album, “Jazznocracy,” for Louisiana Red Hot Records in 1998. Credited to the Al Belletto Big Jazz Band, it was recorded live at New Orleans’ Christ Church Cathedral in August 1997 with a 16-piece band that included Trolsen, Vidacovich and Mahoney.

Survivors include his wife, Linda; a son, Brad Belletto; and two grandchildren.

The New Orleans Musicians Union Hall at 2401 Esplanade Ave. will host a celebration of Mr. Belletto’s life on Saturday, Jan. 3, from 2 to 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that donations be made to Local 174-496 Altruist Fund, which provides assistance to musicians in need.

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New Label for a New Sound – WSJ

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** New Label for a New Sound
————————————————————

** Dial Records is a missing link between jazz and rock ’n’ roll.
————————————————————
By
MARC MYERS
Dec. 30, 2014 6:38 p.m. ET
1 COMMENTS (http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-label-for-a-new-sound-1419982709?KEYWORDS=dial+records#livefyre-comment)

On the evening of Feb. 26, 1946, alto saxophonist Charlie Parker signed a one-year contract at the Tempo Music Shop in Hollywood, Calif., to record exclusively for Dial Records. The agreement was a breakthrough for the rising bebop star, allowing him to record his improvised blues rather than the frantic jazz style popular back in New York. Over the next two years, Dial’s recordings by Parker and local bebop musicians not only radicalized jazz in Los Angeles but also had an electrifying effect on the city’s “jump blues”—an up-tempo boogie-woogie that would become known formally in 1949 as “rhythm and blues.”

Parker was a big catch for a small label like Dial. His reputation for breathtaking improvisation and agility was already well established prior to his arrival on the West Coast in December 1945, and he was widely admired by the city’s jazz and blues musicians. But signing Parker was still a gamble for Dial. Launched by Ross Russell to help stock the shelves of his Tempo record store, the independent label operated in a highly segregated city where the sizable white market was resistant to bebop. Parker’s worrisome drug habit also presented a liability for Dial, increasing the odds of missed studio sessions and legal trouble.
Charlie Parker at a Feb. 19, 1947, session. ENLARGE
Charlie Parker at a Feb. 19, 1947, session. RAY WHITTEN/COURTESY OF HARRY RANSOM HUMANITIES RESEARCH CENTER, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

Russell shrugged off these challenges, and between 1946 and ’48 he documented some of the most exciting and influential West Coast jazz of the period. All of these recordings can be heard on “The Complete Dial Modern Jazz Sessions” (Mosaic)—a recently released nine-CD boxed set. Mosaic’s newly restored and remastered box chronologically illustrates the new jazz style unfolding in Los Angeles at the time and unintentionally provides a missing link between jazz and rock ’n’ roll.

Despite the city’s hostile racial climate, Los Angeles was a hothouse of jazz and blues experimentation in the 1940s. During World War II, Lionel Hampton, Louis Jordan, Big Joe Turner and other jazz and blues artists settled there and pioneered a rollicking blues style with boogie-woogie syncopation, a strong backbeat and whimsical song lyrics. After the war, shifts in the economy and the music industry’s power structure gave rise to small independent jazz and blues labels seeking fresh talent. On the jazz side, new groups showcased the improvisational prowess of star soloists like Parker, while blues bands began specializing in infectious dance beats and jumpy riffs that showcased horn players famous for their stamina and stagecraft.

When Parker first arrived in Los Angeles as part of the Dizzy Gillespie Sextet in December 1945, the group was booked into Billy Berg’s club for a two-month stay, and local jazz musicians flocked to see them. “It was kind of scary to hear, because they were playing so fast, a lot of notes, that we didn’t understand what they were playing,” said saxophonist Buddy Collette in “Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz in Los Angeles.”

But when club attendance flagged in January 1946, Berg canceled the group’s extended run. Parker disappeared for weeks, cashing in his plane ticket to pay for a drug spree and forcing Gillespie to return to New York without him. In late February, Russell needed recordings for his new label, and the stranded Parker needed cash. A deal was struck, and Parker remained in Los Angeles, spending much of his time in the city’s black South Central district where many jazz and blues artists mingled and exchanged ideas.

Though many of the recordings in the Mosaic box have been issued in various forms on collections over the years, the new restoration and mastering by Steve Marlowe and Jonathan Horwich provide a much brighter and broader listen. Throughout the set, there are crisp and forceful reminders of Parker’s melodic brilliance and fluidity during his Los Angeles stay, including the catchy “Moose the Mooche,” the dramatic “Yardbird Suite” and a thrilling “Ornithology”—which he based on the chord changes to “How High the Moon.” Other examples of bebop’s development in L.A. include recordings by Sonny Berman’s Big Eight—an octet offshoot from Woody Herman’s big band—trumpeters Howard McGhee and Fats Navarro, pianist Dodo Marmarosa, and saxophonists Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray and Teddy Edwards.

There also are pained artistic moments, such as Parker’s July 29, 1946, recording session. Coping with heroin withdrawal, Parker struggled through four songs, including halting and endearing renditions of “Lover Man” and “The Gypsy.” Back at his hotel that night, Parker suffered a mental breakdown and twice wandered into the lobby naked. After setting fire to his bed, Parker was arrested and imprisoned for 10 days before Russell was able to negotiate a six-month stay at California’s Camarillo State Hospital. Released in late January 1947, Parker resumed recording, and his Dial efforts included refreshing, upbeat blues like “Relaxin’ at Camarillo” and “Carvin’ the Bird,” and the breezy “Stupendous,” based on Gershwin’s “’S Wonderful.”
Wardell Gray and Dexter Gordon at their June 12, 1947, session. ENLARGE
Wardell Gray and Dexter Gordon at their June 12, 1947, session. RAY WHITTEN/COURTESY OF HARRY RANSOM HUMANITIES RESEARCH CENTER, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

In 1947, Gordon’s muscular tenor-sax duel with Wardell Gray on “The Chase” and with Edwards on “The Duel” featured chorus after chorus of blistering improvisation. The 78s and Gordon’s live tenor battles at local clubs were carefully studied by the city’s jump-blues artists. Two No. 1 R&B hits in early 1949 were instrumentals by saxophonists—Big Jay McNeely’s “The Deacon’s Hop” and Paul Williams’s “The Huckle-Buck,” which was inspired by Parker’s “Now’s the Time.”

But despite Dial’s efforts to widen bebop’s appeal in Los Angeles, the music never caught on. A growing percentage of the city’s white population had migrated from the South and Southwest after the war, and the region’s suburban sprawl wasn’t conducive to bebop’s grinding intensity. Throughout 1947, Parker, Gordon and many other jazz artists left Los Angeles for New York, where studio and club work was more plentiful. Even Russell gave up on jazz at the end of 1948 and began issuing modern classical recordings starting in 1949.

West Coast R&B became a national sensation in 1949—music that was energized by L.A.’s audacious bebop movement and Dial’s recordings. By the early 1950s, radio stations took notice. Once they realized that white teens were buying significant numbers of R&B records, a new race-neutral term was needed to sell the music to the widest possible audience. They called it rock ’n’ roll.

Mr. Myers, a frequent contributor to the Journal, writes daily about music at JazzWax.com.

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

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269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA

New Label for a New Sound – WSJ

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http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-label-for-a-new-sound-1419982709?KEYWORDS=dial+records

** New Label for a New Sound
————————————————————

** Dial Records is a missing link between jazz and rock ’n’ roll.
————————————————————
By
MARC MYERS
Dec. 30, 2014 6:38 p.m. ET
1 COMMENTS (http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-label-for-a-new-sound-1419982709?KEYWORDS=dial+records#livefyre-comment)

On the evening of Feb. 26, 1946, alto saxophonist Charlie Parker signed a one-year contract at the Tempo Music Shop in Hollywood, Calif., to record exclusively for Dial Records. The agreement was a breakthrough for the rising bebop star, allowing him to record his improvised blues rather than the frantic jazz style popular back in New York. Over the next two years, Dial’s recordings by Parker and local bebop musicians not only radicalized jazz in Los Angeles but also had an electrifying effect on the city’s “jump blues”—an up-tempo boogie-woogie that would become known formally in 1949 as “rhythm and blues.”

Parker was a big catch for a small label like Dial. His reputation for breathtaking improvisation and agility was already well established prior to his arrival on the West Coast in December 1945, and he was widely admired by the city’s jazz and blues musicians. But signing Parker was still a gamble for Dial. Launched by Ross Russell to help stock the shelves of his Tempo record store, the independent label operated in a highly segregated city where the sizable white market was resistant to bebop. Parker’s worrisome drug habit also presented a liability for Dial, increasing the odds of missed studio sessions and legal trouble.
Charlie Parker at a Feb. 19, 1947, session. ENLARGE
Charlie Parker at a Feb. 19, 1947, session. RAY WHITTEN/COURTESY OF HARRY RANSOM HUMANITIES RESEARCH CENTER, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

Russell shrugged off these challenges, and between 1946 and ’48 he documented some of the most exciting and influential West Coast jazz of the period. All of these recordings can be heard on “The Complete Dial Modern Jazz Sessions” (Mosaic)—a recently released nine-CD boxed set. Mosaic’s newly restored and remastered box chronologically illustrates the new jazz style unfolding in Los Angeles at the time and unintentionally provides a missing link between jazz and rock ’n’ roll.

Despite the city’s hostile racial climate, Los Angeles was a hothouse of jazz and blues experimentation in the 1940s. During World War II, Lionel Hampton, Louis Jordan, Big Joe Turner and other jazz and blues artists settled there and pioneered a rollicking blues style with boogie-woogie syncopation, a strong backbeat and whimsical song lyrics. After the war, shifts in the economy and the music industry’s power structure gave rise to small independent jazz and blues labels seeking fresh talent. On the jazz side, new groups showcased the improvisational prowess of star soloists like Parker, while blues bands began specializing in infectious dance beats and jumpy riffs that showcased horn players famous for their stamina and stagecraft.

When Parker first arrived in Los Angeles as part of the Dizzy Gillespie Sextet in December 1945, the group was booked into Billy Berg’s club for a two-month stay, and local jazz musicians flocked to see them. “It was kind of scary to hear, because they were playing so fast, a lot of notes, that we didn’t understand what they were playing,” said saxophonist Buddy Collette in “Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz in Los Angeles.”

But when club attendance flagged in January 1946, Berg canceled the group’s extended run. Parker disappeared for weeks, cashing in his plane ticket to pay for a drug spree and forcing Gillespie to return to New York without him. In late February, Russell needed recordings for his new label, and the stranded Parker needed cash. A deal was struck, and Parker remained in Los Angeles, spending much of his time in the city’s black South Central district where many jazz and blues artists mingled and exchanged ideas.

Though many of the recordings in the Mosaic box have been issued in various forms on collections over the years, the new restoration and mastering by Steve Marlowe and Jonathan Horwich provide a much brighter and broader listen. Throughout the set, there are crisp and forceful reminders of Parker’s melodic brilliance and fluidity during his Los Angeles stay, including the catchy “Moose the Mooche,” the dramatic “Yardbird Suite” and a thrilling “Ornithology”—which he based on the chord changes to “How High the Moon.” Other examples of bebop’s development in L.A. include recordings by Sonny Berman’s Big Eight—an octet offshoot from Woody Herman’s big band—trumpeters Howard McGhee and Fats Navarro, pianist Dodo Marmarosa, and saxophonists Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray and Teddy Edwards.

There also are pained artistic moments, such as Parker’s July 29, 1946, recording session. Coping with heroin withdrawal, Parker struggled through four songs, including halting and endearing renditions of “Lover Man” and “The Gypsy.” Back at his hotel that night, Parker suffered a mental breakdown and twice wandered into the lobby naked. After setting fire to his bed, Parker was arrested and imprisoned for 10 days before Russell was able to negotiate a six-month stay at California’s Camarillo State Hospital. Released in late January 1947, Parker resumed recording, and his Dial efforts included refreshing, upbeat blues like “Relaxin’ at Camarillo” and “Carvin’ the Bird,” and the breezy “Stupendous,” based on Gershwin’s “’S Wonderful.”
Wardell Gray and Dexter Gordon at their June 12, 1947, session. ENLARGE
Wardell Gray and Dexter Gordon at their June 12, 1947, session. RAY WHITTEN/COURTESY OF HARRY RANSOM HUMANITIES RESEARCH CENTER, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

In 1947, Gordon’s muscular tenor-sax duel with Wardell Gray on “The Chase” and with Edwards on “The Duel” featured chorus after chorus of blistering improvisation. The 78s and Gordon’s live tenor battles at local clubs were carefully studied by the city’s jump-blues artists. Two No. 1 R&B hits in early 1949 were instrumentals by saxophonists—Big Jay McNeely’s “The Deacon’s Hop” and Paul Williams’s “The Huckle-Buck,” which was inspired by Parker’s “Now’s the Time.”

But despite Dial’s efforts to widen bebop’s appeal in Los Angeles, the music never caught on. A growing percentage of the city’s white population had migrated from the South and Southwest after the war, and the region’s suburban sprawl wasn’t conducive to bebop’s grinding intensity. Throughout 1947, Parker, Gordon and many other jazz artists left Los Angeles for New York, where studio and club work was more plentiful. Even Russell gave up on jazz at the end of 1948 and began issuing modern classical recordings starting in 1949.

West Coast R&B became a national sensation in 1949—music that was energized by L.A.’s audacious bebop movement and Dial’s recordings. By the early 1950s, radio stations took notice. Once they realized that white teens were buying significant numbers of R&B records, a new race-neutral term was needed to sell the music to the widest possible audience. They called it rock ’n’ roll.

Mr. Myers, a frequent contributor to the Journal, writes daily about music at JazzWax.com.

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Copyright (C) 2015 All rights reserved.

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269 State Route 94 South
Warwick, Ny 10990
USA