Jazzlanta

Jazz festival web site

2010-02-01T17:32:00.001-05:00

Well, the site for the 2010 Atlanta Jazz Festival is up here. That's really all that can be said because there's nearly no information about the festival itself on the site.

Jazz fest update on ArtsCriticATL

2010-01-29T21:00:00.001-05:00

Today I spoke with Nnena Nchege at the Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs about the 2010 Atlanta Jazz Festival's return to Piedmont Park. Our conversation can be found at ArtsCriticATL.

Here's the money quote:

"We are ecstatic that we get to be back in Piedmont Park," she said. "We are working very hard to roll out a festival that is of the same quality that we've always done."

Maralis symphony review on ArtsCriticATL

2010-01-16T12:59:00.001-05:00

My review of Thursday night's ASO concert and the performance of five movements from Wynton Marsalis' new symphony can be found at ArtsCriticATL. Marsalis' composition has a lot of good ideas, but there are simply too many thoughts swirling around in each movement. Here's the tail end of the review, which sums up my feelings on the work:

"In the accompanying program notes, Marsalis wrote that he is a self-taught orchestral composer. 'I tend to use my natural hearing and love of what the various instruments like to do and can do to guide my process,' he continued. This compositional outlook produces what sounds like rough sketches of sometimes very good music that simply lacks cohesion.

The trumpeter has some work to do before his vision is fully realized, but with a careful editing eye, 'Blues Symphony' might turn into a very satisfying genre-bending piece."

Blues Symphony postponed once more

2010-01-13T09:33:00.000-05:00

Wynton Marsalis and the ASO in November. (Frank Stewart)

The latest somewhat surprising but not really surprising news: the full premiere of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis' seven-movement Blues Symphony, a co-commission with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has been delayed again. The ASO will perform movements II-VI at the King Celebration Concert tomorrow at Morehouse College. Movements III and IV were performed in November at symphony hall.

When asked when the full premiere will take place, Laura Soldati, a press person for the ASO, said, "I have no news on that yet."

I've been following this story since it was announced way back in ... what was it? ... early 2008? ... that Wynton Marsalis would be premiering an all-symphonic work with the ASO. First it was called American Symphony, and it was six movements, then it expanded to seven and was dubbed Blues Symphony. Marsalis and the ASO have now postponed the premiere of the full work four times; each postponement (especially the last one) was followed by fresh stories and Internet comments. The multiple changes in this dizzying saga have been recorded here and here. These delays are somewhat maddening, but I'll still be in the audience tomorrow night to see how the piece is shaping up.

A King Celebration Concert. Thursday; 8 p.m. King International Chapel, Morehouse College. $25.

Live at Churchill Grounds

2009-12-16T18:11:00.000-05:00

I just put the finishing touches on the liner notes for trumpeter Joe Gransden's forthcoming CD, Live at Churchill Grounds. This is Joe's second release for Hot Shoe Records and features a combination of members from his first band in Atlanta and his current group. Those of you who were at Churchill Grounds June 19 and 20 might even be able to hear your own clap on the disc, which should be ready for release in January.

Carla Bley! Jazz Legacy Productions!

2009-12-01T17:56:00.000-05:00

Check out the December issue of Downbeat for stories about Carla Bley's superb new Christmas album, Carla's Christmas Carols, and an examination of Jazz Legacy Productions, a new label founded by bassist John Lee.

Wynton's missed deadline (again)

2009-11-10T12:23:00.000-05:00

Breaking news via artscriticATL: Wynton's performance of Blues Symphony has been postponed for the third time. Instead of debuting the hour-long work on Nov. 19 at 8 p.m., the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will instead play the first two movements of the piece. The full shebang will be performed at Morehouse College on January 14. No word on refunds.

Friday: Jeff Hamilton Trio

2009-11-05T19:04:00.000-05:00

Friday night, Churchill Grounds welcomes the Jeff Hamilton Trio, a dynamic group of musicians featuring the excitable Tamir Hendelman on piano, Christoph Luty on bass and, of course, Hamilton on drums. I've seen countless performances by these guys over the years at the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho, and the group has always brought thoughtful, exciting improvisations — and Hamilton's omnipresent "I'll play the melody on my kit" party trick — to each show.

In September, Hamilton's group issued Symbiosis, an album full of unexpected arrangements of standard jazz fare and a few original compositions. The drummer and pianist also helped out on the debut release by guitarist Graham Dechter, a fellow member of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. While both CDs are very different — the latter presents Hamilton as an accompanist, and Symbiosis is the best of Hamilton in his element — the two discs should be viewed together as picture of Hamilton's versatility, a snapshot of the drummer's musical personality.

If you go to the concert, don't forget to tweet.

Oh yeah — Jeff Hamilton was a long-time member of the Ray Brown Trio. Check it out:

The Jeff Hamilton Trio. Friday; 9:30 p.m. Churchill Grounds. $20 with a $10 minimum.

Piedmont, jazz and the AJC

2009-10-27T09:26:00.000-04:00

The city announced yesterday that the ban on festivals at the newly thirst-quenched Piedmont Park has been eviscerated, setting the stage for a triumphant 2010 Atlanta Jazz Festival in Piedmont Park. The AJC has the story. This is good news, of course, because Woodruff Park (site of the 2008 event) wasn't cutting it, and the 2009 venue wasn't much better. But something in the AJC article irked me a bit. Read on:

"[Camille Russell] Love said the last time the Jazz Fest was held in Piedmont Park, up to 150,000 people attended over the three-day Memorial Day weekend. Last year’s event at Grant Park attracted 20,000 at best."

This statement would imply that a return to Piedmont Park would automatically boost attendance. While that might be true, the author didn't even consider the festival lineup when comparing attendance numbers between 2007 and 2009. The 2009 festival featured Freddy Cole and Russell Gunn. A quick look here reminded me that Vijay Iyer, Charles Tolliver, Bobby Hutcherson and, oh yeah, Herbie Hancock were here in 2007.

Maybe a return to Piedmont means a return to plump sponsorships and high-quality national acts, but I doubt it. Let's at least hope that more local musicians are asked to perform during the 2010 festival.

Art vs. the mayoral candidates

2009-10-13T09:51:00.000-04:00

Late last month, The Metro Atlanta Arts & Culture Coalition tasked Atlanta's four mayoral frontrunners with outlining a plan, in burnished prose, to strengthen the city's arts programs. The AJC covered Monday's ensuing debate.

What's that? 5,000-odd words and no direct mention of the Atlanta Jazz Festival? The debate did center around arts and artists and visual art-related things, but the word "music" did pop up once. Here's Lisa Borders, the current council president, on creating new venues:

"I would lead the charge to build infrastructure to include performance spaces, museums, historical parks, galleries, artist studios and live/work spaces, arts-focused retail establishments, music and film production studios, dance studios, and crafts workshops, among other improvements. We should access and leverage TAD funding to develop these spaces, create developer incentives using existing tax mechanisms, and repurpose abandoned but convertible facilities in the City, such as the AJC building downtown."

Athens Blur, issue 10

2009-09-06T18:23:00.000-04:00

My piece on pianist Tyrone Jackson's Another Voyage for the 10th issue of Athens Blur magazine is now up online for your viewing pleasure. To read more about Jackson and the local scene, check out my interview with him here.

Some of us still buy CDs

2009-08-28T18:49:00.000-04:00

I find a lot of my music and get exposed to new artists through blogs, Rhapsody, iTunes and other avenues only made possible by the Internet. But I still cherish CDs and have been disheartened to find that, as digital music sales have become the norm, record stores are stocking fewer and fewer jazz artists. I would much rather have a tangible album than a bunch of computer files any day, so I've made it a practice to go to record stores for my purchases. Sure, I can buy discs through online retailers, but waiting patiently for new music to arrive in my mailbox is not a trait I possess.

Stubborn in my quest, I recently had to go to three different retailers before I found a copy of the just-released Roy Hargrove Big Band album, Emergence, and I still haven't been able to find any Carla Bley CDs in Atlanta. Surely, these aren't the most popular musicians, but they are a far cry from esoteric artists. I've tried used bookstores, I've tried record stores, I've tried Borders and Barnes & Noble. So, I'll put it to you, humble reader: Where can you find a decent selection of jazz CDs in this town?

Update: This past weekend, I procured a turntable from my future father-in-law. Turns out, it's a lot easier to get really, really good jazz vinyl in these parts. (One of my recent purchases, which was $3 at Wax 'n Facts.)

Atlanta tweets

2009-08-28T16:53:00.000-04:00

Much has been written about Terry Teachout's now infamous column Can Jazz Be Saved?, which appeared in the Wall Street Journal on August 9. Bloggers have dissected Teachout's arguments — NPR's A Blog Supreme has a nice list of the various reactions — but nobody has proposed a way to actually prove him wrong. Now, a call to action. Writer Howard Mandel is encouraging jazz lovers and twitter users to tweet concert reviews. So if you find yourself at Churchill Ground or Studio 281 this weekend, take a few minutes to long onto your computer and wax poetic about jazz in the city.

Defecting North

2009-08-25T14:23:00.001-04:00

Talk about a brain drain. First drummer Bernard Linnette leaves the sunny south for New York City, then local artists Jay Norem and Kemba Cofield start contemplating the move and now Mary Jo Strickland — who founded the Southeastern Organization for Jazz Arts with Phil Clore — has decided to venture up north.

It's nothing against Atlanta, Strickland said in an e-mail, and local jazz lovers shouldn't worry about SOJA going away. "Phil will certainly keep doing SOJA," Strickland wrote. "We've gotten more and more involvement from others this past year by doing the house concerts, and I'm hopeful that will continue."

For a brief history of the SOJA house concerts, read my interview with Mary Jo and Phil from earlier this year.

Creditor takes over Creative Loafing

2009-08-25T14:19:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time coming, but Atalaya, the company that loaned Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason $30 million to buy two papers, has just taken over the newspaper chain. What does this mean for CL's Atlanta flagship? Who knows, but let's hope expanded music coverage is somewhere in the plans.

Atlanta Jazz Festival wins green award

2009-08-08T10:13:00.000-04:00

The London-based non-profit A Greener Festival Ltd. has bestowed upon the Atlanta Jazz Festival the 2009 Greener Festival Award, singling out the Atlanta event and Manchester, Tenn.'s Bonnaroo Festival as the only two American-based shindigs to win recognition as environmentally friendly superpowers. The award is based on 56 green checkpoints, including recognition for carbon reduction strategies and recycling initiatives. According to a press release, the winners get a trophy "constructed from recycled plastics made from crushed CDs, remoulded plastic water bottles and unwanted wellington boots."

To the beach!

2009-07-30T21:27:00.000-04:00

For the next week, I'll be at the beach catching up on some reading, listening to some jazz and doing various beachy things.

Before I go, some news: Brian Hogans is heading into the studio next week to record an album slated for release this fall. ... According to Tony Wasilewski of HotShoe Records, Audrey Shakir's new CD, If You Could See Me Now, is in the mastering stage and will hit the shelves in late August. I've been listening to the final mix for a few weeks; it's a solid selection of songs anchored by a stellar rhythm section (pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Reginald Veal and drummer Justin Varnes). ... A tentative October release has been set for the DVD/CD package of Joe Gransden's live set at Churchill Grounds, recorded the weekend of June 19. The album includes three standards and a good amount of originals penned by Gransden and pianist Bill Anschell.

No more Eyedrum?

2009-07-16T12:06:00.000-04:00

Pierre Ruhe over at artscriticATL.com snagged a press release purporting that Eyedrum, an alternative music space friendly to avant garde local jazz, needs money to stay afloat. Apparently, Eyedrum's board of directors is pursuing a number of options, including downsizing to a new space, renting a portion of its existing building to another arts organization or calling it quits. The full release is here.

JazzTimes Lives!

2009-07-13T10:25:00.000-04:00

After a long weekend in Chicago (and an all-too-short visit to the Jazz Record Mart), I awoke on Monday morning to good news via The New York Times. It sounds like JazzTimes will be kicking once again. This is extremely good news for jazz lovers and jazz musicians alike.

Jazz and beer

2009-06-16T13:49:00.000-04:00

Take Five: A weekly jazz sampler's exploration of the beer-jazz connection led me to wonder what beer (or wine) would pair well with local jazz offerings. Would a refreshing Sweetwater Georgia Brown complement the laid-back funk of Mace Hibbard's "Reverend Boots 'n' Ball"? Does drinking a beer brewed at Twain's taste better when accompanied by a Joe Gransden improvisation? What do you drink when listening to Trey Wright's Thinking Out Loud?

Talk with Tyrone

2009-06-13T13:37:00.000-04:00

I recently sat down with pianist Tyrone Jackson at MetroFresh to chat about his latest release, Another Voyage. During a light lunch on a hot day, he talked about growing up in New Orleans, working one-on-one with Ellis Marsalis and his new life with HotShoe Records. The official coming-out party for the new CD is tomorrow at Feast Restaurant (directions). The music starts at 3:30 p.m., and the $25 admission includes a CD (if you already have a copy, bring it with you and get $10 off the door).

We hear you on the CD in a trio setting, at the head of a quintet and accompanying vocalists. Why all the different ensemble configurations?

Tyrone Jackson: Being a piano player, you find yourself in a lot of different scenarios. Most often, you find yourself in a trio setting and a solo piano setting. The solo piano setting, I wanted to explore that on a CD as well, but I just had so many other ideas for the group. The trio format for the piano player is one in which the rhythm section can really explore different harmonies. Everybody has a part to play in creating the rhythm and the groove. You can’t do that on a quintet all the time because if everybody gets too creative, then you just have a jigsaw puzzle. Accompanying vocalists is a totally different aspect of playing as well. I could have done just a trio CD, and that would have been nice, but I love playing with a quintet; I love playing with horn players.

How would you compare the city's current jazz scene to what you saw when you moved to Atlanta?

TJ: When I came here in '97, there was a very vibrant scene. You had great players playing around town — any given night you could catch somebody really good. In the daytime, if you closed your eyes, you would feel like you were in New York; at nighttime, everybody goes home. You have a big city, and you have culture, but the city shuts down because everybody’s getting ready to go to work the next day. Supporting the arts is not as important as going home and getting some sleep.

The support from the community has waned over the years. Now there’s fewer places to play. Right now, we have to be a little more creative, and then with the recession, it really changes everything. There’s a lot of great players here — there’s not a lack of talent, that’s for sure.

When I lived in New Orleans, the attraction was that you could find great music there. I don’t know if people really think they can hear great jazz in Atlanta. The connotation is that the rap scene and the hip hop scene is thriving here, but if people knew we had a thriving jazz community of musicians, I think they would come check it out."

In New Orleans, you studied with Ellis Marsalis. Tell me about that experiece.

TJ: He really loves his students. People would call to get him to do a gig, and he would say, 'I would love to do it, but I have some really great students, and I think they would be great for you.' He also gave us a key to his office. I didn’t have a CD player, and he had tons of CDs. He bought me my first CD ever. I didn’t have a lot of money, and it was just in that period where we were transitioning from cassette tapes to CDs. He bought me the CD and gave it to me and said, 'Now you’re going to have to buy a CD player because you’re going to want to know what this CD sounds like.'

One thing he said was that I should transcribe everything. Music is a language, and the first words you learn how to speak are by imitation. A child learning how to speak may say dog, and then he’ll point to a cat and say dog, and you say no, that’s a cat. As you get older and you get more fluent with the language, you might not want to say dog, you may want to be a little more eloquent and say canine. If you want to speak on another level, you might call it a dawg. That’s non-standard, but it communicates to a different kind of person. That’s how music is. You can play as sophisticated as you want to play, you can play as dirty, or you can play somewhere in between.

Everybody can’t say the same thing the same way all the time.

Future grim for JazzTimes?

2009-06-04T10:56:00.000-04:00

Jazz writer Howard Mandel reports on his blog that JazzTimes magazine may be on its last limb. Right now it's nothing more than a rumor. The death of another jazz magazine — one of the two biggest national publications — would surely be a blow to the industry.

Update: It's official.

Jam-packed Friday

2009-05-29T10:46:00.001-04:00

If you're not heading down to the King Center tonight to see trumpeter Scotty Barnhart, here are a few more live music options:

Tempest Little Big Band. Churchill Grounds (directions). 9:30 p.m. $10 cover/$10 min.

John Ricci Quartet. Studio 281 (directions). 9 p.m. $10.

Jake Shimabukuro. Red Light Cafe (directions). 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. $15.

Jazz media blitz

2009-05-27T13:16:00.000-04:00

This week's Creative Loafing featuring my interview with trumpeter Scotty Barnhart is on newsstands now. Read the article online here. Also, look for my story about jazz societies in the June issue of Downbeat magazine — a picture of local pianist Takana Miyamoto and trumpeter Marcus Printup performing in North Carloina accompanies the piece.

Arts! Culture!

2009-05-26T21:49:00.000-04:00

Post-buyout critics now have a place to peddle their wares. Former AJC classical reviewer Pierre Ruhe and former AJC visual arts critic Catherine Fox have banded together to form artscriticATL.com. The blog is brand new, so there aren't a lot of posts yet, but this looks to be a solid outlet for substantive, thoughtful criticism of the Atlanta arts scene.

Memorial weekend jazz

2009-05-26T21:24:00.001-04:00

While apt criticism of the 2009 Atlanta Jazz Festival has already made its way onto the Web here and here, I should point out some good came from this year's event. Yes, the music — at least while I was there — was, for the most part, forgettable, but holding the festival in Grant Park was at least a step in the right direction.

I am by no means standing up for the Bureau of Cultural Affairs' institutional definition of jazz (smooth as silk) or Camille Russell Love's scheduling choices, but the people I saw at the festival were having some fun-filled family time at one of Atlanta's nicer parks (when it wasn't raining, that is). Let's view this location change as the recession-era version of progress and start lobbying immediately to get worthwhile local jazz artists on next year's bill.

The highlight of my festival experience? This guy:

Looks like rain

2009-05-23T10:11:00.000-04:00

According to weather.com, this start-of-jazz-fest Saturday might be a wet one. We're facing a 50 percent chance of rain by 4 p.m., just in time for the smooth sounds of Madoca. Here's today's lineup:

3 p.m.: Rialto Jazz for Kids All-Star Jazz Band
4 p.m.: Madoca
5:30 p.m.: Dionne Farris
7 p.m.: Russell Gunn and Elekrtik Butterfly
8:30 p.m.: Freddy Cole
10:00 p.m.: Late night jam featuring Jaspects (at the W Hotel)

If Freddy Cole's not your thing, pianist Mulgrew Miller and trumpeter Marcus Printup are at Variety Playhouse tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30.

JVC Jazz Festival dies a recessionary death

2009-05-19T23:13:00.000-04:00

For those of you wishing the Atlanta Jazz Festival had more firepower, a reminder that things could always be worse.

Trumpeter celebrates debut at King Center

2009-05-19T21:07:00.000-04:00

Between jazz fest and Saturday's Mulgrew Miller concert at Variety Playhouse, this weekend is packed full of national jazz acts, but there's also a lot happening next weekend too. On Friday the 29th, trumpeter Scotty Barnhart is celebrating the release of his first album as a leader, Say it Plain, with a concert at the King Center (directions). Barnhart, who currently teaches trumpet at Florida State University, plays lead trumpet with the Count Basie Orchestra. We recently chatted about growing up going to Ebenezer Baptist Church, seeing Count Basie perform in downtown Atlanta and why it took him so long to record a debut album.

Why the trumpet?

Scotty Barnhart: It’s a really simple story. I went to school in Decatur in the '70s. When you got to fifth grade, the school system allowed you to get into a band, and you just chose an instrument. I think I had seen some of the students older than me walking around with violins. I just said, well, the violin would be cool, so I asked my parents for that.

My mother went to the store in Decatur to get the violin — the shop is still there — but when she came home, I opened the case and there was a trumpet inside of it. That’s how it happened. It was simply a matter of the line at the string store being too long. She was standing in line with all these other parents, and the line was too long, so she just went next door to get a trumpet and came home with that. I opened the case expecting to see a piece of wood, and it was a silver, brand new trumpet.

I guess it was just meant to be, and I’ve been playing for 35 years now. The trumpet has always been easy for me to play, and I guess that’s why I’m doing what I’m doing.

Tell me a little about living in Decatur in the '70s.

SB: When we grew up, we didn’t have all that stuff they have with guns and drugs and all of that mess. I’m sure that stuff was probably around somewhere, but what I remember about Decatur in the '70s is that it was carefree and happy. Everything was bright and sunny to me. We just had a great time; it was really nice. Everybody cared about one another, and it was really fun.

Where’d you hear music?

SB: My mother is a soprano, so I basically was exposed at church, growing up at Ebenezer. Every Sunday, I would hear the choir at church — my mom was in the choir. At school, they had the band. My brother was in the marching band at Gordon High, where I eventually went. I went to some of their games. That’s sort of how it happened, in terms of the music. And my family always had records playing, not necessarily jazz, but there was always music in the house.

Was there jazz around then?

SB: My mom's uncle had an extensive jazz collection that I inherited when he passed away, but I didn’t get into jazz seriously until my senior year in high school. When I got to college is when I really started to study it and try to find out what it was all about. Growing up I heard it a little here and there.

I saw Basie when I was about 12, and that was pretty much what did it. I heard a Freddie Hubbard record at about that same time.

Basie down here?

SB: He played at Druid Hills High School in '79 or '80, and he also played a couple of years after that at the Fox Theatre. For the one at Druid Hills High School, I was sitting in the front row, and that’s all I remember. After the concert at the Fox, I met the whole band. I met everybody but Basie. From that time on — that was the summer of 82 — I knew I was going to be in the band one of these days, but I didn’t know how. I just had that feeling.

Why wait until now to put out your first CD?

SB: I put the solo thing on hold because I was on the road with Basie 40 weeks a year begining in 1993. There was no time to do anything else. I knew eventually I would get a chance to record, but I wanted to do it right. I knew the music that I had was worthy of presenting right. Eventually, this opportunity came along, and I got the musicians that I wanted. Most of the music was written 15, 16 years ago, so it was just a matter of waiting for the right opportunity to come along.

Most of the players on your CD have some connection to Wynton Marsalis.

SB: I’ve known Wynton since 1982. He and I have been friends for a long time. I even knew him before I knew Marcus Roberts. The funny thing about me and Marcus is that we were both living here in Tallahasse at the same time and we didn’t know each other until right before he left Wynton’s band. Wynton had always told him about this trumpet player in Florida, but he didn’t say where in Florida.

When it got time to record, Marcus was somebody I knew I was gonna call, Todd Williams was another one, because I had been playing with those guys for years. We liked playing with each other, so it was just a natural thing to do. For example, on "Giant Steps," Marcus is one of the only people in the world that can do that stride piano thing the way he did it on "Giant Steps." It was more than just the names. These guys have a particular style that they play, and it just fits with what I like to do. Basically, they can play anything.

Why the King Center?

SB: I couldn’t think of a better place. King loved jazz. In my book that I put out, there’s a quote that I use from him about jazz that he gave at the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival. He equated it to how it helped the civil rights movement along, how it fueled them, basically. They were listening to Aretha Franklin and a whole bunch of other stuff too, but they were listening to jazz. He loved jazz, so for me it was a natural thing. I didn’t want to have it at some club; I just thought it would be better to have it there, so that’s what we decided to do.

Freddy Cole: Coming soon

2009-05-08T13:30:00.000-04:00

I just came across the news that Dominic DiMaggio, the younger brother of one of the greatest baseball players of all time, has died. Why is this relevant, you ask? Atlanta resident Freddy Cole, who will be performing as part of the Atlanta Jazz Festival on Saturday, May 24, feels Dom's pain. He knows what it's like to work in the same business as an extremely successful older brother. In 1999, David Hajdu ruminated on the topic for The New York Times.

The Jazz Aquatic

2009-04-28T10:11:00.000-04:00

The Georgia Aquarium has just unveiled its 2009 Jazz Journeys schedule, which includes performances by the Steven Charles Band, Gwen Hughes, Gordon Vernick and Joe Gransden. The concerts run nearly every Friday night from May 8 to Sept. 25, starting at 7:00 p.m. Admission is included in the price of entry to the aquarium ($26 for adults), but officials are offering a significant price discount if you buy tickets for any Jazz Journeys concert in the next two days. Click here for the deal.

If you're in Athens this weekend ...

2009-04-24T09:06:00.000-04:00

The 2009 iteration of the UGA/Athens Twilight Jazz Festival is upon us. Starting today at noon, festival-goers will hear a variety of college performance groups and professional bands, capped by a performance by the Festival All-Stars on Saturday at 5 p.m. Masterclasses are sprinkled throughout the day on Saturday. Last year's festival, the first of its kind, culminated in a performance by Joshua Redman at the UGA Performing Arts Center. There's nothing like that this time around, but hey, most of it is free. Lineup below.

Friday

Twilight Outdoor Stage (200 block of College Avenue)
12:00: University of Alabama Jazz Ensemble
1:00: Rand Lines Trio
3:30: Baby's Blue Swing Set Feat. Mary Sigalas
4:30: Riverdale High School Jazz Ensemble
5:30: UGA Classic City Jazz
6:10: UGA Georgia Brass
6:45: UGA Jazz Band
8:00: Jazz Guardians with Trombonist Andy Martin

Cine
9:30: Open Jam Session. $5.

Saturday

Twilight Outdoor Stage
10:00: Jazz Truth
11:00: "Walter"
12:00: Jazz Hands
01:00: College of Charleston Combo I
02:00: Peachtree Ridge High School Band
03:00: One Ton Tomato
04:00: Jazzchronic
05:00: Festival All-Stars

The Melting Point
8:00: The Jimmy Herring Band. $25.

Not jazz, but worth a listen

2009-04-24T08:23:00.000-04:00

Last night, I went to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's performance of Gustav Mahler's 6th Symphony. While not jazz, I feel I should post about this because it was an amazing musical experience in a local-music setting. There's another performance tonight at 8 p.m., and there are still some tickets left.

Here's my Tom Wolfe-ish reaction to last night's concert (there's another review here):

Leap to your feet! Eighty-three minutes is a long time to sit. But your feverish clapping has nothing to do with Finally standing up. Was it the ultimate, sucker-punch chord that did you in? A visceral reaction, pure enjoyment of pain and fear and hope wrapped in a theme alternating major minor then major again. Who's to say when you forgot the concert on a micro musical level — that conductor sure is working hard — and were instead taken aback, taken away by the constant tension and sheer weight of the music.

Expecting to emerge from the bomb shelter concert hall completely spent and exhausted from listening LISTENING to a symphony to find what? Cars in trees, trees in houses? The end of the world? Instead, only thunder in the distance and flashes of lightning impressively dulled by your memory of the concert.

A jazz festival in May? Really?

2009-04-23T08:33:00.000-04:00

It's true. The Atlanta Jazz Festival is coming. That phrase definitely doesn't mean what it once did, but a free jazz festival is a free jazz festival. No, you won't see the return of Herbie Hancock or Sonny Rollins, and you won't get to sit and relax on the newly green Piedmont Park grass. But you do get a chance to see Freddy Cole perform Friday night (that is, if you skip the Mulgrew Miller/Russell Gunn concert at Variety Playhouse). Check out the full lineup here. May 23-24. Free.

Arts coverage dead at AJC

2009-04-13T19:47:00.000-04:00

Creative Loafing has published a complete list of reporters taking the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's buyout offer. Four arts and music writers, including classical music critic Pierre Ruhe, have opted to leave the paper. Ruhe recently covered the Mingus Big Band's trip to Atlanta and had written about Wynton Marsalis' performances at Symphony Hall.

This most likely means that previews, reviews and feature stories about artists and musicians will no longer have even a miniscule role in the daily paper.

H. Johnson, jazz DJ

2009-04-09T19:05:00.000-04:00

This month's Atlanta magazine has a feature on H. Johnson, long-time Saturday night jazz DJ at WABE. The article is a nice view into the life of the 71-year-old jazz lover and 30-year Atlanta radio veteran. Johnson spins mostly music from the swing and bebop eras, sometimes playing different interpretations of the same tune back to back to back to back for educational purposes. This quote from the article sums up his musical views quite nicely: "When I’m on the air, I try to remember and be cognizant of the fact that there may be someone tuning in to hear me for the first time, hearing this music for the first time. I don’t want to turn them off. And I can turn them off by going too far out, or playing something too incomprehensible."

No interest in Atlanta Jazz Collective

2009-04-09T02:50:00.000-04:00

Faithful visitors to this blog may remember reading about Jay Norem and Ken Gregory's quest to form the Atlanta Jazz Collective . It was a simple premise, really: use Studio 281 as a gathering place for musicians who want to play original music. Norem and Gregory were trying to drum up support for the group and sign up a few members during a day-long jam session at Studio 281 in February. Well, I just received an e-mail from Norem that said, in no uncertain terms, that his idea has died due to lack of interest from area musicians.

Marcus Roberts brings Gershwin to the ASO

2009-04-02T16:30:00.000-04:00

Pianist Marcus Roberts will perform Gershwin's Concerto in F with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra this weekend at Symphony Hall. A world-premiere by Christopher Theofanidis is also on the program.

In addition to being in the middle of the goings-on at the Savannah Music Festival, where he serves as associate artistic director, Roberts has just released New Orleans Meets Harlem, Vol. 1. The CD, which hit the streets Tuesday, is a 12-track journey through ragtime (Scott Joplin), early jazz (Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller), swing (Duke Ellington) and bebop (Thelonious Monk) filtered through Roberts' bluesy sensibility.

Marcus Roberts and the ASO. Thursday-Saturday; 8 p.m. Price varies.

Mingus, Mingus, Mingus

2009-04-02T15:33:00.000-04:00

After a Friday night gig in Columbus, the Mingus Big Band swings by the Rialto Center this Saturday night. Check out Pierre Ruhe's AJC interview with Sue Mingus. (Props to the AJC; Creative Loafing and Sunday Paper both only provide a listing for the concert.) Here's the lineup:

Trumpet
Ryan Kisor
Kenny Rampton
Philip Harper

Saxophone
Seamus Blake
Craig Handy
Wayne Escoffery
Abraham Burton
Jason Marshall

Trombone
Ku-umba Frank Lacy
Andy Hunter
Earl McIntyre

Rhythm Section
Donald Edwards (drums)
Boris Kozlov (bass)
Orrin Evans (piano)

Mingus Big Band. Saturday; 8 p.m. $39-$65.

Hibbard speaks

2009-04-01T07:46:00.000-04:00

Alto saxophonist Mace Hibbard will bring his quartet to the Dunwoody home of Janet Stevenson this Sunday for April's SOJA house concert. Below, read Hibbard's thoughts about a variety of topics (answers given during an interview for a Creative Loafing story).

On playing classical saxophone repertoire:

"I just don’t do much of that anymore, which I sort of miss, as strange as that sounds. It’s a whole lot more fun for the player than it is for the listener — kind of like free jazz."

On Atlanta's jazz status:

"I’ve had a lot of people, when I’ve been playing outside of the city in Savannah or Hilton Head, they’ll come up and say, Where are you guys from? I’ll say, Atlanta, and they’ll say, Well, where do you play? They have no idea where the jazz clubs are."

On labels:

"I enjoy playing tenor a lot more than I get to play it. Musicians tend to say, you’re an alto player, you’re a tenor player, whatever. I’ve always fought against that because I really enjoy playing all of them."

Mace Hibbard Quintet. Sunday; 5 p.m. $25. E-mail Dan Turner at DLTurner@Bellsouth.net for more information.

Marsalis, mallets in hand, comes to Studio 281

2009-03-31T11:32:00.001-04:00

The first track on drummer and vibraphonist Jason Marsalis’ Music Update, released in December, is a short drum solo. “Guess Who’s Back” evokes a New Orleans jazz band, the ride cymbal a smooth, stabilizing voice in the midst of a complex funk discourse. He continues these ideas on solo drum tracks peppered throughout the CD, but most of the recording is concerned with Marsalis’ vibe playing, a percussive, muted style that utilizes the full range of the instrument. A capable rhythm section — pianist Austin Johnson, bassist Will Goble and drummer David Potter — lay out a backing anchored by fat piano chords. Marsalis runs with it, weaving his way through a half-dozen original compositions and a few standards.

Jason Marsalis. Wednesday; 9:30 p.m. $10 with a one-drink minimum.

Jazz coming to Variety

2009-03-28T17:47:00.000-04:00

During my two years in Atlanta, I’ve seen a handful of truly great shows at Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points (directions), from local boys Trances Arc to more famous performers like Colin Meloy and Steven Malkmus. But I’ve never seen a concert by a jazz artist in a venue that, to me, is reserved for indie rock, bluegrass and blues acts.

On Sunday, Chick Corea and John McLaughlin’s Five Peace band kicks off a smart schedule of jazz acts at Variety. The Five Peace Band — which also features Kenny Garrett, Christian McBride and Brian Blade — takes the stage for shows at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are available for $42.50 in advance and $45 the day of the show. On April 4, the Afro-Cuban All Stars hold court (8:30 p.m. $25/$30). John Scofield and the Piety Street Jazz Band will be in town on April 21 (8 p.m. $22.50/$25), and Mulgrew Miller will be performing with Marcus Printup on May 23 ($30).

Sad media news

2009-03-25T13:11:00.000-04:00

Well, the AJC cuts are official.

School by day, jazz at night

2009-03-16T13:40:00.001-04:00

I've always been interested in the day jobs of jazz musicians, be they university professors, full-time private teachers or designers and illustrators. Last weekend, I met a pianist who I had seen perform at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival while I was going to school out in Idaho. She's an accompanist and music teacher at a local arts high school, and I had known she lived around here, but I hadn't had a chance to talk with her.

We chatted about how the Idaho festival has changed and how some festival mainstays (including Russell Malone, who performed in Atlanta during this year's Emory Jazz Festival) weren't on the schedule this year. Eventually, we started talking about performing while maintaining a full-time job. Her conflict, she said, was not that there weren't enough places to perform, but that after working all day long, she didn't have the energy to search out gigs at night.

I'll be thinking about the many lives of jazz musicians on Friday at Steve Dancz's Jazz at the High performance. In addition to being a composer and a performer, Dancz is the head of the Jazz Studies program at Georgia State University. He'll be playing with his sextet, which features alto saxophonist Dub Hudson, tenor Rick Bell, drummer John Lewis, bassist Carl Lindberg and percussionist Kofi McDonald. I've never heard an ensemble of this size in the High's atrium; it should be interesting. GSU student David Engelhard performs with his quintet from 10-midnight. Friday; 5 p.m. $18.

Atlanta jazz coverage may take another hit

2009-03-14T10:43:00.000-04:00

The two main print media outlets in Atlanta, Creative Loafing and the AJC, have never really paid that much attention to the local jazz scene or the national acts that swing through town every so often. Before Creative Loafing started shrinking its music coverage (a necessary evil in this revenue-losing day and age, staff members reasoned), jazz popped up around festival time and whenever I could convince the music editor to let me write about something (which wasn't often). Historically, the AJC has done a better job. Adrianne Murchison recently published a short Q & A with Ramsey Lewis, and she's previously written about jazz clubs outside the perimeter. The AJC always has pictures or stories or something around festival time. But that's it.

And from the look of things, coverage at the AJC is about to get a whole lot worse. Creative Loafing is reporting on its Fresh Loaf blog that the AJC newsroom could lose as many as 80 reporters and editors in the next round of cuts, expected to happen sometime this coming week. With Creative Loafing in bankruptcy and the AJC losing its way, what will happen to coverage of the arts in the city?

Atlanta's newest venue: your home

2009-03-08T13:44:00.000-04:00

For the April issue of Downbeat, I penned an article about hosting jazz concerts in private homes, a nationwide trend. I interviewed Phil Clore and Mary Jo Strickland of the Southeastern Organization for Jazz Arts for the piece. For nearly an hour, we talked about everything from SOJA’s monthly Atlanta house concerts to bringing jazz to a younger generation. The following is an edited transcription of our chat.

How did the SOJA house jazz concerts get off the ground?

Mary Jo Strickland: It’s been almost 10 years. I just got a great piano and had a friend in Florida who I wanted to come up and christen the piano. It started out just having a party to celebrate the piano, and then my neighbor said, this is cool, we should do it all the time.

I didn’t have any idea what I was doing. I just knew that I liked the music, and I had a piano, which people liked. What I found is that people really liked playing in a home because they got listened to.

Phil Clore: I thought it was absolutely fascinating because I had never heard of this kind of concept. I met up with Mary Jo, and we worked together to create something. That’s how SOJA was initially born. Two years ago, we had the concerts at Ken Gregory’s at 800 East studio. We converted it once a month to a performing arts center. We’d go in and put the chairs up, move equip around, and set it up.

We didn’t get the support or the attendance that we had hoped for. It’s situated in a neighborhood, and there’s not a whole lot of parking. So we got together a SOJA advisory board. They came up with the idea, let’s do what you were doing at Mary Jo’s home, but have other people open their homes up.

As we started meeting people and having events and building our e-mail list, we started putting that out there, would you like to have one of these in your home? Mary Jo would communicate with interested people how to put it together, what to do, and they would select the musicians. We’d get the information out. They’d invite their friends and neighbors and other people who were on the e-mail list.

MJS: Which has expanded our list because the concerts have happened in different places.

PC: It’s moved from Powder Springs to Conyers and in town to out of town. Whoever decides they’d like to have it, that’s where it will be. It’s created a network of people who have never met before in different areas around Atlanta.

Do artists get paid well? Do they like playing house concerts?

MJS: I never quote a price to the musicians. They’ve found that they usually make enough to make it worth their while. I think it’s a pleasant gig for them; they don’t have to be out late at night. They usually play two sets with a break in the middle — and they get listened to, which is a big perk because a lot of musicians are used to playing restaurants where people are talking, blenders are going off. It’s a different experience, too, then a club because it’s usually earlier in the evening.

PC: The musicians can mingle with the people. They like that. Plus, kids can come. That’s the important thing. We’re also able to highlight underage musicians during the break. That’s our next generation of listeners that we need to develop. You’re finding more and more really young people who are starting to perform.

MJS: When I had things at my house, I would have kids come. Neighbors came and had their kids fall asleep under the piano. I liked having that atmosphere where kids can come and hear the music. I think that’s one of the perks. Kids can't go to a regular jazz club. I’ve invited kids as long as they’re old enough to be quiet.

From what I understand, either SOJA or the person who’s hosting the concert books the musicians. Does SOJA have a say about who performs?

PC: We like to make sure it’s not the same ones because people will get bored. We look for new talent and folks who are already established.

MJS: The one thing I’ve learned about musicians is they’re always looking for gigs. Once they find out that something’s happening, they find you.

The SOJA house concerts occur once a month throughout the metro area. Tickets are usually $20 per person, which includes a $5 donation to SOJA (the rest of the money goes to the artists). During our chat, Clore emphasized that SOJA isn't just about house concerts and said he hopes to someday create a jazz performance space in the city. SOJA’s organizers also hope to more widely promote additional outreach activities such as jazz education in elementary schools.

Terell Stafford brings trumpet to Spivey

2009-03-04T20:33:00.000-05:00

Though he hasn't put out a release as a leader since 2007's Taking Chances: Live at the Dakota, Terell Stafford has been a busy trumpeter. He's a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, has lent his voice on a handful of CDs in the past few years and maintains a healthy performance schedule. Plus, he's always good for an adjudication or two. Stafford brings his quintet to Spivey Hall this weekend in his venue debut. If that isn't enough of a reason to check out this concert, it's teacher appreciation night, and teachers and administrators get a free ticket to the show. A dessert reception follows the concert. Friday; 8:15. $40.

Back in the South

2009-03-03T22:05:00.000-05:00

I've returned from a very long weekend in Idaho, catching the festivities at the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival. Bobby McFerrin played for 90 minutes on Friday night after a quick set by pianist Monty Alexander and appearances by pianist Benny Green, drummer Jeff Hamilton and bassist John Clayton. It was a memorable experience, complete with an impromptu McFerrin/Alexander voice/melodica conversation. I'll be watching McFerrin's upcoming schedule like a hawk for dates in Atlanta.

Festivals: Coming soon

2009-02-25T13:28:00.000-05:00

Last week, I spoke with Executive Director Rob Gibson about this year's Savannah Music Festival, which runs March 19-April 5. While the concert series brings together musicians in genres from classical music to americana, Gibson, who was in charge of the Atlanta Jazz Festival in the '80s and later started Lincoln Center's jazz program, always makes sure the festival is filled with great jazz. And with the Atlanta Jazz Festival's collapse, it looks like Savannah is the de facto jazz festival in Georgia. Here are a few can't-miss shows (the full jazz line-up is here):

Dianne Reeves. 8:30 p.m. March 20. $25-$55.
The Clayton Brothers. 8:00, 10:00 p.m. March 26. $35.
The Ellis Marsalis Quartet. 6:30, 8:30 p.m.; March 30. $35.
Marcus Printup, Ted Nash. 6:30, 8:30, 11 p.m.; April 4. $35.

Also, be sure to catch Atlanta's own Laura Coyle sing in the American Traditons Competition on April 2.

The first Savannah jazz concert is less than a month away, but I can't wait that long. This weekend, I'm flying home to catch Bobby McFerrin and John Clayton perform at the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival.

Duke Ellington, quarter version

2009-02-24T13:58:00.000-05:00

D.C. residents have decided to put the glowing visage of Duke Ellington, who was born in the district, on the city's new quarter. What's on Georgia's 25 cent piece? A peach. I know we're a state, so we beat D.C. just on principle, but a peach is a bit boring, methinks.

What swing-era personage should replace the peach on our quarter? Fletcher Henderson, who hails from Randolph County? Albany's own Harry James?

Thoughts are encouraged.

Jazz collective in Atlanta's future?

2009-02-20T16:22:00.000-05:00

Hoping to generate support for an Atlanta jazz collective, local musicians Jay Norem and Ken Gregory helped organize the Atlanta Jazz Reunion on Sunday at Studio 281. Today, I asked Norem to shoot me an e-mail with an update on the project. Here’s what he had to say:

“It’s very difficult to sell the idea of a musicians’ organization here. This is not much of a town for original music. I spoke to one player who was very interested in the idea, but it’s going to take a lot more than that to get a real scene going at Studio 281.

We’re going to keep putting on shows and working to get more bands and musicians involved. I want to create an environment where everyone involved will benefit from the interest that the entire organization generates. Yes, I’m an idealist, but I just can’t see how much good can come from things staying the way they are in Atlanta. It will take time, but it’s not going away.”

Kevin Bales, Jazz at the High edition

2009-02-20T09:16:00.000-05:00

Pianist Kevin Bales holds court in the atrium of the High Museum tonight for another installment of Jazz at the High. I ruminated about the last Jazz at the High concert, which featured Bales in a rhythm-section role, in a previous post. 5 p.m. $18.

There's not much Internet video of Bales (maybe I'll surreptitiously snag some), but here's something:

Ramsey Lewis brings trio to Rialto Saturday

2009-02-18T17:56:00.000-05:00

Ramsey Lewis is a musical media mogul, promoting jazz through a 13-episode series on PBS and his long-time radio program on WNUA-FM in Chicago. It turns out, he even has a blog (Unfortunately, updates are few and very far between.). In the midst of it all, he's a pretty good pianist who's performed in many different genres during his career. Lewis takes his trio to the Rialto Saturday. 8 p.m. $49-$65.

Atlanta Jazz Reunion this Sunday

2009-02-14T11:17:00.000-05:00

Jay Norem knows from experience that it’s difficult to play original material in the loose conglomeration of restaurants and clubs that make up the Atlanta jazz scene. Determined to spread his music and give fellow composers a hand, the drummer has helped organize the Atlanta Jazz Reunion, which takes place Sunday night at Studio 281 (directions). Performances by Norem’s band and Solid State will serve as the launching pad for what Norem sees as an Atlanta jazz collective. The music starts at 4:00 with a jam session; pianist Jez Graham performs at 5:00.

“For a long time now, I’ve had this idea that Atlanta jazz musicians would be better off if we were doing stuff for each other rather than everyone working on their own,” Norem says. He envisions an organized web of musicians that work as a support system for original music. “This has been done in New York and Chicago,” he adds, citing the Art Ensemble of Chicago. “I don’t think we’ve ever had anything happen like that in Atlanta.”

Norem pitches Sunday’s concert as a membership drive for his idea, a chance to find out if there really is demand for a jazz collective in Atlanta. “It’s open to all people who like jazz and like music, and the focus on this is original material. We’re not going to get together to analyze the changes to ‘All the Things You Are,’” Norem says. “I would really like to see everybody involved in this, bringing their ideas and their tunes.” 4:00.

Music critic, author comes to Atlanta

2009-02-04T13:45:00.000-05:00

Fans of Billy Strayhorn may not know the name David Hajdu, but they've most certainly read his book, Lush Life, an exhaustive account of Strayhorn's pianistic rise to power in Duke Ellington's band. You may also have read Hajdu's 2003 Atlantic Monthly article on Wynton Marsalis. Hajdu, who currently serves as The New Republic's music critic, comes to Wordsmith's in Decatur (directions) on February 12. He'll be signing his latest book, "The Ten Cent Plague," which was just released in paperback. Free. 7:30.

A sign of good things to come

2009-02-03T13:07:00.001-05:00

Information about the 2009 Atlanta Jazz Festival has found its way onto the Web. There's nothing interesting nor revealing about the site, and there's really no clues about anything beyond the date and venue (May 23-25, Grant Park). One can, however, sign up to be a food or merchandise vendor. Here's a bit about how the festival lands its artists:

"Please note that there is no application process for performing at the Atlanta Jazz Festival. Participation in the festival is by invitation only. With rare exceptions, the festival books only established nationally-known artists represented by national booking agencies."

That's a good sign, right? The site isn't much (yet), but at least it seems as if Atlanta will once again be full of jazz this Memorial Day weekend.

Update: Information about the 2009 festival disappeared shortly after I found it. A press release in the media section of the Atlanta Festivals site outlines the challenges facing this year's event. Here's the gist:

"Recent economic conditions and budget reductions threaten to interrupt a 32-year tradition of presenting authentic jazz to the residents and visitors of Atlanta. While city funding for the festival has been eliminated, local jazz enthusiasts and supporters of the Atlanta Jazz Festival overwhelmingly demand the continuation of what Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin has determined as 'one of the city’s proudest traditions.'"

Artist, critic unite for wide-ranging discussion

2009-01-30T20:41:00.000-05:00

New Yorker music critic Alex Ross and trumpeter Terrence Blanchard met for a panel conversation Thursday on the Emory campus. The duo (pictured above with moderator Dwight Andrews) talked about their cultural upbringings, the role of music critics and the state of the recording industry. Speaking about music and technology, Blanchard warned, "You have artists who are becoming major artists who aren't really skilled artists. It's a dangerous game we're playing."

Russell Malone to headline Emory jazz festival

2009-01-29T20:36:00.001-05:00

Guitarist Russell Malone will headline the first night of the 2009 Emory Jazz Festival, performing with pianist Gary Motley's trio on Friday, February 13. The trio — which features Motley, drummer Pete Siers and bassist Paul Keller — helped record Malone's 1993 album, Black Butterfly. Clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, who was originally slated to perform, is recovering from surgery. The two-day jazz festival ends with a performance by vocalist Carmen Bradford and the Emory Big Band on Saturday, February 14. 8 p.m. Friday: $10, $15. Saturday: Free.

Video proof: House concerts rock

2009-01-28T16:00:00.000-05:00

Clas Sivertsen showed up at SOJA's last house concert, which featured Takana Miyamoto and Christian Tamburr, and snagged video evidence of the proceedings. The clip's on YouTube, but I've posted it here for your viewing pleasure. Oh, and about the February concert ... If you haven't RSVP'd by now, you're out of luck.

A friendly chat and a little big band

2009-01-26T08:32:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, head on over to the third floor of the Dobbs University Center on the Emory campus (directions) for a conversation between the New Yorker's Alex Ross and trumpeter Terrence Blanchard. According to a notice on the Web site, the duo "will talk about their crafts and the way they see themselves in relation to each other and various public constituencies." I don't exactly know what that means, but the discussion is sure to be interesting. Ross is an amazingly astute critic who has been a champion of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (he'll also be at Kennesaw State on February 7 talking about the classical group eighth blackbird). Blanchard is, well, a world-class musician. The event is free, so show up early. 4 p.m.

Symphony Hall is the place to be on Friday night for the Wynton Marsalis-helmed Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (pictured above). Marsalis is a regular visitor to Atlanta and members of the orchestra have recently played dates around town. Band-member Marcus Printup even lives here. If the ASO's Web site is to be believed, there are only 7 tickets left for the show. If you can't get in, show up at Churchill Grounds. I'm sure at least some of the musicians stop by. 8 p.m. Price varies.

Kemba Cofield enters the studio

2009-01-25T20:35:00.000-05:00

I just received an e-mail from Kemba Cofield, who is up in New York for a slew of gigs and a recording session in Garden City, N.J. She's working on a full-length release full of original tunes (and one standard, Duke Ellington's "Caravan") for Bluesback Records. Here's what she says about her material: "My original pieces are encouraging songs. I actually wrote most of them out of some madness in my life these last few weeks. I was so frustrated and angry at how things in my life were going. I had to encourage myself, and it came out into songs."

Cofield's first studio record, Shades of Kemba, was released in 2005. Look for her new CD in late spring/early summer.

Remembering Fathead

2009-01-23T23:11:00.000-05:00

Saxophonist and flutist David "Fathead" Newman died Tuesday at the age of 75. During his long career, Newman was the saxophone voice of Ray Charles' band, recorded numerous solo albums and played a minor role in Roy Hargrove's RH Factor.

I got to know Newman's music as a student at the University of Idaho where he was a regular at the annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. The event boasts performances from the top names in jazz, but to get these artists from New York City to the nightly concerts in Idaho requires a jaunt to the nearest significant airport an hour and a half away. Student drivers, therefore, were a necessary part of the festival experience. I worked the festival in my pre-journalism days as a volunteer driver. For one trip, I somehow landed the plum assignment of driving Newman and his wife to the airport.

I don’t remember much of our in-car conversation. His wife sat in the front seat, and he reclined in the back next to a friend I let ride with us (a fellow saxophone major, he jumped at the chance to meet Newman). For the trip up to the airport, Fathead regaled us with tales of historical jazz figures. In the ensuing years, I drove many other jazz heavyweights, but ferrying Newman around remains my favorite festival experience.

Newman was a friend of the university and a truly entertaining and thoughtful musician. He will be missed.

Dave Holland comes to Spivey

2009-01-23T19:06:00.000-05:00

Bassist Dave Holland brings his quintet to Spivey Hall tonight for Clayton State University's penultimate jazz offering. Holland's Pass It On is one of the best albums of 2008. 8:15 p.m. $40.

Where is Wynton's symphony?

2009-01-19T23:11:00.000-05:00

Officials from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will be releasing the 2009-2010 symphony season schedule Tuesday, January 27, via live Webcast. The 2008-2009 season was to include the premiere of Wynton Marsalis' American Symphony, which was ultimately put off due to deadline issues. Here's hoping the piece is on tap for the coming season. For those who need a Marsalis fix in, say, the next week and a half, he's at Symphony Hall with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra on January 30.

Update: The world premiere of American Symphony will take place November 19, 20 and 22 at Symphony Hall.

The future of jazz in Atlanta?

2009-01-19T07:41:00.000-05:00

Atlanta, it turns out, is on the front lines of jazz promotion. Instead of worrying about the lack of clubs in the metro area, jazz enthusiasts the city over have joined a growing national trend. The evidence: In a midtown parlor Sunday evening, pianist Takana Miyamoto and vibraphonist Christian Tamburr (pictured above) held court, mixing original tunes and standards in two relaxed, intimate sets. The concert was part of the SOJA house jazz series, a monthly gathering of musicians, music-lovers and curious neighbors.

Gatherings like these give local and national artists an additional place to play in the city. While there are more and more venues opening their doors to jazz, clubs in Atlanta are scarce. If more people started putting on concerts in their homes (don't worry, it's most likely easier than it sounds), it would be a boon to the jazz scene. Plus, at $20 for three hours of music, food and fraternization, house concerts are a cheap way to hear good music. Look for a lengthy article on the trend in an upcoming issue of Downbeat.

Gordon Vernick and his social hour quintet

2009-01-18T11:18:00.000-05:00

Trumpeter Gordon Vernick brought a quartet featuring tenor saxophonist Sam Skelton to the High Museum Friday for the ever-popular Jazz at the High concert series. This season, Gary Motley, Victor Goines and a host of others have played for patrons in the High museum atrium in Midtown. These sessions are always well attended by a variety of age groups; young couples mill about in the manufactured bar area and chat, while jazz lovers sit at small tables in front of the bandstand.

During the final set of the evening on Friday, Vernick’s band played a handful of standards. Kevin Bales, his flat fingers banging against the piano keys, shined, creating solos that built in intensity and musical ingenuity. Skelton showed off a round tenor sound that climbed to the attic of the instrument’s register. On Vernick’s ballad “The Strangest Thing,” Skelton shouldered his tenor in favor of a light soprano timbre. Through it all, Venick’s cool demeanor and shiny trumpet sound kept the music together.

At Jazz at the High music competes with socializing, creating a cocktail/hookup/unwind atmosphere. But regardless of the background noise, the presence of a venue that promotes high quality local acts can’t be overlooked.

This weekend

2009-01-15T21:42:00.000-05:00

I've been out of the blog mode for a few weeks because of the holidays and an in-depth reporting assignment. I have, however, had some enjoyable conversations with Mary Jo Strickland and Phil Clore over at SOJA and singer Laura Coyle about house concerts. More info. coming soon.

There's a lot happening this weekend, and I'll most likely be blogging about one or all of these shows. First up is Jazz at the High tomorrow evening with Gordon Vernick. 5 p.m.; $18. On Saturday, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band comes to Smith's Olde Bar. This isn't completely jazz, and the Dirty Dozen is in Atlanta constantly, but this band always puts on a good show. 8 p.m. $20

Finally, Takana Miyamoto and Christian Tamburr are giving a house concert this Sunday. It's completely booked, so you'll have to beg for a ticket, but Tamburr is also playing at Churchill Grounds on Friday ($10 cover/$10 minimum). I'll certainly have pictures and a write-up of the house show, so stay tuned. In the meantime, make your way to the SOJA Web site to sign up for next month's house show featuring Marcus Printup.

Here's a Miyamoto clip from YouTube:

January Downbeat is here

2008-12-15T23:46:00.000-05:00

Pick up the January 2009 issue of Downbeat magazine to read articles by yours truly. For the current issue, I talked with pianist Bill Charlap, saxophonist Peter Washington and Blue Note CEO Bruce Lundvall about Blue Note Records' 70th Anniversary. Toward the back of the book, there's also a story about The W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School.

Big Band Christmas an entertaining evening

2008-12-15T23:40:00.000-05:00

Humor emerged as a secondary theme during the Big Band Christmas with Joe Gransden Saturday at Spivey Hall (the first theme, of course, being Christmas). When he wasn’t singing or playing the trumpet in front of a big band, Gransden played the self-deprecating funny boy. He forgot lyrics to “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” he told funny stories and he joked around with the band. Gransden and the rest of the soloists also cracked wise musically. When trumpeter Adam Hayes unveiled a piccolo trumpet as a jazz foil on the tune “Angels We Have Heard on High” the piece devolved into a humorous exchange of solos pitting jazz against Baroque music, and Gransden joked with tenor Sam Skelton in the opening of “Linus and Lucy” to comedic musical effect.

For all the musical gags, the musicians formed a cohesive big band unit, navigating complex musical passages with crisp accuracy. Many of the assembled players in the 16-piece band are fixtures of the Atlanta jazz scene, from Tyrone Jackson on piano to Eric Alexander on trombone. Throughout the evening, vocalist Audrey Shakir joined Gransden for a handful of songs. Shakir has a warm, earthy grain to her voice that mixes well with Gransden’s laid-back delivery.

On a few numbers, the hectic big-band accompaniment clashed with Gransden’s play-it-cool demeanor. When pushed, his syrupy syllables run faster, but not much. Saturday night, Gransden proved he’s most comfortable laying into the solid backbeat of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” and that he’s never averse to playing the clown.

Joe Gransden Big Band Christmas this Saturday

2008-12-10T22:02:00.000-05:00

The best bet for holiday music this weekend (aside from the ASO's holiday concert) is trumpeter Joe Gransden's Big Band Christmas at Spivey Hall on Saturday. Gransden will be playing and singing tunes from his 2006 release, "I'll Be Home for Christmas," backed by a 16-piece big band. Listen to "Let it Snow" and "O Christmas Tree" on his Web site. 8:15 p.m. $40.

AJC uncovers house concerts

2008-12-09T10:46:00.000-05:00

In today's AJC, Craig Schneider writes about local house concerts, mentioning Mary Jo Strickland's jazz gatherings in the process. The story focuses on all types of music and the financial benefit of gigging in homes versus playing in clubs.

Future of Jazz winners react to festival news

2008-12-06T13:09:00.000-05:00

As most of you know by now, it appears that the 2009 Atlanta Jazz Festival has been cancelled. I've heard from the mayor's office that the Bureau of Cultural Affairs is looking for potential sponsors to bring a 2010 festival to Atlanta, but the city will not be contributing money from its general fund for that purpose. According to the city’s FY2009 budget summary, eliminating the jazz festival will save $142,000.

This week, I’ve been e-mailing with last year’s Future of Jazz winners for some perspective on the mayor’s decision. Kemba Cofield, who won the competition in the straight-ahead vocal category, will be heading to New York next month to record a new album. Mace Hibbard won last year's straight-ahead instrumental contest. Pianist and flutist Bradford won the nu-jazz category and performs frequently with The Nick Longo Band at the Sambuca Jazz Cafe. Below are their reactions to the mayor’s news.

"I believe the city would do the world an injustice by canceling the jazz fest forever. I'm wise enough to know that we as a nation are struggling. I know that the city of Atlanta has been in a deficit for awhile now. My main concern is cancel (final), end (no more), forever (stop).

There are very few places here that cater to jazz music. There are several places that cater to R&B music, which is fabulous, but jazz is jazz. Without the jazz fest, those of us that are still hanging in the trenches don't have a place to even show our growth or our creativity to a larger audience in our city. It's a very frustrating concept for me to grasp. Local musicians look forward to jazz fest. As a matter of fact, it's my holiday. I look forward every year to jazz fest to see fresh talent from all around."
— Kemba Cofield

"I certainly understand the argument that with the economy in the shape it is it might make sense to cancel the festival this year. Even putting on the festival with local musicians is costly, so putting it off a year might be the sensible thing to do. It seems like the festival last year was an indication that the festival might be on the way out.

Honestly, I'm not sure if the cancellation will have a major effect on the scene here. Until last year, the local musicians didn't have much of a presence at the festival. There was a local stage, but the musical acts were largely winners of the Future of Jazz competition. Therefore, there were only a handful of the cities more well-known acts each year.

It is difficult to be real upset about losing a jazz festival when over 200 people have lost their jobs. While the jazz festival is obviously important to me, there are a lot of people that are much more affected by these cuts. Hopefully if the economy ever recovers, some of the art programming will be reborn."
— Mace Hibbard

"It is sad indeed that we won't have an Atlanta Jazz Festival in 2009. I do think if we don't bring it back, Atlanta will fade a bit over time as far as being associated with good jazz music. The move from Piedmont Park to Woodruff Park probably didn't help; I think everybody at Cultural Affairs did a great job getting a new venue and playing the hand they were dealt, but it's just not the same vibe when you have Auburn Avenue dividing the stage from the audience.

I'm not big on public spending. I think the city definitely has a coordinating role to play [in the festival], but I believe things like this should not be funded by the public at large if most of the public isn't interested in the jazz fest. I'm not sure what the city of Atlanta can, or should, do to try to serve as promoter for Atlanta as a jazz city. In my experience, promotion usually means money, and clearly we don't have any to spare. The first thing that should be done—and I'm not sure to what entity this falls—is to get Piedmont Park back as the venue. Then, we need to line up corporate sponsorships. "
— Bradford

House concert this Sunday

2008-12-03T08:39:00.000-05:00

The Southeastern Organization for Jazz Arts will present pianist Leland Davis, bassist Tommy Sauter and drummer Henry Conerway, III, this Sunday as part of its jazz in the home series. For this show, the home belongs to Mary Jo Strickland, who has been putting on house concerts in Atlanta for 10 years. Send an e-mail to majos@mindspring.com for directions. Seating is limited. 5 p.m. $20 adults/$10 students.

Check out this video of Conerway drumming with his band, Jaspects:

The death of the Atlanta Jazz Festival

2008-12-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

The AJC reported today on Mayor Shirley Franklin's decision to cut another 222 city jobs and a slew of recreation centers, but the reporter left out a small tidbit of large import to the local jazz community. It looks like the Atlanta Jazz Festival is no more.

According to the press release, "Due to the rapidly declining economy, revenues are down by approximately 12.6% and we project a $50-60 million shortfall for the fiscal 2009 year ... To address these economic challenges, we announced three cost-saving measures to reduce expenses and close the projected shortfall ... Collectively, we estimate that these measures will close approximately $37-42 million of the projected shortfall." These cost-cutting measures include eliminating "various arts programming, including Jazz Fest."

I have no idea what various arts programming means (I'm working on a full report for a future post), but it's probably safe to say that there will also be no 2009 version of Montreux Jazz Festival Atlanta.

Paula West at Spivey this Saturday

2008-12-02T16:19:00.000-05:00

The singer Paula West brings songs highlighted in her recent cabaret show to Spivey Hall on Saturday. Her set's sure to include jazz standards, with Dylan and other popular music covers thrown in for good measure. The concert starts at 8:15 p.m. $40.

Jazz this week

2008-12-02T03:21:00.000-05:00

Jam Sessions

Tuesday at Twain's (directions)
Tuesday at Churchill Grounds (directions). $7 cover/$5 minimum.
Wednesday at Apache Cafe (directions)
Thursday at Studio 281 (directions)

Shows

Churchill Grounds:
Clarence Johnson. Wednesday; 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. $7/$5.
Russell Gunn. Thursday; 9:30 and 11:30 p.m.$7/$5.
Trey Wright Trio with Mace Hibbard. Friday; 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. $10/$10.
Justin Chesarek Quartet. Friday; 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. $10/$10.

Emory's Schwartz Center (directions):
Emory Jazz Ensemble. Tuesday; 8 p.m.

Ray's on the River (directions):
Will Scruggs Trio. Wednesday; 7 p.m.
Jun Noble, III. Thursday; 7 p.m.
Karin Williams. Friday; 8 p.m.
Laura Coyle, Saturday; 8 p.m.

Twain's:
David Ellington Trio. Wednesday; 9 p.m.

Atlantans take the spotlight at Twain's sessions

2008-11-19T22:17:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday night, the call for horn players went out after the Joe Gransden Quartet’s first tune. The trumpeter had yet to arrive at Twain's weekly jam session, and drummer Chris Burroughs, pianist Tyrone Jackson and bassist Craig Shaw had just brushed the dust off their chops. “Are there any horn players here?” Burroughs asked. “If you want to sit in, please let us know.” And just like that, the rest of the night belonged to, well, everybody but the house band. (Gransden showed up a few tunes later, with many apologies.)

The focus of the Twain’s jam session is on the amateur. Guitarists, vocalists and horn players each with a variety of voices and styles were encouraged to take a turn leading the quartet. The spotlight belonged to every new musician, and the backing band took on a supporting role. Musicians with all manner of instruments and causal listeners populated the audience. And while the playing was what you’d expect from an open jam session, at no point was it dull. The crowd awarded warm applause not for artistic merit nor technical aptitude but for uninhibited performances. Talent was nice, but it wasn’t necessary.

The atmosphere at Twain’s is almost the opposite of that at the now-defunct Star Jazz & Blues weekly sessions. At Star, Atlanta’s best players got together to blow as hard as they could. Newcomers were always welcome, but the level of musicianship was so high that beginning jazz musicians seemed out of place. Twain’s is a true egalitarian session. Gransden and co. may be running things, but Atlanta’s hobbyist musicians and jazz students are the headliners.

Jazz this week

2008-11-17T13:59:00.000-05:00

Jam Sessions

Tuesday at Twain's (directions)
Tuesday at Churchill Grounds (directions). $7 cover/$5 minimum.
Wednesday at Apache Cafe (directions)
Thursday at Studio 281 (directions)

Shows

Churchill Grounds:
Justin Chesarek. Wednesday; 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. $7 cover/$5 minimum.
Russell Gunn. Thursday; 9:30 and 11:30 p.m.$7 cover/$5 minimum.
Clarence Johnson. Friday and Saturday; 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. $10 cover/$10 minimum.

High Museum of Art (directions):
Gary Motley. Friday; 5 p.m. $18.

Ray's on the River (directions):
Will Scruggs Trio. Wednesday and Friday; 7 and 8 p.m.
Jun Noble, III. Thursday; 7 p.m.

Studio 281:
Eric Fontaine Quartet. Friday; 9 p.m. $10.

Twain's:
David Ellington Trio. Wednesday; 9 p.m.

Marcus Printup, Churchill Grounds, Nov. 15

2008-11-15T23:52:00.000-05:00

Saturday night at Churchill Grounds, trumpeter Marcus Printup picked from half a dozen Charlie Parker tunes, offering straight readings of "Quazimoto," "Donna Lee" and other classics of the Parker songbook. The tempos were familiar, the melodies fully intact. But joined by trombonist Chris Crenshaw, bassist Craig Shaw, harpist Riza Hequibal and drummer Kinah Boto, Printup took easy, take-your-time solos all night long.

On "Now's the Time," he exploited the melody's final note, holding it out in an expansive breath. This steady pitch led to more sustained notes, establishing a tonal foundation for Printup's solo. Soon, the trumpeter zipped to the tip top of his register and back down again. These maneuvers weren't simply finger calisthenics; his let his line rise and fall with a final goal in mind.

Shaw, a mainstay of local jam sessions, packed myriad ideas into every solo he was given. Accompanied only by Boto, Shaw explored chordal harmonies, purposeful sequences of speedy notes and slap-bass technique. In his last extended improvisation of the evening, Shaw repeatedly plucked his strings beyond the bridge of the bass for comic effect.

Printup also played the joker with Parker's tunes. The trumpeter quoted snippets of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and other lighthearted numbers and peppered his solos with shakes and half-valves. Crenshaw, who can play soft, beautiful tones followed by harsh, dirty growls, got in on the fun as well, singing into his trombone at one point in the set. All this clowning around ultimately served the music — none of it was purely for show. While adding new ideas to old tunes, the band paid dutiful respect to their bebop forebear.

National acts like Printup and Crenshaw, both of whom have family in Georgia but live in New York's fertile jazz scene, crop up from time to time at Churchill. When marquee names takes the stage (both Printup and Crenshaw are of the Lincoln Jazz Center Orchestra mold), people pack in. A standing-room only crowd took in the band's first set. As I left, ready to brave the first truly cold night of winter, a hefty group was gathering for the 11:30 show.

Marcus Printup at Churchill Grounds this weekend

2008-11-14T14:20:00.000-05:00

Conyers, Ga.-born Marcus Printup will be in town tonight and Saturday at Churchill Grounds. He last went into the studio as a leader a year ago, coming up with Bird of Paradise: The Music of Charlie Parker on SteepleChase Records. The first set starts at 9:30 p.m. $10 cover/$10 minimum.

Brad Mehldau at Spivey Hall tonight

2008-11-14T13:24:00.000-05:00

Brad Mehldau brings his trio to Spivey Hall at Clayton State University (directions) tonight in support of his latest CD, Brad Mehldau Trio Live. The two-disc set, which was released in March, chronicles a 2006 run at the Village Vanguard. The concert starts at 8:15 p.m. $40.

Check out Mehldau's cover of "Wonderwall" by Oasis at NPR's All Songs Considered blog. Or watch the first bit of his 23-minute cover of "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden.

World Saxophone Quartet, Rialto Center, Feb. 23

2008-02-24T00:13:00.000-05:00

Programmers at the Rialto Center on the Georgia State campus made a bold choice in bringing the World Saxophone Quartet to town Saturday night. Taking into account the climate of jazz in the clubs and university venues around Atlanta, the quartet — baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett, tenor David Murray and alto saxophonists Oliver Lake and James Carter — seemed out of place. In a city more dedicated to a smooth jazz sentiment, free jazz, a music loaded with shrieks and squawks and squeals, is usually relegated to the most out-of-the-way places.

The most startling thing about seeing the quartet live was not the wall of sound created by collective improvisation, nor the impressive musicianship on display; it was shocking to see the pure force behind the music. Making each instrument speak in an unconventional way is hard work, and the strains of playing too high for too long showed on the instruments. Carter, the newcomer to the group, shed saxophone reeds — worn out from biting his way to ever-higher pitches — like a rock drummer banging his way through drumstick after drumstick. At one point in the concert, as if to underscore the music's physicality, Bluiett started hitting his saxophone keys. But the audience adored the strange noises coming from these familiar instrument; these onlookers, thirsty for something different, awarded every melodic contortion and angry growl with riotous applause.

Savion Glover and the McCoy Tyner trio, Ferst Center for the Arts, Feb. 15

2008-02-16T00:03:00.000-05:00

The celebrity tap dancer and movie star Savion Glover was easily the most recognizable name on the stage Friday night at the Ferst Center for the Arts on the Georgia Tech campus. Pianist McCoy Tyner, however, was clearly in charge. Tyner, who, as a young man, accompanied John Coltrane on some of the tenor saxophonist's greatest albums, asserted himself at the keyboard. At the helm of his trio, Tyner took extended solos, punctuating everything he played with a short, accented accompaniment.

Glover, dressed in a black T-shirt, loose-fitting black slacks and bright green tap boots, joined Tyner's regular trio as a soloist, tapping out extended improvisations full of polyrhythms, lackadaisically waving his arms from side to side. His boyish face framed by a heap of dreadlocks and a full beard, Glover wore a permanent grin as he engaged drummer Eric Kamau Gravatt, tapping out a four-bar figure and waiting for a response. When other musicians soloed, Glover, seemingly hovering over the dance floor, played 32nd notes with his shoes.

On a night when the ensemble received a standing ovation many times throughout the concert — including after the second tune of the evening — an encore performance seemed automatic. After saying goodnight, Tyner rose from the piano and shuffled toward the wings. Halfway home, he stopped, turned around and came back for one last song.