Pete & Sheila

Pete & Sheila
Originally uploaded by mike e.bop

Oh Sheila!
Sheila E (right) drives her Dad Pete Escovedo's band from the drum kit during their Sunday at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Among the players featured were Ray Vega and Steve Turrre. Pete is in the mustard coloured jacket (2nd left)

Bobby vibe

Bobby vibe
Originally uploaded by mike e.bop

Vibist Bobby Hutcherson ends a song with a flourish during his well received set last Sunday at the Atlanta Jazz fest. My first time catching him live and it was well worth it.

crowd

crowd
Originally uploaded by mike e.bop

The numbers gre as afternoon gave way to evening. Good performances form thelieks of Airto and Flora (more form Airto's daughter and beat-boxing son-in-law and the Pete Escovedo Orchestra, featuring Sheila E (it's a daughter thing)

Jazz month

The merry - yet melancholy - month of May
by Michael 'Jazzofonik' Edwards

The above is extrapolated from a book (and, if memory serves, a film) by James Jones (not the Jim Jones of Guyana infamy) recounting the student riots in Paris in the late '60s, titled The Merry Month of May.

Indeed, over the years, the fifth month has seen its share of tumult and 'bittersweetness', especially for jazz enthusiasts, indeed for music lovers in general. Bob Marley left us on May 11, 1981, and in 2004, we bade final farewell to drumming great Elvin Jones (May 18) and our own Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd (May 5) within weeks of each other.


From left: Kathy Brown, Dennis Rushton and Sonny Bradshaw in a light moment from the launch of the 17th Jamaica International Jazz festival, at the Acropolis gaming lounge.
It's also the month in which trombonist/composer Don Drummond breathed his last (May 6). Elsewhere in this section, we learn from cultural historian and contributor Herbie Miller that Drummond recorded over 300 of his own compositions, while appearances on sessions backing others exceeds this count. Considering his relatively short recording career, one lasting just about five years during which it was interrupted by frequent bouts of mental illness (he died in the Bellevue Hospital under circumstances that remain a mystery), this is a remarkable achievement.

We also remember the passing one year ago of the great jazz pianist, John Hicks. And though he passed on April 20 this year, the loss of pianist Andrew Hill is still reverberating in the minds and hearts of those, like this writer, who had come to appreciate his highly idiosyncratic yet richly shaded style of playing.

But May is also a merry month, not least because it prepares us for June and the rich musical harvest that is Jazz Month. First up (not chronologically), the 17th Jamaica Ocho Rios International Jazz festival, which was launched this past Thursday at the Acropolis.

The line-up is bookended by two giants of modern saxophone: Tenor man (and a real gentle man) Houston Person headlines the closing concert on Father's Day at Shaw Park Beach Hotel, while on the opening Sunday at Morgan's Harbour, altoist Frank Morgan (fittingly) closes the show. Morgan, who came up in the mid-50s in the wake of Charlie Parker's death, sadly imitated his predecessor's penchant for heroin and thus spent many years either in prison or in recovery programmes. He has managed to overcome that addiction at long last and his last three CDs, Raising The Standard, Reflections and this year's Night In The Life have been well received.

Customarily, there's also the free concert in Kingston (venue as yet unnamed but last year's was in Emancipation Park) the South Coast Jazz festival, in Treasure Beach, as well as the renewal of the Jazz & Coffee in the Mountains showcase at Mavis Bank (June 9), and a number of satellite events at various venues.

Not a part of the Ocho Rios Jazz programme but definitely worth catching are the Griot Music/Hope United Church fund-raiser Jazz For Hope (June 2) and the Dennis Rushton/Swallowfield Chapel presentation Christ In Art and Jazz (June 8) at the Swallowfield worship centre. The latter show especially is not to be missed.

Closing out the Jazz Month on June 24 will be Jazz in the Gardens, which hardly needs any explanation. Watch this space for line-up details.

Riffin' Rundown (Week of May 14)
MON: The Riffin' week starts with strings. Guitarists, Mike Stern, Pat Metheny, pianist Brad Mehldau, make beautiful music that contrasts with the Latin fire of Michael Simon and Paquito D Riviera.

TUES: Ace singer, Kurt Elling takes us through some of his "Nightmoves", his latest album of great songs which demonstrate why he's one of the best male vocalists today.
WED: Female singers, Ann Hampton Callaway and Veronica Nunn, take on classics from the American songbook.

THURS: Jobim Jazz. Brazilian musicians led by Mario Adnet present a tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim. Some of the legendary composer's songs are given a Brazilian jazz treatment.

FRID: Riffin' with Andy Palacio and the Garrifuna Collective, as well as Dub Syndicate.

Watch this space

Been having a hard time finding any traction with writing
things get lost and dropped between the cracks
Meanwhile other endeavours are growing I MC'd 2
shows at Christopher's Jazz cafe last week in addition
to a 2 -night stint at thecharming Palisadoes Bay
Beach Park (lots of childhood memories in that place).
Look out for reviews of the Legacy show on Saturday last
(truly a great beginning so much so that I've cancelled
plans I had to get into the show promotion business,
I just saw my own idea presented to me, and it was
as good as I envisaged it)
as well as the Chridtopher's shows and a preview
of the upcoming Ocho RIos Jazz

Trying to stay aflaot!

Zag-a-zig pt II

In a fit of near depression, I walked out of my office the other day and headed
first for the bookstore - there Icame across a 1326-pg does of tonic called
Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite, by Paul Arden (www.penguin.com)
A wonderfully refreshing, even bracing examination on the
benefits of contrarianism, of going against he conventional wisdom,
this book is not for the hopelessly ingrained 'corporate' type who sees
work as something between 9-5 and a steady paycheck as salvation.
it will make you laugh, pout, ponder, rage and most of all think.
Get it.

Overproof music @ Christopher's

This column has already extolled the virtues of the Tuesday night experience at Christopher's Jazz Café.
On this particualr occasion, it was the Thursday Singer's Nite, and the artiste billed was the delightful
Ellan Edwards.
But namesake aside, the dulcet-toned singer had to take a back seat to a familiar tandem of musical
assassins - Akil 'Red Bull' Karram and Denver 'Guinness' Smith; Smith usually stars on percussion, but having
left his congas behind (in preparartion for a tour behind DJ Prodigal), he sat in behind the drum kit.
Between them, with able support from bassist, the newlywed Sherwin Thompson and pianist keyboardist
extraordinnaire Dr Kathy Brown (and, not to, be left out, guitarist Seretse Small, they took a Thursday night setthat was tiptoeing towards urgency right across the line. Karram in particular, having gained initial exposure through the Tuesday Night series, is a vindication of the shared vision of Small and Christopher's principal Brian 'Ribbie' Chung as a place where musicians can grow through regular gigs and audiences can have the benefit of extended exposure to artistes.

Jazz in the Gardens
It was a Sunday, so that means, essentially that it's time for Jazz in the Gardens. This time around, the quality series featured Michael Sean Harris, i na typically superb performance. Harris breathed new life into Jinji, Nature Boy and Summertime.
Before that, the aforementioned Dr Kathy Brown charged into Caravan in the openeing set and before her stint was finished, gavea rare vocal turn executing Kenny Garrett's Qing Wen (from his great CD, Beyond The Wall). June lawson' classical bent showed through to her detriment and the interval saw saxist Damon Riley and bassist Dougal Clarke entertaining with among others, Dizzy Reece in the audience.

Jazz World Database
Celebrating its 24th anniversary, Jazz World Database with 69,000 contacts is the largest source of jazz audience information in the World.
For complete JWD list click:
http://www.jazzworlddatabase.com/catalog/

Jazzofonik @ 3

We're steaming towards the third anniversary of this blog
thank God, for His faithfulness and thanks to all of you (even
you stupid spammers).
I'm going to troll through the archives and look back st some
of the best of the last 229 posts.
It's been great fun and l look forward to greater things
over the next three years - and more.

Music stream

FGrom the time I first started this blog, one of my aims was to have
a music stream (don't ask why it's taken so long) and here it
is - a few of my choices courtesy of finetune.com Enjoy
I'm trying now als oto have Jamaican performances
and compositions available - bear with me.

Radio for writers

Ithought this link was cool. Check it out
Writers FM –
The only radio station by writers, for writers!
http://www.WritersFM.com/

Zag-a-Zig

Jamaicans really are great.
No, duh, you might say, but when one takes the full measure
of jamaican achievement in several fields, just over the last century
or so, it's staggering when one considers our size, and the fact that we
-like many - live in the long cultural shadow of Uncle Sam.
What's made us so great? I have a theory, and it might sound real
twisted, inside-out, kinda subversive (in a good way, trust me), but
I'm going to be sharing iot with you and here's hoping it'll make some sense,
over time.

Danish Whirl - the first mistake

So, it's weeks after the intro, and we're almost into April
Anyway, I received one day an email form a Danish musician
named Tommy Hoeg inhquiring about performing in Jamaica
and specifically about playing the Deck, an open-air lounge where
atthe time I was spinning Jazz CDs (more out of compulsion than
any commercial consideration - I had previosuly done it at Devon House)
Anyway, I said great, send me some music which he did (this arrived
sometime after our first exchange and after fialures to open the Mp3 files
he sent previously.
I replied afer hearing the EP that I'd love to have him and his gorup
but would have to seek sponsorship. This being agreed, I approached the
Danish consulate here in Jamaica -Mistake #1. They referred me to a contact
who, after several unsuccessful tries, Igave up on without renewing the
contact with the consul or apprising Tommy hOeg of the situation
- Mistake (big mistake) # 2. Neither did Ishare the developments with any
of the people I knew in the music business locally. I was so utterly convinced that
I could 'work this out' on my own (BIG BIG Mistake) that I plowed on into the
next phase of this misadventure.
Of course, you know that's for the next post.

Jones Lincoln

Jones Lincoln
Originally uploaded by mike e.bop.

Both piano icon Hank Jones and legendary singer Abbey Lincoln are recovering from health issues at St John's hospital in NYC. Jones, 88, had heart failure and Lincoln, 11 years younger, also had respiratory difficulties. Wishing them both complete recovery.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

A good week for music

Jazz First
by Michael ‘Jazzofonik’ Edwards

The week that was
The past week proved as good for music as it did for cricket, with stars old and new coming to the fore.
Firstly, the new. On Sunday last, the former Studio A at the CPTC was re-opened (having been rebuilt after a devastating 2005 fire) and re-named in honour of broadcast legend Wycliffe Bennett.
The sprightly honouree was his usual quiet yet effusive self, but the real highlight for this writer was being able to witness the emergence of two stunning new talents. First violinist Nadje Leslie, a prodigy if ever one was worthy of the term and already a delightful entertainer at thirteen. Then, altoist Dwayne Foster who, but for the fact that he wasn’t playing tenor, gave off the air of a young Dexter Gordon: very relaxed and fluid on his instrument — in command and enjoying every moment of it.
The pair would return on Tuesday evening at the 3M-sponsored cocktail hour at the new Caribbean Business Club in New Kingston (a neat concept, and well executed), performing separately as well as together. This is one of the most heartening developments in the recent annals of our music, to see young people with this level of proficiency but moreover with a clear love for the artform and an apparent desire to make music their life focus.
Sunday was also special for the renewal of Jazz On The Green, a show which has gotten progressively better over it’s four-year run. Like myself, Basil Walters was on hand and submitted the following review:

On a rather humid afternoon attended at one stage by a brief light drizzle, there was nothing green about the musical performances in this venue, with its care-free ambience in which patrons could lyme and enjoy the music and tasty delights (courtesy of Lorraine Fung).
The sound quality and general management ensured that the event was one filled with sweet music of international standards. The Desi Jones-led Green House Effect opened the gig, setting the tone for a for the wider variety of entertainment that was to come.
Among the outstanding performers was Tanice Morris, the first solo act. Morris gave an emotionally charged performance, beginning her stint with ‘Jazzin’ (a take on Marley’s Jammin’). Having received a welcome response, she consolidated her stay with a pleasing rendition of Alfie and followed with the oft-performed Etta James classic, At Last.
It was then time for the Jamaica Big Band under the direction of Sonny Bradshaw. The expansive aggregation enlivened things with Take The A Train, Confucius and Satin Doll, before the welcome intervention of Myrna Hague who journeyed through Streets Of Kingston, adding That’s Life before taking off on Fly Me To The Moon. After she departed the stage the Big Band continued where it left off with Rukumbine, Everyday Blues, and Perez Prado’s Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White with competing single-note runs from the horn section.
An ensemble from the School of Music under the direction of Michael ‘Ibo’ Cooper, demonstrated a general desire towards refinement with a great deal of improvisation. Sarena Constantine stood out with an impressive interpretation of Ben E King’s old standby, I Who Have Nothing.
Dr Kathy Brown promised a musical journey encompassing Mexico (Bull Fight), South Africa and her own composition, a romp entitled Godfather.
Benjy Myaz and Friends featuring gospel saxophonist, Courtney Fadlin, played a short, set of trademark smooth jazz and was especially pleasing on People Make The World Go Round. Although time did not allow for him to have extended himself, Fadlin lived up to his reputation with ease and dexterity with a few bluesy numbers.
Karen Smith was in her usual impeccable form, gliding effortlessly through They Can’t Take That Away From Me and A Wonderful Day Like Today. Jazz On The Green ended with a delightful uptempo jam session featuring master saxophonist Dean Fraser, Christopher McDonald on keyboards, Desi Jones on drums and Dwight Richards whose take, on vocal of Marvin Gaye’s hit, What’s Going On was sweet music to the ears. Proceeds from the event go towards the construction of a multi-skill training centre in Spanish Town.

Christopher’s Jazz Cafe was this past Tuesday the scene of yet another series-topping outing in its ongoing Tuesday Live sessions. Host Seretse Small on guitar joined bassist Carl Gibson and drummer Wendell Lawrence (his regular rhythm section) as well as keyboardist Courick Clarke to lay down what must rank among the top five sessions in the series (at least among those witnessed by this writer). Lawrence, in particular distilled his every solo to it’s purest musical essence. If this is the stuff of which Seretse and the True Democrats are made (they’re presently recording), then my vote is assured.
On Thursday, the focus shifted to the singers with the leggy Althea ‘Di Chic’ Hewitt putting her compelling presence and throaty trill to good use on covers of Anita Baker and other chanteuses.

Two jazz legends meet in hospital
It was an unlikely reunion in the most unlikely of places for Hank Jones and Abbey Lincoln Moseka, two jazz legends whose paths crossed again last Tuesday at St Luke’s Hospital.
Jones, 88, has been playing the piano for over 60 years. He recorded with Charlie Parker and Ella Fitzgerald, among others, and played for TV’s The Ed Sullivan Show for many years.
The 77-year-old Lincoln Moseka grew up in Chicago as Anna Marie Wooldridge (a former manager gave her the stage name Abbey Lincoln). She came to New York in her 20s and sang at the Village Vanguard, later marrying jazz and bebop drummer-composer Max Roach (they divorced in the 1960s) and starring in several films.
Jones suffered a massive heart attack, while Lincoln had several complications: heart failure, pulmonary edema (where the lungs fill with fluid) and difficulty breathing.
Both are recovering and they have our prayers for complete healing.

A quick Riff
What with cricket and other commitments, haven’t been able to keep up with Riffin’ on FM93 the way I’d like to (Is there any way the programmes can be packaged for compilation, Dermot? — what a gift of music that would be). I did manage, however to catch a bit of the always haunting, always compelling African master Salif Keita. Talk about the perfect end to a musical week.
Till next time, keep swingin’.

Friends of Jazz 4

The monthly 'meeting' of Friends of Jazz returrns to The Verndah
(the outdoor venue in front of Pulse headquarters)
this April Fools Day, April 1, beginning at 4:00 pm
Maestro Sonny Bradshaw convenes the usual cast as
they prepare for June's Jazz Month and the Ocho Rios
International Jazzz fest

Cricket wins - for now

Haven't dropped off the face of the earth, but
caught up in the sights and sounds
of the historic Cricket World Cup
I'll be back soon with lots of new stuff and to resume
the outstanding matters


mike

Jazofonik Feb 25

When bad sound happens to good players
Jazz First
Blues on the Green review
by Michael 'Jazzofonik' Edwards
Sunday, February 25, 2007

Ordinarily, our reviews of live music would not make much of the sound, or would reserve comment on that aspect of the production until the performances had been addressed.

But the acoustics at the 12th annual Blues on the Green concert, staged by the Public Affairs office of the US embassy at Devon house east on Friday evening, were so unqualifiedly awful that, but for the heroic efforts of AJ Brown in particular, there would have been little to enjoy of the first half.


Members of the band Little Feat in Negril.
Ever audience-friendly, Brown not only managed to inject a bona fide blues number into the programme, the BB King standard, The Thrill Is Gone, but skilfully traversed a diverse pop/r&b landscape, beginning with Al Jarreau's bouncy Roof Garden (punctuated near the end with leaps and splits) and culminating in a kind of 'Hitsville' cabaret, with numbers like My Girl and On Broadway (erroneously if understandably credited by Brown to George Benson) being tossed out to the audience like souvenirs.

Prior to that saxophonist Dean Fraser again confirmed that he is a musician in need of a programme. Bringing on percussionist Denver Smith to augment the 'house band' of Maurice Gordon, Othneil Lewis, Gibby and Tony 'Ruption' Williams, Fraser managed a tolerable sequence that included his own composition African Nation, followed by a Bob Marley suite: Small Axe, segueing into Africa Unite and Redemption Song, changing horns in between songs (note to organisers/artistes: a horn rack would have speeded up such transition). Fraser showed plenty of chops, but his solos lacked a core, some unifying element. Musically, it was a case of 'no fixed abode' but the crowd ate it up.

The Maurice Gordon Group, with Dwayne Livingston in on bass for Gibby, ran casually through a number of Gordon chestnuts, played a tribute to the late great Jackie Mittoo, and, as he has in the past several shows, Gordon dedicated The Magic In You to his mother and to women in general.

By this time, the sound quality had picked up discernibly on the instruments, but remained inconsistent in the vocal mike, just in time for the main act, blues diva Zora Young, to take the stage.
Not quite as ebullient as some of the previous Blues on the Green guests (Sista Monica and Francine Reed come to mind) Young was nevertheless in good form and managed to connect with the audience (majority female) on Girlfriend, a saucy warning to a busybody neighbour and would-be home-wrecker.

But at this point, having romped through Rock Me All Night Long and another blues standard, the audience had reached its critical mass for blues absorption and the movement toward the exit began.
The Blues on the Green had built a sterling reputation for providing quality entertainment (whether it included blues or jazz artistes). The organisers, who have done a most commendable job in promoting the artform, may want to consider taking the line-up to another level, possibly with a full blues band. As for the sound, we'll chalk it up to a bad night on the part of the engineers and look forward to what 2008 brings.

Festival time - in Jamaica...

It may not have the visibility of its January counterpart but the International Jamaica Ocho Rios Jazz Festival June 9-17, 2007, will celebrate 17 years of largely straight-ahead jazz.
The launch takes place May 10 at the Acropolis, and this year's programme includes Jazz Coffee in the Mountains (June 9), the South Coast Jazz fest (June 16) as well as satellite events and free concerts at various venues. Watch this space for updates.

....And around the world

On festivals further afield, the island of Tobago should be bursting at the seams, and just after the end of Cricket World Cup, as the third Plymouth Tobago Jazz festival gets underway the weekend of April 27 through 29. In what has become typical of these events, the line-up is eclectic, but skewed toward pop and r&b. Headliners include Sir Elton John, Al Green, Earth Wind & Fire, Gladys Knight and LL Cool J, with Jamaica represented through Beres Hammond and Sean Paul.

In May, the action shifts to St Lucia, site of arguably the best known of the Caribbean jazz festivals, now in its 16th year. Saxophone titan David Murray, Brazilian vocal 'best-kept secret' Tania Maria, r&b hipster John Legend, and smooth jazz legends Will Downing, Gerald Albright, Norman Brown, Isaac Hayes, Natalie Cole and Al Jarreau in tandem with George Benson, will join local hero Boo Hinkson and friends on the main stage from May 10 through 13. There will also be a Jazz in the South package as well as Jazz In Fond D' Or.

For those seeking to make an early motherland connection (S Africa is set to host the football World Cup in 2010), the Cape Town International Jazz Festival is one of the most notable on the continent and draws a record 40 artistes, playing on five stages for two days in what is touted as Africa's grandest gathering.

Now in its eighth year, it will take place yet again at the South African city's International Conference Centre from March 30-31. Notable artistes this year include legendary US jazz pianist Joe Sample and US soul-jazz diva Randy Crawford. World-famous, Grammy-winning South African vocal group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo are also on the bill. The other attraction this year will be the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Band where each member is a highly competent musician.Links

Friends of Jazz

Friends of Jazz

THIRD MONTHLY MEETING - at a new venue

SUNDAY 4TH MARCH 2007

4 - 7 P.M.
at THE ACROPOLIS
BARBICAN ROAD

SONNY BRADSHAW &
THE JAZZ MOBILE
plus
MAIN SPEAKERS
* MARJORIE WHYLIE-WHRYTHM *JACKIE JACKSON-Bass
*DESI JONES/ -Drums
* MAURICE GORDON-Guitar
*
*SONNY BRADSHAW–Trumpet/Flugelhorn
*OUIDA LEWIS-Percussion/Tap Dance
*DEAN FRASER-Saxophones
*MYRNA HAGUE, MARY ISAACS-Vocals
D.J. JAZZ CD’s - Monte Blake, Keith Brown, Michael Edwards, Harry Graham,
Herbie Miller, Carl Percy, Michael Sharpe, Don Topping, Michael Williams

Danish Whirl #1 - the Intro

Well, here I am , two days late, but beginning nonetheless.
Beyond what's in my profile, I have been a devotee of amny
diffeenttypes of music from a very early age.
My introductions to jazz came fisrt, at home, to the likes of Oscar
Peterson and Fausto Papetti, then via my uncle, to Milestones-era
Miles Davis and other similar artists.
During the 80s, hip hop intervened, and a lot of my teen years
were consumed with that genre aswell as with the then burgeoning
dancehall.
Withthe advent of gangsterism in both genres, I soured on them and returned
to jazz towards the end of the 80s
Writing as a freelancer - initially - for the Jamaica Observer newspaper
gave me increased acess to live performances locally, including the
Air jamaica jazz and Blues festival (which I had been ionvolved with, in
another capacity, from its inception).
At the 2004 festival, I met Chris Porter, then editor of Jazz Times magazine
in the US. We quickly struck up a friendship and shortly thereafter, I became a
Jazz Times contributor - doing predominantly CDreviews, but also a few
features.
The following year, I meagre Cd collection, and convivnced the owner of a local
coffee shop/Intenet cafe, Cafe Whats On Jamaica, to let me play Cds there on
Thursday nights. Often it would be myself, the wiater and a couple of security guards
who heard the music, but every so often, people would walk in and I would
engage them in conversation about what they were hearing (or they would often
open with a comment).
With both my confidence and reputation as someone with a great deal of interest
and a fair bit of knowledge about about jazz, I began to think of other initiatives
to promote appreciation for and acceptance of jazz in Jamaica, as well as
promoting Jamaica's rich history in the art form to the world. This blog is
thus far, the prinicpal outgrowth of those thoughts, and through jazz websites,
bulletin boards (like allaboutjazz.com) and email, I was making
contacts with jazz musicians, record execs, club owners and other aficionados
form around the world.
One of those wasa young musician form Denmark. This association was to
forcefully bring home the dangers of acting on enthusiasm and a little knowledge
without experience or wisdom

next post: Friday February 16

Happy Valentine's Day all