document

TheJAZZ CULTURE

1The Jazz Culture, VI:51

JIMMY OWENS SEPTET at Fordham University's African

American 1 0th Anniversary

2 The Jazz Culture, VI:51

REVIEWJIMMY OWENS SEPTETby L. Hamanaka

Caught the Jimmy Owens Septet at Fordham University

performing his original, “Bronx Suite” for the10th Anniversary

Concert of the Bronx African American History Project. Mr.

Owens is a Bronx native brought up in the Morrisania

neighborhood, and the historians present recounted a jazz history

of our northern borough. After introductory remarks by Dr. Mark

Maisin and Robert Gumbs, who recounted when he was a member

of a Jazz Honor Society and approached the owner of the “845”

Club to produce a Sunday series of concerts featuring such greats

as Gigi Gryce, Donald Byrd, Betty Carter, Cannonball Adderly,

Art Tatum, in 1956. In 1958 Mr. Gumbs helped produce

“Barbecue & Jazz” a series that started July 15, 1 958, with Curtis

Fuller and Hank Mobley among the guest artists. “We might have

been poor, but creativity – we had it,” said Mr. Gumbs. He also

remembered jazz musicians who lived in the Bronx at the time,

including Slide Hampton, Thelonius Monk, Elmo Hope. Maxine

Gordon, widow ofDexter Gordon, gave a brief historical

overview. Anybody who really knows New York City knows that

the 8 million all live in a fascinating and diverse series of

neighborhoods.

The Septet consisted ofWyclifGordon, Michael Howell, g,

Patience Higgins, TS, Jimmy Owens, Danny Mixon, p, Winard

Harper, d. The Bronx Suite had six sections: 1 . Prelude, 2.

Statement, 3 . Blue, 4. Lypso Bronx, 5. Hold On, “We Be Fixin’ It”

and 6. The Long Hard Road Back.

1 . Prelude. The opening was a pretty melody on flugelhorn and

guitar, followed by a counter melody on trombone and piano.

2. Statement. Drum intro, cruising forward on long tones, in


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a joyous mood, with sparks from the

drummer and solid support of the

bassist, carrying the strong spirit of the

borough forging ahead, with a

percussive solo by WyclifGordon,

followed by a chordal solo quoting

Cherokee by Mr. Mixon and a

restatement of them by the horns, with

accents on the upbeats of a string of

eighth notes pushing the beat ahead. A

proclamation in a dramatic fashion of the vast vista of the Bronx

stated by horns with a trumpet solo by Mr. Owens like a piercing

cry with a burnished tone and wide vibrato on long tones, later

rejoined by the rest of the band, and pianist providing a high trill.

Then a bass line, pretty punctuated long tones with counterpoint, a

semi martial sound on horns. There was a nice counter melody and

a lush sound, with great support. The trumpet solo was descriptive

and rich in memories of the streets and childhood haunts he grew

up in, with nice triplet figures that then exploded and opened

Review 1‐5We Always Swing 6‐10

How To Make A Jazz Vocal Act11‐16

Gig Listings‐Letter 1 9-20Billie Holiday Birthday Tribute

21‐[email protected]

http://theJazzCulture.com ©2012

4 The Jazz Culture, VI:51

into new melodies. Mr. Higgins solo on tenor saxophone had a

lusty sound, arpeggiating up a spicy rhythmic idea that made two

lindy hoppers jump up and dance in the aisle. His solo was well

supported by the rhythm section. Mr. Howell gave a liquid guitar

solo, pleasing guitar enthusiasts with licks starting from a high

note and descending and then reversing direction from the bottom

up. The septet carried the theme out on a vamp leading to a

diminuendo that Wycliff soloed over, a mellow tone with a strong

center, and then raunchy and assertive, leading to a group long

tone that fluttered poetically and then seemed to spiral

heavenward.

Mr. Owens made the following comments: “I was born in

Morrisania Hospital and grew up on 168th Street near the Prospect

and Intervale Avenue (subway stops). I played skellies and

stickball growing up in the public schools. I went to PS.99 and

Junior High School 40 where they had a music class, then the High

School ofMusic & Art. I’m a real product of the public school

system in New York City. I went to Freddie’s on Boston Road and

Mikey & Sylvie’s…I’d stand outside and listen to lots of great

musicians perform…many of the people I grew up with wound up

in jail…Many are dead. … But music kept many of us very, very

busy.”

Mr. Owens later continued, that he was “the only Bronx native

to receive the National Endowment of the Arts jazz master

award… “So the music foundation from Junior High School 40

took me all over the world.” In 1969 Mr. Owens founded the

Collective Black Artists, where he taught a course entitled “The

Business Aspect of the Music Industry.” At the same time he

started working with Lionel Hampton and Slide Hampton. After

that, he worked with Hank Crawford in a nonet travelling through

the south. The nonet had a station wagon and U Haul. He said the

nine musicians were “Freedom Riders” and stayed for a while in

Mobile, Alabama. As most jazz lovers know, the jazz musicians

were the vanguard of the civil rights movement. In 1964, Mr .

The Jazz Culture, VI:51 5

Owens started working with Charles Mingus, and after 1965 “he

learned how to be a freelancer, got married and had two children, a

musician with no steady income.” At that time, he began to write

more music for recordings. “Life was always about the blues,” he

said. With these words as an introduction, the septet went on to

play the “Blue” section of the “Bronx Suite.”

3. Blue- A Bronx Blues, a slow blues in 12/8.Melody was full

of reminiscences in blue, with dynamic accents by the horns. The

sax made a bleating tone from top to bottom, with a few circular

movements, the trumpet in counterpoint. The trombone used a

mute a la New Orleans, down and dirty. Danny Mixon played

percussive blues licks and glisses high in the right hand, then a

series of triplets migrating down chromatically.

4. Lypso Bronx: Another stream of the Black diaspora, with

calypso drums, drums laying down a nice smooth carpet of sound.

The trombone and sax engaged in two measures ofCall and

Response, and then built it up to four measures, ending in a crisp

phrase on the trombone. Then piano did a rhapsodic solo, playing a

solo that resembled the solos of steel drums on the piano. There

was restatement of the theme, and a cheerful sunny 6 note melody

followed by five note ideas.

5. Hold On, “We Be Fixin’ It.” This section refers to an

elevator that used to help old folks climb a hill, replacing about 45

steps. Every time people called, the City would say, “Hold On,

“We Be Fixin’ It.” Starting with a nine note melody to a march

rhythm, the trombone played a raucous solo, the trumpet joined in

counterpoint, an emphatic declamatory sound portrait like the ones

Ellington used to compose, depicting the hardships who are

neglected by red tape. The bass playueer played a mutli note solo,

kind of blue with a pretty full sound. The crowd was clapping on 2

and 4. The counterpoint between the rhythm section and horns was

very effective. The septet sang the words, “Hold On, We Be Fixin’

It.” Cont. p. 24

MISSOURI CONCERTSERIES

The Jazz Culture, VI:516

Kenny Barron, Jimmy Greene, ts Kiyoshi Kitagawa,bass, Jonathan

Blake, drums "A Chunk ofMonk" Missouri Theatre“We Always Swing”® Jazz Series in Columbia, Missouriby Jon Poses

to Jazz CulturePub note: "We Always Swing" is one of the most successful

regional sponsors of jazz programming in the country and it

is humbly hoped that jazz enthusiasts, musicians and

producers, wil l learn from their experiences.

JC: How long have you been doing the series? And where is it

located?

Jon Poses: The “We Always Swing”® Jazz Series is in its 1 8th

season. I founded it on July 1 , 1 995 as an extension ofmy

touring/artist representative business, National Pastimes

Productions. The business’ name reflects an aesthetic that “Jazz”

as well as “Baseball” – referred to as our national pastime – is also


a national pastime – meaning the United States has TWO national

pastimes (plural) – jazz and baseball. I founded National Pastimes

Productions as a touring and artist representative concern in 1985.

As luck would have it, on July 1 , 1 985, two close friends ofmine

bought a country and western “flavored” bar/restaurant and opened

it as “Murry’s,” deciding to have a jazz (and baseball)

motif/atmosphere. As National Pastimes Productions grew, and

because ofmy friends’ interest in having live jazz at Murry’s, I

“engineered” performances in Columbia, Missouri, as part of the

tours I organized. Columbia, now with a population that exceeds

100,000 people, is a university town located in the center of the

Missouri, sitting equidistant from St. Louis and Kansas City, 1 20

miles from each.

From 1985-1995 I concentrated on organizing/managing 10-

then 20- and finally 30-city tours. On most occasions I was able to

have one of the tour performances take place in Columbia – mostly

at Murry’s. However, in the case of bigger, more popular acts I

rented larger venues – from 400 seats to 1 ,700 seats. Murry’s

initially held 100 people; now it holds about 1 30 people.

Among my clients/tours (1985-present) are:

• Guitarist Peter Leitch with Bobby Watson, James Williams,

Ray Drummond, Marvin “Smitty” Smith

• Pianist James Williams (several occasions including the

Contemporary Piano Ensemble with Williams, Harold Mabern,

Mulgrew Miller, Donald Brown, Geoffrey Keezer, Christian

McBride, Tony Reedus)

• Saxophonist Bobby Watson/Bobby Watson & Horizon with

Victor Lewis, Terell Stafford, Edward Simon, Essiet Essiet

• Bassist Ray Drummond/Ray Drummond’s All-Star Excursion

Band with Drummond, Craig Handy, Danilo Perez, David

Sanchez, Billy Hart, Mor Thiam

• Pianist Joanne Brackeen/Joanne Brackeen Quartet with Greg

Osby, Cecil McBee, Tony Reedus


• Saxophonist David Murray/David Murray OctetPianist Kenny

Barron/Kenny Barron Trio with Ray Drummond, Ben Riley

• The Leaders – with Lester Bowie, Arthur Blythe, Chico

Freeman, Kirk Lightsey, Cecil McBee, Famadou Don Moye

• Matt Wilson/Matt Wilson’s Arts & Crafts with Wilson, Larry

Goldings, Terell Stafford and Dennis Irwin/Martin Wind

• Conrad Herwig/Conrad Herwig’s Latin Side All-Star Band

with Craig Handy, Mike Rodriguez, Bill O’Connell, Ruben

Rodriguez, Robby Ameen, Pedro Martinez

After a decade of touring I decided to emphasize presenting. I

launched the “We Always Swing”® Jazz Series on July 1 , 1 995. I

continued to work with a coterie of players as their

manager/representative however since then my main emphasis has

been on presenting a concert subscription and education series.

The “We Always Swing”® Jazz Series was founded as a

community-based, all-jazz organization. The Jazz Series,

administered by "We Always Swing," ® Inc., became a 501 (c)(3)

not-for-profit corporation in March 1999; in 2009, while remaining

wholly independent, the Jazz Series became an affiliated with the

University ofMissouri's College ofArts & Science. Support for

Anat Cohen, Bruce Barth, Piano, Vincente Archer, bass,

Royston, drums, The Blue �ote (a different Blue �ote)


the Jazz Series arrives via ticket revenue, via federal, state and

local grant and contract programs and from a variety of national,

regional and local sources such as area corporations and

businesses. Additional funds are generated through the generous

tax-deductible contributions from individuals.

JC: Who is playing in it this year, and who has in the past?

Jon Poses: Since launching the Jazz Series we have presented

more than 200 concerts and events. The series was created as a

“modern” jazz series – essentially one that stressed post-World

War Two repertoire. While some artists pre-date World War Two

(Dave Brubeck, Von Freeman, Candido among others who have

performed as part of the Jazz Series) chronologically they all play

in a modern, post-modern mode right up until, in the case of

Brubeck and Freeman, died.

The first year of the series, 1 995-1996, offered six concerts –

“Big Band Bird” with Slide Hampton celebrating Parker’s 75th

birthday (what would have been), Ray Brown Trio, Brackeen

Quartet, Contemporary Piano Ensemble, Poncho Sanchez and

Kevin Mahogany with Eric Reed Trio.

The second season, our budget/fiscal year is July 1 -June 30, we

upped the schedule to 7 concerts and started an educational

component. The season has now been extended to more than 20

events annually, including between 10-12 concerts, a summer

series and a plethora of educational and in-school activities.

As to who has played here… well, a great many have. We have

presented something like 35 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz

Masters including Sonny Rollins, Jimmy Heath, Frank Wess,

Sheila Jordan, Phil Woods, McCoy Tyner, Von Freeman, Toshiko

Akiyoshi, Ellis, Branford, Wynton, Jason Marsalis – on different

occasions, etc.

We have presented World Saxophone Quartet and Sun Ra;

1 0 The Jazz Culture, VI:51

David Murray’s Octet. We have presented octogenarians and 20

somethings – Grace Kelly and Champian Fulton are two examples

this season (2012/2013) . We’ve presented large ensembles: Maria

Schneider Orchestra, Mingus Big Band, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra,

etc. We present artists in a solo, duo and trio settings along with

quartet and quintet configurations.

As for this season – please visit our website –

wealwaysswing.org. Each artist/group that performs has their own

“page” on the site; at the top of the Home Page people can click to

on any of the thumbnails and they will be taken to that

artist’s/group’s page. This season we started with Billy Childs

Quartet and we’ll end with Gerald Clayton’s Trio; in between we

presented Kenny Barron as part of “A Chunk ofMonk,” a NEA

Jazz Masters Live! project that we conceived of centered on

Thelonious Monk along with Terell Stafford Quintet, Jane Bunnett

with Hilario Duran and Candido, Marcus Roberts Trio, The Bad

Plus, Joe Locke-Geoffrey Keezer Group and Monterey Jazz

Festival On Tour: 55th Anniversary Celebration.

Stefon Harris & Blackout, at Murry's


JC: I notice it’s non-profit. Why did you choose that route?

Jon Poses: There is, sadly, at least I haven’t figured it out, yet, no

way to run a major jazz project in this day and age without either a

serious endowment in place that one can draw from or as a non-

profit organization, which allows presenters to seek outside

funding from agencies, corporations in the form of sponsorships

and individual tax-deductible contributions. Our current budget

fluctuates between $260,000 and $295,000 – depending on which

artists we present in a given season and how many tickets they can

generate. However, even ifwe sold every possible ticket – and our

tickets run from $15 (for students in some instances) to $37 for the

public (best seats available in other instances) – we would only

generate approximately 40% of the budget on the 12 concerts we

present in any given Fiscal Year.

JC: Who is on your board?

Jon Poses: Right now we have 1 1 board members serving three-

year terms that can be renewed for up to three periods. They are

mostly long-time supporters, season ticket holders, educators and

University representatives along with physicians, social workers,

etc. They are community members.

JC: Do you have a newsletter?

Jon Poses: We don’t have a print newsletter per se, but we do

have a Facebook page and a Twitter account. More than that, we

produce substantial concert programs that are handed out at the

shows and for the last three years have been posted on our website

in their entirety with links for all the advertisers, etc. The programs

resemble the classic “Playbill” formats – 5.5” x 8.5”; glossy, color,

etc. Each issue – about five per season – covers two to three

concerts – so we move ads around, change content, etc. They are

more like magazines than your basis arts group concert program.

Also, about five years ago we launched our “E-Note,” a weekly

electronic newsletter that tells people what’s upcoming; we also

mix in a “Video Clip of the Week” selected randomly – sometime

with a tie-in to a specific upcoming concert, other times they


showcase great on-the-bandstand scenes. We have approximately

2,200 subscribers.

JC: How many members do you have?

Jon Poses: We’re not really a membership organization. We have

a snail mail list of 4,200 households; we have an email list of

2,300 people. We just started – only a few months ago – a student

and public membership opportunity. It stemmed as an outgrowth

of our newly created “Lending Library,” which consists of 7,000

CDs/LPs. – mostly my personal collection. With basic

memberships (students = $25/yr.; public $50 per yr.) people can

check out two CDs a week; they receive certain discounts; students

get a free T-shirt and there are some other perks. The membership

levels serve two purposes: try and get younger people involved; try

to help ease/create cash-flow.

JC: What do you think of the future of jazz?

Jon Poses: The short answer is it’s in fine shape. Overall we, as

the jazz culture, need to sharpen our marketing and promotional

Bobby Watson with Peter Washington on bass, and Terrell Stafford,

trumpet

1 3The Jazz Culture, VI:51

tools. We need to figure out how to get and then stay younger –

but not at the expense of “watering down” the music. That’s

different from simply commercializing the music as a way to draw

more people in and make more money by “simplifying stuff” I

don’t buy that argument. It’s never worked – and what’s worse is

that it leaves with shoddy, simplistic and mundane music that

requires us to periodically dig ourselves out of some kind of

watered-down muck. The key to the future of jazz remains the

same: genuine exposure to the art form through traditional means:

easy to access sights and sounds – whether it be the radio or via

Pandora; be it on television or youtube. It’s about exposure – in

and out of the classroom so people hear it. The Grammys® are a

perfect example; how much jazz is heard/showcased on the

Grammys®, a premier showcase for American music. Virtually

none. Why are we surprised that few people have heard of some of

our greatest artists? It really makes perfect sense that’s the case.

It’s the proverbial tree falling in the forest and no one’s around to

hear it drop. Until that changes, until jazz gets into people’s ears in

more than a background setting, then it’s going to remain an

enigma and intimidating to most people rather than offering folks

the true joyful noise that it is.

JC: Are you a musician?

Jon Poses: As a child I studied classical piano – and I never

practiced. As an adolescent I was a rock-‘n’-roll guitarist wanna-

be – and I didn’t practice. I studied music history/theory in college

so I understand a lot of the concepts but the only thing I play is the

telephone.

JC: How did you come to be devoted to the art form?

Jon Poses: This is a very long story. Briefly, I’ve always loved

music – as long as I can remember. My folks always liked

listening to music – mostly the Big Band dudes: Artie Shaw,

Benny Goodman and I’ ll throw in Duke Ellington; they also had a

very good “folk” record collection and we listened to and actually

saw people such as Josh White, Pete Seeger and Burl Ives, etc. I


grew up in New

York City; by the

time I hit in high

school I was in the

right place at the

right time – and so

I lived at places

such as the

Fillmore East. I

caught the tail end

of the Greenwich

Village folk scene.

In 1973 I dropped

out of college and

went to the Bay

Area. I was already

a Dead Head and

living in that

epicenter made

such groups as

Jefferson Airplane/Starship, Van Morrison, Country Joe,

Commander Cody, Boz Scaggs, et. al. readily available when they

weren’t on tour. They all lived there having moved from San

Francisco up north to Marin County. I spent a year in the Bay Area

and then returned to school in Boston – also a great market for

music.

In 1976, after graduating college, I went to Europe for the first

time. During my seven months there I made conscious effort to get

to the Montreux Jazz Festival. That year I saw Stan Getz, Herbie

Hancock, Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, etc. Jazz was the

logical extension for me; I had heard literally every note that Jerry

Garcia could play and it was time to move on and quench a new

thirst. So I did. Fortunately, I’ve never run out of jazz streams and

tributaries to drink from; on occasion I’m lucky enough to

discover a new jazz river – at least for me and even a jazz ocean

CD cover for "Home: Live in Columbia,

Missouri" with Bruce Barth and Steve Wilson

House Concert fundraiser

1 5

HOW TO-DO A JAZZ VOCAL ACT


that’s filled with music.

I love democracy and conversation – and there is no form of

expression that exemplifies such qualities along with sharing,

listening, learning, taking risk, enjoying the satisfaction of doing

so than jazz – so, in my case, it was easy to devote myself to the

art form.

* * *

by L. Hamanaka

A singer who wants to do an Act

has to ask him/herself certain

questions first.

1 . Is it a special occasion?

Christmas, a birthday, a Tribute to

a Famous Artist or Composer?

2. Does it fall into the general category, ie. , a singer wants to do

his or her Act.

3 . How long is the time slot? Half an hour, forty-five minutes, an

hour, two shows, three sets?

4. Will it be a family intergenerational gathering with minors

present? Where do you want to perform your Act?

The reason one asks these questions is obviously, it will help

you choose appropriate songs. Next ask yourself, what kind of

singer are you and what is your repertoire? If you have a year or

two to plan, you can learn new material. You may find yourself

doing research to find rare songs or special material that is funny,

etc. During the process, you may find certain songs highlight your

special talents. There are many kinds of songs: blues, ballads,

Singer Jo Marchese


medium swing, bebop, cool jazz,

progressive, are just a few

examples.

Whatever your forte is, you

might try to choose a theme to

center your choices around. Most

songs are love songs, so to say you

want to have “love” as your theme

is too general. You might pick

“Hollywood” or Film songs, “Cole

Porter Songs,” “Jazz Composers from the Second Half of the

Twentieth Century,” or some other theme that focuses your

choices.

After choosing a theme, we have to consider tempos. There has

to be a variety: Latin, ballad, patter songs, blues, all provide

different rhythmic patterns and tempos to stimulate and interest the

listener. Few audiences will sit through an evening of all ballads.

You might look at a dvd of an evening with Tony Bennett or

another leading singer to see how he paces his program. The very

fact that you want to do an Act means you are committed to being

a professional, and you are thinking about the audience and the

effect you are making on them.

Then there is what you will say to the audience to introduce

each song, segue between songs, and end your show. This material

should be written down until it becomes memorized.

Along with that, there is the whole question of interpreting each

song in terms of how your life relates to it, or the subtext,

phrasing, tone quality, dynamics.

At some point, after you have chosen a group of songs and

tried them out, gotten feedback from fellow artists and the songs

seem to fit together, you can set up a practicing schedule for run

throughs every day. If you can play piano or guitar, you can

Jim Malloy


accompany yourself. Otherwise you may

have to pay an accompanist to lay down

the songs in order for you on a tape, with

intros and endings. Then tape your

rehearsals of these songs on a different

machine. Listen to the playback and see

what has improved and how you can make

the songs better. Also, time yourself.

Every professional situation has a time

frame. Perhaps Club A offers a vocalist a

one hour time slot from beginning to end.

So you would aim for that. Perhaps you

would wind up throwing out a weak song

or a song that is not essential to the story

line of your theme. You should try to go through at least half the

songs you will perform each day. Listen to your tape, then sings

them again with modifications and listen again. Check your

tempos with a metronome before you start and after you finish so

you can see if you have slowed down or sped up the tempo.

Over time polish and augment your interpretation of the lyric.

Remember, before you expect your audience to be moved by a

song, you must be moved yourself. Do a run through before a

friend, or sing some of the songs at an open mike.

Try to give yourself at least two or three months to work on a

group of songs. A year would be more realistic. Also, write

legible charts in your key that indicate the form you want a

musician to follow. If you are singing with more than one person,

have a copy of the chart for each musician in the same order.

Learn the song as the composer wrote it before you try to make

any changes, and try to make any changes at least equal to or as

interesting as the composer’s choices. Many singers do not make

any change in notes; they may change the phrasing, but it is

important to learn the chords or harmony of a song so that you will

not sing a melody note that does not fit in with the harmony.

Anthony Maxwell

1 8

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This process is a joyous experience. Each vocalist has their

own personality and can bring new things to the same material.

Take the time to invite as many people as possible to your

performance. Every artist needs to build their own following. Keep

track of everyone who you know that likes music or likes you well

enough to come out and hear you. When you finish your Act and

have presented it to the public, it should help you build your

following and you should be a better musician.

BILLIE HOLIDAY BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE atTHE RUM HOUSE

Dealva & Franke Robinson

Clockwise, Lisi Paluski, Carol Randazzo & Sybil Evans

cont.

p. 21


Gig Listings ofThe Jazz Culture Subscribers:

Please support theseartists and bring your friends.

April 1-2: Ray Blue,Hamilton College, Utica, NY

April 2: Michael Weiss Trio, University ofChicago,

Chicago, IL

April 3: Valery Ponomarev, "Our Father Who Art Blakey"

Zinc's 9-1

April 4: Michael Weiss Trio, Logan Center, Chicago, IL

Tribute to Johnny Griffin

April 6: Ray Blue, Jazz Ed Workshop, Embark Studio,

Peekskill, NY;

also, duo at the Division Grill, Peekskill, NY

April 6: Michael Weiss Trio, Western Illinois University,

Macomb, IL

April 6, Jimmy Owens debut of an Original Composition by

Mr. Owens, "The Bronx Suite", performed by all star septet

The Fordham Univ Campus 441 E. Fordham road 8 p.m., 718

-817-4339 admission FREE

Also performing are subscribers Patience Higgins and Danny

Mixon; Bronx African American History Project 10th

Anniversary

April 7: Annual Billie Holiday Tribute at The Rum House,

228 West 47 Street, bet 8-Broadway 2-6 p.m. No Cover or

Minimum

Singers: Katie Collins, Sarah Rose Grillo, Jim Malloy,Anthony

Maxwell, Franke Robinson, Lionelle Hamanaka, Maggie Malone,

Karen Maynard, Maki Mototsu, Mary Rocco, Ron Saltus, Richard

Williams, Megumi Watada, Kumiko Yamakado, Joe and Phyllis


Gimpel, Phil Levy, Jo Marchese, Sonya Perkins, Connie

McNamee, Michael Morgan. Trio features Kuni Mikami, Chuck

McPherson and Jon Roche

April 11 : Lionelle Hamanaka, Richard Wyands, Bertha Hope,

Ron McClure, Chuck McPherson, Gene Ghee Goddard Riverside

Community Center 7-8 p.m. Free 593 Columbus Avenue, all

Lakisha Williams for tickets at 212-799-9400 ext.206

April 12: Ray Blue, Davenport, Iowa High School Anti-

Bullying Tour; also, evening at the Lighthouse Restaurant, 7:00

April 16: Ray Blue, Garage, NY 7-1 1

April 19: Ray Blue St. Peters Jazz Vespers w/Harlem Jazz&

Blues Band

April 21 : Ray Blue, Jazz Vespers Peekskill Presbyterian

April 26: Lionelle Hamanaka at Tomi Jazz, 9-1 a.m. 239 E.

53 Street in basement 646-497-1 254

ENGLANDEvery Friday & Saturday: John Watson atthe Palm Court, Langham 1c PortlandPlace, London, no cover or minimum 44-

207-965-01 95

GERMANYApril 24-30: Ray Blue Germany tour including: Bandenscher Hof

in Berlin,(24-27); Evalgelische Paulus-Kirschengemeinde (28);

back to Badenscher Hof (30).

JAPANApril 11: Nobuo Watanabe, The Swing +1 at Una Mas, 8-1 1 pm

Tokyo Y2500

April 13: Nobuo Watanabe with Kai Ichikawa Quintet, 7:30-1 :00

Y2000, Tokyo

April 13: Nobuo Watanabe, Kin No Subo, Core Place Yoga,

Tokyo

April 29: Nobuo Watanabe, at Tokyo Club Hongo, with Jazz

Quintet, 7:30-1 1 :00 Tokyo Y2000

MORE OF BILLIE HOLIDAY BIRTHDAYTRIBUTE at THE RUM HOUSEby L. Hamanaka

The great genius Billie Holiday was celebrated at a Birthday

Fete presented at The Rum House at 228 West 47th Street on April

7, 2013, the day of her Birthday. Ms. Holiday was called "an

improvising genius" by John Hammond, who discovered her when

she was singing at 17 in Harlem. A great beauty and inspiration

and innovator, Ms. Holiday sang from the depths of her life, heart

and soul. Singers and musicians from Long Island, Connecticut,

the five boros and New Jersey gathered to sing her repertoire at the

gourmet tavern The Rum House, in the heart of the Broadway

Theatre district.

Michael

Morgan,

Max

Anthony, Jo

Marchese &

Sonya

Perkins


Clockwise, Karen Maynard, Carol Sue Gershman, Jim Malloy,

Maki Matotsu, pianist Kuni Mikami, Phyllis Gimpel


Clockwise, Chuck McPherson,

Megumi Watada, Connie

Mac�amee, Maggie Malone, Joe

Gimpel and Katie Collins


Bassist Jon Roche, Singer Kumiko Yamakado

6. The Long Hard Road Back.

Began with a trumpet solo, a

ballad expression aspiration in 12/8 with church echoes like a

hymn in chorus. The sax solo expressed determination and

passion, from the top of his horn to the bottom. It was a militant

determined theme, and in fierce stop time, the trombone played a

bluesy solo with perfect articulation and feeling. Then the rhythm

section gave a dynamic crescendo, with the horns entering one by

one, trumpet, trombone and sax, expressing the uphill heartache of

the borough of the Bronx. Then a drum solo double time with

piano and guitar casting a happier light on the piece, ending with a

short four note phrase.

Dr.Naisin called the concert “memorializing the history of the

Bronx” and indeed the performance and composition succeeded in

expressing the history, spirit and struggles of an often overlooked

borough, and the people who live there, especially the African

American diaspora and cultural modes. The audience gave a

standing ovation and performers seemed aware ofwhat they had

done; luckily there was a videographer to capture it for posterity.

Cont. from p. 5

Job Opening: Advertising Director for The Jazz Culture

�ewsletter.Commission basis, 50%. Please email resume to:

[email protected]


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