ALL ABOUT JAZZ-NEW YORK NEWS
January 30, 2010

Dear jazz community at large,

AllAboutJazz-New York's February 2010 issue (no. 94) is now available
at your favorite New York City jazz clubs and record stores.

On the Cover: VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Interview: RON MCCLURE
Artist Feature: HARRIS EISENSTADT
Label Spotlight: SACKVILLE
Club Profile: A LOOK TO THE NEW DECADE PART II
Encore: SVEND ASMUSSEN
Lest We Forget: JOE MANERI
Megaphone: STEVE COLSON
CD Reviews
And plenty more!

On the Cover: VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA

By George Kanzler; photo by Jack Vartoogian

Not only is this the 75th anniversary of the Village Vanguard, this month also marks the 44th anniversary of the Monday night residency of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (VJO), begun in 1966 as the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. Those Monday nights are a very significant part of the Vanguard's legacy as THE premier jazz club in history. The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is at Village Vanguard Mondays.

Interview: RON MCCLURE

By Donald Elfman; photo by Copyright Nils Winther, SteepleChase Productions ApS

Ron McClure has a practical philosophy about what he does. "Making music begins with doing your job," he says. "It's nice if you can be a hot soloist, but do your job first and do it well." These are words that the bassist has lived by for over 40 years in the jazz music business. McClure has done everything from playing with saxophonists such as Charles Lloyd to being part of pop recordings by the Pointer Sisters and Blood, Sweat and Tears. In between he has played on countless jazz recordings, including 33 sessions and counting for SteepleChase, both as a leader (13 including his most recent release New Moon) and sideman, composed a large number of tunes and even played piano at a New York McDonald's! McClure is at Birdland Feb. 17th-20th with Lookout Farm.

Artist Feature: HARRIS EISENSTADT

By Clifford Allen; photo by Scott Friedlander

One normally thinks of the drummer-bandleader chair in this music as easily given to a mentality that embraces "more is more". Whether bombastic or just plain full, drummers' bands often focus on mass, rhythm and time. In the post-free arena, leaders like Gerry Hemingway, John Hollenbeck and Harris Eisenstadt have learned not only that every instrument can be a drum, but that the drum can be every instrument and that the drummer's role in creative music is as guide, follower, accent and architect. Eisenstadt is at The Local 269 Feb. 20th and I-Beam Feb. 26th-27th with Canada Day.

Record Label Spotlight: SACKVILLE

By Ken Dryden

Although involved in jazz for decades, John Norris never envisioned a jazz career. During a recent interview, he recalled, "I discovered jazz in 1951, it was just a hobby." Artists performing this month include Junior Mance at Cafe Loup Sundays.

Club Profile: A LOOK TO THE NEW DECADE PART II

By Matthew Miller

Talk to a club owner, booker, producer or a musician about the state of the jazz scene in Manhattan and you might be surprised when the owner hands you their latest CD or the musician hustles you for a cover. Expect glowing praises all around, but brace yourself when the subject turns to Bloomberg, rents, money or Duane Reade, no matter to whom you're talking. And get ready to hear about tweets, Facebook, and podcasts, but not just from the networking musician. Next Month: Jazz in Bronx/Queens/Staten Island

Encore: SVEND ASMUSSEN

By Ken Dryden

Svend Asmussen is the last of the great swing violinists who emerged during the '30s. The "Fiddling Viking" turns 94 on Feb. 28th, splitting time between his native Denmark and Sarasota, Florida.

Lest We Forget: JOE MANERI

By Clifford Allen

It wasn't until the early '90s, at the urging of son/violist Mat, that he began performing his own jazz-based music with any regularity. Since that time, over 20 discs have been issued. The result of this flurry was an intense interest, mostly from European audiences, though his work was critically well-received in the States. A Joe Maneri Tribute is at Irondale Center Feb. 9th.

Megaphone: The Power in Music

By Steve Colson

Toward the end of last year, the National Endowment for the Arts published results of its study on Public Participation in the Arts. One finding is that over a six-year period, less than 8% of Americans attended jazz events. So annually, out of some 300 million Americans, less than 2,500,000 attend jazz clubs, concerts and festivals and even those numbers may be dwindling. Colson is at Symphony Space Feb. 6th.

CD Reviews

(this month's performance venues in parentheses):

1. Various Artists -- Generation Django Dreyfus (Iridium)
2. Dorado Schmitt -- Family Dreyfus (Iridium)
3. Bireli Lagrene -- Gipsy Trio Dreyfus (Iridium)
4. Bireli Lagrene/Sylvain Luc -- Summertime Dreyfus (Iridium)
5. Rocky Gresset -- Eponymous Dreyfus (Iridium)
6. Philip Catherine -- Live at Capbreton Dreyfus (Iridium)
7. Ted Nash -- Portrait in Seven Shades JALC-The Orchard (Rose Hall)
8. Miles Okazaki -- Generations Sunnyside (Bar Next Door)
9. Steve Colson -- The Untarnished Dream Silver Sphinx (Symphony Space)
10. Gunter Baby Sommer/Manfred Schoof/Gianluigi Trovesi/Barre Phillips -- Peitzer Grand Mit Vieren Jazzwerkstatt
11. Anthony Braxton/Maral Yakshieva -- Improvisations (Duo) 2008 SoLyd
12. Alex Rostostky -- Pictures at an Exhibition or Promenade with Mussorgsky One Records-JazzBass Theatre
13. Vyacheslav Guyvoronsky/Andrei Kondakov/Vladimir Volkov -- In Search of a Standard Leo
14. Curtis Brothers -- Blood - Spirit - Land - Water - Freedom Truth Revolution (Nuyorican Poets Cafe)
15. Derrick Gardner -- Echoes of Ethnicity Owl Studios
16. Hypnotic Brass Ensemble -- Eponymous Honest Jon's
17. Terell Stafford/Dick Oatts -- Bridging the Gap Planet Arts (Village Vanguard)
18. Jerry Bergonzi/Dick Oatts -- Saxology SteepleChase (Village Vanguard)
19. Gilad Hekselman -- Words Unspoken LateSet (Hawaiian Tropic Zone)
20. Oren Neiman -- Frolic and Detour Noyman Music (The Chair And The Maiden; Tutuma Social Club)
21. Yotam Silberstein -- Next Page Posi-Tone (Bar Next Door)
22. Hal Galper/Terumasa Hino -- Now Hear This Enja (Birdland)
23. Nellie McKay -- Normal as Blueberry Pie: A Tribute to Doris Day Verve (Allen Room)
24. Bob Moses -- Father's Day B'hash Sunnyside
25. Ted Sirota -- Seize the Time Naim Jazz
26. Tim Kuhl -- King WJF (Zebulon)
27. Nasheet Waits -- Equality Fresh Sound-New Talent (Jazz Gallery; Iridium)
28. Dave Douglas -- Constellations hatOLOGY (LaGuardia Community College; Zankel Hall; Abrons Arts Center)
29. Perry Robinson/Burton Greene -- Two Voices in the Desert Tzadik (Cornelia Street Cafe; Korzo)
30. Brian Groder/Burton Greene -- Groder & Greene Latham (Cornelia Street Cafe; Korzo)
31. Jimmy Bennington/Perry Robinson -- The Spirits at Belle's Cadence Jazz (Cornelia Street Cafe; The Local 269; WIlliamsburg Music Center)
32. Joel Press/Kyle Aho -- Untying the Standard Cadence Jazz
33. Ran Blake/Anthony Braxton -- Memories of Vienna hatOLOGY
34. Charles Evans/Neil Shah -- Live at St. Stephens Hot Cup (Hudson View Gardens Lounge)
35. Dee Dee Bridgewater -- Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie with Love from Dee Dee Emarcy-Decca (Allen Room)
36. Stephanie Nakasian -- Billie Remembered (The Classic Songs of Billie Holiday) Inner City
37. Normand Guilbeault -- Homage a Mingus Live at Upstairs 2008 Actuelle
38. Dok Wallach -- Live in Lisbon Jazzwerkstatt
39. Trio X -- Live in Vilnius No Business (Irondale Center)
40. Joe McPhee/Peter Brotzmann/Kent Kessler/ Michael Zerang -- The Damage is Done Not Two (Irondale Center)
41. Matthew Shipp -- 4D Thirsty Ear (Irondale Center)
42. Henry Threadgill -- This Brings Us To, Vol. 1 Pi (Jazz Gallery)
43. Tineke Postma -- The Traveller Etcetera (Blue Note)
44. Emilio Solla -- Bien Sur! Fresh Sound-World Jazz (Jazz Standard)
45. Chris Cheek/Victor Prieto -- Rollo Coaster s/r (Jazz Standard; Douglas Street Music Collective; Bar Next Door)
46. The Story -- Eponymous s/r (Jazz Gallery)
47. Jimmy Greene -- Mission Statement Razdaz (Smalls)
48. Jonathon Haffner -- Life on Wednesday Cachuma
49. Lotte Anker/Craig Taborn/Gerald Cleaver -- Floating Islands Ilk Music (Irondale Center; The Stone)
50. Terry Waldo -- The Ohio Theatre Concert (with Edith Wilson) Delmark (Fat Cat)
51. Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra -- The Definitive Thad Jones MusicMasters-Nimbus
52. The Ullmann/Swell 4 -- News? No News! Jazzwerkstatt (The Local 269; Roulette)
53. David Sanborn -- Only Everything Decca (Blue Note)
54. Jon Alberts/Jeff Johnson/Tad Britton -- Apothecary Origin (Birdland)
55. Chad McCullough -- Dark Wood, Dark Water Origin
56. Vincent Gardner -- Three-Five SteepleChase (Rose Hall)

...and Plenty More!

Look for other sections like On This Day, In Print, On DVD, Listen Up!, VOX News, NY@Night, Recommended New Releases, Birthdays, In Memoriam, and our invaluable event Calendar.

Thanks so much for reading All About Jazz-New York, the city's only homegrown gazette devoted to the music.

All the best,
Andrey and Laurence

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