Music Industry News

Best Jazz Songs of Spring (PT. 1)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 12, 2009

New York experienced 70-degree weather over the weekend. Not bad, considering that the soaring temperatures came a week after a blizzard dumped 10 inches of snow on the region. So yesterday, with the warm breeze coming in over the Hudson River and the clocks pushed forward an hour, thoughts naturally turned to spring.

And songs of spring. But when I began listing my favorite jazz tributes to the coming season, I encountered a small problem: I had too many choices ...

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Best Jazz Songs of Spring (PT. 2)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 12, 2009

I don't trust Phil--the groundhog. This year, on February 2nd, under a bright sky, Phil saw his shadow, signifying six more weeks of winter. In New York, that would make the warming trend just a week away--on March 16th. But if Phil's track record (and today's chilly temperature) is any indication, that vernal prediction must be taken with a grain of ice-melting salt.

To help nudge spring along (or at least usher in its mood), I'm posting another set of ...

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Best Jazz Songs of Spring (PT. 3)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 12, 2009

Sick of winter? Based on the e-mails I've been receiving from readers over the past two days, you're not alone. To help cheer you up, I offer you my final top-10 list of jazz songs with spring in the title. This brings my total number of favorites to 30. Which means you can now fire away with your own favorites, and I'll list a selection on Sunday.

On my computer, I've assembled my favorites in a separate iTunes folder, arranged ...

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Portrait of Shakespeare Unveiled, 399 Years Late

Source: Michael Ricci
March 9, 2009

On Monday in London, Stanley Wells, the chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, unveiled what he claims is the only picture of William Shakespeare painted during the playwright’s lifetime.

The trust explains the significance in a statement on its Web site:

Up to now only two images have been accepted as authentic representations of what Shakespeare may have looked like. One is the engraving by Martin Droeshout published in the First Folio of 1623. The other is the portrait bust ...

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Bernstein’s Workroom Will Head to Indiana

Source: Michael Ricci
March 9, 2009

Leonard Bernstein’s children have donated the carefully preserved contents of his main composing studio to Indiana University, which has promised to recreate the space.

Contents of the home studio in Fairfield, Conn., where Leonard Bernstein composed will be displayed in a re-creation of the room at Indiana University in Bloomington.

The items run from the deeply meaningful to the banal. They include Bernstein’s stand-up composing table; a conducting stool that may have been used by Brahms, given as a gift ...

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Chicago's Morse Theatre May Close

Source: All About Jazz
March 9, 2009

The Morse Theatre--which opened last October to critical acclaim after a $6-million- plus renovation as a music hall and restaurant--may be closing in a matter of weeks.

A dispute between a silent partner who underwrote much of the restoration and the three-man management team that operated the Morse is headed for litigation.

“If there's any hope I can bring this back to life, it's going to have to be through the court," Morse manager Andy McGhee said Thursday. “We have ...

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Adrian Belew Signature Fly Guitar

Source: All About Jazz
March 8, 2009

Parker Guitars Announces General Availability of the Adrian Belew Signature Fly Guitar

Cutting Edge Construction and High-End Components Make This One of the Most Advanced Guitars Ever Built

Chicago, IL. - Parker Guitars, a leader in innovation and originality within the music world, announced today the addition of the Adrian Belew Signature Fly to their line of electric guitars. Designed from the ground up to the exacting standards of legendary guitarist Adrian Belew, the Adrian Belew Signature Fly is one ...

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Uptown Lounge at Minton's Playhouse Resumes Jazz Programming

Source: All About Jazz
March 8, 2009

The legendary Uptown Lounge at Minton’s Playhouse has resumed nightly operations, and thanks to overwhelming popular demand, restarts its jazz programming immediately. Please see below for the coming week’s schedule and stay tuned as we announce the remainder of March’s as well as April’s programming.

As a special thank you to the many fans who pushed for the return of the music, all shows this week will have no cover charge. Please come and enjoy the jazz – it’s on ...

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