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Award / Grant

JazzBoston Organizes Local Awards Party for Wally's Cafe on Saturday June 11

Source: Chris Rich
June 9, 2011

Elynor Walcott and sons Paul, Frank, and Lloyd Poindexter, who own and run the storied Wally's Café, in Boston, have been named 2011 “Jazz Heroes" by the Jazz Journalists Association. Established in 1947 by Elynor Walcott's father, Joseph L. ("Wally") Walcott, an immigrant from Barbados, it was the first African American owned nightclub in New England * and a Boston stop for jazz icons such as Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, and Roxbury native Roy Haynes * Wally's moved across the ...

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Festival

Latviaʼs Rigas Ritmi Festival Celebrates The First 10 Years! With A Stellar Line Up Of International Artists, June 30-July 2, 2011; Riga, Latvia

Source: hubtone PR
June 9, 2011

Ten years after its founding in 2001, the Rigas Ritmi Festival in Riga, the capital of Latvia, has become a bonafide jazz destination and important stop on the European jazz circuit. Created by Artistic Director and jazz drummer Maris Briezkalns, the Festival is a showpiece in the Baltics, featuring an expansive view of jazz, honoring music drawn from a variety of cultures, including home-grown artists. Staged in numerous indoor and outdoor venues around the city, this year's programs—many of them ...

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Recording

Alt-Arab Quintet Shusmo Releases New Album June 23

Source: rock paper scissors, inc.
June 9, 2011

Whacha-maqam-it: Shusmo Gets Mumtastic with Classical Arabic Funk Shusmo is a secret passageway that winds past all the barriers dividing Arabic maqam from down-and-dirty funk, Latin spark, and swinging jazz. Headed by Palestinian pianist and buzuq player Tareq Abboushi, the quintet leads you to a little underground club where pensive classical forms meet dance floor-friendly vibes, where folk tunes open up into gritty jams. “Shusmo" roughly translates as “whatchamacallit" in Arabic, and, like its name, the group is hard to ...

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Recording

International Singer/Songwriter Amana Melome Channels Jazz Legacy with "Phoenix Rising"

Source: Chris M. Slawecki
June 9, 2011

While maintaining her natural elegance, combined with her American and European heritage and cosmopolitan influences, Amana Melome's latest album Phoenix Rising is a refreshing voyage of world music, floating between neo-soul, funk, jazz, folk and reggae. The new album was available on iTunes May 21st. Amana Melome is an international singer and songwriter who was raised in Italy. Her sound is akin to such contemporary artists as Sade, Erykah Badu, Les Nubians and Esperanza Spalding. Growing up on a world ...

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Festival

George Wein & Newport All-Stars Perform at Blue Note, Saratoga, Montreal & More

Source: Carolyn McClair Public Relations
June 9, 2011

George Wein & the Newport All-Stars featuring Ken Peplowski, Lew Tabackin, Howard Alden, George Mraz & Lewis Nash Perform at Blue Note Jazz Festival June 13㬋, 10:30 pm George Wein & the Newport All-Stars Continue Performances in Saratoga, NY; Montreal, Quebec; and Rockport, MA NEW YORK, NY—George Wein isn't producing a jazz festival in New York this summer, but that didn't stop him from performing in one. Catch the renowned jazz impresario and pianist when he takes center stage at ...

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Performance / Tour

Transgender Tour-de-Force Alexandra Billings to Debut at Loring Theater in Minneapolis on June 17

Source: Lampkin Publicity Service
June 9, 2011

Transgender Tour-de-Force Alexandra Billings makes her Minneapolis debut at Loring Theater. Critically acclaimed transgender actress/singer, Alexandra Billings, makes her Minneapolis debut at Loring Theater in association with longtime producer and friend Mary Beidler Gearen/MBG Productions Inc. The show, sponsored by Lavender Magazine, will feature songs from her award-winning cabaret show including: “Being Alive," “Let the River Run," “I'm Not My Mother," “Angels, Punks and Raging Queens," and the “Alone Medley." Alexandra will be accompanied by Musical Director/Pianist Perry Hart. Recognized ...

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Recording

New CD From Tony Award-Winning Actress and Singer Lea Salonga Set For Release August 9th

Source: Muse Media
June 9, 2011

VETERAN BROADWAY AND TONY AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS LEA SALONGA TO RELEASE LIVE CD, THE JOURNEY SO FAR Recorded at New York's Café Carlyle, “The Journey So Far" features favorite tracks from throughout Lea's career; a mix of Broadway, jazz, pop and cabaret standards Los Angeles, CA. “The Journey So Far," the new live CD from veteran Broadway and Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga, is set for release by LML Music/Allegro Distribution August 9th, 2011. Salonga, the Filipina singer and actress who ...

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Festival

Celebrate Black Music Month in Harlem!

Source: Carolyn McClair Public Relations
June 9, 2011

Harlem Celebrates Black Music Month 2011 at Nine Venues Throughout Harlem BID ON CULTURE's Month-long Celebration Includes Blues, Jazz, Gospel, R & B, Classical, Caribbean, Salsa, Afro-Cuban, Funk and Soul Music Performances Plus Spoken Word, Art and More! HARLEM, NY—Celebrate Black Music Month in Harlem throughout June at nearly 100 events at nine venues throughout the area. The month-long celebration, presented by BID ON CULTURE, features Jazz, Blues, Gospel, R & B, Classical, Caribbean, Salsa, Afro-Cuban, Funk and Soul music ...

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