Jazz News

Francisco Aguabella Afro-Cuban Percussionist Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
May 10, 2010

Aguabella, a sacred drummer of the Santeria religion, left Cuba in the 1950s. He performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Eddie Palmieri, Carlos Santana and the Doors.

Francisco Aguabella plays the conga drums in Hollywood. He was the master of masters," says Danilo Lozano, an ethnomusicology professor and former bandmate.

Francisco Aguabella, an Afro-Cuban percussionist considered a master sacred drummer who also had a wide-ranging career in jazz and salsa, has died. He was 84.

Aguabella ...

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FCC Approves New, Barred Window for Pay-TV Movies

Source: Michael Ricci
May 10, 2010

Hollywood won another incremental battle Friday in its war on digital piracy, persuading the Federal Communications Commission to approve a new approach to protecting movies on cable and satellite TV systems.

The likely result is that some, but not all, pay-TV subscribers will be able to pay a premium to watch a movie at home, in high definition, before it comes out on disc. My colleague Richard Verrier wrote about the order for the Company Town blog, focusing on the ...

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5 Things Apple Must Do to Look Less Evil

Source: All About Jazz
May 10, 2010

It's appropriate that the Apple logo on the iPad is black. The Cupertino, California, company's image is taking on some awfully sinister tones lately.

For a company that made its name fighting for the little guy, it's a surprising reversal. In the past, Apple touted itself as the computer company for nonconformists who “Think Different." Now the company is making moves that make it look like the Big Brother it once mocked. First Apple tightened its iron grip on the ...

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A Faster WI-Fi Format Aims to Eliminate Most Wires

Source: Michael Ricci
May 10, 2010

Ready to cut the cord? The next generation of Wi-Fi technology could make most wires obsolete. The Wi-Fi Alliance, an organization that certifies wireless industry standards, announced the specification for a new format for transmitting data over the air at speeds up to 10 times faster than today's top-of-the-line hotspots. The nonprofit group is billing the technology as a replacement for most wired connections between electronics. In cooperation with the Wireless Gigabit Alliance, the Wi-Fi Alliance will lobby wireless networking ...

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The Bobby Murray Band w/SGS Lenny Watkins and Robert Penn to Appear at the Scarab Club Detroit Blues Heritage Series - Event 2, May 22

Source: Just Roots PR
May 10, 2010

The Detroit Blues Society & the Scarab Club Present The Detroit Blues Heritage Series on May 22, at 2 pm The Bobby Murray Band w/sgs Lenny Watkins and Robert Penn Scarab Club 217 Farnsworth Street Detroit, MI 48202-4018 (313) 831-1250

Blues guitar great Bobby Murray has been a Detroiter now for over a decade, but honed his skills around the blues clubs of San Francisco and Oakland. In ...

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Roxy Perry Inducted into Blues Hall of Fame

Source: Just Roots PR
May 10, 2010

AWARD WINNING ARTIST ROXY PERRY BRINGS NEW HONORS TO WESTCHESTER AND NEW YORK STATE

ROXY PERRY, award winning singer, songwriter, harmonica player, recording artist, and producer, known as ”NEW YORK BLUES QUEEN” for decades, has added to her list of credits with her recent induction into the BLUES HALL OF FAME as AMBASSADOR TO NEW YORK and GREAT BLUES MUSICIAN OF NEW YORK.

Inclusion in the Blues Hall of Fame is considered to be one of the highest honors a ...

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Flora Thornton, L.A. Philanthropist and Arts Patron, Dies at 96

Source: Michael Ricci
May 10, 2010

The USC School of Music bears her name. Among her many activities, she was a member of the LA Opera board and helped establish its young artist program.

Flora Thornton donated to many Los Angeles institutions but was best known for her contributions to the citys musical culture. (Los Angeles Times / February 19, 1997) Flora Laney Thornton, a longtime Los Angeles philanthropist and patron of the arts who was the namesake of USC's School of Music, has died. She ...

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Legendary John Heard Returns to Charlie O's

Source: All About Jazz
May 10, 2010

John Heard has worked almost constantly in the jazz world, for over four decades appearing on over 150 albums.

Heard's bass line has been the back bone working with Benny Carter, Rashan Roland Kirk, Hampton Hawes, Tete Montoliu, Oscar Peterson, Wes Montgomery, Cal Tjader, Willie Bobo, the Gerald Wilson Big Band, Freddie Hubbard, Count Basie, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Milt Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, Ahmad Jamal, Kenny Burrell, the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabakin Big Band, the Louis Bellson Big Band, Joe Pass, ...

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