Jazz News

Swing Central 2010 Finishes with Unprecedented Momentum for Fostering the Growth of Jazz Through High-Quality Mentorship

Source: Michael Ricci
April 20, 2010

Dillard Center for the Arts from Ft. Lauderdale Takes Home the First Place Faircloth Award

Savannah, Georgia -- On Friday, April 2nd, the 2010 edition of the Savannah Music Festival's (SMF) SWING CENTRAL High School Jazz Band Competition & Workshop, dubbed the “Pro Bowl of high school jazz bands" by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, wrapped up with a sold-out show featuring competition finalists on a bill alongside an original program performed by their mentors. The ...

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Chick Webb Jazz Combo Competition at Artscape: Prize $1,000

Source: Michael Ricci
April 20, 2010

ARTSCAPE HONORS THE LEGACY OF CHICK WEBB WITH ANNUAL JAZZ COMPETITION CHICK WEBB JAZZ COMBO COMPETITION APPLICATION DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, MAY 14 Calling all top bands to compete for the third annual Chick Webb Jazz Combo Competition, presented by MECU. The competition honors the legendary musical career of jazz pioneer William Henry Webb. Local and regional jazz combos can compete for a $1,000 cash prize. The submission deadline is Friday, May 14 by 5pm. The Chick Webb Jazz Combo Competition ...

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Ran Blake at 75

Source: Michael Ricci
April 20, 2010

Maverick pianist Ran Blake celebrates his 75th Birthday today. Since his 1961 collaboration with Jeanne Lee on RCA, Ran Blake has released 35 albums on such labels as ESP, Soul Note, Arista and hatOLOGY. His 2006 album on the Tompkins Square label, All That Is Tied, received 4 stars in Downbeat and earned top honors in the 2007 Penguin Guide to Jazz. Penguin's editor Brian Morton and Wire Magazine hailed the record as a “masterpiece." On his most recent solo ...

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Google Photographers Go Beyond Where No Photographers Have Gone Before: Inside Businesses

Source: Michael Ricci
April 20, 2010

Google is now accepting applications from businesses to be among the first places the company sends photographers to take panoramic photographs of the insides of buildings. Street view? You aint seen nothing yet. We reported in February on rumors that this project was in the works. The company says the photographs will be taken by professionals trained in low-lighting, will be as unobtrusive as possible, will initially be traditional in format and will be stitched together to form panoramas in ...

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For Apple, Lost iPhone is a Big Deal

Source: Michael Ricci
April 20, 2010

For anyone who has ever lost a cellphone, remember this: it could be worse. You could be the person who left his phone in a bar in California. And it wasnt just any phone; it was a supersecret version of the next iPhone. That model is not expected to be formally unveiled for a couple of months. For the people at Apple, it must be like a bad version of the guy walks into a bar joke. The company is ...

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Rapper Guru Attained Fame with Gang Starr, Jazzmatazz Dies

Source: All About Jazz
April 20, 2010

Rapper Guru, who attained fame with his conscious, jazz-inflected brand of hip-hop in the groups Gang Starr and Jazzmatazz, died Monday after a long battle with cancer. He was 43.

The rap performer had been hospitalized in February after suffering cardiac arrest and falling into a coma. Born Keith Elam and raised in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, he founded Gang Starr in the '90s in New York; his professional handle was an acronym for “Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal." Working in tandem ...

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Celebration of Jake Hanna's Life

Source: Michael Ricci
April 20, 2010

Celebration of Jake Hanna's life Sunday

A celebration of Jake Hanna's life was held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday April 17th at Catalina Bar and Grill, 6725 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Hanna, known for his unerring sense of time, was at home playing with big bands and small groups. He performed with Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson and Duke Ellington, among others. Jake Hanna, a versatile drummer who played with such jazz figures as Woody Herman and was ...

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Facebook Integration Coming to the iPhone?

Source: Michael Ricci
April 20, 2010

Facebook's iPhone application is one of the most popular programs in Apple's App Store. But if recent rumors are true, some of that app's functionality could be available to iPhone owners out of the box when the hardware company releases iPhone OS 4.0 later this year. According to a report from Gunning for Safety, the safety blog has discovered evidence in the developer preview of iPhone OS 4.0 that Facebook friends and events could be integrated into the new software. ...

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