Jazz News

Wynton Marsalis to Release New Album March 24th

Source: On Target Media Group
February 26, 2009

On March 24, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, trumpeter and bandleader Wynton Marsalis will release his fifth Blue Note recording, He and She – an ambitious new album of 22 tracks that combines spoken word and Wynton’s signature Jazz style. The album is tempered with flashes of humor and plenty of swing centered around the compelling and most elemental of subjects, the relationship between a man and a woman. Before heading into the studio, ...

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Clint Eastwood Gets Lifetime Palme D’Or

Source: All About Jazz
February 26, 2009

PARIS - Clint Eastwood on Wednesday became only the second person to receive a lifetime achievement honor from the organizers of the Cannes Film Festival.

The actor/director received the honorary Palme d’Or during an intimate news conference and cocktail party at a restaurant.

“I’m very, very flattered that you’ve chosen me for this,” Eastwood said. “French cineastes have always been very supportive of me along the way. When I directed my first movie, French cineastes and critics encouraged me, while ...

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Obamas Honor Stevie Wonder at White House

Source: All About Jazz
February 26, 2009

Singer-songwriter is praised for creating ‘a style that’s uniquely American’ Legendary entertainer Stevie Wonder got a presidential welcome from the Obamas, who honored him with the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday thanked musician Stevie Wonder for creating “a style that’s uniquely American” as he presented the singer- songwriter the nation’s highest award for pop music.

Obama, who called Wonder the soundtrack of his youth, gave the star the Library of ...

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Pylon Guitarist Randy Bewley Dies After Heart Attack

Source: All About Jazz
February 26, 2009

Randall Bewley, guitarist and founding member of new wave band Pylon, died Wednesday (Feb. 25) afternoon after a heart attack on Monday in his hometown of Athens, Georgia.

Bewley was driving on Monday (Feb. 23) when his van drifted off the road and tipped over, according to an email circulated by bandmate Vanessa Hay.

Pylon was formed in 1979 by University of Georgia art students Bewley, bassist Michael Lachowski, drummer Curtis Crowe and Hay - then Vanessa Briscoe - on ...

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'American Idol': The Pile-Up

Source: Michael Ricci
February 26, 2009

Please, America, be sane. Don't listen to the obviously predetermined (or at least heavily biased) patter of the judges. Try to put aside your preconceptions about what makes an “Idol" worth supporting. Do the right thing, and instead of going for novelty, looks or even personality, go for voice.

Vote for Jesse Langseth.

I know -- you were expecting me to stump for Awesome Adam Lambert. But I'm not worried about him, after his dragon-slaying take on the Stones' “Satisfaction". ...

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'Ella' at Laguna Playhouse

Source: Michael Ricci
February 26, 2009

A diva despite her mild temperament, Ella Fitzgerald proudly wore the title of “first lady of song.” Yet she seemed comfortable in the spotlight only when she could lose herself in music. Give her a microphone and she could fill a room with clarion sunshine, but her stage presence tended to subside with the orchestra.

In Ella, a musical biography that turns into a concert in the second act, Tina Fabrique re-creates the peculiar mix of astonishing giftedness and personal ...

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U2 “Spider-Man” Musical Swinging onto Broadway February 2010

Source: All About Jazz
February 26, 2009

The planned Spider-Man musical, featuring music and lyrics by U2’s Bono and the Edge, will make its Broadway debut in February 2010.

Previews of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark start January 16th, with the musical’s official starting date February 18th at the Hilton Theatre. Julie Taymor, director of film musical Across the Universe, is set to direct.

Bono and the Edge assuredly had no shortage of material to contribute to the musical — they’re incredibly prolific these days, penning 50 ...

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Ticketmaster: AEG May Cancel if Merger Succeeds

Source: All About Jazz
February 26, 2009

Ticketmaster's chief executive sought Thursday to allay antitrust fears over the ticket seller's planned merger with concert promoter Live Nation by revealing that a major venue operator has threatened to cancel its contract if the merger goes through.

The revelation, made before a House subcommittee examining the proposed merger for antitrust concerns, was meant to suggest the combination might somewhat weaken Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc.'s grip on ticket contracts with a majority of top U.S. venues.

Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff said ...

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