Jazz News

Ann Hampton Callaway at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola.

Source: Michael Ricci
February 19, 2009

Ann Hampton Callaway’s self-reinvention from a lachrymose piano-bar chanteuse into a jazz swinger progressed a step further on Tuesday evening at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, where she added a new pose to her arsenal of attitudinal stances: pugilistic bossiness.

Punching out “The Best Is Yet to Come,” that optimistic swinger by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, she bore down heavily on the phrase “Come the day you’re mine,” as if aggressively asserting her claim in a romantic gold rush.

“Comes ...

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James Moody Headlines “Moody & Friends” Benefit Concert for Jazz Scholarships at Purchase College

Source: Sally Fischer Public Relations
February 19, 2009

Legendary jazz saxophonist and NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) Jazz Master James Moody will headline the annual “Moody & Friends” Benefit Concert for jazz scholarships at Purchase College on March 30, 2009 at 7:30 PM at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill. Moody will be joined by an ensemble of renowned jazz musicians. The concert supports the James Moody Scholarship Fund at Purchase College. Joining Moody on stage will be musical director Jon Faddis, trumpet; Randy Brecker, trumpet; Todd ...

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Joan Baez Remains More Than the Song

Source: Michael Ricci
February 19, 2009

The singer-songwriter, who performs Thursday at UCLA, has found a new intimacy in her music and her life.

If all the stars had aligned for her, Joan Baez would have come away from this year's Grammy Awards with the first recording academy trophy of her long and distinguished career. She was nominated for her critically lauded album Day After Tomorrow, a sparsely produced collection of pointed and illuminating songs by contemporary writers including Steve Earle (who produced it), Patty Griffin, ...

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Juana Molina, Laura Gibson at the Troubadour

Source: Michael Ricci
February 19, 2009

The daughters of Joni and Joan are alive and well and living these days in places like Buenos Aires and Portland, Ore. They also were on stage Tuesday night at the Troubadour

Demonstrating to a transfixed crowd how they've absorbed the lessons of the aforementioned Mitchell, Baez and other elder stateswomen of the singer-songwriter sisterhood.

But Argentine Abstract Expressionist Juana Molina, who headlined Tuesday's show, and Oregonian urban folkie Laura Gibson, who helped open it, also are finding inventive new ...

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Reverend Zen's Jack Evans Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
February 19, 2009

New York group Reverend Zen has its debut album, Angels, Blues & the Crying Moon (Blackjack Music, 2006), and it as quickly garnered music industry acclaim around the world. Platitudes aside, Reverend Zen's true genius lies in its music. The album is everything a great album should be: melodies that hang in your head like an old friend, dead-on drum tracks, bad-ass guitar solos, and subtleties that slowly reveal themselves, supporting lyrics of wit, introspection and cultural commentary.

A decade ...

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Marlene Verplanck Celebrates Her 20th CD at a Free Concert at Manhasset Public Library

Source: Carolyn McClair Public Relations
February 18, 2009

Vocalist Marlene VerPlanck celebrates her 20th CD, Once There Was a Moon, at a free concert at Manhasset Public Library, 30 Onderdonk Road, on Sunday, February 22, from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. and at The Baha'i Center, The John Birks Gillespie Auditorium, 53 West 11th Street, on Tuesday, February 24, at 8:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Joining Ms. VerPlanck at The Baha'i Center will be Tedd Firth, piano; Steve LaSpina, bass; and Ron Vincent, drums.

Throughout her career, Marlene VerPlanck ...

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Richie Goods and Nuclear Fusion Live at the Zinc Bar on March 10th

Source: Two for the Show Media
February 18, 2009

Bassist, Composer, & Bandleader Richie Goods will be performing with his group Nuclear Fusion at The Zinc Bar in New York City on March 10th, 2009 in celebration of his newest release Richie Goods & Nuclear Fusion - Live at The Zinc Bar (Richman Productions) Set Times are 9:30 PM, 11:30 PM and 12:30 PM.

Essential listening for advocates of electric-jazz Glenn Astarita

Richie Goods and Nuclear Fusion Richie Goods - bass Mike Clark ...

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The Rippingtons to Release New Album on Peak Records

Source: On Target Media Group
February 18, 2009

Smooth Jazz pioneers The Rippingtons will release their latest album, Modern Art, on March 10th via Peak Records (Concord Music Group).

The Rippingtons 18th release features an explosive lineup lead by founder Russ Freeman with special guests including smooth Jazz trumpet icon Rick Braun. The Rippingtons, whose first lineup included future contemporary Jazz superstars Dave Koz, Kenny G and David Benoit, dominated the instrumental and urban Jazz landscape from the late 80s on with their often exotically titled hit recordings, ...

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