Jazz News

How Wall-E Met Hello Dolly

Source: Michael Ricci
July 4, 2008

Two songs from the movie musical help Pixar's robot express his romantic feelings.

I'm still blown away by the fact that two songs of mine that are close to 50 years old have been used as the underpinning, -Jerry Herman

In high school, “Wall-E" director Andrew Stanton played the shy Yonkers store clerk Barnaby in the Jerry Herman musical “Hello, Dolly!" Decades later, two of the show's lesser-known songs would play a pivotal part in the critically acclaimed ...

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Denver Singer Opts Black National Anthem Lyrics

Source: Michael Ricci
July 4, 2008

Denver singer opts for black national anthem lyrics over 'Star-Spangled Banner'

“I pulled a switcheroonie on them."

Singer Rene Marie sang lyrics of List Ev'ry Voice and Sing to the tune of the national anthem prior to the annual state of the city address by the Denver mayor. Rene Marie's unexpected choice at a mayor's event where she was asked to sing the more traditional song has prompted a chorus of criticism. The jazz singer, invited to perform the national ...

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This July 4th Weekend, Celebrate Your Right to Free Jazz

Source: All About Jazz
July 4, 2008

The Independence Day weekend may be synonymous with American music, but in Chicago that doesn't necessarily mean marches by John Philip Sousa (glorious though they are). Free jazz, hard-core bebop, American popular song--that's how Chicago marks the 4th of July holiday weekend. Among the highlights: What's billed as an Independence Day Celebration will feature Chicago flutist Nicole Mitchell leading her magisterial Black Earth Ensemble. Mitchell long ago declared her independence from conventional musical thought, her work boldly merging classical technique ...

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Chevy Chase to Host Newport Jazz Festival

Source: All About Jazz
July 4, 2008

Chase, the comic actor and original cast member of Saturday Night Live will host the Newport Jazz Festival for the second year in a row. The JVC Jazz Festival-Newport runs Aug. 8-10 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Fort Adams State Park. Chase, a jazz fan and pianist, will introduce the musicians performing on the festival's main stage, including Aretha Franklin, Sonny Rollins and Herbie Hancock. In college, Chase, 64, played drums in a jazz band with Walter ...

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Jazz: Music to Hit Fort Collins Stage, Screen

Source: All About Jazz
July 4, 2008

Starting Tuesday, Fort Collins is offering six days dedicated to experiencing the music in a variety of ways, with outdoor shows, indoor gigs, films and more. On Thursday, the New Belgium Brewing Co.'s Bike-In Movie Night is showing Jazz on a Summer's Day, the captivating film of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, at 8 p.m. (500 Linden St., 970-221-0524). That same evening, guitarist Charlie Hunter brings his trio to the town's Aggie Theater (970-482-8300). Hunter's current CD, Mistico, displays his ...

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Aaron Parks on "Invisible Cinema"

Source: All About Jazz
July 4, 2008

Somebody once asked me to find two words that describe the music I make, and the words I picked were 'spontaneous' and 'cinematic,'" says Aaron Parks. Having clarified the essence of his art, the pianist kept those two words closely in mind while conceiving and recording Invisible Cinema, his extraordinary debut for the Blue Note label. In its virtuosity and harmonic complexity, Invisible Cinema speaks to Parks's immersion in jazz on the highest level, even as it references a wider ...

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Litchfield Jazz Festival Presents 15 Free Concerts in July

Source: All About Jazz
July 4, 2008

The Litchfield Jazz Festival is proud to present a series of 15 free concerts throughout the month of July - “Litchfield Jazz Around Town." Performers will include talented Litchfield Jazz Camp students and teachers from Litchfield Jazz Camp including Jeremy Pelt, Mario Pavone, Mark Whitfield, Winard Harper, Jimmy Greene, Karrin Allyson and more. The series leads seamlessly into the Litchfield Jazz Festival on August 1-3 with Bebe Neuwirth, Paquito D'Rivera, Dave Brubeck and John Pizzarelli. The Litchfield Jazz Festival is ...

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Jamie Davis Releases New CD "Vibe over Perfection" on Unity Music

Source: All About Jazz
July 4, 2008

2008 is a defining year for Unity Music and jazz vocalist Jamie Davis as he confirms his position in the pantheon of great male vocalists on Vibe Over Perfection, his new CD, scheduled for release July 15, 2008. Mr. Davis, who debuts at the 2008 Monterey Jazz Festival on September 21st, 2008, has been compared to Joe Williams, Johnny Hartman, and Lou Rawls, with a truly unique sound and style. Vibe Over Perfection is Davis' second CD on Unity Music, ...

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