Jazz News

Robert Rauschenberg Pioneer of Pop Art

Source: Michael Ricci
May 13, 2008

Pop artist Robert Rauschenberg dies in Fla. at 82

Robert Rauschenberg, whose use of odd and everyday articles earned him a reputation as a pioneer in pop art but whose talents spanned the worlds of painting, sculpture and dance, has died, his gallery representative said today. He was 82. Rauschenberg died Monday, said Jennifer Joy, his representative at PaceWildenstein gallery in New York. Rauschenberg, who first gained fame in the 1950s, didn't mine popular culture wholesale as Andy Warhol did ...

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Larry Levine "Wall of Sound" Engineer

Source: All About Jazz
May 13, 2008

Larry Levine: Gold Star recording engineer who played a crucial role in the building of Phil Spector's “Wall of Sound"

Larry Levine, the recording engineer who helped translate the grandiose sonic vision of record producer Phil Spector into some of the biggest-selling and most influential recordings of the rock era, died Thursday, on his 80th birthday, at his home in Encino.

The announcement by his wife, Lyn, gave no cause of death, but he had suffered from emphysema and heart ...

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Ralph Alessi at Firehouse 12 This Friday 5/16

Source: Improvised Communications
May 13, 2008

On Friday, May 16th New Haven's Firehouse 12 will present a two-set performance by New York trumpeter/composer Ralph Alessi and his all-star quintet, This Against That. The group, which skillfully blends jazz with pop and contemporary classical music, features saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, pianist Andy Milne, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Mark Ferber. This performance will follow the band's European tour (Italy, France, Switzerland and the UK) and feature Alessi's meditative compositions ranging from song forms to pieces featuring free improvisation. ...

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First-Ever Playboy Jazz Cruise Will Sail Jan. 25-Feb. 1, 2009

Source: All About Jazz
May 13, 2008

Bassist Marcus Miller will host inaugural floating jazz party + special guest Herbie Hancock

The first-ever Playboy Jazz ocean cruise, marking the festival's 30th anniversary, will feature acclaimed bassist Marcus Miller as musical host with 2008 Grammy winner Herbie Hancock as special guest among the lineup of stars.

The inaugural cruise, Jan. 25 to Feb. 1, 2009 will leave Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Holland America's M/S Westerdam, for the ports of San Juan, Saint Barth's, Nevis and the private island ...

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T Bone Burnett's Tooth of Crime Release

Source: All About Jazz
May 13, 2008

T Bone's New Album, Tooth Of Crime To Be Released May 13 On Nonesuch

T Bone's new album is an outgrowth of a long-running collaboration with playwright Sam Shepard that began with the 1996 musical staging of his noted play Tooth of Crime (Second Dance) in New York. The songs are distillations of modern conflicts and personal drama in a modern hyper-reality. Following Burnett's highly praised 2006 album The True False Identity, this new collection is the realization of years ...

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Balcony? Not at These Intimate Listening Spots

Source: Michael Ricci
May 13, 2008

WHEN it comes to describing places to hear music, here's an adjective that is tossed around a lot: intimate.

In New York, that's sometimes a euphemism for “tiny" or “sardine-like" or, from a musician's point of view, “unprofitable." But sometimes it lives up to what you hope for: cozy, friendly, comfortable, with a sense of interaction with the performers. In other words, a place where your row (say, XX) will not be named after sex-determining chromosomes, or one where a ...

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Sten Hostfalt & Blaise Siwula Live @ Stain NYC, May 17

Source: All About Jazz
May 13, 2008

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New Hub for Music: Practice, Practice off Broadway

Source: Michael Ricci
May 13, 2008

DiMenna Center for Classical Music

New York's freelance orchestras have long yearned for such a facility

The Orchestra of St. Luke's intends to buy half of a building in Clinton to create a permanent home for itself as well as rehearsal space for a dog's breakfast of local orchestras. If the plan is realized, it could represent a major boon for New York's classical music scene. The orchestra is expected to announce on Monday that it will buy part of ...

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