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Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, concert series, special events, job postings, crowdfunding campaigns and more. You can find more news by searching our website, viewing our news stream, seeing what's trending or reading our blog posts. Subscribe to our news RSS feed and/or embed AAJ news content on your website or blog. Learn about our news service here. Submit news here.

Radio

Reluctant Genius Of Jazz: Artie Shaw This Week On Riverwalk Jazz

Source: Don Mopsick
August 21, 2014

Artie Shaw was one of the top-grossing stars of the 1930s and the only serious rival Benny Goodman had to his title as “The King of Swing." To celebrate the Shaw legacy, Riverwalk's David Holt talks with Tom Nolan, the author of a new biography, Three Chords for Beauty's Sake: The Life of Artie Shaw. Nolan drew on extended interviews he conducted with Shaw in his home between 1990 and 2004. Also on our broadcast salute to Artie Shaw, clips ...

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Video / DVD

Jim Henson's "Drums West" Animation

Source: Michael Ricci
August 20, 2014

Watch How Jim Henson Animated Jazz With Tiny, Dancing Strips of Paper Before he achieved fame with the Muppets, Jim Henson, a skilled animator as well as a puppeteer, was making all sorts of innovative work out of his home studio, in Bethesda, Md. Around 1961, he made the papercut animation above, which visualized jazz drummer Chico Hamilton's “Drums West." Released last year by the Jim Henson Company, the video was only recently rediscovered. At the end you can catch ...

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Interview

Interview: Alex Mercado

Source: Eric Taylor
August 20, 2014

Q: Did you receive any formal training as a pianist? Who taught you? A: I began studying classical music at age 13 with Jose Luis Arcaraz, a classical piano teacher who took me under his wing after discovering I had a special talent and predisposition for music. Through him I got thoroughly introduced to piano technique, dynamics, and the expressive range of the instrument. My passion for music allowed me to make quick progress through long practice sessions, achieving positive ...

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Event

Renowned Composer/Percussionist John Hollenbeck Teaching At New England Conservatory During Fall 2014 Semester

Source: Braithwaite & Katz Communications
August 20, 2014

Also leads September 23 Master Class with Claudia Quintet “John Hollenbeck has the power to induce synesthesia. A precociously gifted... composer, arranger, percussionist, and leader of several musical groups... Hollenbeck makes music that sounds the way the world looks and feels… Hollenbeck is a musician for our time.” —David Hadju, The New Republic New England Conservatory’s Jazz Studies Department has hired internationally acclaimed composer, conceptualist, drummer and percussionist John Hollenbeck to join the faculty for the fall 2014 season, filling ...

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Recording

Audrey Martin's Debut Album "Living Room" (Blue Hydrangea Records) Streets August 26

Source: Michael Bloom Media Relations
August 19, 2014

At its best music can heal the sick and soothe the soul, refresh the spirit and embolden the meek. Audrey Martin experienced first hand the power of a song to provide hope and emotional sustenance in the darkest of times. With her captivating debut album, Living Room, the Berkeley jazz singer shares a lifetime of wisdom with a highly personal repertoire that gracefully encompasses gems from the American Songbook and treasures from pop and jazz singer/songwriters such as Laura Nyro, ...

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Award / Grant

Chamber Music America Announces The 2015 Presenter Consortium For Jazz Grant Opportunity

Source: Susan Dadian
August 19, 2014

Chamber Music America (CMA) is accepting applications for the 2015 Presenter Consortium for Jazz. The application deadline is Friday, October 17, 2014, 5:00 P.M. ET. Guidelines, application, and FAQs are available on the CMA website. The Presenter Consortium for Jazz provides support to consortiums of three U. S. presenters that collectively engage up to three professional U.S. jazz ensembles (consisting of 2-10 musicians each) to perform at each presenter’s venue. Additional incentives are available to each consortium that invites one ...

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Performance / Tour

Michelle Walker Performs Live @ The 55 Bar

Source: Michelle Walker
August 19, 2014

New York, NY - Critically acclaimed jazz vocalist Michelle Walker will perform the early set on Saturday August 23, 2014 at one of New York City’s most established and loved music watering-hole stages, The 55 BAR. Her sets will consist of originals, new and old standards with her refreshing and engaging arrangements starting promptly at 6:00pm. NO COVER. Joining her will be Toru Dodo on Piano, Marvin Sewell on Guitar, Lonnie Plaxico on Bass and Neal Smith on drums. Michelle ...

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Festival

Maxwell Enlists Eclectic Lineup For Caribbean Cruise

Source: Great Scott P.R.oductions
August 19, 2014

Erykah Badu, Anthony Hamilton, Ledisi, Joe, Chrisette Michele, DL Hughley and more have been invited for the inaugural Maxwell + The 7 Seas, May 3-10, 2015. Phoenix, Arizona: On May 3, 2015, platinum soul star Maxwell will launch the maiden voyage of his own seven-day Caribbean cruise featuring a stellar lineup of R&B and contemporary jazz artists. Maxwell + The 7 Seas will sail on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas from Port Canaveral, Florida to St. Thomas, St. Maarten ...

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