This & That (and Chuck), Part 6

Like many, I was saddened to hear of Chuck Mangione's passing. I grew up listening to his Milestone, Mercury, and A&M Records releases—and I still have those albums today. Fast forward to 1999: I had the chance to meet Chuck at the 7th Annual Capital Jazz Festival in Columbia, MD. All About Jazz was approaching its fourth year and still relatively unknown at the time, but I managed to secure press access and spoke with him briefly. I asked if he'd be open to an interview, and he graciously agreed, which led to a series of email exchanges. I had never interviewed anyone in my life and somehow thought it was a good idea to start with Chuck. :-) You can read the interview here. For whatever reason, we followed it up with another interview in September 2000, this time by Chris Slawecki. Both interviews were lost in the 2003 website hack/crash, but fortunately recovered in 2015 and republished this past week. RIP, Chuck.

Binge!

We've introduced a new section on our home page: BINGE. Each month, we'll spotlight standout columns from our archive. We're kicking things off with Django's Cosmic Echo (18 chapters), now easier than ever to read from beginning to end.

Project Updates

Newsletter News

 The improved All About Jazz newsletter is on track for beta release by month's end. Key features include delivery based on time zone—so it lands in your inbox at a more convenient time. 

Jazz Near You Optimization

 SEO optimization continues. Progress has been steady, and we anticipate two more months of work before turning our focus to All About Jazz optimization. 

Coverage Request/Assignment System

 This major initiative, which will significantly change how AAJ operates, is progressing well. Due to its size, we'll be rolling it out in phases (v1, v2, etc.).

Album Reviewers Wanted

All About Jazz is looking to expand our album review staff and you're welcome to join us. If you are knowledgeable about jazz (any style) and have a passion for the music, this could be a great opportunity. Submit a writing sample and we'll get back to you. Thank you.

Article Exchange Program

All About Jazz and JazzTokyo have launched an article exchange program, through which we translate and publish one article from each other's websites every month. Kenny Inaoka, Editor-in-Chief of JazzTokyo, and I are thrilled about this collaboration and the value it brings to our readers. Special thanks to pianist Atsuko Kohashi for connecting Kenny and me. In addition to being a fine pianist, Atsuko is the author of the popular article Why Is Japan a Jazz Paradise?, which was featured on All About Jazz earlier this month. Atsuko is working on part 2, so stay tuned.

ECM Luminessence Vinyl Giveaway... Enter!

We saw a nice increase in participants for the ECM giveaway last week, and with your help, we're aiming to surpass the turnout from our Miles Davis Electric Years giveaway. To hit that goal, we need 443 more members to enter. Doing the math: if just 0.48% of our newsletter subscribers participate, we'll get there. So show your support for All About Jazz and win a chance at one of four great prizes—details are listed in the giveaway section below.

The Big Shoe

In honor of All About Jazz's 30th anniversary, SMOKE Jazz Club is gifting a complimentary livestream concert on Friday, August 15th at 9:00pm ET. Visit allaboutjazz.com to catch Vincent Herring and Eric Alexander—two of the great saxophonists—on alto and tenor respectively, celebrating the August 22nd release of their new co-led album Split Decision (SMOKE Sessions Records). It's been 20 years since they first went head-to-head on record for 2005's The Battle: Live at Smoke. Both were already acclaimed among the powerhouse reedmen of their generation, and they have only garnered more acclaim in the two decades since. These two esteemed leaders will be joined, as they are on the recording, by an equally impressive rhythm section: pianist Mike LeDonne, bassist John Webber, and drummer Lewis Nash.

How to Watch

Visit allaboutjazz.com or jazznearyou.com at 9pm ET on Friday, August 15th. You can also set a reminder by going to the concert info page on Jazz Near You then clicking the SET REMINDER button. When you do, we'll add the show to your personal jazz calendar (on AAJ) and shoot you a reminder on the day of.

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Posted to Publisher's Desk IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
Read more posts by Michael Ricci

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About Chuck Mangione