Atlanta Jazz Festival…2007
The preview party for the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the 2007 Atlanta Jazz Festival took place at the Atlanta Civic Center on April 9th. Nnena Nchege had dubbed the legion of volunteers as Jazzteers two years earlier as noted by Mayor Shirley Franklin in her remarks when thanking them for their hard work. Visual imagery with a 30th Anniversary exhibition curated by Freddie Styles that showcased the rich history of the festival through the eyes of photographers Jim Alexander, Sue Ross, Michael Reece, Sheila Pree Bright, Julie Yarbrough and Eric Waters. The Bureau of Cultural Affairs produced a coffee table book utilizing the photographs of the above photographers with historical timeline by John Holman.
Thirty years was a milestone for the city of Atlanta taking the dream of newly elected first-time Black mayor Maynard Jackson and continuing the legacy that was set by directors before her. Camille Russell-Love had expanded the vision of the festival and incorporated new aspects that highlighted the city’s sustaining musicians and those yet to become professionals. 2007 was a banner year and May 26th – 28th was evidence of that tradition in Piedmont Park.
The Future of Jazz stage hosted Ron James, the 2007 Future of Jazz Winner, who took an honored spot in the programming along Future of Jazz artists Lillie Huddleston Quartet, Ken Ford, the Yonrico Scott Band, Antoine Knight, Toni Redd, Hudson on Bass, Jaspects, Joe Gransden, Joey Summerville, Julie Dexter, Reggie Hines, Squat, Tammy Allen, Bernard Linnette Quartet, William Green and DAYSAHEAD.
On the mainstage jazz fans got to see and hear the national acts of the Bad Plus, Bobby Hutcherson Quartet, Charles Tolliver Big Band, Chieli Minucci and Special EFX, Flora Purim & Airto Moreira, Herbie Hancock Quintet, Laws Family, Lou Donaldson Quartet, Mike Phillips, Monty Alexander, Nefertari Bey, Pete Escovedo Orchestra with Sheila E, Steve Turre, Ray Vega, & Juan Escovedo, Ronny Jordan Trio, Terri Lyne Carrington and Friends, Vijay Iyer Quartet, and.
Over the weekend Eric Essix performed at the Park Tavern, and Gordon Vernick and Robert Irving III ran their respective night of the Late Night Jazz Jam.
The sponsors Delta Airlines, Budweiser Select, Coca-Cola, Winsonic Technologies, Nextwave Entertainment, MARTA, BET J, Steinway Piano Galleries, Epiphone guitars, Mapex Drums, LBD Advertising, Four Spots Digital Media, The Atlanta Livery Company, Bermuda Department of Tourism, Publix Supermarkets, WCLK 91.9FM, WJZZ, Rolling Out, The Atlanta Tribune, Upscale Magazine, JazzTimes Magazine, Atlanta Party Starters, Mundo Hispanico, Transit TV, American Technologies, Georgia State University Rialto Center for The Arts, JW Pepper, Smart Music and the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. #AJF40
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Alexander Gafa was born on April 9, 1941 in New York City and worked as a student in the city from 1964 to 1969, playing guitar with Kai Winding and Sam Donahue . During the late Sixties he was a part of the New York Playboy Club playing with Winding, Earl May and Al Foster.
From 1969 to 1970, he was musical director and accompanist for Carmen McRae and performed as a member of the Sammy Davis Jr. orchestra in 1970 and 1971. During this decade he also did some live dates with Sarah Vaughan, one of which aired on PBS.
In 1971 Al played with Dizzy Gillespie and joined his group and toured with him for a period. Under his own name, he recorded the album Leblon Beach in 1976 for Pablo Records. He has recorded as well with Susannah McCorkle, Paul Simon, The Monkees, Alex Leonard, Duke Pearson, Johnny Hartman, Joe Albany and Sonny Stitt.
Before the fall of the World Trade Centers, he and bassist Dr. Lyn Christie would play in a duo configuration in the restaurant on the top floor. He is also part of Tom Lord’s 34 recording sessions from 1934 to 2011 of acoustic and electric guitar, and banjo. Guitarist Al Gafa currently resides in Brooklyn, New York where he performs occasionally.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ollie Mitchell was born Oliver Edward Mitchell in Los Angeles, California on April 8, 1927. His father, Harold Mitchell, lead trumpeter for MGM Studios, taught his son to play the trumpet.
His career would see him playing in the big bands of Harry James, Buddy Rich and Pérez Prado, among others, as well as the NBC Symphony Orchestra. In the 1960s, Mitchell joined The Wrecking Crew, a group of studio and session musicians who played anonymously on many records for popular singers of the time, as well as television theme songs, film scores, advertising jingles.
An original member of Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass, Ollie would go on to lead his own bands under the names of Ollie Mitchell’s Sunday Band and the Olliephonic Horns. It was in 1995 that he moved from to Puako, Hawaii and founded the Horns.
Mitchell recorded some two dozen albums over the course of his career with Chet Baker, Harry James, Stan Kenton, Irene Kral, Shorty Rogers, Pete Rugolo, Dan Terry and Gerald Wilson, among others.
In 2010, Ollie published his memoir, Lost, But Making Good Time: A View from the Back Row of the Band. Around this time he stopped playing the trumpet, due to macular degeneration, hand problems from an automobile accident and complications from cancer. Trumpeter and bandleader Ollie Mitchell passed away on May 11, 2013 in Puako, Hawaii at the age of 86.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Pat LaBarbera was born Pascel Emmanuel LaBarbera on April 7, 1944 in Mt. Morris, New York. He began as a soloist in Buddy Rich bands from 1967–1973 and went on to work with Elvin Jones in 1975 and touring Europe with him in 1979. While working with Rich, he was also working in groups led by Woody Herman and Louie Bellson, as well as playing with Carlos Santana.
He moved to Toronto, Ontario in 1974 and is a on the faculty at Humber College. LaBarbera has played a major role in the development of a generation of Canadian saxophonists. He has released a handful of albums as a leader since 1975 and another two-dozen as a sideman. In 2000, he won a Juno Award for Best Traditional Instrumental Jazz Album for Deep in a Dream.
He is the brother of trumpeter John LaBarbera with who he is a part of his big band, and drummer Joe LaBarbera and worked with the Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra, Denny Christianson, Jan Jarczyk. Tenor, alto and soprano saxophonist, clarinetist, and flautist Pat LaBarbera continues to teach, perform and record.
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Atlanta Jazz Festival…2006
It had been twenty-nine years of festival history that brought amazing talent to Atlanta for the 2006 jazz festival. On May 27 – 29, Piedmont Park was filled with those minions of jazz greedily clamoring for the perfect spot to lay a blank, pitch a tent or set up a lawn chair. Excitement filled the air as they anticipated the next generation opening up each day who were the winners of the Youth Jazz Band Competition.
The programming brought such luminaries as Al Green featuring Francine Reed. Barry Harris Trio with special guest Charles McPherson, Benny Golson Quartet, Carmen Lundy & the New Songbook Artists, Clarke/Duke Project featuring Marcus Miller, Donald Byrd, Geri Allen Trio featuring Jimmy Cobb & Kenny Harris, Grady Tate Quintet, Kendrick Oliver & the New Life Jazz Orchestra, McCoy Tyner, Moncef Genoud, Pyeng Threadgill, René Marie, Robert Glasper Trio, United Trombone Summit: Delfeayo Marsalis, Robin Eubanks, Steve Turre & Curtis Fuller and the YellowJackets.
Vocalist Tammy Allen had put together a Future of Jazz competition that was held at Churchill Grounds to discover who amongst Atlanta’s finest, up and comers and those emerging artists that were selected by a panel of jurors to perform during the festival.
The Future of Jazz competition winner was Jaspects, the festival felt it prudent to give some of the other artists and was accompanied by Ede Wright, International Groove Conspiracy, Jeff Simpson, Organized Time, Ramon Pooser, Solid State, Squat, Will Scruggs Jazz Fellowship and the organizer herself Tammy Allen.
Sponsors for the weekend were Delta Airlines Budweiser Select, The Atlanta Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, Steinway Piano Galleries, MARTA, Atlanta lIvery Company, BET Jazz The 24 Hour Jazz Channel, Peter Conlon, Publix Supermarkets, Atlanta Tribune The Magazine, Creative Loafing, JazzTimes, Rolling Out, Smooth Jazz 105.7 WJZZ, Jazz 91.9FM WCLK, 790 The Zone, WSB-TV, Jazz Media, Premier Events and the Bermuda Department of Tourism. #AJF40
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