The Jazz Voyager
Taking a flight from Laguardia to Lambert International to take a seat in the Harold & Dorothy Steward Center For Jazz this week. Formerly known as Jazz at the Bistro, in 2014 along with the building next door was renovated into a two hundred and twenty seat venue that was renamed as the center. Located at 3536 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63103 it has become a renowned venue for performance, education and community engagement.
The Jazz Voyager will be occupying one of the seats to witness the talents of trombonist Wycliffe Gordon. Known affectionately as “Pinecone,” the Georgia-born trombonist also sings and plays didgeridoo, trumpet, soprano trombone, tuba, and piano. In 1995, Gordon arranged and orchestrated the theme song for NPR’s All Things Considered.
For more information you can visit https://notoriousjazz.com/event/wycliffe-gordon.
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The Jazz Voyager
The Jazz Voyager is hitting the friendly skies in Ohio and heading to the Big Apple to go to the Village Vanguard. Located in lower Manhattan at 178 7th Avenue S, New York City 10014. The small room with low ceilings and remarkable acoustics has staged more than 100 live commercial recordings, several of which are essential works in the history of jazz on record. The venue, open since 1935, is the oldest continuously operated jazz club in the world.
So tonight I will be enjoying pianist Jason Moran and Bandwagon with double bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits. Moran has worked with Greg Osby in his New Directions group and out of that band the trio formed The Bandwagon. The trio performs many compositions of Moran’s and some by Mateen.
For more information you can visit https://notoriousjazz.com/event/jason-moran-the-bandwagon
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The Jazz Voyager
Saying farewell to DC always gives me a melancholy feeling having spent so many years there having so much fun. This week the Jazz Voyager is heading for a little jazz in the Buckeye State and for those who don’t know I’m talking about Ohio. The city is Cincinnati and it sits at the confluence of Licking and Ohio Rivers, the latter which has the city looking at Kentucky.
The venue is Caffè Vivace, a coffee house by day and a jazz lounge by night. It provides a space for Queen City residents to gather, work, socialize and herald the musical art form of jazz and a destination for jazz lovers. Located in the Walnut Hills neighborhood and has gained a reputation that hosts the area’s finest local jazz musicians, young and old, as well as the occasional regionally or nationally known artists.
So tonight I will be in the audience to check out vocalist Mandy Gaines who has been singing since an early age, getting her initial training school and church. She then continued studies with private vocal instruction and an assortment of workshops that enhanced her skillset. Joining her is pianist Sergio Pamies from Spain who fuses traditional jazz language with flamenco music of his childhood. He has takenhis knowledge and became a college professor at several universities in America, Europe and Asia.
The venue is located at 975 E McMillan Street, 45206 and for more information you can visit https://notoriousjazz.com/event/mandy-gaines-sergio-pamies
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The Jazz Voyager
Departing the Midwest for the nation’s capital is the next hop for this week. The Jazz Voyager is landing at Reagan National and hopping over to Wisconsin and M Streets in Georgetown to the Blues Alley. Situated in an actual alley, this intimate venue has long established themselves as one of the premiere jazz clubs on the East Coast. Opening in 1965 it has hosted the biggest names in jazz and blues along with emerging young stars.
This week I will see the incomparable Grammy nominated guitar Stanley Jordan. Be it bold reinventions of classical masterpieces or soulful explorations through pop-rock hits, to blazing straight ahead jazz forays and ultramodern improvisational works, whether solo or in a group, Jordan can always be depended upon to take listeners on a journey into the unexpected. If you’ve never heard him perform, this is an opportunity to witness his solo virtuosity.
The venue is located at 1073 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007 and for more information you can visit https://notoriousjazz.com/event/stanley-jordan-3
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The Jazz Voyager
The Midwest is the next destination for this Jazz Voyager to the city on the Mississippi River with the famous Gateway Arch. But before that monument was built, St. Louis, Missouri was known as a hub for jazz with many musicians being born or migrating from other regions of the country. The venue I’ll be visiting began as a small intimate location Jazz At The Bistro. In 2006 the name was changed to Jazz St. Louis and by 2014 was renovated as is the Harold & Dorothy Steward Center For Jazz.
Performing at this center this week is a friend of mine who I always enjoy seeing, especially in performance. She is internationally renowned vocalist Rene Marie. Over two decades of performing and recording eleven albums, she has cemented her reputation as a composer, arranger, theatrical performer and teacher. Her life lessons are an integral component of her compositions as she borrows various elements of folk, R&B, classical, and country to create a captivating hybrid style. Her body of work is musical and is an affirmation of the power of the human spirit.
The venue is located at 3536 Washington Avenue, 63103 and for more information you can visit https://notoriousjazz.com/event/rene-marie-3
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