Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ronaldo Folegatti was born on April 30, 1958 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and started playing the guitar at age 10. He studied mathematics and received a master’s degree in science.
When he was twenty-two, he moved to Germany and started a career in music. He released his debut album, Sound of Watercolors, in Germany in 1990. He recorded his sophomore album, Lust, Comics & Some Other Dreams, with Till Brönner and Ronnie Stevenson. The album crossed several genres including jazz, big band, free jazz, and Brazilian.
In 1995 he returned to Brazil and five years later recorded two more albums, Mazy Tales and Anjos & Estrellas. In 2005 he released Jamming! with guest appearances by Randy Brecker, Will Lee, Joel Rosenblatt, Zé Canuto, Teo Lima, Marcelo Martins, and Ada Rovatti. Composer, guitarist, and record producer Ronaldo Folegatti, who had been treated for cancer for two years, transitioned on August 1, 2007, Teresópolis, Brazil.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Kenn Smith was born Kenneth Lamont Smith on April 27, 1962 in Chicago, Illinois.
As a child of the 60s and Seventies living on the WestSide of his hometownhe first heard the sounds of Motown, Soul, Funk, Country, Jazz and Rock. His school was shows like Hee Haw and Midnight Special, his parents’ record collection, and a neighborhood filled with amateur and professional musicians.
When the family moved to the SouthSide in 1975, Smith began his guitar studies at age 13 with a visit to the local music store purchasing two Mel Bay books. Three years later the family moved to the western suburbs of Maywood, Illinois. At 16 he began classical guitar studies with guitarist Bruce Walters, and later continued studies at Jack Cecchini Studio.
While attending Proviso East High School, he played electric and classical guitar as well as timpani in the Proviso Township Orchestra, electric guitar and bass in the Proviso East High School jazz band, where he received the Louis Armstrong Award for Outstanding Jazz Improvisation during his senior year.
1982 saw Kenn beginning his career teaching guitar at Robinson’s Music Academy in Maywood, as well as performing with local funk and fusion bands. This he did while attending Columbia College of Chicago, studying music management and production. In 1987 he enrolled at the American Conservatory of Music where he studied jazz guitar and composition. In between those years of teaching, performing and study, he became an avid fan of progressive rock and fusion, developing skills as a guitarist, bassist and composer.
In 1986, he began his career as a freelance guitarist and bassist, performing on Chicago’s jazz, blues and rock scene. But it wasn’t till 1989 his professional career took off, working as a guitarist at the Chicago Cotton Club. It was here he later formed his first jazz trio and opened for jazz greats Shirley Horn, Stanley Turrentine, Freddy Cole, and Art Porter. As a jazz side man he played with other jazz greats, Jodie Christian, Guy Fricano, Johnny Frigo, Bobby Broom, Najee and many others.
He would go on tour with the Chi-Lites, start his own label Kenn Smith Music, has written, produced and recorded eight albums, as well as authored an instruction book for electric bass and numerous articles for online magazines such as Mel Bay Bass Sessions, and Bass Musician Magazine.
Guitarist, bassist, composer, educator and journalist Kenn Smith, who is well versed in many styles of music, continues to explore his music.
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Requisites
Joy Spring ~ Joe Pass Quartet | By Eddie Carter
One of my favorite guitarists, Joe Pass, enters this morning’s spotlight with a 1964 live date that sat in the vault for seventeen years. Joy Spring (Blue Note Classic LT-1103) by The Joe Pass Quartet showcases their February 6 performance at the Encore Theatre. Joe is joined on stage by Mike Wofford on piano, Jim Hughart on bass, and Colin Bailey on drums. My copy is the original 1981 US Stereo release. Side One opens with the title tune Joy Spring by Clifford Brown. The quartet establishes the theme leisurely, paving the way for Joe to take a happy strut on the first reading. Mike cruises comfortably through the following statement, then Jim concludes with a laid-back walk toward the finale and the crowd’s ovation.
Some Time Ago by Sergio Mihanovich begins with a beautiful introduction by Wofford. Pass leads the quartet in an exceptionally gentle melody, then devotes an equal degree of care to the first interpretation. Wofford makes the subsequent point with an affectionate touch ahead of the guitarist’s thoughtfully tender climax. The tempo moves upward for the ensemble’s spirited theme to The Night Has A Thousand Eyes by Buddy Bernier and Jerry Branin. Joe takes the first solo spot and swings with an intensity that builds excitement as it unfolds. Mike keeps the beat going with a brisk workout complemented by Jim and Colin’s lively accompaniment ahead of the quartet’s reprise and disappearance to the audience’s applause.
Side Two starts with Relaxin’ at Camarillo by Charlie Parker. The title refers to Parker’s six-month recovery from alcohol and drug addiction at the California State Hospital. The quartet sets the mood for what follows in an easy-swinging theme. Pass is given considerable space for an enjoyable opening statement, then Wofford has something to say in an impressive performance. Hughart takes a jaunty stroll in the closing reading into the theme restatement. There Is No Greater Love by Isham Jones, and Marty Symes begins with a guitar and piano duet, segueing into the ensemble’s blissful melody. Joe opens with a very engaging statement, then Mike delivers a charming presentation. Jim puts an exclamation point in the closing interpretation preceding the quartet’s soft summation.
Richard Bock produced Joy Spring, and Dino Lappas recorded the quartet’s performance. The sound quality is excellent, with an exquisite soundstage. Everyone is in top form, and the ensemble never fails to satisfy during this set of irresistibly enticing music. In a career lasting five decades, Joe Pass was regarded by critics and fans alike as one of the most gifted musicians in jazz. His discography as a leader and a sideman is extensive, and he always brought something unique to each session. Joe’s solo albums and work with Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson have also stood the test of time. He died from liver cancer at age sixty-five on May 23, 1994. If you like jazz guitar and are a fan of Joe Pass, I invite you to check out Joy Spring by The Joe Pass Quartet on your next vinyl hunt. It’s a beautiful live performance that’s easy on the ears and merits sincere consideration for any jazz library!
~ The Night Has a Thousand Eyes; There Is No Greater Love – Source: JazzStandards.com ~ Joy Spring, Relaxing at Camarillo – Source: Wikipedia.org © 2023 by Edward Thomas Carter
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STANLEY JORDAN
In a career that took flight in 1985 with commercial and critical acclaim, guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan has consistently displayed a chameleonic musical persona of openness, imagination, versatility and maverick daring. Be it bold reinventions of classical masterpieces or soulful explorations through pop-rock hits, to blazing straight ahead jazz forays and ultramodern improvisational works—solo or with a group—Jordan can always be counted on to take listeners on breathless journeys into the unexpected.
Key to Jordan’s fast-track acclaim was his mastery of a special technique on the guitar’s fretboard. Instead of conventional strumming and picking, Jordan’s innovative “touch technique” is an advanced form of two-handed tapping. While a handful of other players were using similar techniques, Stanley’s fluid, multi-layered textures and sheer virtuosity raised the bar for excellence. But his technique, though impressive, is always a means to a musical end. His music is imbued with a warmth and sensitivity that has captured the imagination of listeners worldwide. A classically trained pianist before playing guitar, Jordan wanted greater freedom in voicing chords on his guitar, so, he applied piano principles to do so. Jordan’s touch technique allows the guitarist to play melody and chords simultaneously with an unprecedented level of independence. It also allows Jordan to play simultaneously on two different guitars, or even on guitar and piano. He says that “I think of it as a single instrument, but one with a wide range of tonal colors—that’s why I do it.”
Stanley Jordan has performed in over 60 countries, on some of the biggest stages and festivals worldwide. He’s a unique performer who routinely leaves his audience mesmerized.
*FIU and UM student tickets are discounted to $20. Students must show a valid student ID at the door when presenting your student ticket.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Russ Spiegel was born March 30, 1962 in Los Angeles, California, and raised in Santa Monica, California. His family was musical as he has an older sister who plays the bluegrass fiddle, a pianist and composer brother and a father who is an avid amateur jazz trumpeter.
A fan of pop radio as a youngster, Russ discovered rock music as he entered his teens. Picking up the electric guitar he took lessons at a local music store, eventually buying a Fender Stratocaster. He started jamming with area musicians, which led to forming a rock cover band. Finishing high school in Frankfurt, Germany he enrolled in the University of Maryland that had a campus in Munich, Germany. While there, he formed a progressive-rock band, joined a local R&B and soul unit, and began learning jazz standards. In 1982 Spiegel returned to the U.S. to complete his bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, earning a degree in philosophy.
In 1986 had Spiegel in Boston, Massachusetts on scholarship at Berklee College of Music. Upon completion of his studies, he relocated to Germany in 1988 where he gradually made contacts in the music world. He began playing on military bases and at local jazz clubs and festivals. During a stint in Paris, France he formed a quartet called Guitar Hell, which toured widely in France and Germany. He soon found himself in demand as a guitarist and electric bassist with various European big bands, jazz ensembles, and blues groups.
Around the same time, Russ joined the band of German jazz organist Barbara Dennerlein and toured Europe with her before receiving the coveted Jazz Scholarship by the city of Frankfurt for his contributions to the city’s artistic scene.
In 2001 Spiegel returned to the U.S. settled in New York City and studied under teachers Adam Rogers, Paul Bollenback, Ben Monder and John Patitucci, receiving his master’s degree in jazz performance from the City College of New York.
In 2008 his Jazz/North Indian classical fusion ensemble, Sundar Shor, undertook a tour of India under the auspices of the American Center, and it has toured widely in Europe as well. Guitarist Russ Spiegel continues to perform and record.
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