Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Mel Martin was born on June 7, 1942 in Sacramento, California. Both parents were singers and early piano and clarinet lessons led him to Benny Goodman and Glen Church’s Jazz Rhythm & Blues radio program. The big bands of Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Shelly Manne and His Men, and Cannonball Adderley, passing through town kept his interest high. Forming a small combo of clarinet, accordion and drums, his father got him his first gig, afterwards they played at Mel’s Drive-In for tips.

While still a teenager, Martin was good enough to sit in with Wes Montgomery and his brothers. Already jamming with Black musicians in the community, he’d hit the clubs to hear the Montgomery Brothers when they played, sometimes sitting in on flute.

At San Francisco State in 1962 while majoring in music he met fellow undergraduate John Handy and played with him in his Freedom Band. At the same time, Mel was learning how to play bop with the musicians who hung out at Bop City, Soulville, the Jazz Workshop, Shelton’s Blue Mirror, Jack’s on Sutter and later the Both/And.

In the late 1960s and early Seventies Martin played with progressive rock and Latin bands including The Loading Zone, Cold Blood, Azteca and Boz Scaggs, Doug Sahm’s Honky Blues Band, Wayne Talberty, Chuck Berry, Dr. John and others. Creating Listen in 1977 which became part of the early West Coast jazz fusion scene, he recorded three albums before the end of the decade.

He was the artistic director of Bebop and Beyond, a group he founded in 1983 and released four albums. Martin has received five National Endowment for the Arts grants, and was honored by the San Francisco Jewish Museum. As performer, composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist he contributed music to television and film. He was a bandleader, contractor and sideman, he played in) big bands for McCoy Tyner and Dizzy Gillespie and played with the Freddie Hubbard Quintet and Charlie Haden’s Liberation Orchestra.

As an educator he taught the Stanford Jazz Workshop at Stanford University from 1984 to 1995, produced a series of Jazz Workshops for the Marin Jewish Community Center and regularly conducts workshops at his studio in Novato and in the Marin public schools.

Saxophonist, composer, arranger, and bandleader Mel Martin, who also played flute, clarinet and piccolo, died of a heart attack on November 17, 2017 at age 75.

More Posts: ,,,,,

GERALD ALBRIGHT, KANDACE SPRINGS, THE DANGERFIELD NEWBIES

MABRA LAW and 91.9 JAZZ WCLK present The WCLK JazzFest featuring saxophonist Gerald Albright, Kandace Springs and the Dangerfield Newbies for one spectacular night of music.

Gerald Albright is a Los Angeles, California born saxophonist and bass guitarist who has been a central figure in contemporary jazz since the 1980s. He’s known for his R&B instrumentals and has played with artists like Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, and The Temptations. Albright’s solo career began in 1987 with Just Between Us and has included 19 albums, chart-topping hits, and Grammy nominations. He’s also toured with Phil Collins and Summer Horns.

Kandace Springs is a Nashville-based singer and pianist who blends jazz, soul, and pop with contemporary influences. Her smoky voice and piano mastery have led to performances at the Afropunk and Bonnaroo festivals, as well as a sold-out Royal Albert Hall concert. Springs cites Norah Jones, Roberta Flack, and Nina Simone as her biggest influences. Her father, Scat Springs, sang backup for artists like Aretha Franklin and exposed her to a wide range of music.

The Dangerfeel Newbies are Jamal Ahmad, Darren “DJ” Wagner and Mark Angel. Inspired by the story of Dangerfield Newby, one of five African-Americans in the John Brown party, this Atlanta-based trio delivers a set that is deeply rooted in blues, jazz, soul, funk, hip-hop & house.

Tickets: $45.00

Bring your own food and libations. Food trucks on hand to purchase favorites.

 

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,,,,

DANILO PEREZ, JOHN PATITUCCI, ADAM CRUZ TRIO

As a solo artist and as a collaborator with jazz giants from Dizzy Gillespie to Wayne Shorter, for over three decades Grammy-Award Winning Panamanian Pianist-Composer Danilo Pérez has been lauded as one of the most creative forces in contemporary music. With Jazz as the anchoring foundation, Pérez’s Global Jazz music is a blend of Panamanian roots, Latin American folk music, West African rhythms, European impressionism – promoting music as a borderless and multidimensional bridge between all people. Since 1993 Pérez has released twelve albums which have earned him critical acclaim, and numerous accolades around the world. He is a recipient of the Doris Duke Artist Award in 2021, the United States Fellowship 2018, and the 2009 Smithsonian Legacy Award.

For nearly two decades, Pérez performed alongside bassist John Patitucci as the pianist and key collaborator of the Wayne Shorter Quartet. The quartet became known for an almost telepathic way of communicating musically, winning the Best Jazz Instrumental Album Grammy Award in 2019 for Blue Note Records release, EMANON. Patitucci first came to worldwide acclaim in the mid-1980s, when his work with Chick Corea helped put him at the forefront of the jazz world. Patitucci has recorded and performed throughout the world with his own band and with countless jazz luminaries, pop, and classical artists.

Drummer, composer, and educator Adam Cruz was born in New York City and has been a vital creative force on the international jazz scene. He leads his own group, is an integral part of renowned pianist Danilo Pérez’s trio, and regularly works with artists such as Tom Harrell, The Mingus Big Band, Joey Calderazzo, Chris Potter, Steve Wilson and Edward Simon. Adam currently teaches at CCNY and the Berklee Global Jazz Institute.

*Please Note: All 7PM and 9PM shows at Smoke are Dinner Shows

Tickets: $25 | $30 | $40 | $45 – Wednesday & Thursday, $35 | $40 | $50 | $55 -Friday & Sunday, $35 | $50 | $60 | $65 – Saturday

 

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,

EBONI FONDREN QUARTET

Eboni Fondren comes to Sunside as an American jazz singer from Kansas City. She is the lead singer of the famous Kansas City Big Band. Often compared to Nancy Wilson, she was called upon to represent American vocal jazz at the last G20 summit in India. She possesses a unique sensual voice tinged with gospel and R&B and an innate sense of swing. Eboni has performed at numerous international jazz festivals. Attached to France, she formed a band in France with her Parisian jazz friends, pianist and organist Laurent Marode and drummer Stéphane Chandelier.

The Quartet:

Eboni Fondren – vocals

Laurent Marode – piano

Raphael Devers – bass

Stephane Chandelier – drums

Tickets: 20.00 € ~ 30.00 €

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,

BETTY SHIRLEY

Longtime New Orleans jazz vocalist, visual artist and educator Betty Shirley has come full circle in her life and is now reaping the benefits of her hard-earned endeavors. The Times-Picayune declares Shirley’s a voice that should be heard round the world.

Shirley’s latest is “The Betty Shirley Band – Live at 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.” Join in as we celebrate her renowned  artistry and legacy of captivating audiences across the Crescent City and beyond. Over her illustrious career, Betty has collaborated with Ellis Marsalis, Alvin Batiste, and James Rivers.

The Players:

Betty Shirley – vocals
Will Thompson – piano
Quinn Sternberg – bass
Simon Lott – drums

Shows: 7:30 & 9:30pm<

More Posts: ,,,,,,

« Older Posts       Newer Posts »
© Notorious Jazz 2025