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.

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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.

 

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LAUREN HENDERSON

A master of world building, of tension and release, Lauren Henderson transforms a song into a dreamlike incantation. The multilingual singer-songwriter has enchanted sold-out audiences in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Mexico, & South Africa. With bright, bold harmonies and ruminative syncopation, her repertoire features tender ballads, swinging arrangements, flamenco dance patterns, Afro-Latin influences, and heartfelt storytelling. Recognized as a Jazz Artist Blending and Expanding The Sounds Of Latin America by the Recording Academy, her music is featured on GRAMMY.com.

Two-time Cover of the Spotify Vocal Jazz Playlist, Lauren captivates a broad audience and is featured in Netflix series, films, and is the prominent voice of the Stuart Weitzman “How Lovely To Be A Woman” campaign featuring Issa Rae & Lucy Lui. The New York based TIDAL Artist to Watch, blends her roots in Panama, Montserrat, and the Caribbean, creating a seductive, sultry, and sophisticated sound.

Tickets: $24.38 ~ $35.92 | fees included

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EMMET COHEN

Pianist Emmet Cohen leads his critically acclaimed, fan-favorite trio. Praised by All About Jazz as “one of the finest piano players to emerge in decades,” Cohen has built a dedicated following and introduced new audiences to jazz. One of the genre’s brightest stars, Cohen seamlessly blends stride, swing, bebop, free jazz, and contemporary styles, with a particular focus on the Great American Songbook. He has accompanied numerous jazz legends and plays with the assuredness of a seasoned veteran. Downbeat notes that his “nimble touch, measured stride, and warm harmonic vocabulary show he’s focused on artistry, not technical showmanship.”

*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

 

The Band: Emmet Cohen – piano | Philip Norris – bass | Kyle Poole – drums

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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 €

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