KATHLEEN BERTRAND
Multifaceted recording artist and writer Kathleen Bertrand is a native Atlantan and Spelman College graduate, whose performances have ranged from two Olympic Games to performances before two presidents, as well as appearances at jazz festivals world-wide. Bertrand toured and recorded as vocalist with jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers.
This three-octave vocal artist has been an invited performer at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on three occasions and has made multiple appearances at the Atlanta Jazz Festival, including that of headliner in 2012, as part of the Nina Simone Tribute Ensemble in 2015, and most recently as 2017 producer of “Celebrating Sarah, Honoring the Music of SarahVaughan” featuring Bertrand and 6 other vocalists. She has opened for many of America’s finest jazz artists, including Ray Charles, Will Downing, Rachelle Ferrell, Najee, Roy Ayers, and Kenny G. Her fan base includes radio and internet listeners across the USA as well as in England, Japan, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, and Brazil among others.
As a songwriter, she penned the national theme song for the 100 Black Men of America – “What They See is What They’ll Be” – as well as several songs on her CDs All of Me, No Regrets, Reasons for the Season, New Standards, and Katharsis,which was released in June 2011 and is still receiving nationwide and world-wide airplay, including 14 weeks on the UK Soul Chart top 30, 6 weeks in the UK Soul Charts Top 10, and 2 weeks at #1. In November, 2017, her most recent CD, It’s Time to Love, was released, and is already receiving international airplay.
Bertrand has received numerous honors for her jazzy vocal stylings and arts contributions including the Kuumba Award given by East Point/College Park, GA Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, the inaugural Impact Award from Black Women In Jazz, recognition by the United Negro College Fund as one of “Atlanta’s Legends,” the “Contribution to the Arts” Award by the Pi Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the 2016 Georgia Highlight Award given by the Georgia Entertainment Gala, the Civic Award for the Arts presented by the Southern Area of The Links, Incorporated, and recognition by Spelman College with its distinguished “Alumnae Achievement Award for the Arts & Entertainment.” In 2015, she was voted Jazz Vocalist of the Year by Black Women in Jazz.
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EUGENIE JONES
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AUDREY SHAKIR: THE QUINTET
The Quintet is the creation of renowned vocalist Audrey Shakir and saxman Vinnie D’Agostino. This innovative group draws on the swinging sounds of horn led hard bop. The set will be performing the swinging jazz of Ray Charles, Louis Jordan and James Brown.
The Band: Audrey Shakir ~ vocal, Vinnie D’Agostino ~ Saxophone, Louis Heriveaux ~ piano, Craig Shaw ~ bass, Dave Potter ~ drums.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Bert Niosi was born on February 10, 1909 in London, Ontario, Canada into a family of musicians, having two brothers who became musicians. As a teenager he briefly played clarinet with Guy Lombardo in Cleveland, Ohio.
Proficient on several instruments he played clarinet, flute, saxophone, trombone, and trumpet and formed a dance band in 1931. This began a long association with the Palais Royale dance hall in Toronto, Canada which lasted until 1950.
His orchestra, and a smaller group made up of some of its members, was broadcast frequently on CBC Radio. Bert played alto saxophone and clarinet in the small band. He was also a member of CBC radio’s The Happy Gang musical series from 1952 to 1959.
Alto saxophone, clarinetist and bandleader Bert Niosi, known as Canada’s King of Swing, died in Toronto, Canada on August 3, 1987.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Joseph Gabriel Esther Maneri was born on February 9, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York. His formal schooling only went through the eighth grade, dropping out because of an undiagnosed attention deficit disorder. He went on to receive a rigorous classical music education from Josef Schmid, who taught courses in Arnold Schoenberg’s harmony, counterpoint and composition. As a composer he was mostly self-taught and his compositions were featured at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1961, including his Divertimento for piano, drums, and double bass.
His early work was with Gunther Schuller and his 20th Century Innovations Ensemble performances of Third Stream music at Carnegie Hall. Schuller arranged a record deal for Maneri with Atlantic Records, but the 1963 recording was not released. Twenty-five years later the Atlantic recording session tapes were released by the Avant label under the title Paniot’s Nine. During the 1990s Joe released 14 additional albums on the ECM, Hat Hut, Leo labels, often in collaboration with his free-style violinist son Mat.
Maneri went on to teach harmony, 16th Century counterpoint and composition at the Brooklyn Conservatory while continuing to compose. In 1963, he was commissioned by Erich Leinsdorf of the Boston Symphony Orchestra to write a piano concerto that premiered in 1985 by the American Composers Orchestra and pianist Rebecca la Brecque at Alice Tully Hall. He founded the Boston Microtonal Society, dedicated to microtonal music and tuning.
Saxophonist, clarinetist and composer Joe Maneri invented a keyboard that had 588 notes: 72 pitches per octave and co-authored a theory book titled Preliminary Studies in the Virtual Pitch Continuum, died on August 24, 2009 at the age of 82 of heart failure.
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