KANDACE SPRINGS

Nashville native makes her Carnegie Hall debut in the intimate setting of Zankel Hall Center Stage. A major rising star with a singularly soulful voice, Springs coolly blurs the lines between jazz, R&B, and soul. Recent recordings hint at the breadth of her influences, featuring music by artists who range from Ella Fitzgerald and Roberta Flack to Lauryn Hill and Sade.

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER WITH SEAN JONES

NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater with bandleader and trumpeter Sean Jones and the NYO Jazz All-Star Big Band. The program consists of:

Feldman | Fitzgerald ~ “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” (arr. Slide Hampton)

Santamaría ~ “Afro Blue” (arr. John Clayton)

Ellington ~ “Cotton Tail” (arr. Slide Hampton)

Newley | Bricusse ~ “Feeling Good / I Got You (I Feel Good)” (arr. Emily L. Fredrickson)

John Beasley ~ “Fête dans la tête” (World Premiere, commissioned by Carnegie Hall)

Holiday | Herzog Jr. ~ “God Bless the Child” (arr. Edsel Gomez and Cecil Bridgewater)

Higginbotham | Drake | Fisher ~ “Good Morning Heartache” (arr. Edsel Gomez and Cecil Bridgewater)

John Clayton ~ “I Be Serious ‘Bout Dem Blues”

Nichols | Holiday ~ “Lady Sings the Blues” (arr. Edsel Gomez and Cecil Bridgewater)

Bley ~ “Lawns” (arr. Javier Nero)

Lee | Goodman ~ “Let the Good Times Roll” (arr. Frank Foster)

Sean Jones ~ “Touch and Go” (arr. Dave Morgan)

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

NICOLE HENRY

Set For The Season

Songstress Nicole Henry returns to St. Louis! Nicole possesses a potent combination of dynamic vocal abilities, impeccable phrasing, and powerful emotional resonance. Her passionate, soulful voice and heart-felt charisma continue to win over fans worldwide.

Since her debut in 2004, Nicole Henry has established herself as one of the jazz world’s most acclaimed vocalists. Ms. Henry possesses a potent combination of dynamic vocal abilities, impeccable phrasing, and powerful emotional resonance. Her passionate, soulful voice and heart-felt charisma have earned her a 2013 Soul Train Award for “Best Traditional Jazz Performance,” three Top-10 U.S. Billboard and HMV Japan jazz CDs, and rave reviews by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Japan Times, El Pais, Jazz Times, Essence and many more.

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,

Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Fate Marable was born on December 2, 1890 in Paducah, Kentucky. His mother was a piano teacher who gave her son music lessons, both in reading music and playing piano. At the age of 17 he began playing on the Mississippi River steamboats. John and Joseph Streckfus hired him to replace their piano player, Charles Mills, who had accepted an engagement in New York City.

Later in 1907 he became bandleader for a paddlewheeler on the Streckfus Line running between New Orleans, Louisiana and St. Paul, Minnesota, a position he retained for 33 years. Later he spent late nights in New Orleans’ clubs scouting for talent and playing at jam sessions. There he discovered Louis Armstrong blowing cornet, and recruited him to play for his band on evening riverboat excursions cruising around the Crescent City.

As a bandleader, Marable shared the lessons from his mother with his musicians as many of the musicians he hired played by ear. He augmented their skills by teaching them to read music, and expected them all to learn how to play from sheet music on sight. His training boosted many of the musician’s careers when they were ready to move on. They went on to play with bandleaders such as Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford, Fats Waller, and Chick Webb.

Members of Marable’s bands were expected to be able to play a wide variety of music, from hot numbers to light classics, playing by memory or ear, and from sheet music. As a strict bandleader he demanded musical proficiency and rigid discipline from all his band members as they developed their individual strong points. His band served as an early musical education for many other players who would later become prominent in jazz, including Red Allen, Baby Dodds, Johnny Dodds, Pops Foster, Erroll Garner, Narvin Kimball, Al Morgan, Jimmy Blanton, Elbert Pee Wee Claybrook, Joe Poston, and Zutty Singleton.

Pianist and bandleader Fate Marable, who published the only original composition of his career, Barrell House Rag, co-written with Clarence Williams in 1916, transitioned from pneumonia in St. Louis, Missouri on January 16, 1947 at 56 years old.

GRIOTS GALLERY

More Posts: ,,,,,

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.

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,

« Older Posts       Newer Posts »