KATHLEEN BERTRAND

Kathleen Bertrand will be kicking-off the Balzer Theater’s Summer Live At The Balzer Jazz Series for a one night performance delivering her classic vocal stylings as only she can do. The evening is curated by pianist, composer and producer Tyrone Jackson. Joining the singer will be Phil Davis, Chris Burroughs, Terrell Montgomery and Rod Harris Jr.

Spend a very special evening and as we celebrate Father’s Day!!!

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Ted Lewis was born Theodore Leopold Friedman on June 6, 1890 in Circleville, Ohio. His first instrument was the piccolo, however, he also learned to play the C-melody saxophone but was known principally as a clarinetist throughout his long career.

He was one of the first Northern musicians to imitate the style of New Orleans jazz musicians who came to New York in the 1910s. He first recorded in 1917 with Earl Fuller’s Jazz Band, a band attempting to copy the sound of the Original Dixieland Jass Band.

His earliest clarinet recordings were not very good but as his career gained momentum he refined his style under the influence of the first New Orleans clarinetists Larry Shields, Alcide Nunez, and Achille Baquet  who relocated to New York.

By 1919, Lewis was leading his own band, and had a recording contract with Columbia Records. At the start of the Roaring Twenties, he was being promoted as one of the leading lights of the mainstream form of jazz popular at the time. He hired musicians Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey, Frank Teschemacher, and Don Murray to play clarinet in his band. Over the years he hired trumpeter Muggsy Spanier and trombonist George Brunies as he led his band to be second only to the Paul Whiteman band in popularity.

One of his most memorable songs, Me and My Shadow, had usher Eddie Chester mimicking his movements during his act. He then hired four Black shadows, the most famous being Charles “Snowball” Whittier, making Lewis one of the first prominent white entertainers to showcase Black performers, albeit in stereotypical ways, to be onstage, on film, and eventually on network television.

Remaining successful through the Great Depression, Ted adopted a battered top hat for sentimental, hard-luck tunes. He kept his band together through the 1950s and continued to make appearances in Las Vegas, Nevada and on the popular television shows of the decade. He would go on to perform in the early talkie films by Universal Studios and Columbia Pictures.

Clarinetist, bandleader, and singer Ted Lewis, transitioned in his sleep from lung failure on August 25, 1971 in New York City. He was 81. His memorabilia resides in The Ted Lewis Museum, created by his wife Adah, located across the street from where he was born in Circleville.

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LESLIE CARTAYA

Join MOCA for an unforgettable evening of Jazz at MOCA, featuring Cuban-born, singer-songwriter Leslie Cartaya. Her unique sound – a dynamic blend of Caribbean, Afro-American, Afro-Latin and Latin American rhythms – first found voice in her debut album “No Pares,” and further evolved in her sophomore work “Llevame Contigo.”

Not just a solo artist, Cartaya also brings her unique energy to the Afro-Cuban Funk band “Palo” and leads an all-female ensemble, Sexta Clave. With a new record and live concert on the horizon, Cartaya’s musical journey is one to watch.

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The Jazz Voyager

So after a jazz packed holiday weekend in Atlanta, this Jazz Voyager is leaving the gateway to the South and the States for destinations across the pond. It’s time to see how those on the continent and in other parts of the world are doing post pandemic.

It’s off to Italy to hang at one of my favorite spots TramJazz in Rome. It’s 7 days out of 7, a lively sound with carioca nuances alternating with passionate romantic ballads. The evening features Camilla Noci on Vocal & Percussion, Dario Troisi on piano and harmonium, and guitarist Gianluca Figliola.

What I love about this venue is it offers an evening of entertainment combining a jazz concert and an excellent candlelit dinner with a night tour in the center of Rome, all aboard a historic tram from the ATAC collection, restored and rearranged as a traveling restaurant and concert hall.

Tramjazz is located at Artour Sas of Rossella Taverna & C. – Via Giorgio Vasari 14, 00196 Rome – P.I. 16376741001. Tickets range from €75.00 ~ €90.00. You can reach the venue by phone at +39 342 072 0089 and can always get ticket information at https://tramjazz.com.

As the saying goes, When in Rome…

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Maria Jeanette Lindström was born on May 29, 1971 in Stockholm, Sweden and grew up in Östersund and Ås in the Jämtland region of Sweden. She made her recording debut for Caprice Records with Another Country in 1995, which earned her the Jazz in Sweden prize. Two more albums followed for the same label.

In 2003 Jeanette began a collaboration with the Bonnier Amigo Music Group on the album Walk. The album and its sequel, In the Middle of This Riddle, were warmly received by audiences and critics in Sweden and abroad. She recorded a side project album Whistling Away the Dark with Palle Danielsson, Bobo Stenson, Jonas Östholm, and Magnus Öström.

In 2007 the song Leaf, from In the Middle of This Riddle, was remixed by King Britt, a DJ and record producer from Philadelphia, and a track from the album was chosen for Volume 7 of the compilation series Saint-Germain-des-Prés Café. Her album Attitude & Orbit Control was released in 2009 and she received a Swedish Grammis at the awards ceremony the following year.

She has worked with pianist Steve Dobrogosz and the group ONCE with bassist Anders Jormin. She has appeared as guest soloist in small groups, big bands, and chamber and symphony orchestras.

Vocalist, composer and lyricist Jeanette Lindström continues to tour worldwide and explore the endless realms of jazz.

BRONZE LENS

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