The Jazz Voyager
They say Atlanta, Georgia is hot and this may be one of the hottest weekends for jazz in the country which is why the Jazz Voyager is heading South for the Memorial Day weekend. My first stop kicking off the weekend on Friday evening at City Winery is to check out Superblue featuring Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter and special guest Scott Mulvahill.
The fifteen time nominated and two-time GRAMMY winner Kurt Elling has secured his place among the world’s foremost jazz vocalists. He has also received three awards from France, two Dutch, two from Germany, 14 year DownBeat Critics and Readers and twelve Jazz Journalists.
City Winery is located at Ponce City Market, 650 North Avenue NE 30308 Tickets range from $35.00~$45.00. You can reach the venue by phone at 404-946-3791 and can always get ticket information at citywinery.com/atlanta.
As if that isn’t enough music, the Atlanta Jazz Festival kicks off on Saturday with three days of free jazz in Piedmont Park. Bringing to the stage this year’s lineup includes Brandee Younger, Javon Jackson, Samara Joy, Wynton Marsalis, Lakecia Benjamin, Tony Hightower, Brenda Nicole Moorer, Stanley Clarke and many others. More information can be found at https://atljazzfest.com/2023-atlanta-jazz-festival-lineup/.
So needless to say this Jazz Voyager will be hanging out in Hotlanta till Tuesday when he’ll be on his way to his next jazz encounter!
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Johnny Alf was born Alfredo José da Silva on May 19, 1929 in Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and began playing piano at age 9. His father died when he was 3 and was raised by his mother, who worked as a maid to raise him. He attended Colégio Pedro II, receiving support from his mother’s employers who had appreciation for music. He was enrolled at the IBEU, Instituto Brasil-Estados Unidos, and it was there that he received his first formal musical training, studying classical piano with instructor Geni Bálsamo.
Influenced by Nat King Cole and George Sheaing, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Brazilian born Dick Fame, he eventually gained membership into the Sinatra~Farney Fan Club, a performers collective. Alf’s membership allowed him regular access to a piano as well as a group of musically sympathetic peers with which to play and experiment. They would finally get the payless opportunity to play in a few well known venues.
By 1950 he was pursuing a professional musical career and received his first professional break in 1952 when he was hired as the pianist at the newly inaugurated Cantina do César, owned by the popular radio host César de Alencar. With free musical reign. Johnny would receive frequent visits from pianist João Donato, vocalist Dolores Duran, and guitarist/vocalist João Gilberto who would sit in on the way to their gigs.
He would begin to combine Samba-cançãoes and foxtrots with American jazz styles. He would go on to record his first two albums, however, the recordings garnered no more than a pittance of recognition for Alf at the time, but would later in the early Sixties be hailed as the progenitors of the Bossa Nova style.
He continued to find nightly work in the Rio clubs and work with musical companions João Gilberto, João Donato, and the young pianist Antonio Carlos Jobim, all following him from venue to venue provided they could afford the cover fee. By 1954 he was performing regularly at the Hotel Plaza nightclub. Due to its haunted reputation Johnny was able to play his own compositions plus hold early evening jam sessions and these improvisatory collaborations that the harmonic and rhythmic structures eventually blossomed into the style now known as Bossa Nova.
Moving to Sao Paulo in 1955 he became the house pianist at a new club, Baiúca and formed a short-lived duo with double-bassist Sabá. Unfortunately the group only established a moderate following before Baiúca was closed down for health-code violations. In 1961 he declined the invitation to play at Carnegie Hall’s historic Bossa Nova Festival because he didn’t like the connotation bossa nova brought with it. That decision sent him towards obscurity and very little was heard from Alf, although he infrequently produce albums throughout the 60s and early 70s. He would continue to collaborate, record and perform to earn a living and eventually landed a position at a local conservatory of music.
Pianist, vocalist, composer and educator Johnny Alf, who is widely considered the Father of Bossa Nova, transitioned from complications caused by prostate cancer on March 4, 2010 in Santo Andre, just outside São Paulo, Brazil. This was his home for the last fifty years of his life. He left no immediate survivors.
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The Jazz Voyager
Iowa is one of the few states where the mainstream population may not think it to be a destination that hosts jazz. Contrary to that belief, there is jazz and this week The Jazz Voyager is off to 1326 Walnut Street in Des Moines, 50309 to investigate a jazz club called Noce. It has been said that nothing beats a live show and Wednesday through Saturday, this venue only serves up mixed nuts and cheese so that one can concentrate on the jazz experience with minimal noise from a kitchen or dishes.
Five-time Grammy nominated vocalist Karrin Allyson is taking to the stage for two shows Friday night for a two-hour show from 7:00 to 9:00pm. Hailing out of Great Bend, Kansas this vocalist/pianist has been performing around the world, drawing from a variety of genres and incorporating them into her jazz vocals. Having her part of any playlist I’ve created, do not be surprised when you hear her, just kick back and enjoy.
Joining composer and drummer Kendrick Scott are Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, poet, Poet Laureate Emeritus of Houston, visual artist Robert Hodge, the Harlem String Quartet featuring violinists Ilmar Gavilán, Melissa White, violaist Jaime Amador, and cellist Felix Umansky, pianist Gerald Clayton, saxophonist Walter Smith III, and bassist Joe Sanders.
Tickets range from $25.00 – $65.00 plus fees. You can reach the venue by phone at 515-244-5399 and can always get ticket information at https://www.nocedsm.com/.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Nabuko Kiryu was born on May 18, 1968 in Tokyo, Japan and grew up in a musical family. Her mother and stepfather both are jazz pianists and a brother plays classical trumpet. The daughter of Toshiko Kiryu, a classically trained pianist who has performed at Carnegie Hall, she learned an appreciation for music early. However, her stepfather Kanji Ohta, was the one who inspired her movement toward jazz.
She started singing jazz in 1990 in Japan after graduating from Shobi Junior College of Music with a degree in composition. But her musical career began much earlier. Since her arrival in New York City in 1996, she has been performing in restaurants, cafes, and jazz clubs such as Blue Note, Lenox Lounge, and Showmans. She completed her B.A. in jazz vocal performance from City College of New York in 2001 and also graduated with her M.A. at Queens College in 2004.
Nabuko has performed with jazz giants such as Jimmy Heath, Grady Tate, Earl May, and Jimmy Lovelace, the last two of which appear on her latest What’s New Records release titled Singing Love. She studied with Sheila Jordan and has participated in the Barry Harris Jazz Vocal Ensemble.
Vocalist Nabuko Kiryu continues to perform and record as she explore the jazz idiom.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
On May 12, 1964 Audrey Silver was born and raised in New York City, New York. She graduated from Brown University, where she founded The Higher Keys, the school’s first a capella singing group. After stints working in marketing for CBS Masterworks (now Sony Classical) and Chesky Records, she returned to school and earned an MBA from Columbia University Business School.
Beginning her singing career in earnest in 1998, she teamed with Jon Raney, son of pianist Jimmy Raney and produced her first demo with the help of Ronnie Zito and Jay Leonhart. In the meantime, she honed her craft through private study with singers Sheila Jordan and Mark Murphy. Building a respected career performing around the city’s jazz clubs and music venues, she also performed at national festivals and venues around the country.
She released her debut album Here In My Arms in 2004 and has since released three more, the last being before the pandemic. Silver was a 2016 semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. As a songwriter, it was her four year old son that opened that door for her and the stories began to pour out.
Vocalist Audrey Silver credits Bill Evans, Annie Lennox and Arnold Schoenberg as influences as she continues to grow her catalogue of originals and performing around the world.
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