Commitment: The Complete Recordings 1981 - 1983 3 Sep 2010, 7:33 am

Commitment The Complete Recordings 1981--1983 No Business Records 2010 Following on from the artistic success of their splendid Muntu Box Set (2010), No Business Records has restored the only release by the ground-breaking cooperative Commitment to availability. As one of first bands to unite Asian American with African American musicians, the quartet, comprising m: Jason Kao Hwang on violin and Zen Matsuura on drums with reedman Will Connell Jr. and bassist m: William Parker, was almost unprecedented and its blending of cultures unique. What we have here is the 40-minute studio session from their lone eponymous LP supplemented by an almost 90-minute festival tape from Moers in Germany during the band's only trip to Europe, in 1983. Ed Hazell, again, contributes extensive sleeve notes which document and explicate the context in which the original appeared at the tail end of the loft jazz era...

The Walden School 3 Sep 2010, 7:33 am

Although musicians continue to complain about lack of work, a paucity of venues, and other obstacles to their careers, jazz and other improvisational styles continue to develop because of the plethora of music schools currently dotting the American landscape. There are many artists who can recall the days when North Texas State was the only university in the nation to offer students a major in jazz and improvisational music. Today there are over 400 universities and specialty institutions offering diverse education in these genres. One of the most intriguing of the latter is the Walden School in Dublin New Hampshire...

Jazz At Snape Proms 3 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

Snape Proms Snape Maltings Concert Hall Snape, UK August 10, 17 and 24, 2010 The Snape Proms, held each August in the beautiful Snape Maltings in the east of England, once again featured a strong and varied selection of jazz concerts in its program. The m: Ronnie Scott's Jazz Orchestra, the m: Neil Cowley Trio and m: Courtney Pine's sextet were just three of the acts to grace the 830-seat concert hall, drawing full houses and demonstrating the diversity of the British jazz scene...

It's Time for the News! But First, a Brief Report from Sick Bay... 2 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

August 2010 has been an interesting month. A few weeks ago I noticed a slight twinge in the right shoulder. The twinge soon became an ache, followed by loss of mobility and muscle tone in the right arm. The pain varies but is always there. As this is being written, I can raise the right arm less than halfway to shoulder height, and can't come near straightening it in front of me. I can flex the right hand but can't lift anything much heavier than a bottle of juice or cola. The muscles in the left shoulder / upper arm are also sore, but so far (knock wood) without any noticeable loss of mobility or strength in the arm or hand (I'm left-handed). To date, I've tried chiropractic and massage, and have been to a physical therapist. I'll have a CT scan this week, followed by more physical therapy, massage and whatever else is needed. Meanwhile, everyday acts, such as shaving, showering, putting on one's shirt and so on have become mini-adventures. Obviously, I am still able to type, else you wouldn't be reading this. The hope is I've only pulled or strained a muscle (or more), or pinched a nerve (or more). If that's the case, time and proper care will resolve the problem. If it's something else, I'll have to deal with that in the best way possible. And so ends the report from sick bay. In other news...

Dani Felber Big Band / Dan Gailey Jazz Orchestra / Jazz Composer's Workshop Orchestra 2 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

Dani Felber Big Band More Than Just Friends Self Published 2010 Before hazarding any premature comment about the merits of this new album by Swiss bandleader m: Dani Felber, it must be noted at the outset that one of Felber's good friends is former m: Count Basie stalwart m: Frank Foster whose even-handed assessment is that "this is the very best big band in Europe." Clearly one man's opinion, but considering who that man is, one that's certainly worth taking to heart. Felber has undeniably molded his ensemble in the Basie image with seven of the album's dozen numbers written by Foster, the others by Felber. Even though it's generally ill-advised to foretell anyone's response, it's pretty safe to assume that if you're a Basie fan you're going to love this...

Wycliffe Gordon: What This is All About 1 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

Versatility is an important part of a well-developed artistic soul. The arts provide a wide range of outlets of expression that can be nurtured and grown into their finest results. Music could very well be a reason to believe in the extraordinary, and jazz musicians are no exception; they might even be a norm. It is the dream of every artist to create freely, as improvised notes are gathered in an instrument and then exposed to the world at a moment's notice. And here comes jazz: wide open doors, windows letting all that sunshine in, and the ability to take a deep breath right before the soul allows the magic to materialize in the form of music...

Sammy Cahn, Vernon Duke, and Earl Zindars 1 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

Standards are the language of jazz. Standards represent music that have withstood the ruthless test of time. Songs built by craftsman, instead of limericks scribbled by American idols adorned in sequins and leather chaps. Music that has been constructed to last, built with the brick and mortar of harmony and melody. And yet, too often, the timeless master-song-craftsman's names are not usually recognized by listening audiences of today...

A Hot Night in the Old Town 1 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

What might well be the most spartan jazz club anywhere (if you didn't know it was there, you'd walk right past it) is The Stone, way down at Avenue C and East 2nd Street in Manhattan. Founded by John Zorn, the avant-garde composer, arranger and record producer, as a venue for intrepid music, it's a new kind of jazz club where no refreshments or merchandise is sold, only music, and all nightly revenues go to the musicians. The door charge is usually $10 per set, half price for teenage students, and no advance ticket sales...

Eric Zinman: The Piano as Endangered Species 31 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

For over twenty years, pianist/composer Eric Zinman has been crafting his own approach to his instrument, since meeting trumpeter m: Bill Dixon in the '80s. He views himself as an ensemble player, who plays to include; in addition to his own writing, his trio disc, Eric Zinman Ensemble (Cadence, 2006), features short pieces by m: John Voigt, m: Laurence Cook, Lowell Davidison and m: Ornette Coleman. Each composition feels lived with and explored thoroughly, while the music breaths and flows with a wide dynamic range. The interplay between piano, drums and bass is speech-like and unpredictable; the instruments seeming to merge their colors in a very unique way...

Kurt Rosenwinkel and OJM: Our Secret World 31 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

Kurt Rosenwinkel and OJM Our Secret World Wommusic 2010 With the creative possibilities offered by its expanded palette, it's no surprise that so many artists who traditionally work in the context of more pliant, small ensembles turn to larger settings at least once in their career. For those already predisposed to greater compositional complexity, the intrinsic challenges are many; but so, too, are the ultimate rewards. It's no surprise, then, that Kurt Rosenwinkel--perhaps his generation's most influential guitarist, spawning almost as many imitators as m: Pat Metheny (himself, an early influence on Rosenwinkel)--has been collaborating with big bands in Europe for the last several years. What is surprising, however, is that Rosenwinkel has waited until 2010 to release an album featuring big band arrangements of some of his best writing. With a result as fine as Our Secret World, however, it's unlikely that many of the guitarist's large fan base would argue it's been anything but well worth the wait...

Smooth Cruisin' 31 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

[Editor's Note: Working Out to Jazz is a new All About Jazz column, devoted to providing jazz playlists for the purpose of working out. For his first installment, Chris Lawhorn's emphasis is on largely up-tempo, mostly smooth jazz music, though his selection from guitarist m: Lee Ritenour's 6 String Theory (Concord, 2010) is a fiery mainstream swinger, featuring m: Pat Martino and m: Joey DeFrancesco, while m: Dr. Lonnie Smith's "Beehive," from Spiral (Palmetto, 2010), leans more towards the fusion end of the spectrum. Check in with Working Out to Jazz regularly, for new workout music suggestions, as Chris breaks it out for you by Beats Per Minute (BPM)...

Nils Petter Molvaer: Skeletons, Samples and Fish Fillets 30 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

There's no overstating the impact that Nils Petter Molvær's debut CD Khmer made when it was released on the ECM label in 1997. The Norwegian trumpeter/composer was no stranger to ECM and its founder/producer Manfred Eicher-- Molvær had been a member of the collective jazz group Masqualero, that had released records on the label, and he'd played on sessions by ECM artists such as percussionist Robyn Schulkowsky. With his impeccable European jazz credentials and his winsomely melodic, atmospheric trumpet playing--distilled through a host of influences like Jon Hassell, Brian Eno, and Middle Eastern and Norwegian music--Molvær was, in a sense, the archetypal ECM artist...

ArtistShare -- Variations on a Theme: Perspectives on Fan Relationships 30 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

Something I've learned since starting ArtistShare is that the new "music business" is not so much a business but a platform for creating bonds between the artist and the fan. From that bond, fans will show their appreciation for the music in various ways which may include a purchase of some kind but also may not. It doesn't matter. A relationship built today will most likely turn into a purchase later and if it never does I can guarantee that it will at the very least turn into more fans which is even more valuable. The relationship is the most important asset in this business, not the sale. So why do so many artists resist this? My theory is that is does not fall conveniently into the of idea of being an "artist." For years, the recording industry has preyed on the psyche of the artist by feeding their egos and giving them the "star" treatment while simultaneously putting them into debt. I even had a conversation with a very well known artist who admitted that he knew he was getting taken advantage of but could not let go of the idea of the "limo at the airport" and the overall pampering that--in the end--he was paying for, and at premium prices! Creating and maintaining fan relationships can be as artistically fulfilling as the music itself and even more uplifting than the "limo at the airport." It all depends on how you approach it and it starts with developing a personal understanding of what the fan relationship means to you...

The National Jazz Museum In Harlem 30 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

The National Jazz Museum in Harlem is at 104, E 126th Street, a few steps from the bridge that carries the Metro North trains to and from Connecticut from the 125th Street station. Situated on the second floor, the museum is primarily a suite of offices with a large front area that presents photographs, video documentaries and books on jazz to the public...

Abbey Lincoln: African Queen in a Top Hat 29 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

(This interview was conducted in 2002) Abbey Lincoln made a stop in Amsterdam in 1998 for a rare appearance at the 110-year old Concertgebouw, where m: Sonny Rollins likes to play when he comes to town. The sellout crowd was composed mainly of seemingly staid yet perennially hip "pensionados" (as the Dutch like to refer to their restless retirees) but by the end of the final encore, the historic hall had reached a collective groove and the ghosts of Mahler and Mozart were probably bopping their heads to the beat. Lincoln's second encore was a tribute to her friend m: Betty Carter, who had died just weeks earlier: "I'll be Seeing You...

Chuck Anderson -- Dennis Sandole and Guitar Lore 29 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

Guitar Lore by Dennis Sandole was not originally published by Theodore Presser. I published the book and distributed it through my school Modern Music Studios Inc. A second edition paperback was published later by Pressers. There has always been controversy about the origins of the book. Dennis had conceived and organized this material long before it was published. At my urging (and I'm sure the urgings of others), he finally agreed to proceed with the production of the book. I took dictation and the outlines of the book directly from Dennis and then hand wrote and developed the entire manuscript...

Dana Reason Trio: Bellingham, Washington July 24, 2010 29 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

Dana Reason Trio The Amadeus Project Bellingham, Washington July 24, 2010 The Dana Reason Trio's recent Angle of Vision Tour performance in Bellingham, Washington consisted mostly of new material, which they were preparing to record a couple of days later at Wild Rose Artists' Studio in Oregon. m: Dana Reason has an accomplished background as both a classical and avant-garde composer and pianist, working and recording with such musicians as m: Cecil Taylor, m: Pauline Oliveros, George E. Lewis, Lilse Ellis and m: Joelle Leandre. Reason has played in the past in a variety of configurations, some of which have been in a more abstract, experimental vein, but she's also played in the context of a gypsy swing orchestra and comping for a jazz chanteuse. This new Trio, however, presented her work in a unique way. Her composition and performance have evolved to embrace the full spectrum of her diverse background, resulting in a hybrid of styles including East Coast/West Coast jazz, Cuban music, classical music from the Romantic period, world music, and contemporary classical avant-garde music. On paper, this might seem odd or difficult to manage, but it sounded quite alluring. This was not the sort of music that only a musician could understand, and was lush, rich, romantic and complex; evincing a delicate balance between musicality and artistic conception...

Gov't Mule and Jackie Greene: Live at the Lake 28 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

Gov't Mule/Jackie Greene Maritime Festival Waterfront Park, Burlington VT August 13, 2010 The bulk of Gov't Mule's August 13 performance at the Burlington Vermont Maritime Festival was, in its predominantly heavy, hard rock thrust, a perfect foil for the light breezy summer atmosphere at Waterfront Park on the shores of Lake Champlain...

August 2010 28 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

Two East Coast Big Bands specialize in music of the 1920s and '30s. Vince Giordano and His Nighthawks share the pre-Swing era with Long Island trombonist Ray Osnato and his South Shore Syncopators, a 10-piece band with five singers whose performances mimic a 1930s radio show, complete with honey-tongued announcer. Like Giordano, Osnato started young, collecting original arrangements and later transcribing vintage recordings. His book holds some 150 tunes, many associated with the youthful Bing Crosby, Paul Whiteman and Fletcher Henderson. Vince declined to comment on his colleague across the Hudson, except to note, in an e-mail, "I've heard thru the grapevine this gent has many unfavorable things to say about my band and what i'm doing...hehe..and that's fine,,,he has a right to his opinions...

Bop Addict 28 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

She clutched my hand deciding to worry about how to deny having done such a thing later. It was Sabbath's first time leaving Brooklyn and she was nervous. Of course I was all right, I had been until we were well under way and past the point of no return. Passing through customs had been fine as it could have been anyplace crowded by humanity for some kind of holiday sale or concert and did not feel of being somewhere else. Not until we cleared customs did it really hit me. She had completely put herself in my hands, flying back with me, this was my city, my people, the magical land she had so often heard about all the way across the ocean. She would forgo being bad as she was entirely in my hands, so anything that happened, any fight would totally be my fault. She had, in completely surrendering, won...