CDs of Note…

This week, singers are in the spotlight...

Fay Claassen, Sing! (Challenge)
This is a gem, pairing Dutch jazz singer Fay Claassen’s fine vocals and musicality with Germany’s WDR Big Band Cologne. The project was arranged and conducted by Michael Abene. On three tracks, the 18-piece big band was augmented by the 100-member WDR Rundfunkorchester for added depth and texture.

The material is wide ranging both in time span and original style: from Betty Carter’s “Tight” and Abbey Lincoln’s “Throw It Away” to Joni Mitchell’s “Be Cool,” Björk’s “Cover Me” and Miriam Makeba’s “Umhome.” Then there is more classic material from the likes of Louis Jordan, Billy Strayhorn, Tom Jobim and Cy Coleman. There is much to savor here, including strong soloing by, among others, pianist Frank Chastenier, trumpeter John Marshall, guitarist Paul Shigihara and alto saxophonist Karolina Strassmayer.

Keri Johnsrud, All Blue (self-produced)
Chicago-based Keri Johnsrud opens her debut CD with something novel, yet it’s no novelty. She seamlessly sings Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” to the beautiful and distinctive melody of Miles Davis’s “All Blues.” The melding works wonderfully, as does Johnsrud’s cool and casual delivery throughout this project.

The CD also includes her reworking of Nat Adderley’s “The Old Country,” Buck Owens’ country classic “Cryin’ Time,” and a range of American Songbook material and more. The seven players supporting her in a range of groupings are excellent with great empathy throughout. You’ll enjoy the standout soloing by Matt Nelson on piano, keyboard and organ, flutist Matt Cashdollar and guitarist Ari Seder on various tracks. Johnsrud’s duet version of “But Beautiful” with Seder is just that. A low-key, laid-back beauty.

Changing of the guard – or end of the line?

What an amazing ride for Carol Stone and her husband, Woody Woodland, who founded the Cape May Jazz Festival 17 years ago to bring jazz fans to their quaint seacoast resort town - and help extend the length of the tourist season at New Jersey’s southernmost point.

Seventeen years - and 33 festivals so far, building a loyal fan base from essentially a two-hour drive radius: Philly, New York City, northern New Jersey, Baltimore and Wilmington are all within easy reach. The festival drew thousands of fans, which was great for local tourism - from the quaint Victorian B&Bs and resort hotels and motels to countless little boutiques and restaurants.

In its heyday, the festival was a regular November and April stop for many regional talents - Philadelphia’s Bootsie Barnes and Frank Bey among them. And quite a few national players - Oscar Brown Jr., Herbie Mann, Clark Terry, Jimmy Scott to name a few - frequented Cape May multiple times. When it was on the grow during its first decade - the number of venues also grew like topsy.

Music could be found in the (now-condemned) Cape May Convention Hall on the beach, a string of bars and restaurants and hotel ballrooms. Even a grammar school gymnasium and a nearby yacht club got into the mix. Some nights, musical choices were bubbling in up to 12 rooms around town. The state-of-the-art theatre at a regional high school a few miles north of town has been the headliner venue in recent years.

The loyal fan base was key - particularly in lean years that were caused by over-expansion, a souring economy - or both. It also helped them overcome the internal bickering that often besets many a nonprofit group. Stone (who was Artistic Director/Program Chair) was always a strong taskmaster - and got her way with things.

Problem with the loyal fan middle-aged (or older) fan base was that it got older – and lost some participants. Stone and Woodland worked hard to book younger talents in hopes of drawing a younger crowd, but that never seemed to make a significant difference. And it went through a lot of financial pain in the past few years.

And now, there are more pressing challenges for the festival - such as whether it has a future. If so, for how long?

Co-founders Stone and Woodland have resigned and plan to move north a bit into Pennsylvania as soon as they get their affairs in order and sell their Cape May home.

“There was a long, well-planned conspiracy which got nasty… no cooperation or teamwork and we lost all confidence in our executive board and staff,” she wrote.

Several years ago, someone in an executive role launched a coup while they were on vacation. Stone got wind of that one and re-exerted control. Now, apparently, the fight is gone. And the board will have to regroup - or revitalize itself.

Some would say the festival’s future is in doubt. They may be right, but only time will tell.

The 34th semi-annual event is scheduled November 12 to 14. Listed headliners include Les McCann with Javon Jackson, and Yellowjackets.

The festival has had strong sponsorship support from many companies over the years, with Bank of America and the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism its title sponsors. The State Council on the Arts also has been a key backer.

The Cape May Jazz Festival will need that continued support - and more - if it is to have a sustained future.

And Cape May Jazz Festival fans and supporters owe Stone and Woodland a round of thanks for making it happen for so long - despite the bitter taste that may now hover over some things right now.

CDs of Note...

Christine Jensen, Treelines (Justin Time)
Canadian saxophonist and composer Christine Jensen has added another strong branch to the musical tree that is rooted in the Gil Evans orchestral jazz tradition. (She credits Evans in her notes as “one of the coolest sound shapers in music history.”) Her Montreal-based musicians make her latest project bloom with great depth, nuance and texture. Her sister, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, is featured as guest soloist on this Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra premiere recording. The leader's seven compositions on this CD are mostly inspired by the landscape in her native Nanaimo, British Columbia. Ingrid Jensen’s thoughtful flugelhorn feature on saxophonist Joel Miller’s “Dropoff” is a beauty (starting with an electronic looping segment that opens the piece. The sisters share the lead (Christine on soprano sax and Ingrid on trumpet) on “Seafever.” The Len Dobbin tribute “Red Cedar” is a stunning remembrance for Montreal’s longtime jazz stalwart who died in 2009.

Chris Washburne and The SYOTOS Band, Field of Moons (Jazzheads)
For about two decades, trombonist Chris Washburne has led one of the more adventurous and interesting Latin jazz units in New York City. This latest CD leans toward Latin-tinged love songs and ballads rather than the fire longtime listeners are accustomed to. My favorites: their interesting Latin jazz twist on the Ahmad Jamal-associated “Poinciana,” Pedro Flores’ “Obsesion” and Mingus’s “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love.” Other gems: Washburne’s energetic “Seas of Slumber” and saxophonist Ole Mathiesen’s “Evening Rites.”

Susie Hansen, Representante de la Salsa (Jazz Caliente)
Yes, salsa is for dancing. And the L.A.-based Susie Hansen Latin Band took that feeling to heart in its latest recording. This uptempo session will even make you want to dance in place while listening - even if you’re sitting down. But I dare you not to stand and move. The leader’s electric violin rides the band’s percussive cushion like a surfboard on a great wave. At times one with the horn section, at times contrasting with it, she often sounds like a trumpeter. Some of my favorites are their takes on tunes not associated with salsa: a remake of Blood, Sweat & Tears’ “Vehicle” (vocals compliments of Kaspar Abbo [lead], George Balmaseda and Hansen) and something called “Frank Sinatra Cha Cha Cha.” The latter is a salsa medley, arranged by trombonist David Stout, of four tunes closely linked to Ol’ Blue Eyes: “Fly Me to the Moon,” “It Could Happen to You,” “It Had to be You” and “All of Me.” The title track is one of the many burners here.

Chris Massey’s Nue Jazz Project, Vibrainium (self-released)
The members of drummer Chris Massey’s quintet each have one foot firmly planted into bebop’s strong roots, and the other stepping boldly into their musical future. This ambitious project swings hard and with purpose. Fresh takes on Joe Henderson’s “Inner Urge” and Chick Corea’s “Windows” are wrapped by three originals by Massey and one apiece from trumpeter Donald Malloy and saxophonist Benjamin Drazen. Their other bandmates are pianist Evgeny Lebedev and bassist David Ostrem. Favorites: Massey’s 11-minute title track and Drazen’s “Mr. Twilight.” Serious drum fans will enjoy “Chango,” the leader’s solo tribute to leader/innovators Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, Max Roach and Roy Haynes.

Brubeck's Newport magic

Every time Dave Brubeck plays the Newport Jazz Festival, he breaks his own record.

The pianist, who will turn 90 this December 6, has performed at Newport more than any other jazz artist in the festival's storied, sometimes roller coaster history. He was there for the first festival in 1954 - and has been back more than 30 times since.

Last year, Brubeck's quartet played at Newport - and a later in the day he added a footnote to the Newport history book by joining Tony Bennett on stage for a rousing version of "That Old Black Magic" to end the weekend.

At this year's CareFusion Newport Jazz Festival, Brubeck will be back - without his own band - to join Wynton Marsalis on Sunday August 8 as a special guest with the trumpeter's quintet. It's also a natural progression from the 2005 festival. Marsalis sat in with Brubeck's band after playing appeared earlier in the day with his own quintet.

Producer George Wein loves it when his old friend is in town. Their friendship dates to the early 1950s - when Wein booked and promoted Brubeck's then-emerging quartet on a New England concert tour.

“The atmosphere of love that Dave Brubeck generates completely fills the beautiful harbor, and like last year’s festival surprise when Dave played a tune with Tony Bennett, a memorable piece of musical history will be made,” Wein said.

This year's festival runs August 6 to 8, with a Friday night opener at the historic Newport Casino and International Tennis Hall of Fame) featuring pianist-singer Jamie Cullum and saxophonist Grace Kelly. The action moves to Fort Adams State Park the following two days with an ambitious and wide-ranging schedule on three stages.

Postcards from Montreal

Here are a few visual treats from my coverage of the 31st annual Montreal International Jazz Festival. The musical choices were bountiful and at times painful - with as many as three or four significant offerings simultaneously during peak evening hours.

As the outdoor Quartier de Spectacles continues to evolve, there was a noticeable increase in the number and variety of street performers this time - mimes, men and women on stilts, and a bounty of other zany characters. And that doesn't include a few in the audience.

Concert images, from top:

• Allen Toussaint


• John Scofield and The Piety Street Band


• Grace Kelly and Jason Palmer


• Montreal trumpeter Ron DiLauro's Porgy & Bess project


• MAnu Katché


• Trumpeter Ingrid Jensen was special guest with sister Christine Jensen's Jazz Orchestra.


• Bassist Brandi Disterheft


• Trumpeter Jocelyn Couture presented his big band in a Maynard Ferguson tribute.


• Blues guitarist Ana Popovic

A special award among many (updated)

This afternoon preceding his 14th Montreal International Jazz Festival concert appearance, pianist Dave Brubeck was honored with a special issue of the festival’s Miles Davis Award, which honors a jazz musician of international stature for a lifetime body of great work.

Brubeck, who turns 90 in December, received the weighty bronze statuette from festival president and co-founder Alain Simard. “It’s heavy.... So was Miles,” Brubeck quipped before delving into a few anecdotes about Davis, whom he considered a great friend. “We exchanged ideas back and forth and had a great relationship,” Brubeck said. He recalled one afternoon when Davis came to visit his Connecticut home. He and his sons had been playing basketball in the driveway, and soon, the sons were amazed to see their dad shooting hoops with Miles Davis.

In taking note of his stellar career, the festival noted that before Brubeck, jazz was essentially an East Coast affair.

Each year, the festival bestows a half-dozen or so significant honors for musicianship or other contributions to music, in addition to its Grand Prix de Jazz TD that is awarded to a rising star of Canadian jazz from among eight competitors on the outdoor stages at this year’s festival.

The 2010 Grand Prix de Jazz TD was awarded Monday to the Montreal-based Parc-X Trio, which consists of bassist Alex Lefaivre, pianist Gabriel Vinuela-Pelletier and drummer Mark Nelson.

This year’s other major honorees included:

Singer Smokey Robinson was honored with the Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award, recognizing a popular artist’s extraordinary contributions to the music world.

Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins received the 17th Miles Davis Award (the regular award, given a week prior to Brubeck’s special award) for his body or work and influence on the jazz idiom.

Photographer Herman Leonard received the festival’s second Bruce Lundvall Award, which is presented to a non-musician leaving his or her mark on the world of jazz.

Bassist (as well as pianist, percussionist and vibes player) Don Thompson received the Oscar Peterson Award, which is presented to a Canadian musician who has made outstanding contributions to jazz.

Bassist and singer Richard Bona was honored with the Antonio Carlos Jobim Award for distinguished work in the world music field and cultural crossover to jazz.

The Manhattan Transfer received the Ella Fitzgerald Award for its distinguished and world-renowned work in the vocal field. The group has been together for 37 years.

Guitarist George Benson received the festival’s second annual Montreal Guitar Show Tribute Award for his contributions as a leading international guitarist. The MGS awarded its first such award last year to Jeff Beck.

The festival winds down tomorrow night (Tuesday) with a Mardi Gras-type spectacle, complete with an hour-long carnival-like parade before Allen Toussaint and oter New Orleans musicicans hit the stage for a closing extravaganza,

A spectacular night - marred by one idiot

Guitarist John Scofield was a great choice to open the New Orleans portion/final phase of the 2010 Montreal International Jazz Festival. His Piety Street Band released an exceptional funky New Orleans-gospel and blues-based CD under the Piety Street name earlier this year. The band was even better in person last night at the Theatre Maisonneuve. Pianist/B3 player/ vocalist Jon Cleary was a strong foil for Scofield, at one point echoing or extending Scofield's guitar lines on the centerpiece, "Walk With Me." "Glory Land" was a strong shuffle beat romp. The quartet also included bassist George Porter Jr. and drummer Terence Higgins.

Was Keith Jarrett going to play one or more encores after his two-set Montreal perforamce with triomates Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette? We'll never know. The band's performance was beautiful, digging deeply into a wide range of standards that tended to have you / me / romance at their core. (But don't they all really?) "You Go to My Head," "Everything Happens to Me," "Too Young to Go Steady," Autumn Leaves," "All the Things You Are," "My Ship" and "I've Got a Crush on You" were all on the agenda. The players' empathy and synergy is always a joy to witness. DeJohnette's delicate and airy drum solo on "Too Young" was exquisite.

Jarrett's zero tolerance for photography during his concerts is notorious, preferring perhaps that rather than distract the band and surrounding audience members, that attendees savor the moment for what it is. There was a firm "no photography" request before the show, and again right after intermission - for both the performance and the bows that followed. In this world of people wanting to do their own thing in their own moment, some believe they are exempt from rules set for others. During the third bow, possibly before the band was ready to do another tune or so, the aforementioned IDIOT fired off a flash with his/her point-and-shoot. Too bad the neighboring ticketbuyers didn't gently push his/her arm down so there would be no mood interruption. Jarrett suggested that the neighbors take his/her camera away - and walked off stage to end the night.

At the dark and intimate Salle Gesu space an hour later, Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko's quintet explored a half-dozen originals that blended rhythms rooted in swing and an ethereal tone that bordered on the exotic. The packed house loved it. Stanko's young bandmates supported his music wonderfully, with very strong piano, electric bass and guitar solos throughout.

Musical musings from Montreal

Two and a half days into my Montreal International Jazz Festival stay, or even minutes into it for that matter, one thing is apparent. This is a jazz festival that never gets tired – and keeps evolving and improving year after year after year.

This 31^st edition, which began June 25 and runs through July 6, is an artful swirl of more than 800 concerts, daily Mardi Gras-like parades, mimes and other street performers, dancers – and seemingly a talented street band of some type – from zany to semi-serious, every time you turn a corner.

Highlights seen so far:

Montreal trumpeter Ron DiLauro’s stunning revisitation of the classic Miles Davis-Gil Evans jazz orchestral version of Porgy and Bess. Davis and Evans set a very high standard with this work, then matched it with the more worldly Sketches of Spain project. Hearing DiLauro’s big band put its own careful stamp on this timeless music was wonderful. It also was a reminder that it is futile for number of aspiring singers to think they can improve on this orchestral treatment of “Summertime.” The results are cheesy more often than not.

Canadian composer (and saxophonist) Christine Jensen presented her deeply textured and nuanced works with full orchestra with her sister, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen as special guest, at L’Astral, the wonderful club located in the festival’s headquarters building. The program included “Red Cedar,” a poignant tribute to Montreal jazz writer /photographer/ broadcaster/fixture who died of stroke complications during last year’s festival.

Trumpeter Terence Blanchard’s quintet of superbly skilled musicians who are pushing the envelope forward, with much talent, yet perhaps less grounding in 4/4 swing than some listeners would like. Kidding that tenor saxophonist Brice Winston hails from the birthplace of jazz (Tucson, Arizona), Blanchard turned his humor into a political jab at Arizona’s immigration law controversy. “If you’re of Latin descent, you have to leave the show now,” Blanchard said. “A country of immigrants talking about immigration. That’s some of the funniest shit I’ve heard in my life.”

The festival will take on an even stringer New Orleans flair in its final four nights, with concerts by John Scofield and the Piety Street Band, Allen Toussaint solo and with his Bright Mississippi Project, and a closing night Mardi Gras parade and extravaganza featuring Toussaint with Trombone Shorty, the Soul Rebels Brass Band and Zachary Richard.

With more music from a variety of genres than a single pair of ears can absorb, but abundant choices for the Montrealers who flock here by the millions, there’s no doubt why many consider this the best jazz festival on the planet.

Also not to be missed: the fascinating "We Want Miles" exhibit that we checked out today at The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, which is just two Metro stops away from the Place des Arts. It is a fascinating reminder of the breadth and depth of Davis's amazing musical journey. One could spend hours - or days - plumbing it detail - interviews, correspondence relating to his career, music, art, fashion and interviews. It runs through August 29.

Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival 2010

Taking note of newcomers, up-and-comers
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s annual jazz festival in bucolic Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is many different things to the thousands of attendees, some of whom seem to be there every single year.

It’s a chance for summer weekend reunions of families, extended families and groups of friends - who roll in with coolers, lawn chairs, tarps and tents each day and their own branded signage during the last weekend in June.

It’s a chance to experience a village fair-like musical smorgasbord: catch a bit of music (generally jazz, blues, R&B and a bit of world music), on the main stage, bask in the sun or duck for cover during a gentle shower, catch a bit of the afternoon series on the smaller stage up the hill, and wander through the huge arts and crafts tent. Or groove to the drum circle one group of attendees sets up under one of the balcony ramps every year - performing between main stage sets.
George Duke, Al Jarreau ...>

For two days, it feels like a community unto itself. For more mainstream tastes, SPAC’s main stage amphitheatre offers the bigger names, the household names for the most part - Ramsey Lewis, Ahmad Jamal, Ann Hampton Callaway, Taj Mahal, Al Jarreau and George Duke, the contemporary sax team of Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum, and the weekend closer, Gladys Knight.
Ann Hampton Callaway... >

The Gazebo stage up the hill has evolved through the years to be the up close and personal showcase for fresh talent and newer bands. It’s where you get the energizing, affirmation that jazz will be in good hands for many years to come.

There were several personal highlights among this year’s showcase opportunities at the festival’s 33rd edition:

Trio of Oz - This festival marked the North American debut of this stunning new band with drummer Omar Hakim, pianist Rachel Z and bassist Maeve Royce. You’ll hear an original dropped in here and there, and something by Nicolazzo’s old boss Wayne Shorter, but this is principally a chance to put a terrific jazz twist on rock music that has touched the players deeply – with a songbook that stretches from Alice in Chains to Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Dungen, Police and Stone Temple Pilots. The way they stretched

“King of Pain” and “Angry Chair” was fascinating. Royce’s powerful and rock-solid bass notes are the glue for Hakim and Z to dig deeper into the music.

Trumpeter Mario Abney, > who calls New Orleans and Chicago his home bases. His hard bop-rooted sextet bubbled with hip-hip energy and enthusiasm, the three-man horn line working the crowd second-line-style twice to close the Saturday Gazebo schedule - once on “Rollin” and on the encore, “When the Saints Go Marchin In” - in a set that went 20 minutes over schedule. People loved it. One woman even jumped atop a picnic table under a nearby tree to grove to the musical energy - with her hula hoop.

Hailey Niswanger, this 20-year-old saxophonist, who hails from Portland, Oregon, is the latest wunderkind to emerge from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Her sound is anything but derivative. She lets her melodies breathe and is judicious in the notes she opts to play, particularly on soprano. Niswanger >> (pronounced NICE-wonger) does kick her intensity up a bit on alto. She offered her takes on Coltrane, Monk, Ornette Coleman, Ellis Marsalis and three originals. Keep your eyes and ears open. This young adventurer has also been working for the past year in the Boston-based Either/Orchestra big band.

Saxophonist JD Allen’s trio with Gregg August on bass and Rodney Green on drums. This is a rising talent with a great sound, and Saratoga offered him an upstate showcase - outside the New York club scene.

Other Gazebo treats: a chance to hear live the talented young bassist Linda Oh’s trio and Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko’s quartet.

On the main stage: clarinetist Evan Christopher provided a beautiful 21st century update to some historic New Orleans fare, including Tommy Ladnier’s “Mojo Blues” from 1929. Taj Mahal presented a long set of global blues and guitarist Al DiMeola added to the world music feel with his New World Sinfonia.
Evan Christopher ... >

Singer Ann Hampton Callaway put a strong jazz twist on her American Songbookfare on Chick Corea’s exotic “Spain” (lyrics by Al Jarreau) and “At Last.” Ramsey Lewis’s longstanding trio celebrated the core of his gospel and Chicago blues grounded sound.

And Juan de Marcos Gonzalez >> presented his 13-piece Afro-Cuban All Stars in a 70-minute energetic set that had many in the crowd up dancing at their seats – or in the aisles.

CDs of Note...

Art Pepper, Unreleased Art, Vol. 5: Stuttgart (Widow’s Taste)
This latest in Laurie Pepper’s series of previously unreleased Art Pepper recordings was compiled from concert material on May 25, 1981. Pepper’s quartet played Stuttgart, Germany on the 14th night of a grueling 18-city, three-week tour of Europe and the U.K. This tight and adventurous band included Milcho Leviev on piano, Bob Magnusson on bass and Carl Burnett on drums. There is nothing new here because the tour focused on Pepper’s favored material, but since it was live jazz, everything was fresh.

The highlight of this two-CD set is the band’s stunning, Pepper-dominated 11-minute version of the beautiful “Yours is My Heart Alone.” Other terrific tracks include a 23-minute exploration of Pepper’s own “Make a List (Make a Wish)” and his shift from alto to clarinet on the chestnut “Avalon.” It sounds like Pepper knew his time was running out. Every note came from the heart - and meant something, just as it should. Thirteen months after this strong musical evening, Pepper died of complications from a stroke. In addition to the great music, the CD is accompanied by Laurie Pepper’s poignant and vivid reflections on the triumphs and challenges of those three weeks on the road in Europe.

Aruan Ortiz, Alameda (Fresh Sound/New Talent)
Cuban-born pianist Aruan Ortiz newest CD is a beauty. Currently a member of trumpeter Wallace Roney’s quintet, Ortiz is featured here on seven originals plus a jazzy new take on Chopin’s “Etude No. 6, Op.10” with his own quintet. The band includes saxophonists Antoine Roney and Abraham Burton, bassist Peter Slavov and drummer Eric McPherson. My favorites: “Liz’s Flower,” “Slow Motion” and “Green City,” which features a spirited musical conversation between Roney and Burton. Ortiz shifts to Fender Rhodes for his surrealistic “Landscape of a Dry Watermelon.”

Phil Wilson and Makoto Ozone, Live!! (Capri)
It is rare when you find a duo recording that ranks as truly exceptional. This one is exceptional for its instrumentation - piano and trombone, and because it was pretty much a career-maker. Twenty-eight years after its recording and LP release, Live!! at the Berklee Performance Center has been issued as a CD. Wilson, a longtime Berklee College of Music faculty member with an adventurous musical spirit, teamed up with then-student Ozone. The pianist shows right from the get-go on this recording that he was a fully formed, highly imaginative musician even at age 21. Savor every one of its six amazing tracks, for it really introduced him to the world. Sensitivity, imagination, rambunctiousness, swing, empathy. They’re all here in large doses - from both musical partners. If you missed it the first time, you have a chance to make up for that aural transgression.

2010 JJA Awards kudos

Congratulations to all of this year's winners at the 14th annual Jazz Journalists Association's Jazz Awards, which many consider the jazz industry's version of the Grammys, Oscars and Tonys.

It is a wonderful jazz hang as well as a tribute. Sadly, this is one of those years when the day job kept me from attending this splendid event (Monday, June 14) in the Big Apple.

I want to spotlight the many associates - fellow scribes, photographers and publications (with whom I have had the privilege of working or contributing over the past 25+ years).

You'll find the full list of winners, starting with musicians and event producers, here.

Below are those from the journalism categories:

Periodical of the Year
JazzTimes

Web site of the Year
AllAboutJazz.com

Blog of the Year
Rifftides, Doug Ramsey

Best Book about Jazz
"Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original," Robin D.G. Kelley, Free Press

Best Liner Notes
The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions (1935-1946), by Dan Morgenstern

Photo of the Year
Tom Harrell at the Moscow International Performance Arts Center by Lena Adasheva

The Helen Dance-Robert Palmer Award for Review and Feature Writing
Nate Chinen: The New York Times; JazzTimes

The Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Broadcasting
Josh Jackson, Host of “The Checkout," “Live at the Village Vanguard," WBGO.org, Newark

The Lona Foote-Bob Parent Award for Photography
Mitchell Seidel: Hot House, JazzTimes, Down Beat, Jazz Journal International, Swing Journal, Musica Jazz; album covers.

Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism
Don Heckman: The International Review of Music, Notes from the Left Coast; the Los Angeles Times, JazzTimes; The New York Times, Village Voice, Down Beat, Metronome, the Jazz Review, liner notes.

The heft of Miles

How much musical weight do you give to trumpeter Miles Davis’s 30 years of recordings for Columbia?

Everyone may have a different answer, depending on the stylistic preferences of the listener, since Davis was always a groundbreaker in pushing style and sound.

While it clearly doesn’t include everything he recorded for the label, Columbia/Legacy this fall (September 24 at last word) will release a hefty package that is likely to appeal to the compleatists among us. Even though most of those compleatists likely have many of the individual components - and much more.

It’s called The Genius of Miles Davis, a 43-CD limited-edition box set. The packaging is designed as a trumpet case, which will house all eight of the eight deluxe multi-CD box sets that have been part of the Miles Davis Series of reissues over the past 15 years. Plus an exact replica of the “Gustat” Heim 2 model mouthpiece used by Miles. Plus a previously unavailable fine art lithograph chosen by the Miles Davis Estate. Plus a boutique-quality T-shirt manufactured for this package by Trunk Ltd.

Seven of the eight deluxe CD sets will be included in their distinctive gilt-edged metal spine packaging. The eighth, The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions, was never issued with the metal spine.

The others are:

● Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings

● Miles Davis Quintet 1965-’68: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings ● The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions

● Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961

● The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions

● Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings of Miles Davis 1963-1964

● The Complete On The Corner Sessions

It’s curious that Davis’s classic Plugged Nickel session is not represented. Perhaps there was no room for more in the case. This new compilation may appeal to elitist compleatists. Time will tell. While it’s not available until September 24, it can be pre-ordered at MilesDavis.com or here.

The price: $1,999.99. It’s great to see they’re keeping the price under two grand. Such a deal. Hopefully, shipping is included. Oh, and back to the weight question. The package weighs 21 pounds.

Does Columbia/Legacy have the forklifts ready? Will it need them?

CDs of Note

Yotam, Resonance (JLP)
Tel Aviv-born, New York-based guitarist Yotam Silberstein is out with his third disc as a leader. It’s a gem, and he’s got some terrific players along for the ride, including pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Christian McBride, drummer Greg Hutchinson and, as special guest on two tracks, trumpeter Roy Hargrove. Hargrove is featured on versions of Clifford Brown’s “Daahoud” and Joe Henderson’s “Mamacita.” Every track is wonderful in its own way, featuring Yotam and Co.’s splendid improvisations and the leader’s warm, distinctive tone. My favorite: their take on the reggae-based Monty Alexander tune “Renewal.” But there is much, much more to savor on the other 10 tracks as well.

Dana Lauren, It’s You or No One (Dana Lauren Music)
Connecticut native Dana Lauren is a singer on the rise. At age 21, this Berklee College of Music student is out with her second CD – and it shows that she has a vocal maturity and understanding of songs far beyond her years. She’s got great intuitive chops and presents a wonderful interpretation of jazz standards on this project. Her band for the session features Joel Frahm on tenor, Manuel Valera on piano, Luques Curtis on bass, Jake Goldbas on drums, with guitarist Will Graefe on five tracks. There is one very different gem here: Lauren plus Christian McBride on a voice and bass duo version of “On the Sunny Side of the Street.” Lauren’s dusky voice also shines on her arrangement of “Give Me the Simple Life.” Frahm, Graefe and Valera stand out among the support team. McBride is one of her musical mentors. Another is trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, who produced her 2008 debut, Stairway to the Stars. Keep your eyes - and ears - on this wonderful talent.

Odean Pope, Odean’s List (In+Out)
Saxophonist Odean Pope is out with a dandy, and perhaps his most powerful recording - as a leader. This longtime member of drummer Max Roach’s bands assembled an all-star octet for this session. It consists of eight originals plus Eddie Green’s “Little Miss Lady” and the Jimmy McHugh-Frank Loesser standard “Say It (Over and Over Again.)” The band includes saxophonists James Carter and Walter Blanding, trumpeters Terell Stafford and David Weiss, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, bassist Lee Smith and pianist George Burton. My favorite: their take on Pope’s “Phrygian Love Theme,” which gets a Spanish-tinged treatment that features Carter and Stafford. To my ears, this one is highly creative, perhaps more as a showcase for Pope as bandleader rather than his playing. Carter, Blanding, Stafford and Weiss provide the most interest.

Metheny's starry homecoming

Two nights before concluding phase one of his Orchestrion tour, Pat Metheny stopped by Boston to provide a glimpse of his project to make ambitious, multi-layered music in which he is responsible for every note.

There’s Metheny and a few of his custom guitars and an Orpheum Theatre stage filled with four levels of instruments triggered either by pneumatics or electronic solenoids that are controlled by a MIDI system. Metheny keys it all with foot pedals, guitar knobs and a small electronic touchpad.

In a city where he has been revered as a guitar god since the early 1970s, the crowd was fascinated – and riveted to his playing and his explanations/demonstrations of how it works. Sort of a musical Mr. Wizard.

Metheny described the project as “my brain at 9 years old taken to the 21st century,” a reference how as a youngster he was fascinated at the mechanics involved when he crawled under his grandfather’s antique player piano to see how it worked. Today’s technology enabled him to develop the possibilities into a new reality.

Metheny opened his set with a half-hour of music from his songbook on solo guitar, including his 46-string Pikasso hybrid. Then he shifted to guitar plus one robotic drum, before the curtain rose on the entire Orchestrion.

He worked his way through the entire five-part suite that comprises his Orchestrion CD (Nonesuch). All of those works featured Metheny playing his distinctive guitar work on top of the MIDI-programmed tunes he had developed. Close your eyes, and it sounded like Metheny playing dozens of instruments at once. Beautiful, complex, deeply layered.

He had twinkling white lights added to each instrument, so we in the audience could visualize what had been triggered. It was a starry night – indoors.

To give the audience a sense of how it all works, he played three pieces that were improvised on the spot. He’d set a melody with one pedal, play a melody or counter melody on his MIDI-guitar, then assign it to one or more instruments (There were two Yamaha Disklaviers, countless percussion pieces, four guitarbots, two cabinets full of blown bottles that created B-3 like tones, marimbas and vibraphones in his arsenal.) Then he’d add more layers…. Then when he liked the backing, he soloed over it.

It was all Metheny - a blend of melodicism and intensity - and it was all good. He even took his older tune “Unity Village” and played multiple guitar layers – something he had to do by overdubbing when it was first recorded.

Metheny stretched this show to more than two hours. “There are more than a million reasons why it’s always special to be here,” he said of his Boston stop. “Primarily it is you people.”

Metheny is not going solo with this project all the time. In fact, he’s taking Pat Metheny Group back on the road in June. This was just a new chapter in his musical imagineering.

Seeking fresh talent – and honoring Dr. Fast Hands

This is the 16th consecutive year that faculty members from Boston’s Berklee College of Music will jet to San Juan for one of its (now global) outreach programs. Berklee in Puerto Rico will provide classes and award $300,000 in scholarships for young musicians to attend Berklee. Saxophonist Miguel Zenon, a participant in Berklee in Puerto Rico’s first year, is one of more than 100 such scholarship recipients from Puerto Rico.

This year, more than 200 young musicians will take part in the program June 1 to 6 at Escuela de Bellas Artes de Carolina. And on the final day of the jazz education program, a group of top students will perform as the opener at the Puerto Rico Heineken JazzFest’s final evening at the Tito Puente Amphitheater in San Juan. (This year’s festival runs June 3 to 6.)

Berklee will also honor Puerto Rico’s strong musical roots that evening by awarding an honorary doctor of music to percussionist, composer and bandleader Giovanni Hidalgo (pictured).

The Puerto Rico native is considered one of the best conga players of his generation - and possibly the fastest. Hidalgo, a member of late trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie’s adventurous United Nation Orchestra, taught in Berklee’s percussion department from 1992 to 1996.

Hidalgo will receive his honorary degree in a terrific festival spotlight: between sets of the festival’s finale. It is a big band extravaganza featuring 10 special guests: Eddie Gomez, Dave Valentín, Paquito D’Rivera, Michel Camilo, Alex Acuña, Eddie Palmieri, Chick Corea, Andy González, Gato Barbieri - and conguero Hidalgo.

That evening figures to be a dandy - and a great way to put a wrap on the festival's 20th annual edition.

CDs of Note…

Aldo Romano, Origine (Dreyfus Jazz)
If triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number 13, the best descriptive for Italy-born, French-reared Aldo Romano’s newest project might be triskaidekamoré. The drummer’s fourth Dreyfus project, Origine, recorded with a 13-piece European band, is a dandy. My favorites: his 10/4 rhythm exploration on “Gamelan,” as well as the gorgeous ballads “Touch of a Woman” and “Starless Night.” Brothers Stephane (trumpet) and Lionel (saxes, flute and arrangements) Belmondo shine here. Pianist Eric Legnini is spotlighted on “Touch of a Woman.” The leader changes gears a bit on the closer, switching to guitar and vocals for “Jazz Messengers” a tribute of sorts with lyrics (in French) by Yves Simon.

Ellen Rowe Quartet, Wishing Well (PKO Records)
Pianist Ellen Rowe explores nine originals (plus the standard “Alone Together”) with her quartet and two special guests: trumpeter Ingrid Jensen and tenor player Andy Haefner. Rowe’s originals are vivid sound paintings that happen to swing mightily. Jensen is a wonderful addition on two tracks: the Rachel Carson-inspired “That Which Was Living, Lost” and the Kenny Wheeler-influenced “Longing.” Other favorites: “Night Sounds” and the title track, “Wishing Well.” The pensive “For Donald,” written in memory of late saxophonist Donald Walden, features two of his students, Haefner and Andrew Bishop. The quartet members featured throughout are Rowe, Bishop, bassist Kurt Krahnke and drummer Pete Siers. This is a gem in every respect, revealing much to savor on every track - and a well-above-average sound quality. Rowe is a University of Michigan School of Music faculty member. Go Blue.

Ken Peplowski, Noir Blue (Capri)
This latest from clarinetist and tenor saxophonist Ken Peplowski finds the Swingman in great company - and stretching the stylistic range beyond what his fans may be used to. His quartet mates include pianist Shelly Berg, bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Joe La Barbera. My favorites: their take on Berg’s “Home With You,” Duke Ellington’s little-heard “Bourbon Street Jingling Jollies,” Strayhorn’s title track and Peplowski’s own “Little Dogs” - an off-kilter blues. This is a tasty session.

Alper Yilmaz, Over the Clouds (Kayique Records)
Turkish-born electric bassist Alper Yilmaz, now based in New York, has produced his second CD as a leader and the followup to 2007’s Clashes is quite intriguing. He’s got a great feel for sound – and composes a range of creative works. Alto saxophonist David Binney is aboard for this project and I particularly like the way “Misir with Grandma” showcase his melodic side. Yilmaz’s extended piece “Straight Up” opens rather pensively but gradually builds in momentum to close with great ferocity. “Cagdas’ Tune” (based on a theme by Cagdas Arpac) and “Over the Clouds” are fine ballad treatments. Guitarist Nir Felder, drummers Bodek Janke and Volkan Oktem, with a couple of guest artists joining on the sonically-enhanced title track. This is a May 18 release.

Sarah Partridge, Perspective (Peartree Productions)
The duo can be challenging, particularly with two instrumentalists. But this CD shows how wonderful the format can work for a singer and a pianist who understands the interplay required - as a musical partner, not merely an accompanist. Singer (and actress in the `1980s and ‘90s) Sarah Partridge teamed with pianist Daniel May to explore a dozen tunes they both enjoy from some of the Great American Songbook writers. Partridge also added two heart-felt originals - “Perspective” and “I Just Won’t Let You Go.” Perspective is tasty and dreamy from an artist who knows how to communicate - and not over-sing. May’s support is just that: strong backing filled with subtleties, some great solos - and never intrusive. My favorites: “I’ll String Along With You,” “’Tis Better to Have Loved and Lost,” and “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But the Blues.” This is a May 18 release.

Double dose of a fresh talent

More often than not, one of the great aspects of the jazz festival format is a listener’s opportunity to hear fresh talent - players who for one reason or another have not yet reached their musical radar. It's a chance to hear how these voices - perhaps fresh talent, perhaps from another region, are carrying forward the music.

One of this year’s most interesting newcomers at Freihofer’s Jazz Festival in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., during the last weekend in June figures to be trumpeter Mario Abney. Attendees on Saturday, June 26 have a chance for a double dose of Abney’s sextet (actually billed as a quintet plus one).

The band will be featured early in the day on the SPAC Main stage, and later in the afternoon closes the more intimate Gazebo stage up the hill.

Not a bad gig for a 32-year-old player who doesn’t have his own Web site yet, a CD in distribution, or even a computer. He does have talent, a tight band - and a quality horn that was partly subsidized by Wynton Marsalis. There is a CD in the works called Spiritual Perception.)

Freihofer’s Jazz Festival Artistic Director/Co-Producer Dan Melnick, who developed his production chops as part of George Wein’s Festival Productions team, now runs his own firm called Absolutely Live Entertainment, LLC.

Melnick first heard Abney last year while working as backstage manager at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival’s Jazz Tent. (Abney photo by Reed Hoffmann)

“Mario opened the tent there last year and completely tore it up. He is exciting, intense, beautiful and leads a great, great band. As soon as he got off the stage (I had no idea who he was or what he was about when he arrived), I literally bear-hugged him and told him he was coming to Saratoga this year,” Melnick said. “He's from Chicago, lived in Ohio for a few years, and has been in New Orleans for a few years. He plays hard-bop/funk/modern jazz all wrapped up into one high-fueled package.”

Abney leads three different bands [The Avante Garde, The Abney Effect and The Mario Abney Quintet], and gigs with other bands. The Abney Effect has been performing at all-night sessions in New Orleans at the headquarters of the Mardi Gras Indians Brothers & Sisters Association owned by Ivory Holmes.

His band at Saratoga will include Kaliq Woods on clarinet, Josh Atkin on alto saxophone, Jessy Morrow on bass, Jason Butler on piano and keyboard,s and Julian Addison on drums. You can get a little taste of his music here…

The lineup at this year’s 33rd annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival also includes Gladys Knight, Al Jarreau and the George Duke Trio, Taj Mahal, Al Di Meola, Ramsey Lewis and Ahmad Jamal. More than half of this year’s bands are performing at the festival for the first time.

Here is the full lineup: (performing generally in reverse order of listing)

Saturday, June 26, 2010 (noon to 10:30 p.m.)
Main Stage
Al Jarreau and the George Duke Trio
Sax for Stax - Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum
Ahmad Jamal
Taj Mahal
Al Di Meola - World Sinfonia
Evan Christopher
Mario Abney Quintet
Gazebo Stage
Tomasz Stanko Quartet
Alyssa Graham
JD Allen Trio
Steve Kroon Sextet
Mario Abney Quintet

Sunday, June 27, 2010 (noon to 8:30 p.m.)
Main Stage
Gladys Knight
Juan De Marcos and The Afro Cuban All Stars
Ramsey Lewis Trio
Ann Hampton Callaway
Stefon Harris and Blackout
Trio of Oz featuring Rachel Z and Omar Hakim
Gazebo Stage
Linda Oh Trio
Kendrick Scott Oracle
Ralph Lalama Quartet
Hailey Niswanger
Trio of Oz featuring Rachel Z and Omar Hakim

Montreal ready to rock again with creative programming

How do you top your 30th anniversary blowout?

At the Montreal International Jazz Festival, you don’t try to go one better intentionally, you just continue to offer the wide-ranging and imaginative programming that got you to your fourth decade.

That seems to be the philosophy, and you can’t argue with success. It’s a success that can be viewed as a multi-block block party, indoors and out, that draws 2.5 million visitors to 650 concerts (370 free outdoor shows on 12 stages, 180 indoor ticketed concerts at 10 concert halls) featuring an estimated 3,000 musicians from 30 countries.

“Last year was an extraordinary year, but I think this year’s programming matches up,” says Andre Menard, the festival’s artistic director and co-founder.

This year’s 31st annual event runs June 25 to July 6 (roughly a week earlier than in 2009).

Last year’s kickoff was a free outdoor concert by Stevie Wonder that drew a crowd that seemed beyond count - with people ignoring day-long rains and streaming into the festival’s Quartier des Spectacles neighborhood just to get within sight - or at least hearing distance, of nearly a dozen large video screens set up to accommodate those who couldn’t get near the prime outdoor stage.

This year’s primary indoor draws including some terrific headline combinations.

• June 25: an opening night pairing of Lionel Ritchie and Cassandra Wilson.


• June 28: Smokey Robinson


• July 1: George Benson’s Nat King Cole tribute show.


• July 2: The combination of Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed and saxophonist John Zorn.
  
• July 5: The Steve Miller Band and The Doobie Brothers.

Other major concerts will feature Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett’s Standards trio, the Moody Blues, Roy Hargrove’s Big Band, Terence Blanchard, Boz Scaggs, Cesaria Evora, Ahmad Jamal, Joan Armatrading, Richard Bona, John Scofield’s News Orleans-rooted Piety Street Band, Cyndi Lauper and pianist Allen Toussaint’s Bright Mississippi all-star project. The list goes on and on... and on some more.

Taj Mahal and The Fabulous Thunderbirds will team up for a blues evening at the Metropolis on June 28. On the night of July 1, Zorn will host a “Masada marathon” at the Theatre Maisonneuve that features two separate performances - each of which includes Zorn with five different bands (10 bands in all.)

This year’s edition of the acclaimed “Invitation” series spotlights four different artists with multiple nights and guests of their choosing. The four bandleaders are Italian trumpeter Paolo Fresu, French drummer MAnu Katché, pianist Robert Glasper, and Allen Toussaint (solo one night, and with Bright Mississippi the next).

The Theatre du Nouveau Monde (New World Theater) will feature eight nights of performances by jazz artists from Spain, with two nights apiece by Dorantes, Chano Dominguez, Diego and Juan Carmona.

The festival’s own year-round on-site jazz club, Astral, (located in the festival's House of Jazz, which opened last year >>>) will host jams from midnight to 4 a.m. nightly, in addition to being the site of ticketed performances earlier in the night. The outdoor free events program will be made public on June 3.

Also running in Montreal (through August 29) at the Montreal of Fine Arts is the first North American multimedia retrospective on the career of Miles Davis. The “We Want Miles” exhibition-performance, which was designed and organized by the Cité de la Musique in Paris, will also evoke some of Davis’s four memorable Montreal concerts. And this year’s concert schedule also includes Montreal trumpeter Ron DiLauro’s big band revisit of Davis’s “Porgy and Bess” project on June 30 at the Theatre Jean-Duceppe.

One thing is clear. The programming at Montreal never gets stale. That explains why the festival, as Menard puts it, “is now a beacon in Montreal - something people look forward to.”

Jamie Cullum at Montreal, 2009... >
According to tourism research, some 250,000 to 350,000 of the 2.5 million attendees are tourists from elsewhere in Canada, the U.S. or abroad, but he vast majority of people who flock to the festival are from greater Montreal.