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The Central Georgian
JazzFront
Evening at the Plaza - 7-10
p.m. June 28, Eatonton Plaza, Eatonton. Summer concert series for the
whole family held in the heart of historic Eatonton on the third Saturday of the
month. June features A1A, the official Jimmy Buffett tribute band, (706)
817-9433.
Henry Butler Brings New Orleans to NPR -
Pianist Henry Butler started playing music as a child in the New Orleans housing
projects. Blind since birth, he went on to study at the Louisiana State School
for the Blind, learning classical piano scores in Braille.
This Week's Top 10 Jazz Songs
Jessy J's
"Tequila Moon" holds on to #1 spot for a 4th
consecutive week, while
Chris Strandling stands pat at #2 for another week.
1
JESSY J
TEQUILA MOON
2
CHRIS STANDRING
LOVE & PARAGRAPHS
3
KENNY G
SAX-O-LOCO
4
PAUL BROWN
OL' SKOOLIN'
5
EUGE
GROOVE MR. GROOVE
6
BRIAN CULBERTSON
ALWAYS REMEMBER
7
CHUCK LOEB
WINDOW OF THE SOUL
8
EVERETTE HARP
OLD SCHOOL
9
SAX PACK
FALLIN' FOR YOU
10
JESSE COOK
CAFE MOCHA
Review: Wayman Tisdale is back with new album,
'Rebound'....
William Ruhlmann,
All Music Guide
In the typically lengthy thank-you section
included on his eighth CD, Rebound, Wayman Tisdale acknowledges his doctors, as
well as the special devotion of associates, friends, and family during a
troubled time, as his way of alluding to the bone cancer he suffered in the
interim since his last album. "When life tries to get you down," he says at the
outset of the title track that opens the disc, "it's the perfect time for a
rebound." That is about as much reference as he makes to his physical challenge,
however. Otherwise, the listener might suppose that things are flowing as
smoothly as ever for him. Certainly, they are musically. Rebound is another
characteristic contemporary jazz effort for Tisdale, in which his fluid bass
playing is heard within the context of highly programmed rhythm tracks. To
provide contrast, a few vocals turn up, the most high-profile of them being
country star Toby Keith's turn at Barry White's "Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up."
Seeking legitimacy, Keith plays it straight, never hamming the song up as much
as White himself did, but that keeps it from being as fun as it might be. More
impressive is the Gap Band's Robert Wilson on "Watch Me Play Again," which draws
a parallel to that bass-happy group, and gospel singer Marvin Sapp also makes a
strong impression on the closer, "Grateful," which also may speak implicitly to
Tisdale's resolve to overcome his illness and get back to plucking his bass. ~
Benny Waters: Innovation in Longevity
NPR.org,
April 2, 2008 - Benny Waters will long
be remembered for his virtuosity — and his longevity. His career
as a clarinetist, saxophonist, vocalist, composer, and arranger
spanned eight decades, and his playing reflected elements from
the entire history of jazz.
Benny Waters grew up near Baltimore, Md., as
the youngest of seven children. After he discovered the organ
and learned to play it, his mother, who was terminally ill, was
so moved by his natural ability that she devoted her remaining
energy to getting him a formal education in music.
In Lionel Loueke, African Pop Meets Jazz
Day to Day
Like many of today's top jazz guitarists, Lionel Loueke
now makes his home in New York City.
But Loueke grew up in what he
describes as a family of poor intellectuals in Benin, a small
country of subsistence farmers in West Africa. And when he left
West Africa to study jazz, he took with him the music of the
region.
Loueke has since forged a
unique sound, captured on a new CD called Karibu, his
highest-profile release to date. Loueke recently brought his
guitar to NPR's New York bureau to demonstrate his original
style with a solo performance.
Teaching 'America's music' to the next generation
By Neil Schoenherr
Jazz is "America's Music." Established in the early 1900s, the music has
remained popular for nearly a century, going through many variations.
In the 1920s, jazz was "pop" music, but today it is often shunned by younger
people in favor of today's popular tunes — rap, rock and country. Can jazz, with
its broad history and reputation for being "art" music, be relevant to youth
today?
Gerald L. Early, who directs the "Teaching Jazz as American Culture" summer
institute for high school teachers, hopes to show that jazz is not only relevant
to youth today, but also essential.
Gerald L. Early, who directs the "Teaching Jazz as American Culture" summer
institute for high school teachers, hopes to show that jazz is not only relevant
to youth today, but also essential.
The director of a summer jazz institute at Washington University in St. Louis
hopes to show that jazz is not only relevant, but also essential.
Some of the country's leading scholars of jazz and American culture will be
teaching at WUSTL's National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute for
High School Teachers July 2-27.
"'Teaching Jazz as American Culture' will offer participants an exciting
opportunity to learn about one of the most extraordinary art forms the United
States has ever produced," says Gerald L. Early, Ph.D., Washington University's
Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters and director of the summer institute.
The primary goal of the institute, says Early, is to "work with 30 public high
school teachers to show how, through the study of the social, cultural,
technical and aesthetic history of a major American musical genre — jazz — they
can rethink aspects of teaching history, literature, music, art and film while
broadening students' understanding of the political, social and commercial
impact that an artistic movement can have. Participants will develop lesson
plans for their subject area using aspects of jazz."
Participants come from various academic disciplines, including English, history,
social studies, art and music.
Is the Current Onslaught of
‘Blue-Eyed Soul’ Performers Overshadowing Black Music Culture?
Howard University News Service
Listening to "Lost Without You" makes fans of
Robin Thicke want to sail away to a romantic island. The eclectic sounds of Joss
Stone remind many of smoky blues clubs. And when Justin Timberlake fans hear "My
Love," they’re instantly infatuated with the passion in his voice.
So what do these three sultry-voiced musicians
have in common? They’re part of the new generation of "blue-eyed soul" artists.
"Their sound is different -- like Justin
Timberlake’s album is more upbeat than most black R&B artists," 20-year-old
Howard University student Brianna Hurt told BlackAmericaWeb.com.
"I just like their sound, plus I don’t really like hip-hop anymore. It all
sounds the same. Yes, [Robin Thicke] sounds like Marvin Gaye, but I don’t
compare him to anyone. I listen to them because they’re good, and there’s no
profanity."
More...
JAZZ FANS DECRY EXCLUSION
(San Francisco Chronicle) Few
African American musicians booked for Berkeley festival, none on Yoshi's
anniversary CD
When Yoshi's jazz club in Oakland
released its much-anticipated 10-year anniversary CD last month, local jazz
aficionados were outraged that no African American musicians were included.
The tension grew days later when
the Bay Area's jazz community learned that the Berkeley Downtown Jazz Festival
had invited only six African American musicians to perform at the five-day event
in August.
More..
Jazz night in Baghdad bebops with Airmen’s notes....
(I-Newswire) - Ragamuffin musicians
clad in hip suits shuffle in after a meal uptown. Instruments clatter from their
cases and get propped on stands. After some quick glad-handing of friends, a few
wires get plugged in. Some quick scales peep out of the horns before a deep
voice intones a mellow introduction. “Welcome to jazz night.” Then, music.
Alto saxophone notes twist smoothly on the same breeze that carries the cool air
across the small room. The thread of a muted trumpet is wound between, causing
toes to tap, heads to bob and fingers to snap in time, the room alight with jazz
phrases that ask you to do nothing more than just be cool.
More...
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