Lisbon is one of the greatest destinations for music lovers. Every summer, Lisbon hosts a lot of musical events, including dedicated festivals for a special type of music such as Jazz, Fado and classical music. Some of these events are free to attend while the others are paid.

Among the events is Festival of Jazz music called “OUT JAZZ” which is one of the main free events every year, beginning in 2006, from the beginning of May to the end of September. Usually the concerts are held in gardens, parks and historical roads of the city. This year the concerts are held every Friday at 6:00 pm and Saturday from 5:00 pm to sundown. The performances include some famous jazz artists from Portugal, such as e Carlos Martins Quarteto, Joana Machado and Filipe Melo Trio.

The schedule of the concerts is announced on their official Facebook page.  This festival is organized by NCS, a Portuguese audiovisual company and Lisbon municipality. This year the festival has signed partnership with LxFactory. LxFactory is a flea market that occurs every Sunday along with the concert.

The idea of starting the Festival of Jazz in Lisbon was started in 2006 to select a working day to relax, dance and to listen to a good jazz music. That’s why they selected Friday to have the concerts in which is a working day in Portugal, later on they added Sunday.

Arco Do Cego Music Festival is another musical event in Lisbon between May 9 and 12. During the event, all concerts play classical music; the symphonies of Beethoven & Mozart.

Fado In Chiado is a live Fado Festival in the city. Fado is traditional Portuguese music using a special guitar called the Fado. Fado was added to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List from Portugal in 2011. The show occurs for 50 minutes daily starting at 7:00 pm. The entry ticket to the show costs 16 euros.

In 1998, the Fado Museum was opened for public visitors to promote Fado music in society. Visitors can listen and watch unique traditional samples of Fado music and songs which are making parts of the Portuguese culture. Also they can discover the history of Fado music, which was started in the nineteenth century. Within the museum premise there is a school to teach any interested to know how to play the Fado guitar.

Image credit: OUT JAZZ via Facebook

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For jazz lovers, jazz musicians and jazz musician lovers, April 30 was declared “The international jazz day.“  

Jazz music has been bringing people together in harmony for more than a century, starting with the “Blue Note” that served as a relief from slavery, pain and grief, sung and played by the workers brought from Africa to work in America and Europe as slaves. What was better than music to release the soul?

A great Classic jazz piece by the Great Saxophonist John Coltrane (1961)

Jazz music still serves its purpose by bringing people together. While most have forgotten its origins and the true meaning of freedom in jazz music, it is still popularly celebrated, played and heard by a large portion of the world’s population.

Ragtime, Bebop, Swing, Blues,  Afro, Funk, Latin and Soul are just some of the names that jazz music has evolved and sub-categorized into over the generations. We come not even one step closer to knowing what jazz music really is, well lets just say that  jazz music is any music that can not be properly categorized, played in odd times and loaded with improvisations, and sounds good.

Jazz taking new shapes through Miles Davis

Though jazz music can not be properly identified, playing it has its rules, and listening to it has its feels, in a jazz music sheet the most significant bar is the empty bar where nothing is written, but a lot is played by the musician, and that introduces the most famous  element in jazz which is  improvisation. Jazz music has only become famous after slaves rose above slavery and slavery was no longer in the western culture and only then the African Americans freed who gained their freedom has started to have the right to have their own jobs.where a big portion went working in pubs and casinos in the entertaining business, and every night after everyone is gone and the chairs were empty those entertainers and musicians would come together with no prior preparation and lay down what may some would think “the best music they have heard”. And that was the beginning of Jazz music as an official genre, all based on the ability to improvise, carrying the meaning to present freedom through music and the ability to improvise by the feeling.

(Herbie Hancock with ” Watermelon Man,” Observe Improvisation live on stage)

Since around the 1860s, the Jazz music scene was built by musicians who are now immortalized due to their massive contribution in laying a practical, theoretical and a historical foundation to jazz music. Musicians who have conquered the world, and they are not only remembered on international jazz day, but every day where jazz music is being played.

Below is a list of a very few of many that forever influenced jazz music:

- Edward Kennedy (1899–1974) a.k.a Duke Ellington, a.k.a The Duke, who composed more than 1000 jazz pieces, also famous for being America’s greatest composer (Pianist).

- Louis Armstrong (1901–1971) a.k.a. Satchel-mouth, one of the most influential trumpeters and vocalists of all jazz’s life time.

- Benny Goodman (1909–1986) a.k.a the King of swing music.

- Charlie Parker (1920-1955) a.k.a The Yardbird, the Saxophonist that all saxophonists look up to.

- Miles Davis (1926-1991), The trumpeter and the nominated creator of Contemporary Jazz.

- Buddy Rich (1917 -1987), once known as “The World’s Greatest Drummer,” famous for his speed, power and playing with big bands.

- Herbie Hanock (1940-Present), A.K.A The Ambassador, Master of the Head Hunters and one of the best jazz pianists, composers and band leader alive today.

The list goes on and on, as every name is a piece of the puzzle that is jazz music.And so, Jazz of the past and the present shall be internationally celebrated annually on April 30 by some and every single day by others. For Jazz music is a story with infinite chapters and an unpredictable journey, translated into all languages.

The International Jazz Day Full Concert Presented By The Genius Herbie Hancock on April 30th 2013  in Istanbul,Turkey:

Image credit: Jazzday.com

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It was a cool summer night when James Brown’s own saxophonist Maceo Parker funked up Perth City of Westren Australia, and when it comes to funk time, Mr. Maceo Parker is the man of the hour.

The 7th of February 2013 was the eve of the Perth Festival, and Parker was a perfect match for a night that special. The Perth Festival is the oldest annual international multi-arts festival in the southern hemisphere and offers some of the world’s best theatre, music, film, visual arts, street arts, literature and free community events, For more than 50 years, the three-week long festival that kicks off in February of each year, has been a host for the world’s greatest artists.

At the festival eve, Parker lined up with an “all groove” band, that featured keys, lead guitar, bass guitar, trombone and drums. It was a whole lot of jazz being played but Parker’s jazz is not just any jazz; and definitely not the jazz that would make you want to take five. It was that kind of  jazz that had the audience grooving to each single beat and note for two hours, non stop.

Maceo Parker goes way back to when funk and its father James Brown were teaching the world a thing or two about “the groove.” It was around 1964 when Parker and his drummer brother joined Brown’s band until 1970.

By 2013, the now 69-year-old Parker continues to delight fans in live concerts by not just play his alto saxophone, but singing too. Some see James Brown in Parker when he sings, especially when he gives a Brown’s “HEY!” and a “COME ON!” .

Instrumentally speaking, Parker and his band were playing right and tight whether it was a group song or an instrumental solo. It was an impressive performance where each musician had at least one solo and complimented each other.

And so begins the Perth International Arts Festival 2013, with a special evening by Maceo Parker.

Information about the festival and its events can be found on the festival’s website.

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When a crowd watches or listens to a musical performance, people rarely wonder about the story behind the musicians who created that ear attraction. What kind of ability and commitment does it take? Are all musicians meant to be talented just because they do things that ordinary people are not able to do? The answer can be both simple and complicated.

Our world evolves every second, whether we notice it or not. In a closer look, music has its own share of evolution from the dawn of time till this day and onwards.

For some, music is a time dimension and for others it is simply instinct. Time-influenced musicians are most likely to be composers or music teachers who have been taught music or gained their musical ability through regular music education. Meanwhile musicians who tend to follow their instincts often end up as Street Musicians, who play music out of purity. But what is the difference? Who would be a better musician? One can never tell, but one can definitely hear the difference.

Calling musicians “talented” because they know how to play an instrument or sing a song well is a stereotype. In a musician’s life everything is a challenge. Musicians who claim to be talented and lay back on their work always tend to fall behind; to be good in music it takes alot of hard work and effort, and one has to be focused and committed in all directions.

With music evolving with the world, eventually the idea of music education has been introduced as another way of gaining a prestigious place in music and improving the economy of the education system. But it seems that musical education methods are being taught by those who have never been taught music by books but by heart and ears. Those pure techniques and melodies have been recorded has been set as an example of musical perfection.

The irony lays when, in some parts of the world, a musician can only be accomplished if he has an acknowledged and approved musical education, else they remain a street musician or an amateur. Street musicians playing on the streets for audiences who spare time for their ears and maybe a coin or two is just more than enough for them. They prove to the world that nothing matters most other than playing that note on that instrument that became a  part of them, with nothing but a smile on the face.

When one refers to the music genre of Jazz for an example, we think of a style famous among street musicians and also most famous in modern music education. But what is jazz? Well, no one really knows, and this is where the beauty of jazz lays. So can a music that is not known be taught?

The word on the street is that jazz is a way of music also referred to as “improvisation.” How often do we musicians play their so called jazz music from music sheets, bar by bar, as it was written? Well in a festival that has 8 different groups, at least 4 will. To some, it is not wrong to do so, but it will then be wrong to call it jazz music.

Only because it sounded like a musical piece from an artist who is a jazz style artist it can get categorized under the genre of jazz. This is likely the bad influence of music education: these musicians gain skills and ability to play without the gift of creativity, originality and understanding of the flow of music. Taking this into a wider aspect, the world of jazz will never be the same or will never be the way it meant to be taking out its freedom of improvisation.

This is just one genre. Classical Music is another great genre that could be put into the equation: when was the last time the modern world has been introduced to a new, unforgettable piece? To a new, brilliant composer? To something like “Scheherazade” by Rimsky Korsakov? Chances are slim that our generation ever will and that is because the generation is being taught the works of Rimsky Korsakov and others like him. The outcome is that modern musicians live in the musical sphere of someone else without sharing the same flow of creativity and innovation these artists had. 

This does not mean that music should not be taught. It only makes us realize that as we move toward the future, music like it once was will be rare and in time, may perish.

Image Courtesy of  National Geographic
Photo Credit: Jim McWilliams

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On August 12, Tommy Emmanuel set foot in the western Australian city of Perth, marking the end of his Australian tour with one last outstanding concert. Right before the concert, Toonari Post had the opportunity to go behind the scene with Tommy Emmanuel to talk about his career. When asked about his opinion on the current music generation, the 57-year-old musician told us: ”music is in the eye of the beholder.”

Emmanuel explained his point of view backstage before the show: the “eye of the beholder” means that music is not a case of good or bad, but rather dependent upon personal taste. Without criticizing today’s modern musicians, he said “I would not listen to the radio or watch TV at any point, but my daughter sure would.”

He explained his idea of music by saying that it “comes from the soul and the heart” as a pure form of expression and when it sounds good, it is good. He continued to say that music was never about how complicated your skills are or how fast or slow you can play. His point of view was understood by us and the rest of the audience, when he performed ‘Angelina’, a song dedicated to his daughter, later that night during the concert in Perth.

At the concert, the stage and lights were all set for Tommy when he proudly greeted his audience and received a warm reply back from the audience. Tommy then gave them a special surprise, introducing two great American artists to join him on the stage, who have been touring with him. They were Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo, two highly regarded musicians who also play the acoustic guitar.

Frank and Vinny threw an outstanding and unique performance that no one expected for the opening act. They played an array of complicated classical pieces that they had smartly arranged. One was the fast-paced piece “Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Another, the genius “5th Symphony” by Ludwig van Beethoven.

To the sound of applause from the attending crowd, Frank and Vinny left the stage, paving the way for the long awaited Tommy Emmanuel. Just before he started playing, Emmanuel talked about his time spent with the great guitarist Les Pail and how he was able to keep up with a legend like Pail on the first live show he did with him when he was only a young fellow.

He followed this anecdote with the story of his favorite guitar brand “Maton,” saying that he played on Maton guitars long before they were well established and known for what they are today. Emmanuel’s old guitars, which had been his favorites, have been taken back to the factory and will soon be placed in a museum, according to his own account.

As the show was coming to an end, Tommy brought another surprise to the audience. He called on Frank and Vinny to join him for a trio performance that was one of its kind. The three guitarists went on with a perfect flow of melody and rhythm, touching upon styles of music from jazz to blues and finishing off happily with “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong.

That final number was the perfect symbol of the perfection of the evening, that the world is indeed wonderful in the presence of music.

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Zoë Saldaña has reportedly signed on to play legendary songstress Nina Simone in an upcoming biopic. The film, which will also star David Oyelowo (‘The Help’), has been in the making for many years now. Originally, Mary J. Blige signed on to portray Nina. However, due to issues with funding, the singer decided to leave the project to focus on other endeavors.

The news of Blige’s departure came as a surprise to fans as she has been extremely vocal about her love and admiration for the late jazz musician. She even went as far as to use a sample of Simone’s “You Know How I Feel,” a single from her seventh studio album, The Breakthrough, featuring music producer will.i.am.

News of Saldaña’s participation in the biopic has stirred mixed emotions. While no one is criticizing Saldaña’s ability to act the part, many are up in arms about her appearance in contrast to Simone’s. Simone was a dark-skinned African-American woman with coarse hair, a wide nose and full lips. Saldaña is an Afro-Latina, but her features may not “African enough” in the eyes of critics.

The decision to cast a woman who, despite being featured in numerous films with largely African-American casts, has largely identified as a Latina does not sit well with African-Americans. Many claim that it is hard enough for African-American actresses in Hollywood to gain respectable roles while competing with one another. Why add a ‘non-African-American’ into the mix and further complicate things?

For what it’s worth, Saldaña is proud of her mixed race. In her September 2011 cover story for Ebony Magazine, she states, “I am proud of my roots.” She goes on to acknowledge, however, that she doesn’t “identify as much with U.S. American History as I do with Latin American History. And so, I have bones to pick with Latin American people. There’s a lot of growing that we still have to do that we aren’t doing. We have to continue accepting our indigenous and our African heritage just as much as we embrace our European [blood].” The cover itself said it all: “Latina, Black, Fierce…”

While she is not ashamed of her heritage, she will not allow it to define her. She rarely speaks of it, which is another reason why some people are unwilling to accept her participation in this film. There are many who are not aware of the aforementioned interview in which she proclaimed that she is, indeed, partially black.

Simone rose to fame as a jazz singer in the late 1950s and became involved in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. She later lived a life of self-imposed exile from a country in which she never felt comfortable in. She died in Europe in 2003.

Production of ‘Nina’ will begin in October.

Image Courtesy of   s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

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Amor Towles’ debut novel is an amazing glimpse into the late ‘30’s lifestyle in New York City. This novel encompasses all of life’s obstacles and triumphs including love, death, despair, independence, success, and failures. Towles knows what he is writing about, especially jazz and literature, and is able to connect people around the two components.

The majority of the book is a story of where one year takes the three main characters, and whom they turn into after the one year. All of the characters hold a residual impact on the world they live in; yet, New York City is the most influential part of the novel. Everything that happens is done by the city in a way that shows the true impact of the melting pot during this era.

Towles’ writing technique allows the reader to truly feel the emotions the characters endure, and finds various ways to still catch the reader off guard. Although there are chapters throughout the book, there are broader sections by season, which really puts into perspective how time passes and the environment the characters are placed in.

A great addition to the text is all the references of greatly talented and iconic people in a way that helps the characters describe or internally overcome their circumstances. Just to name a few, Towles includes Billie Holiday, Henry D. Thoreau, Ernest Hemingway, Agatha Christies, Mark Twain, Picasso, and Charles Dickens. The literature impact to the novel creates a deeper interpretation and emphasis to the culture of both the era and New York City both then and now. To tie with the literature component, jazz is also another central element to the novel. Jazz is almost always a way for the characters to connect throughout. Again, Towles strong points are definitely jazz and literature.

The title of the novel plays a very unique role throughout the story line. The Rules of Civility is actually a novel by George Washington who wrote the piece when he was around 16 years old. The 110 rules teach one how to live the proper life, and ultimately gain status in society. The list is very influential throughout the characters of the novel, yet Towles keeps it as underlining component. Rules of Civility is a perfect title and critical theme for the novel.

The novel is a very addictive and enticing story that takes you to a different world, yet allows you to appreciate the impacts of the late ‘30’s in today’s time. So put on your favorite jazz album, and enjoy an evening of great literature that will take you on an adventure that is sure to get you wishing you saw the golden age of New York City first hand.

Image Courtesy of  Amor Towles

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Detroit, U.S.A. — The Detroit Downtown Development Authority has announced that the inaugural Detroit Paradise Valley Music Festival will take place in the Paradise Valley Cultural and Entertainment District from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Friday, July 13, Saturday, July 14, and Sunday, July 15. The weekend will feature jazz extraordinaires Ronnie Laws, Phil Perry, Howard Hewett, and Ralphe Armstrong as headliners, along with more than 70 other national and local performances over the three-day period. All events are free to the public.

The Paradise Valley District honors the rich tradition of African American entertainment and commerce in Detroit. The original Paradise Valley comprised 66 blocks where African-Americans lived, worked and played. There were more than 350 African American serving the community by day, while night clubs provided world-class entertainment after dark. The clubs hosted all the greats: Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Sammy Davis Jr., Josephine Baker, and many others.

The Downtown Development Authority, the City of Detroit, The Kresge Foundation and others have invested in the Paradise Valley District as a way of creating economic opportunity based on Downtown’s creative and historical assets.

The Festival is a wonderful place for the whole family to enjoy good food, listen to tremendous music and hear the story of a time gone by. The Festival opens at 11:00 AM July 13, 2012 and admission is free. Live performances begin at noon and run until 11:00 PM each night of the event.

Johnnie Washington, event producer, said, “The festival provides an excellent platform to support the arts, music, and local business, and it also lets us pause to recognize, reflect and celebrate our culture. The celebration is taking place in Downtown Detroit, but this is a festival for everyone.”

Image Courtesy of  John Rudoff M. D.

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WorldService Project (WSP) is a young British jazz/punk/experimental quintet formed by Dave Morecroft (keyboard/compositions), Tim Ower (saxophones), Raphael Clarkson (trombone), Conor Chaplin (bass), Neil Blandford (drums).

Dave Morecroft, keyboarder/compositor and leader of the band tells to Toonari Post the whole story of WSP and their unconventional music mash-up experiment.

Toonari Post (TP): How long have you been playing together and how did you start?

Dave Morecroft (DM): WSP in its current form has begun approaching three years ago, [but] we have known each other for a lot longer because we all went to the same sixth form college in Alston, Hampshire, where four out of five of us studied at the age of 16 to 18. We were there in different years and times.

Our average age is 23 years and 2 months, I think, because of the actual gap between the oldest – Neil, the drummer, who is 26 – and the youngest – Conor, our bass player, who is 20. The great thing about this college is that there was a very active music department. There were computer LAN night shows where we knew about Neil.

Me, Neil, Conor and Tim, the sax player, were very familiar with each other playing, and we met up and played together. We have been playing since a very young age, especially myself and Conor.

We did our first gig when he was 12 and I was 15. So, we’ve  known each other playing for a long time and I think that it really helps and gives a kind of brother fit to the band. When I left the college, I went to university in York, in the north of England, and I met Raph. [That] was when WSP started. Raph joined in with us just to see how it worked out and then in 2009, we recorded an EP and that was the real start.

TP: In 2010, you got the prestigious Peter Whittingham Jazz Award for best emerging jazz band. Can you tell a bit about this experience and how it affected your path?

DM: In 2009/2010 we were working on some material and defining the sound — and rehearse as much as possible. Then, in the winter 2010, we were very fortunate to be awarded with the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award which creates fantastic opportunities to young musicians. If you look in the scene there is no[t] really many other things like it, it’s very unique. The musicians kind of curate the benevolent fund that comes from the Peter Whittingham Award and the Whittingham family. There is nothing else like it, especially for this kind of music.

If you look at the previous winners there are some fantastic British jazz musicians from several generations. I think it really did kickstart on to what we are doing now – the “Match&Fuse” – that is the project proposal we’d submitted for the Peter Whittingham.

TP: Your music is a patchwork of styles, how would you define it and how did you come up with this mash-up?

DM: As you said, the music we play is a patchwork of styles. Defining is always very interesting and difficult. Sometimes we’ve done gigs and people came up at the end saying different things. Some people listen in a very kind of gestural sense, or they see just diversity of colors on [a] structure scales, completely [choosing] the contradictory term. Some people listen in a way like ‘oh you must listen to Frank Zappa’ or ‘there is a bit of Meshuggah’ or ‘you really like Weather Report’ and that’s how we came up with this mash-up and what every individual member of the band brings to WSP.

Neil the drummer is very interested in metal and funk as well as 80’s music. I’ve studied in university all kind of improvisation, contemporary and 20th century classical music like Stravinsky and Meshuggah, so that’s what I brought compositionally. Conor is very much the kind of funk bass player and strains at jazz classics, Raph and Tim the horn players are [into] all ranges [of] stuff, it’s really a mixture.

There [is] a press review we use that says our music is a kind of “a four-way cage match between Stravinsky, Meshuggah, Weather Report, and Frank Zappa” or something like that. It’s the mash-up literally of the composers I’ve listen to, combined also with the mash-up sense of each individual band member’s different sound that go together and form who we are.

A Punk-Jazz Interview with WorldService Project – Part 2

Image Courtesy of  http://worldserviceproject.tumblr.com

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Los Angeles, U.S.A. – Singer-songwriter and visual artist Mark Cote will be releasing his new concept album, titled Fun House of the Mind, on May 8, 2012. The album produced and mixed by veteran record producer Michael Frondelli, features eleven tracks which converge to create a colorful palette, luring the listener inside a nocturnal, visual world.

Released on May 8, 2012, Fun House Of Your Mind freely integrates pre-rock styles such as blues, jazz, and Vaudeville, with the breezy pop melodicism of late ’60′s-era Beatles. As a former Character Designer with the Disney Animation Studios with works featured in galleries and private collections throughout Southern California, and as a musician, Cote has always been a seeker, delving beneath the surface of everyday life to the depths of his heart and subconscious. His understanding of the visual arts and desire to explore the hidden meanings within has allowed him to create a truly unique visual, musical experience.

Born and raised in Ontario, Canada, Cote’s parents were very conscious about exposing him to all forms of art as a form of personal expression. “There was always music in the house,” he states. “From the moment I was walking upright, I was either singing along to my parents’ record collection or getting my hands wet with paint, creating artwork.”

Mark Cote’s songs, distinguished by his vivid lyrics, playful sense of irony, catchy melodicism and distinct vocal style have been featured in both television and film, and continue to help define the ever-broadening and diverse landscape of pop music today.

In addition to his musical ability, Cote’s talents as a visual artist are in full view within his whimsical, original illustrations that accompany the lyrics in the CD’s booklet. “I always think of music in visual terms”, says Cote. “For better or worse, I think we all have a virtual Coney Island fun house in our heads.”

Image Courtesy of   http://www.markcote.com

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Floratone, the collaborative ensemble known for creating a sound described as “futuristic roots music,” is back with FLORATONE II which will be available everywhere  March 6th. The follow up to their highly acclaimed debut and their first for Savoy Jazz, Floratone features the core group of Bill Frisell on guitar, Matt Chamberlain on drums and percussion and producers Lee Townsend and Tucker Martine.

Together they continue to further the spirit of composition and improvisation born in a Seattle studio back in 2005. It’s a fertile collaboration they’ve nurtured and maintained over the years utilizing a distinctive methodology of inspiration—Bill and Matt laying down musical themes– and assemblage—Lee and Tucker with various accompaniment adding and augmenting the compositions into a fantastic groove.

With the additional contributions of cornetist Ron Miles, viola/violin player Eyvind Kang (both featured on Floratone’s debut), bassist Mike Elizondo and multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion, Floratone have taken their signature sound to a new level. The album is released hot on the heels of Frisell’s successful collection of John Lennon’s songs, “All We Are Saying,” which reached #2 on the Billboard Top Jazz chart and is currently # 14 on the contemporary jazz chart. Bill Frisell will be touring throughout the year (tour dates below).

Given the tremendous pool of talent appearing on FLORATONE II, it’s not surprising that the thirteen tracks that make up the album are redolent with musicality that spans many genres and perspectives.

Floratone is anchored by Bill Frisell whose identifiable guitar sound remains pliable and enables him to perform alongside an A-list of players within and outside of the jazz idiom and drummer/percussionist Matt Chamberlain who has performed alongside diverse artists such as Fiona Apple, Pearl Jam, Tori Amos and the Wallflowers to name a few.

When you then add producers and side players who have performed in every musical niche imaginable, it’s almost miraculous that it all comes together as a cohesive whole.

Floratone II Track Listing:

Confirmed 2012 tour dates:
2/24/2012 Portland OR, Portland Jazz Festival – Crystal Ballroom, “Not So Fast – The Music of Speedy West & Jimmy Bryant with Bill Frisell”and “Bill Frisell Plays the Music of John Lennon”
2/25/2012 Portland OR, Portland Jazz Festival – PCPA Newmark Theater, “Bill Frisell (solo)” and  ”Bill Frisell’s 858 Quartet  featuring Eyvind Kang, Hank Roberts and Jenny Scheinman”
3/10/2012 Phoenix AZ, The Compound Grill, Bill Frisell’s Beautiful Dreamers featuring Eyvind Kang andRudy Royston
3/11/2012 Los Angeles CA, Walt Disney Concert Hall, “Bill Frisell’s Beautiful Dreamers featuring Eyvind Kang and Rudy Royston”, w/ Kronos Quartet/Billy Childs Quartet
3/19/2012 Newtown CT, Edmond Town Hall, Bill Frisell and Sam Amidon
3/20/2012 Brattleboro VT, New England Youth Theatre, Bill Frisell and Sam Amidon
3/29/2012 Louisville KY, Clifton Center, Bill Frisell with Tony Scherr, Kenny Wollesen
3/31/2012 Columbus OH, Wexner Center for the Arts - Ohio State University, “The Great Flood – A film byBill Morrison, Music composed & performed by Bill Frisell with Ron Miles, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wollesen”
4/1/2012 Cleveland Heights OH, Nighttown, Bill Frisell with Ron Miles, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wollesen
4/19/2012 La Jolla CA, UC San Diego, “The Great Flood – A film by Bill Morrison, Music composed & performed by Bill Frisell with Ron Miles, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wollesen”
4/21/2012 San Francisco CA, San Francisco Jazz Festival, “The Great Flood – A film by Bill Morrison, Music composed & performed by Bill Frisell with Ron Miles, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wollesen”
6/23/2012 Boulder CO, Boulder Theater, All We Are Saying: Bill Frisell Explores the Music of John Lennon featuring Tony Scherr, Greg Leisz and Kenny Wollesen
8/4/2012 Newport RI, Newport Jazz Festival, All We Are Saying: Bill Frisell Explores the Music of John Lennon featuring Jenny Scheinman, Tony Scherr, Greg Leisz and Kenny Wollesen

For more information, visit:  www.savoyjazz.com

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/jazzuality/

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Five-time Grammy Award winner Robert Cray launches the June 8-17 Gettysburg Festival with the blues, a purely American music style completely fitting for a festival focused on American arts, culture and cuisine.

More than 75 additional events explore a full range of American art forms: Broadway-style improv theater, farm-to-table culinary events designed by a former White House chef, traditional as well as contemporary brass, America’s largest gathering of historical artists, up-and-coming Americana folk trio Red Molly, and a choral concert exploring the roots of America’s Negro spirituals, along with much more.

Cray, credited with carrying America’s blues tradition into the 21st century, was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2011 and has based a successful career spanning 35 years upon his soulful voice, creative guitar work, and songs bridging the gaps between blues, rock, soul, gospel and jazz.

The blues-tinged theme continues as blues singer Shemekia Copeland teams up with the festival’s most popular culinary event, “Blues, Beer & BBQ.” The Boston Globe writes, “She roars with a sizzling hot intensity.”

“This 5th anniversary festival builds on a strong foundation of musical excellence at Gettysburg Festival, but also explores a wider range of musical styles than ever before, including not only blues, but brass, rock, Americana/folk, and choral music,” said Festival Executive Director Beth Kirby.

The Gettysburg Festival presents a rich musical history of America through the show Then Sings My Soul: Songs and Spirituals from the American Experience, featuring award-winning mezzo-soprano Cheryse McLeod Lewis. Spirituals, rooted in the Civil War era, are combined with inspirational Broadway favorites and historical narration which commemorates Juneteenth.

Perennial festival favorite, the free All-American Brass Picnic includes a day-long lineup of performers including the critically-acclaimed “dream team” of brass – Rodney Mack Philadelphia Big Brass.

The Festival’s 2012 theater highlight is the interactive Broadway’s Next H!T Musical, hailed by The New York Times as “hilarious” thanks to a veteran cast of improv actors who bring audience ideas to life. Culinary event “Chocolate on Broadway” follows with a late-night, chocolate-infused menu.

Culinary events, sprinkled throughout the festival, feature a potpourri of personalities: former White House Chef Walter Scheib, Biker Billy (Bill Hufnagle), and Farmer Lee Jones, nationally known in the sustainable agricultural movement.

For more information on Gettysburg Festival events including tickets: www.gettysburgfestival.org, 717-334-0853.

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The world-famous jazz trumpet and saxhorn player Paolo Fresu celebrated his 50 birthday with 50 concerts throughout Sardinia, a beautiful Italian island in the heart of Mediterranean Sea, invading it with the light sound and soft words of jazz music in the warm summer atmosphere.

From June 12 to July 31 he played every evening for a self-planned and directed tour, changing places, performances and partners day by day. A full immersion of jazz music in the most uncontaminated and wild areas of the island. An actual collection of fascinating places full of mystery, culture, magic and history.

Arts and culture join nature in the total respect of environment. Indeed, all the energy needed for the stage was provided by an ecological electrical generator, supplied through solar panels exposed to the day light before any concert. The intention was to create a relationship between music and landscape, promoting renewable energy and trying to sensitize public awareness of environmental issues.

The sound of Fresu’s trumpet re-echoed around green mountains, mines, archeological areas, accompanied by several musicians, actors, writers, orchestras from all around the world. Just to mention some of these musicians, Ralph Towner from Washington U.S., Richard Galliano from France, Omar Sosa from Cuba, Enrico Rava from Italy, Dave Douglas from New York U.S., Eivind Aarset from Norway, Glenn Ferris from Los Angeles U.S., Dhafer Youssef from Tunisia, Ludovico Einaudi from Italy, Nguyén Lé from France, and Uri Caine from Philadelphia U.S.

!50 music tour offered to all jazz lovers a special gift made by music, nature and culture. Words and music merged in an explosion of warm sounds and surreal atmospheres. And all for free, in fact there was no ticket to pay , only passion and taste for good jazz music were needed. The concerts performances were also available on live streaming.

The “sleepless trumpeter”, as Fresu is being called for his incessant musical activity – more than 300 recorded albums and 2500 concerts up to present -, never stops surprising his fans and his island with his skill as an artist and his simplicity as a man.

Paolo Fresu was born in Berchidda, a small village in north Sardinia. He started playing trumpet at the age of 11 and after different musical experiences in 1980 he began his jazz career. Nowadays he is one of the most appreciated and popular European jazzman. Since the ‘80s he has won several awards as best jazz musician in different countries, such as the prestigious Django d’Or in France. In 2005 he was one of the nominees for the Latin Grammy Awards of Santa Monica, California.

Over the last 30 years he has performed all over the world with a wide set of international artists such as John Zorn, Dave Holland, Gil Evans, John Abercrombie, Trilok Gurtu, John Taylor, Palle Danielsson, Jon Christensen, Gerry Mulligan, David Liebman, Kenny Wheeler, Richard Beirach, Jim Hall, Helen Merril, Ralph Towner, Richard Galliano, Michel Portal, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Jeanne Lee, Gunther Schüller, Paul McCandless, Toots Thielemans, Andy Sheppard, and many more.

There is not much more to say about this great jazzman, his music can speak better than thousands of words.

!50 Paolo Fresu & Uri Caine video

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