jazzandbluesnews

How does a year fly by so fast?  For that matter, how does a week manage to do it?  I can’t believe it’s Tuesday again.  It appears to be a very buy Tuesday for jazz fans.  New releases and re-issues aplenty. 

Once again, thanks to AllAboutJazz.com.  I strongly encourage you to check out the site and read the articles and reviews.  If you feel up to it, they also look for people to write about jazz and that’s a cool thing too.

NEW RELEASES

Black Orpheus (Hip-O –Fontana– )
Achim Kaufmann - Kyrill (Pirquet )
Ana Caram - Rio After Dark (Chesky )
Andrew Hill - Dreams Come True (Joyous Shout! )
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Tribute To Antonio Carlos Jobim (Sony BMG Europe )
Antonio Ciacca - Rush Lifedig (Motema Music )
Art Blakey - Like Someone In Love (Toshiba EMI Japan )
Azar Lawrence - Bridge Into The New Age (Pid )
Azar Lawrence - Bridge Into New Age (Universal Japan )
Bar Jazz Cafe - Bar Jazz Cafe (Pid )
Bass Desires - Second Sight: Touchstones Series (Ecm )
Bass Desires - Second Sight (Ecm )
Bela Fleck - Jingle All The Way (Rounder )
Bennie Wallace - Plays Monk (Pid )
Benny Bailey - Island (Pid )
Best Jazz 100 Premium - Best Jazz 100 Premium (Pid )
Bill Evans - Undercurrent (& Jim Hall) (Pid )
Bill Frisell - Rambler: Touchstones Series (Ecm )
Billie Holiday - Collection (Pid )
Black Orpheus / Orfeo Negro - Black Orpheus (UME Imports )
Boz Scaggs - Speak Low (Decca U.S. )
Candy Dulfer - Essential (Pid )
Cannonball Adderley - Mercymercymercy (Pid )
Cannonball Adderley - Cannonball’s Bossa Nova (Pid )
Chick Corea - Children’s Songs: Touchstones Series (Ecm )
Chico Hamilton - Trio! Live @ Artpark (Joyous Shout! )
Chihiro Yamanaka - Bravogue (Pid )
Christiane Legrand - Christiane Legrand Trio (Pid )
Christmas Jazz Album - Christmas Jazz Album (Pid )
Clark Terry - Portraits (Chesky )
Claudio Filippini - Space Trip (Pid )
Clementine - Sweet Rendez-Vous (Pid )
Clifford Brown - Live At The Bee Hive (Lone Hill Jazz (France) )
Collin Walcott - Cloud Dance: Touchstones Series (Ecm )
Collin Walcott - Cloud Dance (Ecm )
Colors Green - Colors Green (Pid )
Colors Yellow - Colors Yellow (Pid )
David Friedman - Futures Passed (Pid )
David Malek - Music From Source (Pid )
David Newman - Love, Peace, Chant (RCA )
Dinah Washington - Complete Recordings With Clifford Brown (Lone Hill Jazz )
Dr. John - City That Care Forgot (Columbia Japan )
Dr.John - City That Care Forgot (Pid )
E.S.T. - Leucocyte (Emarcy / Umgd )
Elizeth Cardoso - Bossa Eterna De Elizeth E Ciro (Blue Note )
Ella Fitzgerald - Collection (Pid )
Enjoy Bar Jazz - Enjoy Bar Jazz (Pid )
Enrico Rava - Pilgrim & The Stars: Touchstones Series (Ecm )
Enrico Rava - The Pilgrim And The Stars (Ecm )
Eumir Deodato - Ideias (Blue Note )
Franco Ambrosetti - Wings (Pid )
Franco Ambrosetti - Tentets (Pid )
Fred Hersch - Dancing In The Dark (Chesky )
Freddie Hubbard - Ready For Freddie (Pid )
Frode Haltli / Trygve Seim - Yerazocrd (Ecm )
Frode Haltli / Trygve Seim - Yeraz (Ecm )
Gabriele Mirabassi - Canto Di Ebano (Pid )
Gary Bartz - I’ve Known Rivers & Other Bodies (Pid )
Gary Bartz - Harlem Bush Music-Taifa (Pid )
Gary Bartz - Ive Known Rivers And Other Bodies (Universal Japan )
Giza Compilation Album - Giza Compilation Album (Giza Japan )
Glauco Venier - Suona Frank Zappa (Pid )
Glenn Miller - Originals (Music Brokers Argentina Sa )
Gordon Goodwin - Act Your Age (Immergent )
Hart / Jormin / Charles Lloyd / Stenosn - Call: Touchstones Series (Ecm )
Hart / Jormin / Charles Lloyd / Stenosn - The Call (Ecm )
Headhunters - On Top: Live In Europe (P-Vine Japan )
Henrik Band Freischlader - Live (Peppercake )
Horace Silver - Greatest Hits (Collectables )
Hot Tuna - Paper Sleeve Box (Pid )
Illscarlett - All Day With It (Pid )
Ira Jane Bloom - Mighty Lights (Pid )
Jan Garbarek - Took Up The Runes: Touchstones Series (Ecm )
Jane Bunnett - Embracing Voices (Pid )
Jane Ira Bloom - Mighty Lights (Universal Japan )
Jason Miles - 2 Grover With Love (Koch )
Jazz & 70S - Jazz & 70S (Music Brokers Arg )
Jazzymental Softmix - Jazzymental Softmix (Pid )
Jeff Lorber - Tba (Peak Records/Universal )
Jeff Lorber - Heard That (Peak )
Jim Hall - Unreleased Sessions (Lone Hill Jazz )
Joao Donato - Cha Dancante (Blue Note )
Joe Henderson - Black Narcissus (Pid )
Joe Louis WAlker - WITNESS TO THE BLUES (Stony Plain Records)
Joe Sample - Respect Yourself & Randy Crawford (Pid )
Joe Zawinul - 75 (Pid )
John Abercrombie / Jack DeJohnette / Dave Holland - Gateway: Touchstones Series (Ecm )
John Pizzarelli - My Blue Heaven (Chesky )
Jon Cleary - Mo Hippa (MRI Associated Labels )
Jonas Knutsson & Jo - Norrland:Skarren (Pid )
Julie London - London,Julie Vol. 1-Julie Is Her Name (Pid )
Keith Jarrett - Bye Bye Blackbird: Touchstones Series (Ecm )
Kenny Barron - Quickstep (Pid )
Kenny G - Rhyrhm & Romance-Japan Tour Edition (Pid )
Kenny Rankin - Because Of You (Chesky )
Kyuujitsu Ongaku-Sweet & Jazzy - Kyuujitsu Ongaku-Sweet & Jazzy (Pid )
Laura Fygi - Rendez-Vous (Fontana Hip-O ( )
Livingston Taylor - Good Friends (Chesky )
Love In Bossa-From Movie Songs - Love In Bossa-From Movie Songs (Pid )
Luiz Bonfa - O Violao E O Samba (Blue Note )
Madlib - Wlib Am: King Of The Wigflip (Rapster )
Maggie Reilly - Starcrossed (Mirror Image )
Malta - Brass (Pid )
Malta - Brassband Event (JVC Japan )
Manhattan Transfer - Only The Best Ofbox (Collectables )
Marion Brown - Offering (Pid )
Mark Johnson - Story From My Heart (Thompkins Marketing, Inc. )
Mark Wyand - Hidden Hill (Pid )
Martin Medeski & Wood - Radiolarians 1 (Indirecto )
Matt Belsante - White Christmas (Emm/Chordant )
Matty Matlock - And They Called It Dixieland/Gold Diggers In Dixieland (Collectables )
Mccoy Tyner - Inner Voices (Pid )
Medeski Martin & Wood - Radiolarians 1 (Red Ink )
Michael Davis - Workin’ Relaxin’ Steamin’ (Pid )
Microscopic Septet - Lobster Leaps In (Cuneiform )
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue (Sony BMG )
Miles Davis - Birth Ot The Cool (Pid )
Miles Davis - Workin’ Relaxin’ Steamin’ (Pid )
Milton Nascimento - Novas Bossas (Blue Note )
Monica Zetterlund - Monica Zetterlund (Sony Sweden )
Monica Zetterlund - Varsamt (Sony Sweden )
Monics Zetterlund - Lost Tapes (Sony Sweden )
My House Party 1 - My House Party 1 (Pid )
Natural Essence - In Search Of Happiness (Pid )
Nina Simone - To Be Free (Sony Legacy )
Nina Simone - Remixed & Re-Imagined (Legacy )
No-Man - Together We’re Stranger (Kscope )
Noon - Homecomming (Pid )
Norma Winstone - Somewhere Called Home: Touchstones Series (Ecm )
Originals - Black Orpheus (UME Imports )
Oscar Peterson - On The Radio (Pid )
Pat Metheny - New Chautauqua: Touchstones Series (Ecm )
Paul Motian - Conception Vessel: Touchstones Series (Ecm )
Peter Warren - Bass Is (Pid )
PJ Parker - Dreams Are Meant For Two (PJB Creatives, Inc.)
Prince Lasha - Cry! (& Sonny Simmons) (Pid )
Prince Lasha - Cry (Universal Japan )
Punkt - Live Remixes 1 (Ume Imports )
Quarteto Novo - Quarteto Novo (Blue Note )
Radio.String. Quartet - Radiotree (Pid )
Ralph Towner - Batik: Touchstones Series (Ecm )
Ray Bryant - MCMLXX (Collectables )
Rebecca Pidgeon - Raven (Chesky )
Rebecka Tornqvist - Cherry Blossom & The Skyline Risen (Pid )
Reema Datta - Truth Love Creation (RCA )
Riccardo Arringhini & Strings - E Lucean Le Stelle (Pid )
Richard Davis - Blue Monk (King Japan )
Richie Beirach - Omarta (3D Japan )
Richie Beirach - Tidal Wave (Tokuma Japan Comm. )
Richie Beirach - Elegy For Bill Evans (Tokuma Japan Comm. )
Richie Beirach - Piano Solo (Tokuma Japan Comm. )
Rotterdam Ska Jazz - Sunwalk (Megalith )
Sara K. - Closer Than They Appear (Chesky )
Sarah Vaughan - Complete Recordings With Clifford Brown (Lone Hill Jazz )
Shankar - Song For Everyone (Ecm )
Sing 2-Rca Female Vocal Selection - Sing 2-Rca Female Vocal Selection (Pid )
Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin (Pid )
Stacey Kent - Breakfast On The Morning Tram (Blue Note Records )
Stanley Cowell - New World (Pid )
Stomu Yamashta - Go (Pid )
Stomu Yamashta - One By One (Pid )
Stomu Yamashta - Floating Music (Pid )
Susan Wong - Someone Like You (King Japan )
Take 6 - Standard (Heads Up )
Till Bronner - Rio (Pid )
Tim Bowman - Tim Bowman (Trippin & Rhythm )
Tim Bowman - Smile (Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm )
Tim Bowman - Love, Joy, Peace (Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm )
Tim Bowman - Paradise (Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm )
Tomasz Stanko - Balladyna: Touchstones Series (Ecm )
Tomasz Stanko - Balladyna (Ecm )
Tommy Flanagan - Let’s (Pid )
Trio North - Songs Of Trees (Pid )
Trio Of Doom - Trio Of Doom (Legacy)
Trio Romen - Russian Gypsy Queen (Hot Club )
Various Artists - Live In London: Giants Of Jazz Vol. 1 (Echo-Vista Group )
Various Artists - Live In London: Giants Of Jazz Vol. 2 (Echo-Vista Group )
Various Artists - Saxophone Tribute To Evanescence (Chambermusik )
Viktoria Tolstoy - My Russian Soul (Pid )
Walter Lang - 746 (Elf) (Pid )
Walter Norris - Synchronicity (Pid )
Walter Wanderley - Samba No Esquema De Walter Wanderley (Blue Note )
Will Bernard - Blue Plate Special (Palmetto )
Yaxkin - Sin Limites (Fonovisa )
Yoshiro Nakamura - Conversa Em 6 Cordas (Pid )
Yusef Lateef - Eastan Sounds (Pid )
Zoot Sims - Hoagy Carmichael Sessions And More (Lone Hill Jazz )

REISSUES

Art Pepper - Modern Art (Virgin)
Bud Powell - Bud Powell (Virgin)
Bud Powell - Scene Changes (Pid )
Jim Hall - Jazz Guitar (Virgin)
Joe Henderson - Our Thing (Blue Note)
John Coltrane - Blue Train (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Johnny Frigo - Debut of a Legend (Chesky)
Johnny Griffin - Congregation (Blue Note)
Lee Morgan - Complete Introducing Sessions (Lone Hill Jazz (France) )
Leny Andrade - Maiden Voyage (Chesky)
Mongo Santamaria - Mambo Mongo (Chesky)
Monica Zetterlund - Bill Remembered (Bmg/Rca )
Monty Alexander - Caribbean Circle (Chesky)
Ray Bryant - Plays (Virgin)
Sarah Vaughan - After Hours (Verve)

There have been a lot of legendary record labels in the history of jazz and blues in the city of Chicago.  Several of them have gone under, sadly, but there is one records label you should know if you happen to be a fan of blues music.  That would be Alligator Records and they have some of the finest blues musicians in the Chicago area.

That link will take you to the new releases section of their website.  They have a constant supply of new music.  Last year they came out with a new Koko Taylor blues album that many felt was one of the best the great lady of blues had produced in years. 

Right now they are promoting albums by JJ Grey & Mofro called “Orange Blossoms.”  They are also pushing the album Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials called “Full Tilt.” 

I cannot vouch for any of those albums listed there.  I am curious about the JJ Grey album because one review says it contains “Rich, funky swamp gooves…celebrates life’s most fundamental joys with unforced talent and deep feeling.”  Anything with “rich, funy swamp grooves” is something I might need to check out.

Alligator has a nice rich history and I used to work right around the block from their offices.  They also have a great website that I encourage you to check out.  They have lots of free music samples and, really, if you are into the blues you could almost leave the website open and have a day of great blues to listen to.  They have a page called “Jukebox” loaded with Alligator musicans and their music.

So, check them out and then tell them you heard about them from me.  I’d love to get some of their new releases to review them here.  Of course, I could go to them myself, but it helps when others do it on my behalf. 

Hint….hint…

Yes, though I am in St. Louis for this weekend, I am keeping track of the jazz and blues music going on in the Chicago area.  Yes, you’re welcome.  It’s supposed to be gorgeous weather in the Windy City this weekend.  That means it’s still great weather to get out and see some great live music at one of these clubs.  A special thanks, as always, goes out to radio station WDCB from DuPage County for the information you see below.

JAZZ

Dave Gordon Sextet: “Constantly Evolving” CD Release Show
Friday, September 26; 8:00pm
SPACE, Evanston

Fall into Jazz: American Jazz from the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s
Jazz at the LUMA Gallery: Jordan Baskin Trio
Friday, September 26; 6 to 7 p.m.
Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA), Chicago

Perspectives III-Music for Soloists and Ensembles
Friday, September 26; 9:30 pm
Velvet Lounge (new location), Chicago

Jose Valdes Quartet
Friday, September 26; 8 pm to 12:30 am
Pete Miller’s - Schaumburg, Schaumburg

Chris Potter Quartet
Friday, September 26; Sets at 8 and 10
Jazz Showcase, Chicago

Libby York Quartet
Friday, September 26; 9 pm to 1 am
Pete Miller’s - Evanston, Evanston

Kimberly Gordon with Tom Hope
Friday, September 26; 6:30 to 9 pm
Katerina’s, Chicago

Green Mill Quartet Jam Session
Friday, September 26; 1:30 to 4 am
Green Mill, Chicago

Tony Smith Show
Friday, September 26; 9 pm to 1 am
Chambers, Niles

Holly McGuire
Friday, September 26; 8 to midnight
Philander’s, Oak Park

Paul Cebar & the Milwaukeeans
Friday, September 26; 9:30 pm
FitzGerald’s, Berwyn

Ava Logan Quartet
Friday, September 26; 9 pm
Pops for Champagne, Chicago

Libby York and her Trio
September 26 - 27; 9:00pm-1:00am
Pete Miller’s - Evanston, Evanston

Done Deal
Saturday, September 27; 8 to midnight
Philander’s, Oak Park

Libby York Quartet
Saturday, September 27; 9 pm to 1 am
Pete Miller’s - Evanston, Evanston

CD Release Party – Shawn Maxwell Quartet
Saturday, September 27; 7 to 11 pm
Olive Black Lounge, Richmond

Hyde Park Jazz Festival
Saturday, September 27; noon to 2 a.m.
Hyde Park - various venues, Chicago

Chris Potter Quartet
Saturday, September 27; Sets at 8 and 10
Jazz Showcase, Chicago

Hyde Park Jazz Festival
Saturday, September 27; 6:30 to 10:30
Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago

Jose Valdes Quartet
Saturday, September 27; 8 pm to 12:30 am
Pete Miller’s - Schaumburg, Schaumburg

Ronnie Ross Show
Saturday, September 27; 9 pm to 1 am
Chambers, Niles

Jeff Chan’s Big Fun Philharmonic
Saturday, September 27; 9:30 pm
Velvet Lounge (new location), Chicago

Aftet Hours Jazz Party with Sabertooth
Saturday, September 27; midnight to 4
Green Mill, Chicago

2nd Annual Hyde Park Jazz Festival
Saturday, September 27; noon to midnight
Various Venues Throughout Hyde Park, Chicago

Ava Logan Quartet
Saturday, September 27; 9 pm
Pops for Champagne, Chicago

Jimmy Ellis Quartet
Sunday, September 28; 7:30 to 11:30 pm
Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago

Kimberly Gordon Organ Trio
Sunday, September 28; 11 pm to 2 am
Green Mill, Chicago

Scott Earl Holman
Sunday, September 28; 6 pm - 10:30 pm
Chicago Chop House, Chicago

Chris Potter Quartet
Sunday, September 28; Sets at 4, 8 and 10
Jazz Showcase, Chicago

Marshall Vente
Sunday, September 28; 7 to 9:30 pm
Philander’s, Oak Park

Jazz Jam
Sunday, September 28; 9 to midnight
Velvet Lounge (new location), Chicago

Andy’s Jam Session
Sunday, September 28; 9 pm
Andy’s, Chicago

Anne Burnell
Sunday, September 28; 5 pm
Andy’s, Chicago

Jeannie Lambert Duet
Sunday, September 28; 5 to 9 pm
Chambers, Niles

Mulligan Mosaics
Sunday, September 28; 6 pm
FitzGerald’s, Berwyn

BLUES

September 27, 2008
Robert Cray with Shemekia Copeland
The Venue, Hammond

It’s Thursday and I am traveling to St. Louis for a book signing.  You know I love Miles Davis and will take an opportunity to talk about him.  Well, today, I thought I would do some hunting around YouTube and see if I could find some classic Miles Davis live performances.   

YouTube is great and you can find almost anything there.  This is a performance from the old Steve Allen show and it shows the classic Miles Davis Quintet.  These were some of the up and comers of the day and they played some of the best music with miles that are ever likely to hear.  The band featured:  Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams .

The song they are performing is from that album “Kind of Blue” that I rave about all the time too.  These are not the folk who recorded that album, but they are the guys that made it their own and played some classic concerts.

So, while I travel via bus to St. Louis, you enjoy some classic live Miles Davis and his band, from a time when he was in his prime.

Yes, the calendar says it’s fall, but the weather is very warm here in Chicago and there is at least one more day of cool music in an outdor setting before the cold weather comes creeping in slowly.  It’s the Hyde Park Jazz Festival and it’s this weekend.

The fine folks at Audience Logic, a company that promotes events like the Festival, sent me some information about the festival that they would like me to pass along to you.

Saturday, September 27

noon - 2 AM  

14 Hours of FREE  Jazz!

Reginald R. Robinson, Nicole Mitchell,

Ari Brown, Robert Irving III, Dee Alexander,Fred Anderson, Two for Brazil,

Orbert Davis, Willie Pickens, Chicago Jazz Orchestra and many others!

THE SCHEDULE
 
12:00-12:30pm Jazz Institute Jazz Links Ensemble DuSable Museum

1:00-1:30 Reginald R. Robinson DuSable Museum

1:00-2:00 M.A.D.D. Rhythms Midway Plaisance
  
 Bethany Pickens Little Black Pearl
 
2:00-3:00 Henry Johnson DuSable Museum
  
 Nicole Mitchell Smart Museum
 
2:30-3:30 Ron Haynes Little Black Pearl

3:00-4:00 Fred Anderson Hyde Park Art Center
  
 Chicago Jazz Orchestra, featuring Frieda Lee, vocalist Midway Plaisance
 
3:30-4:30 Robert Irving, III Smart Museum
 
 Frank Russell Experimental Station
 
4:00-5:00 Ari Brown Quadrangle Club*
 
4:00-6:00 Two for Brazil (Paulinho Garcia, Greg Fishman) + Heitor Garcia Robie House*
 
4:30-5:30 Corey Wilkes + Kahil El’Zabar Hyde Park Art Center

5:00-6:00 Charlie Johnson Midway Plaisance
  
 Maggie Brown Experimental Station
 
6:00-6:30 U-High Jazz Band Oriental Institute
 
6:30-7:30 Khari B Experimental Station
  
 Greg Spero Checkerboard Lounge
 
7:00-8:00 Dee Alexander Rockefeller Chapel
  
 Peter Lerner Oriental Institute
  
 Edwin Sanchez Midway Plaisance
  
 John Wright International House
 
8:00-9:00 Joan Collaso & Larry Hanks Checkerboard Lounge
 
8:30-9:30 Orbert Davis International House

9:00-10:00 Sax In The City (Ray Silkman, James Perkins, Skinny Williams and Audley Reid) Midway Plaisance
 
9:30-10:30 Willie Pickens Checkerboard Lounge
 
10:00-11:00 The Greatest Guitars (Henry Johnson, Curtis Robinson, Buddy Fambro) International House
 
12:00am-? MIDNIGHT SLAM JAM International House

It’s another glorious Tuesday and you know what that means.  It means new albums for your jazz collection.  I’d love to tell you about new blues releases, but there is no website that does that like the website AllAboutJazz.com does for the jazz fans. 

Also, be sure to check out AllAboutJazz.com.  They are a great resource for all things jazz.  If you’re a fan, you need to be visiting not only this blog, but that website as often as possible.

NEW RELEASES

Affirmation - Identity Crisis (Rhombus )
Aki No Izanai-Autumn Jazz Collection - Aki No Izanai-Autumn Jazz Collection (Pid )
Alejandra Bayas - Daydream (Pid )
All Good Funk Alliance - Slingshot Boogie (Pid )
Andrew Raffo Dewar - Six Lines Of Transformation/Music For Eight Bamboo (PORTER )
Ann Callaway - This Christmas (Telarc )
Ann Charters - Genius Of Scott Joplin (Gazell Productions )
Art Hodes - Keepin Out Of Mischief (Candid )
Ann Charters - Genius Of Scott Joplin (Gazell Productions )
Art Hodes - Keepin Out Of Mischief (Candid )
Atjazz - Full Circle (Mantis Recordings )
Benny Goodman - When Swing Was King (Mr. Music )
Bob Brookmeyer - Back Again (Gazell Productions )
Boomers - What We Do (Phantom Imports )
Bud Shank - I Told You So (Candid )
Cal Tjader - Plays The Contemporary Music Of Mexico & Brazil (Verve )
Champian Fulton - When Your Lover Has Gone (Pid )
Charlie Haden - Family & Friends ‘Ocean Of Diamonds’ (Pid )
Chic Boutique - Chic Boutique (Pid )
Chuck Leavell - Live In Germany (Peppercake )
Clarke / Corea - Griffith Park Collection (Wounded Bird )
Clarke / Corea - Clarke/Corea Vol. 2-Griffith Park Collection-In Concert (Wounded Bird )
Clifton Anderson - Decade (Pid )
Corey Christiansen - Roll With It (Origin )
Crusaders - Pass The Plate (Verve )
Dance Hitzone 1 - Dance Hitzone 1 (Pid )
Dave Burrell - Brother To Brother (Gazell Productions )
Dave Holland - Pass It On (Emarcy / Umgd )
Dave Liebman - Classic Ballads (Candid )
David Laibman - Adventures In Ragtime Guitar (Stephan Grossmans Guitar Works )
Dizzy Gillespie - Bop Session (Gazell )
Ellis / Mcphee / Plimley - Sweet Freedom-Now What (Pid )
Fle / Trucks / Tyner - Guitars (Mccoy Tyner Music )
Fourplay - Energy (Heads Up )
Francisco Mela - Cirio: Live At The Blue Note (Half Note )
George Duke - Feel (Verve )
Grover Washington Jr. - All The King’s Horses (Verve )
Herbie Hancock - Then & Now: The Definitive Herbie Hancock (Verve )
Herbie Mann - London Underground (Wounded Bird )
Hitomi Nishiyama - Parallax (Pid )
I Heart Lung - Interoceans (Asthmatic Kitty )
Idit Shner - Tuesday’s Blues (OA2 )
Jazz Cafe - Sight Unseen (Unison )
Jimmy Demers - Dream A Little (Concord )
Joe Locke - Force Of Four (Origin )
Joe Sample - Fancy Dance (Gazell )
Joe Sample & David T Walker - Swing Street Cafe (Verve )
Juicy House - Juicy House Vol. 1-Juicy House (Pid )
Kate Westbrook & Mi - Westbrook-Rossini (Pid )
Kaya Bruel - Love Lust (Stunt )
Kenny Garrett - Sketches Of MD Live At The Iridium (Mack Avenue )
Kevin Tkacz Trio - It’s Not What You Think (Piece of Work of Art Records)
Kirk Lightsey - Lightsey To Gladden (Criss Cross )
Kirk Lightsey - Early Songs (Criss Cross )
Lafayette Gilchrist - Soul Progressin (Hyena )
Lage Lund - Early Songs (Criss Cross Jazz )
Lalo Schifrin - Piano Strings & Bossa Nova (Verve )
Lea Delaria - Live Smoke Sessions (Pid )
Les 100 Plus Belles Chansons De Noe - Les 100 Plus Belles Chansons De Noe (Pid )
Louis Armstrong - Rare Batch Of Live Satchrmst (Mr. Music )
Louis Armstrong - A Rare Batch Of Live Satch (Mr. Music )
Luis Perdomo - Pathways (Criss Cross )
Luiz Bonfa - Plays & Sings Bossa Nova (Verve )
Marcos Ariel - Alone With Jobim (TENURE )
Materna Quartett, Pe - Silent Session (Pid )
Max Raabe - Heute Nacht Oder Nie (SPV )
Mccoy Tyner - Guitars (McCoy Tyner Music )
Mike Ruby - Play Time (Alma Music )
Mina Agossi - Simple Things (Pid )
NHK Bi No Tsubo With Blue Note - NHK Bi No Tsubo With Blue Note (Toshiba EMI Japan )
No Run No Life: Running - No Run No Life: Running (Pid )
Oliver Lake - Makin’ It (Passin Thru )
Oliver Organ Lake Trio - Makin’ It (PASSIN THRU )
Otmaro Ruiz - Sojourn (Moondo )
Ray Brown Jr. - Friends And Family (SRI Jazz )
Renee Rosnes - Black Narcissus (Pid )
Ric Laue - Lessons Of Loneliness (Sunset Classics & Jazz )
Ric Laue - Weight (Sunset )
Richard Galliano - Love Day (Milan )
Robin Kenyatta - Stompin’ At The Savoy (Wounded Bird
Roy Assaf & Eddy Khaimovich Quartet - Andarta (Origin )
Roy Ayers - You Send Me (Verve )
Roy Fox & His Orchestra - This Is Roy Fox (Sounds Of Yesteryear )
Roy Fox & His Orchestra - This Is Roxy Fox (Sounds Of Yesteryear )
Royal Ensemble Hartigan - Blood Drum Spirit: Live In Chiaa (Innova )
Royal Ensemble Hartigan - Ancestors (Innova )
Royal Hartigan Ensemble - Blood Drum Spirit: Live In Chiaa (Innova )
Rufus Harley - Bagpipes Of The World (Transparency )
Satomi Kawakami - Innocent Eyes (Pid )
Spyro Gyra - A Night Before Christmas (Heads Up )
Stan Getz - Big Band Bossa Novarmst (Verve )
Stan Getz - Best Of Two Worlds (Pid )
Stan Kenton - Live From Birdlandrmst (Mr. Music )
Stan Kenton - Stan Kenton & His Orchestra (Sounds Of Yesteryear )
Stan Kenton & His Orchestra - Unrecorded Stan Kenton (Sounds Of Yesteryear )
Stanley Clarke - Griffith Park Collection (Wounded Bird )
Steve Million - Remembering The Way Home (Origin )
Steve Tilleli - Field (Sunset Classics & Jazz )
Steve Tilleli - Mezzanote (Sunset Classics & Jazz )
Terry Callier - What Color Is Love (Verve )
Till Bronner - Rio-Special Edition (Pid )
Tin Cup Serenade - Tin Cup Serenade (Tin Cup Serenade )
Toots Thielemans - Amazing Sound Of Toots Thielemans (Pid )
Tower Of Power - Top (Sony/Bmg Int’L )
Tower Of Power - Souled Out (Sony/Bmg Int’L )
Tribal Tech - Primal Tracks (Wounded Bird )
Various Artists - Swing Bands (Sunset )
Verve Remixed Christmas - Verve Remixed Holiday (Verve )
Verve Unmixed Holiday - Verve Unmixed Holiday (Verve )
Vic Dickenson - Plays Bessie Smith: “Trombone Cholly” (Gazell Productions )
William Ash - Skyline Dreams (Rhombus )
Yasuko Agawa - Le Cinema (Pid )
Yasuko Agawa - In Autumn (Pid )
Yasuko Agawa - Tea For Two (Pid )

REISSUES

Chet Baker - Strollin (Tokuma )
Stan Getz - Big Band Bossa Nova (Verve (USA

Just a couple of days ago I mentioned one of my favorite moder jazz groups - The Sad Salamanders.  They are helmed by none other than the man with the name of something you could ride to work - Scooter Pietsch.

When the Salamanders released “Cigarettes and Fishnets” I got the chance to interview Scooter.  This interview was originally published on my previous jazz and blues blog, but since that blog is no more…I am republishing it here.  I can’t let a good interview go to waste!

Q:  So, you just got back from Rome?  What were you doing there?  Anything good come out of your trip?

A: Not unlike a lot of other people, I love Italy. The history, the people, the language. And Rome is just fantastic. I learned Italian over the past year and plan on spending more time there. This trip I was investigating which parts of the city might be right for renting an apartment for a short time. Technology, in terms of how we’re all writing and recording music, has evolved to the point that I can now write almost anywhere. I spend a lot of my writing time on tv shows and films. I’m sent a Quicktime movie, I score to it and then I upload the mixes back to them. So after 20 years of being stuck in the same room doing it, I can now be stuck in a different room - in Rome!

Q:  Tell me about the Sad Salamanders.  What do you want people to know about the group?

A: Sad Salamanders is a group I started for 2 reasons. One; I’m a huge fan of what’s called “Martini Jazz” or “Bachelor Pad Jazz” from the 50s and 60s. Second, I work on projects everyday with all of these great players here in LA, and we’re always talking about doing cool, fun, interesting projects. So these ideas, influences, - goals, - I guess you’d say, are floating around. And one day you wake up and realize The time is right. Let’s make this record.  One day it is on a list of CDs I want to make in my lifetime and the next day I’m doing it. I believe everything has its own time and if you pay attention, the time will reveal itself. I have lots of records in my head that I want to make. I was a huge fan of music before I became a musician and composer, so I approach making a record almost like kid trying to decide which new CD he’s gonna buy in the store. This past year, I fulfilled one of those dreams and made Sad Salamanders.

Q:  Where did the name come from?

A: I hadn’t given much thought to a band name during the writing and recording and then towards the end, the name just popped into my head. It was singular, not plural, the first time I wrote it down. It stuck with me so I kept it. Now with the salamander logo and the sexy pinup girl on the front it has some sort of phallic imagery I guess. And the salamander tattoo was a big hit so I’m diggin’ the name now.

Q:  Does the band have a style or philosophy?  What is it?

A: Most great musicians, when they decide to make a jazz record, they try and do something that shows off their virtuosity, or cuts new ground in the genre. Not that those kinds of records can’t be fun, but we wanted to bring a little party atmosphere back into jazz. Jazz is the first, real, modern party music. It was born in bars and brothels and requires a booze/female accompaniment. To put it up on a pedestal and admire it from afar, I feel, is doing a big disservice to your enjoyment of the medium. So we’re gonna make records you can play when you’re friends are over and everybody’s having a good time and you’ve got a martini in your hand and the whole situation just makes you smile.

Q:  Are you guys going to get together and tour at some point?

A: Absolutely. I was talking to Ed Martel, the other keyboardist in the group, the other day, and we were talking about how fun it would be to play the big jazz festivals. Imagine Sad Salamanders following some totally serious bebop group with our dancing girls and martini jazz. I just know the crowds would eat it up. So we’re talking to people and trying to make it work between 10 different, very busy, very successful people’ careers. Not easy. But worth it. Put in a word for us at the Chicago Jazz Festival.

Q:  How did you get the artist to do to cover for Cigarettes and Fishnets?

A: I’m very visual when it comes to music. Maybe from scoring all of this tv/movie stuff. But just before I decided to make it, my son and a friend were hanging out in the studio playing music. His friend saw a book I had lying around called “Playboy: 50 Years of Cartoons.”  He asked me why I had it. I told him I was a big fan of Playboy cartoons and then bored him with my theory that my entire generation’s attitude on love, relationships, sex, women, etc can be traced specifically back to those cartoons. And right there, I realized what this record needed to be. A tribute to those cartoons. And it naturally followed that I needed an artist “ a real Playboy artist“ to draw the cover. I began my search and found out that almost every one of those guys from the vintage days of the 50s and 60s was dead. Really sad. Doug Sneyd was the exception according to his website. I sent him a couple of emails and he didn’t respond. I continued my search and I’m glad I did. I found Dean Yeagle. Dean has been drawing for Playboy for about 10 years I think. I loved his work. As luck would have it, he lives about 20 minutes from me. We met for lunch, I told what we were trying to do, he loved the idea. Dean mocked up a couple of girls and that’s when my perversions started to shine. It was a fun, kind of surreal experience, to comment on the drawing of a sexy woman. I’d suggest bigger boobs, maybe trying some jewelry, change her hair. Dean and I laughed a lot during those lunches. In the end, Dean just got it so right. So perfect. He also did the salamander logo for the tattoos. About 2 weeks after we had finished the CDs, I heard from Doug Sneyd. He was on vacation! He and Dean are good friends. Maybe I can use Doug on the next Salamander CD.

Q:.  Anymore videos in the near future?

A: The video for “My Parents Are Swingers” utilizes public domain vintage stripper footage and is hilarious. As I try never to repeat myself, I’m working on another idea just as crazy but it takes a little more time. I don’t think the music lends itself to a storyline, acted video,so I gotta do something clever or do a live performance video.

Q:  What other musical endeavors are you engaged in these days?

A:  We started an eclectic record label here last year and we’ve got all kinds of things coming up. Next up is a pop/hip hop CD from Sweet 17. It’s 2 girls, Jessica New and Dannielle Gaha. I write, play and produce. Aside from this project, Dannielle is an incredible jazz singer. Then, I have a new classical CD coming out mid summer, then a swampy, rock, instrumental guitar record that sounds like Ry Cooder and Neil Young got together and drank too much. And finally on the slate for this year is a very interesting, very different percussion record that my buddy and fellow Salamander M.B. Gordy and I are making. MB does all the cool drums on Battlestar Galactica and The Sarah Connor Chornicles. And then next year, a new Sad Salamanders CD which will have some songs on it as well as instrumental cuts.

Q:  How can people find out more about you and the band?

A:  The most up to date stuff is usually on the wall at the your local post office but . . . my main website is www.scootermusic.com. And on My Space it is www. myspace.com/sadsalamander, otherwise always check jazz and blues lounge.com - they have the inside scoop. I also write an irreverent, honest blog about music and creativity at http://scootermusicblog.blogspot.com/
 
Q:  Where can someone get their hands on a copy of Cigarettes and Fishnets?

 The CD is available on iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon, and every major digital distributor online. You can also buy directly from us and we’ve been known to throw in some extras not available elsewhere because we’re so damn nice.

Q:  Let’s get the rundown of the band so everyone can know who the players are…

A:  Sad Salamanders is made up of some mighty fine players. You’ve got your drums and percussion handled by Rick Latham and MB Gordy. We’re talking groovemeisters who’ve worked with The Doobie Brothers, Edgar Winter, Juice Newton, Chuck Rainey, Pat Travers, Rick Derringer, Bill Withers, & Frank Zappa. Anything brass is impeccably blown by Nick Lane and Steve Crum who’ve hung with Maynard Ferguson, The Who, Chicago, Brian Setzer, The Eels, Tom Jones, & Diana Ross. All flutes, ethnic flutes, wind fx and saxophones are ably fingered by Don Markese, who has graciously played with Neil Diamond, Ray Charles and more damn movie soundtracks than you’d think humanly possible. Accordion licks, runs and squeezing are executed flawlessly by the legendary Frank Marocco who is the most sought after accordionist in the world. His credits are longer than Hugh Hefner’s conquests. Suffice to say Les Baxter, Dave Grusin and Henry Mancini. All guitars, electric & acoustic, ukuleles and whatever the hell else we threw on here, were plucked nimbly by Nick Brown, who has plucked some of the best in town. And finally, those awesome stabs, glisses, runs, vamps and general brilliant keyboard frills are poked and prodded by Ed Martel and me. There were times we had so much fun we almost didn’t get anything done.

Q:  Who were/are your musical influences?

 I’m influenced by every style of music. For me it’s all about the feeling I get. The genre almost doesn’t matter. Old to new, I listen to anything I can get my hands on. How about instead of the usual suspects of influence, I mention what I am currently obsessing over? Henry Mancini’s Peter Gunn CD with all of the extra cues from the show, Jane Birkin’s CD “Ex Fan des Sixties” especially her song “Yesterday Yes A Day” it just kills me. Ravel’s “Daphnis Et Chloe”, and then on a more recent vibe Duffy and LCD Soundsystem.

Q:  What first got you interested in music?

A: I’m a late starter. I was just an avid record collector/concertgoer/fan until I was 19. I was kind of lost or misdirected at the time and the only thing I could come up with that was cooler than listening to records was making them. So I started taking piano lessons and made my first record 2 years later. Still love it more than anything else in the world. Sometimes I think I’m just trying to make my own version of every great piece of music I’ve ever heard. A very daunting task.

Q:  Is there anything else you would like the readers to know?

 Yeah there is. And it’s about music. And what it means to me and everyone else in the world. It is the most powerful art form in existence. More memories, experiences, and emotions are tied to music than anything else. Music was there when my son was born, for someone’s first kiss, someone else’s favorite movie, and it will be there at your funeral. And yet all I read about music right now is that music is in trouble. Music has no value. Music is going nowhere. And my response to that is that music is better, more alive, more influential and more important that at any point in history. And it’s only going to get better. Music is being put back into the hands of those who make it. Musicians today have an opportunity to write exactly what they want, record it and release it directly to you, the listener without the obstacles of lawyers, executives and marketers who have only one thing on their minds - control. Oh, and money. OK, 3 things, control, money and advertiser friendly acts they can manipulate to reinforce the first two things. But music should be in the control of those who make it and those who listen. Those who make it an asset to their lives. This new world will finally allow music to be democratic. You, the listeners, decide what you want. The time is here for you to be the leaders of what is heard and talked about.

The music that will come out over the next fifty years will be the most innovative, original and phenomenal music ever heard by mankind. Instead of just one artist every now and then releasing exactly what they want, imagine a world where what you listen to is almost always exactly what the artist wants. The music will be more pure, less homogenized and ultimately more satisfying to the listener. And everyone will be able to have access to it. At an extremely reasonable price. You will be able to directly contact your favorite artist. Everyone will have a closer, more intimate relationship with the music and the people who make it. There has never been an opportunity like this in the history of music. Be a believer. The best is yet to come.
 
Now, everybody go put on their current favorite record and have a martini.

It’s tough, these days, to find people who are trying to perform jazz in the old-fashioned way.  Too many modern jazz musicians want to make their music sound like the kind of thing you expect to be playing quietly in a hotel lobby or something like that.  One group that is different is the Sad Salamanders and it’s time I introduced them here on this blog.

Yes, that’s them and their video from their album “Cigarettes and Fishnets.”  I have gotten to know the leader of this group, Scooter Pietsch, and he has become a very dear friend.  The Sad Salamanders were kind of the jazz “house band” for my previous jazz and blues blog.  I want to bring them over here too.

Scooter and the Salamanders just want to play jazz the way it was meant to be played.  Their album will blow the doors off of your car.  They “rock.”  Ok, this being jazz, I guess I should say they “swing.”  Their music is the kind of music you would expect to find playing at a Hugh Heffner Playboy After Dark party back in the 50s.  It’s raw and it’s fun and it harkens back to a time when jazz was THE music and it was fun to listen to.

I have an interview with Scooter that I intend to re-publish here.  Stay tuned for that.  I am hopeful that the Salamanders will have more in the near future, as well.  I know Scooter is still producing new music.

I helped the Salamanders get on the playlist of radio station WDCB.  It still remains my finest moment as a blogger.  I am hoping that here, with this new blog, and maybe with less risk of cancellation, that I can help them achieve even more.

The world needs more Sad Salamanders.

The weekend is here and it’s a good time to go and see a live jazz and blues show here in Chicago.  One of the best places to find these shows, in addition to this blog right here, is the website for the jazz radio station WDCB. 

When it comes to a radio station that plays classic jazz instead of that Doctor’s Office Music known as Smooth Jazz, you have to turn to WDCB which brioadcasts from the College of DuPage out in DuPage county.  They have a great website and you can listen to their streaming audio there.  I love their morning guy who bills himself as “Your British/American Buddy.”  They also sometimes read my blog and I got the jazz group the Sad Salamanders on their playlist which is pretty cool.  I’ll have more about the Sad Salamanders for you next week.

So, here are the shows for this weekend.  Get out there and spend a little money and enjoy some live music.

JAZZ

Green Mill Quartet Jam Session
Friday, September 19; 1:30 to 4 am
Green Mill, Chicago 

Nicholas Payton Quintet
Friday, September 19; Sets at 8 and 10
Jazz Showcase, Chicago 

Justin Dillard
Friday, September 19; 9:30 pm
Velvet Lounge (new location), Chicago 

Steve Gibons Rhythm Gypsy Project
Friday, September 19; 10 pm
Katerina’s, Chicago 

Kimberly Gordon with Tom Hope
Friday, September 19; 6:30 to 9 pm
Katerina’s, Chicago 

Jeff Hedberg & C11
Friday, September 19; 9:30 pm
Andy’s, Chicago 

CD Release Party – Shawn Maxwell Quartet
Friday, September 19; 8 to 11 pm
Chicago Street Pub, Joliet 

Ken Chaney Trio
Friday, September 19; 9 pm to 1 am
Pete Miller’s - Evanston, Evanston 

Frank Russell Quartet
Friday, September 19; 5 pm
Andy’s, Chicago 

Jazz Conspiracy
Friday, September 19; 9 pm
Pops for Champagne, Chicago 

James Davis Quartet
Friday, September 19; 8 pm to 12:30 am
Pete Miller’s - Wheeling, Wheeling 

Chris Greene
Friday, September 19; 8 to midnight
Philander’s, Oak Park 

Ava Logan
Saturday, September 20; 6 to 9 pm
Cuatro Restaurant - Cocina Nuevo Latino, Chicago 

Thomas Gunther
Saturday, September 20; 8 to midnight
Philander’s, Oak Park 

Ken Chaney Trio
Saturday, September 20; 9 pm to 1 am
Pete Miller’s - Evanston, Evanston 

Jazz Conspiracy
Saturday, September 20; 9 pm
Pops for Champagne, Chicago 

Angel Spiccia
Saturday, September 20; 5 pm
Andy’s, Chicago 

Tribute to Coltrane
Saturday, September 20; 9:30 pm
Velvet Lounge (new location), Chicago 

Aftet Hours Jazz Party with Sabertooth
Saturday, September 20; midnight to 4
Green Mill, Chicago 

Jeff Hedberg & C11
Saturday, September 20; 9:30 pm
Andy’s, Chicago 

James Davis Quartet
Saturday, September 20; 8 pm to 12:30 am
Pete Miller’s - Wheeling, Wheeling 

Skinny Williams Quartet
Saturday, September 20; 8 pm to 12:30 am
Pete Miller’s - Schaumburg, Schaumburg 

Nicholas Payton Quintet
Saturday, September 20; Sets at 8 and 10
Jazz Showcase, Chicago 

CD Release Party – Shawn Maxwell Quartet
Saturday, September 20; 8 to 11 pm
Stonefire Restaurant, Yorkville 

Autumn Serenade
Saturday, September 20; 6:30 to 9 pm
Katerina’s, Chicago 

Sam Barsh
Saturday, September 20; 8:00pm
SPACE, Evanston 

Kimberly Gordon Organ Trio
Sunday, September 21; 11 pm to 2 am
Green Mill, Chicago 

Scott Earl Holman
Sunday, September 21; 6 pm - 10:30 pm
Chicago Chop House, Chicago 

Anne Burnell
Sunday, September 21; 5 pm
Andy’s, Chicago 

Jazz Jam with Isaiah Spencer
Sunday, September 21; 9:30 pm
Velvet Lounge (new location), Chicago 

Nicholas Payton Quintet
Sunday, September 21; Sets at 4, 8 and 10
Jazz Showcase, Chicago 

Andy’s Jam Session
Sunday, September 21; 9 pm
Andy’s, Chicago 

Damian Rivero
Sunday, September 21; 6 to 9 pm
Cuatro Restaurant - Cocina Nuevo Latino, Chicago 

Sonny ‘G’ Quartet
Sunday, September 21; 5 to 9 pm
Chambers, Niles 

Chicago Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra
Sunday, September 21; 6 pm
FitzGerald’s, Berwyn 

Everett Greene
Sunday, September 21; 7:30 to 11:30 pm
Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago 

Kara Kesselring
Sunday, September 21; 7 to 9:30 pm
Philander’s, Oak Park 

BLUES

September 19, 2008
Keith Scott Blues Trio
Pete Miller’s - Schaumburg, Schaumburg

September 22, 2008
Frank Bang and The Secret Stash
Bill’s Blues Bar, Evanston
 

Chicago is a great town for music.  Not only has it a long history of music, but it is a town that has some great living legends.  A lot of those living legends are blues legends.  One of the greatest is Buddy Guy.

Buddy Guy is a man who has been around for a long time.  He was a great influence on people like Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.  He was also a kind of mentor of Jim Hendrix.  Jimi was known to cancel a concert to go see Buddy in some tiny smokey blues club.

He runs a great blues club here in Chicago called Buddy Guy’s Legends.  It has become one of the pre-eminent blues clubs in this town.  Buddy himself plays there a lot and you never know when he might just start his show by starting to play in a the men’s room.  He’s quite the performer, that Buddy Guy.

Buddy has a new album out.  If you click on the link at the beginning of this entry, you can check it out and even buy it.  The new album is called “Skin Deep.”  Sadly,I have yet to listen to it, but I have heard a few songs on WXRT radio and they rock like you wouldn’t believe.

Buddy Guy’s brother Phil died recently.  Buddy himself is nearly 70.  The problem with being a legend is that to reach legendary status you often have to be rather old.  He is spry, still standing and still rocking.  However, if you want to see a living legend and master of guitar and a man in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, you need to make your trip to Chicago and check out Buddy Guy.

Check out his new album too!