Yoshi’s Sunday Matinees are always great for both kids and parents, a unique opportunity for really young kids to listen real music form the masters.

This Sunday is particularly challenging with two great shows, Regina Carter in Oakland and Stanley Clarke Trio with Hiromi & Lenny White in San Francisco!

You can also try The Yoshi’s Experience Contest!

Tell us about your favorite Yoshi’s experience (an amazing performance, a great meal, first date) from any of Yoshi’s locations (SF, Jack London, Claremont, even Berkeley). If we like your story we’…ll put it on our website, if we LOVE your story we’ll treat you to a show of your choice, and if you have our FAVORITE story we’ll treat you to dinner + show.

By Don Heckman

Los Angeles

- Oct. 7 & 8. (Wed. & Thurs.)  The Stanley Clarke Trio with Hiromi and Lenny White.  They initially seemed an unlikely musical combination – the Return to Forever team of Clarke and White, with the adventurous jazz fusion pianist Hiromi.  But the blend has turned out to be remarkably compatible, especially in the pieces that display Hiromi’s unexpected mainstream skills.   Catalina Bar & Grill. (323) 466-2210.

- Oct. 8. (Thurs.) Paco Pena.  The great flamenco guitarist performs in his show (and album) A Compas, fronting a stellar group of guitarists and dancers, along with singer Miguel Ortega and percussionist Nacho Lopez.  UCLA Live at Royce Hall.   (310) 825-4401

- Oct. 8. (Thurs.)  The Mike Melvoin Trio. Melvoin and his steady regulars, bassist Tony Dumas and drummer Ralph Penland are always great to hear.  But Mike’s been bugged by the recent noise in some of the media about jazz being “in trouble.”  “I think,” he says, “that it’s time to disprove that dark vision.”  He’ll no doubt have a few special guests show up to give him a hand in that admirable task.  Crown Plaza Brasserie Jazz Lounge.  (310) 642-7500.

- Oct. 8 – 11. (Thurs. – Sun.)  The Inaugural Concert: Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  Thursday night’s Inaugural concert introducing the L.A. Phil’s remarkable new Music Director in a performance of Mahler’s celebratory Symphony No. 1 and John Adams’ commissioned composition, City Noir, may well be sold out by now.  But it’s worth a try.  And if you can’t get into the opening night, Dudamel and the Phil will perform the Mahler Symphony No. 1 with the U.S. premiere of Korean composer Unsuk Chin’s Concerto for Sheng and Orchestra on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon.   Dudamel and the Phil will also revisit Adams’ City Noir the weekend of Nov. 27.   The Inaugural Concert: Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. (323) 650-2000.

- Oct. 9. (Fri.)  Azar Lawrence.  The strong, vigorous tenor saxophone playing of Lawrence takes center stage, backed by bassist Henry Franklin, pianist Theo Saunders and drummer Ramon Banda.  Spazio. (818) 728-8400.

- Oct. 9. (Fri.)  Carol Chaikin.  She’s been around a while, playing alto saxophone and flute with an ever-adventurous style; but she’s still not heard as much as she should be.  So don’t miss this chance.  Chaikin performs  with pianist John Campbell, bassist Tom Warrington and drummer Ryan Doyle.  Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. (310) 474-9400.

- Oct. 9 & 10. (Fri. & Sat.)  Roberta Gambarini.  The Italian songbird may be from Torino, but Gambarini’s singing is rooted in the history and the essence of jazz, and she is one of the rare contemporary vocalists whose scatting simmers with rhythmic swing and harmonic authenticity.  The Culver Club in the Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Westside. (310) 649-1776.

- Oct. 9 & 10.  (Fri. & Sat.)  Ron King and Bobby Shew.  It’s trumpet weekend at Charlie O’s with a pair of versatile veterans taking the stage.  King performs on Fri., Shew on Sat. with the rhythm section of pianist Andy Langham, drummer Roy McCurdy and bassists Chris Connor (on Fri.) and Darek Oles (on Sat.)  Charlie O’s. (818) 994-3058.

- Oct. 9 – 11.  (Fri. – Sun.)  Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.  Forty years as a married couple, hit-makers McCoo and Davis can probably do a complete set of songs – from the Fifth Dimension as well as their own duo recordings – that cruised the tops of the charts.  Catalina Bar & Grill. (323) 466-2210.

- Oct. 10 (Sat.) Divas Simply Singing. Sheryl Lee Ralph’s 19^th annual celebration of divadom once again features a sterling line-up of high profile talent.  The line up includes, in addition to Ralph, Yolanda Adams, Brenda Russell, Loretta Devine, Jennifer Lewis, Yo Yo, Barbara Morrison, Frenchie Davis, N’dambi and Sam Harris.  The Saban Theatre.   (323) 655-0111

- Oct. 10. (Sat.)  Sambajah and Kleber Jorge.  Venice Beach is not Ipanema, by any stretch of the imagination, but there’s something special, nonetheless about hearing Jorge’s guitar and songs and the stirring Brazilian rhythms of Sambajah with the Pacific Ocean in the background.  The Terrace on the sand walk to the beach.  10 p.m. No cover charge.  (310) 578-1530.

- Oct. 10. (Sat.)  Kathleen Wilhoite.  Actress/singer/songwriter Wilhoite’s resume embraces starring roles in films (The Edge, Pay It Forward) and television (L.A. Law, The Gilmore Girls) as well as the placement of her songs in, among others, Murphy’s Law and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Here’s a chance to hear her do her own thing, up close and personal, Vitellos Restaurant.  (818) 769-0905.

- Oct. 10 (Sat.)  Babbie Green and John Boswell.  Green is show biz second generation, the daughter of composer Johnny Green (“I Cover the Waterfront,” “Body and Soul”) and TV personality Betty Furness.  But her catalog of songs stands on its own, surely one of the best – if, sadly, too little known – examples of contemporary songwriting.  She performs rarely, so don’t miss this chance to hear her – and her songs – performed  with long-time partner, accompanist and singer Boswell. The Gardenia.  (323) 467-7444.

San Francisco

- Oct. 8 – 11. (Thurs. – Sun.)  Regina Carter.  The jazz world’s most versatile violinist – ready, able and eager to expand her already impressive improvisational perspectives.  Yoshi’s Oakland.  (510) 238-9200.

- Oct. 9 – 11.  (Fri. – Sun.)  Stanley Clarke Trio with Hiromi and Lenny White.  If you missed them at Catalina’s on Wed. and Thurs. (see above), a quick run up to San Francisco will give you a chance to hear this engaging trio.    Yoshi’s San Francisco.  (415) 655-5600.

New York

Ann Hampton Callaway

- Oct. 5.  (Mon.) Girls Like Us. It’s a great title, and a potentially great show, given the material and the cast.  The songs of Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carla Simon will be sung by Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway, Jessica Molasky, Barbara Walsh and Capathia Jenkins.  The Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center.  (212) 501-3330.

- Oct. 6. (Tues.)  Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Raiders.  Martin returns to his banjo-picking roots – he really is pretty good – at the start of a 23 city tour tour bringing bluegrass to the masses.  Carnegie Hall.  Also at the Wang Center in Boston on Wed., Oct. 7.   They’ll also be on the Letterman Show tonight – Monday Oct. 5.

- Oct. 6 – 11. (Tues. – Sun.)  Diane Schuur. She’s been returning to her jazz roots in the last few years, and the results – especially when Schuur emphasizes her story telling skills – have been impressive.   Blue Note. (212) 475-8592.

- Oct. 6 – 11. (Tues. – Sun.) and Oct. 13 – 19. (Tues. – Sun.)  The Bill Charlap Trio.  Pianist Charlap celebrates his 43^rd birthday (on Oct. 15) with a two week run, displaying the versatility that has made him a superb accompanist as well as an important jazz artist in his own right. The Village Vanguard.  (212) 255-4037.

Washington, D.C.

- Oct. 11. (Sun.)  The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition and Gala Concert.  Fifteen outstanding young bassist compete before an impressive panel of judges: Ron Carter, Dave Holland, Bob Hurst, Christian McBride, John Patitucci, Charlie Haden and David Baker.  The Gala Concert will salute the 70^th anniversary of Blue Note Records with appearances by Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Bobby McFerrin, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Heath, Joe Lovano, Dee Dee Bridgewater and numerous others.  The Kennedy Center.  http://www.kennedy-center.org (800) 444-1324.

Monterey Jazz Festival (モントレー・ジャズフェスティバル）開催中、モントレー・ハイアットホテルでは　ジャズ・フェスティバルで演奏してたミュージシャンも参加のジャム・セッションが夜中の２時頃まで行われ、私も土曜日と日曜日に行ってきました。

土曜日はなんとジャズ・バイオリンのRegina Carterが参加、そして、グラミー賞ノミネートのジャズ・シンガー、Kurt Elling, ジャズ・ギターリストのRussell Malone、秋吉トシ子さんの元ご主人のテナーサックスプレイヤーのLew Tabackin, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Maarsalisから、アルト・サックス、トランペット、テナーサックス、そしてトロンボーンの演奏者達の参加で盛り上がり、私も興奮の渦の中で、カメラを車において来た事がとても残念でした。日本人でスキンヘッドで、黒いスーツを着た方が他の黒人のミュージシャン達と居て、後で解ったのですが、北川清さんでベーシストでした。

でも、日曜日はしっかりとカメラを持参、そして、なんとあの大御所のウイントン・マルサレスが私の目の前に現れ、実際にそばで逢うととても若い青年に見え、一度我を疑いました。声をかけさせていただき、おまけにしっかり写真も撮らせていただきました。お礼を言うとこぶしを彼の胸におき軽く会釈してくれる、とってもスイートで紳士な方でした。ついついこの歳でミーハーをしてしまいました。

ラジーナ・カーター

カート・エリング

（モントレー・ジャズフェスティバルの裏話）

毎年アリーナのチケットは完売していましたが、不景気な世の中、やはり、フェスティバルにも大いに影響があり、今年はじめて、５回あったアリーナのコンサートを個別にチケットを販売しましたが、それでも空きの席がありました。

フェスティバルでは、色んな業者のブースもあり、ベスト・バイと言うこちらでは大きな電気器具の量販店のブースで最近出たビートルズのゲームを持ち込み、若者がゲームをして中年の大人は一緒に歌ってたのが、ジャズとはかけ離れていていやで、ここまで来て下手な歌を聴きたくなかったと言う人達も居たそうです。

By Michael Katz

What happens when the world’s greatest jazz festival meets the era’s worst economy? The recession made its presence felt at the 52^nd Monterey Jazz Festival, with arena seats available at curtain time for the first time in memory. Even the official program was slimmed down by about 20 pages. But by any other measure the Festival was a stunning success, a cornucopia of diverse musical formats and virtuosity unmatched in the decade or so I’ve been attending. From the opening warmth generated by saxophonist Roger Eddy, floating Brazilian melodies over the Garden Stage, to the closing chords of Chick Corea’s acoustic trio, the festival was a series of highlights, spread over 6 stages, far too much for one person to take in.

Esperanza Spalding

The Friday arena show opened with Esperanza Spalding, the young singer/ bassist who’s been causing such a stir. Tall and willowy, her hair styled a la Billie Holliday, Spalding presented a set full of verve and sensuality. Alternating between stand-up and electric bass, she bridged the territory between Wayne Shorter-inspired jazz funk and the lush Brazilian melody of Milton Nascimento’s “Ponta de Areia.” Though I’m partial to her upright, her vocals often seem more effective when she was playing the more compact electric bass, as on her bouncy hit, “Sunlight.” There is such a disparity in octaves between her alto voice and the deep, rich tones of the stand-up that they sometimes seem to compete, or at least give the illusion there-of. There were times when it might have been a better idea, especially on ballads, just to put the bass aside. Still, it was an appealing set that got the arena series off to a rousing start.

Russell Malone and Kiyoshi Kitagawa

The second set was a breathtaking performance by the 2^nd edition of the Monterey All Stars. Anchored by pianist Kenny Barron’s trio with Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass and Johnathan Blake on drums, the band featured violinist Regina Carter, Russell Malone on guitar and vocalist Kurt Elling. The fact that most of this group had played with one another previously in one shape or form more than made up for lack of rehearsal time. Starting with a swinging rendition of “When I Get Too Old To Dream,” with everyone providing an introductory solo, they moved on to the Billie Holiday standard “Don’t Explain,” featuring first Barron and then a heart-tugging violin solo by Carter. Malone took over with a nod to Wes Montgomery on “Road Song,” Kenny Barron chiming in with a spirited riff. Then Kurt Elling nearly stole the show with a Kerouc-inspired free-poetic reading of Barron’s “What If.” Everyone in the band was burning at this point, but there was more to come, with Barron’s composition “Calypso” featuring Malone and Carter, and then Elling with a nod to Jon Hendricks on “Soul Food.” Russell Malone is always terrific on up-tempo tunes, but when he does a ballad, the earth stops. He described the advice he had been given, that a ballad should be “like a kiss, sweet, deep and slow” and proceeded to show why with an achingly beautiful “Time After Time.” They closed with an Elling-led romp through “Nature Boy.” This group will be touring in the winter, and hopefully will release a CD of this performance, as did the first edition of the All Stars. They are not to be missed.

Conrad Herwig's Latin Side All-Stars

Friday’s arena program closed with trombonist Conrad Herwig’s Latin Side All Star Band, with veteran East Coasters including Bill O’Connell on piano, supplemented by the Festival’s featured artist Joe Lovano and Randy Brecker. It was Herwig who was the real revelation here, at least for those of us on the West Coast who hadn’t seen him. His tone is authoritative, his style swinging and technically brilliant, whether on ballads or Latin-peppered riffs. His band started with a salute to John Coltrane’s Giant Steps, with Joe Lovano in fine form on the title tune and “Cousin Mary.” The band then moved to a Kind Of Blue tribute featuring Randy Brecker on “Flamenco Sketches” and a Latin funk version of “So What.” Brecker has a hard bop sound, closer in spirit to Freddie Hubbard than Miles Davis, and though the music was engaging, it seemed farther afield from its source than the Coltrane tunes. But no one could complain about the final number, “All Blues,” which has stood up to anything and everything over the years. Lovano returned to supplement the front line with Herwig and Brecker, and the three of them soared through to the conclusion. All in all, it was the most exciting opening night of a festival in I can remember. It was past one AM when the last stragglers cleared out of the fairground, and the festival was only beginning.

Photographs © Craig Lovell courtesy of the Monterey Jazz Festival

]]> http://clarafordfoundation.org/2009/09/03/tumbling-in-space/ Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:12:28 +0000 ovbrantley http://clarafordfoundation.org/2009/09/03/tumbling-in-space/

Tumbling in Space by Marva Swanson, 2009.

 Tumbling In Space  was featured in the August 30, 2009 edition of the Start Your Week With a Quilt newsletter. It was created by Marva Swanson. This quilt was also recently featured in the Brown Sugar Stitchers Quilt Show where it was voted first place in the large quilt category by the viewers.

 Tumbling in Space  is an optical illusion quilt. The effect is created by using three shades of the same color fabric. All of the fabrics in Marva’s quilt were hand dyed. Not satisfied with the spectacular fabrics, Marva embellished her quilt with over 1000 crystals to give the quilt its “tumbling in space” effect.

Marva Swanson

The blocks in Tumbling in Space were machine pieced by Marva, then hand appliqued on a black background. It was machine quilted by Regina Carter.

Tumbling in Space  measures 72 x 80 inches. Marva finished it in 2009 after the technique was learned in a class taught by Maxine Moore.

Hi everyone. It has been a while since we updated you on recent activity in our 51st Street facility. We have had a great few months. A few of the projects we have had in our facility are:

Composer Marcelo Zarvos mixing a flim score with engineer Richard King for Sin Nombre Focus Features http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1127715/

Engineer Todd Whitelock was in with producer Al Prior for Mack Avenue Records mixing Sachel Vasandani new release.

Engineer Richard King and Producer Steve Epstein were in mixing The Baltimore Symphony, Naxos Projects Bernstein Mass and Dvorak and a Sony project featuring Yo-Yo Ma.

Engineer Joe Ferla mixed Avishai Cohen’s new release Aurora for EMI Blue Note France, Concord’s new release by Stefon Harris and the new upcoming Regina Carter project.

Grammy winner David Frost and engineer Richard King were in mixing Renee Fleming’s new release on Decca.

Australian artist and first Idol winner Guy Sebastian was in working with producer Fredro and engineer Rob Kinelski.

The talented DJ/Artist David Guetta was in working with the talented and lovely songwriters Liv and Mim Nervo. Engineering these sessions was Kenny Lloyd.

Mario Winans was in working with the talented songwriter Gordon Chambers. Engineering was Rob Kinelski.

Engineer Jim Caruana was in mixing the Beyonce track “At last” for internet use.

Engineer Rob Kinelski was in mixing tracks for Ben Folds for the new Apple release of Garage Band.

Andreas Meyer just mastered various projects for Mosaic, Decca, and Sony. He just finished Jazz artists Bob Baldwin’s upcoming CD as well as the first release for a very talented band called Greta’s Bakery.

SevenSeas Music artist JazzKamikaze just finished mixing and mastering their new LP “Silence in the Tempest”. We are working hard setting up distribution for this LP and a multi country tour to accompany the release.

Very exciting stuff!! We hope you will think of us for any of your record, mix, and mastering needs.

http://www.7seasentertainment.com

Sources of joy today… can you share yours with me?

A James Taylor recording, Benjamin (on October Road)

Regina Carter, wild violinist, performing, Don’t Git Sassy

Taylor Eigsti, pianist, doing Woke up This Morning

The arrival of a Line Dance 101 DVD from Amazon

A trip to the Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore to see Finsters I’d never seen.  Sample quote from Sister Mary Proctor: “Every morning I read my Bible.  Then drink a Coke.  Alway’s (stet) God.  Always Coke.”  Ah (I’d guess) the South.

This quote from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.  We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

Driving fast on a winding road in a 6-speed MINI.

O clima de New Orleans se fará presente do dia 21 a 25 deste mês durante a sexta edição do Rio das Ostras Jazz & Blues Festival. Apontado como o melhor da América Latina pela Downbeat Magazine, a “bíblia do jazz”, o evento acontecerá durante o feriadão de Corpus Christi e irá reunir os melhores músicos da atualidade. Os shows gratuitos acontecerão em três palcos ar livre localizados em Costa Azul, Praia da Tartaruga e Lagoa de Iriry.

Estarão no palco artistas consagrados como John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, John Scofield, James “Blood” Ulmer, Vernon Reid – líder do Living Color, Will Calhoun Band, Regina Carter, Russell Malone, Bonerama e The Godfathers of Groove (Masters of Groove), Grant Green Jr, além da participação especial de Léo Gandelman. Entre as atrações nacionais, podemos destacar Blues Etílicos, Taryn Szpilman, Dudu Lima, com participação especial de Marcos Suzano e Jean-Pierre Zanella, Robson Fernandes Blues Band, Mauro Senise Quarteto e Delicatessen.

O evento será aberto pela Orquestra Kuarup da Fundação Rio das Ostras de Cultura, regida pelo maestro Nando Carneiro. A apresentação em Costa Azul será uma homenagem aos 50 anos da Bossa Nova e contará com as participações especiais de David Ganc e Mário Séve, nos saxes e flautas.

Just because you play an instrument that most people use to play Mozart’s greatest hits, doesn’t mean that you have to be stuck in the 18th century too. String instruments are beautiful, don’t quit on it just because you don’t like classical music. (This need not apply to bass players. Everybody making music in all fields needs more of us bass types.)

Try checking out some music that involves unique use of the instrument:
The Turtle Island Quartet
Yo-Yo Ma – “Obrigado Brazil” or “Hush”
The Cinematic Orchestra
Portishead – “Roseland NYC Orchestra”
Regina Carter
Yellowcard
Dave Matthews Band
The genres of Bluegrass, traditional Irish, and Country
the soundtrack from the movie “Waking Life”

Also, you can buy an electronic pickup to allow you to play just about any kind of music. The jazz realm might be an area of interest to you.

Best wishes for a newfound interest in your instrument,
Jared

Yesterday I made my monthly pilgrimage to Newbury Comics, mainly to purchase Van Morrison’s first official DVD. It contains his 1974 and 1980 performances at the Montreaux Jazz Festival.

While there, I also snagged a copy of “Live Your Life With Verve: Fall Into The Groove,” a sampler of the latest releases from the legendary jazz label. Newbury typically gives away these label promotional collections, even if you don’t make a purchase.

I was immediately taken by “St. Louis Blues” as performed by violinist Regina Carter, with Carla Cook on vocals. Not being a jazz authority, I didn’t recognize the name. I did a lttle research and found that she’d played violin on Madeline Peyroux’s debut CD, and has worked with Mary J. Blige, Billy Joel AND Dolly Parton – not to mention brilliant (but usual suspects) Wynton Marsalis and Cassandra Wilson.

Talk about being unbound by rules. Here’s what Ms.Carter has to say about her instrument:

I think a lot of people look at the violin and they get a little nervous. They have a stereotype of what the violin is – very high, kind of shrill-sounding with long notes, and a lot of vibrato. It doesn’t have to be that at all, it can be a very fiery persuasive instrument and that’s how I like to use it. I don’t think of the music trying to fit the violin, or how to make the violin work in this music. For me, it just does. I’m not playing it as a violin. Instead of being so melodic, which I can be, I tend to use the instrument in more of a rhythmic way, using vamp rhythms or a lot of syncopated rhythms, approaching it more like a horn player does. So, I don’t feel that I have a lot of limitations – I feel like I can do anything.

I immediately went and got “I’ll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey,” her tribute to jazz’s foremost era of discovery and evolution. The 1920s through the 1940s were a time when performers like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong began defining an art form still in the process of being born.

What’s brilliant about jazz is that it’s still being born, as Carter’s reworking of W.C. Handy’s classic proves. With “St. Louis Blues,” she takes her fiddle on a hayride to the other side of the tracks, to a shotgun shack down by the river, and in the process inspires her accompanists to also take their instruments to uncommon places.

I’ve never heard a clarinet infused with old-time country, but Paquito D’Rivera sure does it well. Gil Goldstein’s spicy accordion is in entirely new territory as well. It’s amazing.

You’ve gotta hear it, so damn the consequences, here’s a link. If the copyright cops find me, I’ll take my lumps, but please understand this is music promotion in the era where the radio powers won’t touch an artist like Regina Carter. I’m doing them a favor, a virtual version of their neat little sampler. They should be thanking me.
Why can’t the labels get a grip on this concept and make it work?

Buy the record, which is filled with many more gems.

Most people don’t think of the violin as a funky or even a jazzy instrument. That’s because they never heard Regina Carter play. The MacArthur Foundation DID hear her and have awarded their prestigious prize to this Motor City star.

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