Jazzville, NJ

23 Skidoo! Flappers and Sheiks Take Over Governors Island For The 5th Bi-Annual Jazz Age Lawn Party

// August 31st, 2010 // No Comments » // Jazz Events, Recaps & Reviews

I’ll admit I felt rather self-conscious running through the streets of New York this weekend dressed in a layered cocktail dress that flapped every which way with a change in wind. I was being led by my partner-in-crime D.A. Gutierrez to the ferry leaving for Governors Island, the site for the Jazz Age Lawn Party that took place there August 28^th and 29^th.

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As Summer Winds Down, Chicago Jazz Festival Will Cap Off Our Labor Day Weekend

// August 29th, 2010 // No Comments » // Jazz Events, News

Jazzville, NJ will be heading to the Chicago Jazz Festival the weekend of Sept 3-6, 2010.

As August quickly comes to an end, the Jazzville, NJ crew is looking back on all the terrific performances we’ve attended this summer. And despite the fact that we’d love for summer to continue for another three months, the end of the season does bring one piece of good news: the arrival of Labor Day weekend, which for avid jazz fans translates into the annual Chicago Jazz Festival.

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“Lullaby Of Birdland” Lyricist George David Weiss Dead At 89

// August 24th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // History, Jazz Events, News

George David Weiss (left) and Bennie Benjamin (right) in their office circa April 1947. PHOTO CREDIT: William P. Gottlieb

It’s always amazing how many unknown artists touch my life through their work; artists such as George David Weiss who I only find out about through the obituaries.

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Bickford Audience Boogie Woogies With Bob Milne

// August 21st, 2010 // No Comments » // Bickford Theatre, Morristown, NJ, Jazz Events

Self-taught ragtime and boogie-woogie pianist Bob Milne travels the world making these difficult piano formats look easy for audiences. PHOTO CREDIT: Dogwood Center For Performing Arts

“Why do I play everything by ear? Because the audience listens by ear,” explained ragtime and boogie-woogie pianist Bob Milne during a Q&A session following his August 16^th performance at The BickFord Theatre.

The self-taught musician left an indelible mark on the Jazz SummerFest series that’s been taking place in Morristown these last few weeks. His low-key, unassuming manner allowed the music to take center stage that night. Milne’s storytelling took audience members on a journey through time as he described the cultural and musical background behind each piece he performed. Through the course of the evening, we traveled from New Orleans to Michigan and everywhere in between, getting a feel for how jazz evolved from the late 1800s to the early part of the twentieth century.

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Anat Cohen and Jamie Cullum Bring Down The House At The Newport Jazz Festival (Newport 2010 Recap, Part 6 of 6)

// August 20th, 2010 // No Comments » // Jazz Events, Recaps & Reviews

Clarinetist Anat Cohen drops jaws with a riveting solo at the Newport Jazz Festival.

With heavy hearts, D.A. and I geared up for the last two sets of the day. We managed to find great close-up seats at Harbor Stage for clarinetist Anat Cohen, whom we had seen earlier with George Wein’s Newport Allstars. Once she launched into her first song, it was obvious why she had been part of that brilliant group of musicians.

What can I say about her playing that could do her technique justice? The girl’s got soul and funk, plain and simple. Each note seemed to take the very last breath from her body. At times she played one-handed in order to wipe the sweat from her brow. Sometimes she scrunched her face and twisted her body, as if the melody was being taken from her very soul. Likewise, it was truly fascinating to watch Cohen wandering the stage in between her solos. Alternating between fits of ecstasy, bouts of anger or simply smiling at someone off stage, all eyes were glued to her to see what she would do next.

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Fly & Chick Corea Draw A Lot Of Buzz At The Newport Jazz Festival (Newport 2010 Recap, Part 5 of 6)

// August 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // Jazz Events, Recaps & Reviews

Fly members (left to right) Mark Turner, Larry Grenadier and Jeff Ballard perform unique modern jazz for a Newport Jazz Festival audience.

George Wein piqued our interest earlier in the day when he called Fly “the most interesting trio in jazz today.” So naturally we had to check them out and see for ourselves if this was true.

My first impression of their music was that it sounded like the three musicians – drummer Jeff Ballard, bassist Larry Grenadier and tenor saxophonist Mark Turner – were actually doing their own thing in concert. In other words, it felt as if each was performing a solo, only meshed together. Although that doesn’t sound too appealing, it actually worked – the best way I can describe it is bits of jazz with a whole lot of funk thrown in.

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George Wein’s Newport Allstars & Legend Ahmad Jamal Grace The Stage At The Newport Jazz Festival (Newport 2010 Recap, Part 4 of 6)

// August 18th, 2010 // No Comments » // Jazz Events, Recaps & Reviews

Newport Jazz Festival founder George Wein with the cream of the today's jazz crop: (left to right) Howard Alden, Harry Allen, Joe Martin, Anat Cohen, Randy Brecker and Randy Sandke.

Torn between hearing music legend Ahmad Jamal and George Wein’s Newport Allstars, we thought it best to split our time between both. (Each concert was an hour, with the Allstars taking the stage a half hour earlier than Jamal’s set was scheduled to begin.) Theoretically this should have worked, but in reality we ended up missing some great routines from both. Oh well, at least we got a piece of the action!

Quad Stage was buzzing with excitement as we waited for the man who founded the Newport Jazz Festival to perform with some of the most important names in the genre – bassist Joe Martin, drummer Jeff Ballard, saxophonist Harry Allen, clarinetist Anat Cohen, guitarist Howard Alden and trombonists Randy Sandke and Randy Brecker. Their set was a throwback to traditional sounding jazz – the smooth music you yearn for to help escape the daily grind – compared to the more modern stuff that was being showcased that day.

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Guitar Great Les Paul – Gone But Not Forgotten

// August 13th, 2010 // No Comments » // History, Jazz Events, News

Late guitarist Les Paul forever left his imprint on the music industry with his recording innovations and playing style. PHOTO CREDIT: Ickmusic.com

“This guy invented fire. What Dante was to literature, Les Paul was to modern recording. There was all this primitive stuff before him, and everything after him owes him a huge debt.”

Wow. How do I follow something like that? Luckily this legendary musician gives me more than enough material.

Les Paul was an amazing jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He completely changed the way pop music is produced and helped make the sound of rock and roll possible with the solid-body electric guitar. He also pioneered the use of recording techniques modern artists take for granted such as multitrack recording, delay and echo, among others. His revolutionary guitar skills continue to inspire guitarists to this day and his namesake, the Gibson Les Paul, remains “the world’s most prestigious guitar.”

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Couldn’t Make This Year’s Newport Jazz Festival? We Did! (Newport 2010 Recap, Part 1 Of 6)

// August 12th, 2010 // No Comments » // Jazz Events, Recaps & Reviews

"Over the water and through the boats to Newport Jazz Fest we go!"

Hello again Jazzville, NJ readers! Sorry for not being in touch these last few days, but D.A. Gutierrez and I are only just coming out of our Rhode Island reverie following our trip to the Newport Jazz Festival this past weekend.

Naturally you might be wondering why we went out of state to hear jazz when Jazzville, NJ is dedicated to promoting the great talent we have right here in the Garden State. There are some ways I can answer that:

a)  Jazz knows no boundaries. (Poetic, no?)

b)  Some of the artists/ musicians that were featured have ties to the NJ/NY area.

c)  Hello? Road trip with a side of jazz!

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C’est La Vie! Paris Washboard Charms Bickford Audience

// August 4th, 2010 // No Comments » // Bickford Theatre, Morristown, NJ, Jazz Events, Recaps & Reviews

The musicians of Paris Washboard (left to right) - Daniel Barda, Alain Marquet, Louis Mazetier & Stephane Seva. PHOTO CREDIT: ParisWashboard.org

Mon Dieu! Quelle nuit!

I knew something special awaited us last night – The Bickford Theatre was buzzing with excitement well before the show was scheduled to begin. For those of us who had been regularly attending the Monday night Jazz SummerFest shows, we were warned for several weeks to buy tickets for Paris Washboard in advance because in all likelihood they would sell out.

Hmmm…overrated or was the band really that good? I’m more than pleased to say it was the latter. Holy cow people! I probably won’t be able to do these talented musicians justice with this review, but I will do my best to explain how I fell in love with them yesterday.

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