Recently in Music News/Info Category

For immediate release:

PRESTIGE RECORDS RELEASES SIDE STEPS,
A 5-CD BOXED SET OF JOHN COLTRANE'S PRESTIGE RECORDINGS
AS A SIDEMAN TO A HOST OF JAZZ LUMINARIES

Over the past three years, Prestige Records has released boxed sets of Coltrane's numerous sessions from the mid- to late '50s, each spotlighting a specific dimension of his tenure with the label.

Fearless Leader - released in September 2006, in celebration of Coltrane's 80th birthday - showcases his recordings as a bandleader. Interplay, released in September 2007, contains Coltrane's early collaborative recordings with a variety of stellar musicians from the same era.

Side Steps is the third and final set in this series, scheduled for release on October 6, 2009. The 5-CD set captures Coltrane in a supporting role, as a sideman to leaders like Sonny Rollins, Gene Ammons, Red Garland, Tadd Dameron and others.

The collection of 43 tracks represents the entirety of Coltrane's session work as a Prestige sideman, from mid-1956 to early 1958, with the exception of his work with Miles Davis (which is featured in The Miles Davis Quintet: Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions, released in 2006).

The beautiful Side Steps boxed set features:

*24-bit remastering from the original analog master tapes

*72-page book with rare photographs, discography, and sessionography

*Insightful essays by noted music historian Ashley Kahn

*Interview transcript with Prestige founder Bob Weinstock

*Fully reproduced original album cover artwork and notes

AN IDEAL GIFT IDEA FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON!

Editor's Note: I have the opportunity to listen to this wonderful disc and it is most excellent. It is definitely a great addition to your music collection.

September 12, 2009; Monterey, CA; Offering jazz fans a rare opportunity to see some of the jazz world's finest talent, the Monterey Jazz Festival has announced that it will be selling Single-Show Arena Seats for the 52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival presented by Verizon, September 18 - 20, 2009. Single-Show Arena Tickets give patrons the ability to purchase a reserved seat for the Arena concert of their choice, and includes access to 8 additional stages on the Grounds, as well as all Grounds events and activities.

Prices range from $55 to $65 for each of the Single-Show Arena Tickets, available by phone (925.275.9255), online (montereyjazzfestival.org), and at the Monterey Jazz Festival's Monterey Fairgrounds Ticket Office starting on Monday, September 14th.

Fans can choose from five Arena shows including:

Friday night (featuring Conrad Herwig's Latin Side All-Star Band with special guests Randy Brecker and Joe Lovano; the Monterey Jazz Festival All-Stars featuring Kenny Barron, Regina Carter, Kurt Elling, and Russell Malone; and Esperanza Spalding). Friday night tickets are priced at $55.

Saturday afternoon (featuring Susan Tedeschi; Pete Seeger; and John Scofield and the Piety Street Band). Saturday afternoon tickets are priced at $60.

Saturday night (featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis; Dee Dee Bridgewater; and the Hank Jones & Joe Lovano Quartet with John Patitucci and Brian Blade). Saturday night tickets are priced at $65.

Sunday Afternoon (featuring George Duke; the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra with Special Guest Wynton Marsalis; and the Los Angeles County High School County for the Arts Big Band). Sunday afternoon tickets are priced at $60.

Sunday night (featuring the Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White Trio; the Dave Brubeck Quartet; and Jason Moran & The Bandwagon). Sunday night tickets are priced at $65.

"This is great news for fans who have always wanted to attend Arena shows, commented Timothy Orr, marketing associate for the festival. "It's unprecedented in recent history. We feel that it's the best value for people on a budget to get an Arena show of their choice, on the day of their choice. Since the Single-Show Arena Tickets also give access to the grounds, it's a tremendous value, especially in today's economy.

In addition to the newly launched Single Show Tickets, the Festival also has available Full Arena Packages (with one reserved seat for all 5 Arena shows), as well as daily and Full Weekend Grounds Tickets. All tickets are on sale now by phone at (925) 275-9255 and on the Monterey Jazz Festival's website, montereyjazzfestival.org.

Full Arena Packages for all 5 performances begin at $225. Daily Grounds Tickets are from $35 (Friday) and $45 (Saturday or Sunday); full Weekend Grounds Tickets are $110.00. MJF's new Family Discount Pack is $80 for 2 Adult and 2 Youth Tickets for a single day. Grounds Ticket prices will increase by $5.00 when purchased from Tuesday, September 15 through Sunday, September 20 and patrons are advised to purchase tickets now.

Visit http://www.montereyjazzfestival.org for a printable schedule of MJF/52.

Terrence Brewer plays Wes Montgomery

Amnesia
853 Valencia St (between 19th & 20th)
Thurday, September 10th
9PM, $5 cover

The SFJAZZ Hotplate series features some of the Bay Area's best artists celebrating the music of their favorite jazz legend each month. We begin with the SF Weekly's "Best Jazz Artist," guitarist Terrence Brewer, paying homage to the legendary Wes Montgomery on Thursday, September 10th.

"Local jazz just got a big boost." --SF Weekly

"This series is a winner all around... a low-cost introduction to some of the music's greatest names in a wholly relaxed atmosphere." --San Francisco Examiner
The Guardian's "Best Local DJ," Vinnie Esparza, will also spin classic and deep jazz cuts throughout the night. Plus, you can enter to win tickets to the 27th Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival, as well as valuable SFJAZZ merchandise, including hoodies, t-shirts and CDs. All for just a $5 cover - come dig what's cookin' on the Hotplate!

Upcoming shows:

10/09 - 9pm - Wil Blades plays Jimmy Smith
11/12 - 9pm - Joe Bagale plays Ray Charles
12/10 - 9pm - Spaceheater plays Rahsaan Roland Kirk

For more information, www.sfjazzhotplate.org

It is a good week when three new jazz piano releases are coming out on Tuesday, 8/25.

Jazz piano legend McCoy Tyner's new release, Solo: Live From San Francisco (Dig) [LIVE] was recorded live during the SFJAZZ Spring Season in May 2007. I attended this magnificent concert and am very excited about this album which includes, "Naima," "You Taught My Heart To Sing," "I Should Care," "Sweet And Lovely," and "In A Mellow Tone."

Young jazz piano virtuosos Eldar and Robert Glasper also have new releases on Tuesday.

Eldar's Virtue features mostly original compositions by Eldar performed with bassist Armando Gola and Ludwig Afonso. Eldar also welcomes guest appearances by trumpeter Nicholas Payton and saxophonists Joshua Redman and Felipe Lamoglia.

Pianist Robert Glasper presents both sides of his musical persona with Double-Booked, his third album for Blue Note Records, which will be released on August 25. The album bridges Glasper's parallel careers as the leader of an acclaimed jazz trio and a first-call sideman with hip-hop artists such as Mos Def, Q Tip and The Roots. Moving nimbly from the acoustic Robert Glasper Trio to the hip-hop fusion Robert Glasper Experiment, the young keyboardist puts his versatility front and center. Special guests on the album include vocalist Bilal and a cameo apprearance from rapper Mos Def.

Memphis Minnie's Bar-b-que Joint of San Francisco Presents

EXCLUSIVE EAST BAY SCREENING

AWARD-WINNING NEW DOCUMENTARY ABOUT

HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS NEIGHBORHOOD AND ITS MUSIC

Screening and Discussion with Iconic

New Orleans Newspaperman and Author Lolis Eric Elie

Special Appearance by Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir

All Proceeds Benefit the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music

OAKLAND--The winner of "Best Documentary" at the 2008 San Francisco Film Festival, Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans gives viewers a riveting introduction to of a little-known part of American history set in the fascinating New Orleans neighborhood where jazz was born.

Scheduled to coincide with the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, this exclusive, one-night-only event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, August 29, at the Kaiser Center Auditorium, 300 Lakeside Drive, 2nd Floor. On hand to discuss the film with audiences will be its co-producer, co-writer and central narrator, nationally renowned New Orleans newspaperman Lolis Eric Elie. Director Dawn Logsdon and producer Lucie Faulknor will also bring their perspective and expertise to the panel discussion.

Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir will make a special appearance. Also featured are the Oakland Public Conservatory Youth Marimba Band and The Frederick Douglass Youth Ensemble.

All proceeds benefit the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, the East Bay's leading source for affordable music education and performance for local youth and families. The event is made possible by Memphis Minnie's Bar-b-que Joint of San Francisco, which Gourmet Magazine said "may well be the finest barbeque restaurant in the state."

"American music would undoubtedly don a different swagger without the city of New Orleans, and the Tremé district in particular," said Angela Wellman, founding director of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music. "This event is a perfect opportunity for our community to celebrate jazz and the city that birthed it, and to support the Conservatory's efforts to nurture jazz study, scholarship, and appreciation for generations to come."

Arguably the oldest black neighborhood in America, Faubourg Tremé was home to the largest community of free black people in the Deep South during slavery. In the film - which critics have called "revelatory" and "flat-out brilliant" - Elie takes audiences on a tour of his city, and explains why this most un-American of American cities must be saved. But the neighborhood's recovery after Katrina is just another chapter in its singular history.

"In the early 1800s, while most African Americans in the South were toiling on plantations, free black people in Tremé were publishing poetry and conducting symphonies," Elie said. "Long before Rosa Parks, Tremé leaders organized sit-ins and protests that successfully desegregated the city's streetcars and schools. And jazz, the area's greatest gift to America, was born from the embers of this first American Civil Rights movement."

The mission of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music is to connect East Bay youth and their families the world-class instruction and performance of private conservatories at affordable rates. The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music exists to provide local audiences access to and an appreciation of our rich, shared and diverse American musical heritage.

Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans was executive produced by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer/musician Wynton Marsalis and Stanley Nelson (Jonestown, Murder of Emmett Till); directed by Dawn Logsdon; co-directed and written by Lolis Eric Elie; produced by Lucie Faulknor, Lolis Eric Elie and Dawn Logsdon; edited by Dawn Logsdon, Sam Green (Weather Underground) with original music composed by Derrick Hodge (of Terrence Blanchard's Band).

Tickets for the screening are $25 in advance, $30 at the door and can be purchased at

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/76969.

All proceeds benefit the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music.

Visit the Conservatory online at www.opcmusic.org

To view a trailer or for more information about the film, go to http://www.tremedoc.com.

This film is a co-production of Serendipity Films, LLC, Independent Television Service (ITVS), WYES-TV12 New Orleans and Louisiana Pubic Broadcasting (LPB) in association with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC).

Media Contact: Laurie Cahn

415-824-2857

415-608-4092 (c)

Photos and interviews available

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 12, 2009

www.montereyjazzfestival.org

Media Contact: Timothy Orr
Direct Line: (510) 652-1122
MJF Phone: (831) 373-3366 X252
timorr@montereyjazzfestival.org

Arena Tickets Available For 52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival Presented By Verizon, September 18 - 20, 2009

Rare Opportunity For Heirloom Purchase Guaranteeing Seats For Years

Three-Day Arena Package Includes Exclusive Access To 5 Shows Of World-Class Music On The Legendary Jimmy Lyons Stage

Plus Access To 8 Other Grounds Venues

Great Seats Available For Exclusive Arena Performances Including Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke And Lenny White Trio; Dave Brubeck Quartet, John Scofield And The Piety Street Band, Pete Seeger, Susan Tedeschi, Hank Jones And Joe Lovano Quartet, George Duke

August 12, 2009, Monterey, CA; Offering a rare opportunity for fans to purchase and retain Arena seats, the Monterey Jazz Festival has announced that Arena Packages for the 52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival are still available. An Arena Package provides intimate access to exclusive world-class music on the legendary Jimmy Lyons Stage, the site of countless musical memories and historic events since 1958.

"Arena Tickets are like an heirloom purchase -- patrons can renew their seats every year," says Timothy Orr, Marketing Associate for MJF. "In times like these, upgrades, which in previous years would have been difficult, are now possible. The Arena is where you feel the weight of history, and this offers our fans a chance to be a part of that history."

Arena Packages are on sale now by phone at (925) 275-9255 and on the Monterey Jazz Festival's website, montereyjazzfestival.org. Arena Packages are available starting from $225, and include one reserved seat for each of five concerts on the Arena/Jimmy Lyons Stage, access to all performances and activities on eight additional stages throughout the Grounds throughout the weekend, plus conversations, exhibitions, panel discussions, international shopping, food and beverages, and more.

Photo of legendary jazz pianist Hank Jones at Monterey Jazz Festival 2006 by James Knox

One of the things I love about the Bay Area is that the music festivals and local events are jumping from now through end of September. If I have missed any, please let me know. :-)

This is the final weekend of the Stanford Jazz Festival with the Stanford Jazz Workshop All-Star Jam on Friday and Dena DeRose and Steve Davis on Saturday.

The East Bay Express Best of the East Bay 2009 Party is Friday evening from 5pm to midnight at Oakland Museum of California.

The 20th AT&T San Jose Jazz Festival is this weekend from Friday through Sunday in Downtown San Jose. Only $15 per day for three days of great music featuring Allen Toussaint, Sharon Jones, Wayne Wallace, Tierney Sutton, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Bill Henderson, Sony Holland, Bettye Lavette, Jon Santo, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Buster Williams, Patrice Rushen, and many more.

The 9th Annual Art & Soul Oakland Festival is August 15 and 16. New weekend but the same great fun and entertainment for everyone. The lineup includes Shawn Colvin, Will Downing, Bobby Caldwell, and Walter and Edwin Hawkins.

Friends of the Golden Gate Public Library presents Jazz on Sunday Series every Sunday at 3pm at the Golden Gate Public Library, 5606 San Pablo Ave., Oakland, California.

Don't forget the AfroSolo Arts Festival 16 and the Yerba Buena Art Festival are running now through October.

Oakland City Center Concert Series - Concerts every Wednesday at noon at the Oakland Center in Downtown Oakland.

Kaiser Rooftop Garden Concert Series - Concerts every Friday at noon through September.

Sunnyvale Jazz Series

Aug. 15 - Tony Lindsay w/Tom Politzer (r&b & contemporary jazz)
Aug. 22 - Ed Johnson & ; Novo Tempo Quintet (contemporary Brazilian jazz)
Aug. 29 - Chester Smith Ensemble (organ straight ahead jazz)

This FREE event is open to the public and is located on Murphy Avenue (between Washington & Evelyn). For more information call 408-516-7217 or visit www.DowntownSunnyvale.com

SFJAZZ Summer Concert Series is underway and tickets for the SFJAZZ Fall Festival Season are now on sale.

Mt. Diablo Jazz Festival

Northern California's largest jazz festival returns to the Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord on August 22nd with a new lineup and a new name. Previously the JVC Jazz Festival, now called the Mt. Diablo Jazz Festival, this year brings Anita Baker, Boney James, Fourplay, Jazz Attack and local group Times 4 to Concord. Tickets for the Mt. Diablo Jazz Festival are on sale now at Livenation.com.

Downtown Berkeley MusicFest - August 27-29

Dancing in the streets, drumming in the avenues, and singing on the boulevards: all of these and more are yours this week as Berkeley's arts and entertainment hub springs into action for the Downtown Berkeley MusicFest! Highlighting the amazing diversity of Berkeley's downtown scene, the festival features a rich array of musical performances at venues throughout the downtown area.

Jazz at Filoli

Celebrate our 19th Season and Filoli's 100th Jazz Concert

Filoli Jazz lovers, please join us as we once again showcase six delightful Sunday afternoon jazz concerts held outdoors on the beautiful grounds of Filoli. Let us pamper you with great entertainment. Tables and chairs are set up on the tennis court surrounded by glorious oak trees. Parking is free, as well as snacks and drinks, including beer and white wine. Gourmet boxed lunches are available for purchase in advance. This year's program features an incredibly strong lineup of world class jazz musicians. After reading the descriptions below, I think you will agree that this year might just be our best ever. Concerts are from 1:30 pm -4:00 pm.

Next up at Filoli The Bobby Hutcherson Quartet - August 30

33rd Russian River Jazz and Blues Festival

The 33rd Russian River Jazz and Blues Festival has combined two great festivals into one weekend on September 12 and 13 at Johnson Beach Resort in Guerneville. The jazz lineup (September 12) includes Al Jarreau, Jonathan Butler, Richard Elliott, Jazz Attack, and Rick Braun with more acts to be announced. The blues lineup (September 13) includes The Neville Brothers, Dr. John, Tommy Castro Band, and Bernard Allison with more acts to be announced.

Montclair Village Jazz and Wine Festival

The lineup for the Montclair Village Jazz and Wine Festival on Sunday, September 13 includes Kitty Margolis, Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet, Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra, Mo'Rockin Project, and Taylor Eigsti.

52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival

The 52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival will be held September 18-20 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, Ca. Three days of great music. Performers include Lizz Wright, Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea, Joshua Redman, Soulive, Dave Brubeck, Esperanza Spalding, Kenny Barron, Regina Carter, Kurt Elling, and many others throughout the festival grounds.

Rockridge Out & About Street Festival

On Sunday, September 27th, College Avenue in North Oakland's famed Rockridge neighborhood becomes the stage for musicians, street performers, fashion shows, lifestyle expos, wellness activities, and picnicking.

Sponsored by the Rockridge District Association, "Rockridge Out & About " features food, fun, education, health forums, live music, and dancing at this popular annual event. College Avenue becomes a culinary and shopping extravaganza as chefs fire up the grills and serve tasty delights and unique vendor booths and large tents showcasing the districts unique mix of locally owned retail shops businesses line over half a mile of
College Avenue. Take BART to Rockridge on September 27th to stroll, shop, wine and dine, dance, play and experience Rockridge Out & About.

Photo Credit: James Knox

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

BAY AREA'S COOLEST SUMMER FESTIVAL COMES EARLY THIS YEAR

SHAWN COLVIN, THE BODEANS, WILL DOWNING, BOBBY CALDWELL, MO'FONE, RAMANA VIEIRA, WALTER HAWKINS AND MORE

9th Annual Art & Soul Features a Packed Two-Day Schedule of Top Flight Entertainment

OAKLAND, California (July 24, 2009)--The City of Oakland announced headliners and featured performers for this year's 9th Annual Art & Soul Oakland Festival. Thanks to guaranteed stellar lineups, abundant parking, easy BART access and the bargain price of just $10 per day, Art & Soul Oakland has been named the Bay Area's "best annual cultural event" by Oakland Magazine and Best Festival by East Bay Express. The SF Weekly added, "Art & Soul is dialed in to practically everything that makes Oakland great." Held in beautiful, re-energized downtown Oakland three weeks earlier on Saturday August 15, and Sunday, August 16, 2009, the festival delivers four concert stages offering simultaneous talent and diversity featuring an eclectic all-star lineup of 40 national recording artists and hot Bay Area bands sure to please every musical taste. While stage lineups are still being finalized, the acts continue the diverse and wonderful variety that has made Art & Soul the region's most popular music festival.

Saturday is anchored by headliner and multiple Grammy winner Shawn Colvin on the Art & Soul Main Stage (in association with KFOG 104.5 FM/97.7 FM) Colvin's tender, crystal clear voice sings of poignantly vivid images of relationships and life with great insight. Her performances are all at once astonishing and haunting, provocative and seductive. Sharing the stage are the BoDeans, the danceable, lean and scrappy folk/rock band once named best new band by Rolling Stone magazine. Now, 20 years later, their romantic sensibility and passionate harmonies linked to simple but potent guitar based rock and roll still excite.

The new Yoshi's Jazz Stage is newsworthy in and of itself. The lineup was selected through collaboration with the booking agents for both the Oakland and San Francisco Yoshi's Jazz Club. Headlining on Saturday are the funky brass sounds of Mo'Fone. Jazz Weekly says Mo'Fone, "Snaps and crackles like James Brown's Famous Flames with a New Orleans second line." Jazziz sums it up with, "Mo'Fone brings the grease." The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music under the direction of famed jazz trombonist Angela Wellman opens the day at 12:30 P.M. The smoky saxophone sound of Dayna Stevens follows and then the cool Latin/Soul of Sepia leads into the roaring Mo'Fone close.

Headlining the Plaza Stage's Local Voices programming on Saturday is world renowned Fado singer Ramana Vieira. Called "A rising star in World Music," by the San Francisco Examiner, Ramana has solidified her place as an artist who understands the tradition of Fado singing, but constantly combines new musical textures and original compositions. Berkeley-based Indie Rock singer/songwriter Jesse Strickland (aka Dear Indugu) brings an intensely passionate presence and personal lyrics to open the segment, followed by the Afro-Venezuelan sounds of Oakland 's Rosa los Santos .

Abby and the Pipsqueaks and Jump Street open the Plaza Stage with humorous children's music and family entertainment.

In addition, Saturday features the wildly popular Gospel Stage with Edwin Hawkins and Bishop Walter L. Hawkins and the Community in Praise Mass Choir. An entire afternoon of uplifting, roof-raising Gospel music will abound including Terence Kelly & Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, the Love Center Choir, Kevin Moore, Carl Wheeler & Men of Endurance and Derrick Hall & Company.

This Sunday, guitarist Calvin Keys and his trio will perform at 3pm at Golden Gate Library, 5606 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, California. This concert is part of the Friends of Golden Gate Library 19th Annual Jazz on Sundays Summer Concert Series which runs through August 30.

Concerts are held every Sunday at 3pm (doors open at 2:30pm), followed by a History of Jazz lecture with jazz legend Randy Moore, and an open jam session. All concerts are held at the Golden Gate Library with the exception of the August 23 concert, featuring the Junius Courtney Big Band (shown above.) This concert at Temescal Creek Park located on 47th Street between Adeline and San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville.

Admission is free and donation are welcome.

Upcoming concerts:

July 26, 2009
Calvin Keys Trio

August 2, 2009
John Handy and Special Guest

August 9, 2009
Bay Area Blues Society Caravan of All Stars

August 16, 2009
Howard Wiley

August 23, 2009
Julius Courtney Big Band (Temescal Creek Park)

August 30, 2009
Rhonda Benin & Quartet

Photo Credit: James Knox