Strong Medicine Concert 2004: A Benefit Concert for the Native American Health Center featuring Blues legend Taj Mahal on Saturday, November 6 at The Paramount Theatre in Oakland. Tickets are available from the Paramount Theatre Box Office or Ticketmaster. Proceeds to benefit construction of a new health care facility. For more information, contact www.nativehealth.org.
Jazz legend Andy Bey celebrates his 65th birthday today. I have had the pleasure of seeing Andy in concert in Los Angeles and San Francisco this year. I come away more amazed after every show. The above photo was taken at the Jazz Bakery in LA. I will be talking more about Andy over the coming weeks. I got to interview him when he was here a couple of months ago. It was an excellent experience and learned much about the music and life. Andy is an incredible man and I wish him all best on his special day!
MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL "JAZZ AT SUNSET" FALL 2004 CONCERT SERIES FEATURES MICHEL CAMILO TRIO, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28th AT 8:00 PM IN CARMEL'S HISTORIC SUNSET CENTER
October 15, 2004; Monterey, California; The Monterey Jazz Festival continues its Fall 2004 "Jazz at Sunset" concert season with Michel Camilo Trio on Thursday, October 28th at 8:00 pm in Carmel's historic Sunset Center. Michel Camilo, who held his 2003 Monterey Jazz Festival fans spellbound, promises to have the same riveting effect on his Jazz at Sunset audience in his 8:00 pm concert on Thursday, October 28th. Camilo, who will perform solo and with his trio, is a multi-Grammy winner having been awarded both a Latin Grammy (2000) and a Grammy (2003) for Best Latin Jazz Album. JazzWeek Artist of the Year for 2003, Pianist Michel Camilo was described in OffBeat Magazine as dazzling, " . . . with lightning two-handed runs whose braided complexity makes you giddy. He coaxes a shimmering liquid coolness out of the piano and he can caress it so sweetly that the audience stays hushed at tune's end."
Good seats are still available for the concert and are priced from $25. Patrons may purchase tickets at 925/275-9255, online at montereyjazzfestival.org, or at the Sunset Center Box Office on the day of the concert, starting at 7:00 pm.
This is the third concert in the Monterey Jazz Festival's 2004 Fall "Jazz at Sunset" Concert series. Remaining concerts on the calendar include Tuck & Patti (November 6) and The Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show, "Go Tell It On The Mountain" (November 30).
Where did the time go?
It is time to set the clocks back this weekend! I have been away on an unscheduled but needed break from blogging. I would sit down at the computer with lots of great ideas but none of them would turn into entries. I think that is happening for a lot of the blogosphere these days. Thank you for your calls and emails to check up on me. I have a lot of catching up to do and I am giving myself the rest of the year to do it.
Before I forget...a few new doll photos and pricing have been added in the Dolls by Mother and Daughter photo gallery. For additional information, please send an email to dollsmd@adelphia.net.
What am I listening to?
I have had latest releases from Queen Latifah, Brenda Russell, Chaka Khan, David Sanchez and René Marie on heavy rotation in the CD players. My honorable mentions are Jill Scott, Lalah Hathaway, and Maysa. I need to give these three a closer listen before I give you my thoughts but they are definitely worth getting.
Where is the groove this weekend?
Kimball's East has a brand new website and it looks good. The very gifted Rachelle Ferrell will be playing there Thursday thru Sunday for two shows each night. Hopefully, we will get to hear music from and about her much anticipated new release.
South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim will be playing at Yoshi's from Thursday thru Sunday for two shows each night.
Extraordinary drummer Terri Lyne Carrington will be playing at The Jazzschool on Sunday at 4:30pm with the Susan Muscarella Trio. This should definitely be a great show.
The 22nd Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival is underway now thru November 7. This weekend's highlights include Dena DeRose, Dianne Reeves, Jimmy McGriff, and Michel Camilo.
Speaking of Dianne Reeves, she has a new Christmas album on Blue Note Records, Christmas Time is Here.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Grand Opening Festival runs thru November 7. I will definitely go there on my next trip to New York City. A related article from the Seattle Times, "Milestone venue gives jazz a home in New York"
Other News and Grooves
Guitarist Earl Klugh has a brand website. No word on there as of yet when his new release will be out but I will keep checking.
Vocalist Clairdee will be playing a Pete Escovedo's Latin Jazz Club in San Jose on November at 8:30 and 10:30pm. She will also be doing her 3rd Annual Christmas Concert at Yoshi's on December 23 and her new album, Live at Yoshi's, will be released on February 1, 2005.
NYTimes.com: Jazz Impresario Tries New Idea: Jazz, Just Jazz
Village Voice.com: Trumpets No End
Coming back soon....Flashback Friday!!
Elemental Consulting in conjunction with Cumulus Records and j-notes.com presents an opportunity to win a copy of Ed Johnson's "Movimento" on CD.
Movimento is Ed Johnson's third solo recording of vibrant, original contemporary jazz with a Latin feel and a refreshing emphasis on harmony vocals and horn arrangements. It includes seven original compositions and three covers, including the classic Jobim/De Moraes samba A, "Felicidade" and a rocking take on "O Bom Alvinho" by Gerry Mulligan and Jane Duboc. Five of the tracks are vocal pieces sung in Portuguese, Spanish and English. The five instrumentals include up-tempo Brazilian Baiãos, several straight ahead numbers and a classic medium swing.
One Friday evening this past summer after work, I was checking my email and found out that Ed Johnson and his band Novo Tempo, were playing at The Jazzschool in Berkeley. I stopped cooking dinner and rushed out the door. I had been enjoying his new album so I definitely wanted to see the band live. I was not disappointed. The rhythms were intoxicating and the vocals were contagious as I found myself chanting and singing along (quietly, of course) during the songs. His influences include Ivan Lins and Pat Matheny. The concert was excellent.
Ed and Novo Tempo are playing Saturday Nov. 20 at the Jazz and Blues Co. in Carmel. The concert is at 7:30pm and will be broadcast live on KRML, their internet radio station.
In the past couple of months, I have had the pleasure of seeing Paula West twice in concert. Each time I have been enthralled and captivated by the way she caresses a note and the clarity of her voice. New Yorker's get to have her for the next three weeks but fret not Bay Area, she will be playing The Plush Room in SF for 6 weeks starting in February. I will be there in the corner with my journal and a big grin.
