Juliet Simms

Juliet Simms

Biography

Juliet Simms (born February 26, 1986) is a singer/songwriter. She is the vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for the band Automatic Loveletter.

Simms was raised by a family of musicians. Her grandfather, Frank Todaro, is a jazz pianist in Aspen, Colorado, an aunt played violin for Rod Stewart, Wayne Newton and Pavaroti. Brother Tommy Simms, of top Florida band Win Win Winter is a producer, singer, song writer and produced Juliet’s first CD. Singing since she was four, writing since she was nine, Simms became a fixture of the local music cafes as a teenager. It was here where the first of 5 major labels who offered her deals, caught a live performance.

Norah Jones

New York, United States (2002 – present)

Norah Jones, born on March 30th 1979 in New York City, is one of the most popular contemporary jazz and jazz-influenced singers of our time. She was a member of Wax Poetic before her debut album Come Away With Me. She can still be heard singing with them on two tracks of their release, Nublu Sessions.

Her debut album Come Away With Me was released in 2002 and sold 22 million copies worldwide. It won 5 Grammy Awards in 2003.

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Biography

Norah Jones, born on March 30th 1979 in New York City, is one of the most popular contemporary jazz and jazz-influenced singers of our time. She was a member of Wax Poetic before her debut album Come Away With Me. She can still be heard singing with them on two tracks of their release, Nublu Sessions.

Her debut album Come Away With Me was released in 2002 and sold 22 million copies worldwide. It won 5 Grammy Awards in 2003.

Her second album, Feels Like Home, with folk tendency, is the highest-selling album in the history of Blue Note Records with over a million copies sold within the first week. Norah Jones was listed among the most influential people of 2004 by the Time Magazine.

On January 30, 2007 Norah Jones released her third album, Not Too Late - a collection of 13 original songs, itunes includes a bonus live track of the song Sinkin’ Soon. This was the most pre-ordered album of all time on Amazon.com.

Her fourth studio album, The Fall, was released on November 17, 2009.

Her fifth studio album …Little Broken Hearts was released on May 1, 2012 and she collaborated with Danger Mouse for its production. The Happy Pills Songfacts reports that the album was recorded at Danger Mouse’s Los Angeles studio during the fall of 2011. The record was co-written by Jones and Danger Mouse, with the pair handling the majority of the instrumentals. Jones teamed up with the producer after she contributed vocals to his Rome project with Daniele Luppi.

The daughter of Beatles-influencing sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar, Jones doesn’t closely follow any particular genre, rather she brings her unique jazzy flavor to songs with roots in country, folk, Americana, and modern light jazz, pop and rock.

Cape Town Jazz Festival 2012

By JOHN KELMAN
Cape Town Jazz Festival
Cape Town, South Africa
March 30-31, 2012
An invite to cover the 13th annual Cape Town Jazz Festival would have been reason enough to travel over 8,000 miles to South Africa. But when the invite, from South Africa Tourism, stretched to an expansive ten-day trip—beginning in Johannesburg, continuing on to Cape Town and ending at the lovely Lukimbi Lodge in Kruger National Park for two days of safari—it became an absolutely irresistible opportunity. Add to that luxury accommodations for an intimate group of just four North American journalists, fine dining, a tour itinerary that made this feel more vacation than work and, finally, the outstanding service of a business class return trip from Johannesburg to Washington, thanks to South African Airways that, at over eighteen hours, was a welcome way to comfortably end a bursting-at-the-seams itinerary, and SA Tourism's invite seemed destined to become the trip of a lifetime.
And it was. Beyond the music, beyond the gorgeous locales and beyond the close bond that quickly developed amongst the group, the itinerary combined a chance to experience South Africa's stunning natural beauty with an opportunity to explore a country still in transition. For four North Americans whose previous knowledge of the nation's history—and, in particular, the impact of apartheid, thankfully, eighteen years gone now—came from books, newspapers, television and film, it was a rare opportunity to actually experience and feel apartheid's lasting impact on a country whose response to its inhumane and inhuman racial division has largely been nothing short of inspirational. Yes, there's still plenty of work to do and plenty of problems to solve—AIDS, unemployment, education and, as the result of the apartheid years, a knee-jerk resistance, by some, to authority in the least expected places are but a few of the challenges a post-apartheid South Africa still faces—but seeing what has been done in just eighteen years is a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit.

A Country in Transition
Take the group's tour guide for the first two days, spent in Johannesburg, which included a visit to Lesedi (billed as "Cultural Experience South Africa," but ultimately an informative but rather touristy place to learn about the various tribes in the country's history), the Apartheid Museum (a powerful place that brought the outrage that was apartheid home to everyone in the group), Alexandra (to visit Nelson Mandela's modest first home when he moved to the city), and Soweto and the Hector Pieterson Memorial (commemorating a 13 year-old boy who, shot and killed during the 1976 Soweto Uprising, was memorialized in an iconic image that remains affecting to this day). Joe Motsogi was imprisoned for nine months during apartheid under the regime's "no charge" law that permitted the imprisonment and torture of black people, but was ultimately released because the authorities were unable to come up with any charges that fit.
Most surprising, given what he went through, were his calm, warm and positive personality, and an uncanny ability to rapid-fire cite a wealth of informative statistics, as well as his clear connection to the community, as he seemed to know someone everywhere the group went. And while he was quick to point out that Soweto's reputation for crime has significantly improved, Motsogi also summed up at least a portion of that reputation succinctly, saying "Hungry stomach knows no law." Motsogi's positive outlook and seemingly unshakable spirit—a remarkable response to spending the majority of his life under apartheid—seemed echoed by everyone met during the course of the trip.
Motsogi's remarkable spirit was also in evidence when the tour moved on to Cape Town for six days, culminating in the Cape Town Jazz Festival. A trip to Robben Island early on the stay—home of the maximum security facility that housed Mandela for much of the 28 years he spent imprisoned—brought things home on a very personal level, as the group was taken through the prison by Vusumzi Mcongo—himself, a one-time prisoner on the island. It was almost unbelievable that there was no protein in the prisoners' diet (oatmeal, maize, cornmeal and coffee, all using the sea water around the island, with one teaspoon of sugar per day); incredulous that they spent their first days crammed into a single room with up to fifty others, and against whom the prison's attack dogs were sicced each evening, seemingly for nothing more than to engender fear and for the entertainment of the guards; and beyond outrageous to discover that these political activists were actually treated far worse than the rapists and killers housed elsewhere on the island, in a medium security jail with better facilities, better food and better overall treatment.
There were few dry eyes left by the end of a tour where small cells, inhumane conditions and the regime's relentless attempts to squash the spirit of these men seemed to hover in the air nearly two decades later—men imprisoned only because they were fighting for basic human rights in a country that, long considered the "Cradle of Humankind World," was theirs long before the Dutch, the English and others came to exploit its natural resources of gold and diamonds. But meeting a man like Mcongo—who, despite it all, has emerged from the experience strong, proud and independent—and to hear of prisoners who, while working in a limestone quarry where the bright sun actually damaged their eyes (Mandela had eye surgery not long after his release), supported each other in times of despair and, rather than plotting escape (actively discouraged by their leaders), spent their time strategizing the overthrow of apartheid, was a life-changing experience. That these prisoners could actually see Cape Town and the stunning Table Mountain in the near distance was almost torture in itself: freedom so near, yet so very far away.
The inhumanities levied upon native South Africans during apartheid were countless—and, in some cases, evilly insidious. Blacks were sometimes paid half their wages in cash, half in a cheap alcohol, the intent being to diminish protest and dissent by keeping them in drink. And dissention was rewarded with punishment most severe. When Robert Sobukwe, founder of the Pan Africanist Congress, led an intended peaceful protest against Apartheid's Pass Law—requiring blacks to carry a pass that, if found without it, would result in either a fine beyond the reach of most or six months in prison—the response was a police action where 180 black South Africans were wounded and 69 killed, ultimately known as the Sharpeville Massacre. He was sent to Robben Island, where he was kept in solitary confinement in a private hut on the grounds of the prison's dogs, later released to house arrest in Kimberley after he became ill and the authorities did not want him to die a martyr on the island. Finally passing in 1978, appeals to allow him freedom of movement on humanitarian grounds towards the end of his illness and his life were refused indefinitely

Bobby Broom: Building a Legacy

By R.J. DELUKE
Guitarist Bobby Broom had a feel for music at a very young age. He was exposed first to clarinet and violin as a child, but they didn't have an impact on him. Eventually, an old guitar came through the household. It had four strings across an instrument with a small neck.
"I didn't know it was a descendent of the banjo," Broom recalls. "I found out later it was a tenor guitar. I still have it. I didn't do anything with it. I was about 8. About four years after that I decided I wanted to play guitar. There was no clear reason why I made that decision. I just woke up one morning and decided that was it. I wanted a guitar. I was 12."
Now 51, Broom has been playing that instrument ever since, and rose at a remarkable level, playing with pianist Al Haig at the ripe age of 12 and with Sonny Rollins for the first time at 16, years before touring with the Saxophone Colossus. Broom's style—a rich, thick sound; expressive and swinging—is forged in the tradition of jazz and blues. He can bring those sensibilities to musical landscapes like Stevie Wonder tunes, the focus of his most recent recording with his Deep Blue Organ Trio, Wonderful! (Origin, 2011). Or he can blaze through standards. The 2009 recording from his longstanding guitar trio, Plays for Monk (Origin) is an important interpretation of those great compositions rendered soulfully and thoughtfully through an instrument Monk did not employ.

Anoushka Shankar: A Celebration of Joy

By LLOYD N. PETERSON JR
Anoushka Shankar is one of the rare artists whose attitude and creativity reflects her love, respect and appreciation for all people and cultures in the world today. This is contrary to traditional teachings and beliefs, which have historically taught patriotism for one's country and culture specifically. But Anoushka Shankar is not your typical contemporary artist. Certainly growing up in the presence of Yehudi Menuhin, George Harrison and her father, Ravi Shankar—three of our greatest humanitarian artists—didn't hurt. But Shankar is a study in action, whose search for knowledge and understanding of all people and cultures never ceases and whose music reflects this very transcendent character.
As a result, Shankar recently published a multi-cultural masterpiece. It isn't art that spends time on cultural differences, which is a tendency by society today; art focuses on the common themes, emotions and feelings that reside in each one of us, regardless of culture or ethnicity.
If there is one underlying foundation that holds Traveller (Deutsche Grammophon, 2011) all together, it is the "spiritual intensity" of this very unique and brilliant artist. The spirituality of Shankar breathes life through the music at every turn, pulling us closer until we are inside the multicultural layered spectrum of sensuous colors and emotions. If there was ever a question of whether such a place exists, it has been put to rest with this recording.
Shankar has a vast sincere interest in providing respect and educating others with regard to the history of Indian classical music but also has immense interest in the people and culture of other global societies. But this isn't just your typical interest, which is important here. She delves in with her entire being, and incorporates this into who she is within the realms of the macrocosms of the world today.
And through the synthesis of this very unique artistic imagination, she is able to create music so spiritually personal, yet one also reflective of a global essence and character while providing the utmost respect to those various cultures being celebrated. And that is the paramount difference from most attempts at this approach and it is one that is rare.
All About Jazz: It is difficult enough to represent one culture artistically but representing two is almost unheard of and to also pull it off in a respectful way to both cultures and traditions. Were you worried about this and what do you think were the key elements in making it work?
Anoushka Shankar: As you say, it is a difficult thing to do and there is no way I could have done this without my amazing producer, Javier Limon. Exactly as you asked, I was afraid of trying to represent two cultures on a record, especially as one of those cultures was not one that I am from. What I did was find someone who was able to represent the Spanish culture. In a way, though it is my album, it was very much collaboration. I brought the Indian forms, the ragas, the talas and the Indian guest artists to the table and he brought in the Spanish rhythms, forms and guest artists. We initially spent a lot of time educating one another on the musical styles in order to work together in a way that was respectful of both musical traditions.
AAJ: Have you found that your lifelong study of Indian Classical music has helped you understand Flamenco music along with its history and culture? Most people are not familiar. What are the important points of that history and culture that should be understood to better appreciate this rich form of music? For those that want to learn and understand and have a better appreciation of this art form, what should we know?
AS: There is no question that my understanding and experience as an Indian classical musician is what allowed me to get a feel for and a grasp of flamenco music, at least as much as I was able to. All of these traditional forms are, by rights, things that require a lifetime of immersion and dedication in order to be fully versed. However, at least to be able to get a general grasp of flamenco, its commonalities with Indian classical were such that I was able to apply myself in a different way than I was used to but still be able to play within the flamenco forms and rhythms. For example our rhythmic cycles are very different but the fact that both forms have cyclical rhythms meant that if I studied a particular rhythm form like a buleria or seguria, I could use my own experience with improvisation within a 12 beat Indian cycles and move the emphasis from the 1st beat to the 12th.

Behind the Lens With Skip Bolen 2012

+%09%09%09%09%3Cimg+alt%3D%22Behind+the+Lens+With+Skip+Bolen%22+class%3D%22a-img-main%22+src%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.allaboutjazz.com%2Fphotos%2F2010%2Fskipbolen620x355.jpg%22+title%3D%22Behind+the+Lens+With+Skip+Bolen%22+width%3D%22620%22+%2F%3EBy+%09+%09%09%3Cspan%3E%3Ca+href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.allaboutjazz.com%2Fphp%2Fcontrib.php%3Fid%3D5327%22%3ESKIP+BOLEN%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fspan%3E%3Cstrong%3E+%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cstrong%3E%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%0AMost+of+my+personal+work+lately++has+been+photographing+jazz+and+documenting+the+disappearing+historic++landscape+of+old+architecture%2C+vintage+signs%2C+old+water+towers%2C++cemeteries+and+other+points+of+interest+in+New+York+City%2C+Los+Angeles++and+across+the+South+primarily+in+my+hometown+of+New+Orleans%E2%80%94a++collection+of+images+that+embody+both+a+sense+of+romance+and+nostalgia.%0D%0AI++lived+in+New+York+City+years+ago+working+as+a+junior+art+director+in++publishing+at+Conde+Nast+and+spent+many+late+nights+in+jazz+clubs%E2%80%94these++were+my+formative+years+of+jazz+photography.+After+living+and+working+in++NYC+for+several+years+when+it+was+finally+time+to+move+on%2C+I+moved+back++home+to+New+Orleans+to+pursue+photography+and+became+friends+with++Herman+Leonard+who+became+a+huge+inspiration.+Several+years+later%2C+I++headed+out+west+to+Los+Angeles+and+to+work+as+Creative+Director+of+the++House+of+Blues+which+also+offered+incredible+inside+access+to++photographing+musicians+both+onstage+and+backstage.%0D%0AEvenings+and++weekends+I+photographed+live+music+in+clubs+and+at+concerts+and+became+a++contributor+for+Getty+Images+and+WireImage.com+photographing+musicians%2C++red+carpet+events%2C+actors+and+actresses.+After+living+in+Los+Angeles++for+several+years%2C+I+moved+back+home+to+New+Orleans+in+2006+to++photo-document+the+rebuilding+and+recovery+of+New+Orleans+after++Hurricane+Katrina.+Today%2C+I%27m+still+in+New+Orleans+but+travel+regularly++to+New+York+City+and+Los+Angeles+to+photograph.%0D%0A%3Cdiv+class%3D%22center%22%3E%0D%0A%3Cimg+src%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.allaboutjazz.com%2Fmedia%2Fmedium%2Fc%2Ff%2Ff%2Fa00b48fc1ca8af000cf06512bd2bb.jpg%22+title%3D%22Nicholas+Payton%E2%80%94%C2%A9+2012+Skip+Bolen%22+width%3D%22560%22+%2F%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0AMy++work+is+in+public+and+private+collections%2C+among+them+the+Ogden+Museum++of+Southern+Art+in+New+Orleans+and+the+Louisiana+State+Museum%2C+and+my++photographs+have+appeared+in+%3Cem%3EThe+New+York+Times%3C%2Fem%3E%2C+%3Cem%3ERolling+Stone%3C%2Fem%3E%2C+%3Cem%3EVogue%3C%2Fem%3E%2C+%3Cem%3ENew+York+Post%3C%2Fem%3E%2C+%3Cem%3EUS+Weekly%3C%2Fem%3E%2C+%3Cem%3EUSA+Today%3C%2Fem%3E%2C+%3Cem%3EElle%3C%2Fem%3E%2C+MTV%2C+VH-1%2C+%3Cem%3ENew+York+Magazw+shots+right+away%E2%80%94so+I++know+I%27ve+got+several+shots+of+what+is+going+on+and+then+I+quickly++figure+out+my+strategy.+I+also+had+a+major+breakthrough+one+day+with+my++digital+photography+where+I+began+to+treat+Photoshop+the+same+as+I+would++a+darkroom+back+in+my+film+days%E2%80%94meaning%2C+I+use+Photoshop+on+my+photos++the+same+way+I+would+work+with+a+negative+in+the+darkroom%E2%80%94that+RAW+image++out+of+my+camera+is+the+digital+negative+that+I+work+with+to+dodge+and++burn+areas+within+the+photo%2C+I+sometimes+crop%2C+I+adjust+the+contrast+and++brightness+and+make+any+and+all+further+adjustments.%0D%0A%3Cstrong%3EYour+teaching+approach%2Fphilosophy%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%0AMy+first+real+job+out+of+college+was+working+as+a+junior+designer+in++New+Orleans+where+I+was+hired+by+the+owner+and+Art+Director%E2%80%94and+I+gotta++say%2C+I+learned+so+much+from+him.+He+had+a+real+knack+at+sharing++information+and+teaching+without+really+realizing+it%E2%80%94and+much+of+what+I++learned+about+design+and+composition+way+back+then+is+what+I+still+use++now+when+shooting+photography+and+composing+my+images.+And+so%2C+any+time+a++young+photographer+asks+me+questions%2C+I+think+back+to+this+guy+that++taught+me+so+much+in+my+early+20s+and+always+try+share+as+much+as+I+can++with+anyone+starting+out+in+photography%E2%80%94especially+if+they%27re++photographing+jazz.%0D%0A%3Cstrong%3EYour+biggest+challenge+when+shooting+indoor+%28or+low+lighted%29+events%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%0AI+always+enjoy+good+challenges+and+I+especially+enjoy+shooting+in++extreme+low+light%E2%80%94whether+it+was+back+in+my+film+days+using+Delta+3200%2C++or+now+with+digital%E2%80%94to+capture+an+image+in+natural+low+light+with+just+a++glimmer+of+light+has+always+produced+some+of+my+most+favorite+images.+I++never+use+flash+while+shooting+live+music%E2%80%94flash+in+my+opinion++completely+destroys+any+sense+of+feeling+and+emotion+found+in+a+natural++low+light+setting%E2%80%94plus+flash+is+horribly+distracting+for+the+artist++performing+and+the+audience+there+to+see+the+show.+And+now%2C+with+the++latest+generation+of+cameras+coming+out%2C+shooting+in+low+light+at+an++event+is+hardly+a+challenge+any+more.+Now%2C+I+would+say+my+biggest++challenge+is+just+%22capturing+the+moment%22+and+finding+that+perfect+moment++in+a+live+jazz+performance+using+only+available+light+that+best+reveals++an+image+infused+with+the+spontaneous+intensity%2C+raw+energy+and++collaborative+spirit+of+that+live+jazz+performance%E2%80%94something+that+best++tells+the+story+and+conveys+all+the+feelings+and+emotions+of+that+live++performance+or+the+communication+between+the+musicians+on+stage.%0D%0A%3Cdiv+class%3D%22center%22%3E%0D%0A%3Cimg+src%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.allaboutjazz.com%2Fmedia%2Fmedium%2F6%2F6%2F3%2F85180723c3fc4a17dccae4e536d79.jpg%22+title%3D%22Cassandra+Wilson%E2%80%94%Cily+use+a+Canon+5D+Mk+II+on++set.+My+photography+studio+is+equipped+with+Mole-Richardson+Hollywood++style+lights+and+I+use+a+very+old+Hollywood+style+or+cinematic+style+of++lighting+when+I%27m+shooting+in+my+studio.%0D%0A%3Cstrong%3ETeachers+and%2For+influences%3F%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%0ATeachers%3A+Ray+Avery%2C+Herman+Leonard%2C+and+Bill+Claxton.+Influences%3A++Francis+Wolff%2C+Milt+Hinton%2C+Edward+Steichen%2C+Horst+P.+Horst%2C+Cecil++Beaton%2C+Henry+Clarke+and+Philippe+Halsman.++++++++++++++++++++++++++%0D%0A%3C%21--more--%3E%0D%0A%3Cstrong%3EI+knew+I+wanted+to+be+a+photographer+when...%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%0AYears+ago%2C+I+was+a+junior+art+director+at+Conde+Nast+%28Publisher+of+%3Cem%3EVogue%3C%2Fem%3E%2C+%3Cem%3EHouse+%26amp%3B+Garden%3C%2Fem%3E%2C+%3Cem%3EVanity+Fair%3C%2Fem%3E%2C+%3Cem%3EGlamour%3C%2Fem%3E++and+many+more%29+in+New+York+City%2C+and+we+would+get+these+amazing+images++in+from+photographers+all+over+the+world+%28our+photographers+included++Annie+Leibovitz%2C+Herb+Ritz%2C+Richard+Avedon%2C+etc%29.+As+an+art+director%2C+my++work+was+never+complete+unless+I+was+physically+at+my+desk+working+on+a++layout%E2%80%94it+was+there+and+then+where+I+realized+the+photographers+got+to++travel+and+go+to+locations+to+shoot+while+I+was+glued+to+my+desk.+I++became+jealous+of+the+photographers+and+decided+one+day+I+would+turn++that+around+and+eventually+leave+art+direction+behind+me+and+become+a++full+time+photographer.+And+while+I+had+a+great+time+as+an+art+director++early+on%2C+I%27m+really+enjoying+photography+these+days.%0D%0A%3Cdiv+class%3D%22center%22%3E%0D%0A%3Cimg+src%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.allaboutjazz.com%2Fmedia%2Fmedium%2Fc%2F9%2Fa%2F8ae1db8702998309eb41f1a822b6d.jpg%22+title%3D%22Jimmy+Scott+At+The+Jazz+Bakery%E2%80%94%C2%A9+2012+Skip+Bolen%22+width%3D%22560%22+%2F%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%3Cstrong%3EYour+approach+to+photography%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%0AMy+approach+to+photography+is+to+have+a+good+time+and+to+always+be+very++considerate+of+the+audience+paying+to+see+the+show+on+stage.+Bill++Claxton+once+said+to+always+shoot+first+before+giving+it+any+more++thought+%28I+don%27t+remember+the+exact+quote%29%E2%80%94meaning%2C+get+the+shot+first++before+contemplating+whether+you+should+be+getting+the+shot+or+not.++Better+to+always+get+and+have+the+shot+rather+than+not+having+the+shot++and+regretting+it+later+on.+So%2C+when+I+walk+into+a+club+or+a+situation++to+shoot+live+music%2C+I+quickly+try+to+get+a+few+shots+right+away%E2%80%94so+I++know+I%27ve+got+several+shots+of+what+is+going+on+and+then+I+quickly++figure+out+my+strategy.+I+also+had+a+major+breakthrough+one+day+with+my++digital+photography+where+I+began+to+treat+Photoshop+the+same+as+I+would++a+darkroom+back+in+my+film+days%E2%80%94meaning%2C+I+use+Photoshop+on+my+photos++the+same+way+I+would+work+with+a+negative+in+the+darkroom%E2%80%94that+RAW+image++out+of+my+camera+is+the+digital+negative+that+I+work+with+to+dodge+and++burn+areas+within+the+photo%2C+I+sometimes+crop%2C+I+adjust+the+contrast+and++brightness+and+make+any+and+all+further+adjustments.%0D%0A%3Cstrong%3EYour+teaching+approach%2Fphilosophy%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%0AMy+first+real+job+out+of+college+was+working+as+a+junior+designer+in++New+Orleans+where+I+was+hired+by+the+owner+and+Art+Director%E2%80%94and+I+gotta++say%2C+I+learned+so+much+from+him.+He+had+a+real+knack+at+sharing++information+and+teaching+without+really+realizing+it%E2%80%94and+much+of+what+I++learned+about+design+and+composition+way+back+then+is+what+I+still+use++now+when+shooting+photography+and+composing+my+images.+And+so%2C+any+time+a++young+photographer+asks+me+questions%2C+I+think+back+to+this+guy+that++taught+me+so+much+in+my+early+20s+and+always+try+share+as+much+as+I+can++with+anyone+starting+out+in+photography%E2%80%94especially+if+they%27re++photographing+jazz.%0D%0A%3Cstrong%3EYour+biggest+challenge+when+shooting+indoor+%28or+low+lighted%29+events%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%0AI+always+enjoy+good+challenges+and+I+especially+enjoy+shooting+in++extreme+low+light%E2%80%94whether+it+was+back+in+my+film+days+using+Delta+3200%2C++or+now+with+digital%E2%80%94to+capture+an+image+in+natural+low+light+with+just+a++glimmer+of+light+has+always+produced+some+of+my+most+favorite+images.+I++never+use+flash+while+shooting+live+music%E2%80%94flash+in+my+opinion++completely+destroys+any+sense+of+feeling+and+emotion+found+in+a+natural++low+light+setting%E2%80%94plus+flash+is+horribly+distracting+for+the+artist++p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Elizabeth Shepherd: A Jewel is Born 2012

By ANTHONY KING
When a fetus becomes the impetus. "Impetus" is a favored word lobbed by Elizabeth Shepherd into the conversation these days as she takes a deep breath and plunges into the great unknown of traveling on the road with a family. The winsome vocalist and jazz pianist had her first child six months ago and has unplugged her tribe from their downtown Toronto home to cover Canada, literally performing dates from Nanaimo, B.C. to St. Johns, Nfld. "Gosh, that's the hope; it's still a huge uncertainty at this point because I haven't done it yet," muses Shepherd. "If I've learned anything in the first six months of being a parent, you have to let go of all expectations of anything, because they will just be thwarted anyway." That said, Shepherd is a jazz musician, and improvising is has been ingrained in her psyche. "I've never been as flexible as I am now, there's a certain openness that comes with being a parent."
The tour follows the release of Shepherd's Rewind (Pinwheel Music, 2012), which officially hit the streets and avenues of the virtual superhighway and record stores on April 10, 2012, and is available for download, with a limited edition vinyl pressing also in the works.
For Shepherd, jumping onboard the tour bus comes as naturally as childbirth—replete with the requisite pains—but the manouche spirit permeates her very soul. "My parents were Salvation Army ministers from the time I was two until about three years ago. When you become a full-time minister with the Salvation Army, you open yourself up to be appointed anywhere; the army brats and I would have a lot in common," confesses Shepherd. And though such a lifestyle can often lead to solitary childhood, in Shepherd's case spending formative years in France would have an ineffable effect on her sound and musical tastes. "In moving to France I was exposed to a great variety of things. The music you heard on the radio was quite different; it was far more diverse that what typical radio was in Canada."
Though the seeds of a career in jazz were planted in Europe, ironically it was when she returned to Canada to study jazz at McGill University that Shepherd came to embrace the fruits of great songwriting. "'Love for Sale' is one of those tunes that really stayed with me all of those years," she says. So much so, that Cole Porter's unassailably beautiful song opens up the new album. "There is a certain sadness and weight to the lyrics, but at the same time it's the oldest profession, it's a song about prostitution," says Shepherd. "I kind of wanted to infuse it with a little more power, not treat the lyrics as lightly as they have been in the past."
Somewhere in the hallowed halls of every jazz school is a rather haggard-looking pianist hunched over the keyboard, looking like the Grinch on the morning after an all-night bender, thinking, "Please, not another version of 'All the Things You Are.'" Shepherd would be no exception. "When I went to school we had to learn 60 to 80 standards; that was really the bare minimum requirement in jazz school. My first gig, before I even considered being a professional musician, I took because I needed money. I was actually waitressing and they noticed on my CV that I played piano; they asked if I would play because the house pianist was going on vacation. I had to learn a whole bunch of tunes and fell into that gig for three years."
And if a career is born out of necessity—in this case the need to eat, and there is something magical in watching a talent come to life because of providence—then Shepherd knows the road is not paved with yellow bricks, and every jazz player must pay his/her dues. And so she learned a litany of songs from jazz standards and chanson to pop tunes, and played, and played and played. So much so, that she earned the right to bank studio time and sculpt her own material, which figures prominently on her debut disc, Start to Move (Pinwheel Music, 2006).
Three well-respected albums later, chock-full of delicious observations on contemporary society and accessible grooves—all punctuated by Elizabeth Shepherd's uncanny gift for writing melodies that stick—fast forward to Rewind, a collection of cover tunes. "I think there's a beauty in hearing tunes that come to the public, because they are covered in a certain unique way. I've found that given a chance to reinterpret a song you can find real beauty there." Shepherd goes on to justify her decision by saying, "I wanted to take some tunes that maybe didn't quite make it into the jazz canon, as way of uncovering them I can maybe bring them to light, and have people say 'Wow, that's actually a great tune.'"

Anthony and Me

By DOM MINASI
When I was asked to write a column for All About Jazz, my question was what should I write about? I was told anything that was music-oriented.
I decided that being a professional musician for more than fifty years, I could write about the things I care about, know about, have strong opinions about based on my own experiences that might be worth sharing. In no way do I want the reading public to think this is about self-promotion. For me this is an opportunity to share my life experiences and hopefully they might, in some small way, help to understand this crazy adventure we're in called "jazz."
It must have been sometime in the '70s that I first heard the name Anthony Braxton. I had no idea who he was except I heard he was really different and different appealed to me. Being married at the time with two small children, I didn't have extra money to spend on records or even listen to the radio that much, but the few times I did, I heard "Ornithology" from In The Tradition(Steeplechase, 1974), with Anthony Braxton (contrabass and clarinet), Tete Montoliu (piano), Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (double bass) and Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums), and it was an awe-inspiring record, as was Five Easy Pieces (Arista, 1975). I immediately understood the direction he was going and it was a place to which I also wanted to go.
Many years passed. In fact, thirty years went by. By then I had recorded for Blue Note and, by the 1980s, I felt I was on my way to getting to the musical place I am today. It took hard work and I didn't play that way on gigs. I only played "out" at rehearsals with my then trio—Mitchell May on bass and Tony Lupo on drums. In the late eighties I met bassist Dominic Duval. Dominic wanted to go to the same place I did. We hit it off right away. We formed a trio but never worked. We did record for the fun of it. I had written a tune called "In A Quarter Tone," based on Duke Ellington's "In A Mellow Tone." I used an acoustic guitar with light strings so I could bend and make the quarter tones happen. For another free form piece I used the same guitar, but I put a rubber ball and some nails inside the hole. Obviously it was an old, beat-up guitar.
Without ever listening to the "God" of avant-garde guitar, Derek Bailey, I started experimenting early on. I just did not have a discography to trace my growth. I was also afraid to let loose in those days. It was hard enough making a living as a musician, but an avant-garde jazz musician? No way. If I wasn't married with children I would have gone that route, but fate had other plans for me.
After playing with Dominic for a while, we both went our separate ways. Years later I got a call to play with a small big band. To my surprise Dominic Duval was the bassist and Jay Rosen was the drummer. Through that meeting, Dominic brought me in to some of the groups he played with and introduced me to many of the musicians I play with now, such as Jay Rosen, Michael Jefry Stevens, Mark Whitecage, Tomas Ulrich and Blaise Siwula.
When I started to play with these, and many more musicians like these, I decided to "come out of the closet," so-to-speak, and finally play the way I wanted. I credit Dominic Duval, Jay Rosen and Blaise Siwula, who understood what I was about and encouraged me, but it was Jay who nagged the hell out of me to submit a demo to Bob Rusch of CIMP Records. I was reluctant because of my experience with recording companies—and, besides, I was very happy teaching Literacy Through Songwriting Workshops for the Board of Ed in New York City. At the same time, Blaise Siwula submitted to CIMP, and in February, 1999, I recorded Finishing Touches with Jay Rosen and Mike Bocchicchio and the following week, Blaise, John Bollinger and I recorded Dialing Privileges. Before you know it, I was back in it.
When do I write about Braxton? Now!
After forming my own independent label in 2001 (CDM Records) and recording what I wanted, I still didn't let totally loose till The Vampire's Revenge in 2006. With that record, I felt I had established myself as an avant-garde player and composer.
The recording engineer on most of my recordings is Jon Rosenberg. While at the studio one day and listening to a playback, Jon said he would like to hear me with Anthony Braxton. I was taken off guard by that remark because only a few days before I listened to Anthony on WKCR radio, while driving, and my thought was, "I would really like to play with him." I told John, "I'd love to play with Anthony, but I don't know him and I doubt if he knows me." Jon responded, "Believe me, he knows who you are. I'll talk to him." "Wha

Joe McPhee: Artistic Sacrifice from a Musical Prophet

By LLOYD N. PETERSON JR.
He could have easily chosen a different path: a more successful one or, perhaps we should say, a more commercial one. But that has never been the style or the character of multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee. His saint-like humility reflects a gentle and wise creative spirit; his music and poetry are a mirror into the human condition. He has never catered to the shortsighted vision of industry trends, and he expresses himself with a language that is in tune within his innermost spiritual beauty.
To imagine an artist that could create from aspects of romanticism, abstraction, impressionism, modernism, realism, futurism or surrealism is to have a better understanding of McPhee's sound landscape. The most creative music lies between the known and the unknown, yet McPhee always pushes towards the spheres of the unknown; his music always begins from a set of values, along with an unorthodox attitude that intensely penetrates from ground zero, every single time. He paints and expresses sound in real time, and the complexity of his art form makes it unlikely to gain many listeners from the shallow depths of revenue-driven pop culture—far from it.
Artists like McPhee are not motivated by money because it doesn't exist here; they create because there is no choice if art is going to survive. It is a passion and it is a sacrifice, and there are no compromises...at any level.McPhee's Nation Time (CJR, 1970), Underground Railroad (CJR, 1969), Pieces of Light (CJR, 1974) and Trinity (CJR, 1971) define a period of time, and will forever stand as monuments in the era of civil rights. These are pieces of music with critical artistic values that represent what it is to express freely, while in the shadows of oppression. It is art expressed in all its glory and greatness, and McPhee is its prophet.
All About Jazz: Let go back to your roots.
Joe Mcphee: My father was born in the Bahamas, on the island called Exuma, and he came from a very British background. He ended up working for a Greek sponge fisherman who taught him how to speak Greek but also taught him how to run a business, how to keep the books, et cetera. He was really amazing.
But my father left Exuma in 1927, at the age of 25, because he wanted to become an American citizen. He had hoped to join an Army band in Arizona, but at that time, the military was segregated. When he finally did arrive in the United States, the band had already disbanded, so he was stuck in Florida. But it's also where he met my mother, who was from Nassau.
I had the opportunity to take him back to Exuma in 1970, and that was his first time back home since 1927. And at that time, the Bahamas were just about to get their independence, and he couldn't quite understand the concept of not having a king and queen.
My mother's maiden name was Cooper, and her uncle was Alfonso Cooper, who was the leader of the Savoy Sultans. Grachan Moncur who was a bassist in The Sultans was also the father of Grachan Moncur III, the trombonist. He and Alfonso were half brothers and had the nickname "brother," and Al [Alfonso] Cooper, the clarinetist and alto player, was the leader of the band. They were a jump band and the house band at the Savoy Ballroom in New York, and they were also the band that everybody had to go through. If you were a player and came to New York, you had to go through the Sultans. They played between 1937 and 1946, and they were really something.
I had the opportunity to interview Alfonso in 1970 and was hoping to have it published in Cadence Magazine. As a result, I took along a tape recorder to capture the conversation, but became so caught up in the stories of what it was like traveling the "Chitlin Circuit" that I forgot to turn on the tape recorder. Their food was placed on trays, outside on doorsteps, while [they were] being treated like dogs.
Unfortunately, it wasn't long later that Alfonso died. But I was reading an interview with Grachan Moncur in Cadence Magazine a few years ago, and he, too, had an interview with Alfonso and also forgot to turn on his tape recorder. [Laughs.]
However, I did get an interview with Panama Francis, as he and my father were close friends. When Panama was a kid, he wanted to play drums with the Savoy Sultans, but he was too young, and they chased him away. Eventually, he formed his own version of the Savoy Sultans, and they played for years with some of the original members.
He also came to visit my father in 1993, and I was able to videotape their conversation. And Panama told me he was writing a book on how jazz developed on the East Coast, which was very different from what came up the Mississippi because of the Cuban influence. But it hasn't really been documented, not really.
Additionally, the music of Dizzy Gillespie and the Afro-Cuban thing is a lot closer to what Panama was talking about, but it isn't well documented, either. And, unfortunately, Panama died a few years ago, so I'm not sure what happened to his book.

Talkin' Blues with Chuck Leavell

By ALAN BRYSON
 Receiving a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; recording a new CD with guest stars John Mayer and Keith Richards trading guitar solos; successfully launching his Mother Nature Network, with ten million page views per month; publishing his fourth book, Growing a Better America: Smart, Strong and Sustainable (Evergreen Arts, 2011); being named an honorary forest ranger by the U.S. Forest Service, for his commitment to conservation; and working on John Mayer's much-anticipated Born And Raised (Columbia, to be released May 22, 2012)—that's just a bit of what Chuck Leavell has been up to since speaking with All About Jazz in late 2008.
A preeminent blues-rock pianist, Leavell worked with the Allman Brothers, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Eric Clapton, The Black Crowes, George Harrison, The Indigo Girls, Blues Traveler, and many more. His pivotal role with The Rolling Stones, going back 30 years, might make one wonder if his grandkids assume his actual first name is "Legendary."
His album Back to the Woods: a Tribute to the Pioneers of Blues Piano (Evergreen Arts, 2012) is arguably his most impressive. Our knowledge of prewar piano blues is based primarily on the flat, crackling sound once carved into the grooves of well-worn 78-rpm shellac records. Beyond demonstrating his understanding of early blues-piano technique, like a fine craftsman, Chuck Leavell manages to restore this music's rich textural beauty and transform a listener's perception of it into a vibrant musical experience.
This project isn't an academic exercise done out of a sense of reverence; Leavell brings the joy, energy and excitement of a bygone era back to life. The album not only preserves an endangered musical legacy, but also showcases the extraordinary talent of one of the finest blues pianists alive today, and allows modern blues fans to appreciate why the piano dominated the blues scene for decades—a role it thankfully never lost in jazz.
All About Jazz: When we spoke a few years back, you were just launching your Mother Nature Network. It's turned out to be an incredibly popular website. What's your web traffic like?
Chuck Leavell: As a matter of fact, I just got an update from my partner, Joel Babbit. We set new records, 12 million visits in one quarter, 8 million unique visitors in one quarter, and over 30 million page views in a quarter.
AAJ: That's amazing—quite an achievement. Any exciting plans for the Mother Nature Network?
CL: We introduced an new thing on weather. Most sites—Yahoo, Google and whatever—offer weather, but the icons are usually the same. It's a sun, or a cloud, or little drops of rain. So we changed that and started by hiring a model, and she depicts whether she's cold or hot, or carrying an umbrella. But now we've taken it to where we can actually let people personalize it by using a picture of their child or pet, or whatever it might be, even themselves. So they can play with it and have some fun. We see things like that as a unique way to attract people, and obviously Mother Nature has a lot to do with weather, so we think it's a fun fit.
But in terms of things going forward, we're continuing to grow, and we are now looking at the possibility of expanding into other sites. In addition to what we are doing environmentally, we are also expanding into the areas of social responsibility, corporate responsibility, health and safety—issues that may not be directly related to the environment. Nevertheless, they are things people care about. We are slowly expanding into these other arenas, and looking into the purchasing of other existing sites and doing something better with them. Nothing specific to announce at this point, but we are continuing on the path to growth.
AAJ: You are very focused on ecology and health matters. What are a few simple changes our readers could make in their own lives that would have a real impact on their own health and the health of the planet?
CL: I tell people the easiest thing they can do is to walk. So many people, especially Americans, depend on cars or public transportation, and we have an obesity problem in this country. So if you live a reasonable distance from your work, school, office, shops or whatever it might be, walking is the most natural form of exercise that most anybody can do. Obviously, it also saves on carbon emissions, so that's the first thing I tell people they can do. You know, it's good for your spirit, your body, and for the planet.
Secondly, I would say it's important for people to be aware of the choices they have, and that's one of the important things we're trying to do at MNN. At this juncture, we have an incredible amount of content—you can dive into our site and study about things like recycling and hybrid vehicles. And I believe if people are informed, they are going to make wise choices.

Jazzahead! 2012

\By JOHN KELMAN
Jazzahead! 2012
Bremen, Germany
April 19-22, 2012
While folks around the world debate the future of jazz—and, for that matter, what exactly jazz is and even what it should be called—an annual trade show in Bremen, Germany, now in its fifth year, has managed to demonstrate that jazz as a brand may be facing challenges like everything else, but is far from approaching its death bed. Jazzahead! also makes clear that the future of jazz is absolutely and undeniably predicated on the tireless efforts of a surprisingly connected (and growing) community of passionate people, who travel each year from points around the globe for a few days of showcase performances, meetings, educational streams...and just plain hanging. From Penang to Portland, Montreal to Molde, Brooklyn to Bologne, Reykjavik to Rotterdam, Tallinn to Tampere and Kuala Lampur to Köln, musicians, record label reps, festival promoters, booking agents, artist managers, writers, photographers—and people who just want an opportunity to catch as many as fifty acts, selected by an international jury each year, strut their stuff for a brief but important thirty minutes—have made Jazzahead! an annual cannot-miss event whose incremental growth will surprise those who think that the end of jazz is nigh.
If anything, 30% growth in 2011 and a projected growth for 2012 of a whopping 35% would suggest that Jazzahead! may soon need to consider extending its core event by another day and look for a larger night-time showcase venue than Schlachthof, the converted slaughterhouse where getting in is becoming increasingly difficult and—unless you're prepared to line up two hours early (sacrificing valuable meeting time)—in which finding an actual seat is next to impossible. With so many people to see during the daytime, and an overwhelming number of showcase acts beginning at two in the afternoon and running well past midnight each evening, it's an exciting place to be, but one where there's a constant sense of trying to keep up—or, even worse, catch up. Two floors in the Exhibition Centre Bremen sport about 100 booths—occupied by labels like ECM, ACT, Pirouet , Edition Records, Challenge, Effendi, Hubro, Rune Grammofon, NORCD and Enja; larger booths which act as focal points for a variety of interests for countries ranging from Norway, Denmark, Canada and Iceland to The Netherlands, Sweden, The UK and Brazil; festivals including WartaJazz from the Far East, ELBJazz from closer to home in Hamburg, and Skopjejazz in Macedonia; magazines including Germany's Jazzthetik, Norway's Jazznytt; and artists ranging from pianist Sunna Gunnlaugs and trumpeter Gunhild Seim and saxophonist Yuri Honing to Kairos 4tet and Levantasy.
And then there are the people who come to Jazzahead! to just "float"—media folks like Jazzwise's Jon Newey, Jazznytt's Jan Granlie, and freelancers like Luca Vitali, Madli-Liis Parts, Henning Bolte, Christoph Geise and Karsten Muetzelfeldt; festival representatives including Palatia Jazz's Hagen Daten, Earshot Jazz's John Gilbreath, Molde Jazz's Jan Ole Otnes, Vancouver Jazz Festival's Ken Pickering and Penang Jazz Festival's Paul Augustin; and management/publicity folks like Nadja Von Massow, Antje Hubner, Burkhard Hopper, Don Lucoff and Matt Merewitz. What's more surprising than the sheer number of people who attend Jazzahead! is how many people know each other—the biggest challenge, next to accomplishing everything you'd planned for going to Jazzahead! is actually leaving; unless hurrying away under cover of darkness, most Jazzahead! regulars need a good 60-90 minutes to say goodbye to everyone, before actually being able to exit the venue(s).

That's not to suggest the road ahead for jazz is an easy one, but with the number of international festivals continuing to increase, and the virtually untrackable volume of new releases coming out each and every month from artists known and unknown, it's clear that few may be getting rich in jazz, but plenty are dedicating their lives to it, whether they're artists, journalists, publicists or festival promoters. Jazzahead! is the place to be to find out about the European jazz scene, to be sure, but in the last couple years the event has broadened its purview to include showcase performances from artists farther afield, with this year's "Overseas Night" featuring Canada's François Bourassa Quartet, American saxophonist/clarinetist Oran Etkin, Brazil's Trio Corrente, and the return of vocal artist Vinx, who burst onto the scene in the 1980s, opening for artists like Sting, but who later seemed to be MIA.
And then there are the awards. This year, Siggi Loch—founder and primary producer for Germany's ACT Music+Vision label (celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, though Loch's involvement in the industry has now eclipsed the half century mark)—was the recipient of the ŠKODA Award, while the European Jazz Network, now celebrating its silver anniversary, inaugurated its first Award for Adventurous Programming. Few could argue its choice of Ireland's 12 Points Festival which, thanks to Founder/Artistic Director Gerry Godley, has focused on bringing one dozen cutting edge, up-and-coming European acts to public attention each year since its inception in 2007.
All in all, Jazzahead! 2012 was a smashing success, even with the problems that are beginning to show as a result of its rapid growth. And while it was impossible to catch anywhere near all the showcase performances presented, those caught—ranging from Spain's Benavent-Di Geraldo-Pardo and England's Kit Downes Group and incendiary Marius Neset Golden Xplosion, to Norway's sublime singer Solveig Slettahjell and outrageous Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, and the ACT-sponsored feature for saxophonist/clarinetist Tim Garland, pianist Gwilym Simcock and percussionist Asaf Sirkis—demonstrated the breadth and depth of an international jazz scene that may be dealing with the same fundamental industry shifts that are affecting everyone in the arts, but remains vibrant and strong, evolutionary and revolutionary.

Kate McGarry: Beauty and the Bus

I recently drove into the Big Apple to see singer Kate McGarry's band celebrate the release of their Girl Talk CD (Palmetto, 2012) at the Jazz Standard. It was a stressful drive, given the rush-hour timing and need to watch four idiots steering two tons of metal with their knees as they text "Wassup?" to their friends.
But when I finally reached the club, I came upon a legal parking place, right there on the street. Huzzah! So I quickly lined up for the swoop, shifted into R, and ...a taxi zipped in to let somebody off. I couldn't back up, and I wouldn't go forward—oh no, I'm not giving this up! (Insert unprintables here.)
I'm pretty sure steam came out of my ears as the passenger took her sweet time getting out, and someone else ran down the street to jump in, leaving me stuck in the dreaded double-park position.
Horns began to blare as cursing and middle fingers filled the air. Although I'd usually give up and slink away, I was already late. Besides, there was ample room for people to get around me, even if they hated doing it. But then there was...The Bus.
I saw it turn into the narrow street behind me, filling my rear-view mirror like one of those evil, driverless trucks in a Stephen King story. It was going too fast, and I was stuck right in its path, and suddenly it was there, racing past with hardly an inch to spare. I gaped at all that gigantic metal zooming by and waited for the crunch, sure that there was something sticking out from one of us that would fatally puncture the other.
The beast went on for blocks while I held my breath, helpless and trembling from head to toe—not the ideal combination for starting a gay night on the town. As I lurched down the club's stairs I doubted whether any music could soothe my jangly nerves.
Well, I was wrong. That's because McGarry & co. provided the kind of rare performance that transcends angst, replacing it with wonder and joy. What I witnessed, that first set, was something indefinable, universal, and glorious that caught and lifted the entire place. Whether you want to call it "art" or "beauty," it trumped my trauma; it also triumphed over the combat conditions of a packed, overheated room and unavoidable, unprecedented delays in food and drink orders (thanks to the classy Standard for comping the tardy libations).

The Beauty
Years ago, I developed the Nite & Disk format for comparing the experience of listening to a group's CD and watching them perform it live (no, YouTube doesn't count). There are times when the Nite and the Disk bear little resemblance to each other, and others when they are virtual clones. But every so often there's that special alchemy when the players are clearly inspired by an audience which levitates happily in return. This kind of magic was percolating at the Standard that night. It helped that that the club was sold out and overflowing with local singers and musicians, many of them dear friends, colleagues, mentors and students, and everyone missing McGarry since her move to North Carolina.
Although McGarry soon wins over anyone who hears her, whether it's in über-hip New York or (literally) in outer Mongolia on a State Department tour, this audience was unusually warm and appreciative. I caught sight of Fred Hersch, Peter Eldridge, Linda Ciofalo, Michelle Walker, Maria Schneider, Kendra Shank, Jo Lawry (currently touring with Sting), Roz Corral, Jeanie LoVetri, James Shipp, Nicky Schrire, Tessa Souter, Kurt Elling, John Pizzarelli, Jessica Molaskey, Andrea Wolper, Amy Cervini, and Palmetto exec Pat Rustici (beaming).
The band consisted of McGarry and guitarist/co-producer/husband Keith Ganz (introduced as "my partner in all kinds of crimes"), as well as two more of the most capable, intuitive and big-eared players around: Gary Versace on organ and Clarence Penn on drums. (Please note: the bottom and groove provided by superb bassist Reuben Rogers are on the CD, but were not in the house.)

What They Do
There's no question that Kate McGarry's band is one of the best we have; for me, it's because of its mastery, ease, creativity, and commitment to taking the music further and deeper. While some groups use that mandate to get more cacophonous, since flying a "free" flag can justify all kinds of jumble and noise, this group's obvious respect for tradition and melody leads it in the completely opposite direction. The kind of depth the group seeks makes the music more accessible, not less; moreover, it reveals the emotional landscape of each player in each moment, an expressive liberation that can free up the listener as well.

Adam Cruz: Making Some Room

Playing drums with some of the finest musicians around, touring the globe with them, and teaching music can be a lot on the plate of a person fortunate enough—and talented enough—to find themselves in that situation. In fact, that's a solid career.
But for Adam Cruz—a much sought-after drummer on the New York City scene when he's not touring with Danilo Pérez or David Sánchez and doing other projects of that ilk—there was always more. Composing and pursuing his own artistic vision was always important. Now, at age 42, he hopes that is rising to the top.
He never felt the need to rush into leading a band or putting himself out front. But for a couple years he's worked on his very first solo recording. Milestone (Sunnyside, 2011) emerged as a strong statement and is aptly titled. "It's a big step, an achievement, to manage to finally get something together with my composing and put a record out under my own name," says Cruz. "Milestone is that type of achievement."
Cruz has already showed his musical prowess by being a member of the Mingus Big Band in the 1990s, being a key cog in the Pérez trio for more than a decade, and playing with musicians like Chick Corea, Steve Wilson, Tom Harrell, Chris Potter, Pharoah Sanders and Paquito D'Rivera. But the new album is taking him elsewhere. It features eight original compositions, performed by colleagues and friends who are all exceptional. They bring the drummer's compositions to life in wonderful fashion, and that's a dream for Cruz, who says there has always been a composer side to him, ..."who was not getting a chance to live and stay active. It was more in my imagination. Something I was aspiring to do, but not actually doing. It was kind of a calling to do more writing as my career progressed, but I was caught up with all the different groups I've played with and toured with for all these years. This [new CD] was about making time, I suppose."
In more recent years he made a commitment to develop music and with a group in mind. "As it started to come together, it started to be clear to me there was something there. I got to see pretty clearly who I'd want to play. It felt right for a next step, to move into that territory."
The star-studded group includes alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, soprano saxophonist Steve Wilson, tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, guitarist Steve Cardenas,pianist Edward Simon and bassist Ben Street. They've played together in various combinations and are serious, dedicated musicians. They create superb music on Cruz's recording.
"That's the fortunate thing about being in New York all these years and having the opportunity to play with different people, so many great musicians. I had knowledge of their work. So as I'm writing, it was like, 'Chris would sound amazing soloing on this tune.' Steve Cardenas and Ed Simon, they both have such a fine-tuned sensibility about harmony and taste and I was sure they would sound great together. I don't think they played together ever before; I thought it would be great to put those guys together. Ben Street and I, that was the easiest call because we play so consistently with Danilo Pérez's trio that I know how it feels with him and that he will bring new things to the bass line that I probably couldn't write. Which was great. Miguel and Steve, they're people I've had relationships with. I have a sequencer I work with at home, so as I was listening back and just imagining the music, it was fun plugging in the people in my mind. 'So-and -so would be amazing here.'"
All the musicians involved are in demand, so it was hard to get the recording scheduled. But worth the effort.
The album opens with Cruz laying out the rhythm and Simon comping the chords; Potter and Zenón join in and both play and harmonize the melody. "Secret Life" is off and running and the band forms a creative atmosphere that permeates the entire disk. Potter shows his soaring sense of adventure and burnished sound, while Cardenas' interplay with Simon is a thing of beauty. Zenón and Wilson's statements are always on target, with great expression and character.

Ben Jaffe: Preserving the Hall

By

WADE LUQUET,

Preservation Hall was founded fifty years ago in a small art gallery in New Orleans' French Quarter by Allan and Sandra Jaffe as a place to preserve traditional jazz. Seven nights a week, tourists and locals enjoyed the best of this jazz style in the small performance space for just a few dollars collected at the door in a basket. Today, the lines still stretch down the block and the dollars are still collected in a basket. And while Allan has since passed and Sandra is happily retired in New York, the hall is still in the family. Their son, bassist and tuba player Ben Jaffe, is the creative director for the hall and also travels 150 days a year with the touring band. Jaffe has lived up to his title with creative collaborations, education for young New Orleans musicians, and his vision for the next fifty years of Preservation Hall.
All About Jazz : The band has recently played with a lot of greats, Del McCoury, Jim James, Pete Seeger, Ani DeFranco and many others. How did this idea come about?
Ben Jaffe: The idea for collaborations has always been an idea that I have been interested in pursuing. The opportunities have not always been there. The hurricane, after Katrina, we were presented with the opportunity to do a benefit album for our music outreach program. I had always wanted to do this project where we would invite guest artist to Preservation Hall. It really started with The Blind Boys of Alabama. We were invited guest on their project down in New Orleans and that went on to win a Grammy. We went on to tour with them. And that was the first time I had the experience of working with another group and touring with another group and other artist. It's really a whole other world of knowledge when you work beyond your expertise and knowledge musically, artistically, even in business. There are a lot of things you have to put together to make things work.
And then I came up with this idea to do a whole project of collaborations. A very simple concept where we have people come to Preservation Hall to interpret our repertoire with their singing and playing with us. It was a very basic and beautiful concept not unlike what other artists have done like Rod Stewart; even Paul McCartney has a record out with standards. It's not something that no one has ever thought of before, but the idea of having it done right here, where the artist physically comes to Preservation Hall, records in Preservation Hall , meets us, becomes a part of us, eats with us, and records in a fashion that maybe they are not use to, working with new musicians—it was more than, "Let's just make a track." it was more, "Hey, come be a part of our family. We want to be a part of your family. Come meet us. Come meet our fans and our musicians. We want to meet your fans and musicians." It's really turned into that where everywhere we travel we know somebody. And we meet people we want to create music with.
AAJ : How has it changed the music?
BJ: Well, you and I were talking about that before, about that word, "change." The music has not changed. It has evolved into what it is today; the same way it has evolved for the past hundred-plus years. The beautiful thing about what we do here at Preservation Hall and in New Orleans in general is we are able to retain the qualities that make our music so special in the first place: the ability to connect with a listener and with an audience member. That's a very unique thing that you don't find outside of New Orleans, where jazz—whether it is considered traditional, or folk music or root music, outside of New Orleans-is still considered popular music.
I don't see anything about what we do as old at all. To me, it is very, very new and fresh. When we go out and play parades on the street; when we played on the street on Mardi Gras day, we played the same songs we've played in Preservation Hall for fifty years. It's new people performing it and new people following us, but on Mardi Gras day they tell me there were 800, maybe 1000 people parading through the French Quarter behind us. You can't see them, but you can feel them behind you parading through the streets.
And that's something that might be subtle, but it is very important to understand the parade culture in New Orleans, because it should be more than a footnote. It is very, very important to who we are as a city. It has a huge impact as to how we experience music in New Orleans. We parade in New Orleans, and when I say parade, we don't stand on the side of the street and watch the parade go by; we are the parade. That's a different experience that you do not find outside of New Orleans.
AAJ: What do you attribute to how the music stays so popular in our culture? Like you said, it's almost like it is brand new in New Orleans.