Tag: Betamax

The Week in Jazz is your roundup of new and noteworthy stories from the jazz world. It’s a one-stop destination for the music news you need to know. Let’s take it from the top.  

Noteworthy

New Adam Rudolph Book: Composer/author/percussionist/conductor Adam Rudolph released his new book, Sonic Elements: Matrices, Cosmograms and Ostinatos of Circularity, on September 20 via Meta Records. The 121-page spiral-bound book has been in development for several years and details Rudolph's visionary ideas on intervals, harmony and rhythms, which he has refined in educational settings and in concert performances with his ensembles. Blue Note Releases Confess, Fletch Soundtrack: Blue Note Records has digitally released Confess, Fletch (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). The 14-track collection features classic tracks from the illustrious Blue Note catalog that appear in the new Miramax film Confess, Fletch, directed by Greg Mottola and starring Jon Hamm, in theatres and on Premium VOD across digital platforms now. The film prominently features all-time Blue Note favorites, including music by Horace Silver, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Hank Mobley, Trombone Shorty and more. https://open.spotify.com/album/0Qg2HLN7XSAf6P9S6OwoCL?si=F1W-t0F3TmikPHXtPD9P4Q Norah Jones Launches Podcast Series: Norah Jones has launched her first podcast series of impromptu musical collaborations and candid conversations with some of her favorite musicians. Norah Jones Is Playing Along launched last week and the first episode features Jeff Tweedy. Other upcoming guests will include Mavis Staples, Tarriona 'Tank' Ball, Marc Rebillet and many more. Dave King and Reid Anderson on The JAZZIZ Podcast: Dave King and Reid Anderson, founding members of The Bad Plus, joined us on the latest episode of The JAZZIZ Podcast to talk about the band’s reinvention as a dynamic quartet with guitarist Ben Monder and saxophonist Chris Speed. This is the lineup featured on the band’s recently-released self-titled album, out on Edition Records. Click here to listen to the podcast. New Ron Carter Documentary to Premiere on PBS: Finding the Right Notes, a two-hour documentary on jazz legend Ron Carter directed by Peter Schnall, will air on PBS on October 21. The film reveals poignant and joyful details of the bass great's life, from his early years as a cello student in high school through his years with the Miles Davis Quintet in the 1960s and into his vital solo career that continues to expand. On the same date, the documentary's exclusive soundtrack of never-before-heard Carter performances will be released as a CD/double vinyl recording by Germany-based IN+OUT Records.   Applications Now Open for Year Two of Next Jazz Legacy: New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz & Gender Justice have released the application for year two of its groundbreaking program, Next Jazz Legacy. Seven finalists will be chosen to be part of the program that is focused on building a more inclusive future for women and non-binary musicians in jazz, including via personalized apprenticeships, rehearsals and performances. More here. New Steely Dan Yearlong Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series: Steely Dan's classic ABC and MCA Records catalog will return to vinyl via an extensive yearlong reissue program of the band's first seven records. The LPs, remastered from original tapes, will be reissued on 33 1/3 RPM 180-gram black vinyl via Geffen/UMe, as limited-edition premium 45 RPM versions on Ultra High-Quality Vinyl from Analogue Productions. Analogue will also release this series of titles on Super Audio CD. The band's legendary debut album, Can't Buy a Thrill, will kick off the yearlong reissue program on November 4.  

New and Upcoming Albums

JD Allen, Americana, Vol. 2 (Savant): JD Allen's 16th album as a leader finds him continuing his investigation on the crucial role that the blues has played in the history of jazz and how it continues to evolve to this day. Released on August 26, Americana Vol 2, features the saxophonist/composer continuing this investigation with long-time colleagues Gregg August and Rudy Royston, joined this time by guitarist Charlie Hunter. https://open.spotify.com/album/0SfZfRfoEIm4RYA6qUaVDk?si=2lD5TOpBSb2mHv9xIB4oyg Michael Wollny Trio, Ghosts (ACT Music): Ghosts, the latest collaboration between pianist Michael Wollny and bassist Tim Lefebvre, features interpretations of "ghostly" songs from the classical, pop and jazz repertoire. Released on September 30, the album also features drummer Eric Schaefer. While structurally a classic piano trio, together they showcase an enhanced sound that especially draws from Southern Gothic aesthetics. https://open.spotify.com/album/45PoiD0fgKLoAtC8oUVMMO?si=tg_xOrXpSWmBkN0BX6A_pw Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Aymée Nuviola, Live in Marciac (5Passion): Pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and vocalist Aymée Nuviola offer an evocative, timeless showcase of Latin jazz classics and a few originals on their new live album, Live in Marciac. The record, out now, marks the GRAMMY-winning duo's glorious return to live music and documents one of their first live performances after the 2020 lockdown.  https://open.spotify.com/album/58e9CEoVjr3V4ZPyozhGqI?si=0EoNpfuiQeWlOHp6R7WVZw Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Leo Genovese, and esperanza spalding, Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival (Candid): Live at the Detroit Festival, released on September 9, captures a one-night-only event performance by a multi-generational jazz supergroup with Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, esperanza spalding and Leo Genovese. Recorded in 2017, this performance was dedicated to the much-missed pianist/composer Geri Allen and was one of Shorter's final concerts before his retirement.  https://open.spotify.com/album/6bnEiLE5eOj42d7usx5qVs?si=9dRIt434S-iXKVzL_L5BLg  

Live Music and Festival News

South Jersey Jazz Society Announces Pat Martino Tribute Lineup: The South Jersey Jazz Society has announced the lineup for a live celebration of the life and legacy of Pat Martino, which will take place during this year's Jazz @ the Point Festival, running from November 3-6 at the Gateway Playhouse and Gregory's Restaurant in Somers Point, New Jersey. The four-day event features Pat Bianchi, Peter Bernstein, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Jimmy Bruno, Dave Stryker, Mark Whitfield, Russell Malone, Sheryl Bailey, Paul Bollenback and more paying homage to the profoundly influential guitarist. More here. Lew Tabackin Celebrates Coleman Hawkins at Flushing Town Hall, October 14: Saxophonist Lew Tabackin celebrates the long-lasting legacy of Coleman Hawkins in concert at New York's Flushing Town Hall on October 14. The concert performance will feature an array of music that Hawkins himself played during his tenure with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, recordings with Benny Goodman, Django Reinhardt and many others. Click here to find out more about "The Swinging Sounds of Coleman Hawkins" here. The Comet Is Coming New Album and North American Fall 2022 Tour: The Comet Is Coming recently released their fourth full-length album, Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam, via Impulse! Records. The trio of Danalogue, Betamax and Shabaka are currently on their North American Fall 2022 tour, which they launched on September 24 at the Format festival in Bentonville, Arkansas. Check out all their tour dates here. https://youtu.be/VN5VtWncH0A Lena Bloch to Premiere New Jazz Suite Honoring Russian Poet Marina Tsvetaeva: Russian-born saxophonist/composer Lena Bloch has composed My Name Is Marina, a new jazz suite for ensemble and voice honoring Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva on the 130th anniversary of her birth. The piece, commissioned through a grant from Chamber Music America, will premiere live at Manhattan’s Marlene Meyerson JCC on October 2 and Brooklyn’s Scholes Street Studio on October 16. Joining Bloch for the performances will be vocalist Kyoko Kitamura, pianist Jacob Sacks, bassist Ken Filiano, and drummer Michael Sarin. Le Guess Who? Wins the 11th EJN Award for Adventurous Programming: Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht, Netherlands, won the Europe Jazz Network Award for Adventurous Programming 2022. The Award is bestowed each year by the Europe Jazz Network to a European promoter who succeeds in creating visionary and fascinating musical programmes for the audience. The Comment from the Award Jury 2022 reads: "The fact that this event does not claim to have a specific jazz aesthetic - but 'A Celebration of Sound' as it presents itself - and features a very open program was a decisive factor in the jury’s decision." The Comment also states the festival was awarded for its diversity and inclusivity, as well as its investment in educating the public. Featured photo courtesy of Partisan Pictures.