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| New Harry Allen CD McMahonJazzMedicine.com has just produced the second CD of a four-set series of recordings of master tenor saxophonist Harry Allen to create "Jazz for the Heart, " the follow-up to the highly successful "Jazz for the Soul." To celebrate the new CD, the company is presenting a concert and release party on April 8, 2006, at the McMahon Jazz Medicine Music Center in New York City. The day of the show they will also offer a first- ever Masters Class, taught by Harry Allen, for amateur saxophone players. Jazz for the HeartHarry Allen is one of the greatest young tenor saxophone players of the day, preferring the straight-ahead style of Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and Ben Webster. Harry Allen's quartet, featuring Joe Cohn on guitar, Joel Forbes on bass and Chuck Riggs on drums, received the 2006 award for Outstanding Jazz Combo, presented at the New York City Nightlife Awards. Personnel for the all-ballad "Jazz for the Heart" CD was comprised of the quartet together with famed pianist John Bunch. A music school graduate of Rutgers, Harry has toured extensively throughout the entire United States, Europe and Asia, most recently with the tenor sax legend Scott Hamilton. Harry has over 30 CDs to his credit, and his first effort for the McMahon Jazz Medicine label, "Jazz for the Soul, " sold thousands over the company's innovative website. Harry has been associated with McMahon Jazz Medicine since its inception a year ago. The site is the brainchild of Ray McMahon, the CEO and founder of a successful medical publishing company based in New York City. Jazz and Medicine: What's the Connection? "There is an important connection, " according to the website's mission statement, "found at the root of what makes the art form of jazz so compelling and makes the art form of medicine so thrilling to behold. Both jazz and medicine place one's improvisational skills on a pedestal, announcing to the world that this innate talent of thinking on one's feet is a vital element of how one views the art. In jazz, playing the notes on the page, however beautifully, is not the defining feature of the art form -- improvisation is. In medicine, the ability to improvise a procedure, work around an instance of abnormal physiology, or recognize an unusual disease presentation -- to name just a few examples -- all require a willingness to discard any approach resembling cookbook medicine and adopt improvisational thinking." The website has spearheaded a new independent label for both professional and amateur musicians to take control of their careers by promoting great artists to the 450, 000 clinician readers of Ray's medical newspapers. One of the site's unique features is a growing roster of medical professionals with artistic sidelines: surgeon sax players, a pediatrician pianist, and a leading anesthesiologist who plays the blues. In addition to promoting these artists, McMahon Jazz Medicine is a state-of- the-art site featuring over 40 musicians (4 to 5 new artists are being added weekly), a blog by Ray himself, and handpicked selections of art (sculpture, paintings, books) with a music theme. Added to this are information on jazz cruises, reviews of jazz clubs around the US and the world, and information on their concert series. The site sold over 2, 300 CDs in its first year alone, and is receiving over 4, 000 unique visitors to the site monthly, making it one of the hottest new music websites. A Concert and a Masters Class The April 8 concert featuring Harry's quartet will have special guests at both sets. The legendary 70-year-old tenor saxophone player, Carm en Leggio, from nearby Tarrytown, New York. Carmen has worked with many big names, including Terry Gibbs, Benny Goodman, Maynard Ferguson, and Woody Herman. One of Carmen's greatest CDs is "Sax after Midnight, " which is available on the website. This will be Carmen's first major appearance in the New York area this year. Joining Harry for the second set will be another legend, John Bunch, who was Tony Bennett's piano player for over 25 years and toured the world with Tony. "Jazz for the Heart" is the second CD on which John has joined the quartet as piano player. John has many CDs, including the classic, "Tony's Tunes." write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |