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| The National Jazz Museum in Harlem September Events Tuesday, September 8 Jazz on Film: This is Gary McFarland 7:00-8:30 pm Location: Maysles Cinema 343 Malcolm X Blvd $10.00 Admission The film features appearances by such jazz legends as Clark Terry, Bob Brookmeyer, Steve Kuhn, Phil Woods, Sadao Watanabe, and Airto Moreira. Gary McFarland was a brilliant jazz composer who died way too young. Join us for the New York debut of this acclaimed documentary film about McFarland's life, times and music. If you like film and classic jazz, this is the place to be. Q&A with Kristian St. Clair, director of This is Gary McFarland. Wednesday, September 9 Desert Island Discs: Miguel Zenon 7:00-8:30 pm Location: Maysles Cinema 343 Malcolm X Blvd Host: Ted Panken "Very nice saxophone player. I like his feeling and sound very much. He never really overblew the horn, as I think of it. He was playing beautiful expression, very interesting lines and rhythms. I appreciate his tone concern. His playing is beautiful."-Lee Konitz, DownBeat Blindfold Test, 2003 Out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, 38-year-old Miguel Zenon is a singular figure in contemporary jazz expression. Admired by his peer group for his singular voice and extraordinary facility on the alto saxophone, and his mastery of a broad stylistic timeline, incorporating both jazz and Puerto Rican folkloric heritage. A Harlem resident, Zenon, a founding member of the SFJAZZ collective (2004), has led formidable bands since the beginning of the '00s. In 2008 he received both a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship. His recent album, Identities Are Changeable, continues his ongoing quest to explore his homeland's music in the context of jazz and simultaneously to investigate social and cultural issues faced by Puerto Ricans who live in the United States. Tuesday, September 15th Jazz and Contemporary Culture: Jazz and R&B with Robert Glasper and Michael Veal 7:00-8:30 pm Location: The New School 55 W. 13th Street School of Jazz Performance Space Arnhold Hall, 5th floor Host: Greg Thomas FREE TO THE PUBLIC The blues and jazz are considered foundational to the development of most American musical genres in the 20th century, from gospel to R&B, Rock'n'Roll and even hip hop. Max Roach famously said that bebop and hip hop come from the same continuum of young black artists making something out of very little. Yet just why and how jazz and blues is related to these forms-aesthetically, musically, culturally-reveals much about American identity, values, and the meaning and function of music historically and in contemporary times. Music also reflects, enables, and even predicts social movements. Benny Goodman integrated his band in 1936, a decade before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. Today, Kendrick Lamar in hip hop and D'Angelo in R&B have released recordings with a strong social message without compromising artistic creativity. In fact, both have a strong connection to jazz. In a four-part fall series, curated and hosted by Greg Thomas, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem will bring top artists, scholars and critics to pursue the ties that bind blues and jazz with hip hop, rock, R&B, and European Classical music. Ten years after making his Blue Note debut, and following two GRAMMY-winning volumes of his critically and commercially successful R&B-oriented Black Radio albums, Robert Glasper has announced a return to his acclaimed acoustic jazz trio for his new album, Covered (The Robert Glasper Trio recorded live at Capitol Studios), which will be released June 16. He'll engage in conversation with Yale scholar Michael Veal. Dr. Veal typically addresses musical topics within the cultural sphere of Africa and the African diaspora; his course, "Funk - The Re-Africanization of the American Popular Song Form" will inform tonight's discourse. Wednesday, September 22nd Desert Island Discs: Lewis Nash Host: Ted Panken 7:00-8:30 pm Location: The New School 55 W. 13th Street School of Jazz Performance Space Arnhold Hall, 5th floor FREE TO THE PUBLIC "Lewis has dotted all the i's while coming up with some great inventions in the traditional style of jazz. He's working very hard on the drums to make sure that we all remember whence we came and also what's happening on the contemporary scene."-Andrew Cyrille, 2001 "He's the most musical drummer of our time period, one of the musical drummers ever."-Marcus Baylor (2006) "A lot of situations that I play in cause Lewis to pop into my mind. I've studied his playing so much that I think, 'Oh, what would Lewis play right here? It would probably be perfect.'"-Kendrick Scott (2006) Drummer Lewis Nash is, as writer Ken Micallef recently stated in DownBeat magazine, "the Rolls Royce of jazz rhythmical accompaniment." One of the world's busiest drummers, his 300-plus album resume includes Grammy-winners by McCoy Tyner (Illuminations), Nancy Wilson (R.S.V.P.), Joe Henderson (Big Band), and Joe Lovano (52nd Street Themes); Gerald Wilson's 2003 Grammy nominated New York, New Sound; important recordings by Betty, Ron, Benny and Regina Carter, Jim Hall, Horace Silver, and Russell Malone; a slew of equilaterally oriented trios with Tommy Flanagan; and trios with such lustrous keyboard talents as Oscar Peterson, Hank Jones, Roland Hanna, Kenny Drew, Jr., Don Friedman and Cyrus Chestnut. He has led five albums of his own, most recently The Highest Mountain (Cellar Live), with pianist Renee Rosnes, saxophonist Jimmy Greene, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and bassist Peter Washington Wednesday, September 30th Javon Jackson Meets Frank Zappa and Others 7:00-8:30 pm Location: The New School 55 W. 13th Street School of Jazz Performance Space Arnhold Hall, 5th floor Host: Javon Jackson FREE TO THE PUBLIC Javon Jackson's musical world includes many diverse influences, including an appreciation of the music of Frank Zappa. This series will explore many corners of music through the eyes and ears of a distinguished saxophonist, Javon came into international prominence as a member of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. As a member of Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Javon toured and made many recordings with the legendary drummer. In addition to Blakey, Jackson has toured and recorded with Elvin Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Betty Carter, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter, Donald Byrd, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Richard Davis, Bobby Hutcherson, Curtis Fuller and Stanley Turrentine. As a recording artist, Jackson has appeared on over 125 recordings. Additionally, he has developed a formidable career as a leader, recording and touring throughout the world. Javon's current musical group, The Javon Jackson Band, incorporates many styles including jazz, funk, R&B and rock. Lucky 13, Javon Jackson's thirteenth recording as leader, is a combination of five recently composed originals, one cover from the songbook of Stevie Wonder and three selections with the iconic soul jazz pianist, vocalist and composer Les McCann. Jackson and McCann have been touring together for the past five years and quoting Jackson, "Les is a living legend and it is a blessing to have him on tour with the Javon Jackson Band." Their live experience is captured beautifully from a performance of "Compared to What" in Washington, DC at the Kennedy Center in 2008 included on Lucky 13. The trio for this recording are three young lions that as Jackson puts it emphatically, "All three have dynamic careers ahead of them." This trio consists of Joel Holmes-piano, Corcoran Holt-bass and McClenty Hunter-drums. Recently commissioned by the Syracuse International Film Festival, Javon composed a full length score for the Alfred Hitchcock film, "The Lodger". An early outing by the master of suspense, "The Lodger" is a silent film based on the story of the hunt for Jack the Ripper. Javon debuted his original score at the festival and one composition from that score, "Sun Up", is performed on Lucky 13 by Jackson and the trio. write your comments about the article :: © 2015 Jazz News :: home page |