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Around The Jazz Internet: Sept. 10, 2010 September 10, 2010 News and notes from around the web, including Newk at 80, surviving the jazz business, Vijay Iyer makes a beat, Twitter makes for a band, Kit Downes on the Mercury Prize, a cornetist touring by bike and the reference guide to grunting pianists. NPR
Jazz At Lincoln Center Plans Cuba Visit September 10, 2010 The in-house big band led by Wynton Marsalis heads to Havana in early October for a series of concerts, workshops and demonstrations. The invitation comes from the Cuban Institute of Music, and will be paired with New York events later in the month. NPR
Behind 'A Great Day In Harlem': Jean Bach On Piano Jazz September 10, 2010 Nominated for a 1995 Academy Award, Jean Bach's A Great Day in Harlem documented the gathering of 57 jazz greats on a Harlem front stoop for an Esquire magazine shoot in 1959. Bach remembers the legacy of this iconic image, including those who have appeared on Piano Jazz. NPR
MOBO And Latin Grammy Award Nominations Announced September 9, 2010 Two interesting sets of cross-cultural award nominations, both featuring good jazz, were released yesterday. Among the award nominees are Robert Glasper, Miguel Zenón and -- for both awards -- full-throated Spanish singer Concha Buika. NPR
Remembering Saxophonists Hadley Caliman And Noah Howard September 9, 2010 Two powerful saxophonists whose talents merited wider recognition, but who spent much of their lives away from jazz's major hubs, have died. Hadley Caliman and Noah Howard, though different in style and approach, have both been hailed as giants. NPR
Swinging at the Pearl: Catherine Russell, Dick Hyman and The Jim Cullum Jazz Band September 9, 2010 ListenProgram Preview

Leading a jam session demands the same discipline as any art form. To keep the music from unraveling into chaos and cacophony, the bandleader functions like an 'air traffic controller.' Calling the tune title and key, he sets the tempo and feel of each number with the 'stomp off.' Riverwalk Jazz
Lee Ritenour: A Half-Century Of Jazz Guitar September 7, 2010 When Ritenour visited the KPLU/Jazz24 studios on an unseasonably cool August afternoon, he arrived with a rhythm section hot enough to raise Seattle's temperature a few degrees: drummer Will Kennedy and bassist Melvin Davis. Together, they laid down three delightful tracks. NPR
Sounds Escape From Soundscape Archives September 7, 2010 At a time when jazz was at a low ebb in the public eye, a New York venue hosted a lot of prominent free jazz and Afro-Cuban  musicians. Radio station WKCR is now broadcasting and online archiving tapes from Soundscape recorded between 1979-1983. NPR
Dr. John And The Lower 911: An Unbroken 'Heart' September 7, 2010 The organ lays down a slow and sanctified groove, as if a hymn is about to begin, but then a driving drummer speeds up the pace. The organ sings out and a percussive, bluesy piano elbows in. Dr. John is messing with our minds, sliding from church to boudoir as his charmingly grizzled voice describes how his lover has had a "Change of Heart." NPR
Vijay Iyer On Piano Jazz September 3, 2010 Iyer's resume includes pianist, composer, bandleader, writer and Ph.D. candidate in physics. In this session, he performs Geri Allen's "I'm All Smiles," and duets with guest host Arturo O'Farrill for the bluesy Iyer original "Abundance." NPR
Nir Felder: Introducing The Next Big Jazz Guitarist September 2, 2010 The Brooklyn youngster has already played with John Scofield, Joe Lovano and Jason Moran. With a debut album slated for early 2011, Felder recently stopped by WBGO's The Checkout to give host Josh Jackson a taste of what's to come. NPR
Zoot and Al: The Brotherhood of Prez September 2, 2010 ListenProgram Preview

Tenor saxophonists Zoot Sims and Al Cohn were both 22 when they met in a Salt Lake City parking lot one night before a gig in January 1948. That night Al joined Woody Herman's Second Herd, known as the Four Brothers band, and launched a friendship and musical collaboration with Zoot Sims that would last a lifetime. Riverwalk Jazz
Around The Jazz Internet: Labor Day Long Weekend Edition September 1, 2010 The blog will be on vacation until after Labor Day. Until then, here is some recommended browsing, including the Louis Armstrong silent film, a Phil Woods non-troversy, Burning Ambulance, new British jazz and the matriarch of New York jazz. NPR
Around The Jazz Internet: Aug. 27, 2010 August 27, 2010 News and notes from around the web, including the Seattle scene, a Brad Mehldau essay, Branford at 50, Mulgrew Miller, #jazzlives, Dennis Hopper, more Abbey Lincoln archival goodies and jazz musicians who are really good at table tennis. NPR
Abbey Lincoln And Kendra Shank On JazzSet August 26, 2010 "Abbey was fiercely independent, outspoken, angry and bitter," JazzSet host Dee Dee Bridgewater says in this remembrance of the late vocalist. Hear the influential singer in a concert recorded at the 2000 Detroit International Jazz Festival. NPR
Capturing The Wisdom Of Jazz Elders August 24, 2010 A major African American oral history archive made it a priority to get jazz and jazz-influenced artists in front of a camera and microphone. Browse through the National Visionary Leadership Project's online collection of video interviews. NPR
Rebirth Brass Band Flourishes After Katrina August 24, 2010 The story of Hurricane Katrina can't be told without music, which is at the center of New Orleans culture. After the storm, Morning Edition heard from Phil Frazier, co-founder of the Rebirth Brass Band. Two weeks after Katrina, the band kept their tour dates. NPR
Two Types Of In-Depth 'Innerviews' August 23, 2010 The website JazzCorner has been steadily producing audio podcast interviews with jazz musicians. Meanwhile, journalist Anil Prasad has been posting deep conversations with a wide range of musicians online for well over a decade now. NPR
Japan Is A Funny Place August 23, 2010 The Japanese novelty emporium Village/Vanguard is now selling a colorful line of folding bicycles. No word yet on if the legendary New York jazz club plans to reciprocate by branching out into the cycling retail business. NPR
Around The Jazz Internet: Aug. 21, 2010 August 21, 2010 News and notes from around the web, including response to our "local legends" callout, a rising piano star at 89, the late Clyde Kerr, Jr., the top albums for metalheads, John Edward Hasse and a brief history of the jazz blogosphere. NPR
Esperanza Spalding: It Takes A 'Society' August 20, 2010 Blending jazz, soul, Brazilian vocalese and classical, Spalding creates music with broad appeal. With Chamber Music Society, the bassist and composer harkens back to her classical music training with a string section. NPR
Sweet, Hot And Savory: Swing Era Jazz Archive Unearthed August 20, 2010 The National Jazz Museum in Harlem has acquired an enormous collection of radio broadcasts from the late 1930s. The newly discovered archive features hundreds of live recordings of jazz legends at the heights of their careers. NPR
Savory Collection Has Jazz Fans Licking Their Chops August 20, 2010 The Big Jazz News Of The Week promises long-lost recordings of swing-era greats in their primes. A lot of them. Live in the clubs. In good sound quality. And we're only beginning to discover how deep the rabbit hole goes. NPR
Clark Terry On Piano Jazz August 20, 2010 Legendary trumpeter and educator Clark Terry got his jazz education playing with the Basie Band and Duke Ellington's orchestra. Commanding a wide range of styles and a dazzling technique, Terry went on to become one of the most influential jazz horn players of his generation. In this 1994 session, he joins host Marian McPartland for Ellington's "Come Sunday" and Terry's most famous tune, "Mumbles." NPR
Steve Coleman: 'Harvesting' Funky, Brainy Jazz August 19, 2010 As a composer, Coleman has been heavily influenced by James Brown's funk. You wouldn't mistake Coleman's band Five Elements for J.B.'s, but like the Godfather of Soul, he goes in for fast, jittery beats on Harvesting Semblances and Affinities. NPR
Bennie Maupin And Dolphyana On JazzSet August 19, 2010 Who is that singer? She's having fun with the Michigan State University Jazz Orchestra under director Rodney Whitaker at the Detroit Jazz Festival. After she sings, Dee Dee Bridgewater introduces the Juilliard Jazz Ensemble and Bennie Maupin's Dolphyana, free and outdoors in downtown Detroit. NPR
A Treasure Trove Of Argentine Jazz August 17, 2010 In the last 10 or so years, something transformative happened in the Buenos Aires jazz scene. At least that's what Eric Benson sees. He's been interviewing Argentine musicians for a new radio documentary feature, and has posted transcripts online. NPR
Remembering Jazz Photographer Herman Leonard August 16, 2010 Leonard photographed and befriended the greats from the heyday of jazz. In his artful photographs of musicians such as Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Duke Ellington, Leonard captured an era. He died Saturday in Los Angeles. NPR
Dr. John: Righteous Anger, Graced By Wit August 16, 2010 Mac Rebennack, known as "Dr. John," has been a rock and soul ambassador for his native New Orleans since the late 1960s. Although his public profile has risen and fallen over the years, the spirit of his city is a constant presence on all of his albums. Critic Milo Miles talks about how crusading for wounded New Orleans has given Dr. John a jolt of vitality. NPR
Abbey Lincoln, Singular Jazz Vocalist And Songwriter, Dies August 14, 2010 She was a jazz vocalist whose unique delivery coerced emotional heft out of the original lyrics she wrote. The New York Times reported this afternoon that she has died at age 80. NPR
Remembering Jazz Singer And Activist Abbey Lincoln August 15, 2010 The legendary jazz singer, who believed in singing as a political act, died Saturday in Manhattan. She was 80. An actress, artist and composer, Lincoln created music ranging from avant-garde civil-rights-era recordings to the equally powerful but more introspective work of her later years. NPR
Joyce Collins On Piano Jazz August 13, 2010 Singer and pianist Joyce Collins became the first woman to conduct a Las Vegas resort show band in the late 1950s. She also worked in film and television, serving in bands on the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Bob Newhart's programs. Collins died earlier this year, and Piano Jazz remembers her with this 2002 session. NPR
Around The Jazz Internet: Aug. 13, 2010 August 13, 2010 News and notes from around the web, including Reese Witherspoon's role in a Peggy Lee biopic, online video from Detroit, the Real Book of Argentina, 'Cold Jazz,' a rough summer for Chicago's jazz clubs and a super-efficient veteran piano tuner. NPR
Edmar Castaneda Trio With Joe Locke On JazzSet August 12, 2010 The superb acoustic music of young Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda weaves Cuban son, Brazilian samba, and Spanish flamenco into his lovely pan-American jazz. Castaneda and four-mallet vibesman Joe Locke perform at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival in the Berkshires on Aug. 29, 2008. NPR
Joe Negri: From Handyman To Jazz Guitarist August 9, 2010 If you or someone you love grew up watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, you may remember Joe Negri as Handyman Negri, the affable guy who solved problems in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. But jazz fans know him as a guitar virtuoso. At the age of 84, Negri has just released a new CD, his first in the stripped-down setting that showcases his finger-work. NPR
Around The Jazz Internet: Aug. 6, 2010 August 6, 2010 News and notes from around the web, including the importance of print media, a few new notable blogs, "fringe" jazz artists, new signings to Blue Note Records, the "40-20" set and Robert Glasper inspires a missed connection. NPR
Jose James: Bringing Back The Jazz Singer August 5, 2010 Think all vocal jazz is passe lounge music? Think again. This London-based expat covers John Coltrane and works with L.A. producer Flying Lotus, among others. Listen to Jose James' stirring studio session on WBGO's The Checkout. NPR
Eden Brent: Nothing Makes Her Happy August 5, 2010 As the song's title indicates, Brent "Ain't Got No Troubles." But the reason for her trouble-free state is her lack of anything -- no man, no home to keep him in, no nickels to rub together, no one to call her, no job to quit, and no membership in either a church or a social club. (On the other hand, she can never sin or be snubbed.) NPR
Greg Osby Quintet: Live At The Village Vanguard August 2, 2010 The great saxophonist, noted for labyrinthine explorations which press ever forward, celebrates his 50th birthday by bringing a band into the hallowed basement club. Hear a live online webcast Aug. 3 starting at 9 p.m. ET. NPR
Library Of Congress To Post All Of William Gottlieb's Photos To Flickr July 30, 2010 Perhaps you know his name; perhaps not. But if you're a jazz fan, you've probably come upon his photographs before; they are among those which have defined the very images of what we know jazz to be. And now, they're all being uploaded online. NPR
Around The Jazz Internet: July 30, 2010 July 30, 2010 News and notes from around the web, including "Jazzcats Crossing The Hudson" the painting, Angry Keith Jarrett, RIP Chris Dagley, a Gary Burton interview, a roundup of minor shouting matches and lots from Steve Coleman. NPR
Pat Metheny On Piano Jazz July 30, 2010 The ever-evolving Pat Metheny constantly experiments with new technology, honing his improvisational skills and refining his unique style. On this episode of Piano Jazz, Pat Metheny performs with bassist Christian McBride and drummer Antonio Sanche. NPR
Remembering Dutch Jazz Musician Willem Breuker July 28, 2010 Dutch composer, saxophonist, bass clarinetist and bandleader Willem Breuker died in Amsterdam last Friday. He was 65. Breuker led his own big band while also composing music for films, theater and classical ensembles. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead looks back at Breuker, who he says helped shape and define modern Dutch music. NPR
Lee Konitz: Always Stretching His Sax July 26, 2010 From one engagement to the next, saxophonist Lee Konitz rarely uses the same combination twice. But a few years ago, he began collaborating with a young trio known as Minsarah, which he invited to join him at the Village Vanguard last year. Three new Konitz recordings radiate the joy of making music in every note. NPR
The Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute: Seismic Shifts In Sound July 26, 2010 The recently completed workshop, whose students were as accomplished as its faculty, was designed to give jazz musicians access to new developments in orchestral writing. In the process, it appeared to be jazz history in the making. NPR
Robert Cray On Mountain Stage July 26, 2010 The bluesman leads his band through a set of tunes from his latest album, This Time -- the first studio release on his own Nozzle Records. Cray also plays his signature hit, "Smoking Gun," in his third appearance on the program. NPR
Around The Jazz Internet: July 23, 2010 July 23, 2010 News and notes from around the web, including Jimmy Heath's autobiography, Maria the prog-rocker, the art behind Winter and Winter and Screwgun Records, Chopin-jazz without pianos, Gangsterism on CNN and two words: "smooth cruise." NPR
John Bunch On Piano Jazz July 23, 2010 Bunch learned to arrange for big bands while held captive in a German POW camp during WWII. After returning stateside, he worked with the likes of Woody Herman, Gene Krupa and Benny Goodman, and was Tony Bennett's pianist for a number of years. Bunch died earlier this year, so Piano Jazz remembers him with this 1991 session. NPR
How Much Of That Jelly Roll Are We Really Getting? July 22, 2010 According to a study cited recently in The Daily Beast, jazz fans are 30 percent more sexually active than average Americans. But some commenters have their doubts about the veracity of our bedroom boasts. NPR
Claudia Acuna, Branford Marsalis On JazzSet July 22, 2010 Once upon a time, an NPR Music series called JazzSet With Branford Marsalis visited clubs, concerts and festivals across the country and around the world. Today, our founding host runs his own record label, and JazzSet visits the Marsalis Music Stage at Newport, where Chilean-born Claudia Acuna sets political folk songs to the sounds of jazz. NPR
The Sax in New Orleans Jazz: Jelly Roll Morton to The Bob Cats July 22, 2010 Before 1920, the saxophone was rarely heard in jazz bands—the important reed instrument was the clarinet. True saxophone virtuosity was heard in the mid-20s on recordings by Frank Trumbauer on C melody sax and Adrian Rollini on the Bb bass sax. Both instruments are all but forgotten today. Riverwalk Jazz
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