Lazaro Vega

Sunday, February 19th at 3 p.m. saxophonist/composer Andrew Rathbun leads a trio with 7 time Grammy and 4 time Emmy Award winning bassist/educator Robert Hurst and the dynamic drums of Keith Hall in the Underground Music Series at LaFontsee Galleries, 833 Lake Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI. See www.adventuremusic.org

Dave Douglas's Quintet is playing in Ann Arbor this Thursday, Hope College in Holland, MI, this Friday, and Constellation in Chicago on Saturday. Had an enlightening conversation with trumpeter Dave Douglas yesterday: first about his quintet, then about trumpet. You can hear it under "Interviews" at www.bluelake.org/ondemand

Hello Itforsenior: Blue Lake's on-demand page keeps content for a day then turns over. I'm on every weeknight, 10 p.m. - 3 a.m. eastern, which streams live from www.bluelake.org/radio . Because that's too late for many, we make the program available the next day during the day. But it is replaced each day by the next program. Our "Retrospective" features are heard at the start of each hour. So, if you go to www.bluelake.org/ondemand and look at "Jazz From Blue Lake" under "Programs," you'll hear last night's broadcast featuring the music of former Detroit vocalist Carla Cook.

Blue Lake Public Radio celebrated the music of Joshua Redman last evening from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. If you happened to have fallen asleep and missed the broadcast, his music is heard in the beginning of each hour of Jazz From Blue Lake found under "Programs" here: www.bluelake.org/ondemand

Bobby Hackett is world famous as the trumpeter on Glenn Miller's "String of Pearls" from 1941, and then a series of mood music recordings produced and conducted by actor and jazz fan Jackie Gleason. The popularity allowed him to record under his own name for Capitol Records. Last night Jazz From Blue Lake featured Hackett's music in the first part of each hour. "Jazz From Blue Lake" is found here www.bluelake.org/ondemand under "Programs."

Last evening's broadcast of Jazz From Blue Lake featured the great saxophonist and composer Benny Golson. Available today from www.bluelake.org/onemand

Last evening's broadcast of Jazz From Blue Lake featured the great saxophonist and composer Benny Golson. Available today from www.bluelake.org/onemand

Remembering Julius Hemphill on Jazz From Blue Lake, found under "Programs" here: www.bluelake.org/ondemand

Sorry Big Beat Steve: the Interviews are the radio station's, as are the Studio Performances; but recordings are another story. The ondemand page is set up to allow listeners who enjoy Jazz From Blue Lake but who can't stay up to 3 a.m. to hear the program THE NEXT DAY, and then the files are replaced by the following evening's broadcast, etc . I'm on weeknights from 10-3 so the programming on line is always turning over.

Starting this week on "Jazz From Blue Lake" with 1930's era drummers (Big Sid Catlett tonight; Jo Jones on Wednesday) during the Jazz Retrospective part of the program. Here's last night's broadcast featuring Gene Krupa, who studied the great early jazz drummers as well as African music and put those ideas over with great showmanship, especially on "Sing, Sing, Sing" with Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall (1-16-38). www.bluelake.org/ondemand

Many of us in west Michigan are iced out of work or school today. May we suggested checking out Jazz From Blue Lake featuring jazz vibraphonist/bandleader Terry Gibbs, 92 years young and still a swing machine. We hear him with his son, drummer Gerry Gibbs, as well as long time compatriot, clarinetist Bubby DeFranco, and Gibbs 1959 “Dream Band” (pictured) in the first part of each hour of Jazz From Blue Lake found under “programs” here: www.bluelake.org/ondemand

January 11, 2017 The Jazz Datebook: Timely Hits: Friday, January 13 from 7-8:30 p.m., St. Cecilia Music Center presents their Concert Band and Jazz Ensembles winter concert. For tickets visit: http://www.scmc-online.org/concert-music-downloads/ Saturday, January 14th at 8 p.m. The Heritage Jazz Fest features soprano saxophonist Reggie Page and trumpeter Deb Wagner at the Doubletree by Hilton Grand Rapids Airport, 4747 28th Street SE, Grand Rapids. Tickets through www.eventbrite.com. Saturday, January 14th from 7-11, pianist/vocalist Robin Connell leads her trio at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel’s Garden Court, 187 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids. Monday, January 16th at 6:30 vocalist Tony Reynolds brings his four octave range to The Guest House, 634 Stocking Avenue NW, Grand Rapids, for the West Michigan Jazz Society’s Monday Night Jazz Gumbo. With Greg Miller, guitar, and Mark Weymouth on drums. Information from www.wmichjazz.org. Thursday, January 26th at 7:30 p.m. pianist/composer/educator Steve Talaga presents a major concert of his music at Hope College’s Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts in Holland. Five of Talaga’s compositions for big band will feature the Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra; the work “For One Removed” features Hope’s Chapel Choir and Hope College percussion students; and “July Nocturne,” a new piece for full orchestra (world premier), features Hope’s Orchestra. Admission is free. See www.hope.edu/music. Wednesday, February 1st at 8 p.m. a new venue debuts in The B.O.B. downtown Grand Rapids as 20 Monroe Live features Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, with supporting act Joe Hertler and The Rainbow Seekers. Information from www.20monroelive.com. Wednesday, February 1st from 7-10 p.m. the Beer City Saxes play H.O.M.E. (at The B.O.B.), 20 Monroe Avenue NW, Grand Rapids. A saxophone section/rhythm section ensemble featuring music by jazz greats Benny Carter, Charlie Parker and others. Thursday, February 2nd at 7:30 the University Jazz Orchestra and University Jazz Lab Band from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo play a free concert at the Dalton Center Recital Hall, Van De Giessen Rd #3001, Kalamazoo, WMU. See www.wmich.edu/jazz . Wednesday, February 8th at 7 p.m. clarinetist Anat Cohen returns to Grand Rapids to play the Max Colley Jr. Performing Arts Center at Northview High School, 4451 Hunsberger NE, Grand Rapids. Along with the Michigan State University Jazz Octets I and II under the direction of Diego Rivera, plus the Northview High School and Rockford High School jazz bands. Cohen has released seven albums, been atop the Downbeat Magazine critics and reader’s poll since 2011 and been voted clarinetist of the year eight years in a row by the Jazz Journalist Association. Tickets (cash only) sold at the door. Information from www.anatcohen.com/about. Saturday, February 11th at 2 and 8 p.m. the vocal jazz ensemble Gold Company presents their big Miller Auditorium concerts at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo. See http://wmugoldcompany.com . Friday, February 17th at 8 p.m., trombonist Nick Finzer, a New York City based Jazz trombonist and composer, a leader in the Millenial Jazz Movement, presents a guest artist recital at the Dalton Center Recital Hall, Van De Giessen Rd #3001, Kalamazoo. Information from www.wmich.edu/jazz. Or, www.nickfinzermusic.com/#home . Sunday, February 19th at 3 p.m. saxophonist/composer Andrew Rathbun leads a trio with 7 time Grammy Award and 4 time Emmy Award winning bassist/educator Robert Hurst and the dynamic drums of Keith Hall in the Underground Music Series at LaFontsee Galleries, 833 Lake Drive SE, Grand Rapids. See www.andrewrathbun.com. Monday, February 20th at 6:30 the West Michigan Jazz Society welcomes the River Rogues Dixieland Band to the The Guest House, 634 Stocking Avenue NW, Grand Rapids, for their Monday Night Jazz Gumbo. With Jim Everhart, piano; Dave Kadwell, banjo and guitar; David L. Wells, trombone; Ken Huisman, clarinet and saxophones; Dave Schock, trumpet; Paul Keen, tuba; and Tom Davis, drums. See www.wmichjazz.org. Wednesday, February 22nd at 7:30 p.m. the New Sound Festival at Western Michigan University includes their new music ensemble Birds on a Wire and their Advanced Jazz Ensemble in a concert presented by the Bullock Performance Institute at The Dalton Center Recital Hall, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo. www.wmichjazz.org. Friday, March 10that 8 p.m. the 37th Annual Western Michigan University Invitational Jazz Festival’s opening concert presents saxophonist George Garzone and the Western Jazz Faculty at Dalton Center Recital Hall, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo. Tenor saxophonist Garzone has played with Jack DeJohnette, Danilo Perez, Chick Corea, Elvin Jones, Medeski Martin and Wood, Joe Lovano’s Nonet, and even Aerosmith. His playing is so legendary that it led Michael Brecker to declare, “I’m not the master of the sax, George Garzone is.” Information from www.wmujazz.com. The Festival closes on Saturday, March 11th at 7:30 with the concert by the University Jazz Orchestra at Dalton Center. Thursday, March 2 jazz great Freddie Cole appears at the VanSingel Fine Arts Center, 84th Street and Burlingame Avenue SW, Grand Rapids. Information from www.vsfac.com or (616) 878-6800. Saturday, March 18th at 7:30 p.m. the popular jazz guitar duo of Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo appear at The Block, an intimate 120 seat theater/bar above Unruly Brewing Company, 360 W. Western Ave, 2nd Floor, Muskegon, MI. (231) 726-3231 or www.theblockwestmichigan.org. And for more on the artists, http://frankvignola.com/ . Thursday, March 23rd, 13 year old piano prodigy Joey Alexander appears in the St. Cecilia Music Center’s Jazz Series with his trio. More from, http://www.scmc-online.org/2016-17-jazz-series. Sunday, March 26th at 3 p.m. guitarist Randy Napoleon performs with young bassist Stanley Ruvinov and drummer Keith Hall in the Underground Concert Series at LaFontsee Galleries, 833 Lake Drive SE, Grand Rapids. See www.adventuremusic.org for tickets, and www.randynapoleon.com for information. Thursday, March 30th, 2017, The Hot Sardines return to the Wharton Center For the Performing Arts, East Lansing. See: http://www.whartoncenter.com/events/detail/the-hot-sardines . April 21st, 2017, the Wayne Shorter Quartet appears in the Cobb Great Hall of The Wharton Center For the Performing Arts, East Lansing. See: www.whartoncenter.com/events/detail/wayne-shorter-quartet. Sunday, April 23rd at 3 p.m. percussionists Adam Rudolph and Hamid Drake appear as Karuna in the Underground Concert Series at LaFontsee Galleries, 833 Lake Drive SE, Grand Rapids. See www.adventuremusic.org . Saturday, April 29th, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. vocalist Dee Daniels performs at at The Block, an intimate 120 seat theater/bar above Unruly Brewing Company, 360 W. Western Ave, 2nd Floor, Muskegon, MI. (231) 726-3231 or www.theblockwestmichigan.org. Here her at http://www.deedaniels.com/ Thursday, May 4th 2017 the San Francisco Jazz Collective plays the music of Miles Davis at St. Cecilia Music Center, 24 Ransom Ave. NE, Grand Rapids. More from www.scmc-online.org/2016-17-jazz-series. Regular Hits: Mondays from 8 to 11 p.m. pianist/vocalist John Shea swings downtown Grand Rapids from the front window of The Republic, 45 South Division, Grand Rapids. With bassist Warren Jones III and drummer Fred Knapp, John presents a wide variety of jazz and songbook standards. www.republicgrandrapids.com. Mondays from 6 to 10 p.m., Fridays 7 – 11 p.m. and Saturdays 6-10 p.m. The What Not Inn features a revolving cast of local musicians each weekend and Mondays hosts a jam session open to musicians and vocalists. See the full schedule here: www.whatnotinn.com. The What Not Inn is located at M89 and the Blue Star Highway, 2405 68th Street, Fennville, MI. (269) 543-3341. Mondays, Lee and David Middleman play guitars with Chris Cudworth, bass, Rick Stephens, keyboards and Pat Eickenroth, percussion, as Swingtooth, anchoring the Monday night jam session at Rockford Brewing Company, 2 East Bridge St, Rockford. See www.rockfordbrewing.com or phone (616) 951 – 4677. Tuesdays, 7:30 – 10:30, there’s an open mic jazz jam session at The Grand, 22 Washington, Grand Haven, MI. (616) 847 – 8944. Wednesdays from 7 to 10 p.m. The Tom Hagen Trio with vocalist Rick Reuther have been appearing at Noto’s Old World Italian Dining, 6600 28th Street SE, Grand Rapids for more than 13 years, the longest continuous jazz hang in west Michigan. (616) 493 – 6686, or www.notosoldworld.com. Wednesdays, House of Music Entertainment at The B.O.B., 20 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids, 49503, occasionally features jazz and blues. More from www.thebob.com/houseofmusic . Thursdays, 7:30-10:30 the John Shea Trio is heard at the Knickerbocker Brewpub and Distillery/New Holland Brewing Company, 417 Bridge St NW, Grand Rapids. The jazz is upstairs toward the back, in the Zeppelin Lounge. Thursdays at 7 p.m. a variety of jazz bands rotate the schedule at The Book Nook and Java Shop, 8744 Ferry Street in Montague. See www.thebooknookjavashop.com and click on the calendar for Thursday night. The first Thursday evening of each month the Bill Huyge/Jeff Beavan/Dave Schock trio appear at New Harmony Hall, 401 Stocking Ave NW, Grand Rapids. Phone: (616) 233-9186, or on the web, www.harmonybeer.com. Fridays at 7 p.m., “It’s a Friday Thing” features vocalist Kathy Lamar with pianist Bob VanStee and drummer Kevin Jones at Noto’s Old World Italian Dining, 6600 28th Street S.E., Grand Rapids. See www.notosoldworld.com or call (616) 493-6686. Fridays, 7 p.m. the John Shea Trio plays at the J.W. Marriot Hotel, 235 Louis Street N.W., Grand Rapids. (616) 242 – 1448. Saturdays at 7:30, pianist John Shea leads his trio at Noto’s Old World Italian Dining, 6600 28th Street S.E., Grand Rapids. See www.notosoldworld.com or call (616) 493 – 6686. Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. live jazz at The Old Goat, 2434 Eastern Avenue SE, Grand Rapids The second and fourth Sundays of the month from 2-4 p.m. the River Rogues traditional jazz band (see www.theriverrogues.org ) alternate weekends with the Bill Huyge, Jeff Beavan, David Schock trio at the New Harmony Hall, 401 Stocking Ave NW, Grand Rapids. Phone: (616) 233-9186, or on the web, www.harmonybeer.com. Sundays at 7 p.m. Randy Marsh’s Sunday Night Jazz Hang at The Speak EZ Lounge, 600 Monroe Avenue N.W., Grand Rapids (616) 458 – 2689. A fun jam session celebrating a 3rd year anniversary Oct 18. Student jazz musicians under 21 with a parent or legal guardian have a chance to play from 8:15 until 9:00 p.m. Anyone under 21 has to leave at 9 pm. The host trio plays from 7:00 - 8:00. www.speakezlounge.com. First Sunday of every month from 5 to 7 p.m. the Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra plays Founders Brewing Company, 235 Grandville Avenue S.W., downtown Grand Rapids. The GRJO is the region’s premier professional jazz orchestra. Information from www.grjo.com.

Last night at the Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey, Bucky Pizzarelli quietly celebrated his 91st birthday with a concert of guitar duets featuring his protégé Ed Laub. Last night on Jazz From Blue Lake, we also brought you the beautiful flow of ideas Bucky Pizzarelli’s recorded over his distinguished musical career. Of course his son John’s program Radio Deluxe is a big hit on Sundays at 6 over Blue Lake Public Radio. Last night’s program is available today only under “Jazz From Blue Lake:” www.bluelake.org/ondemand Photo of John and Bucky by Steven Freeman

The radio show was put together from the Columbia vinyl series "The World of Duke Ellington."

Jazz guitar starts with Eddie Lang, as we heard last night on Jazz From Blue Lake, the late night jazz radio program available for listening today only under "Programs" at our on-demand page. Check out this film clip of the guitarist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gjVf0GeDzE. And then hear his recordings from the 1920's start each hour of Jazz From Blue Lake here: www.bluelake.org/ondemand

Beautiful: thanks for the update. We have several Owl Studio things here, but missed that one....

Jazz From Blue Lake on-demand today only presents the music of Duke Ellington, especially the 1947 sound of trombonist Lawrence Brown and his co-composition with Ellington of "On A Turquoise Cloud," featuring a wordless, operatic vocal by Kay Davis. Christmas and seasonal music by Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Fats Waller, too, among many others (there's 5 hours of jazz here, folks). Click "Jazz From Blue Lake" here: www.bluelake.org/ondemand

Jazz From Blue Lake featured the Busselli-Wallarab disc, and the George Russell records and a few selections from the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra in celebration and memorial. Oh, so THAT's where the Basically Baker album Volume 1 is, on Gunther Schuller's label!

Following our first concert held in October 2016 by Celestial Weather Midwest Duets, Wadada Leo Smith and John Lindberg, here's the rest of the 2017 concert schedule: For tickets to the Adventure Music Concert Series held at LaFontsee Galleries, 833 Lake Drive SE, Grand Rapids, see www.adventuremusic.org. For directions to the venue (616) 451 – 9820. Sunday, February 19 at 3 p.m. The Andrew Rathbun Trio featuring bassist Robert Hurst. From www.andrewrathbun.com: Toronto native Andrew Rathbun is widely esteemed as one of the most creative and accomplished saxophonists, composers and bandleaders of his generation. On tenor and soprano saxophones he has achieved a rare depth of lyricism, authoritative swing and compositional intelligence. Recording steadily as a leader since the late 1990s, he has documented his stirring original music with an array of extraordinary lineups, featuring the talents of such greats as Kenny Wheeler, Billy Hart, George Garzone, Phil Markowitz and Bill Stewart. “Rathbun’s lines dance and glide,” writes David Whiteis of JazzTimes, “reflecting both childlike wonder and well-honed artistry.” Rathbun earned a Masters in Performance from Boston’s New England Conservatory, where he studied with George Garzone, Jimmy Giuffre and George Russell. After moving to Brooklyn in 1997 he became a fixture on the New York jazz scene, helping to shape the sound of the music in the new millennium as he earned a Doctorate in Jazz Arts from Manhattan School of Music. He has secured recognition and support from the Ontario Council for the Arts, the Canada Council and the American Music Center. He has also served as a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and an artist at the Banff Center for the Arts. Following teaching stints at the University of Maine, Kingsborough College and the Amadeus Conservatory in northern Westchester County, New York, Rathbun took a position in 2012 as Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, where he now lives with his family. He continues to perform in New York and internationally. He is also a member of the Western Jazz Quartet, WMU’s resident faculty band, featuring fellow professors Jeremy Siskind (piano), Tom Knific (bass) and Keith Hall (drums). The quartet’s latest release is Free Fall(2014). See www.andrewrathbun.com. 7 time Grammy Award winner, and 4 time Emmy Award Robert Hurst is at the forefront of instrumental music and music education. He’s currently an Associate Professor of Music and Director of Small Jazz Ensembles at The University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance. From www.roberthurst.com: A Detroit native, Hurst has enjoyed a stellar career spanning 30 years, and is a highly respected and well recognized composer, electric and acoustic bassist, educator, recording artist, and business man. His cultivation into a membership of talented musicians from around the world was fostered by lengthy tours and GRAMMY® Award winning recordings featuring: Sir Paul McCartney, Charles Lloyd, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, Harry Connick Jr., Terrence Blanchard, Tony Williams, Nicholas Payton, Sting, Carl Allen, the legendary Pharaoh Sanders, Barbara Streisand, Willie Nelson, Yo Yo Ma, Ravi Coltrane, Chris Botti and Diana Krall. Robert Hurst has performed on over 150 diverse and critically acclaimed recordings. Sunday, March 26 at 3 p.m. guitarist Randy Napoleon leads his trio, including drummer Keith Hall. From his Michigan State University Faculty profile, Born in Brooklyn and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Randy Napoleon began his journey in jazz immediately after finishing his studies at the University of Michigan. Jeff Hamilton of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra invited the young Napoleon to do a series of performances with them at the Hollywood Bowl. From there, Napoleon's career took off, first touring with pianist Benny Green nationally and internationally for a year, and then full time with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. A three-year stint with crooner Michael Buble followed; Napoleon is featured on Buble's Grammy-nominated CD “Caught in the Act.” Guitarist George Benson calls Napoleon “sensational.” Detroit Free Press critic Mark Stryker says Napoleon “plays with a gentle, purring tone that makes you lean in close to hear its range of color and articulation.” Washington Post critic Mike Joyce praises his “exceptionally nimble finger-style technique.” Comparing him to Wes Montgomery, music critic Michael G. Nastos says, “he displays an even balance of swing, soul, and single-line or chord elements that mark an emerging voice dedicated to tradition and universally accessible jazz values.” Napoleon currently tours with the legendary singer/pianist, Freddy Cole, and is featured on Cole’s 2009 album, “Live at Dizzy’s Club: The Dreamer in Me.“ He is the main arranger and the guitarist on “Freddy Cole Sings Mr. B,” a 2010 Grammy-nominated release from High Note that features songs from the Billy Eckstine song book, as well as on “Talk to Me,” Cole's 2011 album, and Cole's most recent album “This and That.” Today, Napoleon is one of the most sought-after guitarists in New York, where he is known as a forward-thinking musician with a passion for the jazz guitar tradition. In addition to backing the best, he leads his own bands, an organ trio, a trombone trio, a quartet with piano, and a three-horn sextet that includes organ, drums, trumpet, tenor sax, and trombone. He joined the MSU College of Music faculty in fall 2014 as assistant professor of jazz guitar. - See more at: http://www.music.msu.edu/faculty/profile/randy1#sthash.PPpXApN3.dpuf. Sunday, April 23, percussionist Adam Rudolph and Hamid Drake come together for their first tour as Karuna. Karuna: Hamid Drake and Adam Rudolph Duet Adam Rudolph (handrumset (kongos, djembe, tarija, zabumba) thumb pianos, sintir, multiphonic vocal, percussion) Hamid Drake (drum kit, vocal, frame drums, udu drums, tabla, percussion) The Hamid Drake and Adam Rudolph duet traces it beginning to a chance encounter between two 14-year-old aspiring percussionists in a downtown Chicago drum shop. Their shared love for rhythms and music of the world and music’s’ relationship to matters of the spirit led to years of shared creative journeys. In the mid-1970s they performed and recorded with AACM co-founder Fred Anderson, and in 1977 they joined Foday Musa Suso in founding Mandingo Griot Society, one of the first groups to combine African and American music. By 1978 they were touring Europe with the Don Cherry and since that time have performed together in projects with Yusef Lateef, Pharaoh Sanders, Hassan Hakmoun, Hu: Vibrational and Adam Rudolph’s Moving Pictures. Their shared Chicago roots and longtime global music research and performing experience have allowed them to forge a uniquely shared musical understanding and creative outlook. After over 40 years of music making together, this will be their first tour as a duet. Featuring their unique and evolved rhythm languages, in concert they aspire to inspire any audience though spirited dialogue. As Drake reflected upon their influence upon each other, “I have been developing a hand drum concept on the drum set while Adam says he is developing a drum set concept on his hand drums. We understand one another” The name Karuna reflects Drake and Rudolph’s ongoing research and dialogues into the connection of the inner life to musical expression. Karuna speaks to the idea of creative action as a gesture of compassion. BIOGRAPHIES OF THE ARTISTS: For the past four decades composer and percussionist ADAM RUDOLPH has performed extensively throughout North & South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. He has released over 30 recordings under his own name, featuring his compositions and percussion work. Rudolph composes for his ensembles Moving Pictures Octet, Hu Vibrational, and Go: Organic Orchestra, a 30-piece group for which he has developed an original music notation and conducting system. He has taught and conducted hundreds of musicians worldwide in his Go: Organic Orchestra concept. In 2015 Rudolph was artist in residence at the Center for Advanced Studies at the University of Illinois and received the prestigious Danish International Visiting Artist award from the Danish Government. During his residency he led master classes at universities and presented in concert his Go: Organic Orchestra concept with members of the Danish Radio Orchestra. Rudolph has performed with Don Cherry, Sam Rivers, Pharaoh Sanders, Muhal Richard Abrams, Shankar, Wadada Leo Smith, Philip Glass, Jon Hassel, Omar Sosa and Fred Anderson. He toured extensively and recorded 15 albums with Yusef Lateef including duets and their large ensemble compositional collaborations. Rudolph is known as one the early innovators of what is now called “World Music”. In 1978 he and Kora player Foday Musa Suso co-founded Mandingo Griot Society, one of the first groups to combine African and American music. In 1988, he recorded the first fusion of American and Gnawa music with Sintir player and singer Hassan Hakmoun. In 2006, Advance Music published Rudolph’s book, Pure Rhythm, now a classic rhythm repository used worldwide. HAMID DRAKE was born in Monroe, Louisiana but for the most part was raised in Chicago. In 1974 he began what was to be a long-term musical relationship with Fred Anderson who introduced him to performing with many of the other artists in the AACM. In late 1977 Drake joined Adam Rudolph and Foday Musa Suso to form the Mandingo Griot society, one of the first groups in the United States to explore the relationship between traditional West African and American musical idioms. He met Don Cherry when the group recorded their first LP on Flying fish Records. Drake’s relationship with Cherry continued until Cherry’s passing in 1995 doing many tours throughout Europe, Japan and the United States with him. Don Cherry provided a major breakthrough for Drake not only musically but spiritually as well. Since 1987 Drake has recorded toured extensively in Europe and the US with German saxophonist Peter Brotzmann and also with bass player William Parker in several of his ensembles and with many other artists. The list of the people that Drake has worked and recorded with includes David Murray, Pharaoh Sanders, Iva Bitova, Misha Mengelberg, AB Bars, Luc EX, Adam Rudolph, Bill Laswell, Archie Shepp, Napoleon Maddox(Iswhat), DVK with Ken Vandermark and Kent Kessler, Nicole Mitchell, Punkt, Rob Wagner , Rob Brown, Cooper-Moore, Lewis Barnes, Kirk Knuffke, Fred Anderson, and Kidd Jordan. In 2005 Drake formed the group Bindu and a few years later Bindu Reggaeology both formed with the purpose of highlighting through music and spoken word the spiritual, cultural and social importance that the Divine Mother Tradition (Divine feminine) has played throughout world.

Following our first concert held in October 2016 by Celestial Weather Midwest Duets, Wadada Leo Smith and John Lindberg, here's the rest of the 2017 concert schedule: For tickets to the Adventure Music Concert Series held at LaFontsee Galleries, 833 Lake Drive SE, Grand Rapids, see www.adventuremusic.org. For directions to the venue (616) 451 – 9820. Sunday, February 19 at 3 p.m. The Andrew Rathbun Trio featuring bassist Robert Hurst. From www.andrewrathbun.com: Toronto native Andrew Rathbun is widely esteemed as one of the most creative and accomplished saxophonists, composers and bandleaders of his generation. On tenor and soprano saxophones he has achieved a rare depth of lyricism, authoritative swing and compositional intelligence. Recording steadily as a leader since the late 1990s, he has documented his stirring original music with an array of extraordinary lineups, featuring the talents of such greats as Kenny Wheeler, Billy Hart, George Garzone, Phil Markowitz and Bill Stewart. “Rathbun’s lines dance and glide,” writes David Whiteis of JazzTimes, “reflecting both childlike wonder and well-honed artistry.” Rathbun earned a Masters in Performance from Boston’s New England Conservatory, where he studied with George Garzone, Jimmy Giuffre and George Russell. After moving to Brooklyn in 1997 he became a fixture on the New York jazz scene, helping to shape the sound of the music in the new millennium as he earned a Doctorate in Jazz Arts from Manhattan School of Music. He has secured recognition and support from the Ontario Council for the Arts, the Canada Council and the American Music Center. He has also served as a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and an artist at the Banff Center for the Arts. Following teaching stints at the University of Maine, Kingsborough College and the Amadeus Conservatory in northern Westchester County, New York, Rathbun took a position in 2012 as Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, where he now lives with his family. He continues to perform in New York and internationally. He is also a member of the Western Jazz Quartet, WMU’s resident faculty band, featuring fellow professors Jeremy Siskind (piano), Tom Knific (bass) and Keith Hall (drums). The quartet’s latest release is Free Fall(2014). See www.andrewrathbun.com. 7 time Grammy Award winner, and 4 time Emmy Award Robert Hurst is at the forefront of instrumental music and music education. He’s currently an Associate Professor of Music and Director of Small Jazz Ensembles at The University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance. From www.roberthurst.com: A Detroit native, Hurst has enjoyed a stellar career spanning 30 years, and is a highly respected and well recognized composer, electric and acoustic bassist, educator, recording artist, and business man. His cultivation into a membership of talented musicians from around the world was fostered by lengthy tours and GRAMMY® Award winning recordings featuring: Sir Paul McCartney, Charles Lloyd, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, Harry Connick Jr., Terrence Blanchard, Tony Williams, Nicholas Payton, Sting, Carl Allen, the legendary Pharaoh Sanders, Barbara Streisand, Willie Nelson, Yo Yo Ma, Ravi Coltrane, Chris Botti and Diana Krall. Robert Hurst has performed on over 150 diverse and critically acclaimed recordings. Sunday, March 26 at 3 p.m. guitarist Randy Napoleon leads his trio, including drummer Keith Hall. From his Michigan State University Faculty profile, Born in Brooklyn and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Randy Napoleon began his journey in jazz immediately after finishing his studies at the University of Michigan. Jeff Hamilton of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra invited the young Napoleon to do a series of performances with them at the Hollywood Bowl. From there, Napoleon's career took off, first touring with pianist Benny Green nationally and internationally for a year, and then full time with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. A three-year stint with crooner Michael Buble followed; Napoleon is featured on Buble's Grammy-nominated CD “Caught in the Act.” Guitarist George Benson calls Napoleon “sensational.” Detroit Free Press critic Mark Stryker says Napoleon “plays with a gentle, purring tone that makes you lean in close to hear its range of color and articulation.” Washington Post critic Mike Joyce praises his “exceptionally nimble finger-style technique.” Comparing him to Wes Montgomery, music critic Michael G. Nastos says, “he displays an even balance of swing, soul, and single-line or chord elements that mark an emerging voice dedicated to tradition and universally accessible jazz values.” Napoleon currently tours with the legendary singer/pianist, Freddy Cole, and is featured on Cole’s 2009 album, “Live at Dizzy’s Club: The Dreamer in Me.“ He is the main arranger and the guitarist on “Freddy Cole Sings Mr. B,” a 2010 Grammy-nominated release from High Note that features songs from the Billy Eckstine song book, as well as on “Talk to Me,” Cole's 2011 album, and Cole's most recent album “This and That.” Today, Napoleon is one of the most sought-after guitarists in New York, where he is known as a forward-thinking musician with a passion for the jazz guitar tradition. In addition to backing the best, he leads his own bands, an organ trio, a trombone trio, a quartet with piano, and a three-horn sextet that includes organ, drums, trumpet, tenor sax, and trombone. He joined the MSU College of Music faculty in fall 2014 as assistant professor of jazz guitar. - See more at: http://www.music.msu.edu/faculty/profile/randy1#sthash.PPpXApN3.dpuf. Sunday, April 23, percussionist Adam Rudolph and Hamid Drake come together for their first tour as Karuna. Karuna: Hamid Drake and Adam Rudolph Duet Adam Rudolph (handrumset (kongos, djembe, tarija, zabumba) thumb pianos, sintir, multiphonic vocal, percussion) Hamid Drake (drum kit, vocal, frame drums, udu drums, tabla, percussion) The Hamid Drake and Adam Rudolph duet traces it beginning to a chance encounter between two 14-year-old aspiring percussionists in a downtown Chicago drum shop. Their shared love for rhythms and music of the world and music’s’ relationship to matters of the spirit led to years of shared creative journeys. In the mid-1970s they performed and recorded with AACM co-founder Fred Anderson, and in 1977 they joined Foday Musa Suso in founding Mandingo Griot Society, one of the first groups to combine African and American music. By 1978 they were touring Europe with the Don Cherry and since that time have performed together in projects with Yusef Lateef, Pharaoh Sanders, Hassan Hakmoun, Hu: Vibrational and Adam Rudolph’s Moving Pictures. Their shared Chicago roots and longtime global music research and performing experience have allowed them to forge a uniquely shared musical understanding and creative outlook. After over 40 years of music making together, this will be their first tour as a duet. Featuring their unique and evolved rhythm languages, in concert they aspire to inspire any audience though spirited dialogue. As Drake reflected upon their influence upon each other, “I have been developing a hand drum concept on the drum set while Adam says he is developing a drum set concept on his hand drums. We understand one another” The name Karuna reflects Drake and Rudolph’s ongoing research and dialogues into the connection of the inner life to musical expression. Karuna speaks to the idea of creative action as a gesture of compassion. BIOGRAPHIES OF THE ARTISTS: For the past four decades composer and percussionist ADAM RUDOLPH has performed extensively throughout North & South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. He has released over 30 recordings under his own name, featuring his compositions and percussion work. Rudolph composes for his ensembles Moving Pictures Octet, Hu Vibrational, and Go: Organic Orchestra, a 30-piece group for which he has developed an original music notation and conducting system. He has taught and conducted hundreds of musicians worldwide in his Go: Organic Orchestra concept. In 2015 Rudolph was artist in residence at the Center for Advanced Studies at the University of Illinois and received the prestigious Danish International Visiting Artist award from the Danish Government. During his residency he led master classes at universities and presented in concert his Go: Organic Orchestra concept with members of the Danish Radio Orchestra. Rudolph has performed with Don Cherry, Sam Rivers, Pharaoh Sanders, Muhal Richard Abrams, Shankar, Wadada Leo Smith, Philip Glass, Jon Hassel, Omar Sosa and Fred Anderson. He toured extensively and recorded 15 albums with Yusef Lateef including duets and their large ensemble compositional collaborations. Rudolph is known as one the early innovators of what is now called “World Music”. In 1978 he and Kora player Foday Musa Suso co-founded Mandingo Griot Society, one of the first groups to combine African and American music. In 1988, he recorded the first fusion of American and Gnawa music with Sintir player and singer Hassan Hakmoun. In 2006, Advance Music published Rudolph’s book, Pure Rhythm, now a classic rhythm repository used worldwide. HAMID DRAKE was born in Monroe, Louisiana but for the most part was raised in Chicago. In 1974 he began what was to be a long-term musical relationship with Fred Anderson who introduced him to performing with many of the other artists in the AACM. In late 1977 Drake joined Adam Rudolph and Foday Musa Suso to form the Mandingo Griot society, one of the first groups in the United States to explore the relationship between traditional West African and American musical idioms. He met Don Cherry when the group recorded their first LP on Flying fish Records. Drake’s relationship with Cherry continued until Cherry’s passing in 1995 doing many tours throughout Europe, Japan and the United States with him. Don Cherry provided a major breakthrough for Drake not only musically but spiritually as well. Since 1987 Drake has recorded toured extensively in Europe and the US with German saxophonist Peter Brotzmann and also with bass player William Parker in several of his ensembles and with many other artists. The list of the people that Drake has worked and recorded with includes David Murray, Pharaoh Sanders, Iva Bitova, Misha Mengelberg, AB Bars, Luc EX, Adam Rudolph, Bill Laswell, Archie Shepp, Napoleon Maddox(Iswhat), DVK with Ken Vandermark and Kent Kessler, Nicole Mitchell, Punkt, Rob Wagner , Rob Brown, Cooper-Moore, Lewis Barnes, Kirk Knuffke, Fred Anderson, and Kidd Jordan. In 2005 Drake formed the group Bindu and a few years later Bindu Reggaeology both formed with the purpose of highlighting through music and spoken word the spiritual, cultural and social importance that the Divine Mother Tradition (Divine feminine) has played throughout world.

Charles Dell-lau-nay? Hews Pan-eh-see-A ?

Friday Blue Lake Public Radio celebrated the music of multi-instrumentalist Don Cherry as part of Jazz From Blue Lake. We included segments dedicated to Cherry's music with the late Charlie Haden, as well as the Liberation Music Orchestra's new recording celebrating Haden. Cherry performed and recorded with saxophonists Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, Sonny Rollins, Dewey Redman and Gato Barbieri, as you'll can here right now at www.bluelake.org/ondemand. Image by Guy Le Querrec

November 15, 1971. Thelonious Monk ends an 8 week tour with the Giants of Jazz. During a 36 hour stop over in London, he records a solo and trio session (with bassist Al McKibbon and drummer Art Blakey) for Black Lion Records. His first trio album in 15 years ends up being his final studio recording, and the entire date is a sort of summation of his career, from "My Melancholy Baby" to "Trinkle Tinkle." Please join Blue Lake Public Radio when we feature these historic recordings in the first part of each hour, 10 p.m. - 3 a.m. eastern, WBLV FM 90.3 / WBLU FM 88.9, www.bluelake.org/radio

Available today only on demand under "Jazz From Blue Lake" at www.bluelake.org/ondemand

30 years ago today saxophonist Benny Carter and pianist Oscar Peterson reunited in the recording studio for this album. Carter, at the time 79 years old and a veteran of recording with Art Tatum, said, "I think that today Oscar has pushed the piano a little further past Art. I've heard him do things that I believe extended the frontiers of jazz piano." Hear for yourself tonight between 10 p.m. and midnight eastern time over WBLV FM 90.3/WBLU FM 88.9 or streaming live from www.bluelake.org/radio