GA Russell

Stampeders 26....Eskimos 22 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=4711489 Good game! The Eskimos might have won it, but they made some questionable play calls. With the win, Bo Levi Mitchell ties Jeff Garcia's record of starting hiss career with 7 consecutive wins. Edmonton's 50/50 raffle set a club record - $348,534! http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=457939 ***** Bombers 23....BC 6 http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=457976 The Bombers led the entire game, thus bouncing back from their poor showing against Calgary last week. ***** Ticats 33....Redblacks 23 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=4711940 Another great game! It was tied at 23 with six minutes left in the game. Dan LeFevour won his first game as a starter. ***** Riders 37....Argos 9 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=4711963 Newly signed Will Ford ran for three touchdowns, and the Argos were never in it. ***** cfl.ca Week 5 review http://cfl.ca/article/cfl-replay-a-look-back-at-week-5-20140724012419

Happy Birthday 2014 bichos!

Lowell Ullrich Week 5 picks http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/07/24/the-picks-week-5-in-the-cfl/ ***** I don't think I saw this when I was posting the pre-season previews, so here is Lowell Ullrich's: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/football/bc-lions/2014+preview/9974241/story.html ***** cfl.ca Week 5 game notes http://cfl.ca/article/2014-cflca-game-notes-a-look-at-week-5 ***** Bo Levi Mitchell has won his first 6 starts in the CFL. The record is 7 by Jeff Garcia. Mitchell has the chance to tie Garcia tonight. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=457811 ***** Here's an article about the league's dealings with ESPN. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/2014/07/22/21825941.html ***** Mike Beamish Week 5 picks and power rankings http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/sports/football/lions/Week+Picks+power+rankings/10056677/story.html

Blue Train (incl. Auto-Rip) - $4.99 http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Train-John-Coltrane/dp/B0000A5A0T/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1406218653&sr=1-1&keywords=blue+train+john+coltrane

Bones - Season 8 - $10.99 http://www.amazon.com/Bones-Season-8-David-Boreanaz/dp/B009LDD4V4?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ7T5BOVUVRD2EFYQ&tag=camelhomepopular-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B009LDD4V4

Speaking of the devil, we can see his group in performance tonight at 7:30 pm and 10:45 pm eastern here: http://new.livestream.com/jazz/belgrave

Mike Renaud has injured his hamstring, and will be out for several weeks. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=457586 ***** cfl.ca Week 4 review http://cfl.ca/article/2014-cfl-replay-a-look-at-week-4 ***** Week 4 video highlights http://cfl.ca/video/index/id/99273 ***** cfl.ca power rankings http://cfl.ca/article/cflca-power-rankings-alberta-reigns-supreme ***** The Riders have signed Will Ford. http://cfl.ca/article/saskatchewan-adds-rb-will-ford-to-practice-roster ***** The Stamps have put Jon Cornish on the six-game injured list. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=457741 ***** Bill Stephenson has died at 85. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=457786 ***** Chris Schultz Week 5 picks http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=457660 ***** Gregg Xenakes Week 5 picks http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=4711130 ***** Dan Ralph Week 5 picks http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/2014/07/23/cfl_week_5_picks_surprising_eskimos_face_archrival_stampeders_in_battle_of_unbeaten_clubs.html

There's a huge amount of his work available. http://www.oldies.com/performer-view/James-Garner.html http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A2625373011%2Ck%3AJames%20Garner http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=James+Garner&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3AJames+Garner

Nice list of people he's played with over the years. Reed Master Harvey Wainapel's "Amigos Brasileiros Vol. 2" Due for September 2 Release By His JazzMission Records Disc Is a Showcase for His Musical Alliances With Some of Brazil's Top Composers, Players, & Arrangers CD Release Shows Include Kuumbwa, Santa Cruz, 9/4 California Jazz Conservatory, Berkeley, 9/5 Rhythm & Rye, Olympia, 10/6 The Royal Room, Seattle, 10/7 July 22, 2014 Saxophonist and clarinetist Harvey Wainapel has been dividing his time between Berkeley and Brazil for nearly 15 years now, and in the course of his expansive Brazilian travels he's forged deep musical friendships with an array of that country's notable composers and instrumentalists. Many of them were showcased on Wainapel's gorgeous 2007 travelogue Amigos Brasileiros, and many more are in the spotlight on its follow-up, Amigos Brasileiros Vol. 2. The new disc will be released by Wainapel's JazzMission Records on September 2. "I've been pretty ambitious with both of these CDs, but I'm still just scratching the surface," Wainapel says. "There are so many traditions and styles that are very localized and not commercial, so you won't hear them on the radio." The sessions took place in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, and Recife, Brazil; one track featuring carioca pianist and U.S. resident Weber Iago ("Palavras de Menina") was recorded in Washington state. Rhythms such as xote, caboclinho, maracatú, baião, frevo, marcha, and choro infuse intoxicating compositions by Léa Freire ("Mamulengo"), Spok ("Nilinho na Aldeia"), Wilson Lopes ("Árvore"), and Marco César/João Lyra ("Triunfando"). The leader contributes "Nas Ruas de Perdizes," a composition selected as a semi-finalist for the 2010 Curitiba Choro Festival (and the only entry by a non-Brazilian). In many ways Amigos Brasileiros Vol. 2 serves as a savvy on-the-ground survey of the contemporary Brazilian scene, a thoughtfully curated guide to musicians' musicians in a nation bound together by sound. Instrumental music is overshadowed in Brazil by vocal music, which means many of the Amigos Brasileiros players and composers are unsung at home. "I wanted to reflect what's happening now with the people I meet," says Wainapel, "and they were kind enough to include me on their scene. There's so much creative energy down there. You never get to the end of it." Equally adept on clarinets and saxophones, Wainapel (pronounced wine-apple) has also collaborated with some of jazz's most acclaimed musicians over the past three decades, including pianists Kenny Barron and McCoy Tyner, tenor saxophonists Joe Henderson and Joe Lovano, and drummer Billy Hart. It was while living in New York City, in 1979, that he first contracted his fever for Brazilian music. He landed a weekly gig playing in a large Brazilian jazz ensemble led by Thiago de Melo, which also included drummer Duduka da Fonseca, Wainapel's onetime Berklee classmate Claudio Roditi, and pianist Marcos Silva. The fever became an obsession. "It's led me to making these annual trips," says the saxophonist, a native of upstate Ellenville, New York, "though I play jazz there too. Brazilians love jazz, so it's 50/50. The Brazilian side injects a lot of emotion into my playing, and it opened up my concept of melody and harmony." Wainapel has gone on to tour internationally with Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, and perform in the U.S. and Brazil with such top figures as composer Guinga, guitar virtuoso Paulo Bellinati, and master pianists Jovino Santos Neto and Nelson Ayres. Wainapel relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1982 and quickly became an in-demand player. He made his recording debut as a leader in 1994 with At Home/On the Road, followed by Ambrosia: The Music of Kenny Barron (1996) and The Hang (1998), with Barron at the piano. Wainapel's first full recording of Brazilian music was 2004's New Choros of Brazil, a duo album with guitarist Paulo Bellinati that focused on previously unrecorded choros by masters like Sérgio Assad, Guinga, and Dori Caymmi. The saxophonist is planning a special series of shows to celebrate the release of Amigos Brasileiros Vol. 2. He'll be appearing 9/4 at Kuumbwa, Santa Cruz, and 9/5 at the California Jazz Conservatory (formerly the Jazzschool), Berkeley, with special guests Vitor Gonçalves on piano (Hermeto Pascoal, Maria Bethânia, Anat Cohen) and Cleber Almeida on drums and percussion (Hamilton de Holanda, Banda Mantiqueira), plus bassist Scott Thompson and percussionist Brian Rice. He'll also be performing as a duo with Gonçalves 9/10 at Sonoma State University (1-3 pm) and 9/12 at Old Siskiyou Barn, Ashland, Oregon. Wainapel and carioca vocalist (and longtime California resident) Claudia Villela are scheduled to appear together at the Monterey Jazz Festival 9/19. In October, Wainapel will head to the Northwest for additional CD release gigs with pianist and frequent collaborator Jovino Santos Neto and his group: 10/6 at Rhythm & Rye, Olympia (also featuring Filó Machado) and 10/7 The Royal Room, Seattle. And then the saxophonist will pack his bags for another temporada in Brazil, staying for most of the remainder of 2014. "Time to start working on Volume 3!" says Wainapel. Photography: Don Fogg Web Site: harvjazz.com Follow:

Are any of you New Yorkers familiar with her? MAYIMBA MUSIC TO RELEASE VIDA. ARTE. AMOR. A BRAZILIAN JOURNEY WITH MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST LAURA DREYER AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE AUGUST 27, 2014 Laura Dreyer sax, flute Itamar Assiere piano Jefferson Lescowich bass Mila Schiavo percussion Aldivas Ayres trombone Davy Mooney guitar & Bernardo Bosisio Marcio Amaro drums Karen Rodriguez vocals Débora Watts Teri Koide New York, July 22, 2014 - Laura Dreyer, a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, has established herself as a vital member of the New York jazz scene. Always drawn to Brazilian music, the composer, educator and multi-instrumentalist created a "latinized" fusion incorporating elements of jazz, funk, and rock. Dreyer was a founding member and contributing arranger for the big band DIVA. In this capacity, she worked with luminaries Dave Brubeck, Rosemary Clooney, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Slide Hampton and Clark Terry, among others. Additionally she has performed with Dr. Billy Taylor, Mel Lewis, Robert Palmer, Nnenna Freelon, Lea Delaria, Leny Andrade and Portinho. She was a band member for the award-winning musicals "Hot and Sweet" and the Duke Ellington tribute, "Hit Me With A Hot Note." The National Endowment for the Arts awarded Dreyer grants in performance and professional jazz study/composition. She participated in the BMI Jazz Composer's Workshop and four of her songs have received an honorable mention in Billboard Magazine's songwriting contests. Dreyer has been active as an educator, and continues to write for music publications. Of her current work she says, "I discovered an intrinsic emotional quality in Brazilian music that helped me find a deeper level of self-expression. After having performed many times with Brazilian jazz artists throughout the years in New York City and Brazil, I began to envision recording my newest album in Rio de Janeiro. I had worked with world-class Rio-based jazz artists in Brazil, and realized that I had found the perfect group of musicians to perform my music and complete my vision." In the spirit of creating a multi- cultural recording, vocalist and music educator Professor Roger Wesby wrote lyrics in Spanish for one of Dreyer's compositions. Brazilian vocalist Débora Watts adapted these lyrics to Portuguese, and penned lyrics to another one of Dreyer's songs. Vocalist Teri Koide contributed her vocal talents and English lyrics to another piece, and Karen Rodriguez helped with further Spanish lyrics and stellar vocals. The repertoire was completed with the addition of two arrangements of a composition by the legendary Romeo Santos. The 14 tracks of the CD were recorded in the historic neighborhood of Santa Teresa with engineer Carlos Fuchs at his state of the art studio. Dreyer concludes, "I am grateful that the magic I felt during the recording session, and my passion for the fascinating sounds of Brazil, are captured on Vida. Arte. Amor." TRACKS Caminhos Novos Beauty & The Beast Ping Pong La Pena El Placer (Portuguese Version) Beijo del Sol (Rio Version) Spring St. Vale La Pena El Placer O Outro Lado do Seu Amor Perdendo Voce A Somba Se Foi Until Daybreak Arcade A Danca dos Cacharros Perdiendote For further info please visit www.lauradreyer.com or http://mayimbamusic.com.

I see that Big Lots is selling a new flavor of Brach's candy corn called Carrot Cake. http://www.biglots.com/p/c/new-arrivals/brachs-carrot-cake-candy-corn

Happy Birthday 2014 Joel!

Happy Birthday 2014 BeBop!

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/07/20/movie-television-legend-james-garner-dies-at-86/?intcmp=trending

I am thinking about picking up either the cd box or the dvd box of the Monterey Pop Festival. The cd box is about $6 per cd. The dvd box is about $13.50 per dvd. Is anyone familiar with both? Have a preference? (I saw the movie in the theatre way back when.) Thanks!

Maverick is one of my very favorite shows, top three for sure. And my favorite Maverick episodes featured Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., as Dandy Jim Buckley. We lost him a few weeks ago too. RIP.

Eskimos 26....Blue Bombers 3 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=4709817 It was a defensive struggle the first half, and the Esks wore down the Bomber d-line the second half. The Bombers' offense showed nothing the entire game. ***** Redblacks 18....Argos 17 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=4710099 Great game! See-saw battle. The Redblacks won their franchise home opener. ***** Stampeders 10....Tiger-Cats 7 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=4710097 It was interesting only because the score was close. The Ticats had a chance to tie it at the end, but the snap for the field goal was muffed. So far, it looks like the Ticats O just isn't very good. Zach Collaros is hurt, so they started rookie Jeremiah Masoli, who didn't do well. Here's a video of Brad Sinopoli's TD. http://cfl.ca/video/index/id/99177 ***** Lions 41....Alouettes 5 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=4710261 The Lions controlled the entire game. The Als had 16 possessions in the game, and failed to get a first down in 13 of them. I wonder how long Tom Higgins will stick with Troy Smith. Emmanuel Arceneaux caught 3 touchdown passes. ***** Arland Bruce has filed a suit against the league regarding a concussion he suffered. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=457358 ***** Along with Chad Owens, the Argos have also placed Jason Barnes on the six-game list. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=457401

Lowell Ullrich Week 4 picks http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/07/17/the-picks-week-4-in-the-cfl/ ***** The Argos have placed Chad Owens on the six-game injured list. Any guesses on how they'll do without him? They've also signed Maurice Mann. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=457401 ***** cfl.ca Week 4 game notes http://cfl.ca/article/2014-cflca-game-notes-a-look-at-week-4

Mike Beamish Week 4 picks and power rankings http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/football/lions/Week+Picks+power+rankings/10036174/story.html ***** Remember this one?

The Count Basie OAS discussed elsewhere will be released in the UK August 4. The pre-order price is currently 15.99 GBP. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Count-Basie-Original-Album/dp/B00JH53O98/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1405557490&sr=1-1&keywords=count+basie+original+album+series However, the US price is $33.99. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JH53O98/ref=s9_simh_co_p15_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-3&pf_rd_r=0Y4447ZXC5VCHCK83NFM&pf_rd_t=3201&pf_rd_p=1774864582&pf_rd_i=typ01 It will be released on the continent August 1. Current price there is 26,55 euros. http://www.amazon.de/Original-Album-Series-Count-Basie/dp/B00JH53O98/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405557755&sr=8-1&keywords=count+basie+original+album+series

Gregg Xenakes Week 4 picks http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=4709456 ***** Dan Ralph Week 4 picks http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/2014/07/16/cfl_picks_bombers_eskimos_meet_in_showdown_of_leagues_biggest_surprises.html ***** The Riders released Hugh Charles. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=457347 ***** Here's a nice little history of Ottawa football. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=457320

"One for Miles, One for Maynard," Second CD from Pittsburgh-Based Trombonist/Composer Reggie Watkins, Due for August 26 Release CD Release Shows Featuring Watkins's Quartet Scheduled for Rockwood Music Hall, NYC, 9/25 & James Street Gastropub, Pittsburgh, 9/27 July 15, 2014 If there was a lesson trombonist Reggie Watkins learned from both Maynard Ferguson and Miles Davis, it was that jazz can -- and should -- go anywhere it wants, stylistically. On his infectious new album, One for Miles, One for Maynard -- his second as a leader and first since 2004 -- Watkins and his band offer deep bop grooves, soulful vigor, and sparkling interplay. The CD will be released by Corona Music on August 26. Produced by the trombonist and recorded in the historic Heid Studio in Pittsburgh, where Watkins has been based since the mid-'90s, the recording features a cast of terrific and versatile players from the area including the rhythm section of pianist Howard Alexander III of the Afro American Music Institute, double bassist Jeff Grubbs of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and drummer David Throckmorton, a "monster" player, says Watkins, whose father Bob drummed with singer Buddy Greco, among others. Those names, plus those of trumpeter Ian Gordon, lead trumpeter Steve Hawk, and saxophonist Rick Matt, may not be familiar to people in other cities. But they're all highly regarded players -- as is Brooklyn wild card Matt Parker, who, like Watkins, Throckmorton, and Matt, is an alumnus of Maynard Ferguson's Big Bop Nouveau. "Maynard had a wave of Pittsburgh musicians in his band," says Watkins. "He'd come through town and, based on recommendations, snap people up. That band worked nine months out of the year and played a million gigs. I got so much out of it." The "one" for Miles, "Shhh," from In a Silent Way, is played in "a relaxed, thoughtful mode," while Ferguson's "Chala Nata," from his 1970 M.F. Horn album, is updated with scratch effects, samples, and funky groove. Three originals by the leader, two from saxophonist Parker, and one by McCoy Tyner ("Contemplation") round out the program. Reggie Watkins was born on August 24, 1971 in Wheeling, West Virginia. He played trumpet and tuba in high school before switching to valve trombone, then eventually slide trombone. It was as a music major at West Virginia University that he was first exposed to the playing of 'bone legend J.J. Johnson. "From the first moment I heard him solo, my life was changed," he said. "J.J.'s melodic concept, the clarity of his tone, just the image of him playing got to me. As dazzled as I was by his speed, it was those other things that mattered the most." In Pittsburgh, Watkins was influenced by Roger Humphries, the local legend known for playing with Horace Silver on such classic albums as Song for My Father. Watkins became involved in various bands and gained a reputation for his strong, groove-minded playing. In 1999, Watkins became Maynard Ferguson's trombonist, music director, and arranger. He is featured as a trombonist and arranger on Swingin' for Schuur, the 2001 album the trumpeter made with singer Diane Schuur. In 2003, Watkins performed at the 16th annual Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Competition -- the only one dedicated to the trombone. He didn't win -- that honor went to Andre Heyward of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. But he was thrilled to have been chosen as one of 11 semi-finalists by trombone greats Conrad Herwig and Eddie Bert and to perform with the all-star rhythm section of Eric Reed, Robert Hurst, and Carl Allen. "I also got to perform in front of my idols," he said. "It was an amazing experience." The next year, Watkins recorded his first album, A-List, which was part of the Maynard Ferguson Presents series. The recording featured his compositions and arrangements. Watkins played with pop artist Jason Mraz ("I'm Yours") from 2008 to 2013 as part of The Grooveline Horns, an Austin, Texas-based pop and funk horn section that prides itself on being able to play anything from Engelbert Humperdinck to the Beastie Boys. He values his experience with Mraz as much as any in his career. "I'm into all parts of music, everything," says Watkins, who lived in Austin during most of his association with Mraz. "There's nothing I'm adamantly against. It was refreshing to gain perspective, going back and forth from jazz bands to Jason. I found out that I really loved section work. And Grooveline is a great section to work in." Watkins is planning two shows to mark the release of One for Miles, One for Maynard. He'll be performing with his quartet (including Howard Alexander III, piano, and David Throckmorton, drums) at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City, 9/25, and James Street Gastropub, Pittsburgh, 9/27. "It was important for me on this record to represent honestly not just my influences but also my own voice and where I've been," says Watkins. Photography: Sienna Watkins Web Site: reggiewatkinsmusic.com Follow:

Bobby is currently touring with Steely Dan, so maybe there will be a lot of interest in this album. Origin Records to Release "My Shining Hour," New CD by Bobby Broom's Trio With Dennis Carroll & Makaya McCraven, August 19 Trio to Perform at Chicago Jazz Festival August 31 Broom's New Organ Trio, The Bobby Broom Organi-sation, Opening for Steely Dan Jamalot Ever After Tour July 2-September 21 July 9, 2014 While Bobby Broom's 2012 CD Upper West Side Story ("a spectacular album" -- DownBeat) focused exclusively on original material, the guitarist takes a very different tack with My Shining Hour, due for August 19 release from Origin Records. The luxuriantly melodic session features Broom's working trio -- with bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Makaya McCraven -- placing their stamp on beloved American Songbook standards. "When I formed the trio in 1991 it was to avoid playing weather-worn standards with makeshift groups," Broom says. But when bassist Carroll suggested they adopt "Jitterbug Waltz," Fats Waller's classic tune ended up opening the door to "the great songs that have lasted, that became part of the American quilt. Only one of the pieces we recorded had been in the trio's repertoire. These were all newly approached by me and the group." In addition to the title selection and "Jitterbug Waltz," the program includes "Just One of Those Things," "Oh, Lady Be Good," "My Ideal," and "Sweet Georgia Brown." Two other songs, Lerner and Loewe's "The Heather on the Hill" and the non-standard "Tennessee Waltz," were picked up by Broom during his lengthy tenure with Sonny Rollins. It's a testament to the trio's cohesiveness and deeply shared intuition that the album ends up feeling like far more than a collection of familiar tunes. Broom's free-spirited approach provides plenty of room for Carroll's subtle interplay and McCraven's dancing figures. "What I've had to come to terms with is the spaciousness that is inherent in the guitar trio," Broom says. "In the beginning there was all this room, and no one playing chords behind me when I'm soloing and playing melodies. Now I almost accompany myself with chords as I play melodies, and the melodies shape the harmonies during my solos." Carroll, who came up on the Chicago scene playing with heavyweights like Jodie Christian, Bunky Green, and Clifford Jordan, has anchored Broom's trio for more than two decades. There's been more turnover in the drum chair, which has become something of a launching pad for stellar young players. From George Fludas and Dana Hall to Kobie Watkins, Broom's drummers have all joined the elite ranks. McCraven, who started playing with Broom about five years ago, is on the same trajectory. "Makaya is all of 30, and he came along after Kobie was getting really busy," Broom says. "He's got a certain nonstop intensity and energy, a free-flowing array of ideas that touch on a variety of styles. And Dennis and I have played for such a long time we really work as a tandem. He's very harmonically astute, and wants to find the right colors for the moment." Broom's other threesome, the Deep Blue Organ Trio, disbanded last year after more than a decade together, which included working on several occasions as Steely Dan's opening act. For Steely Dan's summer 2014 Jamalot Ever After Tour, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Walter Becker and Donald Fagen invited Broom to join them once again. The result is the brand-new Bobby Broom Organi-sation, with Makaya McCraven or Kobie Watkins, drums, and Ben Paterson, organ. Their upcoming performances on the 46-city, 56-show tour will find its leader delving into material from Modern Man, Broom's seminal 2001 Delmark Records organ-group recording (which featured Dr. Lonnie Smith), as well as some of his trio's versions of '60s and '70s pop music classics. "I'm looking forward with anticipation to taking these excellent, energetic young musicians around the country with me to play jazz for the masses," says Broom. "What an extraordinary forum it will be for us to do that. My hat's off to Steely Dan!" Complete tour dates are listed at steelydan.com. (The trio will not be appearing in the following cities, as the venues do not support opening acts: Thackerville, OK, 7/18; Niagara Falls, NY, 8/8; Hammond, IN, 8/17; Windsor, Ont., 8/22.) Broom will take time out from the tour to perform a CD release show with his guitar trio at the Chicago Jazz Festival on 8/31. "It's been nearly 15 years since the Bobby Broom Trio has played the Festival," says the guitarist. "Back then was a significant time for us. We were still forming our identity and had just recorded, but not released, Stand! It will be great, after the whirlwind Steely Dan tour, to return home in more ways than one and to play this glorious venue." Photography: Todd Winters Web Site: bobbybroom.com Like: Follow:

Laurie Antonioli Sings The Music of Joni Mitchell On Her New Origin CD, "Songs of Shadow, Songs of Light," Set for August 19 Release Follow-Up to Her 2010 "American Dreams" CD Features Her Longtime Band Pianist Matt Clark, Reed Player Sheldon Brown, Guitarist Dave MacNab, Bassist John Shifflett, & Drummer Jason Lewis Plus Special Guest Theo Bleckmann July 2, 2014 Vocalist Laurie Antonioli delivers the most personal and soul-baring statement of her esteemed career with the release, on August 19, of Songs of Shadow, Songs of Light: The Music of Joni Mitchell. The CD, her first for the Origin label, finds the acclaimed Bay Area jazz singer returning with obvious passion and inspiration to her earliest musical influence. "Joni's music is such a part of me, it's like a second skin," says Antonioli. "So is jazz, of course, but this goes even deeper. It's where I started. It's both a personal and a generational thing." Repertoire is largely drawn from early-period Mitchell, including "Marcie" from Mitchell's 1968 debut album Song to a Seagull and the obscure "Eastern Rain," recorded by Fairport Convention in 1969 but never by the composer herself. Antonioli puts her stamp on some of Joni's less frequently covered songs, such as "Woman of Heart and Mind," "Hissing of Summer Lawns," "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire," and "People's Parties," on which Theo Bleckmann contributes the background-vocal choir effects. Also included is "Both Sides Now," Joni's most recorded song. For that reason, Antonioli wasn't sure about tackling it, but "each day, at the end of the session, [pianist] Matt [Clark] and I did one or two takes to see if we could get something. We didn't rehearse or even talk about it, other than to agree we wanted to find a different approach to it. The song evolved into a haunting jazz ballad." Clark and the other members of Laurie's band of eight years' standing -- guitarist Dave MacNab, bassist John Shifflett, drummer Jason Lewis, and reed player Sheldon Brown -- are her full collaborators on this project, handling arrangements as well as helping to shape the material in performances in the year before it was finally recorded in December 2013. In fact, Antonioli recalls the moment, three years ago, when she decided that she had to do this project. Clark started playing "Boho Dance" and "I started singing along. I asked: do you know this tune, do you know that one? And he knew them all, by heart, just about every song she ever wrote." Songs of Shadow, Songs of Light was recorded "live" at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, with "each of us isolated so we could all play at the same time. Thus the improvisational sections and endings and all the interaction were happening as it would in a concert. This is generally not how people make records anymore," adds Antonioli. "Most singers get their 'tracks' and redo or practice their parts and then record." Early on in her career, Bay Area native Laurie Antonioli was a protégée of Joe Henderson, Mark Murphy, and Pony Poindexter, who recruited the 22-year-old singer for an extensive European tour that turned into an eight-month sojourn in 1980. Following the release of her 1985 recording debut Soul Eyes, a duo album with George Cables, Antonioli was one of the region's most visible singers, booked at leading venues and festivals with her own band, performing regularly with Bobby McFerrin, and sitting in with luminaries like Tete Montoliu, Jon Hendricks, and Cedar Walton at Keystone Korner. Raising her daughter, combined with Antonioli's work as an educator, subsequently kept her off the U.S. scene for too many years. In the summer of 2006, she returned to the Bay Area from a four-year tenure running the Vocal Department at The Jazz Institute in Graz, Austria to take a position as the Chair of the Vocal Program at the Jazzschool in Berkeley. The Jazzschool is now an accredited institution known as the California Jazz Conservatory, Antonioli's unique eight-semester vocal program holding up under the rigors of the reviewing committees. Laurie's second album, 2004's Foreign Affair, is a bracing blend of post-bop jazz and Balkan music created with players from Serbia, Albania, Germany, and the U.S. In 2005, her long-running partnership with Richie Beirach culminated in the release of The Duo Session on Nabel Records, a critically acclaimed album featuring Miles Davis jazz standards and Antonioli's lyrics set to the pianist's compositions. Her fourth album, American Dreams (2010), was inspired by feelings that arose during her years abroad and features a number of her collaborations with Austrian pianist Fritz Pauer. "It is not hyperbole to say," wrote C. Michael Bailey in his All About Jazz review of the CD, "that Laurie Antonioli is emerging as the most important vocalist, let alone jazz vocalist, this decade. Let us hope for much more music from this brilliant constellation in the west." Laurie Antonioli and her American Dreams band will perform a CD release show for Songs of Shadow, Songs of Light at Yoshi's San Francisco, Sunday 9/28. People's Parties (2:41) Court and Spark Rainy Night House (5:01) Ladies of the Canyon Barangrill (3:26) For the Roses Eastern Rain (4:27) [Not previously recorded by Mitchell] Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire (4:52) For the Roses Both Sides Now (5:18) Clouds Hissing of Summer Lawns (4:56) The Hissing of Summer Lawns Woman of Heart and Mind (5:02) For the Roses This Flight Tonight (4:37) Blue River (4:41) Blue I Don't Know Where I Stand (4:39) Clouds California (4:32) Blue Marcie (5:49) Song to a Seagull Photography: a-retrospective Web Site: laurieantonioli.com Like: Follow:

Happy Birthday 2014 Tom!