Lazaro Vega

He left out Golf and Jeff Lorber but otherwise this is a perfectly insulting piece of straight up biography.

Portrait: Kenny G From Ice Capades to Web Controversy By Mike Zwerin PARIS, 26 July 2000 - The first time 10-year-old Kenny Gorelick took this neat little sax out of its case and put it together he thought wow, this is fun, I'm going to have a great time with this thing. By the fourth grade he was already the best sax player in the school. The teachers gave him perks and encouraged him. Older guys would ask him how he did this or that and he thought gee whiz, they're asking me and I'm just a kid, I guess I have a knack for this thing. Teachers patted him on the back and said "hey, you're great" and even if he wasn't as good as all that it made him want to try harder. Grover Washington Jr. was already making records playing the sax. Kenny liked Grover's style. He decided that, if Grover could do it, he could make a living playing the sax, too. The band director at the University of Washington was contracting musicians for shows that came through Seatlle - The Ice Capades, Johnny Mathis, Liberace, Sammy Davis Jr. and so on. The band director took Kenny under his wing. He gave Kenny some calls and it was easy for him. He was the only young musician included with all those older union guys. It was fun. It was no problem. Twenty years later, now billed as Kenny G, his albums are in every elevator and airport you have the misfortune to go down in or pass through. (One nice thing about the French is that he is not popular in France.) It has gotten so by now that any pop album without a vocal on it is called "smooth jazz." As if the rest of it were bumpy. Millions and millions of units sold. G's success gets a lot of jazz people mad. The late Grover Washington and David Sanborn are the only two saxophone players who even come close in sales. G can't really say what's different between his style and theirs, but he does hint, accompanied by expressive eye-contact, that his music must be better than theirs because he sells more records than they do. I am not making this up. An angry critique of G by the guitarist Pat Metheny has recently been widely circulated on the internet. Metheny is correct but he wastes his time and energy. The music isn't good enough to deserve an intelligent analysis. There's nothing new about the success of dumb music. The fight against vulgar and dishonest music is long lost. Better to spend your time listening to Mozart. Critics describe his music as bland, sappy, shallow, soporific, and boring. Some people call it "yuppie jazz." Kenny does not believe that yuppie is meant in a flattering way. It's not something he'd like to see on his tombstone. But it doesn't really bother him. Yuppies are people who are better educated getting those accounting firm jobs, the advertising firms and the lawyers. He's not saying they're better people, but they need to relax more than blue-collar people. It's fine either way. Nobody's better than anybody or anything but if it's true that yuppies are under more pressure, then his kind of music seems to relax them. It's just a theory he has. Might be 100 percent wrong. Probably is. It's a question of taste. It so happens at this time that people are inclined to be more attracted to Kenny's music. Kenny imagines from his 44 years on this earth that women like softer music. They are the ones who are buying his records. He's sold a lot of records. That's great. But it doesn't mean he's going to change everything because of success and notoriety. It doesn't mean he's going to be a singer or movie star. People get crazy. They think they can do anything. He's been playing sax for 34 years. He can't all of a sudden do something else. Sometimes he gets calls to do music that isn't his own. He has to say no. Music is easy for him or he can't do it. That big hit he had, "Songbird," it wasn't written to be a hit. That's just the kind of music he writes and it became popular anyway. That's the way it has to be. Easy. Other guys drive themselves nuts looking for better equipment. He has the same Selmer sax with the same mouthpiece and the same brand reed since he started. The saxophone is an extension of himself. When he wakes up, he doesn't say let me change my left arm today. If he feels good, his sax feels good. It's part of himself. If neither of them feels good one day, that's fine, he can live with imperfection. He'd rather go to the movies with his girlfriend than spend time in shops looking for the magic horn. He already has it. He'd rather go swimming, or for a hike, or a bike ride. He wants to be a well-rounded person. He's always thinking about how to become a better leader. He believes in leading by example. You have to be a good communicator. If somebody has a problem, wait for the right moment and get it settled. It's difficult, the guys in the band are on the road as much as experiencing the same hardships and their rewards are not as much as his. He's known two of his guys for 26 years. They're not quite as peer-like as they were. When he comes into the middle of a conversation and they're talking about financing a new synthesizer they say something to him like, "Go out and buy a Porsche. Come back later." They don't want him around right then. It hurts his feelings. He'll live with it. He has to - short of splitting everything seven ways which isn't fair either. So he tries to give better perks, like flying their girlfriends to Hawaii. But people don't remember those things. Ten days later they're mad at you for not giving them enough per diem. That's just the way it is. He's the boss. He never listened to Coleman Hawkins and those older guys. Early Coltrane, that's as far back as he can go. He never learned the old standard songs either, just started off with the Ice Capades in Seatlle and then his own things. If you gave him a page with chords on it, he couldn't play a note. He watches other guys reading all those complicated symbols, he can't imagine how they do it. He guesses he could learn how if he had to but he can do his own stuff in his context better than anybody and he's getting a lot of radio play. He must be doing something right. He'd like to live more in the present. He envies people who can stop planning who don't think about the future, like about what to do for dinner tonight. That's difficult for him. He's always been one of these achiever-type people. Very motivated. An American dream guy all the way. Push push push. Try try try. Study study study. One of the guys in the band tells him he should stop and smell the roses. He'd like to come to Europe to live, he wishes he could learn other languages and other cultures instead of being isolated and ignorant. A lot of Americans are ignorant about what goes on in the world. He envies somebody who can speak French. He loves Seattle, though. Seattle's a great town. Mike Zwerin has been jazz and rock critic for the International Herald Tribune for the last twenty years. He was also the European correspondent for The Village Voice. Mike Zwerin is the author of several books on jazz and the jazz editor of Culturekiosque.com.

Jim are you talking about "Lost Brother"? http://www.hopscotchrecords.com/assif.html

Good for the Jammies to realize what a fine band is in their midst.

But he's more convincing on "So Tired" now.

100 copies of John Hollenbeck's album is, wow. You'd think with a piece inspired by the theme to Marian McParland's "Piano Jazz" ("Folkmoot") he'd have garnered airplay all over the country, Earl. Of course, air play is not the same as passing over a laser and into Sound Sca(m)n. I imagine there were at least four promo copies sent into Michigan for radio airplay, and if they went out in those numbers to other states...In any case, it's not a bad album. Glad the Gram Nom helped open up some doors for sir stick a lot.

The Cuong Vu Trio performs live on Blue Lake Public Radio Wednesday, February 15th from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. est. Please join Cuong Vu, trumpet; Stomu Takeishi, bass; and Ted Poor, drums, on WBLV FM 90.3 (Muskegon and the Lake Michigan shoreline)/WBLU FM 88.9 (Grand Rapids, Michigan)/ and streaming live over www.bluelake.org . Jazz Director Lazaro Vega will host and Program Director Steve Albert is broadcast engineer for this performance. There will be no archiving of Vu’s appearance on the Blue Lake web site, though the recording will be available for future broadcast on the radio. For a full schedule of this tour, and for great photos of Vu on tour with Pat Metheny, see www.cuongvu.com Bio from www.cuongvu.com Cuong Vu is widely recognized by jazz critics as a leader of a new generation of innovative musicians. A truly unique musical voice, Cuong has lent his trumpet playing talents to a wide range of artists including Pat Metheny, Laurie Anderson, David Bowie, Dave Douglas, Cibo Matto, Mitchell Froom, and Chris Speed. Since moving to New York in 1994, Cuong has been active leading various groups, most notably his trio with Stomu Takeishi (bass) and Ted Poor (drums). He has toured extensively throughout the world and has given clinics and master classes throughout the US and Europe. As a leader, Cuong has released four recordings, “Bound” (OmniTone), “Pure” (Knitting Factory Records), “Come Play With Me” (Knitting Factory Records) and “It's Mostly Residual” (ArtistShare) to critical acclaim, with each one having been considered among the best recordings of their respective years. Each record displays how he has carved out a distinctive sonic territory on the trumpet while blurring all stylistic borders. Cuong was born on September 19, 1969 in Saigon, Vietnam. He immigrated to Seattle at the age of 6 and began playing the trumpet at the age of 11. His intense dedication and love for music led him to a full scholarship at the New England Conservatory of Music where he received his Bachelor of Music in Jazz studies with a distinction in performance. While at NEC, Cuong was greatly influenced by saxophonist Joe Maneri who encouraged him to push the established sonority and role of the trumpet into areas that had yet to be explored. A recipient of numerous awards and honors, Cuong was awarded the Colbert Award for Excellence: The Downtown Arts Project Emerging Artist Award and was mentioned as one of the top 50 young Jazz Artists in an article called “The New Masters” from the British magazine, “Classic CD”. In 2002 and 2006, Cuong was a recipient of the Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album as a member of the Pat Metheny Group. Press from www.cuongvu.com There are few trumpeters in downtown music who play with as much authority as Cuong Vu. His compositions…with their skillfully written sequential episodes through patches of woolliness and calm, are fast gaining pace with his strong tone and improvisational skill. NY Times It’s Mostly Residual is more about crafting haunting sounds capes than running scales...So it’s all right, then, that to me It’s Mostly Residual’s title track opens like a dawn-chorus invocation of a sun-and-surf summer’s day, or that “Brittle, Like Twigs” is reminiscent of an urban car chase in which every corner turned reveals a surprise, or that “Blur” appears to meld ambient drone-scapes with the kind of ever-rising melody that wouldn’t be out of place behind the closing scenes of a Hollywood epic. Georgia Straight "It's hard to avoid references to Miles Davis when talking about the trumpet, but Cuong is the nearest thing I've heard to someone encapsulating and surpassing Davis' range of textures. Imagine, if you will, Bitches Brew or On The Corner, but with more cinematic clarity and less drug-addled wank. That's where Cuong Vu and his musical juggernaut are sitting, just waiting to crush you. And you'll love it." Splendidezine.com

In the liner notes to “Thirteen Pictures: The Charles Mingus Anthology” (Rhino Records). Andrew Homzy writes “Among Mingus’ extended works, ‘Meditations on Integration’ ranks with his greatest accomplishments.” At one point he writes, “The penultimate, and perhaps best, ensemble performance of 'Meditations' was that done for a CBC television program in Toronto on Halloween 1964. For this occasion the composer augmented his reed section to include five saxoponists and an oboist. One reason this version sounds so good is that adequate rehearsal time was provided --- if only to allow the camera operators to block out their positions!” Anyone have a lead on that program? Homzy's source?

Tricky Sam!!!! Thanks for listening. Billie Holiday tonight.

wblv fm 90.3 serving Muskegon and the Lake Michigan shoreline wblu fm 88.9 serving Grand Rapids, MI www.bluelake.org (includes links to NPR jazz stories and live streaming schedule) Lazaro Vega, jazz director Midnight Cooper-Moore (with David S. Ware), Ensemble 1 redo ; 1978 Outtakes: Hopscotch Records Oliver Lake, Cloth; Live: Passin' Thru Assif Tsahar/Cooper-Moore/Hamid Drake, Seeking the Punto Fijo; Lost Brother: Hopscotch Records Cuong Vu (who appears live on Blue Lake, Weds 2-15 at 10 p.m.), Brittle, Like Twigs; It's Mostly Residual: Cuong's label Mike Reed, 3. w/Nicole Mitchell; In the Context Of: 482 Music The Respect Sextet, Our Nation's Capital; Respect In You: Roister Records Albert Ayler, Spirits Rejoice; Spirits Rejoice: ESP Disk' Positive listener comments on this seque set from late last night: Joachim Kuhn, She and He is Who Fenn Love/Allotropes, Elements Different Forms or Same; Allegro Vivace: ACT Ornette Coleman/Joachim Kuhn, Night Plans; Colors live from Leipzig: Verve Dominc Duval/Joe McPhee, While My Lady Sleeps; Rules of Engagement V. 2: Drimala

Pistons 97 Clippers 87 AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) - Tayshaun Prince scored 22 points to help the Detroit Pistons snap the L-A Clippers four-game winning streak 97-to-87. The Clippers were without Sam Cassell, who sat out with back spasms. The Pistons have beaten the Clippers seven straight times. Rasheed Wallace had 19 points for Detroit while Chauncey Billups added 18 points. Elton Brand led the Clippers with 30 points, and Cuttino Mobley added 27. (Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) AP-NY-02-08-06 2233EST

There's a nice Bobby Shew feature on Menza Lines, the nearly 10 minute "Prelude to a Kiss," and the roaring side of Menza cruises over "After You've Gone" changes on "Time to Leave."

*** Some news from Senators' website, dedicated to Steve Lacy: FINDINGS, 2nd edition available... at last! Thanks to a new packaging (CDs are now included in the book), both the public price and the shipping fees are reduced. You can order through the website or contacting us. *** Nouveauté sur le site Senators dédié à Steve Lacy : La deuxième édition de FINDINGS enfin disponible ! Grâce à un nouveau conditionnement (les disques sont maintenant inclus dans l'ouvrage), le prix public et les frais d'envoi ont été réduits. Vous pouvez passer commande en ligne ou en nous contactant. the two CDs are now included in the book les deux CD sont maintenant inclus dans le livre Thank you very much for your interest in Steve Lacy's work. Merci de votre intérêt envers la musique de Steve Lacy. Vincent Lainé -- Senators: Steve Lacy's music modus operandi email: vincent.laine@stevelacymusic.org http://stevelacymusic.org/ If you follow the link then click "Homepage" you'll see more information: Findings 2nd edition (2006) "A fascinating collection of Lacy's musings, experiences and reminiscences about the soprano saxophone and his career. The book reveals much about Lacy's approach to music and improvisation, and his philosophy about his art, and the accompanying CDs help to shed more light on his observations and lessons." (In English and Français)

Selling my MUSIC COLLECTION! SALE Link on main page... http://www.bb10k.com/ = Music research, Writing, etc... CRISPELL; Wm. PARKER; RIVERS; SPEARMAN; D.S. WARE; Courvoisier; Eneidi; Ibarra; Maneri; Morris; Shipp Samuel Beckett Eulogy; Baseball & the 10,000 Things; LUCILLE-- a Reverential Journal of the Care of the Beloved Hag Time Stops; LOVETORN; HARD BOIL; ... ETC. CECIL TAYLOR RESEARCH GROUP: + CT Sessionography: http://www.webmutations.com/ceciltaylor/ ANTHONY BRAXTON PROJECT GROUP: ( Sessionography Coming !!! ) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AnthonyBraxtonProject RivBEA_Research / SAM RIVERS RESEARCH COLLECTIVE http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/RivBEA_Research/

The delete button only shows up on secondary posts, right?, not the initial thread starting post. I've reported these to The Moderator, asking for deletion. Aha, now I see under "Moderation Options" there's a pull down for deleating threads you've created. Helps to read the rules, eh?

Well, that was dumb as hell. Instead of editing to put the punctuation in, I kept backing up to the original thread starter and putting it in, then pushing "post new thread." I think MTV has me down as their target audience for "Jackass."

WBLV FM 90.3, Musekgon and the Lake Michigan shoreline WBLU FM 88.9, Grand Rapids web casting from www.bluelake.org Rough draft of Feb. 11, 7 - 8 a.m. Joe Albany, Out of Nowhere ; Two's Company: Steeplechase Joe Albany , Ruby, My Dear; Portrait of an Artist : Elektra Lester Young, New Lester Leaps In/She's Funny That Way; Vol 4 : Blue Moon Warne Marsh , Dahoud/Now's the Time; Live at Dana Point, 1957 : V.S.O.P. Joe Albany , Yardbird Suite ; Bird Lives : Storyville Jazz Datebook Charlie Parker Trio, Cool Blues; Complete Dial : Stash Charlie Parker Septet, Relaxin' At Camarillo; Complete Dial : Stash Charlie Parker , Cheryl ; Boston, 1952 : Uptown Birdology , Big Foot ; Tribute to Verve Vol 1. : Birdology/Dreyfus (edit to include rough draft of second and third hours) 8- 9 a.m. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, 1978 ; In My Prime: Timeless Dave Schnitter, All or Nothing at All; Sketch: Sunnyside The Steve Hall Quintet, On A Scale of One to Five; Quintet: Movealong Jazz Datebook Shahida Nurallah, Putting All My Eggs in One Basket; Ruby and the Pearl: Shadida Nurallah.com Barbara Morrison, (Take the) A Train; Live at the Dakota: Dakota Live Rene Lee and Oliver Jones, Sister Sadie; Just You, Just Me: Justin Time Organissimo, Greaze Monkey; This is the Place: Big O Wonderland Jazz Ensemble, My Delight; A Wish: Elferdink Rick Reuther, Hello Young Lovers; Mud in your Eye: Music Host 9 - 9:55 a.m. Frank Wess, Come Back to Me; Tryin' To Make My Blues Turn Green: Concord Count Basie Orchestra, Whirley Bird; Jazz Fest Master (N.O. '69); Scotti Bros Trio Con Brio, Button Up Your Overcoat; Live at 82 Hundred Brill; Stugglebaby Tony Bennett, Isn't It Romantic; Sings for Lovers: Concord Sarah Vaughn, But Beautiful; Sings for Lovers: Concord Red Garland Trio, Blues in the Closet; Live at the Prelude: Prestige Sonny Rollins, Without A Song; The 9/11 Concert: Concord

All the photos in the book are here, too, including Warne Marsh and Joe Albany relaxing in engineer Ralph Garretson's living room after recording The Right Combination: http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/linernotes/joe_albany.html

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...J\.+Albany The copy of this I have is from the Denver Public Library. Too bad it went out so quick. Good book.

Bergan is a lot more theatrical than Sandy Stewart, more over the top. What did you think of that comparison?

SATURDAY, FEB. 25, 'O6 at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY: HENRY GRIMES workshop in Bard Hall, 4 p.m, free; HENRY GRIMES Quartet featuring MARILYN CRISPELL, TANI TABBAL, and special guest ROSWELL RUDD, Olin Hall, 8 p.m., $15 ($1O for elders and students, free for Bard people with ID), information 845-876-7666, 845-758-7456, http://www.bard.edu/jazzatbard/series10, directions http://www.bard.edu/about/location, jazzatbard@bard.edu. For further information: http://www.HenryGrimes.com, MusicMargaret@earthlink.net. Roswell Rudd Special guest ROSWELL RUDD, trombonist, composer, bandleader, arranger (who just turned 70!), is proud to come out of the tradition of Jack Teagarden, Kid Ory, J.J. Johnson, and Joseph Nanton. Known for his work with groundbreaking groups and musicians such as Herbie Nichols, the New York Art Quartet, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, Carla Bley, and Steve Lacy, his trailblazing on the trombone has influenced an entire generation of trombonists, who hear his extroverted gut-bucket stylings as the modern incarnation of the New Orleans style, along with an equal passionate lyricism in the tradition of American folk songs and ballads. Roswell Rudd has received international recognition as a performer and for his compositions and arrangements, ranging from large-scale music dramas to instrumental jazz suites. His jazz operas "Blues for Planet Earth" and "Gold Rush" have achieved cult status since they were played in the 1960’s. In 2OOO, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in composition; in 'O3, 'O4, and 'O5 he was voted Trombonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association. Meanwhile, for a period of three decades, Roswell Rudd assisted Alan Lomax with his world song-style project, and the wealth of information on the music of this planet inspired Roswell to collaborate beyond the periphery of Western music. One result is MALIcool (Universal/Sunnyside), recorded in Bamako, Mali in 2OO1 with both Malian and American musicians; another is his most recent collaboration, Roswell Rudd and the Mongolian Buryat Band, released on Sunnyside in the fall of 2OO5. In 2OO4 he brought his Trombone Shout Band into the fourth Festival in the Desert in Essakane, Timbuctou, Mali. He co-leads an ensemble with Archie Shepp and tours with MALIcool, the Mongolian Buryat Band, and the Trombone Shout Band. Roswell Rudd is one of the giants, and his playing power and larger-than-life individuality are welcomed and honored everywhere. "Roswell is the most original and accomplished trombonist in the jazz world today, as well as a very important composer, arranger, teacher, and musicologist." -- Steve Lacy For further information: http://www.RoswellRudd.com. Marilyn Crispell The great pianist MARILYN CRISPELL started piano lessons at seven at the Peabody Music School in Baltimore and later studied piano and composition at the New England Conservatory in Boston. After a break for marriage and medical work, she returned to the music world six years later, attended Karl Berger’s Creative Music Studio, and studied jazz harmony with Charlie Banacos in Boston. She met Anthony Braxton at the Studio and toured Europe with his Creative Music Orchestra in 1978, recording on his “Composition 98” album in 1981. Ms. Crispell began playing solo and leading groups in the ‘8O’s and made several albums on the Music & Arts and Leo labels, working with Tim Berne, Andrew Cyrille, Anthony Davis, Reggie Workman, and others. She continued recording throughout the ‘9O’s, yielding a number of fine albums with Fred Anderson, Anthony Braxton, Mark Dresser, George Graewe, Gerry Hemingway, Paul Motian, Gary Peacock, Irene Schweizer, Reggie Workman, and more, as well as several solo recordings; in all, she has made nearly a hundred recordings under her own name and as a member of groups led by others. The recipient of fellowship grants from the New York State Foundation for the Arts and a composition commission from the Mary Flagler Cary Trust, Ms. Crispell has taught improvisation workshops and has given lecture-demonstrations at universities and cultural institutions throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. She has played in many festivals worldwide, including Vision Festival ‘O4 in the Henry Grimes trio, which also featured master percussionist Andrew Cyrille. “As far as I’m concerned, after Cecil Taylor, she’s the strongest pianist that I know of. She’s technically a virtuoso, she can read materials that I don’t think many pianists of her generation can comfortably take care of, she has the kind of facility that’s really awesome, she’s a real musician on the piano, she has a very keen intellect, and she can also respond quickly in the moment.” -- Anthony Braxton. Further information: http://www.MarilynCrispell.com. Tani Tabbal TANI TABBAL plays trap drums, North and West African percussion, tabla, and multi-percussion. In Chicago at age 5, he began playing & exploring drums, and by age 14 he was a professional, playing and performing with Oscar Brown, Jr. At 17, Tani had already played with Phil Cohran and was about to head out on tour with Sun Ra and his Arkestra. Tani Tabbal became known for his fluidity with odd and mixed meters, and his comprehensive knowledge of the tradition, combining with his passion for the avant-garde and pushing the jazz medium, as well as his astonishing ability to blend world rhythms, are all qualities that have brought him concerts, tours, and recordings with Muhal Richard Abrams, Geri Allen, Anthony Braxton, James Carter, Andrew Cyrille, Richard Davis, Oliver Lake, Roscoe Mitchell, David Murray, Pharoah Sanders, Henry Threadgill, and Cassandra Wilson, among others. Tani Tabbal has recorded on Atlantic, Black Saint, Blue Note, DIW, Saturn, Verve, and more. "I have had the honor and privilege to work with Mr. Tabbal for the last thirty years. Tani Tabbal is among the greatest living percussionists today." -- Roscoe Mitchell Further information: http://www.tanitabbal.com. << > ><> >< >< > > Some Bard College contacts: Jazz at Bard, 845-758-7456, jazzatbard@bard.edu; Bard Jazz Club, 914-329-7248, corleone62@aol.com; Bard College Public Relations, 845-758-7512, darrow@bard.edu; http://www.bard.edu/jazzatbard/series10.

"Blue Nefertiti" is based on the Miles Davis Quintet classic "Nefertiti." I wondered if the title piece is also based on a Wayne Shorter tune....?

I liked "Ray."

Been listening to that half of an album on Savoy with Bill Dixon on one side and the New York Contemporary 5 on the other, the version of the band with Curson on two cuts and Don Cherry on one (Sonny Murray playing drums). Curson was all up into Don Cherry on that session. His Cherry inspired playing on the Mingus Candid quartets is still so singable.

The Phillip Wilson duet record with Lester Bowie (Improvising Artists) may be on that list of Wilson's best records, too.