The Jazz Datebook 5-14-09

[Lazaro Vega]

May 13, 2009

The Jazz Datebook:

Regular Hits:

Saturdays and Sundays from 6 to 10 p.m. The What Not Inn features a revolving cast of local musicians: May 10, vocalist Mary Rademacher and pianist Mark Kahny; May 16th Entourage; May 17th, the Michael Holmes Trio; May 23, the Lakeshore All Star Blues Band; May 24th, Christy G.; May 30th Jack Tabler. Then on Mondays a jam session open to musicians and vocalists and featuring local, regional and international jazz musicians sitting in with the “house” band with pianist Wally Michaels, bassist Jeff Beavin and drummer Jack Wilkins. No cover charge. Music also presented Saturdays and Sundays. www.whatnotinn.com. The What Not Inn is located at M89 and the Blue Star Highway, 2405 68th Street, Fennville, MI. (269) 543-3341.

Tuesdays, June 2nd and June 16th from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 The Truth In Jazz Orchestra plays swing and improvisational jazz at The West Side Inn, 1635 Beidler St, Muskegon, MI. They’ve recently added some Gordon Goodwin arrangements to their book and have developed a feature for their fearsome trumpet section. Fronted by West Michigan's legendary drummer Tim Froncek the TIJO is 16 Muskegon’s crowning glory. More from www.tijo.org.

Thursdays from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Baton Rouge, LA native Sweet Willie Singleton, or varying cast of Grand Rapids jazz musicians, swing at Gill’s Blue Crab Lounge in The B.O.B., 20 Monroe Ave. N.W., Grand Rapids.

Fridays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. live music in the Peter M. Wege Pavilion at The Grand Rapids Art Museum, 101 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids, with a Jazz Encore from 7:45 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 15th, The Clifford Music Group; 22nd, pianist Dick Reynolds Trio; 29th, The Neil Gordon Trio. (GRAM is also presenting classical chamber music Sunday afternoon from 2 to 3 p.m.). See www.artmuseumgr.org or call (616) 831 – 1000.

Three Fridays a month trumpeter/vocalist/entertainer Sweet Willie Singleton plays jazz in Ada during the dinner hour (6 to 9 p.m.) at the Thornapple Daily Grill, 445 Ada Drive, Ada, MI. (616) 676-1233 www.thegilmorecollection.com/Thornapple/thornapple.html.

Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. live local jazz, blues and other musical forms at The Grand Seafood and Oyster Bar, 24 Washington St., Grand Haven. Live local jazz or blues guitarists on Wednesday evenings from 8 to 11 p.m. (616) 844- 5055.

Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pumpernickels, 202 Butler St., Saugatuck, guitarist Chip Kristi plays jazz for breakfast. (269) 857-1196.

Timely Hits:

Thursday, May 14th at 7 p.m. the west Michigan jazz collective Mind’s Eye joins the Spring Lake High School and Middle School Jazz Bands for an evening of swing at the Spring Lake High School Auditorium. Information from www.springlakebands.org. Mind’s Eye includes Rob Smith on trumpet and saxophone; Steve Talaga, piano; Tom Lockwood, bass; and Keith Hall, drums.

Thursday, May 14th at 8 p.m. Vibraphonist Stefon Harris and Blackout appear in the Dalton Center Recital Hall, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, as part of the Fontana Chamber Arts Winter Season. See http://www.stefonharris.com or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-klKGVbV2hE . Information from (269) 382-7774. The Fontana Chamber Arts is located at the Epic Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 200, Kalamazoo, MI 49007. www.fontanachamberarts.org.

Friday and Saturday, May 15th and 16th at 7 p.m. jazz cum blues guitarist Rick Hicks kicks off a new summer season of Jazz at Gull Landing, 438 South Hancock Street, Pentwater, with his unique mix of rhythm methods. Then Friday May 29th drummer/vocalist Tim Johnson’s Trio with Andy Frisinger on saxophone and Wally Micheals, piano is featured; followed on Saturday, May 20th by Mary Rademacher with the Tim Johnson Trio. On Friday and Saturday June 5th and 6th Ricks Hicks returns, guitar in hand, to team up with Detroit R&B/soul sensation Doc Woodward. Summer officially kicks off Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 19th, 20th and 21st with the legendary jazz organist Mel Rhyne (

) as a member of the Juli Wood Trio. Information from Gull Landing: (231) 869 – 4215.

Saturday, May 16th at 6 p.m. vibraphonist Jim Cooper plays for the Jazz Vesper’s Service at First United Methodist Church, 227 E. Fulton, downtown Grand Rapids.

Monday, May 18th from 6 to 9 p.m. Michelle Covington sings with pianist Scott Patrick Bell with percussionist Bob Thompson in the West Michigan Jazz Society’s Jazz Gumbo Showcase presented at The Kopper Top Guest House, 634 Stocking N.W., Grand Rapids. Phone (616) 458 – 0125 for more information.

Tuesday, May 19th at 7:30 p.m. Wess Warmdaddy Anderson appears with the West Ottawa High School Jazz band, including guests Max Colley III on drums; Matt Heredia, bass; and Mike Jellic, piano.

Wednesday, May 20th from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The Beltline Big Band plays for dancing at The Univeristy Club in the 5/3rd Bank Building, Grand Rapids. See www.wmichjazz.org for information.

Wednesday, May 20th at 9:30 p.m. Organissimo opens for the Chicago jam band Lubriphonic at Billy’s Lounge, 1437 Wealthy S.E., Grand Rapids (in Eastown). (616) 459 – 5757 or www.billyslounge.com

Sunday, May 24th at 8 p.m. The Hot Club of Detroit plays gypsy inspired jazz attended by swing dancers at The Saugatuck Center for the Arts, 400 Culver Street, Saugatuck. Information from (269) 857 – 2399. Experience the sexy, infectious rhythms of “Gypsy Jazz” with this five-time Detroit Music Award winning group and live swing dancers. The Django Reinhardt inspired sound originated in the night clubs of Paris during the 1930’s and is today heard throughout the world. The Hot Club of Detroit features guitarist Evan Perri, accordionist Julien Labro, soprano and tenor saxophonist Carl Cafagna, rhythm guitarist Paul Brady and bassist Shannon Wade. The fibrous accordion tones of Labro, a native of Marseilles, France, links the Detroit quintet to the French musette style -- a waltz style played in the working man’s watering holes of 1930’s era Paris -- from which gypsy jazz partially sprung. Carl Cafagna, a former Blue Lake faculty instructor, pushes out a robust saxophone sound and has introduced bop and post-bop elements to this gypsy jazz band.

Monday, May 25th at 10 p.m. The Hot Club of Detroit plays live on Blue Lake Public Radio at 10 p.m. with support from The Holland Area Arts Council, The Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs and The Gilmore Collection of local restaurants, including The B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids, The Thornapple Dailey Grill in Ada and The Kirby House in Grand Haven. See www.thegilmorecollection.com for more information.

Sunday, May 31st from 3 to 6 p.m. the Chicago-based Red Rose Jazz Band, led by Michigan-born pianist Joan Reynolds, plays ragtime music by Scott Joplin and jazz by New Orleans pioneer King Oliver amongst others, at The Oakridge Country Club, 513 West Pontaluna Road, Muskegon. Information from The West Shore Jazz Society: (231) 759 -0071; or by mail, P.O. Box 175, Muskegon, MI 49443. The series of early jazz parties continues Sunday, July 12th with Bob Adams Buffalo Ridge Jazz Band; August 9th, Dave Greer’s Classic Jazz Stompers; September 6th The Chefs of Dixieland; October 4th the West End Jazz Band; November 1st, The Chicago Salty Dogs.

Monday, June 1st through Thursday, June 4th The Gilmore Collection Summertime Jazz Series features a variety of jazz pianists – Mark Kahny, Wally Michaels, Steve Talaga and Nick Ayoub – at several of the Gilmore Collection restaurants. Music from 7 to 10 p.m. at each venue and musicians are welcome to stop by and sit-in. Monday, June 1st at the Red Jet Café, 1431 Plainfield N.W., Grand Rapids (616) 719 – 5500; Tuesday, June 2nd at The Bluewater Grill, 5180 Northland Drive S.E. (616) 363 – 5900; Wednesday, June 3rd at Mangiamo, 1033 Lake Drive S.E., Grand Rapids (616) 742 - 0600; and Thursday, June 4th at Gills Blue Crab Lounge in The B.O.B., 20 Monroe N.W., Grand Rapids (616) 356 – 2000. More information on line at www.thegilmorecollection.com.

Friday and Saturday, June 12th and 13th at 8 p.m. The Boogie Woogie Babies perform their original music revue right out of the big band era with harmonies styled after The Andrews Sisters sung by Francesca Amari, Mary Rademacher and Barbara Wisse at The Red Barn Theatre, 3657 63rd Street (Blue Star Highway and 63rd, just east of exit 41 off of 1-196/US31) Saugatuck. (269) 857 – 5300 or www.redbarnsaugatuck.com for more information.

June 14th through June 19th, the 2009 Aquinas College Summer Jazz Camp takes place at Aquinas College, 1607 Robinson Road S.E., Grand Rapids. This years the list of instructors includes bassist Matt Brewer and trumpeter Jason Palmer, two of the busiest young musicians in jazz today. For application forms and other information please see: http://www.aquinas.edu/music/pdf/jazzcamp09.pdf .

Monday, June 15th The West Michigan Jazz Society kicks off their new series of Jazz at the Zoo, which continues every Monday for ten weeks, at John Ball Park Zoo in Grand Rapids.

Sunday through Friday, June 14th through June 19th the 2009 Keith Hall Summer Drum Intensive takes place at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo. Open to middle and high school students as well as adults, with scholarships now available, the drum intensive offers study in jazz rhythm section concepts; drum set choir; master classes; transcription; listening and analysis; private lessons; and evening jam sessions. Final concerts take place Thursday and Friday, June 18th and 19th at 8 p.m. at the Union Grill in downtown Kalamazoo. Tuition is $400; room and board $325. A non-refundable $50 deposit is due by April 15th. Information from (201) 406 – 5059, or keith@keithhallmusic.com.

Thursday, June 18th at 8 p.m. the six piece improvising dance band NOMO returns to Founders Brewing Company, 235 Grandville Avenue S.W. in Grand Rapids. You must be 21 years old to attend. See www.foundersbrewing.com or www.ubiquityrecords.com/press for information on NOMO.

Tuesday, June 23rd through Sunday June 28th at 7 p.m. the 18th Annual World Class Jazz Mini Tour gets under way in northern lower Michigan with guitarist Rick Hicks, “Michigan’s answer to B.B. King, Wes Montgomery and Albert King.” The tour opens on Tuesday night at First Street Beach in Manistee; then Wednesday heads over to The Gull Landing in Pentwater; on Thursday riles up the Rotary Pavilion in Cadillac; Friday swings the City Camp Ground in Reed City; Saturday bops the Wenger Pavilion in Baldwin (behind Jones’s Ice Cream!); and Sunday returns to the Gull Landing in Pentwater. The tour will run every week through Labor Day. June 30th to July 5th features Soul/Blues Album of the Year award winners Root Doctor with singer Freddie Cunningham and organist Jim Alfredson; July 7th through July 12th, the New York City All Star Quartet featuring saxophonist Jerry Weldon; guitarist John Hart; organist Akiko Tsuruga and drummer Rudy Petshauer. July 14 – 19th Chicagoan Petra van Nuiss sings with the Andy Brown Quartet; July 21-26, vocalist Rick Reuther with the Tom Hagen/Cherie Lynn Trio; July 28th to August 2nd, vocalist Mary Rademacher with the Mark Kahny Band. August 4th through the 9th, Alberta Adams and Cee Cee Collins Rhythm Rockers; August 11th – 16th, Organissimo with vocalist Freddie Cunningham; August 18th – 23rd New York City area vocalist Nicole Pasternak with saxophonist Ralph Lalama and the Steve Sandner Band; August 25th – 30th the New York City Teachers Band featuring Side-Order and Sax Appeal (a septet of professional musicians who teach in NYC plus west Michigan’s own Tim Froncek on drums).

Saturday, June 27th at the Dogwood Center for the Arts in Fremont, The Harry Goldson Big Band presents a tribute to Benny Goodman with clarinetist Harry Goldson and drummer Chris Ames plus special guest vocalist Claudia Schmidt. Information from www.dogwoodcenter.com or (231) 924 – 8885.

Thursday, July 31st and Friday, August 1st the Saugatuck-Douglas Jazz Festival returns. July 31st at 7:30 p.m. the festival kicks off at Saugatuck Brewing Company, and then continues on the afternoon August 1st at Coghlin Park and the evening of the 1st at Saugatuck United Methodist Church, Saugatuck Christian Reformed Church and Saugatuck Brewing Company. Musicians to perform include Detroit jazz vocalist Shahida Nurullah, bassist Marion Hayden, the Cooper/Hay/VanLente Group, “One For All” an all-star New York ensemble featuring tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, trombonist Steve Davis, trumpeter Jim Rotondi, pianist David Hazeltine, and bassist John Webber), The Flat River Big Band, guitarist Ron English and many others. Produced in co-operation with the Idlewild Foundation. Information from (313) 965 – 0505 of www.saugatuck.com.