News

Patricia Myers – Remembered

To most in the Arizona jazz scene, Patricia Myers was a supporter, fan and lover of jazz. To Young Sounds, she was family. Myers devoted her life to promoting and nurturing the Phoenix jazz community as both a journalist and a producer of events.

A Celebration of the Life of Patricia Myers

You are invited to a Celebration of the Life of Patricia Myers – jazz journalist, organizer, producer, and bonne vivante – on Saturday April 1, from 1:00pm to 5:00pm, at the ASU Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale. The event is hosted by The Kerr, The Nash, and Patricia’s family.

Young Sounds of AZ Offers Free Community Jazz Night

Young Sounds of Arizona has partnered with The Salvation Army to offer a night of vibrant jazz at The Kroc Corps Community Center on Monday April 3rd. The concert is part of Young Sounds’ efforts to reach out to communities where exposure to the arts may be limited.

Young Sounds Kicks off 2017 in joint Performance with MCC Jazz Band

On Wednesday March 8th, Young Sounds of Arizona and the Mesa Community College Jazz band will team up to offer a lively evening of jazz at MCC’s Performing Arts Center. This performance offers Young Sounds (YS) members a chance to both broaden their performance experience and reach new audiences. Additionally, it is a great opportunity for YS members to meet MCC music department faculty as well as music majors.

Riffs: Music News from Out and About

By Patricia Myers

“Mind Over Music” is a Phoenix Symphony program that uses music to teach children science, math, engineering and other skills. Instead of learning only from textbooks, musicians bring instruments and an oscilloscope into classrooms to demonstrate those concepts via measurements of pitch and vibration.

Riffs: Music News from Out & About

By Patricia Myers

Phoenix-born drummer Lewis Nash has been named the Bob and Gretchen Ravenscroft Professor of Practice in Jazz at Arizona State University. He will join the faculty of the ASU School of Music in January.

Riffs: Music News from Out and About

By Patricia Myers

“Is music the key to success? What is it about serious music training that seems to correlate with outsize success in many diverse fields?” were questions presented in a recent article in the New York Times Sunday Review. Author Joanne Lipman cited high-profile politicians and business professionals who had studied music, linking that to high achievement.

In Memoriam: Bob Cranshaw, jazz bassist, musicians union advocate

By Patricia Myers

Melbourne Robert “Bob” Cranshaw, 83, who had an active career in music that included 50 years with saxophonist Sonny Rollins, also was known for his proactive involvement with the New York Musicians Union. The longtime Blue Note Records artist, who died Nov. 2 in Manhattan from stage 4 cancer, was a strong advocate for the rights of jazz musicians during more than two decades.

Riffs: Music News from Out and About

By Patricia Myers

Amid the conflicts and accusations of this Presidential Election year, it’s important to note that jazz is essentially non-political regarding party affiliation and support. “The art form itself takes no sides on matters of political philosophy or social policy,” stated writer Douglas Groothius a year ago, when the activity already was well underway.

Devon Bridgewater’s New Nuance

By Patricia Myers

An expanded repertoire and new personnel have evolved from Devon Bridgewater’s original Nuance trio, launched 25 years ago to become an esteemed jazz-swing ensemble. The New Nuance embodies freshly diverse and buoyant sounds to represent all that jazz was and still is, performed by a well-honed trio of veteran Phoenix musicians.