Archive for April, 2015

Margo Reed left a long, rich musical legacy

Margo Reed left a long, rich musical legacy

By Patricia Myers

Longtime Phoenix-area jazz and blues vocalist Margo E. Reed, 73, passed away in Phoenix on April 15, 2015, from complications of Alzheimer’s. A Celebration of Life will be from 4-8 pm Saturday, May 2, 2015, at the Rhythm Room, 1019 E. Indian School Road, admission donation at the door. Michael and Francine Reed Andy Gonzales and many others will perform; the opening set will be a jazz set.

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Tribute: I Remember Margo

Tribute: I Remember Margo

By Patricia Myers

S’Wonderful, S’Marvelous, S’Margo. That’s how the song should have been written.

The energy and emotion of her unmistakable sound could chase away the blues or soothe like a mother’s lullaby. Her memorable style is as unique as that of Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington.

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‘The Jazz Message: Celebrating the Legacy of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers’

‘The Jazz Message: Celebrating the Legacy of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers’

By Patricia Myers

The complexity, the power and the musicianship of Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers were celebrated by five band alumni in a sextet anchored by drummer Lewis Nash. Performing in two concerts at the Phoenix-born drummer’s namesake jazz club were tenor saxophonist-leader Javon Jackson, alto saxophonist Bobby Watson, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, pianist Benny Green and bassist Peter Washington, with Nash in the Blakey hot-spot.

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Riffs: Music News from Out and About

Riffs: Music News from Out and About

By Patricia Myers

This month of April 2015 is the 14th annual Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) and the fourth annual International Jazz Day 2015 will be celebrated worldwide and in Phoenix on Thursday, April 30. That date was designated in 2011by the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to honor this nation’s art gift to the world.

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