Riffs: Music News from Out and About
By Patricia Myers
The first concert of 2015 for the two youth bands of Young Sounds of Arizona will be performed at 7:30 pm Thursday, March 5, a free event at the Phoenix Arts Center, 1202 E. Third St., Phoenix 85004. The concert is sponsored by RadioPhoenix.org, an online weekly radio show presented by the Professional Musicians of Arizona, Local 586 AFM, which has supported the high school student-musician organization continuously since its inception 44 years ago.
Founded in 1971, the Young Sounds of Arizona remains the first and oldest non-profit program of its kind in the nation. Its student musicians are 13 to 18 years of age from schools in the greater Phoenix area who are accepted by audition. Young Sounds is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization providing annual college and jazz-camp scholarships, as well as clinics led by professional jazz musicians and educators.
Vince Wedge, in his third year as director, is an alumnus of the band, as is assistant director Andrew Gross. Wedge said, “The spring concert will be a diverse program, ranging from Ray Charles’ ‘Unchained Melody’ to (late composer-pianist) Fred Sturm’s geometrical and contemporary style of jazz, as well as the classics of Count Basie and Oliver Nelson.” He added, “The 7:00 is a big band that really took off in 2015 as if a power-burner turned on. We have strong soloists in Alex Price on trumpet, Jacob Franklin on piano and Jacob Lipp on tenor sax. The 5:00 band is a smaller ensemble that is now expanding its repertoire.”
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My all-AZ music website, www.MusicSceneAZ.com, has a terrific special element for users to find a particular musician by name to see where and when that individual is performing. At the website, click on the Calendar tab and then type the name under “Search.” If a musician or band (or venue or presenter) has provided booking information to my email or via the website’s Contact tab, that data will be listed. This website is in its fifth month, listing 10 to 30 live-music events per day of the month, plus News articles posted every week.
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March is International Women’s History Month, established to highlight the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. It’s celebrated this month in the U.S., United Kingdom and Australia, observing International Women’s Day on March 8, and during October in Canada, where Persons Day is observed on Oct. 18.
The celebration reminds me that when I started writing a weekly jazz column in 1972 in the Scottsdale Daily Progress newspaper, I was the only female jazz journalist in the U.S. regularly writing about and reviewing jazz performances. My new column was prompted by the numerous high school and college student jazz bands, especially Young Sounds of Arizona (created the previous year). The local venue scene was small, fewer than a half-dozen with jazz. However, top-name jazz was abundant in the Phoenix Playboy Club and, soon after, several years of a monthly series at the now-defunct Boojum Tree Lounge of the Phoenix Doubletree Inn; that’s where hotel manager Dave Spradling, a staunch jazz aficionado, booked local and touring musicians to perform nightly, including Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Ahmad Jamal, Monty Alexander, Supersax and so many more greats that I was fortunate to interview and review.
In the 1970s and into the 1980s, I was an anomaly in the mostly male jazz audiences, (except for a contingent of “jazz moms” attending school concerts in support of their kids, then as now, mostly boys). Now in the 21st century, I’m pleased to know numerous female jazz writers, many of them also members of the International Jazz Journalists Association. I never understood why more females weren’t “into jazz” as much as I’ve been since my college years, although I’m pleased now to see many more attending jazz events. This month, IJJA is hosting an on-line webinar panel discussion on the theme “Getting More Women into the Jazz Audience” that will stream from 8-9:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 4; participation is open to the public @ www.jazzhouse.org
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The Buzz: Phoenix-born and globally acclaimed jazz drummer Lewis Nash will participate in the sixth annual Highland High School-ASU Jazz Festival this month. He will perform in concert with the ASU Concert Jazz Band (7:30 pm Friday, March 27, $20) at the school, 4301 E. Guadalupe Road, Gilbert 85234 (480-813-0051). Legendary tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, 86, will perform with that band the next night (7:30 pm Saturday, March 28, $20, same location; concert tickets @ Highlandjazz.com). Nash also will perform in a tribute to Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers on Sunday, March 29, at The Nash, the Jazz in AZ center in Phoenix that carries his name. He’ll play with five Blakey alumni: Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Javon Jackson on tenor sax, Bobby Watson on alto sax, Benny Green on piano and Peter Washington on bass. Admissions are $49-$99; more information at TheNash.org. After that event, Nash will travel to Salt Lake City to perform with pianist Kenny Barron and bassist George Mraz, with whom he played 10 years in the Tommy Flanagan Trio (1990-2000). Nash also performed a recent weekend booking with the Dexter Gordon Legacy Band at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in New York City’s Lincoln Center.
The Tucson Jazz Institute’s Ellington Band has qualified for the Jazz at Lincoln Center “Essentially Ellington” competition, one of 10 bands from across nation. This is especially impressive since 14 of their best players graduated last year. They’ll compete the second weekend in May, available online. TJI needs to raise $1,200 per student to get there. (To make a donation, go to tjmfdn.org/?page_id=155) For more information, call 520-743-1349 or email treasurer@tjmfdn.org; snail-mail donations may be sent to Tucson Jazz Music Foundation, PO Box 87735, Tucson AZ 85754.
Longtime jazz-supporter Max Haechler (a.k.a. Max of Switzerland) had a diverse Statehood/Valentine’s Day on Saturday, Feb. 14. In the morning, he rode on horseback with the Scottsdale Charros, then ended the day by dancing (in his cowboy boots) with his wife, Elizabeth, to the music of the Judy Roberts and Danny Long duo at the OC Seven Restaurant at the Scottsdale Resort and Athletic Club.
A tribute to Paul Anderson, part-time jazz host at KJZZ radio who died in February at age 56 following surgery, filled The Nash with friends, fans and families. A large contingent of local musicians loaned their talent and time on Feb. 2 for the event at The Nash. Beth Lederman Trio led the first set, which included Alice Tatum singing a comforting hymn and Sherry Roberson’s special style pleasing the audience. The second set featured two Hammond B3 organists: Royce Murray swung on “Well You Needn’t” that was sparked by Germaine Lockhart’s burning tenor sax, followed by emcee Blaise Lantana singing her original lyrics on “Blue Bossa”; Papa John DeFrancesco’s deep-hearted organ and vocal rendition of “My Buddy” caused tears from most in attendance. Vocalists Dennis Rowland and Diana Lee performed “This Can’t Be Love” with their St. Francis gig duo, Paul Sherman-piano and Felix Sainz-bass, with Ted Belledin delivering torrid tenor sax on “Lester Leaps In.” Paul’s father and mother attended, seated near his longtime volunteer drivers, Warren Bechhoefer and Allen Frankel.
A golf tournament benefit for the ongoing DwyerStrong Fund is scheduled April 19 to raise funds for the continuing medical treatment of pianist Danny Long’s grandson, Stephen Dwyer, 16, who has experienced serious complications from the bone marrow transplant he had to treat his cancer condition. He was in ICU at Phoenix Children’s hospital in February resulting from a Code Blue incident caused by very low blood pressure. The tournament at Western Skies Golf Club in Gilbert will feature additional activities for non-golfer, including dinner, a silent auction and prize raffles. There also will be a performance by Peter Longo, Danny’s brother and a PGA Life Member and former PGA Tour player who’s a trick-shot artist who has performed more than 2,800 exhibitions worldwide in the past 30 years. For more information or to donate, go to cotaforstephend.com and click on Fundraising Events.
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Quotable: “On the eighth day, God created jazz.” Rev. David McMannes, Sedona Jazz at the Church website (episcopalnet.org/DBS/Sedona/Jazz.html)
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Final Chorus: Andrea Crouch-gospel vocalist, 72, in Jan. 8 in Los Angeles, CA; Zane Musa-tenor saxophone, 36, on Feb. 2 from a fall in Fort Lauderdale, FL; Clark Terry-trumpet-flugelhorn (Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, Billie Holiday, Oscar Peterson, 12 years-Tonight Show Orchestra), 94, on Feb. 21 in Pine Bluff, AR.
Categories: News