Eddie Palmieri -][- LISTEN HERE [Concord Records]

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Eddie Palmieri, Jazz, John Scofield, Michael Brecker, Piano, Regina Carter

Nuyorican composer, arranger and pianist Eddie Palmieri’s recording “Listen Here” absolutely smokes! If you don’t have this gem in your collection … get it today it’s definitely worth your time, money and effort!

Eddie Palmieri - LISTEN HERE (2005)

Eddie Palmieri -][- LISTEN HERE – [Concord Records, 2005]

With “Listen Here” the “latin monk” Eddie Palmieri explores his jazzier roots with guests soloists and his excellent working band with great sucess. It’s fun and upbeat [like Eddie] but it is NOT big band latin jazz. For that turn to Eddie’s cd’s “La Perfecta” and “Obra Maestra”. This cd has more of a small unit jazz flavor with several jazz standards [Monk,Silver] and Eddie originals. Frankly to my ears the originals work better.

Regina Carter [violin] burns on “In Flight” and sax player Michael Brecker [who is very ill by the way] cooks on “Listen Here”. Listen Here seems to work best with the pared down units in the several formats presented here. Eddie’s percussive Monk-like piano playing is particually interesting on La Gitano with great subtle accoustic guitar work by John Scofield. Fans of Eddie’s big band latin jazz may be dissapointed or surprised [I was pleasently] but this is Eddie reaching and stretching his art. I hope he cotinues to evolve. Heck he’s only 68 years old! Recommended. —M. Murphy | Customer Review Amazon.com

..:: SOURCE: Amazon.com ::..

2011 Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Portland Jazz Festival Presented by US BANK AWARDED TWO NEA GRANTS

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2011 Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Portland Jazz Festival, Esperanza Spalding, Poncho Sanchez, Randy Weston, Regina Carter

The 2011 Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Portland Jazz Festival Presented by US Bank has received two NEA grants. PDX Jazz has been awarded a Jazz Masters Live grant and Challenge America Fast-Track grant.

National Endowment For The Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) created the Jazz Masters Live grant to help bring outstanding jazz musicians, writers, producers, and scholars to communities across the nation through NEA Jazz Masters Live. In cooperation with Arts Midwest, these NEA Jazz Masters Live grants support performance and educational activities featuring NEA Jazz Masters, recipients of the nation’s highest honor in jazz. The program celebrates these living legends who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of jazz and offers audiences the unique opportunity to share the artists’ expertise in performances, master classes, clinics, lectures, and short term residencies. “Live interactions between musicians and audiences are essential to jazz,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman.

NEA Jazz Master and acclaimed pianist, Randy Weston, will open the 2011 Portland Jazz Festival on February 18 at the Winningstad Theatre with an evening of solo jazz piano. He will also lead a workshop for Portland State University students and participate in the festival’s “Jazz Conversation” series, hosted by Marty Hughley. Weston will be appearing in support of his most recent album, The Story Teller, available through Motema Music, and his recently released autobiography, African Rhythms, available through Duke University Press.

Portland Jazz Festival 2011 Announced

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African American, Don Byron, Esperanza Spalding, Joshua Redman, Portland Jazz Festival 2011 Announced, Randy Weston, Regina Carter

Portland Jazz Festival 2011

SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE, REGINA CARTER, DON BYRON,
THE 3 COHENS, RANDY WESTON, JOSHUA REDMAN,
AND ESPERANZA SPALDING
TO HEADLINE THE 2011 PORTLAND JAZZ FESTIVAL

BRIDGES AND BOUNDARIES:
JEWISH & AFRICAN AMERICANS PLAYING JAZZ TOGETHER

The 2011 Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Portland Jazz Festival presented by US Bank will be held Friday, February 18 through Sunday, February 27 at venues throughout Portland. The week-long festival will include jazz education and outreach along with a series of concerts all supporting the 2011 theme, Bridges and Boundaries: Jewish & African Americans Playing Jazz Together.

Among this year’s headliners are the SFJAZZ Collective, in the world premiere of new repertoire paying homage to African American pop icon Stevie Wonder; NEA Jazz Master Randy Weston, performing solo piano in support of his new release, The Storyteller, and autobiography, African Rhythms: The Autobiography of Randy Weston; celebrated clarinetist Don Byron and his new project dedicated to the great Jewish entertainer, Mickey Katz – a reunion of the groundbreaking and virtuosic klezmer ensemble that recorded Byron’s eponymous Nonesuch album and spearheaded the klezmer revival in the 1990s; a special performance by The 3 Cohens, featuring siblings, trumpeter Avishai Cohen, saxophonist/clarinetist Anat Cohen, and pianist Yuval Cohen; famed African American violinist Regina Carter will return to Portland, presenting her newest project, Reverse Thread, which traces the musical history of African cultures, including tribes of Ugandan Jews; saxophonist Joshua Redman – son of African American saxophonist Dewey Redman and Jewish American dancer Renee Shedroff – leading his new project, James Farm, that includes both African American and Jewish American musicians; and the Portland Jazz Festival’s new Artistic & Community Ambassador, bassist Esperanza Spalding (who will lead her new Chamber Music Society in an exclusive Portland area engagement).

New Releases [Jazz] for the Week of 5/17/2010

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African American, Grover Washington Jr., Jazz, Regina Carter, Violin

Greetings’ my fellow jazz aficionados, May continues in week three with a mosaic of distinctive, and insinuating sounds, immaculate melodies, relentless rhythms with the opulent flavors embedded in jazz is here to quench our ongoing thirst for quality music.

On this weeks play-list, I’ve got a host of exquisite sounds including the incomparable Grover Washington Jr.’s – new project titled “Grover Live” produced by Jason Miles … also in the mix we have Motor City native and violinist Regina Carter’s fascinating debut on E1 Music titled “Reverse Thread.” The Grammy-nominated artist new record is our “Featured album of the Week”. Oh man, fusion enthusiast the time has come drummer Lenny White’s highly anticipated release “Anomaly” is due this Tuesday. Trumpeter Alex Sipiagin arrives with the lyrically satisfying “Generations” along with tenacious Tim Warfield on saxophone stirs up a delicious brew on “A Sentimental Journey” both records are available on Criss Cross Jazz.

The aforementioned artists/titles and more to be released this week at Amazon.com.

Featured Album of the Week

Regina Carter - Reverse Thread

Regina Carter | Reverse Thread – [E1 Music, 2010]

One of the most beloved artists of her generation, preeminent violinist Regina Carter has achieved another landmark in a creative history that has yielded both artistic and commercial triumphs. Her newest release, Reverse Thread, starts with exquisite traditional African music and infuses it with contemporary jazz and Afropop energy. The results are uplifting, stirring, and joyful. Regina’s Reverse Thread Band adds virtuoso Yacouba Sissoko on kora – the West African harp traditionally played by village storytellers–to her longstanding rhythm section.

Violinist Regina Carter debuts on E1 Music with “Reverse Thread” coming May 18th!

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African American, Jazz, Regina Carter, Violin

Regina Carter - Reverse Thread

Regina Carter ::|:: ‘Reverse Thread‘ – [E1 Music, 2010]

One of the most beloved artists of her generation, preeminent violinist Regina Carter has achieved another landmark in a creative history that has yielded both artistic and commercial triumphs. Her newest release, Reverse Thread, starts with exquisite traditional African music and infuses it with contemporary jazz and Afropop energy. The results are uplifting, stirring, and joyful. Regina’s Reverse Thread Band adds virtuoso Yacouba Sissoko on kora – the West African harp traditionally played by village storytellers–to her longstanding rhythm section. Sissoko’s beautiful instrumental voicings were brought into the mix to help recreate the spirit of passing stories from generation to generation. The collaboration–unlike anything previously heard–is a haunting and beautiful compliment to Regina’s sumptuously seductive violin. Through her best-selling, Grammy-nominated albums, incessant touring and various guest appearances and collaborations, Regina has developed into a distinctly diverse musical personality.

New Project titled “Reverse Thread” by violinist Regina Carter coming in May 2010

Tags

African American, Jazz, Regina Carter, Violin

Regina Carter

Regina Carter is completing work on her new album “Reverse Thread” to be released in May 2010. “Reverse Thread” is a collection of infectious African folk melodies in a beautiful, contemporary interpretation as only Regina can provide. It’s a celebration of old and new – and that of a musician of internationally acclaimed as among the most transcendent voices of contemporary violin. —Regina Carter.com

..:: Source: ReginaCarter.com & MaryamLovesJazz ::..