2006 a rocking year for jazz music
The News Review:
- 2006 a rocking year for jazz music
- Mardi Gras Indians struggle to survive.
- Kevin Mahogany and the Art of Jazz rchestra
- All jazzed up and nowhere to play
2006 a rocking year for jazz music
Financial Express – Dec 28, 2006
But for jazz aficionados who like their music melodically sublime harmonically sophisticated and rhythmically alert and jarring the death knell for the idiom rings prematurely. There’s still vibrancy in a feast of 2006′s forward-looking jazz projectsnone of which charted. As for Billboard’s year-end recaps its deja vu all over again when comparing 2005′s rundown with this year.
Mardi Gras Indians struggle to survive.
Free with registration – Chicago Tribune – AccessMyLibrary.com – Dec 28, 2006
John and the Neville Brothers have performed and popularized their songs. Uncounted bands have covered their most famous melody “Iko Iko. ” “A large percentage of American popular music and jazz music has been influenced by this root culture” said Donald Harrison a prominent New rleans jazz saxophonist-bandleader and Big Chief of the Guardians of the Flame tribe. “It’s the link for all the music that we hear that takes us right back to what was going on. CPYRIGHT 2006 Chicago Tribune.
Kevin Mahogany and the Art of Jazz rchestra
eJazzNews – Dec 28, 2006
Mahogany initially studied clarinet and piano was working regularly in the Eddie Baker New Breed rchestra in Kansas City at the age of 12 and by 14 was teaching clarinet lessons. When Mahogany arrived on the international jazz scene it was with a sound that was both traditionally grounded and boldly innovative. ver the course of Mahogany?s extraordinary career he has made significant breakthroughs in style and sounds that redirected redefined and even reinvented jazz music. In 2003 Mahogany along with Kurt Elling Jon Hendricks and Mark Murphy toured extensively as The Four Brothers. 2004 was a year of worldwide touring. Mahogany brought his big band program to South Africa Russia the Caribbean and selected US venues. Mahogany?s latest venture has him stretching his wings and adding the title of ?entrepreneur? to his resume having started his own Mahogany Music label… The eighteen piece Art of Jazz rchestra (AJ) made its first appearance at the Art of Jazz Celebration on May 21 2006 debuting exciting and long overdue big band arrangements including the first live performance of George Russell?s arrangement of ?You are my sunshine? with Sheila Jordan reprising the part written for her in 1962. Drawing on talent from across the country the AJ offers new professional opportunities to Canadian performers composers and arrangers and serves as a creative outlet for some of Canada?s foremost artists. This intimate night of music will feature Don Thompson as the orchestra?s special guest conductor. Thompson was the recipient of three top honours at the 2006 National Jazz awards. The multi-talented Toronto-based musician captured honours for composer of the year (an award sponsored by SCAN) as well as musician and instrumentalist of the year. He also received a 2006 JUN for Best Traditional Jazz Recording and the first Art of Jazz Lifetime Achievement Award. Tompson is a Canadian legend.
All jazzed up and nowhere to play
Toronto Star – Dec 28, 2006
The venue crisis is exacerbated by the horde of hugely talented musicians turned out annually by jazz programs at UofT York and Humber College taught by front-line jazzers who’d probably rather be playing clubs. Where can the new generation perform?The reliable Rex schedule remains crammed bookings nowadays made far ahead. Elsewhere a handful of spots offer some jazz though for most music is not the top priority. Since the Top o’ the Senator’s demise there’s nowhere musicians can work six consecutive nights and yet it’s incontrovertible that bands get better each day they’re together. It does little good to pore over the entrails of jazz clubs that went under. There’s a host of reasons for the closures including lease problems insufficient income changing musical tastes public reluctance to pay even minimal cover charges. Add to that the heavy attendance of jazz festivals no-smoking rules anxious owners petrified by the sight of one empty seat the ease of obtaining music using new technologies more demands on "leisure" time lack of nearby parking and so on.