All Your Jazz » performances

Cafe 290 In Atlanta

jazzman — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:43:23 +0000

For over 25 years, Cafe 290 has been internationally known as both the hottest and coolest place in Atlanta, all at the same time. John Scatena, owner, says their goal is to take jazz to the maximum and expose the world to the best performers Atlanta has to offer.

Cafe 290 is the best known and is the most respected venue for mainstream, contemporary and funk jazz. There are also frequent cameo appearances by known national and international performers. Cafe 290 gained fame as one of only three jazz spots nationwide picked to unveil the U.S. Postal Service’s Jazz Legends postage stamp.

Some artists to have performed here include Natalie Cole, Sonny Emory, Reggie Hines, William Green, Tony Toyster, Khat Phud, among others. While Cafe 290 prides itself on its all-star line-ups, they also pull from their local musicians, many of which who have made their start at this fine establishment and have gone on to have fabulous careers.

Upcoming Events:
For a list of upcoming events, please visit their site and click on Performance Schedule.

Show Times:
Mon – Thurs: 8:30 pm
Fri – Sun: 9:00 pm

Location:
Cafe 290
209 Hilderbrand Drive
Atlanta, Georgia 30328
(404) 256-3942
www.cafe290atlanta.com

Have a listen to Gordon Goodwin & His Big Phat Band

jazzman — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:38:33 +0000

Gordon Goodwin & His Big Phat Band have been out there leading the way for the past seven years, inspiring musicians and artists alike to follow their remarkable musicianship. Goodwin – musician, composer, and arranger – earned himself a 2006 Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement for his work on the feature film The Incredibles. He has also racked up three Emmys during his years

Gordon Goodwin & his Big Phat Band are great musicians and artists, and their performances are entertaining and engaging to say the least. December 16th brings them to the Jazz Bakery in Culver City, CA. The band also has other upcoming event, please see below for details.

Gordon Goodwin:

Known for his witty, intricate, and hard-swinging compositions, Goodwin has really made a name for himself in Hollywood as a very successful composer and arranger. Having been in the scene for the last years, his resume speaks for itself.

Goodwin has worked on such films as Fern Gully, The Majestic, Glory Road, National Treasure, Remember The Titans, Armageddon, Bad Boys II, Con Air, Gone in 60 Seconds, Star Trek Nemesis, the classic cult film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, and Enemy of the State.

In addition, he has entertained us in television for his work on the 90s brilliant and classic cartoon series The Animaniacs. Like many cartoons, the music play an extremely large role that can either make or break it, and his contributions here have really set the bar high.

Goodwin has received many individual awards, including a 2006 Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement for his work on the feature film The Incredibles. If this wasn’t enough, he is also a three time Emmy winner.

His recording history includes performances with artists as diverse as Mel Tormé, Ray Charles and Christina Aguilera. Goodwin has also been a guest conductor for such groups as the London Symphony Orchestra and Seattle Symphony Orchestra. He is still going strong, currently in head Music Arranger of the Walt Disney Parks around the world.

The Big Phat Band:

Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, an 18-piece jazz ensemble, celebrates and personifies the best of the big band tradition with a very contemporary and original sound. Through the writing genius of Gordon Goodwin, audiences have enjoyed one of the most craftsman-like hard swinging large jazz ensembles comprised of L.A.’s finest musicians. Gordon’s witty and insightful arrangements propel the listener on a journey through a myriad of styles: Latin, blues, swing, classical, hard-hitting jazz, and even an homage to Looney Tunes.

In the band, Goodwin plays piano and occasionally both the soprano and tenor saxophone. Under Goodwin’s direction, the band has released five albums: “Swingin’ For The Fences”, which received two Grammy nominations, and “XXL”, which received three. “The Phat Pack” was released on June 13, 2006, and “Bah, Humduck! a Looney Tunes Christmas (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture)” was also released in 2006. “Act Your Age”, their latest album, was released on September 30, 2008.

Performance Schedule:

They just came off a tour in Japan, featuring a stop at the Blue Note November 4th – 9th. They will also be appearing December 16th of this year at the Jazz Bakery in Culver City. More information about the Jazz Bakery can be found here.

For a more detailed list about their upcoming performance schedule, please visit their site and click on “Tour Dates.”

For more recent news and other information about
Gordon Goodwin & his Big Phat Band, visit their site.

Recommended Listening:

Act Your Age (Sept, 2008)
The Phat Pack (Apr, 2006)
XXL (Sept, 2005)
Swingin’ for the Fences (Jan, 2002)

In Chicago You Need Jazz On Wednesdays: Visit the Empty Bottle and get your fix

jazzman — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:03:32 +0000

Since January 3, 1996, the Empty Bottle has featured jazz, improvised music, and related idioms every Wednesday night. Selected and programmed by reed-player Ken Vandermark and writer, educator John Corbett, the series emphasizes the most original, exciting new music the genres have to offer.

They bring established stars of the vanguard and emerging artists from Europe and other American locales to the Empty Bottle, featuring groups and individuals drawn from the many parts of Chicago’s own rich sonic amalgam. Though the series maintains a jazz core, it is open to many forms of creative music, including total improvisation, free jazz, experimental composition, swing-based post-bop, tone-color improvisation, texturalist minimalism, and out-rock.

As part of the series, John and Ken also program a festival every spring, The Empty Bottle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music. This critically acclaimed festival has brought in lauded performers from all over the United States and the world. Also, as well as being chock full of excellent music, it features absolutely stunning posters and T-Shirts designed by Dan Grzeca.

Upcoming Events:

For upcoming events, please contact them by phone.
Their jazz series is put together on the fly, and they
tend to change it up a bit.

Offering Food, Drink, & Jazz Entertainment, so you
can get the full experience.

Location:
The Empty Bottle
1035 N. Western Ave.
Chicago, IL
(773) 276-3600
http://www.emptybottle.com/jazzseries.php

Green Mill Cocktail Lounge in Chicago

jazzman — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:47:43 +0000

The Green Mill is sophisticated informality, warm glowing atmosphere steeped in the heady sounds of the early ’30s and ’40s; it was actually patterned after Clark Monroe’s Uptown House in Harlem (as it was during the ’40s). Uniquely comfortable to all audiences from the sequined Saturday night date to the progressively dressed offbeat student, the magic of the Mill is that the audience commingles in its mutual respect for the music.

JAZZ – dixieland, traditional, bebop, contemporary, progressive – played by such legendary figures as Von Freeman, Franz Jackson and Wilbur Campbell, as well as young lions Kurt Elling, Eric Alexander and Orbert Davis. All capture the broad spectrum of jazz from its root rhythms in New Orleans to New York avant-garde. Deep smokey jazz sounds fill the club in the early morning hours when soulful musicians continue to express their love of jazz by jamming ’til the early dawn.

History:

Throughout its uproarious history, The Green Mill Jazz Club has played host to a number of famous – and often infamous – celebrities. Opened in 1907 as Pop Morse’s Roadhouse, the “Mill” was a stopping place for mourners to celebrate the passing of a friend before proceeding to St. Boniface’s Cemetery.

By 1910, new owners had converted the roadhouse into the Green Mill Gardens, complete with lantern-lit outdoor dancing and drinking areas, and boasting such headliners as Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor and Sophie Tucker.

Actors Wallace Beery and Bronco Billy Anderson also visited the Gardens, hitching their horses to the outdoor post and settling down for a drink after a days work filming westerns at nearby Spoor and Anderson Studios.

As the twenties roared, The Green Mill became mobster territory when Al Capone’s henchman, “Machinegun” Jack McGurn, gained a 25% ownership of the club. Manager Danny Cohen had given McGurn the 25% stake to “persuade” comedian/singer Joe E. Lewis from moving his act south to the New Rendezvous Café at Clark and Diversey. McGurn managed to convince Lewis by slitting his throat and cutting off his tongue.

Miraculously, Lewis recovered, but his songs never regained their lush sound. The incident was later immortalized in the movie The Joker is Wild, with Frank Sinatra as Joe E. Lewis and a Hollywood sound stage as The Green Mill. Of course, his interest piqued, Sinatra had to visit the club.

Throughout the 1930s, ’40s, and 50s, The Green Mill continued to pack ‘em in with a heady mix of swing, dance and jazz music. Uptown crowds from the Aragon Ballroom or Uptown and Riviera Theaters would “stop in for one” before or after shows. Business began to slip in the mid-seventies, and in 1986, present owner Dave Jemilo bought The Green Mill and restored it to its prohibition-era, speakeasy décor.

Today, The Green Mill, in keeping with owner Dave Jemilo’s philosophy for a proper mix of down-to-earth friendliness and class, maintains an authenticity of the ’40s in service, price and music, perfected upon with the steady Sunday night performance of the internationally acclaimed Uptown Poetry Slam, which began at the Mill in 1986.

Upcoming Events:

For a list of their upcoming events, please visit their Calendar page.

Open 7 days/week

Hours & Show Times:
Most shows begin at 9:00pm
-often a 2nd sets run, beginning at 1:00am
-Sunday also includes afternoon shows, beginning at 2:00 pm

Pricing:
Varies based on performance, usually $6 (occasionally no cover)

Location:
Green Mill Jazz Club
4802 N. Broadway Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
773.878.5552
www.greenmilljazz.com

Check Out Club Jazz Nouveau: Right in the heart of San Francisco

jazzman — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 04:50:38 +0000

Club Jazz Nouveau, a spacious supper club, is bright and airy with a stylish and elegant décor. This 150-seat venue has purple velvet curtains, yellow and brick walls and big surrealist pictures on the walls. The club serves Southern-style cuisine with steak, chicken, pork and seafood entrées.

For entertainment, they present local and touring artists, exclusive original artwork and an in-house, multi-track recording facility. Jazz is the main ingredient in a mix that also includes blues, soul, gospel and world music. Entertainment: Live Music, Nightclub

Hours:
Mon.-Tues. 12:00 am – 12:00 am
Wed.-Sun. 6:00 pm – 12:00 pm

Pricing: $12 – $22
(depending on event and day)

Reservations:
There is no reservation policy; however if you
would like to make them, give them a call or
send them an email:
info@jazznouveau.com.

Location:
Club Jazz Nouveau
2801 Leavenworth St
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 921-2100
www.jazznouveau.com

Jazz At The Lincoln Center In New York

jazzman — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 02:43:04 +0000

For years, the Lincoln Center has been one of many venues to offer some of the greatest jazz in the county. They offer top quality musicianship and universal friendship. By taking the feeling of jazz on tour and by inviting artists and audiences from all over the world into our new home in New York City, Frederick P. Rose Hall, we bring people together for a simple purpose: to Have a Profoundly Good Time.

They do this through the following 4 components:

(1) Curatorial
We produce and present world class, well-rehearsed performances involving the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, other resident orchestras and ensembles, specials groups that we assemble and visiting artists, ensembles and soloists.

(2) Educational
We foster the engagement and development of listeners of all ages who wish to appreciate and understand the art of jazz. We offer educational programming and materials for student musicians of all levels from elementary to post graduate school who wish to understand how to perform jazz. We also offer assistance to educators from all disciplines and levels who wish to impart knowledge about jazz.

(3) Archival
We maintain and continually develop and make available a comprehensive library of original scores, transcriptions, arrangements, books and artifacts important to jazz. We also document and disseminate our curatorial and educational endeavors.

(4) Ceremonial
We maintain and revive when necessary the great ceremonies of jazz: parades, picnics, jam sessions, big-band battles, cutting contests and funeral celebrations. We also seek to establish and maintain our own ceremonies.

In addition, they also spread the word of jazz through their “Jazz Cast.” From radio broadcasts to podcasts and their new screening room online, they feature behind the scenes looks at the bands, insights into personalities and more. You can find out more about this on their site.

Upcoming Events:

Click here for a list of upcoming jazz events at the Lincoln Center.

Location:
Lincoln Center
70 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY
(212) 721-6500
http://www.jalc.org/

Want To Know What A Lounge Version Of Your Favorite Song Would Sound Like: Well, you have to take a listen to Richard Cheese!

jazzman — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 09:00:19 +0000

Think of a band or a song that you really like (and no, it doesn’t have to be jazz). Now imagine what a lounge version of that song would be. Well, that – in a nutshell – is Richard Cheese. He broke out with his first album Lounge Against The Machine back in 2000, and he has taken music parody and arranging by storm.

Thinking about how to do a lounge version of “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot, “Rock the Casbah” by The Clash – or even “Gin & Juice” by Snoop Dog and “Fight For Your Right” by the Beastie Boys. Yeah, this guy is entertaining and hilarious!

Who Is Richard Cheese?

But behind all the fun and games is his band “Lounge Against The Machine,” – featuring Mr. Cheese on vocals – and they know their stuff, having built a foundation of solid music skills. Combine that with their creativity for adapting arrangements of songs from just about any style, and you’re left with album after album of good music and great comedy relief.

Since his first album in 2000, he has put out 7 other albums, not to mention a couple of singles. His releases this year include “Dick At Nite,” a karaoke instrumental version of his 2007 release, and his single “Indiana Jones Theme.” The band also has 3 more albums in the works, one of which (Viva La Vodka) is expected by the end of 2008. Two others are scheduled for 2009 and 2010 releases.

Unfortunately, Cheese has released that he is wrapping up his lounge band in 2009, and plans to go out with a 2008-2009 farewell tour, already underway. He does mention, however, that he will be back in 2010 with an all-new Hawaiian band lineup. Maybe not the same, but at least we can continue to hear his arrangements.

Check out samples from Tuxicity

Amazon.com Widgets

Where Is He Performing?

2008-2009 Farewell “United We Lounge” Tour
Oct. 18th: HARLOW’S (Sacramento)
Oct. 25th: BIMBO’S (San Francisco)
Dec. 31st (New Year’s Eve): ANAHEIM HOUSE OF BLUES (Anaheim)
Jan. 31st: HOUSE OF BLUES (San Diego)
Apr. 18th: WEBSTER HALL (New York City)
Jun. 13th: EL CORAZON (Seattle)
Jun. 16th: DANTE’S (Portland)

For more information on Richard Cheese, check out his site.