Like John Coltrane, James L. Dean got some of his first experience

JerseyArticlesJazzNoteworthyNewsspots and nuggets from all corners of the jazz world, gathered and edited by Frad Garner and the JJ staff.Readers are welcome to e-mail items of interest that will still be timely a month and a half later, to: editor@njjs.org.HERBIE HANCOCK, winner of the 2008Album of the Year Grammy for River: TheJoni Letters, took the stage with collaboratorand inspiration Joni Mitchell when he tapeda show for Nissan Live Sets that debutedApril 1 on Yahoo! Music. Mitchell sang threeof her songs, “River,” “Tea Leaf Prophecy”and “Hana.” Hancock, backed by guitaristLionel Loueke, bassist Marcus Miller,drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, saxophonistBob Sheppard, vocalist Sonya Kitchell andDJ C-Minus, also played such classics as“Chameleon,” “Watermelon Man,” “MaidenVoyage” and “Rockit.” The performance,including video streams of 10 songs and anaudience Q&A, was posted on April 1.Hancock begins an international tour inMay with stops in Brazil, Europe and manydates in the U.S. and Canada, including thePlayboy Jazz Festival in Los Angeles. Moreinfo: music.yahoo.comAPROPOS SINGERS: “In a genre that celebratesits past, it seems odd that people arealways looking for the next big thing when itcomes to female vocalists,” an interviewerfor The Pitch Kansas City winged to vocalistRachel Price. The fast-rising singer agreed.“I think that’s an aspect of the music businessand not necessarily jazz music itself,”she said in a cell-phone interview at a busstop. “It’s how people are looking to sellthings. There are tons and tons of amazingvocalists out there right now,” she continued,“and a lot of them do a variety ofthings and not all of them fit into a specificmold. The whole idea of ‘the next big thing’means something that’s going to fit into aspecific category and in the end isn’t reallygoing to mean that much to the musicitself.” The 22-year-old soprano, who has themulti-Grammy winner Nancy Wilson singingher praises, recently finished her studiesat the New England Conservatory. “Whyformally study jazz?” Price was asked. “Didyou ever think that you should just be outgigging?” No, she said. “Luckily I was alwaysdoing both…I would learn something inensemble or in class, and it was greatbecause I could immediately put it to thetest in my performances. Going to schoolwas the best thing I ever did, and playing onthe road is and will always be the bestexperience I’ll ever get.” www.jazz-clubsworldwide.com/docs/news.htmCEPHASBOWLES,generalmanager ofjazz radiostationWBGO, wasamong eightpersonshonored byThe NewarkArts Councilfor promotingand supporting the arts in the city ofNewark. The Arts Council held their majorfundraising event, The Art & City Gala,April 9 at the New Jersey Performing ArtsCenter. For more about the Council, visitwww.newarkarts.orgSUMMER SHEDDIN’, Down Beat magazine’sannual Jazz Camp Guide, is now posted online.The guide covers summer musicworkshops in the U.S. East, Midwest, South,West and international locales. For example,“Jazz in July,” at the University of Massachusetts,Amherst, MA, July 7-18, stressesimprovisation within small combos and bigband settings. The vocal program exploresjazz phrasing and rhythms, preparing leadsheets and improvisation. There is room forabout 70 students, aged 15 and up. Andwhat a faculty: Dr. Billy Taylor, Geri Allen,John Blake, Steve Johns, Chip Jackson,Esperanza Spalding, Jeff Holmes, Fred Tillis,Dana Leong. Tuition is $600 per week.Check out jazzinjuly.com. And otherprograms at www.downbeat.com/campguide.asp.“DREW GRESS is one of the busiest bassistsin New York, leading two groups of his ownand working with Ravi Coltrane, FredHersch, Dave Douglas, Don Byron, TimBerne and others,” writes Larry Appelbaumin the April JazzTimes. “As a composer, hestudied with Hank Levy and spent timeghostwriting for the Hanna-Barbera cartoonstudios. He was artist-in-residence at theUniversity of Colorado-Boulder and the St.Petersburg Conservatory in Russia, and he’sreceived grants from the National Endowmentfor the Arts and Meet the Composer.Asked about the crowded market of newreleases, Gress says, “I don’t think it’s worthdoing another [recording] project unlessyou have something else to say. That’s whymine are so few and far between.’ His fourthand latest CD as leader is The IrrationalNumbers (Premonition).”OH PSHAW? OH NO! Turn the clock back 67years and see how top sidemen responded toa call from Artie Shaw to join what the clarinetistsaid “should be the greatest dancecombo ever assembled.” Wrote Down Beaton September 1, 1941: “Musicians neverbefore heeded a leader’s call as these menheeded Shaw’s.” Datelined New York, thestory read: “When Artie sent out a call to hisold sidekicks, asking them to return and becogs in his latest orchestral venture, not asingle man brushed off his invitation. LesRobinson quit Willy Bradley. George Auldrefused to accept big money offers fromothers, and went without work six weeksuntil Shaw’s rehearsals got under way. LeeCastaldo quit Bradley, too. And, EddieMcKinney toted his big bull-fiddle right offTony Pastor’s bandstand and into Artie’sroom. ‘Lips’ Page abandoned hopes to gethis own jazz band clicking and made a beelineto Shaw’s initial rehearsal. Mike Bryanfluffed Bob Chester to strum a guitar, eventaking lessons to brush up on the electricbox which Shaw frequently likes to feature.Trombonist Ray Conniff junked his ownband in preference to holding down a chairin the Shaw unit.” That was another era.Names set in bold by JJ. Full story from thearchives: www.downbeat.com/default.asp?sect=stories&subsect=story_detail&sid=33JJMay 2008__________________________________ 35