Tag Archives: Jazz

ARTHUR GETZ, BILL EVANS and the NEW YORKER MAGAZINE

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I’d guess that’s Bill Evans on piano, and given when this poster was published, January 4, 1958, there’s a good chance that’s Philly Joe Jones on drums. I don’t have a good guess about the bass player’s identity.

The poster was created by Arthur Getz for the New Yorker. Getz created a number of musically themed covers, his inspiration coming from Manhattan’s jazz clubs. Between 1938 and 1988, two hundred and thirteen Getz covers appeared on The New Yorker, making him the most prolific New Yorker cover artist of the twentieth century.

At times I’ll be listening to Bill Evans and I’ll look at the poster and wonder where the scene took place and what music was being performed…the poster hangs on a wall next to my piano…it inspires me

“GREAT DUETS: MUSIC, HISTORY and STORY” at LEHMAN COLLEGE

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DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, ALL SHOWS HAVE BEEN CANCELED. WE HOPE TO PRESENT THEM AT SOME FUTURE DATE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT. 

 Thrilled to be presenting my new series, “Great Duets: Music, History and Story,” at Lehman College this Spring.  These are free events sponsored by the City and Humanities Program and Professor Joseph McElligott. 

Here’s the lineup:

Feb 13:         Pianist/vocalist Nicole Zuraitis and songwriter/vocalist Clare Maloney present “From Opera to Pop and Jazz,” 12:30pm at Lehman College, Lovinger Theatre, 250 Bedford Park Blvd, Bronx, NY.

March 26:   Violinist Jiin Yang, pianist Wayne Weng and narrator Charles R. Hale present “Connecting the Masters” at Lehman College. 12:30pm, Lehman College, Lovinger Theatre, 250 Park Blvd, Bronx, NY.

April 16:      Pianist Baron Fenwick, tenor Robert Anthony Mack, in “Performance and Discussion” with narrator Charles R. Hale at Lehman College. 12:30pm, Lehman College, Lovinger Theatre, 250 Park Blvd, Bronx, NY.

April 30:     Guitarist Yuri Juarez and pianist Renato Diz present “From Classical to Jazz.” 12:30pm at Lehman College, Lovinger Theatre, 250 Bedford Park Blvd, Bronx, NY.     

 

COMING SOON: “JAZZ IN THE CITY II”

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Over the past thirty months, the David Raleigh Quartet, including Tony Carfora/sax, Daniel Glass/drums and Danny Weller/bass or Evan Gregor/bass and I have taken our audience on a journey…a musical journey, incorporating story and song.  The show features the stories and songs of the artists and composers who for the past one-hundred years have paid homage to city they call home. Many of their songs were popularized in New York’s venues like the Village Vanguard where Miles, Mingus and Monk performed and venues that are long gone, such as Cafe Society where Billy Holiday debuted “Strange Fruit.” And then there are the stories and songs that I associate with New York through ancestral, familial and personal recollections.

We are now working on an all new Jazz in the City, which will feature great jazz standards, some well-known, others equally great but not as popular. Once again, we’ll be blending the music with New York themed stories.

Certain songs jump out at me for personal reasons and are contenders for inclusion in the new show. One of them is “You’ve Changed” a 1941 tune written by Bill Carey and Carl Fischer. Click here to hear what I consider the quintessential recording of this tune:  Eva Cassidy  “You’ve Changed”

More details to come in the following weeks. 

 

MIHO HAZAMA AT THE CELL THEATRE

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Tokyo born composer Miho Hazama will be performing with her signature ensemble “m_unit” at The Cell Theatre, July 12, 2018, 8:00pm. Lauded in Downbeat as one of “25 for the Future,” Miho is quickly establishing herself as a force of nature on the world’s stage. Her masterful understanding of harmony and orchestration combined with a who’s who of musicians results in riveting performances to packed adoring audiences at venues such as the Jazz Standard, Blue Note NYC and Tokyo, Dizzy’s Club Coca-cola, and the Jazz Gallery. 

For tickets to Miho’s performance, which are $20, click here: tinyurl.com/0712miho