TheJAZZ CULTURE

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The Jazz Culture, VI:52

Featured at International Women in Jazz Festival--Singer Melba

Moore, and Honoree, Vocalist/Producer Lil Phillips below

2The Jazz Culture, VI:52

International Women in Jazz FestivalThe International Women in Jazz held their 7th Annual Women

in Jazz Festival at St. Peters Church on Saturday, April 1 3, 2013.

The featured artist was Melba Joyce, a vocalist who has sung on

Broadway, with the Count Basie Orchestra and as a Jazz

Ambassadress abroad. Ms. Joyce had her own big band at Mid

Summer Night Swing and organized series, shows and groups.

The honorees for this years Festival were Lil Phillips, a vocalist

born in Harlem and the Director of the Mother Zion Jazz Society

who produces a Jazz Vespers in Harlem at the African Methodist

Episcopal, the Mother Church ofZion Methodism; and Sheila

Anderson, a dj on WBJO, (a NY-NJ jazz radio station), writer,

cable TV producer. Both have contributed to the status ofwomen

in the jazz community as role models and by increasing the jazz

audience. The International Women in Jazz (IWJ) began as a

seminar on women in jazz by Pastor Dale Lind in September 1995

at St. Peters Church, attended by Cobi Narita, Leslie Gourse and

Lorraine Gordon, among others. Cobi Narita, producer, called a

meeting the following November when IWJ was founded to

advance women in jazz; also, IWJ holds jam sessions and concerts.

This years Festival had a vocal clinic by Elizabeth

Tamboulian, a social with harpist Brandee Younger; a jam session

with Keisha St. Joan & IWJ House Trio ofKim Clarke, bass, Kate

Cosco, piano, and Dee Ramey, drums; a raffle; a Meet and Greet

with Ms. Anderson and Ms. Phillips, moderated by Bertha Hope.

Jackie Griggs was MC at the awards presentation and concert.

Patsy Grant sang with her trio; LaAngela Bell sang with the IWJ

House Trio, Ms. Anderson and Ms. Phillips were Honored; Youth

In Action pianist Leonieke Scheuble played, and Featured Artist

Melba Joyce delighted the crowd with her vocal renditions. The

President of IWJ, Jacqueline Lennon, oversaw the event with a

gracious spirit, and many volunteers were on hand to support the

7th Annual IWJ Festival.

3A Theatrical Evening withJUDE NARITA

JUDE NARITA won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award Saturday April 20 at 8 p.m., ZEBs 223 West 28th Street, 2nd Flr.,

Reservations & Info: 5169222010,Tickets: General $15 stud/sen.: $10

Event 12Jimmy Owens "Bronx Suite"

Premiere 46,We Always Swing 610

How To Make A Jazz Vocal Act1116

Gig ListingsLetter 1 9-20Billie Holiday Birthday 2124

info@thejazzculture.comhttp://theJazzCulture.com 2012

Kim.Clarke, Dee Brady, KateCosco, Jacqueline Lennon, Sheila

Anderson at IWJ Festival

The Jazz Culture, VI:52

4WORLD PREMIERE of JIMMY OWENS'"BRONX SUITE at FORDHAM UNIVERSITYby. L. Hamanaka

Caught the Jimmy Owens Septet at Fordham University

performing his original, Bronx Suite for the10th Anniversary

Concert of the Bronx African American History Project. Mr.

Owens is a Bronx native brought up in the Morrisania

neighborhood, and the historians present recounted a jazz history

of our northern borough. After introductory remarks by Dr. Mark

Naison and Robert Gumbs, who recounted when he was a member

ofThe Jazz Arts Society and approached the owner of the 845

Club to produce a Sunday series of concerts featuring such greats

as Gigi Gryce, Donald Byrd, Betty Carter, Cannonball Adderley,

Art Tatum, in 1956. In 1958 Mr. Gumbs helped produce

Barbecue & Jazz a series that started July 15, 1 958, with Curtis

Fuller and Hank Mobley among the guest artists. We might have

been poor, but creativity we had it, said Mr. Gumbs. He also

remembered jazz musicians who lived in the Bronx at the time,

including Slide Hampton, Thelonious Monk, Elmo Hope. Maxine

Gordon, widow ofDexter Gordon, gave a brief historical

overview. Anybody who really knows New York City knows that

the 8 million all live in a fascinating and diverse series of

neighborhoods.

The Septet was: Wycliffe Gordon, trombone, Michael Howell,

guitar, Patience Higgins, tenor saxophone, Jimmy Owens, trumpet

& flugelhorn, Danny Mixon, piano, Winard Harper, drums ,

Kenny Davis, bass. The Bronx Suite had six sections: 1 . Prelude

The Bronx, 2. Statement The Bronx-Bronx Ballad, 3 . Blue Bronx

Blues, 4. Lypso Bronx, 5. Hold On! We B Fix-N It! and 6. The

Long Hard Road Back.

1 . Prelude The Bronx. The opening was a pretty melody on

flugelhorn and guitar, followed by a counter melody on trombone

The Jazz Culture, VI:52

5and piano.

2. Statement The Bronx-Bronx Ballad. Drum intro, cruising

forward on long tones, in a joyous mood, with sparks from the

drummer and solid support of the bassist, carrying the strong spirit

of the borough forging ahead, with a percussive solo by Wycliffe

Gordon, followed by a chordal solo quoting Cherokee by Mr.

Mixon and a restatement of them by the horns, with accents on the

upbeats of a string of eighth notes pushing the beat ahead. A

proclamation in a dramatic fashion of the vast vista of the Bronx

stated by horns with a trumpet solo by Mr. Owens like a piercing

cry with a burnished tone and wide vibrato on long tones, later

rejoined by the rest of the band, and pianist providing a high trill.

Then a bass line, pretty punctuated long tones with counterpoint, a

semi martial sound on horns. There was a nice counter melody and

a lush sound, with great support. The trumpet solo was descriptive

and rich in memories of the streets and childhood haunts he grew

up in, with nice triplet figures that then exploded and opened into

new melodies. Mr. Higgins solo on tenor saxophone had a lusty

sound, arpeggiating up with spicy motifs

Danny Mixon, Patience Higgins, Michael Howell, Kenny Davis, Mark aison, Jimmy

Owens, Windard Harper, Unknown, Wycliffe Gordon

Cont. P. 24

The Jazz Culture, VI:52

MISSOURI CONCERTSERIES

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Kenny Barron, Jimmy Greene, ts Kiyoshi Kitagawa,bass, Jonathan

Blake, drums "A Chunk ofMonk" Missouri TheatreWe Always Swing Jazz Series in Columbia, Missouriby Jon Poses

to Jazz CulturePub note: "We Always Swing" is one of the most successful

regional sponsors of jazz programming in the country and it

is humbly hoped that jazz enthusiasts, musicians and

producers, wil l learn from their experiences.

JC: How long have you been doing the series? And where is it

located?

Jon Poses: The We Always Swing Jazz Series is in its 1 8th

season. I founded it on July 1 , 1 995 as an extension ofmy

touring/artist representative business, National Pastimes

Productions. The business name reflects an aesthetic that Jazz

as well as Baseball referred to as our national pastime is also

The Jazz Culture, VI:52

7a national pastime meaning the United States has TWO national

pastimes (plural) jazz and baseball. I founded National Pastimes

Productions as a touring and artist representative concern in 1985.

As luck would have it, on July 1 , 1 985, two close friends ofmine

bought a country and western flavored bar/restaurant and opened

it as Murrys, deciding to have a jazz (and baseball)

motif/atmosphere. As National Pastimes Productions grew, and

because ofmy friends interest in having live jazz at Murrys, I

engineered performances in Columbia, Missouri, as part of the

tours I organized. Columbia, now with a population that exceeds

100,000 people, is a university town located in the center of the

Missouri, sitting equidistant from St. Louis and Kansas City, 1 20

miles from each.

From 1985-1995 I concentrated on organizing/managing 10-

then 20- and finally 30-city tours. On most occasions I was able to

have one of the tour performances take place in Columbia mostly

at Murrys. However, in the case of bigger, more popular acts I

rented larger venues from 400 seats to 1 ,700 seats. Murrys

initially held 100 people; now it holds about 1 30 people.

Among my clients/tours (1985-present) are:

Guitarist Peter Leitch with Bobby Watson, James Williams,

Ray Drummond, Marvin Smitty Smith

Pianist James Williams (several occasions including the

Contemporary Piano Ensemble with Williams, Harold Mabern,

Mulgrew Miller, Donald Brown, Geoffrey Keezer, Christian

McBride, Tony Reedus)

Saxophonist Bobby Watson/Bobby Watson & Horizon with

Victor Lewis, Terell Stafford, Edward Simon, Essiet Essiet

Bassist Ray Drummond/Ray Drummonds All-Star Excursion

Band with Drummond, Craig Handy, Danilo Perez, David

Sanchez, Billy Hart, Mor Thiam

Pianist Joanne Brackeen/Joanne Brackeen Quartet with Greg

Osby, Cecil McBee, Tony Reedus

The Jazz Culture, VI:52

8 Saxophonist David Murray/David Murray OctetPianist Kenny

Barron/Kenny Barron Trio with Ray Drummond, Ben Riley

The Leaders with Lester Bowie, Arthur Blythe, Chico

Freeman, Kirk Lightsey, Cecil McBee, Famadou Don Moye

Matt Wilson/Matt Wilsons Arts & Crafts with Wilson, Larry

Goldings, Terell Stafford and Dennis Irwin/Martin Wind

Conrad Herwig/Conrad Herwigs Latin Side All-Star Band

with Craig Handy, Mike Rodriguez, Bill OConnell, Ruben

Rodri