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MaxxJazzHouse - Vol. 6
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Welcome back to the Jazz House the home of everything swingin' in the "deepest recesses of the groove."
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News
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June is Black Music Month and being a Obama supporter I almost hate to admit that it was proclaimed by President George W. Bush on May 31, 2002. Complicated fellow that G.W.Bush, but the way I see it is another reason to celebrate Jazz and also recognize this "critical part of American heritage." Throughout the month of June, Bush noted that Americans should celebrate a "critically important part" of the country's cultural heritage by "highlighting the enduring legacy of African-American musicians, singers and composers." He urged every American "to appreciate and enjoy the fabulous acheivements of this highly creative community." African-American musicians, singers and composers have contributed an immense amount to our nations history. It should be acknowledged and celebrated. Take part in this celebration and maybe learn something new!
CLICK HERE for Black Music America
Jazz Journey!
Jazz and blues legend Jimmy McGriff died last week at age 72 due to complications from Multiple Sclerosis. www.canadianpress and www.philly.com
A master of the Hammond B-3 organ, McGriff, born James H. McGriff Jr. in the Germantown section of Philadelphia started out on bass and saxophone and later played drums, vibes and piano.
McGriff who's parent's were both pianists grew up worshiping at Eastern Star Baptist Church in East Germantown, PA and in an interview with AllAboutJazz.com said "The basic idea of what I'm doing on the organ came from the church. That's how I got i, and I just never dropped it." He studied at the Julliard School in New York, Combs Collge of Music in Philadelphia, Temple University in Philadelphia and bought his first Hammond B-3 in 1956.
McGriff served as a military policeman during the Korean War and spent 2 1/2 years as a Philadelphia policeman moonlighting as a bass player. He was offered a record contract after a scout heard him play "I Got A Woman" at a small club in Trenton, New Jersey. That song on Sue Records became one of McGriff's greatest hits and he also recorded for Solid State, United Artists, Blue Note, Groove Merchant, Milestone, Headfirst and Telarc.
He would go on to record almost 100 albums and perform in clubs and concert halls all over the world. He played with Count Basie, Wynton Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich and his many collaborators include saxophonist Hank Crawford, drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie and bluesman Junior Parker.
At the time of his death McGriff was living in the Philadelphia suburb of Voorhees, New Jersey and he is survived by his wife Margaret McGriff, two children from previous relationships, Donald Kelly and Holiday Hunter Hankerson; his mother Beatrie, a brother, two sisters and five grandchildren. If you're a YouTube fan, go to YouTube and type in Jimm McGriff and there is a wonderful short video of McGriff telling the secret to winning over an audience.
IAJE
In the last issue we mentioned that the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the Federal Bankruptcy Law and became IAJE history.
So far no organization has come forward to fill the void, but it has been suggested that the Jazz Alliance International (JAI) which was a part of the IAJE and of which I am currently a board member, step up and answer the call.
To add another voice to this conversation, I would like to suggest that an organization be formed that brings the musicians together with the people who purchase their music and support their performances on land and sea in North, Central and South America and abroad.
With the limited amount of jazz radio airplay available and CLICK for Jazz Week the only chart based on monitored airplay of these stations, there is more accountability to and pressure from the few major lables to play their artists. The result is less opportunity and exposure for the independent artists which make up the majority of jazz artists. A new organization could include an emphasis on helping musicians use emerging technologies that help them get their music to a wider audience and liberate them from a dependence on record companies and critics.
It seems to me that two few people have too much to say and with the amount of great music available, very little of it get's heard by the people who want to purchase it. I can't tell you how many emails I have received over the past 8 years from fans looking for the music we play on XM. Even in my own online "Cool Music" store, I am limited to what I can offer because many musicians have told me that the deals they have with record companies limit where and how they can sell and expose their music.
The record companies have "relationships" with promotion people who have "relationships" with the Program Directors or Presenters who work on their behalf to get their artists played. The record companies also have budgets to buy advertising and to hire publicists to get their artists written about in the press. All of this determines what get's played, charted, written about and translates into bookings in clubs and on festivals.
There are some wonderful organizations working on behalf of the musicians and the music and I have to start with Jazz At Lincoln Center and their tireless Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis for their ongoing advocacy and for raising the profile of jazz as an art form on tour around the world and from their multi-million dollar facility built specifically for Jazz in the heart of New York City at Columbus Circle. I can't imagine how difficult a task that was and continues to be.
Another organization that comes to mind is Jazz Foundation of America lead by Wendy Oxenhorn and her stellar board of directors. They are a service organization that offers free health care to jazz musicians in need among their many activities. They also hold an annual fund raiser " A Great Night In Harlem" and it's subsequent CD release every year at the world famous Apollo Theatre.
Here are a couple of websites that I frequent for their content and commitment:
CLICK AllAboutJazz.com and CLICK JazzCorner.com CLICK Jazz Times is also a great resource which I love for being forward thinking and respectful at the same time. I've picked up copies of Jazz Times as far away as Rio de Janeiro.
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XM Satellite Radio - Real Jazz Programming Schedule
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Each month I include this programming schedule and encourage you to check out the channel and some swingin' sets coming out of Dizzy's Club Coca Cola and Jazz At Lincoln Center in New York City. Thanks for your continued support. Here's a link to the XM website www.xmradio.com
XM 70 Real Jazz Programming Schedule
Monday - Bright Moments From The Keystone Korner with Host Todd Barkan - 7pm ET.
Thursday - (encore) Live From Jazz At Lincoln Center - Midnight ET
Friday - Organized - 7pm ET.
Friday - A Night At Dizzy's Club Coca Cola - 8pm ET
Friday - Manteca - 9pm ET
Saturday - Riverwalk Jazz with David Holt and The Jim Cullum Jazz Band - 9am ET
Saturday - Ben Sidran on Record - 10am ET
Saturday - In The Swing Seat with Wynton Marsalis 1pm ET
Saturday - Live From Jazz At Lincoln Center (LFJALC) - 8pm ET
Saturday - Swing Street - (immediately following LFJALC)
Sunday - American Jazz with Dick Golden and Guest Tony Bennett 11am ET
Sunday - (encore) A Night At Dizzy's Club Coca Cola - 1pm ET
Sunday - Riverwalk Jazz with David Holt and The Jim Cullum Jazz Band - 9pm ET
Sunday - French Quarter - 10pm ET
In addition to those programs you can join me from 8am-4pm ET and Mark Ruffin 4pm-Midnight ET weekdays.
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Cool Music
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Over the past eight years we have received thousands of emails requesting playlists, copies of our special programs and information on the artists we play. In our ongoing effort to find new music by independent artists for you to check out, we've added several new CD's to the Cool Music Store. You can listen, read about and purchase by going to this site.
Click on this link to buy cool music
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Independent Ear with Journalist Willard Jenkins
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We're happy to continue to bring you "The Independent Ear" Blog."
The New Orleans based team of Willard and Suzan Jenkins have amassed over thirty years experience as industry leaders in various facets of the jazz, arts, the recording business, and jazz media.
Click on this link for "The Independent Ear Blog,
We hope that you enjoy it, let them and me know what you think.
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Festival Season
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June is here and festival season is officially in full swing with JVC, Montreal, Playboy, Newport, Detroit, Chicago, Monterey and a host of other smaller festivals on land and sea here and abroad. On the contemporary side of things the 16th Annual Capital Jazz Festival takes place on 2 stages over 3 days at the Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, MD.
The festival hosted this year by Patti Austin features nationally known contemporary Jazz and R&B acts and this years lineup includes: Boney James, Spyro Gyra, Chris Botti, Brian Culbertson, Kim Waters, Wayman Tisdale, Dianne Reeves, Maysa, Down To The Bone, Richard Elliot and Rick Bruan, Four80East, Randy Crawford and Joe Sample, Jonathan Butler, Roberta Flack, Average White Band, Ledisi, Howard Hewitt, Brian McKnight and Jeffrey Osborne. XM Satellite Radio is the proud sponsor this year and will bring it to you live starting at 2pm ET on Saturday June 7th through Sunday June 8th on XMX channel 2 and the following weekend June 14th and 15th on Watercolors XM 71 and Suite 62. CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION
Here are two links to mor3 festivals this summer and beyond.
Click on this link for listings of Jazz Clubs Worldwide
Click on this link for Boston Piano's Jazz & Blues Festival guide in Jazz Times magazine
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MYRICKJAZZ.COM
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Finally as I encourage everyone to embrace the new technology, I am excited to announce that I have finally figured out how to start my own website. It's just in the beginning stages for now but in the future we will have a column, blogs, playlists, a player (at the urging of our friends in London), schedules of events and more ways for musicians and fans to connect.
In our mission to increase the connection between the artists and the fans, we will soon be announcing an alliance that will make the website and the newsletters available to even more people worldwide.
Check it out and let me know what you think and what we should add, I'd love to get your feedback.
CLICK HERE FOR MYRICKJAZZ.COM
That's it for this edition, Keep Swingin!
Maxx
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