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CHUCK OWEN & MARCH 23 PILARS MARTINI WINTER GARDEN MARCH 24 USF TAMPA
A committed, passionate, and nationally respected jazz educator for more than 35 years, Chuck Owen is recognized throughout the jazz industry for his unique compositional voice. His compositions
and arrangements are steeped in the jazz tradition but draw liberally and often playfully from a diverse array of influences including contemporary classical, American folk/roots, Latin, funk, hip-hop and even country music.
Since founding it in 1995, Owen’s primary creative outlet has been the 19-piece Jazz Surge. He has served as conductor, primary composer/arranger, and producer of all of its six highly-regarded CDs – the last three of which earned Grammy nominations. Their 2017 release Whispers On the Wind was recognized with four Grammy nominations, was named No. 1 Big Band Album in the 39th Annual Jazz Station Awards, and appeared in the Top 10 Jazz Releases of 2017 of several prominent polls/critics awards.
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While seeking to celebrate the 25-year milestone with Within Us, Owen sought to explore the nature and significance of milestones in general. He was so committed to this thesis that he decided to do a mash-up of the Miles Davis work “Milestones” along with the first piece he ever wrote expressly for the band (appropriately titled “Surge”). In addition to their upcoming Central Florida performances in March, the group will debut a full-length documentary on the making of Within Us in late February (venue and date TBD). Filmed throughout the recording/mixing process as well as at the band’s electric CD release performance at New York’s Birdland Jazz Club, the video explores not only the creative and recording processes involved in such a complex undertaking, but also the interactions of a close-knit “family” of musicians joyously reuniting and playing again after 15 months of pandemic isolation. Beautifully captured, edited and produced by Innovation Education Studios at USF, the video is surely headed to film festivals in the near future. It was the Surge’s fourth recording, 2009’s The Comet’s Tail, that first captured the attention of critics and audiences around the world. Celebrating the compositional output of the late jazz icon Michael Brecker by re-envisioning his work through the eyes of various guest arrangers in addition to Owen himself, The CD earned a 2009 Grammy nomination, along with many “best of the year” mentions. In addition to his work with Surge, Owen has undertaken a diverse body of commissions and projects including collaborations with the Netherlands’ Metropole Orchestra, the Aarhus Jazz Orchestra (Denmark), the U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors, and tenor saxophonist Jack Wilkins. Other performances of note include the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the Tonight Show Orchestra, and the Cincinnati Symphony Pops Orchestra. In addition to his Guggenheim Fellowship, Owen is the recipient of the prestigious 2000 IAJE/ASCAP commission in honor of Louis Armstrong, and three Florida Individual Artist Fellowships. He has over 100 published compositions for jazz ensemble, and is a frequent guest artist, clinician and lecturer.
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After receiving a BM in Music Education and a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting, Owen spent two years in Los Angeles freelancing and apprenticing with film/ TV composer Patrick Williams via a NEA study grant. In 1981, Owen relocated to Tampa to accept the first dedicated faculty post in Jazz Studies at the University of
& JAZZ SURGE South Florida. The program quickly became acknowledged as one of the nation’s best. Accorded with the honorific “Distinguished University Professor,” Owen has been recognized by USF with its Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, President’s Award for Faculty Excellence, and most recently, the Outstanding Research Award. In 2004, the USF Center for Jazz Composition was established with Owen as its Director, launching several prominent programs, commissioning several works, and premiering dozens more before funding cuts ended its operation in 2014. Soon after, Owen and two former students, Dr. Dave Stamps and Dr. Brian Coyle, formed the International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers, which drew an A-list of participants to the first ISJAC-sponsored Jazz Composers’ Symposium in 2017. He currently serves as President of ISJAC.
Owen’s professional service includes a terms as a grants panelist/chair for the Pulitzer Prize in Music, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Grammy Awards, the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, and others. He has authored several articles on jazz composition and for years routinely reviewed new music for the Jazz Educators Journal. More at chuckowen.com. Publisher’s Note: To accommodate our March 2022 “Women in Jazz & Blues” issue, Chuck Owen graciously agreed to have this feature run a month prior to the band’s Florida dates. Thank you, Chuck!
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Amythyst Kiah Described by Rolling Stone as “one of Americana’s great up-and-coming secrets,” Amythyst Kiah expands on the uncompromising artistry she’s displayed as a member of Our Native Daughters—an all-women-of-color supergroup whose Kiahpenned standout “Black Myself” earned a Grammy nomination for Best American Roots Song and won Song of the Year at the Folk Alliance International Awards. Kiah’s father, Carl Phillips – who’d played Southern rock, country, soul and pop in otherwise white gigging bands – gave her the acoustic guitar she requested as a teen. Learning classical fingerstyle guitar became a way to deal with her intense social anxiety, and Kiah’s ensuing dive into bluegrass flatpicking technique developed into a study of old-time music. Positive feedback convinced Kiah to also focus on her vocals. Her 2013 debut Dig was filled with spare acoustic versions of old-time material. It was followed by an energetic indie rock collection. The day in the studio when she finally united those two distinct sounds she’d previously kept separate was “one of the best days of my life.” That moment occurred during the recording of her latest CD, Wary + Strange, which she describes with literary terms like “Southern Gothic” and “magical realism.” No lineup has mattered more to Kiah’s career or consciousness than Our Native Daughters. Their mission – to recover the musical agency of enslaved people and their descendants – spoke directly to her. More at amythystkiah.com.
FROM A PHOTO BY BYJENNIFER COLE RODRIGUEZ
FEBRUARY 19 FORT MOSE ST. AUGUSTINE
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S P O T L I G H T FEBRUARY 9 BROWARD CENTER FT LAUDERDALE FEBRUARY 15 PALLADIUM ST PETERSBURG
Diego Figueiredo Brazilian guitarist Diego Figueiredo (pronounced “fig-a-ray-doe”) lives in, with and for the music. He began playing music at four years old, and by age twelve he had already attracted a local following. By 15, he was drawing huge crowds around Brazil. Figueiredo has recorded more than two dozen albums, both solo and in collaboration with others, on labels in Brazil, Europe and the U.S. He has performed in more than 60 countries and is the winner of several competitions including The Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition. In addition to his guitar playing, Figueiredo is also a producer, arranger, orchestrator, and multi-instrumentalist. While he has recorded and performed with Brazil’s biggest stars including Gilberto Gil and João Bosco, and several years touring the world accompanying Brazil’s beloved composer and vocalist, Belchior, Figueiredo has spent much of the last ten years in North America, performing solo and in duos with Larry Coryell, Ken Peplowski, John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, Chuchito Valdes, Stanley Jordan and Cyrille Aimée. His arrangement (with Aimée) of “Marry Me A Little,” the Stephen Sondheim musical’s title song, was nominated for a 2019 Grammy. According to JazzWeek, Figueiredo’s c urrent release Antarctica was among the Top 25 most-played CDs on U.S. jazz radios in 2021. For the February 9 Gold Coast Jazz Society concert, Figueiredo will be joined with special guests Nestor Torres, Sammy Figueroa and Shelly Berg. More at diegofigueiredo.com.
FROM A PHOTO BY THAIS PUGLIESI
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S P O T L I G H T
Anders Osborne
Between the potency of his richly-detailed songwriting, his intensely emotional, soulful vocals and his piercing, expert guitar work, New Orleans’ Anders Osborne is a true musical treasure. Guitar Player called him “the poet laureate of Louisiana’s fertile roots music scene.” Among his 26 OffBeat awards are three for Producer of the Year, four for Best Songwriter, and 2012’s Song Of The Year for his composition “Louisiana Gold.” His 2021 pandemic-inspired project, Orpheus and the Mermaids is his 17th album in just over three decades. It follows his previous release, Buddha and the Blues, which took Offbeat’s 2019 Best Rock Album title. A powerful live performer, Osborne has won over fans through non-stop touring either with his own band, as a solo artist, as a guest with his many musical admirers, and in collaboration with the North Mississippi Allstars & Southern Soul Assembly. He has also produced and played on critically-acclaimed albums by Tab Benoit, Johnny Sansone and Mike Zito. Since his recording debut in 1989, Osborne has written virtually all of his own material and contributed memorable songs to a wide variety of artists. Two tunes co-written by Osborne appear on Keb Mo’s Grammy-winning 1999 release Slow Down, and country superstar Tim McGraw scored a No. 1 hit with Anders’ song “Watch The Wind Blow By.” Osborne’s compositions have been covered by a long list of artists, and his songs have appeared in multiple feature films. More at andersosborne.com.
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FROM A PHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD
FEBRUARY 4 BLUES ON THE BLOCK CLEARWATER
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Longineu Parsons Jacksonville native Longineu Parsons instinctively plays the blues as a native language. His job as the trumpet player in the hit Broadway FEBRUARY 26 musical Bubbling Brown LINCOLNVILLE Sugar led to a stint in Europe MUSEUM during which he joined Sun ST. AUGUSTINE Ra’s band and toured with a FEBRUARY 27 number of other artists. Since ARTIGRAS returning to New York in the TALLAHASSEE early 1980s he has leveraged his technique and experience to present a comprehensive arsenal of jazz. Parsons has performed and recorded with an impressive list of artists including Cab Calloway, Nat Adderley (Jr. and Sr.), Herbie Mann, and Nancy Wilson, among others. For his February Florida shows, Parsons will be presenting selections from his 45 years of traveling and performing internationally. Along with his strong cultural roots in North Florida, Parsons’ extensive travels are important to his musical mission. As Dr. Neu says, “Just like music from various cultures can come together and musicians of various cultures can make music together, we humans must learn to make a good world together.” This idea of using musical expression as a positive experience has always been important to Parsons, and the music for both performances will traverse historic, cultural and stylistic boundaries. Dr. Parsons is Professor of Music at Florida A&M University and is President of Tribal Disorder Records. 2019 brought a trio of album releases that included Work Song – 25th Anniversary Edition, To Satchmo with Love and 21 Blue – Blues for the 21st Century. He is currently touring with The Longineu Parsons Ensemble featuring Nat Adderley, Jr. More at longineu.com. FEBRUARY 25 BREEZY JAZZ HOUSE JACKSONVILLE
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Drifter Kings
Columbus Blues Alliance 2019 Blues Challenge winners The Drifter Kings FEBRUARY 19 represented Central Ohio in BEACH SHACK the 2020 International Blues COCOA BEACH Challenge (IBC). The band were also semi-finalists at FEBRUARY 20 the 2010 IBC. And their LOU’S BLUES BAR INDIALANTIC debut CD, Diamonds On The Desert Floor, was nominated by the Blues Foundation as a Top 5 finalist at the 2011 IBC. The three-piece blues/roots band is also known for creatively arranged blues classics and scorching back porch numbers featuring stomp box, tambourine, and frottoir. They’ve opened for the likes of Candye Kane, Roomful of Blues, Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater, Little Ed and The Blues Imperials, and Tab Benoit. 2018’s Daddy Long Leggin’ EP is comprised of five original songs, and received strong airplay in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia. Before The Drifter Kings, drummer and frontman Douglas Oscard played two tours with Bo Diddley, and was a member of Joey Dee and The Starlighters for two and half years back in the late 1970s-’80s. Guitarist Chris Whitney studied jazz guitar at Ohio State University, but is also experienced in blues, country, rock, and classical music. He and his wife own a music studio/art gallery. Bassist Tony Harp has a degree in Music Technology, and recently launched a new recording studio, Kaylor Hill Recording, where the band is currently in the process of mixing and mastering material for their upcoming CD, Devil In My Kitchen. More at thedrifterkings.com.
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S P O T L I G H T FEBRUARY 24 FORT MOSE PARK ST. AUGUSTINE
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Gregory Porter
Known for his warm baritone vocals, Gregory Porter rose to acclaim in the 2010s with his distinct brand of jazz, soul, and gospel. He announced his arrival with a Grammy nomination for his 2010 debut, Water. His third album, 2013’s Liquid Spirit, hit No. 2 on the jazz charts and won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. It also became the one of the most streamed jazz albums of all time, with more than 20 million streams. Porter’s next effort, 2016’s Take Me to the Alley, was followed by the concert album Live in Berlin later that year. In 2017 he released an album that paid tribute to the artist who had been most influential on his own music. Nat King Cole featured heavily in his mother’s record collection when Porter was growing up in Bakersfield, CA, and he learned to imitate Cole at an early age. Nat King Cole & Me featured Porter’s versions of some of Cole’s most treasured classics. 2020’s All Rise marked a return to Porter’s original songwriting set to a stirring mix of jazz, soul, blues and gospel. The set also marked the evolution of Porter’s art to something even more emphatic and emotive, intimate yet universal. Part retrospective and part companion album to All Rise, 2021’s Still Rising: The Collection brings together some of Porter’s most beloved and potent tracks with newly recorded songs. Along with solo tracks, there is a second disc showcasing his duets with singers like Lalah Hathaway, Renee Fleming and Dianne Reeves. More at gregoryporter.com.
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S P O T L I G H T FEBRUARY 6 EARL’S HIDEAWAY SEBASTIAN
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Ilana Katz Katz
From her humble performance beginnings on Boston’s crowded subway platforms – where she played for more than a decade – Ilana Katz Katz has unexpectedly FEBRUARY 8 moved into an expanded aboveground world. Celebrated for her solo perforFUNKY BISCUIT mances, as a band leader and for lending her fiddling prowess to various music BOCA RATON ensembles, Katz’s talents span many genres – including her signature jazzy scat singing in sync with her fiddle. A chance meeting with Ronnie Earl resulted in him accompanying Katz on her 2014 debut record, and subsequently featuring her in many shows. Her signature blues style soon had her performing with a “who’s who” of blues musicians around the country. Katz’s growing presence as a guest instrumentalist and songwriter for other artists continues to thrive, and post-pandemic she still enjoys bringing music to people – as she did in the subway – by performing on the street when she isn’t touring and recording. Her fourth and latest release is In My Mind, featuring one cover and ten originals, including the lead video release, “Ain’t No Why.” The album immediately made its way to the iTunes blues charts with worldwide airplay. Katz is also an expansive visual artist, creating much of her performance wardrobe along with bright watercolor paintings and customizable “good mojo luck charms” available for purchase. Her well-received debut novel The Underground was optioned for a screenplay, and the upcoming Housebound is in the final editing stages. Katz is also illustrating her new educational children’s book, Miss Catty and the Batty. More at ilanakatz.com.
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Danny Bedrosian A bronze medalist in his first Musical Theory and Performance Competition at age five, Daniel Peter Bedrosian won the gold at age eight. During his teens his interests in jazz and R&B developed and he played keyboards and sang in various local Latin, metal, and hip hop groups. He’d been moved more by Parliament Funkadelic than any other group, and aspired himself to start what would eventually be the 18-piece New England-based, super-funk group Sweet Motha’ Child. From 1998-2003 they released six albums, and he was finally able to meet George Clinton and P-Funk. He landed a job as keyboard tech, but within months Bedrosian became a full time musician with the band. He is featured on a handful of Live Pfunk releases and spinoff albums, and performed with them at one of President Obama’s inaugural balls. In 2005, Bedrosian released his solo debut Som’n Fierce. His sophomore album, Secret Army, was released the following year to even more praise. Both titles turned into side projects, with Secret Army’s most recent release being 2020’s Exaltation. Bedrosian is CEO, Producer & Engineer of his Production and Publishing Company Bozfonk Moosick, and currently plays in multiple bands. The end of 2017 saw the launch of Bedrosian’s monthly podcast “Danny on Everything” in which he interviews professors, singers, rappers, producers, poets, writers, and critics alike, and plays all kinds of new music, including much from Bozfonk. His latest CD is 2019’s Lusine and Arev. Oh and issue 2 of his Sons of the Sun comic book series is available now. More at danny bedrosian.com.
FEBRUARY 12 BLUE TAVERN TALLAHASSEE
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FESTIVAL UPDATE
FEBRUARY 4 • CLEARWATER Blues On The Block FEBRUARY 26 • TALLAHASSEE Artigras at Railroad Square MARCH 4 • ZEPHYRHILLS Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues MARCH 11 • BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Blues Fest MARCH 26 • APOPKA Apopka International Jazz Fest MARCH 26 • TALLAHASSEE Backyard Blues @ Blue Tavern MARCH 26 • ST AUGUSTINE Lions Spring Festival
CLICK FOR OUR COMPLETE JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL LIST!
INFORMATION WAS CORRECT AT TIME OF POSTING Send updates to Charlie@JazzBluesFlorida.com 22