Jersey Jazz • March 2024

THE MAGAZINE OF THE NEW JERSEY JAZZ SOCIETY

JerseyJazz

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

SALUTING SARAH VAUGHAN

MARCH 2024 VOLUME 52 ISSUE 03

IN THIS ISSUE ARTICLES/REVIEWS 10

ON THE COVER _ Sarah Vaughan from the William J. Gottlieb Collection.

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Jersey Jazz LIVE!: Lucy Wijnands

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Sarasota Jazz Festival: Grace Kelly

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Women’s History Month: Sarah Vaughan

26

Bethany Jazz Vespers: Camille Thurman

31

Rising Star: Olivia Hughart

35

International Women in Jazz

41

Other Views

COLUMNS 03

All That's Jazz

06

Editor’s Choice

39

From the Crow’s Nest

45

Not Without You!

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ALL THAT’S JAZZ

BY CY DNE Y HA LPIN

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arch is Women’s History Month. Please join me in acknowledging and celebrating the vital role of women throughout history, and more specifically, recognizing the great contributions women have made and ARE making to the art of jazz.

The culture and conditions that have historically existed for women within the genre of jazz are well documented, and I recommend the following materials for all who wish to learn more about women’s historic place in the jazz lexicon: 1) The article focused on the ‘20s, ‘30s & ‘40s titled “The Best of the All-Women Swing Bands” by William Ewanick for medium.com. 2) the 2011 documentary The Girls in the Band directed by Judy Chaikin—which presents the untold stories of female jazz and big band instrumentalists and their journey from the late 1930s

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to the present day. 3) Sherrie Tucker’s book Swing Shift chronicling the forgotten history of the all-girl big bands of the World War II era.

But we want to take women out of the history books and highlight the extraordinary influence women are having on today’s jazz scene. As noted by music critic David Hajdu, “Some fearless women plowed through with machetes so that another generation can say, ‘This is possible. Maybe there’s a place for me.’ Women as performers, composers, and innovators is the story in jazz today.”

This issue of Jersey Jazz highlights a host of fierce, fabulous, female artists and influencers—past and present. Know their names and know how they’ve influenced and will continue to enrich the art of jazz.

This month celebrate Her-story. Celebrate Her-story in jazz!!

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here is money to be won!

NJJS’s 2024 Juried Scholarship Competition—which will award a $1,000 and a $500 prize in each of two categories: Jazz Performance and Original Composition—is accepting entries.

The competition is open to all students currently enrolled in a New Jersey college undergraduate music program, as well as to Jersey residents currently enrolled in an out-ofstate college undergraduate program.

Proof of residency is required for Jersey applicants in out-of-state schools.

Along with the cash award, winners will receive guidance, mentorship, the opportunity to perform with an industry professional, and coverage in Jersey Jazz.

This competition will once again be judged by our prestigious panel of professional musicians, educators and industry leaders comprised of:

Don Braden—World class tenor saxophonist, flutist, composer and educator Ted Chubb—Vice President, Jazz Education + Associate Producer, Jazz House Kids, trumpeter, composer, and educator Jason Olaine—Vice President of Programming, Jazz at Lincoln Center Mariel Bildsten—Trombonist, bandleader, side-woman, and educator Submission deadline is Friday March 29, 2024, 11:59 p.m. Visit NJJS.org/Education/Scholarship Program for complete details.

The Board and I would like to thank Nan Hughes Poole and NJJS Board Member Cynthia Feketie for their generous support of this initiative.

If you’d like to support the growth of our prize offerings, donations can be made via our website njjs.org/ Donate. Please note “Scholarship Fund” where indicated. Donations can also be mailed: NJJS, 382 Springfield Ave., Ste. 217, Summit, NJ 07901.

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ALL THAT’S JAZZ Don’t hesitate to contact me at pres@ njjs.org if you have any questions.

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f you haven’t yet attended one of our Jersey Jazz LIVE! events, you’ve been missing out on some spectacular music! Plan to join us Sunday, March 3, 3:00 p.m., for Jersey Jazz LIVE! featuring vocalist Lucy Wijnands, as she celebrates the centennial birthday and music of Sarah Vaughan. Lucy is a talented visual artist as well and will have various works on display to enjoy and purchase. The Rising Stars opening act will showcase the Sally Shupe Quintet. For more information about these artists and tickets, please see page 10.

If you’d like to support a Jersey Jazz LIVE! concert or our Rising Stars/Opening Act initiative—in part or in full—providing performance opportunities for the next generation

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of jazz musicians, please contact me at pres@njjs.org or at 973.229.0543.

Jersey Jazz LIVE! Is held at Madison Community Arts Center, 10 Kings Road, Madison, NJ. Free street parking. $10 Members, $15 Non-Members. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. This event is likely to be well attended, plan accordingly.

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here’s still time to donate.

Our “50 Years and Counting … on YOU!” annual appeal campaign kicked off in December, and we need you to join with us in this collaborative effort.

If you’ve already contributed to this annual campaign we thank you; if you haven’t, please consider a tax-deductible gift today. We need your HELP to continue our performance and educational initiatives. You can donate anytime online at NJJS.org— via the red “Make a Donation” button.

Or by mail to: NJJS, 382 Springfield Ave., Ste. 217, Summit, NJ, 07901.

Please make check payable to NJJS. We’re counting on you to partner with us and keep this uniquely American art form swingin’.

YOU make it all possible!

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njoy cornetist Mike Davis and the New Wonders with special guest Colin Hancock, Saturday, March 16, 3:00 p.m., at the Bickford Theater/Morris Museum.

Celebrate the Jazz Age of the ‘20s with the music, fashion, and technology of the day. Visit morrismuseum.org for details and tickets.

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ave the date Sunday, April 14, 2—4:30 p.m., for the return of the Chicken Fat Ball! Thanks to the generosity of event producers Al Kuehn, Don Greenfield, and Ed Stuart, net proceeds from this

event directly benefit NJJS. This year’s lineup of fan favorites includes: Harry Allen/tenor sax, Ken Peplowski/clarinet/tenor sax, Jon-Erik Kellso/cornet, John Allred/ trombone, Ehud Asherie/piano, Gary Mazzaroppi/bass, Paul Wells/drums.

This beloved event will be held at The Woodland in Maplewood, NJ. Bring a picnic and beverage of choice and share a table with old and new friends, while enjoying TRADitional jazz at its finest. For tickets and more information, please see page 44.

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ave the date: Gotham Jazz Festival, Sunday, April 28, 1 p.m-12 a.m. Don’t miss New York’s premier hot jazz festival of early jazz, swing, and blues. Please see page 38 for more details.

“Well behaved women seldom make history.”—Eleanor Roosevelt

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JerseyJazz LIVE! FEAT U R I N G

Lucy Wijnands Celebrates Sarah!

SUNDAY, MARCH 3 3:00 PM

Madison Community Arts Center 10 KINGS ROAD, MADISON, NJ FREE STREET PARKING ON KINGS ROAD $

10 MEMBERS | $15 NON-MEMBERS $

5 STUDENTS (WITH VALID I.D.)

EDITOR’S CHOICE

BY SA NFO RD JOS EPHSON

Women’s History Month: Honoring the Past and Excited About the Future

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arch is Women’s History Month, and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate it than saluting the great Sarah Vaughan in the month and year that she would have turned 100 years old. (March 27, 2024).

Our cover story contains tributes to Sassy from 14 female jazz vocalists.

Also, our March 3rd Jersey Jazz LIVE! concert in Madison, NJ, will feature a tribute to Vaughan by vocalist Lucy Wijnands who adds her own comments about the great singer on page 10. And, Jay Sweet’s interview with Camille Thurman (page 26) reveals that the saxophonist/vocalist is working on a Sarah Vaughan Centennial Project.

This issue also contains interviews with alto saxophonist Grace Kelly, who will be performing at the Sarasota Jazz Festival, and Rising

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Star alto saxophonist Olivia Hughart, who, as a teenager, founded the Key of She, an organization dedicated to expanding opportunities in jazz for young women. And, Jacqueline Lennon, President of International Women in Jazz, has written a guest column about the IWJ’s efforts to support and promote women jazz artists.

Jersey Jazz and the New Jersey Jazz Society are committed to featuring Rising Stars—young women and men—in the pages of the magazine and at our Jersey Jazz LIVE! concerts. One of our previous female Rising Stars, trumpeter Summar Camargo, announced the release of her first album, To Whom I Love, just as we were approaching Women’s History Month. She has already released a single, “JP Shuffle”, and the album, on

Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Blue Engine Records, will be launched on March 15. The 22-year-old Camargo, a member of the Saturday Night Live House Band, performed selections from the album on February 20 at Dizzy’s Club.

To Whom I Love was produced by trumpeter Sean Jones, Artistic Director at Carnegie Hall’s NYO Jazz Orchestra, which Camargo was a member of in 2018 and 2019. Other members of Camargo’s band on the recording are: multi-reedist Veronica Leahy, trombonist Jeffery Miller, pianist Esteban Castro, bassist Raul Reyes, drummer Varun Das, percussionist Jamey Haddad, and the late organist Joey DeFrancesco.

In 2018, at JALC’s Essentially Ellington competition, Camargo became the first female trumpet player to be named the Festival’s Best Soloist.

She also won the songwriting award for Best Original Composition and Arrangement. Before she performed

“Leapfroggin’” with members of the JALC Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis introduced her, saying “She is spectacular in her playing and her presence. What can I say about her? It just gives me so much hope and feeling.”

Another new album, important for raising awareness of emerging young talent, is veteran drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr.’s Cellar Music recording, Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y’s A New Beat. Reviewing the album for Jersey Jazz (page 41), Joe Lang wrote: “The young players flawlessly execute the demanding charts conceived

by Owens. The excitement generated by these players illustrates that the future of jazz is in good hands.”

Among the young players featured are four Jersey Jazz Rising Stars—alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan, trumpeter Anthony Hervey, pianist Tyler Bullock, and bassist Ryoma Takenaga—along with our October 2023 cover story artist, alto saxophonist Erena Terakubo.

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ABOUT NJJS

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ounded in 1972, The New Jersey Jazz Society has diligently maintained its mission to promote and preserve America’s great art form—jazz. To accomplish our mission, we produce a monthly magazine, Jersey Jazz; sponsor live jazz events; and provide scholarships to New Jersey college students studying jazz. Through our outreach program Generations of Jazz, we provide interactive programs focused on the history of jazz. The Society is run by a board of directors who meet monthly to conduct Society business. NJJS membership is comprised of jazz devotees from all parts of the state, the country and the world.

MEMBER BENEFITS

JOIN NJJS

You become an integral part of the NJJS community, and the history and future of jazz

Family/Individual $45 (Family includes to 2 Adults and 2 children under 18 years of age) Family/Individual 3-Year $115 Musician Member $45 / 3-Year $90 (one time only, renewal at standard basic membership level.)

Youth $15 - For people under 21 years of age. Date of Birth Required.

Give-A-Gift $25 - Members in good standing may purchase unlimited gift memberships.

Applies to New Memberships only.

Fan $75 - $99 Jazzer $100 - $249 Sideman $250 - $499 Bandleader $500+ Corporate Membership $1000

Access to 11 Digital Issues of our Award Winning Jersey Jazz Magazine — Featuring Articles, Interviews, Reviews, Events and More Discounts to our Jersey Jazz LIVE! Sunday Concerts Discounts at NJJS Sponsored Concerts & Events.

MUSICIAN MEMBERS

FREE Listing on NJJS.org “Musicians List” with Individual Website Link FREE Gig Advertising in our Monthly eBlast THE RECORD BIN

Visit www.njjs.org or email info@njjs.org for more information on our programs and services NJJS.ORG

A collection of CDs & LPs available at reduced prices at most NJJS concerts and events and through mail order www.njjs.org/Store

Members at Bandleader level and above and Corporate Memberships receive special benefits.

Please contact Membership@njjs.org for details.

The New Jersey Jazz Society is qualified as a tax exempt cultural organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, Federal ID 23-7229339. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

For more Information or to join, visit www.njjs.org

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Magazine of the New Jersey Jazz Society VO LU M E 52 • I SSUE 03

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Editorial Staff

New Jersey Jazz Society, Officers 2024

EDITOR

PRESIDENT

Sanford Josephson, editor@njjs.org

Cydney Halpin, pres@njjs.org

ART DIRECTOR

EXECUTIVE VP

Michael Bessire, art@njjs.org

vicepresident@njjs.org

CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITOR

TREASURER

Mitchell Seidel, photo@njjs.org CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Bill Crow, Joe Lang, Dan Morgenstern, Jay Sweet CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Mike Katz, treasurer@njjs.org VP, MEMBERSHIP

membership@njjs.org

VP, PUBLICITY

Sanford Josephson, sanford.josephson@gmail.com

David Kelly Crow, Anthony Dean, Lauren Desberg, William P. Gottlieb, Manasa Gudavalli, Carol Lo Ricco, Hank O’Neal

Mitchell Seidel, music@njjs.org

WEBMASTER

RECORDING SECRETARY

Christine Vaindirlis

VP, MUSIC PROGRAMMING

Irene Miller CO -FOUNDER

Jack Stine

Jersey Jazz (ISSN 07405928) is published monthly for members of The New Jersey Jazz Society

382 Springfield Ave., Suite 217, Summit, NJ 07901 973-229-0543 • info@njjs.org Membership fee is $45/year.

All material in Jersey Jazz, except where another copyright holder is explicitly acknowledged, is copyright ©New Jersey Jazz Society 2020. All rights reserved. Use of this material is strictly prohibited without the written consent of the NJJS.

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Advertising

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Mike Katz

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING

Cydney Halpin, advertising@njjs.org ADVERTISING RATES

Full Page: 135, Half Page: 90, 1/3 Page: $60, 1/4 Page: $30 $

$

For reservations, technical information and deadlines contact advertising@njjs.org or visit njjs.org/Magazine/Advertise.

Make payment at PayPal.com: payment@ njjs.org, or via check made payable to NJJS, 382 Springfield Ave., Suite 217, Summit, NJ 07901.

DIRECTORS

Jay Dougherty, Cynthia Feketie, Pete Grice, Carrie Jackson, Caryl Anne McBride, Robert McGee, James Pansulla, Stew Schiffer, Elliott Tyson, Jackie Wetcher ADVISORS

Don Braden, Mariel Bildsten, Ted Chubb, Al Kuehn, Jason Olaine JERSEY JAZZ

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New JerseyJazz Society The New Jersey Jazz Society is pleased to announce the

2024 JURIED SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION

NOW G N I T P E C AC TIONS APPLICA

This competition will award two $1000 prizes and two $500 prizes in two categories: Jazz Performance & Original Composition. The competition is open to all New Jersey college students currently enrolled in a college undergraduate music program, as well as to New Jersey residents currently enrolled in an out of state college undergraduate program.

Proof of residency required. Along with the cash award, winners will receive guidance, mentorship and the opportunity to perform with an industry professional, and coverage in Jersey Jazz.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Friday, March 29, 2024, 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Visit njjs.org/Education/ScholarshipProgram for details.

T H I S C O M P E T I T I O N I S G E N E R O U S LY S U P P O R T E D b y N A N H U G H E S P O O L E a n d C Y N T H I A F E K E T I E

JERSEY JAZZ LIVE! Lucy Wijnands Celebrates Sarah Vaughan

Lucy Wijnands

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“Sarah Vaughan could do anything with her voice,” said vocalist Lucy Wijnands. “The way she sang a ballad was how I wanted to sing a ballad. She had so much class and personality in her singing, and nobody else sounded quite like her.”

Vaughan, who passed away on April 4, 1990, at the age of 66, would have turned 100 on March 27. On Sunday, March 3, Wijnands will celebrate Vaughan’s centennial birthday at the New Jersey Jazz Society’s Jersey Jazz LIVE! concert at the Madison (NJ) Community Arts Center.

“I will definitely be singing one of my favorites, ‘Baubles Bangles and Beads’,” Wijnands said, adding

that, “I will also be singing ‘Tenderly’, as she was the first person to record this song, and she sang it beautifully.”

Vaughan’s legacy is something Wijnands is “very honored to pay homage to. This will be my second tribute concert to her, as I just finished one in Oslo (Norway) as well.” (She celebrated Vaughan’s centennial in early February at Oslo’s Club Gustav jazz club).

In April 2021, Wijnands won the Blues Alley Jazz Society’s Ella Fitzgerald Vocal Competition, singing three Johnny Mercer songs—“Too Marvelous For Words”, “Laura”, and “Dearly Beloved”. Two months later, she was Jersey Jazz’s Rising Star. “Just like Ella,” Wijnands said, “Sarah is hugely

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JERSEY JAZZ LIVE! influential to me. I could listen to her all the time. I love Ella and Sarah equally because they’re both killer singers.”

Orginally from Kansas City, the 26-year-old Wijnands graduated in 2020 from the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase. She sang at NJJS’ 50th Anniversary concert in October 2022. Her father, Bram Wijnands, is a stride pianist, and he will accompany her at the March 3rd concert. “I’m so excited having my Dad with me,” she said. “I think Sarah would have loved his playing because he is so authentic to that time period. He’s also very in-

spired by Erroll Garner, whom I know she loved.” (See more about Sarah Vaughan’s centennial on page 19).

Wijnands will be preceded by a Rising Star opening act featuring a quintet led by guitarist Sally Shupe of Maplewood, NJ. A senior at Columbia High School, Shupe was the guitarist in the All-State Jazz Ensemble that performed at the TD James Moody Jazz Festival last November at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

She plans to study jazz at Montclair State’s John J. Cali School of Music in the fall. The other members of her

“ SARAH IS HUGELY INFLUENTIAL

TO ME. I COULD LISTEN TO HER ALL THE TIME.”

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Sally Shupe

quintet are: drummer Beckett Diehl, a freshman at William Paterson University; tenor saxophonist Abhik Mojumdar, a senior at South Brunswick High School; pianist Thomas Dinh, a sophomore at Robbinsville High School; and bassist Jeff Andolaro, a senior at Shawnee High School. Mojumdar, Dinh, and Andolaro were also members of the All-State Jazz Ensemble.

The Madison Community Arts Center is located at 10 Kings Road in Madison, NJ. The Jersey Jazz LIVE! concerts begin at 3 p.m. Admission will be $10 for NJJS members and

$15 for non-members. Student admission is $5 with valid ID. There will be light refreshments for purchase. To order tickets in advance, log onto madisonarts.ticketleap. com/jersey-jazz-live--03-03-24/

:

Funding for Jersey Jazz Live! has been made possible, in part, by funds from Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of The National Endowment for the Arts. This program is also proudly supported by a grant from The Summit Foundation.

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SARASOTA JAZZ FESTIVAL Grace Kelly: ‘We Love to Make it Fun and Get People Up Singing and Dancing’ Other Main Stage Performers Include Dee Dee Bridgewater, Wycliffe Gordon, Jeff Hamilton, and Chucho Valdes

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s a 10-year-old living in the Boston suburb of Pittsfield, MA, Grace Kelly heard Stan Getz’s recording of “The Girl From Ipanema” and that was her introduction to jazz.

“I would sing along with Stan Getz,” she recalled. “I loved the sound of it. I said, ‘I really want to play this instrument.’”

When she was 13, she met legendary alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, and a few years later, she met another alto icon, Phil Woods. In 2009, when she was 16, Kelly was invited by Wyn-

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ton Marsalis to play alto saxophone with Dave Brubeck at the “Let Freedom Swing/Celebration of America” concert as part of President Barack Obama’s inauguration events. And, four years after graduating from the Berklee College of Music in 2011 at the age of 19, she was playing with Jon Batiste’s house band, Stay Human, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Kelly, now 31 and living in Los Angeles, will be performing on Thursday, March 21, at the Sarasota Jazz Festival,

PHOTO BY ZACK S MITH

BY SA NFO RD JOS EPH SON

Grace Kelly

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preceding trombonist Wycliffe Gordon in the second of four Main Stage concerts at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium. Other Main Stage performers include: National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, trumpeter and Festival Music Director Terell Stafford, drummer Jeff Hamilton, and pianist/bandleader Chucho Valdes.

On March 1, Kelly released her newest album, Grace Kelly With Strings: At the Movies (Pazz Productions). “One of my favorite albums,” she said, “is Charlie Parker With Strings. I used to go to bed and play ‘Just Friends’. Working with strings was always in the back of my head.

We’re playing some of my favorite music from movies.” The 20-piece orchestra on the album includes Kelly on alto saxophone, a 15-piece string section, and a jazz rhythm section: pianist Tamir Hendelman, bassist Coo-

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Terell Stafford

per Appelt, drummer Jake Reed, and guitarist John Schroeder. There are also guest appearances by trumpeter Sean Jones and guitarist Cory Wong.

As for the music, “We covered the classics like the flying scene from E.T. (‘E.T.’s Theme’) and ‘Mission Impossible’. We have an epic Disney medley. We do a James Bond medley, which is a mashup with Billie Eilish’s version of ‘No Time to Die’.”

The album also contains “He’s a Pirate” from Pirates of the Caribbean

and some more traditional songs such as Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields’ “The Way You Look Tonight”, sung

by Fred Astaire in Swing Time and Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer’s “Moon River” featuring Hendelman’s piano. It was performed by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

The album, Kelly said, “is really a full circle moment for me because some people think my name, ‘Grace Kelly’ is a stage name. But, it’s my legal name. My birth name is Grace Chung because I’m Korean American. My stepfather has raised me since I was two years old, and his last name happens to be Kelly. When I was eight years old, he got the legal rights to adopt me and my sister, and so my name turned into Grace Kelly. When I was little, I was obsessed with watching old movies, and I saw Grace Kelly in the movie, High Society. On this record, we recorded

the one song Grace Kelly sang in the movie, Cole Porter’s ‘True Love’.”

In Sarasota, Kelly will be playing some selections from At the Movies, rearranged for a quartet setting.

Her rhythm section will be drummer Ross Peterson, who has toured with Manhattan Transfer; Utar Artun, “a wonderful young pianist”; and “a young bass player,” Zachary Guise.

The Sarasota concert will also include selections from Kelly’s 2022 La Reserve Records album, All That I Need, which contains a vocal performance of her composition, “We Will Rise”, inspired by one of her favorite poems

by Maya Angelou, “And Still I Rise.”

Among other tunes on All That I Need are Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night in Tunisia” and Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes”.

“One thing I can tell folks about the show in Sarasota,” she said, is, “We love to make it fun and get people up singing and dancing. They can

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PHOTO BY CAROL LO R ICCO

SARASOTA JAZZ FESTIVAL

SARASOTA JAZZ FESTIVAL expect a pretty active show. It will be a really dynamic set from my jazz roots. I love performing. I always want to include my audience. It’s something I learned when I was in Jon Batiste’s band. He always broke it down. You never felt there was a division between the stage and audience.”

Trumpeter Terell Stafford, who will be performing on Wednesday, March 20, is in his second year as Sarasota Jazz Festival Music Director. Jersey Jazz’s Joe Lang, reviewing Stafford’s 2023 Le Coq Records album, Between Two Worlds, wrote that “Stafford’s trumpet playing is magnificent, no matter the tempo or style, crisp with superb tone.”

AllAboutJazz’s Neil Duggan called the album, “thoroughly engaging and entertaining throughout.”

Last year at Sarasota, Stafford presented a sizzling set that included Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You

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Under My Skin”, Gene de Paul’s “I Remember April” (a tribute to Clifford Brown), and Willard Robison’s “Old Folks”. The latter tune, Stafford told the Sarasota audience, “is a favorite of my six-year-old daughter.”

Stafford is Chair of Instrumental Studies for the Jazz Studies program at Temple University’s Boyer School of Music. In January 2023, Boyer School of Music students—pianist Anthony Aldissi (from Clearwater, FL), bassist Dan McCain, and drummer Maria Marmarou—won the Outstanding Rhythm Section Award at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jack Rudin Championship.

Last month, Dee Dee Bridgewater joined Broadway vocalist/actor Brian Stokes Mitchell and the Christian McBride Big Band in a tribute to Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

Before teaming with Bridgewater on

Wycliffe Gordon

the Gershwins’ “Nice Work If You Can Get It”, Stokes told the audience: “I just love the way she sings. I have wished, dreamed, hoped that we would get an opportunity to share a stage together sometime. And, tonight is that time.” Bridgewater also sang Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster’s “The Shadow of Your Smile”, Gerald Marks and Seymour Simon’s “All of Me”, and Matt Den-

nis and Earl Brent’s “Angel Eyes”.

In 2023, Bridgewater was the guest artist with Carnegie Hall’s NYO Jazz Orchestra, consisting of 22 high school students from the across the country. Prior to a tour of Europe. the orchestra presented a July concert at Carnegie Hall, and Bridgewater electrified the crowd with performances that included Duke Ellington’s “Cottontail”, arranged by Slide

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SARASOTA JAZZ FESTIVAL

Main Stage, Sarasota Municipal Auditorium; 9:30 p.m., Eddie Kinder Band at Cohen Hall.

er story, which begins on page 19.

Trombonist Wycliffe Gordon was an original member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, directed by trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. He has played with such jazz legends as Dizzy Gillespie and Lionel Hampton as well as such current artists as David Sanborn and Dianne Reeves.

Gordon is coming to Sarasota with his quintet after a week’s engagement at New York’s Village Vanguard in late February and early March with his International All Stars. The son of a piano-playing gospel preacher, he has recorded 20 albums as leader and has appeared on more 300 recordings. He won the DownBeat Critics’ Poll for Best Trombone in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016.

Drummer Jeff Hamilton, who won the Jazz Club of Sarasota’s Satchmo Award in 2018, was once described by DownBeat’s Bill Milkowski as, “A versatile, tasteful-

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JERSEY JAZZ

Sarasota Jazz Festival Schedule SUNDAY, MARCH 17 » Jazz in the Park, Noon-4 p.m., at the Civic Green at The Bay

Park. Three bands: Synia Carroll Quartet, Pete BarenBregge Band, and the Booker High School VPA Jazz Quartet and Vocalist: alto saxophonist Alex Eldefri, keyboardist Diver Jane-Ternay, bassist Arjan Sandhu, drummer Dante Rutland, and vocalist Lilia Jones.

TUESDAY, MARCH 19 » Jazz Trolley Pub Crawl, 5:30-9:30 p.m., 5 trolleys, 10

locations. The bands are: Barbara Jordan Quartet, Eddie Tobin Quartet, Five Points Quartet with Darcie Allen, Hot Club SRQ, Mark Moultrup Trio, Melanie Massell and Company, Panama Drive, Sarasota Fusion, Synia Carroll Quintet, and The Barker Project. Trolleys leave from Van Wezel Parking Lot.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20 » 6-9:15 p.m., Dee Dee Bridgewater and Terell

Stafford Quintet, Main Stage, Sarasota Municipal Auditorium.

THURSDAY, MARCH 21 » 9 a.m., Jazz Film Event, The Girls in the

Band, Burns Court Cinema; 6-9:15 p.m., Wycliffe Gordon Quintet and Grace Kelly Quartet, Main Stage, Sarasota Municipal Auditorium.

FRIDAY, MARCH 22 » 6-9:15 p.m., Jeff Hamilton with Akiko Tsuruga,

Steve Kovalcheck, and Valerie Gillespie, Main Stage; 9:30 p.m., Late Night Open Jam with Eddie Kinder Band at Cohen Hall.

SATURDAY, MARCH 23 » 6-9:15 p.m., Chucho Valdes, Paul Gavin and his Mosaic Band,

Hampton, and Mongo Santamaria’s “Afro Blue”, arranged by John Clayton.

Nominated for eight Grammy Awards, Bridgewater has won two: Dear Ella (Verve: 1997) and To Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee (EmArcy: 2010).

She is one of several vocalists who pay tribute to Sarah Vaughan in the month of her centennial birthday in our cov-

Jeff Hamilton

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SARASOTA JAZZ FESTIVAL ly swinging and eminently musical drummer in the tradition of his mentors Shelly Manne and Mel Lewis.”

Hamilton, Milkowski added, “colors this music with hands, sticks and brushes in subtle yet masterful ways.”

Born in Richmond, IN, Hamilton grew up listening to his parents’ big band records and, at the age of eight, began playing drums along with Oscar Peterson records. In addition to leading his own trio, Hamilton is Co-Leader of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. In 1978, he succeeded Manne as the drummer in the L.A. 4 with bassist Ray Brown, saxophonist Bud Shank, and guitarist Laurindo Almeida. Among the many well-known jazz artists he has recorded with, in addition to Brown, are vocalist Diana Krall, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, and pianist George Shearing.

Pianist, composer, and arranger Chucho Valdés has combined Af-

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ro-Cuban music, jazz, classical music, and rock over a career that has lasted more than 60 years. He won seven Grammy Awards and five Latin Grammys. Valdés also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Science and was also inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Tenor saxophonist Houston Person was scheduled to precede Valdes on Saturday night, March 23, but he has canceled appearances for the coming few months, on advice from his doctors. Performing in his place will be drummer Paul Gavin and his Mosaic Band, which includes James Suggs on trumpet, John O’Leary on piano, Michael Ross on bass, Herb Bruce on saxophone, and Zach Bornheimer on saxophone.

For more information or to order tickets, log onto sarasotajazzfestival.com.

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Saturday, April 6 • 8:00pm For the complete performance schedule, visit grunincenter.org.

Grunin Center Box Office Hours Tuesday-Friday 12:00pm-5:00pm 732-255-0500 College Drive • Toms River, NJ ADA wheelchair and companion seating is available. Assisted listening devices are available at all performances.

NOTJUSTJAZZ, ARBORSJAZZ! arborsrecords.com DISTRIBUTED BY MVD

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH Sarah Vaughan at 100: An Inspiration to All Those Who Followed Her “A Voice of Extraordinary Sweetness, Flexibility, and Purity ... She was a Great Singer. Period.”

BY SA NFO RD JOS EPH SON

Our ‘Sassy’, ‘Divine One’ you touched our hearts with your velvety tones. Yours was truly an instrument, not just a voice.” That’s how National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater remembers Sarah Vaughan, who would have turned 100 years of age on March 27, 2024.

As if she were speaking directly to the legendary vocalist, who passed away on April 4, 1990, at the age of 66, Bridgewater added: “In your song interpretations, we heard full orchestrations. You left

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WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH your indelible signature on so many of your vocal renderings, but, for me, the two forever etched in my mind are ‘Misty’ and ‘Send in the Clowns’.

Thank you for always seeing and acknowledging my presence in the room, for the backstage invitations. Happy 100th Birthday, Sarah Vaughan. Happy 100th Birthday, Your Majesty!”

Multi-Grammy Award winner Samara Joy discovered Sarah Vaughan’s performance of the Jimmy Sherman/ Jimmy Davis/ Ram Ramirez standard, “Lover Man” when she was in college, majoring in Jazz Studies at the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music. “It intrigued me,” she said, “because it was a live performance. When I heard the way she was singing the song, the way she interpreted the song, it made the story so much clearer.”

From that experience, Joy was determined that “the songs I sing have to tell stories.” Her first album, Sa-

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The 1955 EmArcy album, Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown, is a favorite of Samara Joy, Tierney Sutton, and Bria Skonberg.

mara Joy, produced during her senior year in college (2020-21), included two songs recorded by Vaughan— Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish’s “Stardust” and “Jim”, written

by Caesar Petrillo, Edwin Ross, and Nelson Shaw. The latter song is close-

ly associated with Billie Holiday, but Joy told me she first heard Vaughan’s version with Clifford Brown.

Joy’s Verve Grammy Award-winning album, Linger Awhile, contained five songs also recorded by Vaughan: the title track, composed

by Paul Whiteman and Vincent Rose; Frank Loesser and Jimmy McHugh’s “Can’t Get Out of This Mood”; Erroll Garner and Jimmy Burke’s “Misty”; Thelonius Monk’s “Round Midnight” (with lyrics added

by Bernie Hanighen); and the Gershwins’ “Someone to Watch Over Me”.

Gretchen Parlato learned about Sarah Vaughan from her grandmother. “My nana,” she said, “played me her vinyl collection of singers like Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and, of course, Sarah Vaughan. I would later lose myself in all things Sarah when I was a teenager. Her versatility, power,

subtlety, nuance, range, depth, swing, precision, and control are each complete lessons in themselves. Listening to and singing along with Sarah, I gathered repertoire and vocabulary, so much so that I actually had to stop memorizing her versions of songs for fear of imitation. I can safely say she single-handedly guided me on my path to finding my own voice.”

Parlato’s Editions Records album, Lean In with guitarist Lionel Loueke, was nominated for a Grammy this year in the Best Jazz Vocal category.

In 1985, Tierney Sutton was a Russian language and literature major at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. The music department was run by jazz saxophonist Bill Barron, and, as a result, Sutton recalled, “All things musical at Wesleyan were topnotch. One day, I found myself in the listening lab doing homework for my jazz appreciation class. I was listen-

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WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH ing to Sarah Vaughan, and the beauty of her singing literally brought me to tears—the first music I remember having that effect. Then, I got angry.

How could her singing and artistry have been totally unknown to my suburban white Milwaukee upbringing?”

Like Samara Joy, Sutton was drawn to the 1955 EmArcy album, Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown.

“That record,” she said, “was my first vocal jazz obsession. Sarah’s instrument, range, and overall gift were overwhelming to me.” Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown is also a favorite

of trumpeter/vocalist Bria Skonberg, who said, “The 1955 album featuring Clifford Brown is one of my desert island discs ... Her depth of sound, range of ideas, and total mastery of her instrument is awe-inspiring.”

In his review of the album, AllMusic’s John Bush called it “one of the most important jazz-meets-vocal sessions ever recorded,” adding that, “Vaughan is arguably in the best voice of her career here, pausing and lingering over notes on the standards, ‘April in Paris’, ‘Jim’, and ‘Lullaby of Birdland’.”

Sarah Vaughan, born on March

Dee Dee Bridgewater: “Yours was truly an instrument, not a voice.”

PHOTO BY TH E KU RL AND AG ENCY

“ HER VOCAL TECHNIQUE WAS FLAWLESSLY

SMOOTH AND MOVED THROUGH THREE OCTAVES WITH TOTAL EASE.” NJJS.ORG

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27, 1924, in Newark, took piano lessons and played at the Mount Zion Baptist Church. As a teenager, she crossed the Hudson to listen to live music at such Harlem clubs as the Apollo Theater and Savoy Ballroom.

On October 21, 1942, the 18-year-old Vaughan sang Johnny Greene’s standard, “Body and Soul”, at the Apollo’s Amateur Night, backed by a band led by trumpeter Cootie Williams.

Billy Eckstine was in the audience, and according to Elaine M. Hayes, author of Queen of Bebop (HarperCollinsPublishers: 2017), Eckstine said: “I’m sitting there watching, when from left field they introduce this little girl, and she’s going to sing ‘Body and Soul’. She walks out on stage, just a little skinny thing with a brown shirt on ... When she opened her mouth, I started sliding down in my chair. I couldn’t believe this, what I was listening to.” Eckstine told pi-

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Gretchen Parlato: “I would lose myself in all things Sarah when I was a teenager.”

anist/bandleader Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines about Vaughan, and she made her first appearance with Hines’ band on April 23, 1943. The following year, she joined Eckstine’s pioneering bebop big band and made a record with the band, singing “I’ll Wait and Pray”, written by George Treadwell and Gerald Valentine. Members of the Ecks-

tine band included trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and tenor saxophonists Gene Ammons and Dexter Gordon.

In 1945, Vaughan left Eckstine and became a solo act, recording with several different musicians, but her most significant recording during that time was of Tadd Dameron’s “If You Could See Me Now”. It became one of her best-known songs and was admitted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. By 1948, Vaughan was a star. She signed a contract with Columbia Records and had a big hit with Sonny Burke and Paul Francis Webster’s “Black Coffee”.

After being with Columbia for six years, Vaughan signed with Mercury Records. In 1955, she had a popular hit with “Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets” from the Broadway musical Damn Yankees. By 1958, according to AllAboutJazz, she was earning $230,000 a year (about $2.5 million in

today’s money). In 1959, she switched to Roulette Records, recording with the Count Basie Orchestra, which featured such outstanding soloists as trumpeters Thad Jones and Joe Newman and saxophonists Frank Foster and Billy Mitchell. She also sang duets with Joe Williams on such songs as Frank Loesser’s “If I Were a Bell” and Gene de Paul and Sammy Cahn’s “Teach Me Tonight”. Throughout the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, Sarah Vaughan was a tireless performer.

In the late 1970s, she began recording on the Pablo label, created by impresario Norman Granz, bestknown as the producer of the Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts and albums. Her first album for Pablo, released in 1978, How Long Has This Been Going On?, was nominated for a Grammy. The album featured Vaughan with Oscar Peterson on piano, Joe Pass on guitar, Ray Brown on

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PHOTO BY L AU RE N DESBERG

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH bass, and Louie Bellson on drums.

Critic Gary Giddins wrote that the record was a “cause for breaking out the champagne for two reasons— it’s one of the best albums she’s ever made, and it documents another, if not a new, side of Sarah. I can’t think of another Vaughan album with such an abundance of blues locutions, variations, and riffs.” Hayes called it “a relaxed session, reminiscent of her days with Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. She was swinging and adventurous, and she embraced the blues.”

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Scott Yanow wrote: “Sassy sounds wonderful stretching out on such songs as ‘Midnight Sun’, “More Than You Know’, ‘Teach Me Tonight’, and ‘Body and Soul’, among others. All 10 of the melodies are veteran standards that she knew backwards but still greeted with enthusiasm. A very good example of late-period Sarah Vaughan.”

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Vaughan won a Grammy Award in 1982, for Gershwin Live!, a Columbia album recorded at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

She was accompanied by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted

by Michael Tilson Thomas, with arrangements by Marty Paich. Her work with Thomas on Gershwin Live!, according to Hayes, “represented a true collaboration of music equals.

And, performing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in their symphony hall must have fulfilled many of her longheld desires for legitimacy, respect, and acceptance by the cultural elite.”

Four years later, in July 1986, Vaughan sang Gershwin songs in concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. The Los Angeles Times’ Donna Perlmutter called the performance “a thrilling songfest.” Of Vaughan, she wrote: “Her art is revelatory. She defies cat-

Vaughan’s Columbia album, Gershwin Live! with Michael Tilson Thomas won a Grammy Award in 1982.

egorization. You could call her a jazz singer, but the style and sensibility of that genre are just a context. You could call her a bel canto specialist because of a stunning technique for embellishing the melodic line to expressive purpose and controlling breath. But nothing that Vaughan

does constitutes trickery or an end in itself. When she gets crowds to screaming, it’s because of the gut response to her interpretative wallop—one that delivers astonishing wit, imagination, and musicality.”

In 1989, Vaughan received a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement, only her second Grammy, although she was nominated 10 times; and she was named an NEA Jazz Master.

After Vaughan passed away, due to lung cancer, The New York Times’ Stephen Holden described her as “a singer who brought an operatic splendor to her performances of popular standards and jazz.” The Los Angeles Times Music Critic Martin Bernheimer wrote that, “Sarah Vaughan had a voice of extraordinary sweetness, flexibility and purity, and she used it with uncanny insinuation throughout a wide range. She could have taught many an opera diva

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WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH lessons in breath control, in legato phrasing, and in expressive communication. She was a great singer. Period.”

When I interviewed Audra McDonald for the April 2023 issue of Jersey Jazz, she compared Vaughan to an opera singer. “Sarah Vaughan,” she said, “is someone who has influenced me greatly because she was so versatile. And her voice—she could have been an opera singer if she wanted to—the versatility in her voice and the story she was able to tell, and the color in her voice and the fact that it was a large voice that could go all the way up into the stratosphere. She could sing super big operatic high notes, but then she had the versatility to move and scat with it ... something that absolutely inspires me and just continues to inspire me.”

Jersey Jazz reached out to a broad array of jazz vocalists—in addition to those already quoted—

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regarding Sarah Vaughn’s influence and legacy. Vocalist Lucy Wijnands will be performing a tribute to Vaughan at the Jersey Jazz LIVE! concert on March 3 in Madison, NJ. For more about that, see page 10 Here are comments about Vaughan from several more current jazz vocalists: THANA ALEXA » “When I was in high school, a teacher played me Sarah Vaughan’s famous scat solo on ‘All of Me’, and my world went from black and white to technicolor! I was astounded to hear this beautiful and powerful singer who sounded like she had classical and opera training, but was using it in a jazz setting, extremely strong technique and vocal agility, and a very apparent deep understanding of jazz harmony.”

AMY LONDON » “I suppose her most significant characteristic was her velvety, rich mezzo soprano sound.

Her vocal technique was flawlessly

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smooth and moved through three octaves with total ease. Add to that her brilliant expression of lyrics, swing feel, improvisatory prowess, playfulness, and piano skills; and she was truly the complete jazz singer.”

JANE MONHEIT » “I think the greatest way Sarah influenced me was by teaching me, through her example, to fully be myself no matter what. That a great big vibrato and soaring soprano notes can still be a part of this music. That the world of singable songs is much bigger than the Songbook. That my body and face can change with age, but my worth won’t vary. She teaches us how to make brave, honest artistic decisions and to carry ourselves like queens.”

SARAH PARTRIDGE » “Her LPs were propped up against the wall, displayed on my father’s Hi-Fi. I can remember listening to Sassy as young as five years old. My father called her Sassy and explained that it was

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Sarah Vaughan at the Floating Jazz Festival aboard the SS Norway.

the great Sarah Vaughan’s nickname.

From that moment on, I wanted to sing like her ... soar as high as her highest note and dip as low as her lowest. She was simply the best.”

APRIL VARNER » “Sarah Vaughan to me is not only a visionary as a Woman in Jazz but also in the way that she wears her emotion on her sleeve. All this time has passed, and yet Sarah’s legacy still makes each melody she sings feel brand new!”

ROSEANNA VITRO » “I always thought

of Sarah’s voice as the Cadillac of instruments. Her deep, dark tone, sonically, was sweet like dark chocolate up to her operatic upper register.

She was a pianist and an excellent musician, serious but also playful, and man, could she swing and wail.”

LUCY YEGHIAZARYAN » “Sarah Vaughan’s influence is inescapable for any serious vocalists committed to the art form of true jazz singing.

Her finesse and style are impossible to imitate exactly and, yet, without studying and understanding her approach, one’s contribution to the music will be void of one of the greatest voices in jazz music at large.”

MALIKA ZARRA » “Her sound is instantly recognizable. As a young singer, I was particularly influenced by her uniquely deep voice, the ease in her delivery of a song, and her incredible range. As a young Moroccan girl growing up in France, I remember that I was always trying to compare how differently female jazz singers would perform the same song, for example, ‘Body and Soul’. When I left France to start my career as a jazz singer in the U.S., it was really special when I finally performed at NJPAC in 2008. Singing my own jazz on stage in Newark, the home of Sarah Vaughan, who was such an inspiration to me— that was a very special moment.”

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PHOTO BY HANK O’ NEAL

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

BETHANY JAZZ VESPERS Camille Thurman: ‘I’m a Huge Dexter Gordon and Sarah Vaughan Fanatic’ “We, as Women, Can be Admired and Respected for Our Musicianship First and Gender Second.”

BY JAY SW E E T

C

amille Thurman stands out as a luminary in the world of jazz, possessing a rare combination of talents that place her among the elite in the industry. Not only does she command attention as a gifted jazz vocalist, but her skills as a saxophonist rival those of the great masters of the genre, showcasing a deep respect for tradition, coupled with authenticity. Her proficiency extends beyond vocals and saxophone, including the bass clarinet, flute, and piccolo, demonstrating remarkable dexterity.

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In addition to her solo endeavors, the 37-year-old Thurman’s collaborative work further underscores her impact on the jazz and popular music landscape. She has shared the stage with an illustrious roster of musicians, ranging from jazz luminaries to pop icons. This list stretches from Wynton Marsalis, Roy Haynes, and Dianne Reeves to Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, and Alicia Keys At 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 6, Thurman will be appearing with the Darrell Green Quartet at the Jazz

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BETHANY JAZZ VESPERS Vespers presented by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and Newark’s Bethany Baptist Church. Following is my email interview with Thurman in anticipation of that concert.

JJ: How did you first get exposed to jazz?

CT: My mother introduced me to jazz. I grew up in St. Albans, Queens, a neighborhood with deep historical roots in jazz. At one point, Count Basie, Milt Hinton, Ella Fitzgerald, Illinois Jacquet, Lena Horne, and many others lived there. Of course, this was before I was born. My mother and I used to pass by a mural daily on the way to school, featuring all the entertainers and musicians that once lived there. The mural was being restored, and as we started to see who those images were, my mother, a schoolteacher, decided to make a project out of it for me. She would go

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to the library and bring home documentaries, CDs, photo essays, and books for me to learn about these artists. Through this research, my mom was introduced to jazz. She made her learning experience my learning experience. It wasn’t until I was much older that I picked up an instrument and started learning how to play jazz.

JJ: Who are some of your earliest mentors and influences?

CT: My earliest mentors and influences were Tia Roper (classical flutist) and Dottie Taylor (pianist, flutist, and composer). These two women encouraged me to play. I never saw or knew women who made a living as performers and composers. I met them both when I was around the age of 12. They played a pivotal role in bringing me into their world, whether via teaching lessons or just seeing how they lived

their lives immersed in the music.

Dr. Peter Archer was also a mentor to me. I wouldn’t be where I am or making a career in music if it wasn’t for him. He was my middle school band teacher and was the inspiration behind the Disney-Pixar movie SOUL. He encouraged me to play jazz. Whether it was giving me access to instruments to try out, dropping off etude books to prepare me for high school auditions, or taking me out on trips to jazz concerts, he believed in me and pushed me.

My very first gig was with him and his band, Just Friends. I didn’t know I could make a living as a musician until he told me I could do it. He inspired me to want to play on Broadway as a woodwind doubler in the pit orchestra. Two of the proudest moments of my life were sending him a photo of me standing in front of the promotional poster for the Broadway musical Shuffle Along after playing my first show. The other moment was inviting him to a Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra concert, bringing him backstage to see my tour trunk filled with woodwinds, and thanking him for seeing that I made it to 60th and Broadway.

Mike Carbone (saxophonist/ educator), Bob Stewart (tuba player/educator), Tia Fuller (alto saxophonist), Mimi Jones (bassist), and Antoine Roney (saxophonist) were also mentors who came into my life at a pivotal time when I needed it the

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BETHANY JAZZ VESPERS

JJ: You have a unique skill set regarding your ability to sing, scat, and impress as a saxophonist.

Was there ever any pressure on you to focus on one area? How do you balance your talents?

CT: Absolutely! I attended a special-

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“ WHEN I STARTED LEARNING THE SAXOPHONE, TRANSCRIBING

SOLOS HELPED ME UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE OF JAZZ.”

ized performing arts high school (Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing Arts) and was among the few ladies in the jazz program. I remember often hanging out with band members after school and having my instrument

by my side when strangers would come up and ask if I was the vocalist.

I remember feeling like I wanted to prove to the world that I was one of the guys and could play, too. This was why I kept singing a secret for so long.

I knew I could sing, but I also knew that I spent a lot of time studying how to play the saxophone. I thought that if I revealed that I could sing, people would discourage me from playing. I remember doing a gig at a Women’s Jazz Festival in my early 20s, and right after leaving the stage, I was told by an older gentleman that I should sing.

It wasn’t until I was in college (SUNY Binghamton) that my professor and mentors encouraged me to

embrace both crafts. Of course, as I started to make a career performing professionally, there were times that I was told to pick one. I felt conflicted because I didn’t understand why I couldn’t just be accepted as someone who did both gifts well and as a single entity. Louis Jordan, Vi Redd, Shirley Horn, and Ray Charles all performed as instrumentalists and vocalists.

When it came to working with promoters or looking for management and booking, the question always asked was, “So, are you a saxophonist who sings, or are you a singer who plays saxophone?” even though I recorded and worked with some of the best artists doing both. There

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PHOTO BY DAVI D KELLY C ROW

most, as a young adult transitioning onto the scene. After experiencing a difficult time in high school dealing with sexism, rejection, and not knowing what to do, these musicians and educators picked me up, nurtured me, and encouraged me to pursue playing and singing as a career.

I am a huge Dexter Gordon and Sarah Vaughan fanatic. They both gave me the “spark” to want to learn the language of jazz. Over the years, I’ve been inspired by George Coleman, Vi Redd, Joe Henderson, Betty Carter, Dianne Reeves, Patrice Rushen, and so many other incredible artists.

BETHANY JAZZ VESPERS were some moments when people in the industry thought that I was confused, “gimmicky,” or wasn’t serious because I did both. When I started out on the jazz scene, there weren’t too many young artists making a name as instrumentalists and vocalists. It was a challenge at first because I was young and embarking on something that was not embraced then. I remember being the first person for the Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, competing as a vocalist and playing. Once I made it to the finals and placed in the competition, that’s when I felt things had shifted. People started to accept that I did both.

I’ve always learned both instruments simultaneously. The first instrument is the voice. Everyone tries to emulate that sound through instruments. I have been singing since I was four years old. When I started learning the saxophone, transcribing solos

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ing me how to embrace both gifts and put together music to showcase a balance of both crafts while striving for a level of excellence and identity.

helped me understand the language of jazz. Singing the solos enabled me to internalize the music, and from there, I painfully and slowly learned how to develop the same internalized connection I had with my voice and ear with my saxophone. I had to study how to develop both crafts because I knew what I was up against, as far as judgment as a woman and judgment as someone doing both (when this wasn’t common at the time). Antoine Roney was a lifesaver to me during this time (and still is). He taught me how to develop my craft/idea, show-

JJ: Naturally, music does not need a gender qualification, but do you feel women have been fairly represented in jazz? Can you speak of any struggles or discrimination you have felt as a woman working in a traditionally male-dominated art form?

CT: I think there is always room for improvement. Some practices perpetuating a lack of representation are institutional, some are through societal practice (intentional and unintentional), and many, which I believe are a matter of educating the community/ audiences as a whole on how things have been designed to uphold practices that are outdated, biased and need re-examining. I remember an encounter with an audience member

on a Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra tour.

After the concert, a woman came up to one of the band members, saying how polite it was of them to allow me to take a solo. The band member told the woman that having me take a solo had nothing to do with politeness or chivalry. It had everything to do with the fact that I, just like everyone else up there, could really play. I deserved to have that same space, too.

When he shared this story, I was surprised that it was a woman, but for the first time, it clicked in my mind that some of these biases are upheld knowingly and unknowingly, at large, by both men and women, and that time plays a role, too, in how viewpoints have been shaped. We must educate audiences by creating spaces where women can often be heard and seen performing at a high level to let people know that it exists. We, as women,

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BETHANY JAZZ VESPERS

“ THE FUTURE OF JAZZ INVOLVES A GENERATION OF

YOUNG AND OLDER ARTISTS COMING TOGETHER.”

can be admired and respected for our musicianship first and gender second.

We need to continue to create spaces where we have opportunities for women to play a part in the art form, especially the gatekeeping aspect, the performance stages, and promoters/ agents in academia and business.

There is nothing like hearing a young woman say, “Because I saw you play, I now know that the possibility exists.”

JJ: Can you discuss your current musical activities/projects?

CT: Currently, I am working on several projects. I am finishing up an album entitled Fortitude, a co-collaboration with drummer Darrell Green. I am also currently working on a Sarah

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Vaughan Centennial project. Sarah Vaughan was my biggest childhood inspiration and a vocal icon. I look forward to celebrating her music this year via a few performances. (See centennial salute to Sarah Vaughan on page 19). Recently, I have been working on a 60th-anniversary project of Charles Tolliver’s re-orchestration and re-arrangement of Africa/Brass.

JJ: What do you believe is the future of Jazz?

CT: This is a tricky question. The future of jazz involves a generation of young and older artists coming together and upholding the mantle at a high level. Our society depends on this. Jazz has always been a mirror

to society in creating a space for dialogue and for the stories of people to be seen and heard, crossing cultural boundaries, uniting us at our common ground—humanity, the spirit, and the will to live. I believe it involves an awareness, sensitivity, and openness to younger artists who are bending and shaping genres, crossing and reimagining the cultural and sonic possibilities of jazz while also creating pathways for younger artists to see excellence and the spirit of this music thriving and being upheld through the elders still here, keeping the flame and pushing forward in that same spirit.

As much as we need to make spaces inclusive of gender, the exact same needs to be done in making

spaces inclusive of age diversity. Musical gems are sitting at home with no opportunities/spaces to be heard.

Creating spaces where they can create and mentor younger musicians is vital to the survival and future of this music. Historically, men and women and younger and older generations paved the way for the music to move forward—Miles Davis, Billy Eckstine, Mary Lou Williams. It is going to require that same commitment.

:

The Bethany Baptist Church is located at 275 West Market St. in Newark. Admission to the Jazz Vespers concerts is free. Camille Thurman will also be performing at the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts on March 9 and Cape May Convention Hall on April 19. Other spring BJV concerts are: pianist Sullivan Fortner, March 2; vocalist Tyreek McDole, May 4; and pianist Matthew Whitaker, June 1.

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IN THIS STAR RISING ISSUE Alto Saxophonist Olivia Hughart: Dedicated to Expanding Opportunities for Women in Jazz “When I was 13, in Seventh Grade, I Noticed I was One of the Only Girls in the Band”

BY SA NFO RD JOS EPH SON

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and music engineering in Denver.

“When I was 13, in seventh grade,” the 22-year-old Hughart recalled, “I noticed that I was one of the only girls in the band, and I really wanted to increase participation with girls in my school district. So, I started this after school program where girls could come together just to do a little jam session.

We did it at my middle school and the other middle school in my school district and at the high school as well.”

PHOTO BY MANASA GU DAVAL L I

G

rowing up in Lower Merion, PA, a Philadelphia suburb, Olivia Hughart started playing jazz saxophone in middle school. “My parents were big music lovers,” she recalled.

“We were listening to music all the time.

They’re huge Yellowjackets fans, so we’d always listen to Bob Mintzer playing.

Also, Dexter Gordon, Larry McKenna, Melissa Aldana, and Roxy Coss.” Another influence was her older brother, who played saxophone and now does audio

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She received encouragement from her middle school Band Director, Dr. Jenny Neff, who is now Program Director and Professor of Music Education at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts. “From a young age,” Dr. Neff told me, “Olivia was able to see a need for something in the community and create a solution. I’ve always been impressed by her passion and dedication toward this goal. What started as an idea for middle school students has grown into a thriving organization in the city of Philadelphia.” Key of She is now a 5013c nonprofit. Olivia is Founder and Artistic Director; her mother, Amy Hughart, is Program Director; and Dr. Neff is Leading Advisor.

Its annual Jazz Jam was held on February 17 at the University of the Arts.

While in middle school, Hughart took lessons at Philadelphia’s Settlement School, a community school for music, dance, and the creative

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arts. At Lower Merion High School, she was in the jazz band, directed by saxophonist/arranger/composer Andrew Neu, who has performed or recorded with such jazz artists as Mel Torme, David Sanborn, and Randy Brecker. She also studied with saxophonists Larry McKenna and Chris Oatts and vibraphonist Tony Miceli. Oatts, she said, “was really amazing. He always inspired me and pushed me to apply to music school and was a really meaningful part of my college application process.

Hughart, primarily an alto saxophonist, majored in Jazz Studies at New York University, selecting it, “because I really wanted to be in the city. I felt the next step to further my career would be to move to New York, and I wanted to be downtown close to all the jazz clubs. The Village Vanguard, Blue Note, and Zinc Bar are all in walking distance from NYU’s

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PHOTO BY MANASA GU DAVAL L I

RISING STAR

RISING STAR

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KEY OF SHE JAZZ JAM ‘24 The Key of She Jazz Jam ‘24, held February 17 at the University of the Arts was, according to Hughart, “a great success despite the inclement weather we had the morning of. We were joined by over 100 students, educators, parents, and jazz lovers to celebrate women and nonbinary musicians in jazz. The event focused on increasing visibility of women in jazz and allowing students to see themselves represented in the jazz industry. It gave students of all ages and genders and skill levels a chance to learn with amazing musicians in a guided jam session.”

The day began with a performance by UArts’ Femme Ensemble, a group inspired by Key of She that was formed in 2019. “It’s devoted to providing a supportive environ-

Left: Students in jam session led by trombonist/vocalist Hailey Brinnel and pianist/vocalist Amy K. Bormet. Right: NYC Power Trio, from left: pianist Liya Grigoryan, vocalist Martina DaSilva, and alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan.

ment for women, trans, and gender-expansive students to perform together,” Hughart said. There was also a performance by DC X Philly Women in Jazz Band, led by trombonist/vocalist Hailey Brinnel and pianist/vocalist Amy K. Bormet with trumpeter Kal Ferretti, bassist Karine Chapdelaine, and drummer Angel Bethea. “We went into a jam session for students,” Hughart added, “and

hosted breakouts for educators called ‘Bringing Out the Best in Your Jazz Students: An Interactive Session’.” There was also a session for parents and others called “Music as a Springboard: A Roundtable and Special Session”. The day concluded with a performance and Q&A by the NYC Power Trio: vocalist Martina DaSilva, pianist Liya Grigoryan, and alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan.

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PHOTOS BY ANTHONY D EAN

campus. And, NYU has such a great faculty. I got to study with basically the whole saxophone section of the Village Vanguard Orchestra -- Billy Drewes, Rich Perry, and Dave Pietro. I mainly studied with Dave Pietro, who played in the Maria Schneider Orchestra. And, one of the most monumental faculty members I got to work with was (trombonist) Alan Ferber. He really furthered my composition and all my writing skills.”

There were also opportunities to sit in on sessions and at recording studios. “When I first moved to the city, to get my feet wet,” she said, “I joined the Women in Jazz organization (WIJO). The program director there, (saxophonist) Emily Pecoraro, really became my big sister in the city. She always helped me to go out to sessions and to sub on some of the jobs that she got that she couldn’t do.

She always believed in me from the moment she met me and has been a

RISING STAR big part of my success in New York.”

Pecoraro described Hughart as “one of the most intuitively capable people I have ever met. Besides being an incredible musician in her own right, she has a keen knack for creating really interesting opportunities for community engagement and growth for herself and so many others. And, she has the drive to see each endeavor she spearheads through to its success.”

Hughart graduated from NYU last year and is currently living in Brooklyn. Among the bands she has played in are the Grace Fox Big Band, the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, and the New York Chillharmonic. The Chillharmonic, she said, is “a unique piece of my musical repertoire. It’s an 18-piece progressive rock big band led by (keyboardist/vocalist) Sara McDonald. I was on tour with them last summer, and we’ve been playing

a bunch of shows around New York.”

On April 1, Hughart will be playing with DIVA and vocalist/actress Linda Purl at Birdland. On April 6, she’ll be appearing with Andrew Neu and organist Bobby Lyle at the Berks Jazz Festival in Reading, PA. She is also in the developmental phase of recording her first album.

“It’s still very much in the works,” she acknowledged, “but I’m hoping to release a nonet record. I’m in the process of writing all that music now, figuring out what the theme will be, and definitely still in the fundraising process. But, I hope it will be coming out in the near future.”

When Hughart first started playing alto saxophone, “I was a big Paul Desmond fan. I’m a big fan of Vi Redd, and I’m a huge Alexa Tarantino fan. And, of course, Bird and Cannonball. But, Sonny Stitt was definitely huge for me.

He is probably my go to saxophonist.”

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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN IN JAZZ Nonprofit Organization is Committed to Supporting and Promoting Women Jazz Artists

BY JACQU E L I NE L E NNON

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T

here is an adage that “a woman’s work is never done.” How quaint the quote going back to the 18th century that referred primarily to the orderliness of women in the household and raising children. Fast forward to modern times. In addition to the household and raising children, the work by women has expanded to business, politics, the military, the arts, and thousands of other projects that benefit society. In support of this article, let us focus on the art of jazz music. As part of the universal language, it is colloquial, spiritual, and powerful from which the Blues, the mother of jazz, has been around since the sound of the drum from Africa and songs from America’s plantations, transcending to numerous genres of jazz while continuing to thrive as part of the American Songbook.

While jazz continues in its greatness, unfortunately during its histo-

ry not all jazz was great for women who performed jazz. For decades they were either downplayed or left out, and many were not able to record their music for posterity. Whatever the discrepancies, women in jazz rose to the occasion specifically when men went off to war. It was an opportunity for women to step in and step up, address gender inequality, as did the popular International Sweethearts of Rhythm, and other female bands who came out of the shadows. It was a prelude to the women’s movement in jazz.

As President of International Women in Jazz, Inc. (IWJ) I have the pleasure to lead a unique nonprofit organization, formed in 1994 by some of the most active and influential people in the jazz community, to discuss the unmet needs of female jazz musicians.

At the roundtable were Pastor Dale Lind of Saint Peter’s Church in New York City—The Jazz Church; Cobi

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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN IN JAZZ Narita, Founder of Universal Jazz Coalition; Leslie Goures, a freelance writer and biographer of jazz greats; Lorraine Gordon, owner of the renowned Village Vanguard; Dotti Anita Taylor, musician, and composer; as well as many other women prominent in jazz. The mission was clear: to improve female jazz artists’ finances and help them receive fairer hiring practices to increase employment.

International Women in Jazz’s role is what our founding mothers have identified in our mission: committed to supporting women jazz artists and related professionals and fostering a greater awareness of the diverse contributions women make to jazz worldwide. Through its programs, IWJ provides information and assistance to its members, thus standing dedicated to actively ensuring a place for women as a vital part of the past, present, and future of jazz.

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Marian McPartland and Carline Ray were pioneer members of IWJ.

IWJ provides performance platforms and assistance to female jazz musicians. Our programming includes workshops, open mics, career seminars, jazz exhibits, concert performances, honoree and recognition awards, and an annual festival during Jazz Appreciation Month. In 1995, IWJ became a nonprofit 501c3 that has expanded its ties internationally,

resulting in increased diversity with international affiliates in Italy and Germany. Our relationships were strengthened by the Zoom meetings and open mics we had during the pandemic. This type of international networking broadened my perspective and knowledge and was brought back to the organization.

IWJ was fortunate to have pio-

neer jazz members such as Marian McPartland and Carline Ray. Our roster includes Grammy award winner vocalist Catherine Russell (Carline Ray’s daughter); Grammy nominated Antoinette Montague; vocalist, blues historian, and IWJ advisory board chairperson, and Harlem’s own esteemed vocalist, Ghanniyya Green.

We are honored to have legendary

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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN IN JAZZ members such as Bertha Hope, accomplished pianist, composer, bandleader and educator; Emme Kemp our matriarch, Broadway composer of the legendary musical Bubbling Brown Sugar, historian and multi-talented entertainer; young adult Mimi Block, an emerging vocalist and violinist; Joan Watson-Jones, vocalist, composer, photographer and producer and promoter of jazz on her longstanding podcast, The Jazz Room; and Jane Meryll. Through IWJ, Jane won a worldwide pianist

composer competition and was honored in Rome, Italy. And yes, we do have male members: Mauricio de Sousa, renowned Brazilian drummer, bandleader of the Mauricio de Souza Group, pupil of renowned drummer, Joe Morello, who has four albums to date; and Kuni Mikami, legendary pianist, composer, and student of Barry Harris and Norman Simmons.

Kuni performed with esteemed orchestras including the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Lionel Hampton Orchestra, and the Cab Calloway Orchestra.

“ IN THIS YEAR’S GRAMMY AWARD

CATEGORIES, WOMEN RECIPIENTS OUTNUMBERED MEN.”

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The late Cobi Narita founded IWJ.

All IWJ members, whether emerging, contemporary, or legendary artists, consultants or volunteers, bring their special talents, which are the ingredients that make up the IWJ family.

The year 2023 was eventful and included our popular open mics at various New York City venues, an IWJ Showcase at Goddard Riverside Center, the annual International Women in Jazz Festival at Dimenna Classical Center, and the Weill Cornell Medical Health Fair in East Harlem. We are ex-

tremely proud of our record breaking nine-and-a-half years of more than $4,000 sales in one month at Stop and Shop’s Giving Back Bag Community Environmental program which recognized and awarded IWJ for this unprecedented record. We ended the year with our Holiday Party at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center Plaza where IWJ members and friends renewed relationships and performed.

On a sad note, in 2023, IWJ and the jazz community suffered a major loss with the passing of our beloved Founder and President Emeritus, Cobi Narita, who for more than 40 years was one of the most influential jazz supporters of women. She advocated for jazz music and springboarded and promoted many women jazz musicians’ careers. When I became President, she was there for consultation and guidance and ready to assist in resolving

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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN IN JAZZ issues. Her contributions to IWJ are deep-rooted and, we pay tribute to Cobi by continuing to convey her philosophy, philanthropy, and vision. (An obituary on Cobi Narita appeared in the December 2023 issue of Jersey Jazz).

Years ago, I remember speaking with the iconic Marian McPartland, who experienced unfairness in the jazz industry with little recourse. As a pioneer in jazz, it was the times she lived in, but she managed to make her mark as a jazz pianist, composer, and writer, entertained troops during WWII, and was host of Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz on National Public Radio from 1978 to 2011.

She would be pleased to see how women are moving more aggressively with their careers as instrumentalists, vocalists, composers, songwriters, and bandleaders and are respected in documentaries and included in jazz walks of fame throughout the country. Statistics on female jazz musi-

cians varied in the last 100 years, but not at an increased rate of inclusion compared to male musicians. According to Central Washington University’s Jazz Education Network’s (JEN), a survey in 2022 revealed that the percentage of female jazz student musicians has risen from 9.2 per cent in 2012 to 26.9 per cent in 2020-2022. Also, in this year’s Grammy award categories, women recipients outnumbered men.

Last year, new artist Samara Joy received back-to-back awards—Best Jazz Vocalist and Best New Artist (regardless of category). This is inspiring, so stay tuned for more on our ‘sheroes’ in jazz.

In closing, we ask the jazz community to continue supporting the music, and our mission supporting women in jazz for future generations during these challenging times. Please visit our website at InternationalWomeninJazz.org.

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www.GothamJazzFestNYC.com

FROM THE CROW’S NEST

BY B I L L CROW

I

n October 1952, Stan Getz returned to the East Coast from a summer in California. He called his guitar player, Jimmy Raney, and said, “I’ve got a week in Boston at the Hi-Hat. Get a bass player and come on up.”

I was just finishing a job at the Iroquois Hotel that Jimmy was on, and he hired me. We went up to Boston and played a week with Stan, with Roy Haynes on drums, and Jerry Kaminsky on piano. Stan kept me on the band, and we went into Birdland in New York for a week. Roy was living in Boston, so Stan replaced him with Frank Isola, and Duke Jordan was our piano player. After that week, the band recorded for a few days and then played a week in Baltimore, and then we came home to New York for a week off.

On Monday of that week, Stan Bill Crow is a freelance musician and writer. His books include Jazz Anecdotes, Jazz Anecdotes: Second Time Around, and From Birdland to Broadway. This column is reprinted with permission from Allegro, the monthly magazine of AFM Local 802.

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called me and said some band had canceled their booking at Birdland, so we were going in there again for a week. When I went in on Tuesday to set up, I found Kenny Clarke setting up his drums, and I assumed Frank Isola had turned down the gig because he had another booking somewhere.

We played the first set, which was broadcast on the radio, as Birdland did every Tuesday night. When I was setting up for the second set, I saw Frank Isola sitting in the “peanut gallery” beside the bandstand. “Hey, Frank,” I said, “What’s up?” Frank shrugged and said, “I don’t know. I turned on the radio and found out I was fired!”

O

n Facebook, Martin Dalmasi posted this comment: “Jimmy Heath told us about a drunken woman in Philly. She staggered up to the band and said, ‘I don’t know what the hell in the world you all are playing, but HE (pointing to Clifford

Brown) is playing the HELL out of it!’ Jimmy told us, smiling, ‘This is the effect Brownie had on people.’”

T

ed O’Reilly sent me a message from Canada: Toronto’s fine trumpeter/flugelist Guido Basso passed away a couple of weeks back.

This anecdote is from an obituary in the Globe & Mail (a Canadian national newspaper) by Brad Wheeler: “In 1990, The Tonight Show trumpeter Doc Severinsen flew to Toronto on a matter of urgent business. He was infatuated with a version of ‘Portrait of Jennie’, an all-out flugelhorn number performed by the Canadian big band orchestra, Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass. The sublime talent of Guido Basso was showcased on the recording, and Mr. Severinsen wanted Mr. Basso’s evocative sound.

“Mr. Basso had arranged to sell Doc a French Besson flugelhorn. To facilitate the transaction, Basso had four

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FROM THE CROW’S NEST

“ I TURNED ON THE RADIO AND FOUND OUT I WAS FIRED.” of them laid out on his pool table when Johnny Carson’s bandleader arrived by limousine. After sampling the instruments, Mr. Severinsen then began playing a trumpet. Seizing the opportunity, Mr. Basso began opening all the windows to his living room. ‘I wanted my neighbors to think it was me playing the trumpet!’ he later explained.

“What Wheeler didn’t know was the rest of the story...when Severinsen then picked up a flugelhorn to play, Guido, with a big smile on his face, ran around closing the windows!

companists. Alan Broadbent recalled being hired to play for her, early in his career. He was terrified, and he anticipated her scrutiny. At one point, he played a solo, and instead of taking her cue, she stared at him, mouth agape.

He expected a tirade, but instead heard her say, ‘That was beautiful!’

“Donna originally left the pianist unnamed when she posted this, (‘he shall remain nameless because I don’t want to embarrass him’) but Alan added a comment: ‘You can mention me, Donna.’”

D

R

onna Shore posted this on Facebook: “When one hears Carmen McRae play piano it is easy to see why she was so critical of her ac-

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eid Hoyson posted this: “In Pittsburgh there is a summer jazz series at the Homewood Library.

I played it a few years ago with Richie

Cole. The band played on the sidewalk at the bottom of the library steps, while the audience sat on the other side of the street in a parking lot and also on the sidewalk. We were in the middle of our set when a Port Authority bus drove up and stopped right in front of the band, between us and our audience. The driver opened the door and sat and listened for a few minutes.

Then he smiled, clapped in appreciation, closed the bus door and drove off.”

F

rom Jon-Erik Kellso: “On a tour in Holland, I felt that the bass players I heard tended to over-amplify themselves. At one point, when I was in Amsterdam, I thought to myself, ‘Great, another ampster. Damn!’”

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SandySasso.com for more Sandy info

OTHER VIEWS

BY JOE L A N G

Ulysses Owens Jr. and Generation Y is a project of drummer Owens who has been working with many young jazz artists. Their first recorded effort is A New Beat (Cellar Music – 031323). The band includes leader Owens on drums, Sarah Hanahan on alto sax, Benny Benack III or Anthony Hervey on trumpet, Luther Allison or Tyler Bullock on piano, and Philip

Norris on bass. Erena Terakubo replaces Hanahan, and Ryoma Takenaga replaces Norris on “Helen’s Song.”

Milton Suggs provides a smooth vocal on “Heart Full of Rhythm.” Hanahan, Hervey, Bullock, and Takenaga have been featured as Rising Stars in Jersey Jazz, and Terakubo was the cover story in the October 2023 issue. The music is quite varied, and the young players flawlessly execute the demanding charts conceived by Owens.

The excitement generated by these players illustrates that the future of jazz is in good hands. CellarLive.com Guitarist Doug MacDonald has made more than two dozen albums as a leader over the course of his busy career. They range from solo sessions to fronting a big band. Sextet Session (Dmac Music) is unique in that McDonald is playing a Fender Tele-

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caster guitar, a break from his usual instruments; and he is in a session which features three other significant solo voices—tenor saxophonist Doug Webb, trumpeter Aaron Janik, and pianist Josh Nelson—with bassist Mike Gurrola and drummer Charles Ruggerio providing strong rhythmic support. MacDonald once again shows that he is among the elite of mainstream jazz guitarists. Webb and Janik are creative improvisors, while Nelson demonstrates why he is one of those musicians who makes others simply smile when they see him on a gig. The program has five MacDonald originals, plus “Whispering,” “You’ve Changed”, and “Bubbles in the Wine,” the Lawrence Welk theme song that you rarely hear jazz players blowing on. Macdonald’s original material is well conceived as are his charts. This is a straight

ahead eight-tune session that opens with the engaging “Desert Blues,” and concludes with their effervescent take on “Bubbles in the Wine.” Sextet Sessions is an album that will grab you instantly and continuously hold your attention. DougMacDonald.net The Yes! Trio members are three cats who are totally tuned into each other in a way that many trios strive for but few achieve. The musicians are drummer Ali Jackson, long the driving force for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, pianist Aaron Goldberg, and Israeli-born bassist Omer Avital.

They met at late night jam sessions at Smalls in New York City and eventually found that their natural compatibility made a formal association the way to go. Spring Sings ( jazz& people) is their third release. It has 10 tracks, six originals by Jackson, two by Avital,

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OTHER VIEWS

plus two standards, “The Best Is Yet to Come” and “How Deep Is the Ocean.”

Ali’s compositions are superb and should find other players adding them to their repertoire. Particularly notable are “Spring Sings” and “Sanción,” the latter a lovely melody that cries out for a lyricist to enhance it. They give very original and interesting takes on the two standards. Wonderful music from three wonderful artists! JazzAndPeople.BandCamp.com Long a fixture on the New Jersey/ New York jazz scene, guitarist Dave Stryker has added another album to his impressive catalog, Groove Street (Strikezone Records - 8826). The release features the Dave Stryker Trio— Stryker on guitar, Jared Gold on organ, and McClenty Hunter on drums— with Bob Mintzer adding his always pleasing tenor sax. The nine-song pro-

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gram has three originals by Stryker, two by Mintzer and one by Gold, plus Wayne Shorter’s “Angel Eyes,” Eddie Harris’ “Cold Duck Time”, and Harry Warren’s “The More I See You.” Stryker, Mintzer, and Gold are superb soloists, while Hunter keeps the grooves steady and contributes just the right accents. While this is a classic sax and organ trio lineup, these

gentlemen steer away from relying on the soul jazz style that often dominates this instrumental configuration, offering a more varied approach. The results are consistently appealing and refreshing. DaveStryker.com

with elements of jazz, country, blues, rock, and folk intermingled. Similarly, Nelson’s vocals are singularly his, although his take on “Georgia on My Mind” is influenced by the Ray Charles recording. BowmanvilleSwing.com

Unique is the best word to describe Bowmanville, a quintet of Ethan Adelsman on violin, Graham Nelson on harmonica and vocals, Mason Jiller on guitar, Oliver Horton and/or Ethan Philion on bass, and Noah Plotkin on drums. Their initial recording, Bowmanville (StonEagleMusic), has 11 selections ranging from four originals

by Adelsman, one each by Jiller and Nelson, “Georgia on My Mind,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Saint James Infirmary,” Caravan” and “La Vie En Rose.”

While they cite the Quintet of the Hot Club of France as a primary influence, their overall approach is more eclectic,

Since she is a vocalist supreme, it is hard to believe that I’ll Take Romance (Doxie – 105) is the first album in a dozen years by Jane Scheckter and that it is only her fifth release overall. That says much about today’s music market, a sad reality. This time out, Scheckter places herself in her preferred trio format with pianist/arranger Tedd Firth, bassist Jay Leonhart, and drummer Peter Grant supplying the instrumental support with occasional contributions from Warren Vaché on cornet and flugelhorn. As one has come to expect from Scheckter, the 17-song program is

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OTHER VIEWS replete with classic, but not overdone, standards such as “I’ll Take Romance,” “My Foolish Heart,” “Isn’t It a Pity,” “What Is There to Say”, and “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life,” as well as lesser known selections such as “Love, I Hear,” “I’ll Be Easy to Find,” “You Better Love Me,” “After You,” “I’m Gonna Lock My Heart and Throw Away the Key,” “You Are Not My First Love”, and “This Was Then.” Of special note is a tune

by Mickey Leonard, “A Song for Bill Evans,” that he played for Scheckter many years ago, eventually supplying her with a lead sheet. She asked lyricist Roger Schore to add words to the music, and with some input from Scheckter, they created the lovely “Looking Back.” With her vocal acumen at any tempo and stellar reading of lyrics, each album by Scheckter is like a textbook on pop/jazz vocalizing. I’ll Take Romance is the lat-

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est entry in her all too small catalog of vocal gems! SingJaneSing.com Having grown up with Gene Autry as one of my heroes, I was an early fan of what we called cowboy music. When vocalist Hilary Gardner announced she was doing an album of this music, it was fun to anticipate what she would do with this material. Well, On the Trail with The Lonesome Pines (Anzic – 0089) has arrived and it is wonderfully listenable. With exceptional support from Justin Poindexter on guitars, mandolin and organ, Noah Garbedian on bass, and Aaron Thurston on drums and percussion, plus Sasha Papernik adding her accordion on two tracks, Gardner addresses a dozen tunes that will have you remembering the days when western movies were a major part of Hollywood output. The songs include “Along the Navajo Trail,” “Cow

Cow Boogie,” “Call of the Canyon,” “Under Fiesta Stars,” “Silver on the Sage,” “Jingle, Jangle Jingle (I Got Spurs),” “A Cowboy Serenade (While I’m Smokin’ My Last Cigarette),” “Song of the Sierras,” “Along the Santa Fe Trail,” “Lights of Old Santa Fe,” “I’m an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande)” and “Twilight on the Trail.”

Gardner handles the vocals with a natural feel for the genre, not surprising as she grew up hearing this music in Alaska and started her career singing Patsy Cline songs. This is an album that keeps calling for another listen. HilaryGardner.com Chicago has been the home to many terrific singers through the years.

Among those currently on that scene is Spider Saloff. She has a new album, From Broadway to Jazz (Kopaesthetics Records), and it is another winner.

She has gathered a dozen songs from

Broadway musical theater, and with help from pianist Jeremy Kahn, bassist Stew Miller, drummer Phil Gratteau, and saxophonist Eric Schneider, she has added her own jazz-influenced approach to vocalizing to give each of them fresh life. The program has a mix of the familiar, “All the Things You Are,” “Willow Weep for Me,” “Speak Low,” “My Favorite Things,” “Make Someone Happy,” “I’ve Got Your Number” and “Some Other Time;” plus some that are less often heard, “You’ve Got That Thing,” “Not While I’m Around,” “Nobody’s Heart”, and “Never Will I Marry.” Saloff gets right to the essence of each lyric, always with a swing feeling underneath her approach. The band offers perfect support. This trip is one well worth taking. SpiderJazz.com Making It Up as We Go Along (Café Pacific Records – 6070) by vocalist Lauren White is an album that re-

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OTHER VIEWS quires careful listening to fully appreciate. White is a singer who is as hip as the material she has chosen to include on this album. Other than “I’m Glad There is You” and “Turn Out the Stars,” most of the selections will be new to most listeners, although some might be familiar with Donald Fagen’s “I’m Not the Same Without You” and Stevie Wonder’s “Make Sure You’re Sure.” There are lyrics by Mark Winkler, (“Lower Case”), Lorraine Feather (“Making It Up as We Go Along”), and Ron Boustead (“Unlikely Valentine”), each of whom is a jazz singer who can put across his/her sophisticated words. White has a voice that immediately grabs your ears, and she digs into each set of words with an understanding that brings them to life. The pianist/keyboardist Quinn Johnson has created arrangements that are understated but strongly supportive. Johnson, bassists Kevin Axt

or Trey Henry, drummers Chris Wabich, Dan Schnelle, or Ray Brinker give the fine underpinning for the vocals, with trumpeter Brian Swartz and saxophonist/flautist Katisse Buckingham adding additional support on four of the 11 tracks. Take a shot at listening to this album and you will be well rewarded. (Release date 3/15/2024) LaurenWhiteJazz.com

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NOT WITHOUT YOU! Your membership is vital to NJJS’s mission to promote and preserve America’s great art form—JAZZ!

THANK YOU and welcome

to all who have recently joined or renewed their memberships. We can’t do what we do without you!

NJJS org

NEW MEMBERS Ned Heltzer

Lynn Mellor

PHILADELPHIA, PA

MADISON, NJ

Spencer Marsh

Ethel Monk

HOBE SOUND, FL

GREEN VILLAGE, NJ

RENEWAL MEMBERS Salvatore Franchino

Ellen & Howard Pfeffer

BRIDGEWATER, NJ

NORTH CALDWELL, NJ

Kasey Keegan

Claiborne Ray

BASKING RIDGE, NJ

BROOKLYN, NY

Arthur Markowitz

Bob Seeley

MAHWAH, NJ

FLEMINGTON, NJ

Hal Moeller

Thomas Shutkin

MADISON, NJ

BUCKINGHAM, PA

Cynthia & Vincent O’Donnell

Terrence Smith

MADISON, NJ

William & Joan Weisberg

MORRISTOWN, NJ

FORT LEE, NJ