USA: MARLENE VERPLANCK Birdland, Thursday, May 5 Trumpets, Saturday, May 21st Jazz @ Kitano, Wednesday, June 15 Shanghai Jazz, June 19th

MARLENE VERPLANCK Birdland, Thursday, May 5 Trumpets, Saturday, May 21st Jazz @ Kitano, Wednesday, June 15 Shanghai Jazz, June 19th

New CD

What The Press Is Saying About Marlene's New CD

 

Downbeat Magazine April, 2016   5 stars
Jazz Journal Int'l March 2016   5 stars

…A fine interpreter of classic standards and always works well in a swinging context…All in all, quite one of her best. - Peter Vacher Jazzwise May 2016

A singer of taste who concentrates on the lyrics, her album is an unhackneyed collection of mostly lesser known but worthy tunes by Duke Ellington, Bobby Troup, Harry Warren, and others. One of the better known songs, Burton and Lerner’s “Too Late Now,” is as fine a rendition as any I’ve heard.
- Barry Bassis The Epoch Times

"The Mood I'm In", Marlene with, The best of the British,   John Pearce, Paul Morgan, Bobby Worth, Mark Nightingale and Andy Panayi.  Below are excerpts from the world wide reviews,  USA, UK, Italy, Russia, etc.

"Marlene swings the high notes here, ... one of the finest small ensembles you've ever recorded with" - Marc Myers, Wall St Journal and Jazz Wax

"A wildly winning set throughout,this is a master class on jazz vocal that you better show up on time for"
- CHRIS SPECTOR Midwest Record

"the voice as bell-like clear and her brisk, no-nonsense but jazzy approach characterized as refreshing and ever-youthful. But facts are facts and the long-revealed truth, like her sound, remains as clear as that inevitably conjured-up bell."
- Rob Lester, Talkin' Broadway

It's  real jazz by a true master, and in addition - a magnificent and unique example of an active creative longevity. Bravo, Marlene! - Leonid Auskern  (from Russia)  

"She confirmed, she is a very valuable singer who acts as a consummate storyteller..there is thanks to the total empathy with British musicians"
-Vittorio Lo Conte  (Italy)

"Marlene VerPlanck remains at the top of her field"...
-Bob Rusch January, Cadence Magazine

"Marlene VerPlanck keeps acquiring superlatives in reviews of her albums and performances, and The Mood I'm In, shows exactly why!" -Joe Lang, NJJS

"...elegant compilation of standards, familiar an neglected"
 -Alix Cohen, Cabaret Scenes

"Congrats! THE MOOD I'M IN is top notch"
-Elliott Eames  WVOX AM 1460 & worldwide WVOX.COM

 

Marlene VerPlanck "The Mood I'm In"
(Audiophile Records ACD 348) Street Date: January 1, 2016

Marlene VerPlanck-vocals, John Pearce-piano, Paul Morgan-bass, Bobby Worth- drums,
Mark Nightingale- trombone, Andy Panayi-sax/flute
 

 

National Press Campaign
Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services
Ph: 845-986-1677 / jim@jazzpromoservices.com
www.jazzpromoservices.com
"Specializing in Media Campaigns for the music community, artists, labels, venues and events.”

National Radio Campaign
Michael J. Hurzon
The Tracking Station
954.463.3518
trackst@bellsouth.net
 

Artist Website: www.marleneverplanck.com

Label Website: www.jazzology.com/audiophile_records.php
 

ITALY: First Global Online Jazz Contest

The 7 Virtual Jazz Club is a virtual stage devoted exclusively to jazz
music, which will host the first global jazz competition in history to
take place entirely online. The competition invites musicians
(soloists and groups) of all ages and backgrounds to participate.
Already, esteemed industry experts from around the world have agreed
to form our panel of judges and thousands of people have liked our
contest on Facebook.

Our aim is to unearth hidden musical talent, and we’d love to speak
with you about whether anyone from your school might be interested in
entering the competition.

To enter, students must record a video of themselves performing a
piece of jazz music. The piece must be:
No longer than 7 minutes long
In one of the following file formats: avi, mov, mpeg, mp4.
The prize fund of the competition is 7.000 Euros. This fund is
divided:
1st prize (4.000 Euros)
2nd prize (2.000 Euros)
3rd prize (1.000 Euros).

If anyone is interested in entering or has any questions we would love
to hear from them. For further details on the contest please
visit:www.7virtualjazzclub.net

I look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Kindest Regards,

Valerio Pappi
Communications, 7 Virtual Jazz Club

JAZZ PAPERS: /Improv Games for One Player/IMPROVISATION ET RECHERCHE BASEE SUR L’ART

Jeffrey Agrell The University of Iowa, Music, Faculty Member

Improv Games for One Player "The author’s Improvisation Games for Classical Musicians (GIA Publ., Dec. 2009) is a wonderful and comprehensive resource, but the vast content does not fit comfortably into the average musician’s instrument case. This slender volume of nonjazz musical games for one player is utterly portable. It should fit in just about every case with enough room to transport a sheet of music paper, but there is plenty of content to enliven and enrich a player’s daily technical and musical practice for a long time. About half the content is drawn from the original big book, and half is drawn from new,...

View Paper

Nisha Sajnani Lesley University, Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty Member IMPROVISATION ET RECHERCHE BASEE SUR L’ART (translated by Valérie Decroix ) Les chercheurs s’appuyant sur des pratiques artistiques comme média de création et de représentation des connaissances, requièrent et font preuve même souvent d’aptitudes essentielles à l’improvisation, telles que l’ouverture à l’incertain, une initiation à la différence et une intelligence esthétique. Cet article examine la recherche basée sur l’art à travers le spectre de l’improvisation, dans le but de mettre en lumière les opportunités et les défis fondamentaux que recouvre cette nouvelle approche d’étude. View Paper

Cass Fisher University of South Florida, Religious Studies, Faculty Member "Review of Tamar Barzel, _New York Noise: Radical Jewish Music and the Downtown Scene_" (AJSR, 40:1) View Paper

Fumi Okiji Royal Holloway, University of London, Classics and Philosophy, German, Post-Doc The indispensability and inadequacy of jazz records View Paper

Swathi Swaminathan University of Toronto, Psychology, Graduate Student Current emotion research in music psychology Music is universal, at least partly because it expresses emotion and regulates affect. Associations between music and emotion have been examined regularly by music psychologists. Here, we review recent findings in three areas: (i) the communication and perception of emotion in music, (ii) the emotional consequences of music listening, and (iii) predictors of music preferences. View Paper

Carleen S Hardin University Of Amsterdam, American Studies, Graduate Student

Jazz According to Simone de Beauvoir This briefly explores de Beauvoir's views on jazz music in her work America Day by Day.

View Paper

USA: RICK BOGART TRIO Appearing @ TOSHI'S LIVING ROOM Every Tuesday Beginning May 3rd 6:30 to 9:30 pm

RICK BOGART TRIO Appearing @ TOSHI'S LIVING ROOM Every Tuesday Beginning Tuesday, May 3rd 6:30 to 9:30 pm TOSHI'S LIVING ROOM 1141 Broadway at West 26th St. Reservations are suggested call 917.432.8810 www.toshislivingroom.com Toshi's is a lovely place in the Flatiron Hotel. There is a stage and a full time sound and lights man. This is The Real Thing! There is no cover and just a one drink minimum. And of course,  you can enjoy The Rick Bogart Trio  every  Saturday and Sunday at The BROADWAY THAI JAZZ RESTAURANT

Rick Bogart received his formal classical training at Philadelphia's prestigious Curtis Institute of Music and North Texas State University. At age twelve Rick began his first formal lessons with a retired Big Band musician, Mr. Reader. Gumming the tenor sax that had been his mainstay throughout the Big Band days, Mr. Reader gave Rick a lesson in the blues ''before anything else''. The Real Training ''Yes, I learned theory, harmony, composition, and all the rest,'' he says. But my real training was at the traditional but unofficial New Orleans School of Music. In Bogart's relentless quest to bring the clarinet back to the fore as a lead instrument, he has also been enamored with musician who can sing. ''As they say in New Orleans, 'lf you can sing, sing'" So Bogart sings. As a musician-singer there is always that element of swing. ''I liked the way Thomas Jefferson sang – I could not get enough of it. I was so happy to play in his band and work with him night after night." Bogart's selection of tunes are from what NEWSWEEK not long ago referred to as the ''classical music of the 20th century'." Among them are ''My Blue Heaven'' ''Don't be that Way'' ''Begin The Begiune'' .'On The Sunny Side Of The Street'' ''If I Could Be With You'' ''Exactly Like You, and ''Lady Be Good''. He is certainly appreciative of other styles, such as be-bop and avant-garde players.''The great players of the past inspired me by keeping the melody in mind. The big tone concept of sound. They had respect for the melody. They always tried to state the melody repeatedly so people would know.'' Bogart regrets the decline in popularity of the clarinet and is on a mission to bring it back to center stage as a lead instrument. Bogart believes the clarinet declined for three reasons: First, the clarinet is a difficult instrument to play; it was easier to get those warmer, richer solos on the tenor saxophone. Second, there was a certain reaction to the great clarinet band leaders of the 1930's and 40's, so that the new players shied away from the instrument and wanted to play something different. Thirdly, in the United States after the Big Band era, instrument makers made the clarinet primarily for school, their biggest customers. Children couldn't handle the wide bore, couldn't fill it with air. Thus the manufacturers narrowed the bore, altering the sound. Many of those playing professionally, including Bogart, have their clarinets ''customized'' to get the sound they want  – similar to Boosey and Hawkes 10-10, the great English clarinet. Recently Rick has given concerts at the University of Donetsk, Ukraine and the Kiev Opera House, Ukraine sponsored by the AMS Corp. Additionally he has performed at a concert at the United Nations, NY and a question & answer session with the U.N. Society Jazz Band.

You Can Also Catch Rick Bogart At Tom and Toon's BROADWAY THAI JAZZ RESTAURANT 245 West  51st  Street Across from The Gershwin Theatre Every Saturday from 7:30 pm to 11:30 pm                  and Every  Sunday from  6:30 to 10:30 pm (Reservations  suggested: 212.226.4565)

www.rickbogart.com

KICKSTARTER: "Notes from the Spirit" will be an album of original jazz music by Tom Rubenoff.

Notes from the Spirit

Hi, I’m Tom Rubenoff.

Some people say that emotions are the means our spirits use to communicate with us. The album title, “Notes from the Spirit” comes from  my performance style.  When I play or sing I get out of the way and let what’s inside me shine through. 
I’ve been writing and performing music and poetry for about fifty years, and in that time I have acquired many talented friends.  Some of these gifted friends have joined me to form an amazing band for this project.  I have included their bios below.  After the bios there are excerpts of a couple of the songs we have already recorded.  Besides these great friends I have Little Dog Studio to record in, and plenty of music that I've written, just waiting to be recorded.
I love being in the studio and making music with these guys. It is so much fun. Everybody is making their creative contribution to evolve each piece into what it wants to be. The result is an art form called jazz, each piece special unique to that session. Each player rewrites their own part as we play. The experience is priceless.
The project is to record nine or so of my compositions at Little Dog Studio over three or so sessions to take place between June and November 2016, add these pieces to three we have already recorded and produce a piece of art, a lovingly crafted album of original music full of joy and surprise that you will love to hear. 
All the right creative ingredients are available.   When the funding is in place I am confident that the project will be a success.  But it won't go anywhere without you.   I have run the numbers and "Notes from the Spirit" is only possible if it is funded.  This is where you can make a big difference.  We need at least $8,000 to pay for studio time, musicians and production.   
Time is also a factor.  It is very fortunate that these uniquely talented individuals and Little Dog Studio are available to do this now.  We need funding now to lock in a recording schedule.  If we do not, this wonderful opportunity will soon fade away.  We need you.  Please help us with your generous contribution. Thank you. 
Please take a glance at the rewards we will be offering for your donation, including CD's, downloads, videos and experiences.  If you are viewing this on a mobile device they may not be immediately visible, but you can access them from the menu. 
I am here on Kickstarter because I cannot fund this project myself.  I need your help.   Please support our effort to create this album. Thanks again.
Special thanks to David Leifer for his help with the videos. This next one is me and bassist Dan Fox at Ryles Jazz Club playing my tune, "No I Don't Miss You." 
KICKSTARTER

ITALY: HYPER+ AMIR ELSAFFAR NEW CD "SAADIF" OUT NOW!

HYPER+ AMIR ELSAFFAR NEW CD "SAADIF" IS OUT NOW!

SAADIF means in arabic "meeting" and is the result of the collaboration between Amir ElSaffar, New York multiethnic scene’s rising star, and the Italian trio HYPER+.

An original album between tradition and innovation, where the "beyond-jazz" of Hyper+ is mixed with Iraqi maqam music.

Amir ElSaffar, trumpet & vocals
Nicola Fazzini, alto & soprano sax
Alessandro Fedrigo, acoustic bass guitar
Luca Colussi, drums


LISTEN THE CD FOR FREE!
www.nusica.org/en/o9_saadif.html 

USA: Rocco John Quartet "Embrace The Change" CD Release Party Fri, May 13th 7pm @ Caffe Vivaldi

Artist: ROCCO JOHN QUARTET
Title: EMBRACE THE CHANGE
Label: Unseen Rain UR-9947
www.unseenrainrecords.com
Artist Website:

www.roccojohnmusic.com
Release Date: MAY 6, 2016

UPC Code: 7783583260725

Rocco describes each album track in the liner notes:

WINGS 7’21: A free bop piece to free up our thoughts.

CIRCUITS 8’08: However remote or even impossible it may seem, we are all connected.

ESCAPE 8’39:The traps are all set up,wherever we turn. We need to escape the traps and think independently and creatively.

DIALUP 8’00: This represents calling for assistance from the universe.

WHISPERS 4’32: While we all hear the loud voices telling us what to do and how to do it, we really need to quiet down and listen to the whispers of our inner self.

TANGO 9’52: The dance of life.
72’s 10’56: Connection to the Endless.
WINGS (Epilogue) 7:51: The Joy of it all.

All music by: Rocco John Iacovone Recorded: March, 2015 and mixed at Urban Sound Studios, Riverdale, NJ by Todd Urban Mastered at Beanstudio, Wayne, NJ by Jim DeSalvo Cover painting by Denise Iacovone
 

Produced by Jack DeSalvo

“EMBRACE THE CHANGE is a thought, an idea, and a philosophy. It’s a comment on our evolution as human beings. It seems the only con- stant we experience is change and we constantly need to learn how to deal with it. To do this, we have to dig deep. These were the thoughts behind the compositions as I wrote them, and as we went into the studio.”Rocco John Iacovone’s studies with the legendary Lee Konitz and Sam Rivers as well as studies in composition under the direct disciples of Nadia Boulanger gives him a wide swath of musicial in uences that color each track of EMBRACE THE CHANGE. His stellar quartet gets deep into the leader’s music, designed to elicit unmitigated passion and creativity from Rich Rosenthal, François Grillot and Tom Cabrera. 

NATIONAL PRESS CAMPAIGN: JIM EIGO, JAZZ PROMO SERVICES 272 State Route 94 South #1, Warwick, NY 10990-3363 Ph: 845-986-1677 / Fax: 845-986-1699 Cell / text: 917-755-8960 Skype: jazzpromo jim@jazzpromoservices.com • www.jazzpromoservices.com “Specializing in Media Campaigns for the music community, artists, labels, venues and events.”