Sounds Good To Me Department:The Cangelosi Cards, a swing dance-Dixieland hoedown (that's a compliment), features the ethereally gutty singing of Tamar Korn and inspired players. They play for dancers on Saturdays (June 7, 21; July 12, 26; August 9, 23) from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. at Grace, 114 Franklin St. (www.gracebarandrestaurant.com) in Tribeca. Sundays they are at Hairfield Road in Brooklyn (769 Metropolitan Avenue) from 5-9 p.m.

Plunk That Thing: Les Paul will celebrate his 93rd birthday at Iridium (www.iridiumjazzclub.com) on Monday, June 9.

Banjoist Joel Schiavone will join the Smith Street Society Jazz Band at Chow (966 Chapel Street, New Haven, Conn.) on June 15, from 7-10 p.m. The music starts at 7:30. It's $20. E-mail Joel at joel_banjo@hotmail.com for reservations.

Cynthia Sayer (www.cynthiasayer.com) was to appear as part of Woody Allen's New Orleans Jazz Band on June 2 at Cafe Carlyle at the Carlyle Hotel, 35 East 76th St. On the 7th, she'll be offering an afternoon concert for the New Jersey Jazz Society's Jazzfest at Drew University, Madison, N.J., with Randy Sandke, trumpet; Jim Fryer, trombone; Sara Caswell, violin; Jennifer Vincent, string bass, Joe Ascione, percussion. If, as Jimmy Rushing sang, you're goin' to Chicago, catch Cynthia there on the 20th (a concert for the Illiana Club of Traditional Jazz, with Russ Phillips, trombone; Kim Cusack, reeds; Don Steirnberg, guitar/mandolin, and Stu Millur, bass. On July 23rd, Cynthia will give a free concert in Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich, Connecticut, from 7:30-9 p.m., with Jim Fryer, Mike Weatherly, bass, and Pat Carmichael, drums.

The Fundamental Things Apply: Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks continue every Monday (three sets) at Sofia's Restaurant located in Club Cache, at the Edison Hotel, 221 West 46th St. Call (212) 719-5799 for reservations, (718) 376-3489, e-mail Vince at vincegiordano@optonline.net or visit http://www.myspace.com/VinceGiordanotheNighthawks.

Vince also leads his own Classic Jazz Quartet (homage to Sudhalter-Wellstood-Muranyi-Grosz of sainted memory) now and again at Shanghai Jazz, 24 Main Street, Madison, N.J. Call (973) 822-2899 or visit www.shanghaijazz.com. Previous CJQs have included John Bucher, Herb Gardner and Sol Yaged as well as Muranyi and Grosz.

On Sunday, June 22, the Pennsylvania Jazz Society (info@pajazzsociety.org) will host the Nighthawks for an afternoon concert, 2-5 p.m., at the Plainfield Township Fire Company, 6480 Sullivan Trail, Wind Gap, Pa. The Pennsylvania folks are also hosting a festival on July 13, featuring Bucky Pizzarelli and Marty Grosz's new group, The Hot Winds.

David Ostwald's Gully Low Jazz Band/Louis Armstrong Centennial Band continues on Wednesdays from 5:30-7:15 p.m. at Birdland. (Ostwald84@aol.com). In May, David welcomed Jon-Erik Kellso, Ed Polcer, Vincent Gardner, Wycliffe Gordon, Dion Tucker, Anat Cohen, Joe Muranyi, the young Israeli pianist Ehud Asherie, Howard Alden, James Chirillo, Alvester Garnett, Kevin Dorn, Marion Felder and surprise guests.

The EarRegulars (the sagely idiosyncratic quartet created by Jon-Erik Kellso and Matt Munisteri, of late offering jazz sanctuary to Harvey Tibbs, John Allred, Scott Robinson, Charlie Caranicas and James Chirillo) is at The Ear Inn, 326 Spring Street, every Sunday from 8-11 p.m. (www.earinn.com. Jon's website is www.kellsojazz.com).

Bill Dunham's Grove Street Stompers continue their half-century run at Arthur's Tavern at 57 Grove Street, every Monday from 8-11 (www.arthurstavernnyc.com).

On June 13, Kevin Dorn and the Traditional Jazz Collective will be playing a late night gig (about 10:45-2:45) at The Garage (www.garagerest,com) at 99 Seventh Avenue South.

Busy Dan Levinson wed winsome singer Molly Ryan last month (congratulations!) but he hasn't allowed marital bliss to get in the way of gigs (www.danlevinson.com). On June 9, he'll lead a reed tribute with Bob Wilber's protégé, Nik Payton, and Londoner Alex Mendham (alto sax), with Mark Shane, Brian Nalepka, and Kevin Dorn, at the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum (Morristown, N.J.), from 8-9:30 p.m., (973) 971-3706, or www.morrismuseum.org/static/bickford/jazz.html. Contact: Bruce Gast (908) 755-5037 tekhouse@aol.com.

Symphony Space, at 95th and Broadway (2537 Broadway) in Manhattan, will be home to the Sidney Bechet Society's three 2008 concerts, the first on June 11 -- Dan's tribute to Kenny Davern and Bob Wilber, featuring Wilber himself, Dick Hyman, Nik Payton, Matt Munisteri, Vince Giordano and Kevin Dorn. There will be two concerts, at 6:15 and 9:00. For details: www.sidneybechet.org, sbechets@optonline.net or (516) 627-4468.

Dan and pianist Ehud Asherie will appear at Roth's Westside Steakhouse on June 17 from 7-10 p.m. It's at 680 Columbus Avenue (at 93rd Street): (212) 280-4103, www.rothswestsidesteakhouse.com. Dan, French stride wizard Olivier Lancelot, and Ehud Asherie will be at Smalls (183 West 10th Street) on June 26, from 7-9 p.m. (www.smallsjazzclub.com). Visit Lancelot's http://www.lancelotmusic.com/index_eng.htm to see his fingers fly.

Multi-talented Jim Fryer will be leading a band at Trumpets (www.trumpetsjazz.com.) in New Jersey on June 19: visit www.jfryer.

The Tri-State Jazz Society (www.tristatejazz.org) is hosting its annual jam session on June 22 at the American Legion Hall in Brooklawn, N.J.

Boogie-woogie pianist Bob Seeley will play a concert at Ocean County College (www.ocean.edu) on June 25, and another solo outing at the Bickford Theatre in Morristown, N.J., June 30, both hosted by the New Jersey Jazz Society (www.njjs.org.)

April Showers Bring May Flowers: June Brings Jazz Festivals: The Hot Steamed Jazz Festival will again appear at the Essex Steam Train in Essex, Conn., June 27-29. Info: (800) 348-0003, www.hotsteamedjazz.com., featuring The Galvanized Jazz Band with Jane Campadelli, Bob Seeley, Olivier Lancelot, the Doc Scanlon Trio, Jeff Hughes and Jimmy Mazzy from Massachusetts, the Buffalo Ridge Jazz Band (from Cincinnati), the New York Stompers, the Sugarfoot Youth Band, and Dan Levinson's Summa Cum Laude Orchestra with Kellso, Harvey Tibbs, Lancelot, and Dorn, as well as Dan's Palomar Quartet, celebrating the Goodman IV, with Kellso, Olivier, Dorn, and Molly Ryan.

The New Jersey Jazz Society's annual JazzFest (June 7-8) features, among others, the ubiquitous Bucky Pizzarelli, Nicki Parrott, Rossano Sportiello, Ed Metz and the Bob Crosby Bobcats, Joe Temperley, Cynthia Sayer and Sparks Fly, and other bands: www.njjs.org., or 800-303-NJJS.

The Music Goes Round and Round: The 37th Annual Jazz Record Collectors' Bash is June 13-14 at the Hilton Woodbridge (www.hiltonwoodbridge.com) in Iselin, N.J. Here, you can "Buy-Sell-Swap-Schmooze," which covers most human needs and desires. Rare jazz films will be introduced by Dave Weiner (a big band scholar who specializes in Glenn Miller) and Ron Hutchinson of the Vitaphone Project.

No One Could Take Their Place: We lost Mona Hinton, who was much loved by her late husband Milt and everyone who encountered her. Guitarist Wayne Wright was a steady, creative member of the Braff-Barnes Quartet as well as Marty Grosz's fretting partner for a time. Overseas, Sir Humphrey Lyttelton left us -- amid UK obituaries that celebrated his career on "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue." Those pop-culture crazed writers should study Humph's Parlophones and Calligraphs.

To all musicians, promoters, and enlightened listeners: thanks for sending me information about upcoming gigs last month. All relevant jazz news is welcome, so keep in touch with me at mstei@optonline.net. But all information has to reach me before the tenth of the preceding month to be included in the next column.

Check out my blog at http://jazzlives.wordpress.com for more jazz news and on-the-spot photos.

June 2008 issue | © 2008 The Mississippi Rag

P.O. Box 19068, Minneapolis, MN 55419.