Thanks to Stan Klein who let us know that Doreen's Jazz New Orleans (http://www.doreensjazz.com) had a Jan. 31 gig at a weekly concert sponsored by the Trinity Church on Wall Street in New York. A trio from the band -- Doreen Ketchens, clarinet/vocals; Lawrence Ketchens, tuba; and Walter Harris, drums -- flew to New York from New Orleans for the gig. The hour-long concert was webcast and is archived at http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/calendar/index.php?event_id=41452. The streaming playback of the archive takes about 15 seconds before there is any video and about 45 seconds before the audio starts.

The tunes played included a medley of "Lord, Lord, Lord," "This Little Light of Mine," and "Bright Crown." A jazz funeral sequence included "A Closer Walk With Thee" and "Second Line." The group also played "Sweet Georgia Brown," "St. Louis Blues," a medley of  "Hey, Look Me Over" and "Who's Sorry Now?" and a medley of "The Saints" and "Mama Don't 'low."

Don't know if this qualifies for "New York News," but it's definitely good news: Judith Sherman, recording producer for the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra won a 2008 Grammy as "Classical Producer of the Year" for her National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences cited disc Barrelhouse to Broadway: The Musical Odyssey of Joe Jordan, New World Records 80649-2 (http://www.paragonragtime.com/
barrelhousedisc.html).

Daryl Sherman writes to say that her long-awaited trip to Europe is finally happening. Her full schedule is in "Onstage," but, in brief, she'll be appearing in different parts of England. She writes, "I'm really looking forward to performing with Dave Cliff on guitar, and Jeremy Brown on bass (Andy Cleyndert March 8, 19, 23) plus seeing old friends and different parts of England."

She says she has only a couple of dates in London this time since Pizza On The Park has closed. Look for her in London at the Pizza Express Jazz Club Soho on March 17 and at Spicejazz at Spice of Life on March 19. Further details are available at her classy website, www.DarylSherman.com.

The Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium/CBJC presents its 9th Annual Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival from March 29-May 2, 2008, with concerts and events in Fort Greene, Prospect Heights, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Midwood, Williamsburg, Crown Heights and Bedford Stuyvesant sections of Brooklyn, N.Y.

This year's festival theme is "Brooklyn -- In the Jazz Tradition."

"Tradition makes reference to our ancestors and the cultural legacy they left behind. Eubie Blake (in the 1920s), Billie Holiday and Betty Roche (in the late 1930s), Max Roach, Cecil Payne, Chief Bey, Willie Jones, Kenny Dorham and C. Scoby Stroman (in the late 1940s and beyond) paved a path for the jazz legacy of Brooklyn, New York. Today in 2008, we must research and study the Jazz legacy of Brooklyn and use it to mold and shape the future of our lives - 'Music is the healing force of the universe (Albert Ayler),'" said Jitu Weusi, Chairman of Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium.

Programs and performances will be held at Weeksville Heritage Center, Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture at Brooklyn Public Library's Central Branch, Medgar Evers College, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Institute for Studies in American Music at Brooklyn College, Brooklyn Historical Society, Concord Baptist Church of Christ as well as at Brooklyn's popular entertainment venues: Sista's Place, Solomon's Porch, BAMcafe Live, Jazz Spot, Williamsburg Music Center, Sugar Hill Restaurant & Supper Club and Jazz 966 just to name some.

Highlights this year include an award presentation to legendary jazz stylist Nancy Wilson, a swing dance party with Ray Abrams' Big Band featuring vocalist Donna Tulivu Cumberbatch, a display of the work of famed jazz photographer Chuck Stewart, music from Houston Person, and many events with a modern or contemporary jazz emphasis.

The Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium, founded in 1999, is an amalgam of jazz musicians, entertainment venues, patrons of the music, community and faith based organizations. They have presented an annual spring festival, established a Brooklyn Jazz Hall of Fame and produced yearly programs of events and activities that feature local jazz musical talents. CBJC is committed to preserving, promoting and supporting jazz music, musicians and programs. The Festival calendar of events is available on the Internet, http://www.cbjcjazz.org/ or by phone, (718)569-1896.

On its website, the New Jersey Jazz Society lists an impressive lineup of concerts (some co-sponsored by NJJS) featuring top jazz and ragtime talent, including Bob Seeley, Jim Fryer, Jim Cullum, Dan Levinson, Bucky Pizzarelli, Bria Skonberg, and John Gill, among many others. The venues are at The Bickford Theatre/Morris Museum, near Morristown, N.J., and Ocean County College, Toms River, N.J.  March and April concerts are listed in this month's "Onstage," but you might also want to check the long-range calendar at www.njjs.org or www.ocean.edu.

Jazz at Lincoln Center always has something cooking. This time, it's Swing University's Spring jazz courses wherein trumpeter Joe Wilder and jazz historians Phil Schaap and Ed Berger share their insight and expertise.

Already in session is "Charlie Parker with Phil Schaap," a course which started  Feb 25 and runs through March 17 (Mondays). Next up is "Joe Wilder: My Life In Jazz with Joe Wilder & Ed Berger" (Mondays, March 24-April 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m.). This course will examine aspects of jazz history from the Big Band Era to the present through Wilder's personal experiences.

On Wednesdays, March 26-May 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m., "Jazz 101 with Phil Schaap" will provide an introduction to the music for enriched enjoyment with the walking encyclopedia of jazz, Phil Schaap.

"Jazz 301 with Phil Schaap" (Tuesdays, March 25-May 13, 6:30-9:30 p.m.) comprises intensive three-hour classes of jazz history. An optional final will be given two weeks after the last class and outstanding students will receive a certificate signed by Wynton Marsalis and Phil Schaap.

The classes will be held at the Irene Diamond Education Center, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, on Broadway at 60th Street, New York City. The prices range from $125-$250. To enroll, contact subscription services at (212) 258-9999. For more information, visit www.jalc.org/swingu

We're very pleased to report that Michael Steinman will be our "New York News" columnist as of the April issue. Please send information to him at mstei@optonline.net. Also, check out his new blog at http://www.jazzlives.wordpress.com

March 2008 issue | © 2008 The Mississippi Rag

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