The Jazz Culture Feature
Melissa Walker & Christian McBride's "Jazz House Kids" at Dizzy's
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JAZZ HOUSE KIDS by L. Hamanaka
Caught Melissa Walker & Christian McBride’s Jazz House Kids (sampling of three-four bands) at Dizzy’s on Monday August 12, 2013. The performance was the culmination of a summer camp experience, with a few teaching assistants and ringers thrown in on occasion, but mostly a real kid jazz production. Talent is always shocking, and watching Jazz House Kids perform was sort of like seeing the big bands of today twenty years ago…filled with people who still had braces, were under five feet tall, and whose parents still signed permission slips. Ed Palermo’s Big Band started off with “It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got that Swing,” by Duke Ellington. They then played “Truckin’” by the Grateful Dead, in a swing arrangement, and “Milestones” by Miles Davis at about 160=quarter note. The kids played with a swinging feel and radiated their love of music. Ms. Walker took a moment to explain how Jazz House Kids had developed from 8-10 concerts a year to a non profit with a budget of $1,000,000. Jazz House Kids has been here for 11 years and has grown to acquire donors such as Dodge, Prudential, and Victoria, Panasonic, TD Bank, the NEA and NJ Council on the Arts. Ms. Walker started with a school program titled, “Let’s Build a Jazz House,” to an organization where she spending a lot of time fund raising, taking time to perform periodically (she is a fine singer) but “mostly raising money, [functioning as] marketer, learning curriculum, how to cultivate donors and volunteers, doing data analysis, administering a staff…” Ms. Walker added that the mission of Jazz House Kids was “bringing all kinds of kids to build a community for a brighter future [through jazz]...We provide instruments for kids and private lessons. 38% receive scholarships." 2
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The next two bands during the first set were “TA’s” or teaching assistants, teenagers or young adults, who played two compositions by Michele Rosewoman, and Monk’s “Straight No Chaser,” with fervor, at about 138=quarter note. The songs were well arranged, and the bassist played an excellent solo on “Straight No Chaser. " The third band was the “Dynasty Big Band” led by Mike Lee, a good conductor. The “Dynasty” band played a blues by Horace Silver, with a swinging rhythm section, an 11 year old pianist, Stefan Maestro, who had all the right concepts plus joie de vivre, and a trumpet player named Matthew Lee who could play a well constructed solo and looked about 8 years old, but perhaps he was 10; a fine alto sax soloist also on the short side was Alex Lorenzi, the drummer was good and so was the bassist, a kid named George Ossand. A tune by Mingus was next, “Jelly Roll” in the early jazz rollicking style, in a warm and soulful rendition. They then did “Chelsea Bridge” by Billy Strayhorne, and introduced a teen tenor player from Brooklyn named Nick Green, who has a distinctive reedy sound that is flavored like the swing era tenors, sensual and epic, with good articulation to his phrases, focused in the middle upper register and the ability to make succinct statements. He was backed by the entire sax section, that swung the bridge. The next was a Count Basie classic, featuring the fine pianist Matthew Whitaker, “Every Day I Have the Blues,” with Melissa Walker, vocals, and Christian McBride, Artistic Director for the group. Ms. Walker has good pitch, a low mezzo sound that is smooth, lovely and flawless, and she was in a celebratory mood, backed by rollicking horns. Mr. McBride played a good solo on bass and both were obviously proud of all the talent displayed on stage at Dizzy’s that night. Jazz House Kids has many performances and programs (see Jazzhousekids.org), and will be featured at the day long (Noon-7:00 pm) Montclair Jazz Festival this Saturday, August 17 at Nishuane Park, NJ. There will be signs everywhere. For More info, 973-744-2273. There will be a rain location. The Jazz Culture, V.II:4
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It Takes A Village--Jazz House Kids as they first rush onstage at Dizzy's and prepare their charts, to lounging around backstage and chilling out after a performance.
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The Teaching Asistants Band takes the stage, playing a couple of modern songs by Michele Rosewoman and a blues later
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Christian McBride applauds his Jazz House Kids at Dizzy's
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August Listings August: Joe Magnarelli: Italy tour August 1: Jim Malloy, Swing 46, 9:30 p.m. August 2: Ray Blue at S.O.B.'s in NYC. August 3: Kenney Gates, pianist. Philadelphia, every Tuesday, Sunday and some Saturdays at the High Note Cafe on Tasker & 13th, 5-9 p.m. August 4: Ray Blue-Cross-Cultural Connections in Peekskill Kenney Gates, pianist. Philadelphia,at the High Note Cafe on Tasker & 13th, 5-9 p.m. August 5: John Mosca & Michael Weiss with the Vanguard Orchestra at Village Vanguard August 6: Kenney Gates, pianist. Philadelphia, at the High Note Cafe on Tasker & 13th, 5-9 p.m. George Gee Orchestra at Swing 46, (346 W. 46 Street bet. 8th/9th Ave.) Tuesday 9:30-free dance lesson beforehand. August 8: Ray Blue, Division Street Grill, Peekskill Lafayette Harris, Waterford, CT, Harkness Park, 6 p.m. Jim Malloy, Swing 46, 9:30 p.m. (see address below) August 9: George Gee Orchestra at Swing 46, (46 Street between 8th and 9th Avenues) every Tuesday and some Fridays at 9:30-free dance lesson beforehand. August 9: Ray Blue The Division Street Grill in Peekskill, N.Y..7 p.m. August 10: Kenney Gates, pianist. Philadelphia, some Saturdays at the High Note Cafe on Tasker & 13th, 5-9 p.m. Lafayette Harris, Woodstock, Kleinhart Art Gallery 8 p.m. August 11: Lafayette Harris, Mt. Vernon Community Church, 10 a.m. August 12: John Mosca & Michael Weiss with the Vanguard Orchestra at Village Vanguard August 13: Kenney Gates, pianist. Philadelphia, at the High Note Cafe on Tasker & 13th, 5-9 p.m. August 15: Jim Malloy, Swing 46, 9:30 p.m. The Jazz Culture, V. II:4
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August 16: George Gee Orchestra at Swing 46, (46 Street between 8th and 9th Avenues) every Tuesday and some Fridays at 9:30-free dance lesson beforehand. August 17: Ray Blue’s Birthday party at Showman’s, 125th Street August 18: Kenney Gates, pianist. Philadelphia, at the High Note Cafe on Tasker & 13th, 5-9 p.m. Rick Stone, Cleveland, Nighttown, August 19: John Mosca & Michael Weiss with the Vanguard Orchestra at Village Vanguard August 20: Kenney Gates, pianist. Philadelphia, at the High Note Cafe on Tasker & 13th, 5-9 p.m August 20 Rick Stone Bettalona, NYC 8-11 August 22: Lafayette Harris, Birdland, NYC 6 p.m. Jim Malloy, Swing 46, 9:30 p.m. (See address below) August 23: George Gee Orchestra at Swing 46, (46 Street between 8th and 9th Avenues) every Tuesday and some Fridays at 9:30-free dance lesson beforehand. August 24: Kenney Gates, pianist. Philadelphia, some Saturdays at the High Note Cafe on Tasker & 13th, 5-9 p.m. August 25: Kenney Gates, pianist. Philadelphia, every Tuesday, Sunday and some Saturdays at the High Note Cafe on Tasker & 13th, 5-9 p.m. Lafayette Harris, Smalls, NYC, 7:30 p.m. August 26: John Mosca & Michael Weiss with the Vanguard Orchestra at Village Vanguard August 27: Kenney Gates, pianist. Philadelphia, every Tuesday, Sunday and some Saturdays at the High Note Cafe on Tasker & 13th, 5-9 p.m August 27 Rick Stone Bettalona, NYC 8-11 August 29: Jim Malloy, Swing 46, 9:30 p.m. (address below) August 30: George Gee Orchestra at Swing 46, (346 St. 8th & 9th Ave)(212) 262-9554 check-some Fridays at 9:30-free dance lesson beforehand. August 31: Michael Weiss Quintet Detroit Jazz Festival Kenney Gates, pianist. Philadelphia, some Saturdays at the High Note Cafe on Tasker & 13th, 5-9 p.m. 8
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ENGLAND: John Watson Trio at the Palm Court, the Langham
Hotel, London, 1c Portland, Regent Street 207-636-1000 every weekend
ROME: Luciano Fabris, pianist Saturday August 17 at Tien Kin,
Rome, Via Cassia 927 at 10:00 pm. Agostino de Giorgio Quartet, g, Nicola Borrelli b, Lucio Turco, d. Luciano Fabris, pianist August 31, Tien Kin, Rome, Via Cassia 927 at 10:)) with Tom Kirkpatrick Quartet, t, Nicoletta Manzini Alto, and Nicola Borrelli, b.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY some August Babies
JON ROCHE, bass OKARU LOVELACE, vocalist DANNY MIXON, pianist The Jazz Culture Newsletter Private Jazz Tours in NYC are available; also music teachers in various countries for students & jazz lovers. Further Info email: info@thejazzculture.com. Also, ads are available in the pages of The Jazz Culture Newsletter. The Jazz Culture Newsletter has been read in the following 47 countries in the past year: USA, UK, Canada, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Chile, Colombia, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Holland, Hong Kong, Germany, India, Lionelle Hamanaka, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Publisher Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Serbia, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Vietnam
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