The Jazz Culture Feature
JOE WILDER HONORED
at TRIBUTE-- 92nd BIRTHDAY PARTY Receives Standing Ovation
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Joe Wilder talks to Victor Goines, Rufus Reid (below) and other friends, including Mrs. Moira Heath, below right
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In These Pages Joe Wilder Tribute 1‐3 Roma Jazz Workshop 4 February listings 5‐6 Joe Wilder Tribute 7‐12 Mr. Conyers Act 12
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BARRY HARRIS JAZZ WORKSHOP FIVE DAYS MASTERCLASS FOR ALL MUSICIANS AND SINGERS From Monday 17 to Friday 21 March 2014
Felt music club & school – via degli Ausoni 84 – Rome, Italy
Barry Harris is one of the world’s most respected jazz piano players and teachers, considered by many to be the foremost interpreter of the music of Bud Powell, Tadd Dameron and Thelonious Monk. For more than half a century, Harris has played with the giants of jazz including Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Cannonball Adderley and Coleman Hawkins, travelling the world over as an ambassador of jazz (www.barryharris.com) Schedule:
Piano and Guitars 11:00 – 13:00 Singers 14:30 – 16:30 Horns & General workshop 16:30 – 18:30 On Friday 21 classes last one hour and an half 160 €qQCostCc‐Cc15015015011 for the week/40€ for
Fees: daily seminar Accomodation: b & b or private apts, from 15 € per night BARRY HARRIS TRIO FELT CLUB – CONCERT FRIDAY 21 MARCH 9:30 PM Luca Pisani,b;Oreste Soldano, d Admission: 15 € MONDAY TO THURSDAY JAM SESSION EVERY NIGHT
Info: ass. cult. roma jazz workshop anna pantuso +39-339 3383139 annapantuso@hotmail.com luciano fabris +39-328 6748724 lucianofabris@hotmail.com
Special Notice: Send comments on how to expand the jazz economy to: daniel.hervig@mail.house.gov Congressman John Conyers' About National Act of 2014 for the Preservation, Education and Promulgation of Jazz
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Lionelle Hamanaka's single, "Lost Puppy Blues" is available on CD BABY for kids, with Richard Wyands, Ron McClure and Leroy Williams. see: lostpuppyblues.com
The Jazz Culture Newsletter Wishes the Jazz World Community a Happy, Healthy Prosperous 2014! Jazz Tours in NYC are available; also music teachers in various countries for students & jazz lovers. email: info@thejazzculture.com. Ads are available in The Jazz Culture Newsletter. The Jazz Culture Newsletter has been read in 67 countries. Brian McMillen is a contributing Photographer. Connie MacNamee and Arnold J. Smith are contributing writers." Countries: US, UK, Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bangladesh, Belize, Brazil, Burma, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam
February Listings
Clarence Banks‐ Swing 46 most Thursdays with Felix and the Cats, 346 W. 46 St. Ray Blue‐ Feb 11 Black History Month Award for Contributions to Education and Performance, Peekskill City Hall Kim Clark‐ Women in Jazz Festival starts March 1 in Peekskill at Beanrunner Cafe Richard Clements‐ Pianist, 11th Street Bar most Mondays, 8 Kenney Gates, pianist. Philadelphia, Tues., Sun. some Sats.‐ High Note Cafe on Tasker & 13th, 5‐9 p.m. Bertha Hope ‐ Minton's on 206 W. 118 Street George Gee Orchestra at Swing 46, every Tues, most Fridays 9:30 Lafayette Harris: February 15, 8:30pmb Sankofa Aban Bed and Breakfast Inn. The Brownstone Jazz (917) 704‐9237 call for reservations, 107 Macon Street, Brooklyn
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Feb 6‐8 Downstairs Cabaret Theatre 20 Windsor Street, Rochester, www.DownstairsCabaret.com Feb 14 Historic Hotel Utica 102 Lafayette St. Utica 7‐10pm Feb 21 Harvard Club 35 W 44th St 6‐10pm February 27‐ Mar 2 Jazz Standard 116 E.27th www.jazzstandard.com Loston Harris: Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle; Tues ‐ Thur 9:30pm ‐ 12:30am, Fri‐Sat 9:30pm‐1:00am Bemelmans Bar Residency 12th year at The Carlyle, 35 East 76th St., New York, NY 10021 (76th St. & Madison Ave.) 212‐744‐1600 Mike Longo: February 4 Mike Longo Trio Tuesday‐ Gillespie Auditorium in the NYC Baha'i Center at 53 East 11th Street 8:00 and 9:30. "A Salute to Jazz Pianists". Joe Magnarelli: February 6‐9 Jazz at Lincoln Center, Dizzy's with Terry Gibbs Superband February 9‐Small's Late Night John Mosca & Michael Weiss, Vanguard Orchestra every Monday at the Village Vanguard 8 p.m. David Pearl‐ Monday at the Thalia, 95 St. bet. B'way & West End 8 p.m. Bill Saxton; Every Friday and Saturday Bill’s Place 133 Street Rick Stone‐ Feb 20, Garage 18Cafe Lore Brookln, Hamilton's 28th brooklyn Valery Ponomarev‐ February 5 Zinc Bar 82 West 3rd Street Murray Wall, bassist, 11th Street Bar most Mondays, 8 p.m. Leroy Williams, drums: Minton's Sun & Tues 2‐6 W. 118 St. ENGLAND: John Watson Trio at the Palm Court, Langham Hotel, London, 1c Portland, Regent St. 207‐636‐1000 Fri‐Sat ITALY: Dado Moroni: "5 for John" tour February 1: il Torrione, Ferraro February 2: Blue Note, Milano February 3: La Claque, Genova February 4: Il Cavato Spirito Jazz, Calcinaia di Pisa February 5: Jazz Club Torino, Torino February 6: La Mosca Bianca,
Happy Birthday!! Kenney Gates, pianist, composer, educator; Gene Perla, bassist, educator Brian McMillen, jazz photographer; Richard Benetar, saxophone & Clarinetist
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TRIBUTE TO JOE WILDER by L. Hamanaka
Joseph Wilder was born February 22, 1922, in Colwyn, PA Father Curtis a bassist and bandleader; brother Curtis a bassist. He was awarded the Jazz Master Hall of Fame from Temple University, and NEA Jazz Master Award in 2008. Mr. Wilder was a devoted son (he trekked to Philly to see his dad who lived to be 100), and remains a beloved family man. A memorable evening took place February 19 at Dizzy’s as Joe Wilder, dignified and warm, walked through a crowd of his admirers, followed by his daughter. He was greeted on one side with a “Hello, maestro,” from pianist Michael Weiss, while Rufus Reid and Bucky Pizzarelli broke through a ring of people hailing from a career that spanned over 7 decades. Wynton Marsalis was MC for the first part of the evening and introduced Mr. Wilder, saying “No matter how much you thank him, it will not measure up to what we owe him.” The crowd then rose in a standing ovation for Joe Wilder on February 19 at Dizzy’s..Mr. Marsalis shared his experience working in a band some years ago with Mr. Wilder, during which time Mr. Wilder taught him many things about trumpet playing and other things. Mr. Marsalis also noted in his introduction that Joe Wilder was “profoundly intelligent,” which brilliance came in handy throughout Mr. Wilder’s career during which he broke a succession of glass ceilings. People were celebrating Mr. Wilder’s storied career, in which he was a founder of the Symphony of the New World, an A list studio musician on the recording scene for ABC, a Broadway pit musician, soloist with the New York Philharmonic, as well as producing a number of beautiful solos and recordings in the jazz The Jazz Culture, V.III:8
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world. Bucky Pizzarelli, guitarist, led the band with Rufus Reid, bassist, and Russ Kasoff on piano played “Tangerine” at about 155=quarter note with a lilting freshness. Mr. Kasoff played some 16th note triplets, inverted the melody and played close to the motif. Mr. Pizzarelli strummed a lyric counter melody, adding swing and vibrancy, playing the melody with a sense of frolic and authority, ending the song with a 3625 progression. Then Aldon Wise, a Philadelphia trumpeter, played a short classical piece with a nice mordent at the end. Next they played “Snow Falls,” at about 106=quarter note, a famous piece that Claude Thornehill used as his theme song. Ed Laub did a guitar duet with Mr. Pizzarelli, undulating in melodic waves with a gorgeous lower register. The duet was evocative of peace and the inner world of music and they played with a luminous resonance, which, coincidentally, is a quality that Mr. Wilder also is a master of, although he was not in the Claude Thornehill Orchestra with Mr. Pizzarelli. They ended the duet with a resonant strum. After that Jimmy Owens played “Body and Soul” on trumpet, at about 96=quarter note, with a beautiful, soulful golden tone ending the last chorus with a slight flaring, and blaring on certain tones, with a trill leading to a low Db. Bill Charlap took over on piano, turned to Mr. Wilder and announced, “He is one of the greatest human beings on the planet.” Then Mr. Charlap played Cole Porter’s “It’s Wonderful, Marvelous” at about 132=quarter note, with brilliant ease, and swing, while Mr. Pizzarelli strummed a vibrant accompaniment. His accompaniment always brings out the best in the other players, with a light and delicate sense of swing. Mr. Rufus Reid then took a tasty bass solo, in his signature full tone centered in 8
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his middle register. Mr. Pizzarelli strummed a solo lightly insinuating styling the melody in delicate and springy accents and masterful rhythmic phrases. Wynton Marsalis made a few remarks about Mr. Wilder’s famous solo recorded in the 50’s on “Cherokee” and said he would play it, and invited Kenny Washington up on drums. Mr. Marsalis walked to Mr. Wilder’s table and serenaded him, playing the song at about 175=quarter note, playing triplet groups, tumbling down from top notes, mezzo forte, with some pretty ideas on the bridge that flared, and playing scalar thoughts on the A section. Mr. Pizzarelli played a chordal solo that swung so hard he made the salt and pepper shakers jump up and down in spontaneous rhythmic combustion, and Mr. Washington actually played brilliant, gleaming tone clusters on the drums, sounding like a classic himself. Mr. Charlap played a few melodic ideas and some whole note chords whose voicings emanated modernity. The group traded 8’s with the drummer; with a fuller tone Wynton Marsalis inserted a few patterns and isolated high notes an octave up. Loren Schoenberg, tenor player, spoke about having Mr. Wilder’s photo in his parents house, and played “East of the Sun,” with the rhythm section at about 116=quarter note, a melodic tenor perambulation, well phrased with his tone centered in the middle register, a couple of scalar motifs and a cadenza at the end. Russell Malone then played “Just in Time,” at about 125=quarter note, in a wide tone, but not his characteristic sound, and perhaps he was playing a borrowed a guitar from someone else; he played with an unknown bass player. Mr. Charlap played surprising offbeat syncopated notes in his left hand, like Tommy Flanagan used to do, with some glisses. Mr. Jimmy Heath played a breathtaking version of “There’ll Never Be Another You,” magnificently. At some point the masters The Jazz Culture, V.III:8
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play with no mistakes, everything perfectly, and in their own style, sound, and maximizing the melodic and rhythmic potential of the moment; this is what Mr. Heath did. Mr. Heath filled the space around key notes and accented soulfully, sometimes bleating and doubling the time with 16th note runs, sometimes accenting places where key changes in the melody take place, and ending on a mordent. Mr. Pizzarelli soloed melodically around the theme with some blue notes and feeling, and then did chordal phrases with such secure time over the steady strong bass line and beautiful bass sound of Rufus Reid, who followed with a heartfelt and succinct bass solo, ending in a melodic cluster and throwing in a quote from the “King and I’s Dance of the Siamese.” Trumpeter Warren Vachet played Cole Porter’s “I Love You,” displaying his musicality, control and clear understanding of dynamics, at a breezy swing tempo of about 133=quarter note, with some spring in his step. Guitarist James Cherillo played an unknown tune in C, featuring himself with a good swing feel, playing patterns on the major scale in a happy sound. Russ Kasoff took over the piano chair again, and they traded rhythmic ideas and modulated up, with a Basie ending. Mr. Kasoff then did a rubato version of Gershwin’s “Lady Be Good,” with some floral pianistic obbligato, and then did the next chorus at about 145=quarter note, taking it into a swing mode. Mr. Wilder was presented with a beautiful birthday cake, urged by his family to “blow out the candles” and by a friend to “make a wish,” beamed with happiness, although they took the cake away immediately after he blew out the candles. The set ended and the crowd seemed to engulf Mr. Wilder. Kenny Washington expressed the feelings of those present by saying ..the… "event was fantastic. I'm so glad we all could celebrate this great man..." 10
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A professional who got an early start, as a youngster, Mr. Wilder performed on the radio show, “Parisian Tailor’s Colored Kiddies of the Air” backed by stars such as the Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong bands that appeared at the Lincoln Theater. Louis Armstrong gave him a pass to the theatre and said, “You come to see Louis every day.” By 19 he was touring with Les Hite’s band. Mr. Wilder attended the Mastbaum school of music but chose to pursue jazz over classical because of the lack of opportunities for musicians of color at that time. A member of the greatest generation, Mr. Wilder was a Marine during World War II, when troops were still segregated. He became Assistant bandleader in the headquarters band. In the 50’s he jammed at Minton’s and The Flame with Big Nick Nicholas’s band. In 1956 he was recorded on Savoy’s record, “Wilder and Wilder.” In the 40’s and 50’s he was in the bands of Lionel Hampton, Jimmy Lunceford, Herbie Fields, Sam Donohue, Dizzy Gillespie, Noble Sissel and Lucky Millinder. In 1953 he worked with the Count Basie Orchestra, and settled to build a family in New York; he has three daughters and is also a grandfather. He played in “Guys and Dolls” and “Silk Stockings.” Mr. Wilder became a first call studio musician at ABC for two decades in New York. It was in the 50’s that Mr. Wilder recorded “Cherokee,” a virtuoso solo of 3 octaves that showed him to be one of the most melodic improvisors in jazz, partially a result of his encyclopedic knowledge of classical and jazz. Because he could play so ‘tasty,’ he was the favorite of vocalists like Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Carmen McCrae, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Harry Belafonte, and Johnny Hartman. During his busy career, he also played as sideman to Hank Jones, Gil Evans, Tad Dameron, Michel Legrand, Benny Goodman and recorded with many legendary jazz artists, such as The Heath Brothers, JJ Johnson, Dizzy Gillespie, Yusef Lateef. Mr. Wilder possesses a unique, beautiful baritone sound on trumpet, bringing to mind Fats Navarro and Kenny Dorham, but The Jazz Culture, V.III:8
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with his own personal, luminous luster, recognizable at one note. While he does not play tons of notes, he plays exquisite, melodic ones to express his story. He returned to Manhattan School of Music to get his BA, studying with Joe Alessi, and playing first trumpet in the symphony orchestra under Jonel Perlea. He performed with the New York Philharmonic under Kostelanitz , Pierre Boulez, and was a founder of Symphony of the New World, for which he played lead trumpet from 1965-71. He eventually recorded his favorite classical pieces. Mr. Wilder recorded as a leader for Savoy, Columbia and Evening Star. See: Joe Wilder on Google.com
Joe Wilder with daughter, Bucky Pizzarelli below left, admirer on right
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A memorable evening for a memorable musician-Joe Wilder
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CONYERS ACT- SUGGESTIONS WANTED “I have been a Jazz fan for about as long as I can remember, and I believe that the rich tapestry of Jazz music is an American treasure that should be preserved, understood, and promulgated. My goal for this legislation is to recognize and encourage the role Jazz has played throughout its history. I am encouraged to hear the support of Jazz enthusiasts and musicians who want to give back to an art form that has given so much to us.” Congressman John Conyers
Conyers Act2014 Act for the Preservation, Education and Promulgation of Jazz
An Act of Congress can be either a Public Law, relating to the general public, or a Congressman Conyers with Pres. Nelson Mandela Private Law, relating to specific institutions or individuals. In this way, if a certain state does not support jazz, it does not have to enact any local legislation to support it through its local institutions On the other hand, if a certain state or location has a great interest in jazz, such as New Orleans, where it is such an important part of the local ambience and tradition. (Conyers' letter) “Lastly, in recognition of the need to address professional development for the jazz community to more fully realize jazz’s potential contributions to the larger economy, I am hoping to include a section in this bill on Promulgation. While its text is still under development, it will focus on the provision of technical and grant assistance to jazz artists and organizations to promote entrepreneurship and the expansion of our cultural economy.” NOTE: Congressman Conyers is looking for suggestions on the subject of the cultural economy of jazz—how it can be expanded. Please send all comments to: Daniel.hervig@mail.house.gov before February 28th. 14
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