February 2010 Buzzz

…a sampling of Jazz news deserving of a post rather than a roll, a blogroll

His Excellency Courtney Pine presses forward with his Transition in Tradition (Destin-e World CD) tour as a tribute to his forbear, the first ever saxophone great, Sidney Bechet. Never one for mimicry, Pine has imbued the Jazz set for the tour with his own pan-African heritage via a five-piece band of Jazz Warriors whose musical roots dig deep into African, Caribbean and South American soil. Such influences are not buried in sonic subtleties, mind you. Pine overtly flavours “The Tale of Joe Harriot” with a Caribbean groove.

Mark Lingard, writing for The Country Times of Wales, puts it this way, “It’s that groove that gives this album another of (its) unique elements, as forays into New Orleans (Second) Line beats merge into an old school swing beat, a medium tempo swing smoothly flows into a reggae one drop beat…”

Lately, the Transition in Tradition tour was brought to Wales on February 11, 2010, Hertfordshire on February 19 and Swansea, England on February 20 and 25 at Gloucester Guildhall. Support for Pinecame from Cuban violinist Omar Puente who performed music from his debut solo release From There to Here.

> Say what you want, but the Jazz is always happening in Cuba. One of the spots that’s jumpin’ in the old city, Havana, is the Jazz Café. If it is not pianist, composer and arranger Lazaro Valdes y son Jazz, it is Oscar Valdes y Diákara; if it is not Oscar Valdes, it is Caesar Lopez y Habana Ensemble; and if it is not Caesar Lopez, it is Roberto Fonseca y Temperamento.

Fonseca is a past pianist and composer with the Buena Vista Social Club. The Temperamento quartet is into a fusion of Jazz, Afro-Cuban music based on Yoruba and other indigenous Cuban song forms.

Lopez is a soprano and tenor saxophonist who played with Irakere for years before branching off and forming the Habana Ensemble. His compositions, arrangements and piano skills have been put to good use in mixing Cuban musical genres with Contemporary Jazz.

Oscar Valdes was one of the distinguished founding members of Irakere with the likes of Chucho Valdés, Paquito D’Rivera and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. As a percussionist with the band, Oscar is credited as being the one who brought the batá drums to Jazz. Like the rest of the Jazz Café cast, the Diakara project is into the business of playing around with Jazz concoctions, spiced up with Afro-Cuban and other Caribbean rhythms.

A one-time pianist, composer and arranger with the Beny Moré band, Lazaro Valdes y Son Jazz is given to its unique interpretations of Cuban Jazz wherein the Cuban in the Jazz is the son, danza,contradanza, danzón and guajira. And in the rich tradition of the Jazz masters, Valdes is never shy to re-work the songs of other important Cuban and foreign composers. (Source: Havana Times)

The following was the lineup for the Casa de la Musica Centro Habana, Casa de la Musica Miramar, Piano Bar Tun Tun, Cafe Cantante Mi Habana y Delirio Habanero for Feb. 25-28, courtesy of Havana Times.org.

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East Point Productions Inc., a Kellie Cadogan company, presented “An Evening of Love” An HIV & AIDS Musical Drama Production, on February 12, 2010 in St. Michael, Barbados. Cadogan, voted Barbados’ Jazz Artist of the Year at the 2010 Barbados Music Awards (BMAs) in January, played the lead role with actors Dainika Bynoe, Matthew Murrell, Carlos Barrow and Angelo Lascelles.

The evening also featured guest appearances by Poets Adrian Green and DJ Simmons and Gospel Artist Paula Hinds.

Musicians for the Evening of Love were Kirk Layne ( bass); Ezra Hinds (keys); Melvin Alec (drums); Nikita Browne and Cathy Allman ( back ground vocals).

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Iguane Xtet had two new shows this second week of February, one on Friday 12, the other on Saturday 13 at Hemingway, Domaine de la Pointe Batterie, Deshaies, Guadeloupe, DOM. (Source: artistdata)

> The Jazz Singer Vaughnette Bigford presided over an evening of pre-Valentine ballads, February 13th, 8 pm at SATCHMO’S Restaurant and Jazz Lounge, Ariapita Avenue, Port of Spain. Bigford was accompanied by her constant collaborator, guitarist Theron Shaw.

> The last Blue Culture date was on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 from 06:30 pm. The place to be then was Joseph’s Restaurant, Rookery Nook, Maraval, Trinidad and Tobago. The occasion was Love & Jazz 4, a Valentine’s celebration put on by Your Smooth Music Choice 100.5FM WMJX for the Smooth Choice family and 15 Fans of their station. (Source: Love & Jazz 4)