Monday, May 21, 2012

More Corridor Jazz Project Concert Videocasts


We had a great time a few weeks ago with the high school jazz bands in the Corridor at The Corridor Jazz Project concert, at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts.
  
If you weren't there, or if you or your student performed, I'll bet you'd like to see the concert.
  
The Kirkwood Channel will be broadcasting Coral Vision's video recording of the show on these dates and times:

May 27            10:00pm
June 2             10:00pm
June 3              8:00pm
June 9             10:00pm

The Kirkwood Channel is Ch. 10 in most communities. Consult your local cable guide elsewhere.

Coralvision Cable Ch. 4 in Coralville, which produced the broadcast, is also airing it, on these dates and times: 

May 24         7:30pm
May 27         7:30pm
June 7          7:30pm



Thanks again to Eric Dickerson and the Coralvision crew for a great job of producing the concert! 



Original Broom; Andrew's Swift Kick - Bob Stewart

After 30 years of critically acclaimed recordings featuring compositions of the jazz and pop world's greatest writers, Chicago-based guitarist Bobby Broom releases "Upper West Side Story", his first recording of entirely original compositions. Providing a most intimate look at Broom's musical personality and his trio's fully developed group chemistry, the tunes reflect a wide range of influences across a spectrum of genres while always remaining deep the tradition of the modern jazz guitarist.

Featuring an all-star cast of musicians, Australian drummer Andrew Swift's debut recording packs a "Swift Kick." From the inimitable trombone and vocals of Wycliffe Gordon, to the tough, gritty solos of modern day tenor titan Eric Alexander, the disc is a straight-ahead record with wide mainstream appeal. Veteran pianist George Cables brings his signature brand of hard swinging piano, while rock-solid bassist Dwayne Burno teams up with Swift to lay a solid foundation for a bevy of exciting instrumentalists that includes trumpet master and Iowa native Ryan Kisor, rising saxophone star and Iowa native Sharel Cassity, skilled guitarist Yotam, and virtuoso trombonist Michael Dease.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Pizzarelli's Generations; Sandoval Honors Diz - Bob Stewart



For nearly 30 years, guitarist John Pizzarelli has explored various corners of the jazz landscape and merged a variety of styles into a single, distinctive signature sound. On any given recording, one is likely to encounter an entertaining convergence of jazz, swing, American songbook, pop, bossa nova and more. Pizzarelli's latest recording -- "Double Exposure" -- focuses on a collection of tunes by some of the great pop songwriters of his own generation that are framed squarely within traditional jazz arrangements. He draws from a diverse pool of some of the best songwriters of the past five decades, including Neil Young, Lennon & McCartney, Leiber & Stoller, Tom Waits and Joni Mitchell.

"Dear Diz" is trumpeter Arturo Sandoval's tribute to Dizzy Gillespie, the mentor and friend who literally rescued him and his family from an oppressive existence in Cuba and gave them a chance at an entirely new and better life. The disc is a collection of classics from Gillespie's massive body of work, each framed in big-band arrangements that throw the spotlight squarely on the elements of bebop that underscore so much of the iconic trumpeter's work. Backing Sandoval on the project is a crew of top-shelf artists including Gary Burton, Bob Mintzer, Joey DeFrancesco and Eddie Daniels. Credit for the smoking arrangements goes to some of L.A.'s best, including Gordon Goodwin, Chris Walden, Dan Higgins and Shelly Berg.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Ponty Tribute; Amina's Twelfth - Bob Stewart

Internationally renowned violinist Mads Tolling grew up in Copenhagen, Denmark, and moved to the U.S. at age 20 to pursue jazz studies at Berklee College in Boston. While still in school, Jean-Luc Ponty recommended Mads to join Stanley Clarke's band. Since then, Mads has performed more that 100 concerts with Clarke worldwide. He's also been part of the Turtle Island String Quartet that won two Grammy Awards during his tenure. Mads has also performed with Joe Lovano, Kenny Barron and Paquito D'Rivera. Since 2007 he's led his own quartet, which now delivers its third disc, a neo-fusion tribute to his hero, "Celebrating Jean-Luc Ponty: Live at Yoshi's."

Azerbaijan-born pianist and composer Amina Figarova's twelfth release as a leader, entitled "Twelve", celebrates jazz as an international music and New York City as a locale where jazz gypsies may feel most at home. Having collaborated with musicians from the U.S. and Europe over the last 18 years, her sextet has triumphed on the main stage of the Newport Jazz Festival and won critical and audience acclaim in Chicago, Detroit, Paris, Amsterdam and New York. A suite of compositions written last year after moving with her husband, flutist Bart Platteau, to Queens in New York from their long-time home in Holland, the disc depicts the subtleties of her response to the great American metropolis.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

"Cleaning Up" at the IBNA

George Dorman, with KCCK's Lisa Baum.
Congratulations to KCCK News Director George Dorman, whose daily environmental feature, "Clean Up Your Act, took first place in the Iowa Broadcast News Association's 2012 News Awards Contest!

"Clean Up Your Act" won the In-Depth/Series category for expanded reports or series that provide background and understanding of a specific news event or issue. George was "green" before it was cool, this show has been on KCCK since 1991!

"Clean Up Your Act" highlights the need for energy conservation and other environmental issues. It airs weekdays at 6:35 a.m. and 3:35 p.m. Saturday at 9:20 a.m. and Sunday at 8:20 a.m.

Listen to the podcast of the show at this link.