Jeff Charney


News & Notes From the C-Jazz Ticker
The same sour U.S.-Cuban relations that ignited the firestorm of controversy over Elian Gonzalez also forced a group of young Cuban musicians to cancel concerts at two recent, and major, Canadian jazz festivals. Los Primos, a group of 13 musicians, ages 16 to 20, missed their flight and were unable to appear for scheduled gigs at the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival, apparently because money wired for their plane tickets to Canada was held up in New York. "The money was routed by the bank through New York City, and the American government seized it," said Jeff Goodspeed, a Canadian music teacher and saxophone player who organized the tour. The Nova Scotia bank that wired the funds quickly sent more money, but the delay caused every member but one in the group (which plays Afro-Cuban and salsa music) to miss the flight to Toronto. By the time Los Primos could arrange another flight, it was too late to attend their scheduled concerts. Goodspeed said the strange twist, a result of U.S. congress/Helms-Burton legislation that seeks to punish countries that do business with the communist country, did not completely prevent the musicians from playing in Canada. The Cuban players arrived on another flight in Montreal and were able to play a couple of sets at a local Cuban music club. Festival organizers were said to be "disappointed" that U.S.-Cuban politics had crept into the arts.

"Jazz at Lincoln Center" in New York is planning to build a $103 million facility in midtown Manhattan specifically for jazz. (See "Scrapple From the Apple") When work is finished in 2003, there will be a 1300 seat auditorium, a 600 seat venue with a dance floor, a 140 seat jazz club, an Education Center, and a Jazz Hall of Fame. Wynton Marsalis is Jazz at Lincoln Center's artistic director.

Jazzland is a newly opened theme park in New Orleans where jazz and roller coasters meet. Along with the usual water rides and food courts, Jazzland has a "Jazz Plaza" which promises "an old New Orleans feel," a club called Festival Hall that features a show titled "Jazz, Jazz, Jazz," a Mardi Gras section where "it's Fat Tuesday seven nights a week," and an area known as "Cajun Country." To learn more, visit the Jazzland web site at: www.jazzlandthemepark.com.

In early July Windham Hill Jazz merged with RCA and now very few on the original Windham Hill roster remain, although Spyro Gyra, the Braxton Brothers, Jim Brickman and George Winston did make the cut. The Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman were set to have Live Across America released on Windham Hill Jazz in May, with a single already serviced to radio. But, that project was pulled, the Rippingtons left the label, and they now have signed with Concord Jazz for distribution of their own Peak Records. A CD titled Life In the Tropics will hit the streets September 26, and the live CD is now scheduled to come out in May of 2001. In the meantime, Freeman has been keeping busy moving to Florida from Colorado and producing the new Dotsero CD, West Of Westchester also due in stores September 26.

Pieces of a Dream has left Blue Note Records and has signed with Heads Up Records. Heads Up recently merged with Telarc.

And speaking of mergers... When the Time-Warner/AOL merger goes through, look for Warner Brothers records and Capitol-EMI (which includes Manhattan and Blue Note Records) to also merge.

And speaking of Warner Brothers... Last summer the record company took their entire roster (except for Pat Metheny, Joshua Redman and Norman Brown, who couldn't make the trip) to Montreaux to record a new "Casino Lights" CD due out in October.

Warren Hill has signed a multi-album deal with Narada Jazz. Hill, who was honored as New Adult Contemporary Songwriter of the Year by the performing rights organization SESAC, will release his first Narada Jazz CD, Chapel Studio Sessions on August 15.

Donald Fagen and Walter Becker of Steely Dan fame have been awarded the ASCAP Founders Award for lifetime achievement.

Bill Cosby, a lifelong jazz fan who has used numerous and noted jazz artists in his many TV series, has signed to play a jazz musician in an upcoming TNT movie, "Work In Progress," which he is also co-writing and producing. Cosby will play a musician who travels to Italy to find a daughter he didn't know he had.

Spyro Gyra released its first album in 1976 on Amherst Records. Then Amherst owner Lenny Silver recorded the band's second album, Morning Dance, licensed it to Infinity, but it was released on MCA. In the deal with Infinity, Amherst held the ownership rights through 1986. Amherst has now re-released the first 11 Spyro Gyra albums, all on CD. Those reissued include Spyro Gyra, Morning Dance, Catching the Sun, Carnival, Freetime, Incognito, Access All Areas, City Kids, Alternating Currents, Breakout and Stories Without Words. Spyro Gyra inked a new deal with MCA in 1988, and the group released two more MCA CDs that were transferred to GRP when the two companies merged. The band stayed with GRP until 1999 when they signed with Windham Hill. Meanwhile, GRP is releasing a greatest hits CD September 26 called Spyro Gyra's Finest Hour.

It's about time. At last, there is going to be a separate Grammy category for Smooth Jazz artists. The new category will be called Best Pop Instrumental Album.

Columbia/Legacy Recordings and the Verve Music Group are planning an ambitious cooperative marketing campaign to promote "Jazz," the 10-part, 19-hour history of the music by director Ken Burns. It's scheduled to air on PBS in January 2001.

Kenny G, Diana Krall, Keith Jarrett, Joe Sample and Lalah Hathaway were big winners at the Billboard/BET On Jazz Awards, presented at the BET On Jazz Studios in Washington, D.C. The honors were based on sales from May 8, 1999, to April 29, 2000, as tabulated by SoundScan.

Radio and Records has a new message board with a Smooth Jazz/NAC discussion. Stop by and visit the board moderated by R&R NAC Editor, Carol Archer at http://www.rronline.com.

George Benson

Joe McBride has a major supporting role in the upcoming film "The Riff," starring Nia Peeples. The movie is about a former guitarist-turned-manager who, according to the promo, is "torn between his dream of finding the next great jazz talent and the struggle of dealing with a friend's heroin addiction." McBride plays one of the manager's more successful clients, a blind pianist/singer "who brings to the story moments of great wisdom and comic relief."

And, you've probably heard about George Benson's new CD, Absolute Benson. Now you can see George on the tube. His first-ever television special is currently in the works. It was recorded for BBC Television and, when it leaves Europe, will be seen here in the States on PBS.

R.I.P.
Singer, saxophonist and bandleader Tex Beneke died on May 30 at the age of 86. Originally a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra ("Chattanooga Choo Choo" and "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" were vocal features), Beneke led the Miller band after Miller's death in 1944. He went on to form his own group and continued to feature the music of Miller.

Jazz guitarist Joe Puma passed away on May 31 in New York. Over the span of a career that began in 1948, Puma worked with such jazz legends as Louie Bellson, Artie Shaw, Herbie Mann, Bobby Hackett, Peggy Lee and Tony Bennett. Puma was 72.

Latin jazz legend Tito Puente died in New York on June 1. He was 77. For over 50 years Puente's popularity as a bandleader never waned as he recorded over 100 albums and won five Grammys. His collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie and Lionel Hampton were of particular note, and in 1997 he received the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton.

Bassist Burgher "Buddy" Jones died at his Carmel Valley, CA home on June 9 of pancreatic cancer. He was 76. In 1940, Jones studied at the (then) University of Kansas City where he met and became friends with Charlie Parker. During the 1950s and '60s Jones was a CBS staff musician in New York, performed with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, and later was a consultant for the movie "Bird."

And saxophonist/flautist Jerome Richardson died on June 23 of heart failure. He was 79. A professional musician since the age of 14, Richardson worked with Jimmie Lunceford, Lionel Hampton, Earl Hines and Quincy Jones. He also earned a stellar reputation as an accompanist behind such singing greats as Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, Billy Eckstine, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Richardson was a founding member of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra.

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Email Jeff Charney at jeffrey@tfs.net. Jeff is a contributor to contemporaryjazz.com and host of the Sunday Jazz Brunch, which can be heard every Sunday on KPRS Hot 103 Jamz (103.3 FM) from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.


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