BoMuse News, vol. 18, no. 3

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BoMuse News is a monthly newsletter from BoMuse Music. It presents items of interest related to jazz, and advocacy for music education, as well as news of releases from BoMuse Music and the performing activities of Paul Combs. Questions and comments should be sent by visiting “Contact” at Paul Combs’ Web-site.

Follow @BoMuseMusic on Twitter, and Facebook, and now at All About Jazz

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1. Grammy Awards for Jazz
2. House Concerts
3. Unknown Dameron CD
4. Jazz in Temecula
5. Gigs

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1 Ah, it’s that time of the year again: the Grammys are awarded. I joined the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences so I could show support for our corner of the commercial music world. I have to admit that this year I did not vote. NARAS changed their system for voting, and I found that just trying to deal with the online rig-a-ma-roll was complicated and frustrating, and I had too many other things to do. In addition, I take my vote seriously, so the process takes a few evenings of listening carefully. With few exceptions, everything that makes it to the final round is of very high quality, and the choices are rarely easy. I will have to deal with the new system next year, and others told me of similar frustration with the new system, so we will hope for some improvements. That being said, here is the list of those who were nominated with the winners at the top of each category. Jazz is very much alive, and there is a lot of great music being made and recorded. Try to support as much of it as you can.

Best Improvised Jazz Solo:

• DON’T FENCE ME IN – WINNER, John Daversa, soloist, Track from: American Dreamers: Voices Of Hope, Music Of Freedom (John Daversa Big Band Featuring DACA Artists)
• SOME OF THAT SUNSHINE, Regina Carter, soloist, Track from: Some Of That Sunshine (Karrin Allyson)
• WE SEE,Fred Hersch, soloist (presumably from Live In Europe)
• DE-DAH, Brad Mehldau, soloist, Track from: Seymour Reads The Constitution! (Brad Mehldau Trio)
• CADENAS, Miguel Zenón, soloistTrack from: Yo Soy La Tradición (Miguel Zenón Featuring Spektral Quartet)

Best Jazz Vocal Album:

• THE WINDOW – WINNER, Cécile McLorin Salvant
• MY MOOD IS YOU, Freddy Cole
• THE QUESTIONS, Kurt Elling
• THE SUBJECT TONIGHT IS LOVE, Kate McGarry, Keith Ganz, Gary Versace
• IF YOU REALLY WANT, Raul Midón With The Metropole Orkest Conducted By Vince Mendoza

Best Jazz Instrumental Album:

• EMANON – WINNER, The Wayne Shorter Quartet
• DIAMOND CUT, Tia Fuller
• LIVE IN EUROPE, Fred Hersch Trio
• SEYMOUR READS THE CONSTITUTION!, Brad Mehldau Trio
• STILL DREAMING, Joshua Redman, Ron Miles, Scott Colley & Brian Blade

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album:

• AMERICAN DREAMERS: VOICES OF HOPE, MUSIC OF FREEDOM – WINNER, John Daversa Big Band Featuring DACA Artists
• ALL ABOUT THAT BASIE, The Count Basie Orchestra Directed By Scotty Barnhart
• PRESENCE, Orrin Evans And The Captain Black Big Band
• ALL CAN WORK, John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble
• BAREFOOT DANCES AND OTHER VISIONS, Jim McNeely & The Frankfurt Radio Big Band

Best Latin Jazz Album:

• BACK TO THE SUNSET – WINNER, Dafnis Prieto Big Band
• HEART OF BRAZIL, Eddie Daniels
• WEST SIDE STORY REIMAGINED, Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band
• CINQUE, Elio Villafranca
• YO SOY LA TRADICIÓN, Miguel Zenón Featuring Spektral Quartet

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2 I have mentioned the house concerts at Wolfe Gardens in the last two issues and that has led me to try to come up with a way to get the word out, without publicly posting the address. Recently I attended another house concert, this one featuring Joe Garrison’s Night People. I received another invitation from Joe just a few days ago, but I have not had time to discuss with him how I might properly share this with my readers. However, I can share this link to his Web-site where you can meet Joe and his music. I will be happy to share, discretely of course, any information about house concerts that you may be able to pass on to me.

That being said, Deborah Wolfe would like you to know about, “Another fantastic house concert at Wolfe Gardens, Friday March 15, with guest artists Lara Solnicki and Jeremy Siskind. Lara is a world-class jazz singer born in Toronto and now based in New York City; Jeremy is an acclaimed jazz pianist and composer. Together, they are magical! Check them out at http://www.larasolnicki.com/news.html and http://www.jeremysiskind.com/.Suggested donation $20 per person. Light hors d’oevres and drinks will be served.”

If you would like to go, let me know and I will pass your contact on to Deborah. The last concert with bassist Sean Hickey, leading a band featuring guitarist, Louis Valenzuela, vibraphonist Matt Di Biase, and drummer Julien Cantelm, was a delight.

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3 We should be able to meet the expected June release date of Unknown Dameron, which is now the official title. I have signed my contract with Summit Records, Eric Jackson of WGBH in Boston and I are preparing the notes, and we are almost ready to submit the mastered tracks. Summit sent me a draft of the cover art for my approval, and with the exception of a word here and there I am delighted with it. Summit’s art folks have done a beautiful job. As Darby Christensen, president of Summit Records likes to say “Onward!”

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4 I had heard about Jazz at the Merc in Temecula, CA not too long after I settled here, but it took a while for me to get up there for a concert. Its director, and a wonderful jazz singer in her own right, Sherry Williams, presents weekly shows on Thursdays, and at the end of January my friend Kamau Kenyatta was playing there with a quartet that included other friends, Justin Grinnell, Richard Sellers, and Curtis Taylor. I had to go. The Mercantile is a large building, or couple of buildings actually, that houses two theaters, one large and one small. Jazz at the Merc lives in the small theater, a charming and intimate performance space. Sherry also presents concerts on other days on occasion, and at the end of February a room full of us had the distinct pleasure of hearing the great drummer Ralph Peterson lead a sextet of former members of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers: Essiet Essiet (not in the picture above), Brian Lynch, Bill Pierce, Bobby Watson, and a younger pianist, whom Blakey surely would have hired, had he lived long enough, Zaccai Curtis. What a treat.

In addition to the Thursday evening shows, they will have their 8th annual Jazz Festival on Sunday, March 10.

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5 With all the preparations for the CD release, I haven’t had much time to go hunt for gigs, so I am grateful to my friend Dene Davidson for keeping me busy. I will be playing with him every Tuesday evening 6:00-9:00 at the Witch Creek Winery, and every Wednesday afternoon 2:30-4:30 at the Carlsbad Village Faire. I’ll be at the La Mesa Wine Works with pianist David Castel Del Oro on Sunday, March 24, 1:30-4:30. addresses are in the Events page here at my Web-site, just click on the tab above.

If you are in Boston check the listings at Jazz Boston, visit the Facebook page for Jazz at the Tap, the Seacoast Jazz Society Web site, and this just in from a dear friend in Brookline, the Post Underground. In San Diego visit the Calendar section at Jazz88.3, and again Jazz At the Merc. Also just a reminder that the weekly jazz performances at the Handlery Hotel have moved to Sundays, 4:30 to 6:30. Fortunately, you can still hear some jazz at the Handlery, 950 Hotel Circle, San Diego CA, on Fridays, 5:00- 8:00, since my friend Adam Wolff will be at the piano there regularly, often with a guest or two.

As always, thank you for supporting LIVE MUSIC!

BoMuse News, January 2019, vol. 18, no. 1

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BoMuse News is a monthly newsletter from BoMuse Music. It presents items of interest related to jazz, and advocacy for music education, as well as news of releases from BoMuse Music and the performing activities of Paul Combs. Questions and comments should be sent by visiting “Contact” at Paul Combs’ Web-site.

Follow @BoMuseMusic on Twitter, and Facebook, and now at All About Jazz.

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1. Lenore Raphael at Wolfe Gardens
2. La Mesa Wine Works
3. SDSCPA Jazz Band at JEN Conference
4. Theater Scholarships
5. 18 Years of BoMuse News
6. Gigs

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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1 I hope your will forgive me for repeating an item from last month, but I do want to make sure to get the word out about My friend, pianist Lenore Raphael who will be playing at Wolfe Gardens, the house concert hosted by Deborah Wolfe, in a duo with bassist Rob Thorsen on Friday January 4, at 7:00. Since the concert takes place a Deborah’s home, I won’t provide the address here, but you can contact me and I will pass your email on to Deborah, who can add you to the invitation list. Lenore is Steinway Artist who is well established on the East Coast. She Typically makes a West Coast tour in January. Last year schedules worked out so that she could play the Jazz Happy Hour at the Handlery Hotel, and she delighted the full house audience. This year her tour includes several venues in California, including *The Merc, in Temecula, and the Vibrato, in LA. Lenore will also be performing at the Tuscon Jazz Festival. This will be our chance to hear her here in San Diego. As last year, I will sit in for a number of two, as well.

*(If you use this link, click on Sherry’s picture, and then Jazz at The Merc.)

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2. Last spring I started playing at the La Mesa Wine Works on a semi-regular basis. La Mesa Wine Works is a comfortable and cheerful space with good acoustics, and the management has made it a home for musicians in a variety of idioms, including jazz. Last Weekend the jazz, which is most often presented on Sunday afternoons, was featured on Friday and Saturday evenings, with Larry Friedman’s Schrodingers’ Jazz Cats on Friday, And the Gypsy Swing Cats, featuring Steve Nichols and Guy Gonzalez on Guitars, with Cecil McBee Jr. on Bass on Saturday. Both evenings were pleasurable, with some fun interpretations of Christmas songs sprinkled in, including a 5/4 rendition of Jingle Bells.

I will be there on Sunday, December 30, 1:30 to 4:30 with pianist Adam Wolff, and again on Sunday, January 27, with pianist Dave Castel Del Oro. The wines are tasty, and you are welcome to bring a picnic lunch or dinner. The full calendar is here.

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3. It’s almost time for the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference, and, unlike last year, this time I will be able to attend. JEN, as you may know, is the successor to the International Association of Jazz Educators, and is one of the major music education organizations. One of the great features of music education conferences is performances by student groups. Unlike other educator conferences, say language, history, or mathematics, music educators bring their students to the conference. In fact San Diego’s own School of Creative and Performing Arts (SDSCPA) is sending its top jazz ensemble, the “Ellington Band” to this year’s conference in Reno NV. Recently, I got to hear the band, under the direction of Dr. John Reynolds, when they performed at Dizzy’s, and I am certainly looking forward to hearing them again at the conference.

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4. Since the deadlines for these scholarships is still a couple of weeks away I would like to repeat this information, which came to me via the Arts Education Resource Organization (AREO) and the La Jolla Playhouse.

The American Theatre Wing (ATW) is now accepting applications for the 2019 Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative University Scholarships. According to the ATW “Scholarships of $40,000 ($10,000 a year, renewable for four years), will be given to high school seniors who demonstrate need, talent, and the interest to attend a four year university theatre program. The student’s area of focus can be in any aspect of theatre from performance, to design, to writing, to stage management, and others. To learn more, please visit our website. The deadline to apply for the 2019 University Scholarships is Friday, January 25th, 2019 at 11:59PM EST. To start an application, please click here. If you have any questions about the University Scholarship program, please email Programs Associate, Alicia Vnencak, at alicia@thewing.orgor call our office at 212-765-0606.”

Another ATW Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative scholarship helps middle and high schools students attend summer theater training programs. The area of study can be any aspect of theatre- acting, directing, design, etc. Click here for a list of theatre programs by state. the deadline to apply for a 2019 Training Scholarship is Friday, January 18th, 2019 at 11:59PM EST. There is no fee to apply – click here to start an application..

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5. With this issue I enter the 19th year of putting out this news letter. With only a month here and there missing, mostly during my move to the West Coast and getting settled out here, it has been an almost continuous venture that has covered a period of time that included fall of the IAJE, the founding of Jazz Week, the passing of great musicians, and the arrival of new ones on the scene. While this is one of my ways of maintaining some awareness of my own humble efforts as a musician, I hope I have managed to inform my readers of various events, organizations, and personalities other than myself. I plan to continue this, and hope you find this newsletter useful and informative. A couple of years ago my mailing list was lost in the demise of the mailing service I was using. If you do enjoy these newsletters, please consider forwarding them to others. Subscriptions can be made by simply emailing me at this address, or contacting me here with the contact form at the bottom of the site.

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6. Gigs: The Wednesday afternoon gig, 2:30 4:30, that Dene Davidson established at the Carlsbad Village Faire continues. Carlsbad Village Faire is located at 300 Carlsbad Village Dr., between Pacific Coast Highway and the railroad tracks. In addition Dene now has a gig at Tuesday evenings, 5:00 – 8:00, at Witch Creek Winery. I join him occasionally, but my January is filling up, so I cannot say at the moment just which Tuesdays I will be there.

As mentioned above Adam Wolff and I will return to the La Mesa Wine Works on Sunday December 30, from 1:30 to 4:30. The Wine Works is a lovely place to hang out on a Sunday afternoon, and we hope to see you there. See the details here.

If you are in Boston check the listings at Jazz Boston, visit the Facebook page for Jazz at the Tap, and the Seacoast Jazz Society Web site. In San Diego visit the Calendar section at Jazz88.3.

As always, thank you for supporting LIVE MUSIC!

Follow @BoMuseMusic on Twitter, and Facebook, and now at All About Jazz.

BoMuse News, December 2018, vol. 17, no. 12

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BoMuse News is a monthly newsletter from BoMuse Music. It presents items of interest related to jazz, and advocacy for music education, as well as news of releases from BoMuse Music and the performing activities of Paul Combs. Questions and comments should be sent by visiting “Contact” at Paul Combs’ Web-site.

Follow @BoMuseMusic on Twitter, and Facebook, and now at All About Jazz.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

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1. Lenore Raphael at Wolfe Gardens
2. U. Arts. 50th Anniversary of Jazz Ed.
3. Revamp of My Website, www.PaulCombs.com
4. The Arts Education Resource Organization/Scholarships
5. More Louis Armstrong House News
6. Gigs

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1. My friend, pianist Lenore Raphael will be playing at Wolfe Gardens, the house concert hosted by Deborah Wolfe, in a duo with bassist Rob Thorsen on Friday January 4, at 7:00. Since the concert takes place a Deborah’s home, I won’t provide the address here, but you can contact me and I will pass your email on to Deborah, who can add you to the invitation list. Lenore is Steinway Artist who is well established on the East Coast. She makes a West Coast tour in January. Last year schedules worked out so that she could play the Jazz Happy Hour at the Handlery Hotel, and she delighted the full house audience. As last year, I will sit in for a number of two, as well.

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2. I took a quick trip to Philadelphia to attend a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Jazz Education at the University of the Arts. U. Arts is the successor to the school I attended as an undergraduate. I earned my B.Mus in Composition there, somewhat ironically a year before there was a jazz program there. The University of the Arts was the brainchild of my composition teacher, Joseph Castaldo. Joe had envisioned a multi-arts university that would be created by merging the Philadelphia Musical Academy (PMA) with the Museum School of Art a couple of blocks away, and restoring the dormant dance and graduate degree programs that had been part of PMA before I arrived. In those 50 years since I graduated in 1968 (is it really that long ago?), the school has grown enormously, and has become a major presence in arts education. This is not to say it was a backwater back in my day. Among my classmates Florence Quivar distinguished herself as a star of the Metropolitan Opera, and Michael Pedicin, who reached out to me with an invitation to the event, went on to play with Dave Brubeck, and Pat Martino, among others. The notable bassist Stanley Clarke entered the year after I left. The event included excellent ensemble performances by both

current and former students. My thanks to Mike for getting me to attend and reconnect with my alma mater, which I am proud to have attended.

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3. I have pretty much finished revamping this Website, www.paulcombs.com. As with any Website, it is a work in progress, but the big changes are finished. Since I no longer have my teaching studio in Cambridge, that section of the site has been repurposed to hold information on my continuing educational work. The Main section focuses on me as a performer, and the third section is now a store, where my CDs and arrangements are available, as well signed copies of Dameronia – the Life and Music of Tadd Dameron. This last section of the site is still being developed, but it is at least possible to make purchases via email. It will take a while to get the direct purchase (credit card, PayPal, Venmo) programming done. I hope you will have a chance to explore the site, and welcome your comments and suggestions.

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4. AERO, the Arts Education Resource Organization of San Diego, continues to develop its organizational strength. When I joined the Governance Committee a little over two years ago, we were the only group helping to guide the then-resurgence of AERO. Now we have four committees, which means we can get more done, and involve more people. In addition to connecting professional providers of arts education, from large organizations like The San Diego Opera and Arts For Learning, to individual artist/educators, AERO organizes professional develop events for arts/educators, and works to advocate for arts education in our schools, both the work of visiting artists, and the programs resident in the schools. Membership in AERO is open to all qualified teaching artists and related services that address the needs of elementary and secondary schools. More information can be found here.

Recently some scholarship opportunities for high school students have been announced through AERO and I would like to pass these on. The American Theatre Wing (ATW) is now accepting applications for the 2019 Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative University Scholarships. According to the ATW “Scholarships of $40,000 ($10,000 a year, renewable for four years), will be given to high school seniors who demonstrate need, talent, and the interest to attend a four year university theatre program. The student’s area of focus can be in any aspect of theatre from performance, to design, to writing, to stage management, and others. To learn more, please visit our website. The deadline to apply for the 2019 University Scholarships is Friday, January 25th, 2019 at 11:59PM EST. To start an application, please click here. If you have any questions about the University Scholarship program, please email Programs Associate, Alicia Vnencak, at alicia@thewing.orgor call our office at 212-765-0606.”

Another ATW Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative scholarship helps middle and high schools students attend summer theater training programs. The area of study can be any aspect of theatre- acting, directing, design, etc. Click here for a list of theatre programs by state. the deadline to apply for a 2019 Training Scholarship is Friday, January 18th, 2019 at 11:59PM EST. There is no fee to apply – click here to start an application.

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5. As a follow up to the item that included news of the Louis Armstrong House in last months issue here is an article about Louis’s house, and his collected papers and personal recordings by Giovanni Russonello, from the New York Times. If you are visiting New York I highly recommend a visit to his house, but if you cannot you can still visit the Louis Armstrong House Museum Website and see the digitized collection.

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6. The Schedule

The Wednesday afternoon gig that Dene Davidson established at the Carlsbad Village Faire continues. We, the core band of Dene on bass, guitarist Joey Carano, and I, are grateful for the support of the businesses at Village Faire, as well as that of the management. Adam Wolff and I will return to the La Mesa Wine Works on Sunday December 30, from 1:30 to 4:30. The Wine Works is a lovely place to hang out on a Sunday afternoon, and we hope to see you there. See the details here on the Events page.

If you are in Boston check the listings at Jazz Boston, visit the Facebook page for Jazz at the Tap, and the Seacoast Jazz Society Web site. In San Diego visit the Calendar section at Jazz88.3.

As always, thank you for supporting LIVE MUSIC!

Follow @BoMuseMusic on Twitter, and Facebook, and now at All About Jazz.

BoMuse News, Nov. 2018 (vol. 17, no. 11)

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BoMuse News is a monthly newsletter from BoMuse Music. It presents items of interest related to jazz, and advocacy for music education, as well as news of releases from BoMuse Music and the performing activities of Paul Combs.

Follow @BoMuseMusic on Twitter, and Facebook, and now at All About Jazz.
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1. Thanks and Intimate Venues
2. Venue News, Ups And Downs
3. John Coltrane & Louis Armstrong Houses
4. A trip to Key West/Gigs

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1. Thanks to everyone who came out to hear Melonie Grinnell and me at the La Mesa Branch Library, and again with the addition of Mack Leighton and Richard Sellers at Wolfe Gardens. The acoustics at the Library were perfect for our electric piano and saxophone duo. This in spite of, or perhaps because of our location in a corner of the library itself. The La Mesa Branch Library has a regular monthly series of concerts featuring a varsity of musical styles, presented usually on the second Saturday of the month. This was such a pleasure for the two of us that I will be looking for more library concert opportunities

The acoustics at Deborah Wolfe’s home are also perfect for small groups, even with drums – and the right drummer, of course. There is a small grand piano, and room for 25 to 35 people to sit comfortably. The intimacy of these spaces provides an almost conversational environment for the performers and listeners. We even had audience members ask a couple of very good questions between numbers. I hope to find more opportunities for this kind of performance, especially with the CD coming out next year. If you, dear reader, should have any leads on house concerts, please let me know.

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2. First bad news from San Diego – I always like to give the bad news first. The restaurant that has hosted the Northern Spirits Jazz Club in San Marcos for the last few years, has closed, leaving Norm Murphy, who booked the musicians without a venue. Norm has expressed to me that he will be looking for another, and we wish him all success in this. Many nights of excellent music took place there, and I feel honored to have played there a couple of times.

Another music series looking for a new venue is the concerts that were being given in the lovely little auditorium at the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center. These concerts, organized by a volunteer group, are presented twice a month, and will stop at the end of the year. They featured a great variety of genres. I attended a delightful concert of percussion music, mostly from regions of Africa, organized by N. Scott Robinson. Of course there have been performances by jazz musicians as well. There are four more concerts scheduled this year, and the small auditorium is very pleasant. Watch for new of a resumption of this series of concerts at a new venue.

The good venue news is on the East Coast. The Press Room, in Portsmouth, NH, has long been a home for jazz in the New Hampshire/Southern Maine area. I played there from the time it opened in the late 80s, until just before moving out to San Diego. A couple of months ago it had to close for renovations. Many were worried that this would be the end of its long-standing jazz-friendly booking policy. To everyone’s delight it reopened on Halloween, with the Sunday Jazz and Tuesday jam session intact. I did not see mention of the Monday jazz down stairs, but you can visit their Web site to see what is happening.

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3. The efforts to preserve John and Alice Coltrane’s Long Island home has come a long way since 2002, when it was threatened with being demolished by a real estate developer. At times it looked like the cause was lost, but with perseverance, the funding and community support was found, and by 2007 the Town of Huntington, NY where it is located, purchased the home and donated it to the Friends of the Coltrane home. Following that the home was placed on both the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places, and in 2011the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) added it to their register of Endangered Places. Recently the NTHP has named the home a National Treasure, and has committed to help in the repair and restoration of the home. Now with a $75,000 grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, work on the home will move forward. According to an article in the New York Times by Gabe Cohn, “Plans for the property include renovation of the home (recent efforts have included replacing the roof, rebuilding the chimney and fighting mold) and, eventually, the installation of a public park on the surrounding land. The Friends of the Coltrane Home, the group that manages the property, also hopes to offer music education programs there.”

There is further good news of support for historic preservation of important musical sites, the Louis Armstrong House, in Corona Queens, NY. According to another NYT article by Gabe Cohn, “The little white house in Corona, Queens, next to Louis and Lucille Armstrong’s home would be unremarkable now if the couple’s next-door neighbor, Selma Heraldo, hadn’t become so close to them. In the years after the jazz great and his wife died — in 1971 and 1983, respectively — Heraldo became a tangible link to the couple; she was a local who knew them as they were when they lived in Queens, and who regularly attended events held by the Louis Armstrong House Museum, which opened in the Armstrong home in 2003. When Heraldo died in 2011, she left her own home to the museum. Now, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the museum have announced that the city has allocated $1.9 million to help renovate Heraldo’s two-story home, known as Selma’s House, a project that also received about $1 million from the city in July 2017. In a separate addition already in progress, an education center and jazz club are being built across the street.”

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4. I only have a couple of gigs this month, so I will include a little report on my visit to Key West Fl, and a worthy project involving a couple of good friends of mine. Erika Biddle, one of the friends I was visiting, is organizing large public exhibit titled “Blind Spots: Modern Slavery Exposed.” Part of this grew out of the work of Len Morris of Galen Films, another friend, and Len will be one of the speakers at events around the installation of the Blind Spots exhibit. I will report again on this as we get closer to the February date of the exhibit.

While I was in Key West I sat in with this band at the Green Parrot, and met some fine musicians with whom I found I had mutual friends. The Sunday afternoon jam session is not listed with the events, but if you are down there, I believe you can count on it; 1:00-4:00 on Sundays.

Adam Wolfe and I will play at the La Mesa Wine Works on Sunday, November 1:30-4:30. La Mesa Wine Works often has jazz on Sunday afternoons, the wines are excellent and you are welcome to bring food. A great place for a Sunday hang with friends. I will be in the band with Dene Davidson and Joey Carano at Carlsbad Village Faire in the afternoons on the first two Wednesdays in November. I will be out of town for the last two, but that should not keep you from stopping by the lovely courtyard there to hear the guys, and whoever sits in for me. As always, the details are available Events.

If you are in Boston check the listings at Jazz Boston, visit the Facebook page for Jazz at the Tap, and the Seacoast Jazz Society Web site. In San Diego visit the Calendar section at Jazz88.3.

As always, thank you for supporting LIVE MUSIC!

Follow @BoMuseMusic on Twitter, and Facebook, and now at All About Jazz.

BoMuse News, vol. 17, no. 10

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BoMuse News is a monthly newsletter from BoMuse Music. It presents items of interest related to jazz, and advocacy for music education, as well as news of releases from BoMuse Music and the performing activities of Paul Combs.

Follow @BoMuseMusic  on Twitter, and Facebook, and now at All About Jazz.

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1. House Concert at Wolfe Garden & La Mesa Library
2. Jazz At Continues
3. CD Progress Report
4. Gigs

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1. I will be giving a concert at the home of Deborah Wolfe, on Saturday, October 20, starting at 7:00 PM. Joining me will be pianist Melonie Grinnell, bassist Mac Leighton, and drummer Richard Sellers. I am excited about playing with these three superb musicians, in this wonderfully intimate setting. Debby hosts these concerts on a fairly regular basis out of her love for music and musicians, and we are most fortunate to have her as a neighbor. The concert I reported about last month, with Roni Ben Hur, Harvey S, Silvia Cuenca – all well-established, New York based players – and their special guest trombonist Matt Hall, was excellent. It will be an honor to play at Debby’s house. If you would like to come to our concert, let me know, and I will pass your email address on to Deborah and she will add you to here invite list. Since this is a private home, I would not publish the address here. [Please note: the Contact page at this site is temporarily out of order, but you can message me via FaceBook or email me paul(at)this website]

The Saturday before this concert, October 13, you can hear Melonie and me in an afternoon recital at the La Mesa Branch Library, 8074 Allison Avenue, La Mesa, CA. We start at 1:00 PM, and the recital is free and open to the public. Melonie is one of my very favorite San Diego pianists, and I am looking forward to this duo performance.

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2. Good News!! The Sunday jazz series I started back in 2002 in Haverhill, MA, will continue. It will now be hosted by The Tap, which is right across the street from the series’ old haunt the Chit Chat Lounge, at 100 Washington St. This venue has the additional advantage of tables and food. The folks at The Tap also brew their own beer, which I remember as being very good, indeed. The series kicks off on Sunday, October 14, at 6:30 PM with the Pocket Big Band. For now news of the Sunday jazz series is still at the Jazz at Chit Chat Facebook page, but a new page will be established soon. Carry on my old friends!

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3. The Unknown Dameron CD will be out on the Summit label in June, if all goes according to present plan. As reported, the tracks are all recorded, and mixed. We are now finishing production, gathering the elements of the package, and laying the groundwork for a full promotion campaign. I would also like to announce that Vanessa Rubin’s Dameron CD, the title of which I believe will be Vanessa Rubin Sings Tadd Dameron, should be out in February or March, and we hope to be as coordinated as possible in our promotion efforts. Please stay tuned.

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4. Gigs

In addition to the recital at the La Mesa Branch Library, and the house Concert at Wolfe Garden, I will be in the band supporting vocalist Erica Marie at the Cuvée Club in La Jolla on Friday, October 12. Last, but not least, the Wednesday afternoon jazz with Dene Davidson’s San Jose Sound, continues at Carlsbad Village Faire, from 2:30 to 4:30-5:00. I love playing there with Dene and guitarist Joey Carano, and watching the little children play around the fountain, and dance to the music. Details are at my events page.

If you are in Boston check the listings at Jazz Boston.  In San Diego visit the Calendar section at Jazz88.3.

As always, thank you for supporting LIVE MUSIC!

Follow @BoMuseMusic  on Twitter, and Facebook, and now at All About Jazz.

BoMuse News, vol. 17, no. 9

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BoMuse News is a monthly newsletter from BoMuse Music. It presents items of interest related to jazz, and advocacy for music education, as well as news of releases from BoMuse Music and the performing activities of Paul Combs.

Follow @BoMuseMusic on Twitter, and Facebook , and now at All About Jazz.

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1. Jazz At Chit Chat Ends
2. Wolfe Garden House Concerts
3. AERO Professional Development
4. JazzWeek Summit/San Jose Jazz Fest
5. Gigs

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1. Back in 2002, after I put the Pocket Big Band together, I wanted to find a place where we could play regularly, develop the band, and build an audience. A friend, Patty McCarron, suggested I get in touch with another friend, Gary Scena of the Chit Chat Lounge in Haverhill, MA. The Chit Chat booked rock bands and singer/songwriters, and I actually had some history with the place going back to the 1970s. The stage was dark on Sundays, and Gary offered me the night. We recorded our Sea Breeze Jazz CD, aptly titled “Live At Chit Chat,” there, with Gary as engineer. In an effort not to ware out our welcome, I started booking other local jazz folks on alternate Sundays, and Jazz At Chit Chat was born. From piano trios to big bands, we presented jazz pretty much every Sunday from that point until just a week or so ago. Jazz at Chit Chat managed to survive two changes of ownership over the years, but with the most recent change of owners, it has come to an end. It was a good run, some 16 years, and I am delighted to say that both the Pocket Big Band and Jazz At Chit Chat survived my departure, thanks to the efforts of John Doherty, Mike Jacobs, and many others of the stalwarts of the Sunday jazz series. Efforts are being made to find a new home for the Pocket Big Band and the Sunday jazz series in the lower Merrimac Valley. I will be watching developments closely, and for now so can you at the Jazz At Chit Chat Facebook page.

By the way, “Live At Chit Chat” is out of print, but I will soon have it available from my Website, which is being rebuilt as I write this.

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2. We had to postpone a house concert in June (v17, n6) and I am happy to say that we have been rescheduled for Saturday, October 20. I will have more about that in the next issue, but I do want to tell you about this wonderful series of concerts at the home of Deborah Wolfe. On Friday September 7, Pianist Jeremy Siskind will perform with a quartet. Siskind, teaches at Fullerton (CA) College, and was winner of the 2012 Nottingham International Piano Competition, and has toured extensively internationally. On Friday September 21 a trio of well-known New York based musicians, guitarist Roni Ben Hur, bassist Harvey S, and drummer Silvia Cuenca, will be Deborah’s guests. Needless to say, I feel honored to be included in this series. Since these concerts take place in a private home, I would publish the location, but if you would like to attend either or both of these concerts, you can contact me and I will put you in touch with Deborah.

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3. As I have reported here before, I sit on two committees of the Arts Education Resource Organization (AERO). One of them, the Professional Development Committee, will present its first workshop of the season, Creative Collaborations With Arts Integration, on Saturday, September 8, 9 AM – Noon, at the La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego. As described by the organizers, “the workshop will be of interest to teaching artists, classroom teachers, administrators, as well as parents. In this interactive workshop, we will explore what Arts Integration is, look at co-teaching models, experience an Arts Integrated lesson, and collaborate with other educators to develop an Arts Integrated lesson plan.” The workshop is free for all AERO Organization Associates, and only $15for non-members. You can see the flyer for the Creative Collaborations With Arts Integration workshop here. On the second page there is as list of AERO Organizations Associates.

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4. I had a delightful and productive time in San Jose. First the JazzWeek Jazz Summit, which was concerned with how we in the jazz community can roll with all the changes that are that are happening in the professional arts world in general, and the jazz world in particular. This was particularly timely for me with the upcoming release of my new CD, and the promotional campaign that I am starting to prepare. As a result, I am reworking my Website, and hope to have this done by October.

The San Jose Jazz Summer Fest was a wonderful as always. Highlights for me included Yissy García’s Bandancha, Doug Beavers’ Titanes Del Trombón: Tribute to Cheo Fleiciano, and serving Sunday  as the MC at one of the stages. I got to hear bassist/vocalist Jeff Denson, who played on the San Rafael session for the new CD, perform pieces from his new CD, and I even sat in on a number with one of the bands, Octobop. In short, I heard a lot of great music, caught up with old friends, and made some new ones.

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5. Gigs
I have three big gigs coming up in the next few weeks. First, the Jazz Happy Hour at the Handlery Hotel, with Melonie Grinnell, piano, and Antar Martin bass. If you haven’t discovered this wonderful listening room, you really should. Every Friday, from 5:30 – 7:30 esteemed flutist Holly Hofmann and the hotel present some of the best small group jazz, including performances by visiting dignitaries. On Saturday, September 15, I’ll lead a quartet of Jim Guerin, piano, John Ross, bass, and my old friend Matt Taylor, drums, at Northern Spirits in San Marcos. We start at 7:30 and the Thai food is delicious. On Friday, September 28 I’ll give a concert at Dizzy’s here in San Diego, with Hugo Suarez, piano, Antar Martin, bass, and Matt Taylor, drums. There is no cover at the Handlery or Northern Spirits, where food and drink are available. Dizzy’s is a concert setting and the admission is $20.00 at the door. Details are in the Events page here at my Website.

If you are in Boston check the listings at Jazz Boston, and check out the exciting series at the University of New Hampshire Traditional Jazz Series, with Carl Allen, Joe Lovano, Bobby Watson and more! In San Diego visit the Calendar section at Jazz88.3.

As always, thank you for supporting LIVE MUSIC!

Follow @BoMuseMusic on Twitter, and Facebook , and now at All About Jazz.

BoMuse News, vol. 17, no. 8

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BoMuse News is a monthly newsletter from BoMuse Music. It presents items of interest related to jazz, and advocacy for music education, as well as news of releases from BoMuse Music and the performing activities of Paul Combs. Questions and comments should be sent by visiting “Contact” at Paul Combs’ Web-site.

Follow @BoMuseMusic on Twitter, and Facebook

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1. JazzWeek Summit
2. Good News from the Musicians Union
3. CD Progress
4. Gigs

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1. It’s August, and that means it’s time for the JazzWeek Summit conference, August 9 & 10. The Summit is a gathering of jazz radio, radio promotion, independent label, and artists for the purpose of focusing on the health specifically of jazz radio, and generally the jazz “eco-system.” I have been attending this almost since its inception, and it has not only benefited me professionally, but has introduced me to a community of exceptional people, many of whom have become friends. The Summit is kind of “family reunion” for many of us.

The JazzWeek Summit is typically scheduled with a jazz festival. In the past we have met just before the Rochester International Jazz Festival, and the Detroit Jazz Festival. This year we are again meeting in connection with the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. Along with our registration for the conference, we are given passes to the Festival. We are also invited to emcee one or another of the stages, or individual concerts. I like to give something back to the Festival, so I will be the MC for the Sushi Confidential Stage on Sunday, August 12. If you are at the Festival, stop by and say hello.

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2. From the President of the American Federation of Musicians:

“Thanks to your emails and calls, the U.S. Senate and House both voted to increase NEA funding by $2.2 million (1.42%) for 2019.

The spending package approved earlier this week also increases the National Endowment for the Humanities budget. The House and Senate will meet in the coming weeks to settle differences in the legislative language between their bills, and there should be one more round of votes before the bill goes to the President.

Union musicians and other members of the arts community sent emails, made phone calls and had conversations with their elected officials about the importance of federal arts funding. This shows that when musicians join together, we can achieve amazing results.

When musicians join together to fight, we win!

In Unity,
Ray Hair
AFM International President”

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3. We have completed the recording of The Unknown Dameron (working title). Richard Sellers is fine tuning the mixes, and I am working on the liner notes. As soon as the label and I have agreed on the sequence of the tracks, I’ll be able to tell you more, including a likely release date. In the mean time you might want to check out Madd For Tadd, a CD of big band arrangements by Tadd Dameron put together by Kent Englehardt and Steve Enos. The Web site for the label is a little eccentric, but you can preview the tracks and purchase the CD there. Also keep an eye on Vanessa Rubin’s Web site for her soon to be released CD of Dameron songs, with arrangements by Frank Foster, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, and Tadd’s close friend Willie “Face” Smith.

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4. Gigs

September is shaping up to be a good month for me in terms of performing. Starting with the Labor Day Weekend. While technically still August, I will be playing the Jazz Happy Hour at the Handlery Hotel, 950 Hotel Cl., San Diego, on Friday the 31st. Joining me will be pianist Melonie Grinnell, and bassist Antar Martin. Antar will be on hand again on Friday September 28, when I play at Dizzy’s. There, Antar and I will be joined by pianist Hugo Suarez, and my old friend drummer Matt Taylor. I will continue to play on Wednesday afternoons at the Carlsbad Village Faire as part of Dene Davidson’s Santa Cruz Sound. Still to be confirmed are a September 15 date at Northern Spirits in San Marcos, and a regular, perhaps by-weekly evening in Carlsbad. For the latest on these please follow my professional page at Facebook, or consult the Events page here at www.paulcombs.com. We will be upgrading the site soon, so the exact place on the site may be different from what it is at the moment.

I have some potentially sad news from back in Massachusetts. Jazz At Chit Chat, the Sunday jazz series I started some 15 years ago in Haverhill, MA, may soon come to an end. If you live in northeastern Massachusetts or southeastern New Hampshire, please go support the musicians in the coming weeks. It might convince the new owners to keep the series going. The Chit Chat lounge is located at 103 Washington St., in Haverhill, MA. You can follow the series on Facebook where the calendar for the next two months is posted.

If you are in Boston check the listings at Jazz Boston. In San Diego visit the Calendar section at Jazz88.3. Note: the listing for the Jazz Happy Hour are on the home page of Jazz88.org, scroll about 2/3 of the way down the page.

As always, thank you for supporting LIVE MUSIC!

Follow @BoMuseMusic on Twitter, and Facebook

BoMuse News, vol. 17, no. 7

======================
BoMuse News is a monthly newsletter from BoMuse Music. It presents items of interest related to jazz, and advocacy for music education, as well as news of releases from BoMuse Music and the performing activities of Paul Combs. Questions and comments should be sent by visiting “Contact” at Paul Combs’ Web-site.

Follow @BoMuseMusic on Twitter, and Facebook

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1. Dameron Celebrated in Phoenix
2. New Dameron CDs Update
3. I extend my Internet Presence
4. Gigs

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1. A group of young musicians took it upon themselves to present an evening of music by Tadd Dameron at The Nash in Phoenix, AZ, on Friday June 29. The bassist Max Beckman, an acquaintance, and now truly a friend, invited me to attend. Phoenix is just close enough for a one day drive, and I really did not want to miss this. One of my concerns in this entire effort to put Dameron in his proper place in the history of American music is reaching younger generations of musicians. The “ring leader” of this project, and featured artist of the evening, was pianist Ellis Green. As I understand it, he was drawn to Tadd’s music on his own. Max knows me through family friends, and knows of my research and book. For me this is a vindication, of both my own work, and the essential esthetic attractiveness of Dameron’s body of work, and it’s place in the development of what we know of as modern jazz. Joining Ellis and Max were drummer Filip Voia-Tipei, and in the second set, trumpeter Alex Price. The band did a fine job of both well known, and lesser known Dameron pieces. All are students or former students of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts School of Music at Arizona State University.

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2. First, we have recorded all twelve of the pieces for The Unknown Dameron CD, and are moving on with sequencing, possibly re-recording a track or two, and then mastering. I have also started on the liner notes. It is hard to fix a release date as yet, but I do believe we will have this out sometime in 2019.

Second, the excellent veteran vocalist Vanessa Rubin is soon to release her Dameron project. This one features songs by Tadd, backed by an octet, with arrangements by Frank Foster, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, and the late Willie “Face” Smith. She is in the final stages of creating the package, and I will, of course, let you know when it is available. I was a source for this project, which started with a concert at the Kennedy Center, a few years ago. I have been looking forward to this release for some time.

Third, an all Dameron CD by a big band of musician/educators from the Cleveland area (well maybe Ohio and environs wold be more accurate) that was organized by Keith Englehardt and Steve Enos. Titled The Magic Continues, it is available from Tightenup Records.

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3. While trying to track down a long lost musician friend, I was reacquainted with the Web-site All About Jazz. I had written a few articles for All About Jazz back in the nineties. As I devoted more and more time to writing my book on Tadd Dameron I lost my connection with this interesting site. There is just so much that demands the attention of an artist who is trying to manage a career by his or her self. As I signed up for a new account, up popped some things that had been in my profile from before, and the editor, Marc Ricci, welcomed me back. I can now be found on All About Jazz, and I reposted that article I wrote for BoMuse News on the demise of Ryles, in Cambridge MA. There is a nice video about this as well. I will be writing some more about the scene here in San Diego, as I have the chance. I am also re-establishing my musician page at All About Jazz. This along with a new page at Reverb Nation, and catching up with changes at CD Baby are a work in progress. I hope to have more to say on all this in the next issue. If you should visit me at Reverb Nation, you will find a track to listen to. It’s proper title is “Frank Fuller’s Waltz,” and was recorded on my CD Moon & Sand.

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4. Gigs
This month Adam Wolff and I will return to La Mesa Wine Wine Works on Sunday July 8. I’ll be in the band with the Fred Hardy Quartet at Cafe Bar Europa on Thursday, July 19, and Dene Davidson Quartet at the Belching Beaver, in Vista, CA on Tuesday, July 24. The Dene Davidson Trio, with yours truly continues on Wednesday afternoons at the Carlsbad Village Faire, including July 4. All details can be found under Events at my Web-site.

If you are in Boston check the listings at Jazz Boston. In San Diego visit the Calendar section at Jazz88.3. If you don’t already, follow me @BoMuseMusic on Twitter, and Facebook

As always, thank you for supporting LIVE MUSIC!

 

Sadly, we have to reschedule the concert originally planned for this Friday, June 15. Stay tuned for a new date.