Jazz History, June 29th, 2011. "A Coronation"

John Hendricks

On June 29th 2011 jazz history will be made at The Blue Note in New York City.

John Hendricks, and Annie Ross, formally of the legendary jazz vocal group Lambert Hendricks and Ross will reunite for an unbelievable two shows. Joining them will be the phenomenal seventeen year old Canadian jazz vocalist Nikki Yanofsky!

To jazz fans of the years gone by I need not say more.
For all others let me explain what this is to the world of jazz.

This is Babe Ruth facing C. C. Sabathia, this is...
Man Of War racing  Barbaro. This is Abe Lincoln debating Obama, history will be made and we can all see it happen. 

John Hendricks has been called by many, like Al Jarreau, the greatest jazz singer on the planet.

English born Annie Ross, known for her range in the upper register and her ability to scat and who at age 80 is still active in the New York Cabaret scene, was the
"lady" of the fabulous trio. The lead trumpet.

Tragically Dave Lambert was killed while changing a flat tire on his car in 1966. Lambert had spent his life experimenting with the human voice and how it could be applied to jazz.

The trio won every jazz award given, for their work from 1957 to 1962, and played to SRO crowds at Newport year after year, and every other jazz venue world wide.

For these two giants, or shall I say the term "living legends" which actually applies here, are acknowledging the exceptional talent of young Nikki Yanofsky, by saying, sing with us!
By doing so Nikki's legacy is solidified by being "crowned" by the King and Queen.

Knowing Nikki, I know this is a thrill of a lifetime for her and she realizes how this performance will go down in history, she must be in Heaven.

 Nikki Yanofsky

John Hendricks was the founder of "vocalese" taking the instrumentals of Ellington, Basie, Coltrane

Annie Ross

and lending voices to them, that was the trade mark of the group. Nikki can scat with the best of them and her range is unlimited, what a show this will be. I can't wait!



please enjoy the old... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul54NWmwLxs&NR=1

and the new...Nikki Yanofsky



follow me:: Pete Carma

Soul Jaz, min

Jazmin Sky, Chicago

Jazmin Sky, the CD is "Jazmin Sky".

It's for people like me who love the "soul of a woman" put to music.
We chatted at her gig in Chicago this week at The Underground Wonder Bar, where they feature a "Wonder Woman" show every Wednesday night.
If she did not tell me I would have heard it immediately her style is influenced by the great Chaka Khan.

This CD is a walk through of Jazmin's lyrics and her view of life from
a girl who spent time in New York City and loves city life in her composition "Downtown"which hit home with me being brought up on the streets of Da Apple.

To "Fruto Prohibido" (forbidden fruit) a Latin/Jazz number but again Jazmin adds her soulful style to make this tune one to remember, as she puts it "You crave forbidden fruit, It's the only kind that appeals to you, But when you've taken a bite, You discover you've lost your appetite.

The show stopper or should I say album stopper is "American Lie".
A very soulful, heavy bottom tune written by Jazmin in support of free speech.
It was inspired by the Bush administration's reaction to the Dixie Chicks criticism of him.   

Her courage in dealing with an issue like this on her CD is a big plus for me, artist have a way
of getting to the public in mass, and I congratulate her on putting together a great tune with a very important message attached.

                                                                     *****
Jazmin's beautiful style and soul that seems to come natural to her, make this CD a must for my IPOD.
                                                                     *****
Jazmin has lived in Montreal, Paris, Madrid and Rome, she speaks Spanish, and French and surprised me at her gig when she whipped out a flute a played a few riffs, in addition to her multi- octave voice, style
and class, I enjoyed her set in Chicago, and she is a delight.

"Jazmin Sky"  http://www.reverbnation.com/jazminsky

by Pete Cataldo, follow Pete  www.twitter.com/petecarma



 

New York City, None Better, My Home Town

My twelve days in Da Apple; I have sooo many people to thank...here they are, in no specific order.

Papa's Diablo

Anthony Papa, Artist Activist  my long time friend...
http://www.15yearstolife.com/








The fishermen on the pier in Long Island City who let me hang with them in the morning....

Jennie Booth

The dogs in the dog park who entertained me for hours, especially the little gray scruffy one who played basketball...

Artist, Jennie Booth and  Alphabet City's coffee shops...



 Mario's Italian deli, who have the best pepper and egg sandwiches AND
Espresso Coffee Soda...

 Tony Newman, Director of Media Relations, DPA...

"F" Train

 The NY Subway system that runs 24/7, and got me from venue to
venue in minutes, while the streets above were jammed with traffic...


The person who wants to be known as "Moss" who got me into several
Tribeca Film Festival events...



To the kids at PS # 78 Queens, and here's hoping you can have the same good life I had growing up in New York City...

 AND....To all the beautiful and talented artists that took time to chat with me...

Kristin Hoffmann

Kristin Hoffmann, for her music and her efforts to save the planet...






 Tabitha Fair, who "fell from the sky"...

Tabitha Fair

Nadia Ackerman for a great show at Rockwood Music Hall...

Nadia Ackerman

    Check out the tattoo...


To Sarah Zar, and Yula Beeri, of Yula and the Extended Family, and all the members of the "Hive"...
for inviting me to the Gowanus Ballroom in Brooklyn for the Spring 2011, Art + Architcture Show
and the great music they added.

Sarah Zar, of Yula and the Extended Family

To Champian Fulton, for giving me 4 hours of great JAZZZZ at The Garage,
an unforgettable night...

Champian Fulton, JAZZZZ

To Kat Calvosa, and her beautiful jazz tones and lyrics and epically for "The Brooklyn Dodger"

Kat Calvosa, CD "Chrysalis"

To Tammy Scheffer, who has a voice like none other I have ever heard, and is one of the best singers of pure jazz on this planet....

The amazing, Tammy Scheffer

To Clara Lofaro, who sent lightning bolts through me and all in the room at Caffe Vivaldi, and  at
the same time put a tear in our eye, with her beautiful words and music...XOXO

Clara Lofaro

To the beautiful Emily Wolf, for "keeping the music alive...

Emily Wolf

 To Eleonora Bianchini, an international songstress, who captivated me...Grazie bella!!   

Eleonora Bianchini

To "Birch and the Tiger" a talented young band who are giving rebirth to Latin/Afro/Jazz

in New York City, keep working hard guys...

Partial view of  Birch and the Tiger

Kalen Lister

 To Kalen Lister, for coming by to say high, and making me smile...





To all of you, thanks sooo much for letting me share you talents with my readers!
               See you all next trip.....Pete

follow Pete...www.twitter.com/petecarma

Kat Calvosa, Live & CD

Kat Calvosa "Chrysalis"

Caffe Vivaldi one of my favorite stops in The Village is where I met Kat Calvosa last Sunday.

I was treated to her set of smooth jazz. She did all original material.
The lyrics were great. 
Put to some new rhythms and with old style jazz riffs mixed in, everything flowed together well.


The first time I hear an artist live it is not easy to pass judgment because I'm not use to their style or their phrasing and their delivery.
But Kat made it easy. She was clean, sharp and smooth.

I took a copy of her CD, "Chrysalis" home and fired it up to get a better earful and WOW! Impressive!

The opening tune "The Brooklyn Dodger" is an outstanding portrait of how New York City, in this case Brooklyn can be destructive, as a life drifts bye in poverty and  memories of the past.
The rhythm of this tune is a heart beat of city hustle and bustle.
If you know the city this tune will hit home with you. This truly is a portrait, as you listen you can see the
events unfolding in your mind, and hear the sounds of New York. Some great piano licks by Andrew Fisher. This is a tune I will always carry with me.

"A Rose" follows the "Dodger" and shows the versatility of Kat, her words and music.
She slips into a Carmen McRae like sassy elegance as she tells us about a young lady's search for love.
"When at night the stars shine bright, And the Moon gives off his light, I just stare, and wish for air,
Please, take me home tonight".
I love her low vibrato style here, sexy but innocent...another great tune.

"Impossible Is Nothing" is a cabaret style tune, as I listen to some more of the great piano work of  Steve Fisher and Kat, telling the listeners to show no fear and go for your dreams. Kat "talks" some jazz at us in this tune, lovingly and with her unique sound of purity. She has a quality in her work both words and music that says "listen to me"...This is one of the more complicated compositions on the CD and I thought it was done brilliantly by Kat.

This album is a joy because I am always happy to see today's artists who honor the Jazz genre and bring  it into the current music scene, and help "Keep the music alive".
There are 9 selections on this CD, all are accomplished works.

This is truly a strong work. To put lyrics and jazz harmony together is a task. Kat has accomplished it with  ...Chrysalis.
It's on my Ipod already!

Kat Calvosa will be at....Miles Cafe, 52d Street, NYC on May 12th,  8PM

Get her CD's...http://www.katcalvosa.com/products.html

By Pete Cataldo, follow Pete at www.twitter.com/petecarma

Yula and The Extended Family, at Rockwood...

One of the most exciting bands on the scene in the New York City, Yula and the 
Extended Family will be at Rockwood Music Hall Wednesday night!

Yula & XFM:  photo by Dina Regine  thehivenyc.com

Tired of the city rat race, depressed, run down, bored with work? Then make an appointment with "Dr. Yula and get a shot of "XFM". The treatment takes about an hour. You will feel better instantly. However there are some side effects. Your face will contort into a smiley face, you may have trouble sleeping if you go straight home, and if you have a previous condition for great music, you may become addicted!
The XFM has been known to break a few hearts too, but only if you let them.

There is one available appointment  this week, it's Wednesday night at 10:30 PM, the address is Rockwood Music Hall, on Allen Street.

The doctor insists you wear comfortable shoes, and you may consume liquids during the session, they are available at Rockwood.

They doctor will soon have a CD available for you to treat yourself at home, however the home treatment is just temporary, you will have to visit her in person once a month.
If you are unemployed or retired like me, not to worry all will be treated!!
And...it's a single payer system, there is no out of pocket fee!
                       
                                                         thehivenyc.com
           by Pete Cataldo, follow Pete  www.twitter.com/petecarma

The Tiger Needs Room

Birch and the Tiger

Birch and the Tiger did their thing at the National Underground
on Friday night. 

What's their thing? Making the audience jump, clap, dance and just generally feel good! And giving new life to a classic genre of music.

Afro/jazz, Latin/jazz and some good old progressive jazz is what I heard,
with a 21st Century sound to it. This young band of artists is on the verge
of breaking through.

They are an experience, an energy packed band with a unique sound for the clubs around the Village. Lovely ladies, great arrangements and musicians...
and they play with a fiery spirit.

The Tigress up front on lead vocals is Zenobia Ortis, she is versatile, has a great range but her strength is her ability to glide from
complicated rhythm to complicated rhythm that the band has written.

She delivers the goods on all of the great lyrics of their repertoire, and throws some funk in too.
There is some smooth and rhythmic harmony  between Zenobia and backup Erin Pellnat, who blends in
splendidly.

Drummer Joshua Gruft, and bass guitarist Raymond Mack Jr. are as good as it gets, they remind me of the days gone by in the Village when Olatunji or Johnny Pacheco would hammer out that great Afro/Cuban genre. They keep a solid bottom going.

On guitar is Mike Leuis, who has a great feel for the Latino "attitude" that you must have to feed the melody.
Noah Dreiblatt on baritone sax carries most of the melody and does it well. He is the "Freight Train" coming through town at the height of rush hour.
                                                            **********
"The Land and The Lakes" was a tune they did that featured all their skills, a flying rhythm consistent throughout the number and Zenobia really shows her range.

"Six Eyes Closed" is a mix of the complicated rhythms and the harmony of Zenobia and Erin I spoke about, and they come together here, nice chart and done well.

Their entire set was a fast moving "Festa" or "Chama" and I had a great time watching them!

But... they need more ROOM, as in space, to hold more people and a bigger stage so the Tiger can stretch his legs,and the Birch, can blossom. 

Their first album "Kulakov Rock" will be available soon.
They are also finishing up a 3D Video, wild?  Keep and eye out for them!

                                               http://birchandthetiger.com/

by Pete Cataldo. follow Pete  www.twitter.com/petecarma

Songstress, Clara Lofaro

Clara Lofaro

After several months of trying to "catch" Clara Lofaro live, with our schedules not matching up and a blizzard in New York City a while back, I caught her last night at Caffe Vivaldi. Trying to catch her is no easy task, she told me last night she finished in the top ten percent of the NYC Woman's 1/2 Marathon a few weeks ago...that's 13 miles people, in a city with four million women. Not bad for someone who is balancing that with composing and writing lyrics for herself and others and TV shows, while recording and performing live.
                                                                     **********
When this beautiful, petite young lady sat down at the Grand Piano they have at Vivaldi, I realized something that I have been talking about all my life.

Ever since I can remember when people asked me what kind of music I liked best, I would always say..."women who sing from the gut". Clara does that and lots more. At times she pounded those keys with so much emotion and at other times she just caressed them with love. Her lyrics are mesmerizing, weather singing A capella or while at the keys she drew her audience in like a spiders web, trapping them to be at her command, and they did not mind it a bit.

I was absolutely floored by the lyrics she puts together song after song. Reminiscent of  Carly Simon,
lyrics that are "today" that young and old can relate to. And words that make you say, man, she is so right,
and you look at her youth and you say, where did she experience all that?

She performed as a duo last night with bassist extraordinaire Jeff Jackson, who also blended in some great background vocals.

The Caffe was packed, but all eyes and ears were on Clara. Up tunes, ballads we got to hear a great mix of Miss Lofaro's songbook. She explained how each song came to be, most were based on her own experiences, but with her ability to translate them to music they all seem to come out as universal words we could all identify with, she is an amazing writer.

Some of the tunes that hit home with me tonight were "Wrinkled $" a driving melody about holding on to you innocents, and "Trouble"... a sassy, sexy number that Clara teases her audience with, is a winner.
And the one that hit me like bolt of lightning was "Daddy's Song" it was the closing number.
The audience asked for a ballad and they got a classic. You could literally hear a pin drop as she finished with this beautiful song about her dad and how one realizes as one grows older to try to understand, what your dad is feeling. I'll be hitting the replay on this one for a few weeks.

All of the above are on Clara's newest CD titled as it should be "Clara Lofaro"

                  http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/clara-lofaro/id389431246?ign-mpt=uo=4#
                                                                     **********
    Clara told me she loves helping people, it makes her feel good. She is involved with relief for Japan and other great causes, but I hope she realizes that every time she sits down at her piano, she makes people feel good!
Clara was the voice of Super Bowl commercials, remember, "When You Wish Upon A Star" ...and just recently ABC TV picked up "I Can't Go On" a tune written by Clara and  Edgard Jaude to use on the network programs.
                              Thank you Clara for your beautiful music!!

 by Pete Cataldo, follow Pete at;  www.twitter.com/petecarma                                              
                                                         

Champian, at the Garage

Champian Fulton

A family affair, a Master Class in jazz, The Great American Song Book,
I 'm trying to figure out a way to tell you what I had the extreme pleasure to see last night, when Champian Fulton, pianist and vocalist parked her quartet at The Garage. The entire gig of four hours flew by for me, from start to finish top notch musicians played top notch arrangements with a "swinging" rhythm and all the style and dedication the classic tunes deserved.

Evergreen after evergreen rolled off the lips and fingers of Champian
to the delight of the audience. Opening with a lively "What Is This Thing Called Love" followed by "But Not For Me" "It's All Right With Me" "Pennies From Heaven" "Out Of Nowhere" "Take The A Train"
"Slow Boat To China"...got the idea!

Some of the tunes that hit me hardest if that's possible because they were all outstanding, were my personal favorite "I Can't Face The Music"a Billie Holiday classic...and Billie would be proud of the way it was done by Champian.

And I thought the second set show stopper was, "My Melancholy Baby", beautifully done, from the gut, by Miss Fulton ."You Turned The Tables On Me" was next up and what a gutsy, blues version it was, great!

Her piano skills are just as strong as her vocals, riff after riff as clean as can be, she rolled through the
widest repertoire you can imagine.

Champian was not alone on stage she had Steve Fulton (dad) on flugelhorn.
His years with Clark Terry, are his link to the Golden Days of Jazz, and it shows in his absolutely smooth manner and technique. Featured on several numbers but the one that jumped out was "The Gypsy"...how many of you know that one?

Hide Tanaka was on bass...with bow in hand or not one of the best around. He knows the instrument
like it's part of his anatomy. Completely focused and when called on for a solo he never disappoints.

The drummer was, as always with Champian, Fukushi Tainaka, as all good jazz drummers he hols the group together and when it's time for him to solo he has all the moves. His riffs always make "sense"
and he never loses you with unnecessary rhythm changes, he is a master at the swing that Champian loves.

Champian Fulton, The Garage.

The last two tunes of the night were, 'The Breeze And I" the title tune from Champian's great CD, and she jammed away on it, and she closed with a tune her mom said she sang as a little kid "It Don't Mean A Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing", and they did lots of swinging in the four hour jam.

Every member of this group lives for and loves JAZZ, and it shows.
Silky smooth, experienced, tight, and they work together as one very strong musical unit, get out and see them!

                          CD;    champian.net
         

Champian will be at;  Salt Creek Grill, Princeton, NJ... 4/27
                                     The Garage, NYC...5/11
                                     Cleopatra's Needle, NYC...5/14


by Pete Cataldo...follow Pete  www.twitter.com/petecarma