NEA Jazz Master Gerald Wilson's Latest Release "Legacy" on Mack Avenue Records

Three generations of Wilson men - (l-r) Eric Otis, Anthony Wilson, Gerald WilsonGerald Wilson has probably seen, heard and done it all many times over.  He began his long and fruitful career back in 1938 as a trumpeter and arranger for the Jimmie Lunceford orchestra. Amazingly, he also played and arranged music for a "who's who" of the big band era: Benny Carter, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie. 

Over a career that spans 70+ years,  he has lead his own bands and continues to be a prolific composer, arranger and educator.

On 21 June 2011, Mr. Wilson released his fifth album on Mack Avenue Records entitled Legacy.

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1st Look - Trumpeter Etienne Charles' New Album "Kaiso" + 2011 Tour Dates!

“A daring improviser, Charles also delivers with heart-wrenching lyricism” - Jazz Times

“…had strength and a clear, almost classical sense of thematic organization.” - New York Times

Etienne Charles - KaisoEtienne Charles is a young Trinidadian trumpeter on a musical, cross-cultural mission. His debut album, Culture Shock (2006), features a unique mélange of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and straight-ahead jazz.

In 2009, Etienne released Folklore, an enticing album of original music. The music employed jazz improvisation and harmony with folk rhythms and chants inspired by the African experience of Trinidad & Tobago.

This time around he explores Caribbean songbook classics on the album entitled Kaiso, which will be on sale next Tuesday, 12th July 2011.

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A Jazz Graphic Novel About Eric Dolphy on Kickstarter.com!

A project centered around multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy was brought to my attention over the weekend by @theMacVA on Twitter!

This kickstarter fundraising project combines two things that I enjoy passing my time with - graphic novels and jazz. :)

About the Project: 

Kevin H. Brown's plan is to self-publish a 74-page book, a sort of interpretive Eric Dolphy biography. He's researched Dolphy’s life for some time, and has read everything about him that he has been able to get his hands on. Kevin would like to tell his story the way he sees Dolphy—as a musical prince.  He decided to draw the novel in a style reminiscent of the great album covers from 40s and 50s. Artists like David Stone Martin and Ben Shahn were an inspiration to him. 

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Top 50+ Jazz Albums for the Week of 4 July 2011

Pat Metheny - What's It All AboutThis is the weekly US/Canada radio airplay list from JazzWeek.com.

Want to see stats regarding how many radio stations played your favorite album or how much it moved up or down the chart from last week? Click here to find that information out. 

 

It's another week of mostly reissues and imports. You can click here to check them out. New music on sale Tuesday, July 5th from Nick Colionne and Phil Woods and Bill Mays.

 Click on any of the red links to hear/get the music on Amazon.com. 

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