Breaking Jazz News & Opinion: June 2009

Anat Cohen plays Benny Goodman Josh Jackson reports from A Blog Supreme.	50,000 show up to hear Kenny G Reports of the death of smooth jazz exaggerated.
Maria Schneider in Confederation Park Peter Hum was on hand for the "staggering journey."	Weird instruments in jazz Anyone want to learn the serpent?
Oscars "best song" award will change Academy will now have 10 song nominees each year.	One for All tops the jazz chart Diana Krall falls to #7.
Talking with Esperanza Spalding Peter Hum poses five questions.	Arturo Sandoval at Jazz Alley Kevin Kniestedt offers a first-hand account.
Historic jazz ballroom destroyed Duke Ellington & Benny Goodman played at the Hub.	Aaron Copland and Star Trek Do the Math charts new musical genealogies.
Gripes about the Amazon.com jazz chart "Jazz has taken a back seat to the back seat."	Home town remembers Clifford Brown Ceremony held for trumpeter's 75th birthday.
Benny Golson learns from the young He thinks the younger musicians are "hungrier" than the older players.	A Johnny Mercer dozens Here are some classic moments featuring a few of Mercer's 1,500 songs.
Should we get rid of the word "jazz"? The Jazz Breakfast conducts a survey.	14 web sites that help you practice music Click, drag, copy and swing!
Kenny Burrell in Hollywood Devon Wendell reports on the proceedings.	The story of a timeless standard "Body and Soul" turns 80 next year.
Why jazz festivals stopped booking jazz A festival promoter tries to explain.	Furor over jazz sexism Debate continues on gender and jazz.
Nate Chinen on Michael Jackson Chinen finds links between the late King of Pop and bebopper Charlie Parker.	Jon Pareles on Michael Jackson How will he be remembered: gifted song-and-dance man or strange recluse?
Darcy James Argue on Michael Jackson A jazz musician offers his perspective.	Guide to 21st Century bebop Britt Robson says bebop still lives.
The music of Maria Schneider Frank Kimbrough provides a view from the piano bench.	Who killed the music industry? Danny Goldberg explores its "spectacular crash."
Michael Jackson dead at age 50 Singer suffers fatal cardiac arrest.	Lecturing on jazz in Kenya John Edward Hasse reports on his experiences.
Chris Potter tears up "All the Things You Are" at masterclass Check out this ten minute extract.	Forget 1959 . . . The great year for African-American music was 1921 Locust Street looks back.
Quincy Jones works on Broadway show Jazz & blues show will also be Pixar film.	Software can pick hit song songs But does it factor in the payola?
How to spend $338,000 on jazz in 48 hours Promoter scrambles with last minute grant.	Karrin Allyson at the Dakota Pamela Espeland reviews the performance.
In defense of Diana Nate Chinen shows his support for Ms. Krall	Five big band CD picks Taylor Ho Bynum offers some favorites.
Bachelor pad CD selections How many do you own?	Arts and sustainability Supporting the arts may not be enough.
Talking with Kurt Elling Bebopified shares an interview with the vocalist.	A forgotten jazz anniversary Alison Kerr remembers the centenary of Jabbo Smith.
Will Friedwald donates 14,000 albums The collection will go to two public archives.	Website converts chords to midi files Hear your tunes with a free web tool.
Metheny & Burton top airplay chart Diana Krall drops to the second slot. One for All takes third position.	Streisand takes a jazz turn First studio album in four years features Barbara Streisand with Diana Krall.
Should jazz be accessible? "We have a whole culture suffering from attention-deficit disorder."	Ethan Iverson talks with Tim Berne "The manger I was born in had a small, single bed. My whole family slept in that bed."
Quincy Jones in Shanghai Jones shares tales about Sinatra; says he wants to work with Chinese musicians.	What to do about jazz journalism The "profession sinks into a beckoning abyss of oblivion," according to Brilliant Corners.
We will skip the celebration for this anniversary Miles got into the news in '59, but not for Kind of Blue.	Fans increasingly asked to subsidize recordings Another label jumps on to the bandwagon.
Talking with Bob Brookmeyer JazzWax interviews the much admired trombonist & composer.	Singer credits near death experience Verve recording artist Melody Gardot believes her career was made by accident�literally.
Can Michelle save jazz? The Daily Beast notices jazz when it shows up at the White House. Maybe others will too.	ASCAP wants ringtone royalties Music industry claims a ringing cellphone constitutes "public performance"�and wants some money.
Black jazz writers share their stories Willard Jenkins continues his series with a dialogue with Eugene Holley.	What is the best looking sax? It's not just enough to sound good; the horn also has to look the part.
Ali Akbar Khan dead at age 87 Sarod master was considered a "National Living Treasure" in India.	McFerrin shines at Ornette's Meltdown Tony Dudley-Evans writes: "I find it difficult to capture in words how good that singing is."
4 steps to building a jazz community Scotty Wright reflects on how to strengthen jazz at a grass roots level.	Darcy's infernal buzz machine Matt Merewitz explains how bandleader's "overnight success" was built by 4 years of web-savvy work.
And he probably got $20 for the gig An eBay vendor is asking $16,999 for an acetate LP by clarinetist Jimmy Noone.	Would you pay $80,000 for a download? 4 music companies make an example out of a single mom from Minneapolis.
"I hate Coltrane!" A Blog Supreme shares tales of dads and jazz.	10 Latin Jazz Perspectives on Miles Davis Chip Boaz looks at some interesting cover versions.
GRP Records founder Larry Rosen blasts the music industry "The whole business model doesn�t work anymore."	Will Friedwald's West Coast jazz listening guide Here are 12 compact disks to start your collection.
Fred Kaplan critiques the JJA awards Kaplan offers his personal picks in each category.	Jazz and the class divide Is jazz an elitist music?
Karrin Allyson's KC homecoming She "sings in Portuguese improbably well for a person born in Great Bend, Kansas."	Talking with Christian McBride The bassist describes his new CD as "country and western, gospel, funk, R&B, the classic blues."
How much money is YouTube losing? Study estimates close to $500K lost each day.	Darcy James Argue covers Vision Fest His Secret Society blog reports on the event.
Monk is now a beer Jazz legend inspires an ale.	Monk is now a play The jazz pianist is still gracing the stage.
Who can handle this trumpet? Researchers resurrect an ancient 8 foot horn.	Listen to Vijay Iyer . . . on ESPN Jazz hides out in some strange places.
Diana Krall recaptures top chart spot Vocalist beats out One for All and Stanley Clarke.	JJA award winners announced Konitz, Rollins, Schneider honored.
Charles Mariano dead at age 85 The noted altoist died earlier this morning in Germany.	Jazz in the White House Ben Ratliff reports in The New York Times.
How musicians can snare fans on the web Peter Hum offers a guide to resources.	10 Twitter tools for musicians What to do when a tweet isn't enough.
Study shows aging of the jazz audience NEA study shows median age of jazz fans was 29 back in 1982; now it is 46.	Jazz Journalist Awards Annual awards event takes place at the Jazz Standard from 3PM to 6PM.
The 100 greatest jazz albums The "experts" at Amazon seem to be unaware that jazz existed before the 1950s.	"Giant Steps" played backwards You think you're hot, buddy? Then figure out how to play along with this solo.
Brad Mehldau sits in at the Vanguard Nate Chinen reports in his new blog The Gig.	Ernestine Anderson going strong at 80 The singer stands out at Rochester festival.
Would jazz benefit from a Secretary of Culture position? Marc Myers looks at the impact of a cabinet arts czar.	Poll: the cost of hiring a top-tier musician in your area It's not much.
Hollywood scorns the music business? The film industry views "people in the record business as some kind of inferior beings."	Duke's anatomy Midriff looks back at a pathbreaking jazz film score from fifty years ago.
8 smooth jazz CDs that won't embarrass you Okay, at least there is no Kenny G on the list.	Good vibes for gay jazz musician Gary Burton talks about being gay in the jazz world.
10 great jazz CDs you don't have Groove Notes offers some suggestions.	When Pat Metheny met Gary Burton Two jazz veterans reminisce.
Piracy makes music better BBC article suggests that bands play better because of music piracy.	Jazz guitarist dead at age 105 Huey Long played with Gillespie and Parker, but was best known as member of the Ink Spots.
Pat Metheny on harmolodics When a critic starts explaining it, watch out.	Branford's high school drummer Hey kids, forget SAT prep and work on that snare roll.
Rough times for smooth jazz This format may be in terminal decline.	Did jazz reach its peak 50 years ago? Yes, 1959 was a great year, but . . .
Five drummers whose time is now Ben Ratliff reports in The New York Times.	Give a jazz musician a hat Pamela Espeland offers hats for cats.
Jazz is a drug 1925 news story confirms your worst fears.	Jazz might be America's classical music Graham Collier agrees . . . or does he?
"How I got Miles Davis's clothes." Strange things happen if you hang out at thrift shops.	Jazz comes to the White House Michelle Obama's music series begins with jazz.
Ornette "curates" his own festival. Who does he choose for his London "Meltdown"?	Who is your favorite female jazz artist? Forum discussion dishes on distaff jazz.
Jazz is America's classical music? Graham Collier disagrees. Jazz's American-driven perspective is "getting perilously close to implying racism."	Playboy Jazz festival offers free concert in the park Diane Schuur, Ed Shaughnessy and Susie Hansen entertain the audience at the event.
The dirty side of the music business To get signed artists must share "their publishing, their merch sales, and even concert receipts."	Ethan Iverson teaches jazz slang The pianist with The Bad Plus offers a lesson to the million plus members of the English, Baby! web site.
Sax players with the most enviable tones Saxophonists discuss which players have sounds that they most covet.	Cannonball stretches the changes Have you ever heard Adderley play so free? And check out the smokin' band (literally and metaphorically).
Charlie Haden sabotages his own performance . . . But why? What in the world was going on at Haden's Yoshi's gig? (Second set was the same, check here.)	Indie release still holds top spot in the JazzWeek chart One for All is in first place followed by Allen Toussaint, Stanley Clarke & Diana Krall.
Jazz Times posts a note to its readers The magazine "temporarily" suspends operations; looks to sell assets.	Key to success for musicians Shaun Groves advises players to focus on fan relationships, not industry relationships.
Music industry battles computer buff Sony, Warner, Universal & EMI take on Spanish computer whiz Pablo Soto.	Musicians' movie talk Alison Kerr explores the connections between jazz singers and Hollywood films.
Kenny Rankin dead at age 69 The vocalist succumbs to lung cancer.	Dancing on the grave of IAJE Do many people share this blogger's opinion?
Is jazz "sleazy" music? Pianist responds to a journalist's colorful history of San Francisco jazz.	The top 100 Brazilian musicians This ranking is based on web citations. Would a US list of "most cited" names have as much talent?
The Memphis jazz mafia Night Lights showcases a different side of Memphis.	Talking with Dave Pell JazzWax interviews the West Coast bandleader.
Six gateway jazz CDs for rock fans Here is how to make the jump into jazz.	Black, Brown & Beige in Chicago Jon Faddis presents Duke's most ambitious work.
How to get a spider out of your sax Sax forum deals with an occupational hazard.	The curious power of eighth notes Not all eighth notes are created equal.
Why jazz magazines are doomed JazzWax asserts: "Monthlies simply aren't built financially to compete in the new world."	The jazz crisis from a free jazz angle "Those dinosaurs just got hit with a meteor and the climate changed. Me, I'm a friggin' cockroach."
Another jazz radio station in distress KCSM, the last full time jazz station in the San Francisco area, is in financial trouble.	E.S.T. bassist forms new band Berglund and �str�m go their separate ways after Esbj�rn Svensson's death.
The hottest trumpet ever Bring this to the jam session, and you will never need to fear another horn player.	Deejay schools thrive despite recession Enrollment is skyrocketing, and even hedge fund workers now want to spin records.
Are school jazz bands a health risk? Legislator wants instruments sterilized.	Jazz Times crisis confirmed Howard Mandel talks to a recently laid-off editor.
How much do jazz musicians get paid? Peter Hum wants to get to the bottom of jazz's most closely guarded secret.	Dead musicians launch MySpace pages Or their labels will do it for them . . . and�voila!�Miles now smiles.
Wynton Marsalis honored at Harvard . . . and blows his horn The jazz trumpeter receives honorary degree.	Did JVC Festival cancellation lead to Jazz Times demise? Rumors suggest that jazz dominoes are falling.
Jazz players who grunt . . . And the fans who love them.	How to tell if the jazz club is too loud Mike Metheny offers some hints.
Two music magazines shut down Radio & Records and Performing Songwriter are gone.	Is Jazz Times the next to fold? Howard Mandel reports on the rumors.
Koko Taylor dead at age 80 Taylor was a reigning diva of Chicago blues (check out some music here).	Sam Butera dead at age 81 Butera is best known for his work with Louis Prima (check out some music here).
5 ideas for saving the music business Jonah Bayer shares his suggestions.	There is only one Ray Charles The Jazz Video Guy shares an in-depth documentary.
How to take Miles Davis's photo JazzWax fills in the details.	Why they killed Smooth Jazz in SF Clear Channel responds to 6,400 unhappy fans.
Ways to improve Thelonious Monk Before Bruno, there was Hans Groiner.	Why celebrate Black Music Month? Paul Scott asks: "What is there to celebrate?"
Secrets of Satchmo for sale Journalist's daughter puts letters up for sale.	Indie label release still tops the chart One for All beats out Diana Krall.
When Benny Goodman became a bopper Night Lights looks at a forgotten side of Goodman.	Saving Lester Young's horn First, remove 56 years of rust.
Robot jam session in Japan General Motors declares bankruptcy, while Toyota does . . . what?	Hugh Hefner talks about jazz "It's the music of my youth." (Note: Mr. Hefner was born in 1926.)
How to play Free Jazz in the key of A Austin McBride again delivers the goods.	More hidden jazz downloads JazzWax offers another batch of neglected jazz gems.