June 16th, 2008
Recommended Reading: June 16, 2008
Well, I’ve dug about 80% of the way through this massive pile of online articles I had flagged to read over the past three weeks, and I’m still finding some gems. Here, once again, are some pieces worth your time…
2009 NEA JAZZ MASTERS
nea.gov | June 3, 2008
George Benson, Jimmy Cobb, Lee Konitz, Toots Thielemans, Rudy Van Gelder and Snooky Young are the newest NEA Jazz Masters—the highest honor bestowed on jazz artists by the United States government. Each honoree receives a $25,000 grant and will be honored in a special ceremony at Lincoln Center on October 17.
This is the 27th annual class of Jazz Masters, bringing the total count to 106. Congratulations, all!
NEA Jazz Masters Program »
Press release »
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CHRIS CONNOR INTERVIEW
jazzwax.com | June 2-6, 2008
I honestly haven’t paid much attention to jazz vocalist Chris Connor, who came up through the Claude Thornhill and Stan Kenton big bands before striking out on her own in the 1950s. Coming out of the Peggy Lee school of singing, Connor’s cool sound put her in the company of singers like June Christy and Julie London as she recorded for Bethlehem and Atlantic Records. Marc Myers conducted an extensive interview with Connor for his JazzWax blog, which kindled my interest and made me want to explore her catalog. Maybe it will do the same for you.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
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QUICK HITS
- A nice little profile of the Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society (San Francisco Chronicle, May 30)
- WBGO’s Josh Jackson looks at Dave Douglas’ Keystone project (NPR Music, June 4)
Recent reviews from the NY Times:
- Nate Chinen reviews Nicholas Payton at the Jazz Standard (New York Times, June 6)
- Ben Ratliff reviews Ben Wolfe at the Jazz Standard (New York Times, June 5)
- Nate Chinen reviews a Max Roach tribute at Iridium (New York Times, June 7)
Notes on the Return to Forver reunion tour:
- “Jazz great Corea returns to forever” (Marke Andrews, Vancouver Sun, June 5)
- “Returning to Forever was easy for bassist” (Larry Rodgers, Arizona Republic, June 8)
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