Goes All-Jazz
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
notes The Monthly Newsletter of JazzErie January 2009 Vol. 15, Issue. 1 14 Years Serving the Jazz Community SAVE THIS DATE WMCE MERCYHURST • • • • Valentine’s Day • • • • GOES ALL-JAZZ • Sat., February 14, 8:00 PM • by Bob Protzman, Contributing Writer for a date with your sweetie to hear the Erie area jazz fans could hardly have asked for a better holiday Robin McKelle Quartet at the D’Angelo gift than the announcement that Mercyhurst College radio station Performing Arts Center. WCME (88.5 and 104.9 FM) is going jazz – all jazz. When WCME officially drops its current classical music and Tickets: mixed genre format in favor of 24/7 jazz, it will put Erie in the Gold Circle.........$40 radio big leagues with major cities such as New York, Chicago, (includes a reception Los Angeles, New Orleans, Dallas, Atlanta, Philadelphia and with the performers.) Detroit. The Mercyhurst station, which will now be called “Jazz Adult..................$35 FM, Erie’s Jazz Station,” already has a full jazz schedule posted on its website (www.ErieRadio.com) and will begin carrying some of Senior/Student...$30 those programs sometime between Christmas and January. Youth........ ........$15 The goal, says station director Michael Leal (pictured Mercyhurst Student at right), is to be (with ID)..............$10 broadcasting jazz fulltime This event is in February. When that co-sponsored by happens, Jazz FM will JazzErie. offer 161 hours per week of jazz – nirvana for jazz lovers. That compares McKelle has found her voice in the American Songbook, with the 19 hours of jazz as evidenced by her latest CD “Modern Antiques” (available on – all of it at night, and iTunes.) She has sung with her quartet at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s mostly on weekends – on Club Coca-Cola, has performed with the Boston Pops, and is WQLN-FM 91.3, Erie’s currently completing a whirlwind three-month European tour. National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate. Leal Ed Goebel, JazzErie President, spells out an additional revealed his plans in incentive to come and enjoy: “Mercyhurst has made this concert a October to some members fund raiser for JazzErie. Each ticket JazzErie sells to it’s members of WQLN management, or the general public will earn JazzErie $10! These funds will who he says expressed support. Asked for a reaction, Tom New, help us continue to bring world class jazz musicians to Erie. Vice director of creative services at WQLN, said, “I’m excited about President Ted Ely and his wife Georgiana will lead this effort. the addition of jazz on Mercyhurst radio. I think anything that Please contact them at 814.218.0861 to but tickets or help in promotes jazz in the community is a good thing.” this effort.” ...continued on pg. 6 For More Information: www.jazzerie.com JAZZ ERIE DIXIE DOODLERS NAMED HOUSE JazzErie is a com- BAND FOR ERIE BAYHAWKS munity of music lovers and musicians and, a member- Dick Sertz, President of ship organization dedicated Erie’s new NBA Development to sharing with children, Team, the Erie Bayhawks, has adults and one an-other an awareness and love of named Don Haener’s Dixie music, particularly jazz. JazzErie brings Doodlers as the official band of toget-her people who want to listen to jazz, the Bayhawks. The Doodlers learn about it, play it and just live it. will play for all home games at the Civic Center, beginning Check out our website at with the inaugural which www.jazzerie.com for complete was on December 11. The information on current and upcoming events. Bayhawks are affiliated with both the Cleveland Cavaliers 2007-2008 Board of Directors and the Philadelphia 76ers. The current Doodlers lineup includes Bill Beggs on drums, Don Haener, trumpet President................................. Ed Goebel and leader, Kent Tucker, trombone, Stan Bialomizy, clarinet, and Stan Yopek, Vice President ............................. Ted Ely Treasurer ..............................Liz Scarpelli keyboards. The band is working on an original theme song/chant for the Bayhawks. Directors Sertz was the originator of the annual High School Tournament at Gannon Joe Curlett Robb Hoff University, one of the major high school tourneys in the U.S., and has long hired the Charles Lute Al Lubiejewski Doodlers to provide music for that event. Bill Flannegan, Prep Director of Athletics, is John Marzalek Scott Meier the new president of the high school event and has already scheduled the Doodlers for Carl Hultman Sheldon Peterson the four games at Gannon on Friday and Saturday, January 16 and 17, 2009. Allen Zurcher Mary Watson Dick Thompson John Kytic Paul Bates Kathy Danielson JAZZERIE 2008-09 May (date TBA): The Next Past Presidents Generation, 7:30 p.m., location TBA; David F. Van Amburg 1994-1995 PERFORMANCE $5. High school jazz stars of tomorrow (Founding President) SCHEDULE: present great ensemble work and solos with area tutors. Atty. Al Lubiejewski 1995-1997 Sat., Feb. 14 (Valentine’s Day): Virginia M. Pelkowski 1997-1999 Vocalist Robin McKelle Quartet. JazzErie is still working on additional R. Patrick Rodgers 1999-2002 Award-winning jazz singer will provide Spring events. For further information as the season develops: www.jazzerie.com Steve Eidell 2002-2003 a song-filled evening for you and your and JazzErie News Notes, Erie Times- Tom McLaren 2003-2005 sweetie. D’Angelo Performing Arts Center, Mercyhurst College, 7:30 PM. News Showcase. Carl Hultman 2005-2008 Co-sponsored by JazzErie. Adults $35, JAZZERIE NOTES is published monthly Seniors and students $30, Youth $15, This project was supported by the Pennsylvania by JazzErie which is a subsidiary organiza- Mercyhurst students $10. Council on the Arts, a state agency, through its tion of the Erie Art Museum, regional arts funding partnership, March 14: Singers Night, 8 p.m., East Pennsylvania Partners in the a nonprofit organization. Erie Turners, 829 Parade St.; $15, $10 Arts (PPA). State funding JazzErie Notes for members; $5, students. Program will for the arts depends upon an feature local vocalists Joe Dorris, Marty annual appropriation by the Editor - Dick Thompson Commonwealth of Pennsylvania published by O’Conner, and Paula Holmes backed by an all-star combo, plus the General and support from the National The Erie Art Museum for JazzErie Endowment for the Arts, a federal printed by McLane High School Jazz Ensemble, agency. PPA is administered in PIP Printing West directed by Bruce Yates. Admission for this region by the Arts Council 2825 West 26th St. • Erie, PA 16506 adults $15, $10 for JazzErie members, $5 of Erie. for students. Deadline is the 15th of each month. Send articles to: April (date TBA): Local bassist JazzErie is a grateful Harry Jacobson and ensemble explore [email protected] recipient of support the history of the bass in jazz, 8 p.m., or Box 8833, Erie, PA 16505 Walker Recital Hall, Mercyhurst; $15, from the Arts Council $10 for members; $5, students. of Erie. Page 2 JazzErie Notes Armstrong was the first great rhythmically LOUIS soloist in jazz. New Orleans style jazz and have (Dixieland) is based largely on the softened accents ARMSTRONG concept of collective improvisation. In on syncopated By Dr. Allen Zurcher other words, each member of the band rhythms. It in the front line is improvising at the should not same time during the course of a given be confused performance. As a result no single with the genre soloist or member of the band is more of music prominent than any other. Although associated with there were individual solos in New jazz, popular Orleans style groups, the emphasis was from 1935 – 1945 known as ‘Big Band on collective improvisation. Armstrong Swing’ or just ‘Swing’. led two very important groups in New Although ragtime is highly York City in the mid 1920s called ‘The syncopated it has more in common with Hot Five’ and ‘The Hot Seven’. Up to marches played by bands such as John this point Armstrong had been a sideman Philip Sousa’s than jazz as we understand in various groups led by trumpeter Joe it. Armstrong took the syncopated ‘King’ Oliver. Armstrong’s groups played rhythms from ragtime and smoothed them what would be considered Chicago style out by using softer accents. This had the Dixieland, where the emphasis was effect of making ragtime rhythms and more on solo improvisation rather than syncopations much less regimented and collective improvisation. stiff. Armstrong further refined the ‘feel’ It is generally acknowledged by jazz It’s important to point out that there by making the length of the first eighth historians that Louis Armstrong is the are no authentic recorded examples of note in a group of two slightly longer single most important figure in early jazz. New Orleans style Dixieland Jazz, as than the second. This altering of length Virtually every jazz musician can trace the first recordings were done in 1917 gave the melodies he played a ‘lilting’ or their influences back to ‘Pops’ regardless in New York and Chicago by a group of ‘floating’ feel not found in New Orleans of what their current influences or white New Orleans musicians known as style jazz. Finally, Armstrong sang and stylistic preference may be. The Original Dixieland Jazz Band. New played melodies which sounded ‘late’ Orleans style jazz had been evolving in compared to the same melody played in As with Armstrong, people who New Orleans since around the turn of the a ragtime or march style. This had the are given the moniker of ‘Legend’ often century, and its musical predecessors; the effect of further relaxing the ‘feel’ of the take on a ‘larger than life’ persona. blues, ragtime and brass band music well music. Although ‘Laying back’ or ‘back Unfortunately in the transformation from before that.