Quarter Notes P.O. Box 329 Somers Point, NJ 08244 609‐927‐6677 Volume 1, Issue 2 Summer, 2011 Jim Bonar, Co‐Editor & Design America’s Greatest Contribution! Tim Lekan, Co‐Editor Paul Jost, Special Guest Columnist “Jazz critics have questioned my validity as a read how Tony acquired his love for jazz and jazz artist, and I don’t label myself as one. But the blues and what experiences led him to personally I love jazz more than any other form come off the road and settle in the Atlantic City of music. It’s spontaneous, honest, and natural. area. Every civilization is known by it’s culture, and Our area is developing a reputation of being a jazz is America’s greatest contribution to the place where jazz artists can come to get the world, and I’ve always surrounded myself with appreciation and respect they deserve. Come jazz performers because they understand that Inside this issue: on out and be part of it because these artists the moment is the most important thing: they Jazz@thePoint 2011 Picto‐ 2 need to create in a live concert environment improvise, they reinvent the music every night.” rial and to get feedback from an intelligent and ‐‐‐Tony Bennett, The Good Life 1998 caring jazz community. Suzzette Ortiz 4 That’s one of the best living interpreters of the Great American Songbook talking there. It’s The Blue Moon Brewery Sittin’ In—Paul Jost 5 July and each July 4th we gather together to celebrate America’s declaration of independ‐ Summer Jazz Series ence and watch fireworks, a symbol of military Keepers of the Flame— 6 battles to gain our independence from England. July 10, 2011 (8:30–11 PM at Gregory’s Restau‐ Tony Day At the same time, we, the jazz community cele‐ rant) Romp (electric Miles sextet) featuring brate the musical manifestation of the great Todd Horton, trumpet; Bob Howell, saxo‐ American experiment. Each time we come to‐ phone; Frank Strauss, keyboards; Pete Mcrae, A Little Bird Told Me... gether to attend a live jazz event, we both cele‐ guitar; Chico Huff, bass; Vic Stevens, drums brate and fight an ongoing battle to ensure that (Overheard by our sax‐playing August 21, 2011 (8:30–11 PM at Gregory’s Res‐ jazz survives and maintains its status as taurant) The Suzzette Ortiz Latin Jazz Quartet seagull) “America’s greatest contribution to the world.” September 18, 2011 (8:30–11 PM at Gregory’s For this summer’s issue of the newsletter, we Restaurant) The Tony Day/Teddy Royal Quar‐ focus on the jazz artists, that elite group Tony tet Bennett holds in such high esteem. How about a pictorial overview of the mini‐jazz Woodstock that took place this past March in Somers Listen and Learn Point? The beautiful photographs taken by pho‐ Education series sponsored by Somers Point tographer and drummer Tom Angello capture Jazz Society and Ocean City Free Public Li‐ artistry in action. Check out the smile on Ignacio brary: Berroa’s face! Then read about pianist Suzzette Sunday July 17th, 2011 at 2pm Ortiz’s trip to New Orleans with her students The Music of The Blue Note Years with The and how she juggles her day job as an educator Hassan Abdullah Quintet. with her night job as a performing musician. Sunday July 24th, 2011 at 2pm Then read on as Paul Jost describes the feeling The Music of Art Blakey with The Eddie Mor‐ of being in “the zone.” If you were there for the gan Quintet Thursday night birthday bash at Sandi Pointe, you saw Paul deep in the zone and he took Sunday July 31st 2011 at 2pm The Music Of saxophonist Mary Lou Newnam out there with Dave Brubeck with The Michael Pedicin Quar‐ him. Rounding out this summer issue is an in‐ tet depth profile of one of our area’s musical treas‐ Get there early because the last series was ures, drummer/band leader Tony Day. You can usually SRO! Page 2 Quarter Notes Cape Bank Jazz @ the Point 2011 The pictures that follow were taken during the Cape Bank Jazz @ the Point 2011 festival this past March by professional pho‐ tographer, jazz drummer, and Somers Point Jazz Society board member Tom Angello. Tom brings the knowledge of jazz and rhythm and also the photographic artistry to capture a musical moment and create a visual statement. Tom will be behind the drum kit this summer on Thursday nights during the “Tim Lekan and Friends” series at Sandi Pointe. Michael Pedicin (foreground) Michael Moore (background) Edgardo Cintron Orrin Evans Joe Magnarelli (left), Ralph Bowen (right) Continued next page Page 3 Quarter Notes Ignacio Berroa Richie Goods Yotam Silberstein Eric Alexander Joanna Pascale Larry McKenna Continued next page Page 4 Quarter Notes Suzzette Ortiz: Night and Day By Jim Bonar Some of us know Suzzette Ortiz as the virtuoso piano cornerstone of the Karen Rodriguez Latin Jazz Ensemble. Some of us remember hearing the beautiful composi‐ tions she played with her quartet and also Theo Primas’ group Mysterious Traveler at Chicken Bone Beach concerts. Or we heard her rousing piano with the Latin jazz fusion supergroup Ella y Amigos years ago. But did you know Suzzette is also an extremely dedicated and award winning (including Wal‐Mart Teacher of the Year 2007) educa‐ tor and choral director at Creative Arts Suzzette Ortiz High School in Camden? Not unlike risky musical improvisation at fast tempos is the delicate balance of a combination of knowl‐ edge, energy, and passion required to keep is so important to the development of jazz, scholarship as a result of his audition dur‐ these two careers thriving. as well as to our nation’s history, and with ing the visit. ” the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, our na‐ Suzzette Ortiz, educator, believes that What a great story, set in the city that tional debate about who we are right now. travel is an important part of her students’ many of us in the jazz community hold so This account of the trip on the Creative overall development, so she works hard to close to our hearts. When I read about it, I Arts High School Web site describes this arrange opportunities to bring them all was filled with admiration for the people once in a lifetime educational experience: over the world. In 2003 and 2004, she took who could put something like that to‐ “The students marched through the French a group of students to participate in Ve‐ gether. Suzzette recently reflected on the Quarter, celebrating the official naming of rona, Italy's international vocal competi‐ path she has chosen: Congo Square, visited the famous Treme tion. 2005 included a trip to at the Heritage district, paraded to Jackson Square and “People ask me ‘how can you manage to Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico and 2006 finished with a mouthful of Café du keep a day gig and a night gig?’ Simple‐‐I a performance tour of Ghana, West Africa. Monde's famous beignets. From a histori‐ have to pay my mortgage! However, after This year, as part of the Creative Arts High cal standpoint the students visited places 25 years of teaching vocal music I have School Music Department, Suzzette trav‐ that were affected by Dr. Martin Luther found that my day gig not only pays my eled with her students to New Orleans to King Jr., Rosa Parks, Louis Armstrong, as bills but it also enriches my spirit. Yes, at participate in the 2011 Heritage Festival at well as Hurricane Katrina. One chilling mo‐ times it is very difficult. Working with the University of New Orleans. The stu‐ ment was a visit to the Katrina Memorial in teens is no piece of candy. The truth is dents competed with national and interna‐ the Lower 9th Ward. Our students turned that not only do I love them, I love to see tional high school students and won 19 the hollow tubes of the memorial into an what happens after hard work. My day gig awards. Because Creative Arts High School instrument whose sound resembled an helps me be a better performer.” students won the highest number of African Balaphone and emanated a beauti‐ awards and earned the highest scores in a Suzzette Ortiz’s visit to Somers Point Sun‐ ful sound that rang out through the single school, the Heritage Festival day evening August 21 as part of the Blue neighborhood. Our students had a mini‐ awarded the school the Sweepstakes Tro‐ Moon Brewery Summer Jazz Series at college tour and visited the University of phy. Gregory’s will be a chance to see and hear New Orleans and the Alabama State Uni‐ not only a brilliant jazz pianist and com‐ Suzzette and the other music department versity campuses where one of our stu‐ poser, but also one of the beautiful peo‐ group directors on the trip took full advan‐ dent was awarded an additional $5,000.00 ple on the jazz scene in New Jersey today. tage of the opportunity to visit the city that Page 5 Quarter Notes Sittin’ In By Paul Jost cloth. And while there are many paths When creating, there’s often an inspired available to us, I’ve experienced no better moment that clicks in as though a door course toward peace or a unified feeling of opens onto a place filled with endless pos‐ love, connectedness, appreciation, humility sibilities, all somehow within reach. and gratitude, than when creating within There’s a smoother more flowing gear of an unencumbered art; not ego‐less, but focus as time flexes, expanding and con‐ also not ego driven; an art that embraces tracting in such a way that minutes and the perfect combination which supports hours seem indistinguishable.