SONG: James Cotton @ Lincoln Center 6/24

Blues Summit: James Cotton & Friends

Thu, Jun 24, 8:00pm - Rose Theater

Blues are the true facts of life expressed in words and song,” according to the late great blues icon Willie Dixon. Find out for yourself what the blues are all about in this special concert showcasing the greatest living blues harmonica master, James Cotton, and an all-star line-up of contemporary giants including the 96-year-old legend Pinetop Perkins and the always innovative Taj Mahal. In two distinct sets, one electric and the other unplugged, Cotton will be joined by reigning blues diva Shemekia Copeland, guitarist and Howlin’ Wolf alumnus Hubert Sumlin, plus Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Darrell Nulisch, David Maxwell, and others. (source)

SYMPOSIUM: Albert Murray @ Lincoln Center 6/17

A SYMPOSIUM
June 17, 2010 - 7 to 9 p.m.
Jazz at Lincoln Center - Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman Studio at Frederick P. Rose Hall

Panel Discussion to Celebrate Publication of Albert Murray and the Aesthetic Imagination of a Nation

Jazz at Lincoln Center will be hosting a symposium on Albert Murray, the subject of the upcoming book Albert Murray and the Aesthetic Imagination of a Nation. This is the first book of scholarly and personal essays on the work of a writer who was instrumental in the founding of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Born in Nokomis, Alabama, in 1916, and raised in Mobile, Albert Murray graduated from Tuskegee Institute (now University) in 1939. He later taught there and at many other colleges. He retired as a Major from the U.S. Air Force in 1962 and moved to New York City, where he resides with his wife, Mozelle, and his daughter, Michele. He is the author of many critically acclaimed books, including The Omni-Americans (essay collection, 1970), South to a Very Old Place (memoir, 1971), The Hero and the Blues (comparative critical essay, 1973), Train Whistle Guitar (highly acclaimed novel, 1974), Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie as told to Albert Murray (1986), and Trading Twelves: The Selected Letters of Albert Murray and Ralph Ellison (2000), among others. Murray is also the author of the hugely influential Stomping the Blues (1976), a history and aesthetics of jazz. Murray has served on the board of Jazz at Lincoln Center for many years. Albert Murray and the Aesthetic Imagination of a Nation is the first book of scholarly and personal essays on his work. (source)

SOUNDS: Terence Blanchard in NY thru 7/26

New Orleanian Terence Blanchard (jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, arranger, Golden Globe-nominated film score composer, and Artistic Director at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz) wraps up a week long stint at Jazz Standard on 7/26.

So nice, they had to do it twice!

In case you missed them last night, you can catch NOLA's Rebirth Brass Band today (7/9) at noon for a free concert as part of BAM's Rhythm & Blues Festival at MetroTech.

BAM says: One of the indispensable staples in the New Orleans music scene, Rebirth Brass Band is known for their vintage, tuba-driven style that incorporates funk, soul, jazz and hip-hop into a classic march-music repertoire. Formed in 1983, the band has gone from marching the streets of the French Quarter to playing sold-out shows around the world. Committed to maintaining the traditional “second line” style, Rebirth grants their heavy funk and irresistible groove a relevance that resonates with old-school fans and first-time listeners alike.