(aus dem Jazzinstitut Darmstadt)
12 January – 1 February 2023 | Ausgabe 02/2023 (English)

We read the morning paper for you!

Dear jazz friends,

The Jazzinstitut's JazzNews keeps you up-to-date with news of the jazz world, which we collect, summarize, and issue via e-mail about once a week. This service can also be accessed on our website (www.jazzinstitut.de), where it is updated on a daily basis.

If you need bibliographies of the musicians named in our JazzNews, please click on our website’s Jazz Index page. This is a bibliographical reference to jazz-related books, magazines, journals and other sources that you can access without charge. If you don't find the name(s) you’re looking for, feel free to e-mail us! We will send you Jazz Index digests of articles about musicians as they make the news.

Now, have fun reading about the jazz week that was!

... brief news ...

Chris Searle talks to flutist Nicole Mitchell about discovering the flute while searching through the radio for music of interest, about playing jazz in the street as a rebellion from classical music, about a Nigerian musician being her first mentor, as well as about her latest album with Tiger Trio on which she cooperates with bassist Joëlle Léandre and pianist Myra Melford (Morning Star Online). --- Der Jazzkeller in Frankfurt, Germany, is probably the oldest jazz club in Europe still in existence. Wolfgang Sandner looks back at more than 70 years of music activity that was crucial for the young Frankfurt jazz scene of the 1950s and 1960s, that was musical home for trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff, and that attracted and attracts international guests from Louis Armstrong through Dizzy Gillespie and Chet Baker. Sandner can only hint at some of the many stories, but is clearly happy that the tradition goes on (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).

On their centennial, Lewis Porter listens to King Oliver's famous 1923 recordings with his Creole Jazz Band and fellow cornetist Louis Armstrong (Playback with Lewis Porter). Porter also listens to some early recordings by drummer Gene Krupa with McKenzie and Condon's Chicagoans as well as with bassist Thelma Terry, a rarely mentioned member of the legendary Austin High Gang, a recording which, suggests Porter, very likely has the first vibraphone passage on a dance band recording (Playback with Lewis Porter).  --- Rene Zipperlen talks to pianist Uri Caine about his Jewish upbringing, about a mix of classical music and Hebrew songs he grew up with, about not quite feeling at home in the Radical Jewish Culture scene he was part of in the 1980s, as well as about some of his classical projects approaching the music of Gustav Mahler, Richard Wagner and Johann Strauß (Badische Zeitung).

Karl Leitner hears the Dave Douglas Quintet at Birdland in Neuburg/Germany (Donaukurier). --- Spike Wilner has started a fundraiser to help drummer Victor Lewis who is suffering from a neurological issue that has lost him the use of his legs (Go Fund Me). Vinnie Sperrazza appreciates Victor Lewis' influence and listens to his four solo albums (Chronicles).

Mike Shaw talks to bassist Neal Starkey about his many decades on the jazz scene, first in Schenectady, New York, and since 1969 in Atlanta (Atlanta Journal-Constitution). --- In his series on "Every Film Clip of Charlie Parker", Lewis Porter focuses on silent film footage of Bird filmed in 1950 and gives some background on how impresario Norman Granz and photographer Gjon Mili hoped to recreate the success of Mili's earlier short film "Jammin' the Blues" from 1944 (Backstage with Lewis Porter).

Maria Godoy talks to German physicist Theo Geisel about the secrets of swing which he analyzed by focusing on synchronization between musicians when they try to create swing in jazz (NPR). --- Mauretta Heinzelmann talks to pianist Béla Meinberg, vibraphonist Christopher Dell, saxophonist Gebhard Ullmann, trombonist Lisa Stick and composer Maria Schneider and about decision-making processes in jazz during improvisation (NDR).

Ane Hebeisen talks to Swiss promoter Fabio Baechtold (BeJazz festival in Berne) about the openness of jazz, about the jazz scene in Switzerland today, its venues and current trends, about jazz as a method of social distinction or jazz as the new punk, about gender equality and whether women sound different from men (no!), as well as about this year's program of the festival BeJazz (Thuner Tagblatt). --- Alexis Amitirigala celebrates Swiss drummer Jojo Mayer on the occasion of his 60th birthday (SRF).

On the occasion of his 80th birthday, Richard Scheinin talks to saxophonist Billy Harper about thinking to become a singer when he was a child, about his mission still being "to make a mark in the creative music world", about growing up in Houston, Texas, about struggling after he moved to New York in 1966, about playing with Art Blakey and Lee Morgan, and Scheinin also talks to some of Harper's collaborators such as drummer Billy Hart, saxophonist T.K. Blue, and pianist Francesca Tanksley (New York Times). --- Alison Harford talks to saxophonist Alison Shearer about her start in jazz, as well as about her debut album "View from Above" released last year (Moab Sun News).

Horst Peter Koll talks to German pianist Joachim Kühn about the challenge of playing duo concerts, about the recent death of his brother, clarinetist Rolf Kühn, about living in Ibiza, as well as about planning to quit performing after his current tour (Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger). Stefan Michalzik hears German pianists Joachim Kühn and Michael Wollny in a duo concert at the Alte Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung). And reading all of this we enjoyed a 1978 TV documentary on Joachim Kühn by Manfred Eichel (NDR). --- John McWhorter remembers "Shuffle Along", the 1921 Broadway musical by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle as one of the first Black Broadway shows and suggests that its success must have inspired composers like George Gershwin or Vincent Youmans to add a jazz sensitivity to their music (New York Times).

"Jugend jazzt" is the name of an influential competition encouraging young musicians both on a regional and a national level in Germany. On 20 January the President of the Federal Republic invited musicians from several federal states as well as representatives of the jazz scene and the Jugend jazzt initiative for a concert at Schloss Bellevue (the president's residence) in Berlin (Budespräsidialamt). --- Teddy Jamieson listens to a radio show on which Diana Melly talks about her open marriage with British singer George Melly in the 1960s and 1970s (The Herald).

Lewis Porter continues his series on the "avant-garde" harmonies of pianist Art Tatum (Playback with Lewis Porter). Lewis Porter also comments on an unknown first audio interview by trumpeter Chet Baker from 1954 (Playback with Lewis Porter). And Lewis Porter shares a funny story about a Thelonious Monk interview Dutch journalist Bert Vuijsje attempted in 1964 for a Time story that landed the pianist on the magazine's cover (Playback with Lewis Porter). --- Sam Walton attends a concert exploring the connection between Chicago jazz label International Anthem and London's Total Refreshment Centre (DJ Mag).

Götz Steeger celebrates vibraphonist Gary Burton on the occasion of his 80th birthday (Deutschlandfunk Kultur). --- Chad Davis talks to saxophonist Kendrick Smith about his initiative to support the St. Louis region's jazz scene (St. Louis Public Radio). --- George Varga reports about Stanford University acquiring the Bram Dijkstra Black Music Collection just 11 months after a signed agreement with San Diego State University imploded (The San Diego Union-Tribune).

Deidra Funcheon talks to saxophonist Marcus Strickland (Axios). --- Canadian singer Kellylee Evans is happy about her new mobility scooter (CBC). --- Michael J. West talks to trumpeter Thad Wilson about the 25th anniversary of his Thad Wilson Jazz Orchestra (Washington City Paper).

Peter Tonguette talks to trumpeter Wynton Marsalis about jazz and democracy (The Columbus Dispatch). --- Mark Judge writes about jazz and democracy as well, in memory of journalist and jazz enthusiast Stanley Crouch (Washington Examiner)

Ash Lohmann talks to guitarist Josh Moore (Arizona Daily Sun). --- Aaron Klein learns that the St. Ingbert Jazz Festival (Germany) will be discontinued (Saarländischer Rundfunk). --- Ken Lester reports about a lawsuit concerning the legendary Oakland jazz club and restaurant Yoshi's (Oakland Side).

Obituaries

We learned of the passing of British guitarist Jeff Beck at age 78 (Rolling Stone, New York Times), British promoter Dick Knowles at age 86 (The Guardian), German trumpeter Udo Moll at age 57 (SWR), photographer Herb Snitzer at age 90 (Tampa Bay Times), Australian vocalist Renée Geyer at age 69 (The Guardian), Austrian composer Richard Oesterreicher at age 90 (Salzburg 24), French saxophonist Marcel Zanini at age 99 (France Info), German banjo player Jürgen Hintsche at age 79 (Hamburger Abendblatt), Danish singer Susi Hyldgaard at age 59 (Seoghoer), discographer and Duke Ellington expert Marcus Girvan (Ellingtonia), German promoter Helmut Viertl at age 86 (Passauer Neue Presse, BR-Klassik), German trombonist and pianist Hermann Breuer at age 80 (BR-Klassik), trumpeter Rasul Siddik at age 73 (Trompette Actus), singer Carol Sloane at age 85 (WBGO), as well as guitarist Dennis Budimir at age 84 (SNBC). --- More current obituaries can be found on Andrey Henkin's website Jazz Passings.

From the World of Jazz Research

CfP: Music Theory & Artistic Research
University of Music Freiburg (Germany), 22-24 September 2023

This Call for Papers invites contributions, which discuss the following thematic areas, especially concerning the relationship between music theory & Artistic Research: Philosophy of science, history of music theory as well as institutional framework and developments in music theory; Didactics and methodology of music theory and ear training; Performance studies and historically informed performance practices; Improvisation/improvised music practices, past and present; Jazz and popular music; New music/contemporary composition and computer music Free contributions are also welcome (Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie).

Last Week at the Jazzinstitut

Destination Unknown: The Future of Jazz

The selection process has begun. After the call for papers is over we are now putting together a possible schedule for this fall's 18th Darmstadt Jazzforum conference on "The Future of Jazz". We will try to have views from many different perspectives, scholars, musicians, promoters, journalists, and while we are sure that we will not be able to really predict "the future" of jazz we at least hope to identify some fields in which the art form stands out and will continue to stand out. We will roll out more details in the weeks and months to come and we plan to present a preliminary conference schedule at JazzAhead (in late April). Mark your calendar already as for the conference dates: 28-30 September 2023. The Darmstadt Jazzforum will again be hybrid, i.e. you can attend either in person and view the livestream.

More infoformation can be found on our website (Destination Unknown) together with a corresponding blog that outlines some of our own thoughts on the subject. And if you are curious about the atmosphere, about the depth and intensity of conversation, look up our YouTube channel for the last Jazzforum (YouTube), or browse the website of our publisher who documented all of our 17 previous conferences (Wolke Verlag, Jazz).

DAzz festival: The Clarinet Trio, Kancha Lanka Koalition; Knarf Röllem Arkestra

DAzz is over, a local festival connecting the many different venues for jazz in Darmstadt, and the audience was back. At the Jazzinstitut we held our 142nd JazzTalk, a concert plus conversation in which Gebhard Ullmann, Jürgen Kupke and Michael Thieke talked about the idea behind The Clarinet Trio's latest project and the challenges of their instruments (Darmstädter Echo). Trumpeter Richard Koch brought the Kancha Lanka Koalition to the Jazzinstitut's concert space, and the Knarf Röllem Arkestra together with the Woog Riots celebrated Sun Ra in a concert at HoffART Theater. Out video installation "Behind DAzz" at the Jazzinstitut's gallery about visions of and for Darmstadt-based venues will eventually be shown online.

Current opening hours of the Jazzinstitut

The Jazzinstitut is open to the public by appointment. We also offer research help by phone, e-mail or video-call. If you would like to schedule a video call, please send an e-mail to make an appointment and give us an idea what you want to talk about. We will then reply with a link for a Webex video session for your meeting.

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Jazzinstitut Darmstadt
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The Jazzinstitut is an institution of the City of Sciences Darmstadt | Das Jazzinstitut ist eine Einrichtung der Wissenschaftsstadt Darmstadt