Sunday Session: January 20, 2019

Nicole Mitchell

Here's a roundup of various music-related items of interest that have shown up in one of StLJN's various inboxes or feeds over the past week:

* Why the ‘BlacKkKlansman’ score could (and should) earn Terence Blanchard his first Oscar nod (Los Angeles Times)
* A conversation with Bill Frisell: making music in 2019 and the upcoming concert in Fallon (NevadaCapitalNews.org)
* Javon Jackson Extends the Tradition (DownBeat)
* Winter Jazzfest 2019: 10 Best Things We Saw (Rolling Stone)
* Pitt names Nicole Mitchell as head of jazz studies department (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
* Carlos Santana on the Power of ‘The Mona Lisa,’ Today’s New Hippies (Rolling Stone)
* Q&A with Vibraphonist Joe Locke: Between the Heart and Mind (Jazziz)
* 'Green Book' Composer on Playing Mahershala Ali's Double: "My Life Prepared Me Perfectly" (Hollywood Reporter)
* Melissa Aldana & Sonny Rollins (Burning Ambulance)
* TIDAL ‘fake streams’: Criminal investigation underway over potential data fraud in Norway (MusicBusinessWorldwide.com)
* Threadgill Premieres New Composition at Cleveland Museum of Art (DownBeat)
* A History of American Protest Music: Come By Here (LongReads.com)
* Once a Year, Over 27,000 Elvis Fans Flood This Small Australian Town (Smithsonian)
* Double Vision: Winter Jazzfest Fosters Co-Led Ensembles (DownBeat)
* In Memoriam: Joseph Jarman (DownBeat)
* Nina Simone's 'Lovely, Precious Dream' For Black Children (NPR)
* Blue Note Launches Limited Edition Wall Art Series Of Classic Album Designs (UDiscoverMusic.com)
* Drummer Nate Smith’s Universe of Beats (DownBeat)
* Is Spotify’s Model Wiping Out Music’s Middle Class? (TheRinger.com)
* The economics of streaming is making songs shorter (QZ.com)
* Remembering jazz great Perry Robinson, Hoboken's 'most famous non-famous person in music' (NJ.com)
* REPORT: Winter Jazzfest Marathon Weekend in New York (London Jazz News)
* Legendary guitarist Reggie Young — key sideman to Elvis, Waylon, Willie and more — dead at age 82 (Memphis Commercial Appeal)
* Live Review: New York Winter Jazzfest 2019 (Jazz Times)
* Battle of the Ax Men: Who Really Built the First Electric Rock 'n' Roll Guitar? (Collector's Weekly)
* Different Ways To See And Be: The Lives Of Joseph Jarman And Alvin Fielder (NPR)

Three MAXJAZZ releases nominated for 2008 International Jazz Awards

Three CDs released over the past year by the St. Louis-based label MAXJAZZ have been nominated for 2008 International Jazz Awards.

* Trio Da Paz and Joe Locke's Live at Jazz Baltica is nominated for Outstanding Brazilian Jazz Performance in a Duo or Group/Instrumental.

* Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and his band WiRED's release Shock Value: Live at Smoke is up for an award in the category of Outstanding Performance of a New Artist – Vocal/Duo or Group/Instrumental.

* Trumpeter Terell Stafford's Taking Chances: Live at the Dakota is nominated for Outstanding Performance in a Live Album.

Intended as an annual event, the IJA makes its debut this year with a gala ceremony to be held Sunday, June 29 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. The show will be hosted by actor/comedian D.L. Hughley, and recorded for future broadcast. Nominees were based on Soundscan’s top jazz sellers, and will honor jazz in categories including Contemporary/Smooth, Traditional, Swing, Latin, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, Fusion and Dixieland.

MAXJAZZ releases new CD by Trio da Paz and Joe Locke

The St. Louis based MAXJAZZ label has released a new CD that teams Brazilian jazz group Trio da Paz with American vibes player Joe Locke. Live at JazzBaltica, which is out this week, documents a 2007 performance at the JazzBaltica festival in Salzau, Germany, and represents the first entry in what the label is calling its "band series".

Trio da Paz was formed in 1990 and consists of drummer Duduka da Fonseca, bassist Nilson Matta and guitarist Romero Lubambo, while Locke is known for his ability to tackle a variety of jazz styles from funk to free-form. You can hear some excerpts from Live at JazzBaltica via the eCard on the MAXJAZZ Web site.