THE JAZZ CHILL CORNER JAZZ CONNECT CONFERENCE AT APAP/NYC, JANUARY 9-10, 2014

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1. JAZZ CONNECT CONFERENCE AT APAP/NYC, JANUARY 9-10, 2014
2. NEW RELEASES - RAY BRYANT TRIO, BOBBY CALDWELL, MOREIRA DA SILVA
3. NEW RELEASES - ROSS MCHENRY, DJALMA FERREIRA, THE MARGOTS

JAZZ CONNECT CONFERENCE AT APAP/NYC, JANUARY 9-10, 2014 Posted: 07 Oct 2013 07:26 AM PDT The Jazz Connect Conference at APAP|NYC 2014, organized by JazzTimes in conjunction with the Jazz Forward Coalition, announced the tentative schedule of events for one of the largest gatherings of the professional jazz community. The conference will be held January 9-10, 2014 at the Hilton New York Hotel in New York City and will feed into the annual APAP (Association of Performing Arts Presenters) Conference as well as Winter Jazzfest. Continuing the momentum from the January 2013 event which tripled to over 1,000 registrants, the Jazz Connect Conference in 2014-based on feedback from attendees-will feature a series of essential workshops, panels and events held over the course of two days. Early Bird Registration is only $75 until October 31, with additional discounts offered to members of various organizations. Registration is free for APAP members, although they must pre-register. With a theme of "The Road Ahead" the conference will again bring together a wide cross-section of the jazz community for 12 workshops and 5 plenary sessions, on topics such as: "Navigating Social Media"; "The Role of Education in Presenting Jazz"; "The New Paradigm for Record Labels"; "Cutting Through the Clutter"; "Jazz Grantmaking"; "Expanding the Language of Jazz"; "Getting to the Gatekeepers in the Jazz Media"; "Give to Get: Growing Your Fan Base with Online Content" and other timely and engaging subjects. Moderators and panelists include an impressive cross-section of artists and professionals. The keynote speaker will be announced soon. New this year will be a networking session enabling emerging artists and professionals to connect and get informed input on their own careers and operations. "We noticed that attendees appreciated the opportunity that Jazz Connect offered to network with each other and meet colleagues face-to-face and so we decided to program a session that facilitates that interaction," says Lee Mergner, publisher of JazzTimes and one of the conference's organizers. "It seems that social media can only take you so far in establishing relationships in the community." The schedule reflects the input from and collaboration with numerous organizations such as JazzWeek (radio programmers), Jazz Education Network, All About Jazz and the Jazz Journalists Association, each of whom will host workshops or panels during the conference. In addition to incorporating the involvement of various organizations, the sessions also include a wide range of voices in and out of the jazz community. Peter Gordon, co-founder of Jazz Forward Coalition says that the new theme for the Jazz Connect Conference is all about the jazz community looking forward. "There has been a vibrant re-emergence in the sense of community for jazz," says Gordon. "By providing a forum for this shared passion coupled with top professionals guiding us with their deep knowledge base, we hope to arm everyone with tools and strategies to thrive in the coming year. Working together we have a collective intelligence that is unstoppable for the road ahead." By popular demand, Jazz Connect will again include a session topic suggested by the jazz community at large. Interested parties can submit their ideas for a panel or workshop via e-mail to jazzconnectnyc@gmail.com. The Jazz Connect conference is organized by Peter Gordon of the Jazz Forward Coalition and Lee Mergner of JazzTimes, with assistance and input from over a dozen industry professionals. The conference has received the support of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters organization, which hosts the world's leading forum for the performing arts every year in New York City. JazzTimes is the official publication for the event. For more information about the Jazz Connect conference, you can e-mail jazzconnectnyc@gmail.com or visit www.jazz-connect.com. To pre-register for the conference, go to the website. To reserve a table-top display or to advertise in the Conference edition of JazzTimes, contact Miene Smith at 617-706-9092 or msmith@madavor.com. Attendees can get a special discount at the host hotels for the APAP|NYC conference, but must go through the APAP|NYC website. About the Association of Performing Arts Presenters The Association of Performing Arts Presenters, based in Washington, DC, is the national service and advocacy organization dedicated to developing and supporting a robust performing arts presenting field and the professionals who work within it. As a leader in the field, APAP works to effect change through advocacy, professional development, resource sharing and civic engagement. APAP is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization governed by a volunteer board of directors and led by President & CEO Mario Garcia Durham. In addition to presenting the annual APAP|NYC conference-the world's leading forum and marketplace for the performing arts (Jan. 11-15, 2013)-APAP continues to be the industry's leading resource, knowledge and networking destination for the advancement of performing arts presenting. About the Jazz Forward Coalition The Jazz Forward Coalition (JFC) is a consortium of industry leaders focused on enhancing jazz's vitality and cultural relevance for audience development. JFC is focused on developing programs and platforms to support its two central themes of advocacy and infrastructure. By providing a global voice, JFC will cultivate opportunities to motivate growth for current and future generations to expand jazz's cultural footprint. On the web at www.jazzforwardcoalition.com. About JazzTimes JazzTimes is America's preeminent jazz magazine providing irreverent, uncompromising and often provocative coverage of the American jazz scene. Relying on an award-winning editorial staff, JazzTimes encompasses special themes, directories, comprehensive news reports and an extensive music review section. JazzTimes is a must-read for the jazz enthusiast. On the web at www.jazztimes.com.

NEW RELEASES - RAY BRYANT TRIO, BOBBY CALDWELL, MOREIRA DA SILVA Posted: 07 Oct 2013 07:23 AM PDT RAY BRYANT TRIO - CON ALMA Pure genius from Ray Bryant – the kind of a record that few other players could ever hope to cut, and a fantastic demonstration of Ray's extremely soulful approach to the trio format! Bryant's working here with Bill Lee on bass and Mickey Roker on drums – in a triple-burning setting that has all players contributing equally to the groove – and often working strongly to create a great sense of counterpoint in the rhythms. Roker's drums are magically playful throughout – snapping and skipping along the top of the snare in a way that only furthers the rhythmic agenda of Bryant's piano. And Lee's bass has a laidback and mellow delight – one that rings out alongside the keys of the piano, and fleshes them out with some additional depth and color. The title track is a brilliant reading of "Con Alma", and the set also features Bryant's famous tune "Cubano Chant" – as well as the titles "Autumn Leaves", "Milestones", "Ill Wind", and "C Jam Blues". (Blue Spec CD.) ~ Dusty Groove BOBBY CALDWELL - LIGHT MELLOW The title certainly gets it right – and the set's way more than a "greatest hits" collection of work by Bobby Caldwell – and a massive batch of some of his best numbers of the 70s and 80s, all flowing together beautifully with a sweet little Free Soul vibe! The 20 track package features a few familiar Caldwell numbers, but also includes some really wonderful gems pulled from the deeper catalog of his albums over the years – tracks that are often eclipsed next to the hits, and which show the depth of his talents in a blue-eyed soul mode, and how strongly his work kept on going well into the 80s! There's a warmly compressed sound to most numbers that perfectly fuses jazz and soul – and titles include "Come To Me", "All Or Nothing At All", "Mazatlan", "In The Name Of Love", "Don't Ask My Neighbor", "Never Loved Before", "Open Your Eyes", "Coming Down From Love", "Sherry", "Love Won't Wait", "Words", and "Jamaica". ~ Dusty Groove MOREIRA DA SILVA - ANOS 50 A great collection of vintage work from Brazilian singer Moreira Da Silva – including a fair bit of tracks originally only issued as 78rpm singles! The collection features two CDs' worth of material from 78s, plus the full album O Tal from later in the decade – but even that is presented with a whole heck of a lot of bonus tracks too! The package is an excellent counterpart to the 60s box of Moreira's music – and shows an even more charming, more compelling version of the singer – working in lively samba arrangements that are heavy on percussion, and really illustrate the raw energy of Brazilian music in the pre-bossa years. The set features 48 tracks in – remastered with a sound that's as colorful as the image on the cover! ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES - ROSS MCHENRY, DJALMA FERREIRA, THE MARGOTS Posted: 07 Oct 2013 07:18 AM PDT ROSS MCHENRY - FIRST OCEANS Ross McHenry's debut solo album - Distant Oceans - features twelve mighty tracks that dance and weave along the styles of jazz, hip-hop and many more experimental sounds. Ross is an ARIA (Australian Record Industry Association award) nominated composer, producer and bass player whose diverse body of work carefully walks the line somewhere between instrumental jazz and the current wave of post-Dilla producers. His previous projects (including The Shaolin Afronauts) have seen him tour worldwide and led to him taking part in 2010's Red Bull Music Academy (where he met label-mate kidkanevil amongst others). Ross McHenry's debut album Distant Oceans brings together six of the world's foremost musical innovators for the first time on record. The ensemble features one of the most exciting and in demand producers and keyboardists in the world today, Mark de Clive Lowe, the rhythmic foundation of renowned NZ ensemble Electric Wire Hustle, Myele Manzanza, multi-instrumentalist and composer Adam Page and leading Australian instrumentalists Dylan Marshall, Jon Hunt and Luca Spiler. DJALMA FERREIRA - DRINK EM SAO PAULO ERTC ANOS 60 Totally cool, totally wonderful – and a massive set of hardly-heard work from Brazilian keyboardist Djalma Ferreira! Djalma's a name that's not nearly as well-known in the states as Walter Wanderley – but he got his start well before Walter, working in some 50s modes that were mighty darn cool – before exploding even more strongly here on a sublime set of albums from the 60s! Djalma's got a sense of playfulness about his keyboard work – always changing up not just his phrasing of the notes, but also the settings of the organ as well – creating these cool sounds and groovy notes that explode out differently on each new tune – in ways that go far past the usual bossa organ modes, and bring in a host of other Brazilian styles too. The range of sounds in the set is breathtaking – and the package begins the decade with albums cut with the Milionarios Do Ritmo – including the albums Convite Ao Drink (1960) and Drink Em Sao Paolo (1961) – then moves onto some with larger arrangements – the records Combinacao Insuperavel (1962) and Baile De Formatura (1962). Things then swing into the groovy Week End In Rio (1964), the sublime Brazilliance Of Djalma (1965), and the rare US album Help Yourself To The Brazilliance Of Djalma (1969). All albums come with original artwork and great sound – all on CD for the first time ever! ~ Dusty Groove THE MARGOTS - PESCADA A really unique blend of jazz and vocals – and a great start for this really unique group! The Margots is a collaboration between vocalist Adrienne Pierluissi and jazz musicians Ken Vandermark – who co-wrote the music on the set, and handles all the arrangements too! Pierluissi hails from Milwaukee, but has this amazing style that reminds us of some of our favorite Brazilian or European singers in recent years – an approach that's as artful as it is swinging, and graced with this sense of phrasing that really makes her lyrics stand out – quite a statement, given that the group also features reeds from Ken Vandermark, guitars from John Dereszynski, and drums from Tim Daisy! There's definitely an echo of the best recent Brazilian modes on some of the best tracks – and the record also features some cool string backing on a few numbers too. Titles include "Mr Altruistic", "Grey", "No La Sabia", "Husbands", "Echoes Of Memory", "Anda", and "Pescado". ~ Dusty Groove