Idris Ackamoor and Artistic Being
featuring Frederick Harris

(Photo: Lars and Lorraine Speyer)

March 20, 2010
SATURDAY
Two Shows, 7 pm and 9 pm

Plaza Arts Center / Healdsburg Center for the ARTS
130 Plaza Street, Healdsburg
(707) 431-1970

“Ackamoor’s name might now be spoken with the same hushed reverence afforded such other cosmic travelers as Alice Coltrane, Don Cherry & Pharaoh Sanders.”
Jefre Cantu-Ledesma,  Urim and Thumim Web review

The performance repertoire will be original compositions of Ackamoor and Harris as well as world music, the new age sounds of flutes, mbiras, bells, invented instruments, and other meditative and spiritual jazz sounds inspired and influenced by John Coltrane, Cecil Taylor, Pharaoh Sanders, Alice Coltrane, Art Ensemble of Chicago, and Sun Ra.

This is free concert, so reservations are suggested. For reservations call, 707 431-1970 between 11 am – 5 pm. Walk-up will depend on space availability.

“His [Ackamoor's] compositions incorporated intercontinental and cosmic sources, opening passages into boundless periods and locales, each one seemingly unearthed from futuristic sarcophagi.” - Sam Ada, Fader Magazine

For more information on Artistic Being, visit culturalodyssey.org/artisticbeing.

Happy Hour, a virtuosic collective acclaimed for its unique three-horn sound, will donate the proceeds of its February 5 concert at the Jazzschool in Berkeley to support Haitian Relief Efforts.

“We have all been shocked and overwhelmed by the unspeakable devastation in Haiti,” says the group’s bassist Peter Barshay. “Many of us have donated money to the relief operations already, and many of us would also go down there to help if we could. The need for assistance continues. To that end, the musicians in Happy Hour have agreed to contribute our efforts by donating proceeds from our upcoming concert at the Jazzschool.”

Happy Hour consists of bassist Barshay plus Erik Jekabson (trumpet, flugelhorn), Mike Zilber (saxophones), John Gove (trombone), and Jeff Marrs (drums). Special guests for the February 5 performance will include Linda Tillery, Faye Carol, Art Lande, Susan Muscarella, Mark Levine, and Dayna Stephens, with others still to be announced.

The show starts at 8:00 pm at the Jazzschool, 2087 Addison Street (near Shattuck Avenue), Berkeley. Tickets are $18 ($15 for Jazzschool students),  available online at this page.

“We want to have a truly great evening of music,” says Barshay, “giving people a chance to come by and hear some terrific players while supporting the crucial Haitian relief efforts of Sionfonds, Doctors Without Borders, and Partners in Health, organizations doing vital relief work on the ground in Haiti.”

 A full 100 percent of proceeds will go to the aforementioned organizations. A representative from Sionfonds for Haiti will be on hand to explain their project and answer questions.

“Finally, in lieu of asking audience members to turn their cell phones off,” says Barshay, “we plan to ask everyone to turn it on, as we’re accepting donations by text message!”

Trio 3

(oliver lake/ reggie workman/ andrew cyrille)

When: Tuesday, November 3
Where: Flying Goat Café
324 Center Street, Healdsburg
Time: Two Shows 7pm and 9pm
Cost: Tickets, $25.00 (available now)

Healdsburg is once again very fortunate to be able to experience in a very intimate setting an all-star partnership of jazz masters, with the group Trio 3.  In an extremely rare West Coast tour, Reggie Workman, Oliver Lake and Andrew Cyrille will be performing November 3 at the Flying Goat Café in Healdsburg, as part of a tour which includes Santa Cruz, the San Francisco Jazz Festival and Earshot Jazz Festival in Seattle.

Trio 3 is a group where music is the leader. The unconventional collaboration of internationally recognized jazz masters, Oliver Lake (multi-reeds), Reggie Workman (bass) and Andrew Cyrille (drums), formed to unify the members’ creative energies and promote a single governing principle: organic improvisation. Everyone is a distinct soloist, but it’s definitely an unadulterated group-based effort. Open to infinite possibilities, Trio 3 mixes and explores different sound colors traversing the whole vocabulary of jazz to take the music toward the future.

Hear samples of their music with this MySpace player. (Please wait for it to load.)

And what a glorious jazz vocabulary they have! Collectively, the group  spans over 130 years of jazz history have playing with playing with pivotal artists of jazz and modern music including John Coltrane, Mary Lou Williams, Herbie Mann, Art Blakey, The World Saxophone Quartet, Lou Reed, Richard Muhal Abrams, Cecil Taylor and more.

Deeply rooted in tradition, these jazz veterans describe their sound as “futuristic music within the idiomatic continuum of jazz.” Like musical alchemists, Trio 3 boldly carries the music forward spinning 3-dimensional jazz, reconfiguring jazz conventions of compositions, harmony, meter and melody.

Trio 3 is also a band without borders. According to Lake, “None of us assumes the positions of a drummer or of a saxophone player or drummer. We’re one third of a unit that makes music and we’re each capable of taking responsibility at the time that it is needed to make that music. With that in mind and with that kind of mind our music becomes unique.”

As so it is with Trio 3 – leaderless and borderless, freely taking flights of fancy from ragtime to no-time, fiery rapid-fire ostinatos to slow blues and modal vamps, mixing original compositions with traditional jazz, blues, bebop and beyond – with their audiences along for the ride.

» Tickets available now! By phone at 707 433-4644

» More info on the web at TrioThree.com

The latest addition to the jazz line-up in Healdsburg comes from a young talent still in high school. Kai Devitt-Lee, who’ll be a junior at Healdsburg High next fall, will be showing off his still-developing skills on jazz guitar at the Palette Art Café on alternate Sundays this summer. (Update: Kai has been upgraded to weekly appearances at Palette, every Sunday this summer.)

Kai Devitt-Lee (Eugenia Morrison photo)

Kai, still only 15 years old, has been playing guitar for about 4 years, though he showed early musical aptitude as a pre-schooler. His father, Martin Lee, made sure there was a piano in the house when young Kai started picking out tunes by ear, and formal piano lessons started at the age of 8.

But Kai began to focus his talent on guitar when he was 11, and his aptitude took off rapidly. Within a couple years he was playing with informal jazz combos, and when he got to Healdsburg High music director Randy Masselink encouraged his interest. He’s now student-in-charge of the Jazz Combo, a sextet that provides a showcase for high school musicians.

Randy Vincent, a well-known area jazz guitarist, has been a mentor and teacher for Kai. But not only jazz floats Kai’s boat – he’s also a developing flamenco guitarist, under the tutelage of Mark Taylor. In fact Taylor may sit in with Kai at the Palette, possibly either on second guitar or playing the cajon, a box-like percussion instrument. Kai’s flamenco music will be showcased this summer at Manzanita Restaurant (336 Healdsburg Ave., 433-8111) on Saturday evenings, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

Palette Art Café (235 Healdsburg Ave., 433-2788) started their Sunday Brunch menu a couple weeks ago, and Kai will play every Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m, from July 12 to August 23, and possibly beyond that if all goes well! Come for the food, stay for the music, and welcome Healdsburg’s newest jazz talent, 15-year old Kai Devitt-Lee.

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Summer in Sonoma County. . . Prime time for Jazz! The Festival is over, but the jazz never stops in Healdsburg. July brings new visitors to town and old friends come back to find the best in real jazz, Thursday-Saturday in the heart of the wine country. Newest addition to the jazz scene in town is the Murphy-Goode tasting room, just west of the Plaza on Matheson Street. Their Friday evening jazz and wine shows begin at 5:00 pm, what some might call “Happy Hour.” Spend the first evening of your weekend by relaxing your cares away with the Fumé, Island Block Chardonnay or Liar’s Dice Zinfandel, among their other offerings. Check out their schedule below or online here. And of course this month has still more music at Palette Art Café, and the Hotel Healdsburg Lobby. Let’s get started: Thursday Jazz at the Palette Art Café 235 Healdsburg Ave. Healdsburg, CA 95448 Palette Art Café is located behind the La Crema Tasting Room on Healdsburg Avenue, half a block south of the Plaza. Call (707) 433-2788 for more information or visit www.paletteartcafe.com. The Café Jazz Series is presented by the Palette Art Café and the Healdsburg Jazz Festival every Thursday, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. – No Cover. “Come for dinner, stay for the jazz!” Thursday, July 2 The Nerio DeGracia Mambo Jazztet     Enjoy the spicy sounds of Latin Jazz from this traditional ensemble of area musicians. ”Strictly Mambo” for listening and dancing or just tapping your feet! Featuring Nerio DeGracia on vibraphone and timbales, with Robert Rios (bass), Vincent Foraci (congas) and Sanjay (piano). Thursday, July 9 Khalil Shaheed Quartet These top Bay Area musicians are Healdsburg favorites, and always deliver an exciting night of bebop and blues. Come early if you want a seat, word-of-mouth on this great combo guarantees a full house. Khalil Shaheed leads on trumpet, with Glen Pearson (piano), Ron Belcher (bass) and Savannah Harris (drums). Thursday, July 16 Ian Scherer Trio   Check out this guitar-focused trio performing classic jazz and Latin pieces “for your dining and dancing pleasure”… or just come by for a glass of wine and an earful of great music. Featuring Ian Scherer (guitar), Chris Amberger (bass) and Paul Spina (drums). Thursday, July 23 Matt Morrish Quartet: Tribute to Eddie Harris     The quartet will play Harris’ original music as well as standards and popular songs popularized by the Chicago saxophonist. Lead by Matt Morrish on sax, the band includes Wil Blades (organ), Jack Tone Riordan (guitar) and Brandon Etzler (drums). Thursday, July 30 Randy Vincent Quartet A rare concert with the full quartet while vibraphonist Tyler Blanton is visiting from New York. The band will be playing many of the original tunes by Randy Vincent (guitar) and Tyler Blanton (vibes); with Chris Amberger (bass) and Alex Aspinal (drums). “Goode Fridays” at Murphy-Goode Location: 20 Matheson St. Healdsburg, CA 95448 The Murphy-Goode tasting room is located just west of the Healdsburg Plaza, on Matheson Street. Call (707) 431-7644 or visit www.murphygoodewinery.com for more information. The Goode Fridays jazz series is presented by Murphy-Goode Winery and the Healdsburg Jazz Festival every Friday, 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Musicians put their best sets forward for the tasting room crowd. July 3: Shea Breaux Wells Quartet July 10: Jaz Sawyer and the High Society Quintet July 17: Rhonda Benin Quartet July 24: Noel Jewkes and Chris Amberger Duo July 31: Tyler Blanton Trio Weekend Jazz at the Hotel Healdsburg Location: 25 Matheson St. Healdsburg, CA 95448 Jazz in the hotel lobby Friday and Saturday nights, 7:30 to 11:00 p.m. For more information call (707) 431-2800 or visit on the web at hotelhealdsburg.com. Enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine while listening to some of the Bay Area’s finest jazz musicians, usually in duo and trio combinations. Friday, July 3 Si Perkoff and Gary Digman Duo Piano and Acoustic BassSaturday, July 4 Terry Henry Trio with Bill Fouty and Bill Moody Piano, Acoustic Bass and Drums Friday, July 10 Steve Rubardt and Peter Barshay Duo Piano and Acoustic BassSaturday, July 11 Noam Lemish Trio with Miles Wick and George Marsh Piano, Acoustic Bass and Drums Friday, July 17 Stephanie Ozer and Chuck Metcalf Duo Piano and Acoustic BassSaturday, July 18 Chris Amberger Trio with Grant Levin and Jimmy Gallagher Piano, Acoustic Bass and Drums Friday, July 24 Susan Sutton and Bill Fouty Duo Piano and Acoustic BassSaturday, July 25 Chuck Metcalf Trio with David Udolf and Alan Uhren Piano, Acoustic Bass and Drums Friday, July 31 Ken Cook and Steve Bennett Duo Piano and Acoustic Bass More from the Healdsburg Jazz Festival Coming soon: Summer Jam, showcasing our local talent. A special summertime event supporting music education in our area schools. Sunday, Aug. 2 — watch the website for details! Festival Syrah still available: You can still enjoy a classic Rhone blend created by Artiste Winery for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, a 2007 Russian River Syrah. 50% of the net profits benefit our organization. More details here. Online music store: This is the place to order CDs by the artists of the 11th annual Healdsburg Jazz Festival. Purchase the music you love with this secure Amazon e-store on our site at this page.

artistic director : jessica felix

First Lady supports jazz education

Jazz fan Michelle Obama

Jazz has a big fan in the White House — Michelle Obama. The First Lady proved her affection for and committment to what she called “America’s indigenous art form” (where have we heard that before?) by hosting a Jazz Studio at the White House on Monday, June 15, where she called jazz “America’s greatest artistic gift to the world.”

About 150 middle and high school jazz students performed at the gathering in the East Wing, after participating in jazz workshops led by jazz musicians such as the Marsalis family — pianist Ellis, trumpeter Wynton, saxophonist Brandon, and drummer Jason Marsalis. The seminars focused on the influence American history had on jazz, improvisation through jazz styles, and the influence of Duke Ellington.

Wynton Marsalis leads a student jam

“Today’s event exemplifies what the White House, the people’s house, should be about. This is a place to honor America’s past, celebrate its present and create its future,” Obama said in a speech. “And what better example of this is than jazz, America’s indigenous art form.”

She continued, “There’s probably no better example of democracy than a jazz ensemble; individual freedom but with responsibility to the group.”

Many of Obama’s comments restated the goals of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival’s Education Program , long a key component of the organization’s committment to the community.

Read related story on the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Brazilian guitarist, composer
Toninho Horta shares his music

Brazilian jazz great Toninho Horta

Where: Palette Art Café
235 Center Street (Behind La Crema tasting room)

Date: Monday,  June 1, 2009
Time: 3:30 – 5:30 pm
Tickets: Limited availability
$75.00

Experience a rare opportunity to learn from a great living master of Brazilian jazz, Toninho Horta. This is truly a very special educational event, a chance to meet and talk with Toninho about his way of playing, his style of improvising his compositions.

Vocalists are welcome, and other musicians can bring their instruments — guitars, flutes, harmonicas, horns, drums, whatever – to the class, as there may be a chance to play with Toninho at the end of the two-hour class.

Toninho will talk about his background; explain about his way of playing, his style of improvising and talk about his compositions. He will also review his guitar left and right hand techniques.

The Toninho Horta Trio with special guest Airto will headline the “Stars of Brazil” show on the previous day, so ears will be perked and blood will be primed among musicians for this master class.

Here’s what Pat Metheny has to say about Toninho Horta: “Through his work with Milton Nascimento, his own recordings and the cover versions of his tunes that have appeared on various albums throughout the past decade or so, Toninho has emerged as one of the most harmonically sophisticated and melodically satisfying Brazilian composers of recent times.

“Somehow, he writes chord progressions that defy gravity, moving up when you think they’re going down. His melodies stay with you for days; you’re sure you’ve heard them before, but they are brand new. And as an arranger, he’s a master, moving up when you think they’re going down. His melodies stay with you for days; you’re sure you’ve heard them before, but they are brand new.”  (For more, visit Toninho Horta’s MySpace page).

This two-hour class begins promptly at 3:30 at the Palette Art Café, with  a special lunch menu is available for class participants starting at 2:30.  The lunch special costs $15 and includes a sandwich of your choice: Turkey Club, Chicken Pesto or Veggie Club, a glass of wine, beer or soft drink, and a side of soup or salad.  (Please pre-order. We will contact you by email after registration about this option.)  Coffee drinks will be available as well.

The Healdsburg Jazz Festival is very fortunate to have Toninho Horta bring his music to town for the 11^th annual festival, and doubly fortunate that he is willing to share his knowledge and love of the music with us in this intimate setting. “I am looking forward to meet all friends together,” he tells us.

For more information phone (800) 838-3006 or email the Healdsburg Jazz Festival.

Wine that makes an impression

We’re proud to be the best jazz festival in the wine country – some might say the only real jazz festival in the wine country, untainted by commercial cross-over headliners. But we’re not complaining. In fact, we’re celebrating with our own wine!

Thanks to the creative juices (sic) flowing at Artiste Winery, you can now enjoy the first ever Healdsburg Jazz Festival wine, a 2007 Russian River Syrah, and 50% of the net profits  benefit our organization. The wine is a classic Rhone blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Grenache, from the Russian River estate vineyards of Frank Carrubba and Phillip Staley.

Familiar names? Frank Carrubba is our loyal chairman of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival organization, and is often seen at the Festival events helping perfect the sound system. Phillip  Staley has been growing and making wines in Sonoma County for over 25 years, focusing on Rhone grapes grown in the Russian River appellation.

Artiste Winery is a relative newcomer to the Healdsburg scene, with its winery and tasting studio at 439 Healdsburg Ave., just north from Cousteau Bakery. But the winery has been around for years, getting its start in Santa Barbara county with a location in Historic Old Town Santa Inez.

Why ‘tasting studio’? Each of Artiste’s wines are labeled with expressionist paintings, many by contemporary artists who have been commissioned or licensed to create a new work of art for each bottling.

The winemaker of Artiste is Bion Rice, whose family opened the Provençal-style winery Sunstone in Santa Inez 25 years ago. Bion’s own obsession is with blending wines from different vineyards to create what he calls “impressionist” wines —  ”infinitely beautiful cuvees that are much more than merely the sum of their parts,” as he puts it. For the 2007 Russian River Syrah, both Phillip Staley and Bion Rice share winemaker credit.

Click to download coupon

Only two barrels were bottled to 48 cases by Artiste Winery exclusively for the festival. 50% of the net profits from the sale of this limited edition wine will go directly to the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Adorning the first annual label is local artist Robin Escher’s painting found on this year’s program and poster, “The Song That Is #2″.

And here’s the best news of all. The retail price tag on the wine is a modest $24, but with the coupon and discount code on this page you can get 10% off. Somehow this makes a good wine even better, yes?

To learn more about the special wine that Artiste has created for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, visit this page online.

And remember that Artiste Winery is the scene of one of this year’s Jazz & Wine Pairings during the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, from 4 – 6 pm on June 6. For more information on the pairings, visit this page.

Mission Accomplished!

Today Operation Jazz Band finished their week in Healdsburg by playing in concert before all SIX fifth grade classes: Fitch Mountain Elementary, St. John School, Alexander Valley School, Geyserville School, Westside Elementary School, and Sonoma Country Day School! About 200 students in all filled the Raven Theater in Healdsburg to hear what Operation Jazz Band really sounded like.

During the past week Operation Jazz Band, led by Babatunde Lea, had broken down into the main sections of a jazz band: drums, rhythm, horns, and vocals. Those sections then visited all six schools to demonstrate their instruments, discuss the history of jazz, teach the different forms of jazz, and introduce the children to basic musical concepts. Criss-crossing the town every day, two teams of musicians in caravans dashed from one classroom to the next entertaining the kids and getting them introduced to their musical art form, the one true American musical art form: jazz.

This was the ninth year for Operation Jazz Band, sponsored by the Healdsburg Jazz Festival. This year Operation Jazz Band members were:

• Babatunde Lea: band leader, drums, and percussion
• Clairdee: vocals
• Ken French: piano accompanist
• Dave Bass: piano
• Gary Brown: acoustic bass
• Angela Wellman: trombone
• Khalil Shaheed: trumpet
• Richard Howell: saxophone

As mentioned, the musicians took to the stage as a full band all together to play for the children. The kids, having become acquainted with the musicians in the intimate settings of their classrooms, greeted them as they took to the stage with screams and raucous applause akin to the screaming teen girls meeting The Beatles at JFK!

All week long the musicians prepped the kids to not only listen to jazz, but to participate as well. Babatunde Lea took to the stage with his call-and-response chant in Yoruba (from Nigeria, and presented phonetically):

“Ah-go ee-lay ah-go! Ah-go ee-lay ah-go! Ah-go ee-lay ah-go YA! Ah-go ee-lay ah-go YA”

… all the while keeping the beat on a shekere. Then the band launched into an vibrant take on Dizzy Gillespie’s “Birk’s Works”:

Then the band brought the lovely Clairdee onstage to the roars from the kids, and she cooled the children down a notch with a wonderful version of Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies”:

Highlights for the kids include audience participation; Dave Bass had taught the kids Ray Charles’ version of “Hit The Road Jack”, with boys and girls singing the parts appropriately! Clairdee got the whole audience singing “Let The Good Times Roll”, and then brought up a select group to join her in free-form scat:

With our culture in full gear to the future, our children often do not get introduced and familiar with so much of our cultural history such as art, music, and literature. Mainstream media focuses on the here and now, with radio pretty much focusing on the hear and now. Many kids only know about jazz as background music for car commercials or guys in Ray-Bans and berets. Operation Jazz Band is unique to Healdsburg, and to-date thousands of kids have been introduced to the musicians who perform jazz for a living, hear jazz from swing to Afro-Cuban to bebop, and come to understand that it is part of their musical heritage that they can embrace and enjoy.

Next Friday is the 11th Annual Healdsburg Jazz Festival Gala Dinner, Dance, and Auction at the Vintners Inn in Santa Rosa. This annual Gala raises money to fund Operation Jazz Band and other jazz education programs sponsored by the Healdsburg Jazz Festival. Please come, enjoy a wonderful dinner, dance to great jazz, and bid high and often – knowing your dollars will help our children know and appreciate jazz.

Every Friday & Saturday Night: Hotel Healdsburg Lobby
The Healdsburg Jazz Festival and Hotel Healdsburg present jazz in the hotel lobby every Friday and Saturday night.  Come relax and enjoy a mixed drink or glass of wine while listening to some of the Bay Area’s finest jazz musicians in duo and trio combinations. No cover – 7:30 to 11:00 p.m.

Visit the Hotel Healdsburg online or See this page for more info

Friday, May 1
Dick Conte and Steve Webber Duo
Piano and Acoustic Bass
Saturday, May 2
Lee Charlton Trio with Greg Hester and Steve Webber
Piano, Acoustic Bass and Drums

Friday, May 8
Stephanie Ozer and Cliff Hugo
Piano and Acoustic Bass
Saturday, May 9
Noam Lemish Trio with Miles Wick and George Marsh
Piano, Acoustic Bass and Drums

Friday, May 15
John Simon and Rob Wright
Piano and Acoustic Bass
Saturday, May 16
Bennett Roth-Newell Trio with John Norris and Danny Kendrick
Piano, Acoustic Bass and Drums

Friday, May 22
Chris Amberger Trio with Grant Levin
Piano and Acoustic Bass
Saturday, May 23
Terry Henry Trio with Bill Fouty and Bill Moody
Piano, Acoustic Bass and Drums

Friday, May 29
Ken Cook and Cliff Hugo Duo
Piano and Acoustic Bass
Saturday, May 30
Chuck Metcalf Trio with David Udolf and Alan Uhren
Piano, Acoustic Bass and Drums

Don’t forget the 11th annual Healdsburg Jazz Festival starts the last weekend of May, too.  See the Complete Schedule.