APRIL 2008   WINNING SPINS BY GEORGE KANZLER Two prolific pianists on the Big Apple jazz scene, both of whom have formidable technique but choose not to flaunt it, are represented in this chapter of Winning Spins. Pete Malinverni, the younger (becoming 51 this month), re-examines the quintet format after recent solo, trio and gospel choir recordings. Mike Longo, who turned 69 last month, returns to the trio format after recent big band outings. Malinverni's Invisible Cities (Reservoir) was inspired by the novel of the same title by Italian writer Italo Calvino. Malinverni mixes his own city-based originals with standards evoking cities, with the able assistance of Tim Hagans, trumpet; Rich Perry, tenor sax; Ugonna Okegwo, bass, and Tom Melito, drums. "I Love Paris" kicks off the CD on a blast of Latin-charged swing, a horns prelude setting up Malinverni's almost funky, hard-bopping piano statement of the melody and an equally pulsating solo with horn interludes leading to a Perry tenor sax solo that sidles into the tune obliquely, then establishing dominance before piano takes over and wraps it up. "New Orleans - Cities and Desire" is a slow dirge with muted trumpet quoting a phrase from "Cry Me A River" in case you don't get the point. The Mississippi leads right up to "Chicago," jagged harmonies from the horns framing an asymmetrical Malinverni solo that gnaws on phrases before the tenor sax takes over in a similar vein. "Venice" begins as a jazz piano etude, then sails into a tarantella by the quintet. "Cities and Time" takes the concept of "plastic time/ relative swing" in a polyphonic direction, with the piano and horns, bass and drums repeating an alternating 3-5 ostinato. Leonard Bernstein's "Lonely Town," from "On the Town," brings out the lyrical side of Malinverni and Perry, as does a later ballad, "Salem - Hester Prynne," with the pianist's most romantic solo. "Istanbul," despite a theme partly in Latin rhythms, is more gnarly hard bop than Turkish séance, with a very boppish trumpet solo. "There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York" is all jaunty swing, horns and piano sharing the melody. Malinverni's recent work with gospel choirs is referenced in the traditional hymn that closes the album, "A City Called Heaven," memorable for the leader's and bassist's evocative solos. Longo's Float Like A Butterfly (CAP) is dedicated to the memory of Oscar Peterson, with whom the 20-something Longo studied back in the 1960s. "Tenderly" was one of the first Peterson recordings Longo heard, and here he pays explicit homage to Peterson in both his piano solo prelude and mid-tempo trio bounce with very OP flourishes. Providing perfect accompaniment throughout the CD - and collaboration at appropriate times - are bassist Paul West and drummer Jimmy Wormworth. Longo also pays tribute to his onetime mentor and bandleader, Dizzy Gillespie, in a joyous romp through Diz's "Here Tiz (Impromptu)," a riff/blues piece. But this album is not a tribute or homage as much as a well-considered showcase for Longo and his trio, one for which he's chosen a variety of tunes; even though he is himself a fine composer, he only plays one original to display his accomplished diversity. He's engaging and quite capable of pleasing any type of listener on such perfectly crowd-friendly standards as "Girl of My Dreams" and "Dancing in the Dark," the latter full of richly detailed expository chords. "It Could Happen to You" has the persuasion of a Sinatra vocal, without a word uttered; while "Laura" begins with a piano rumination that, when the bass and drums join in, softly answers to the gravitational pull of the melody as it gradually dominates. But Longo stretches way beyond standards, and a popular approach to jazz piano trio, in adventurous explorations of such tunes as Wayne Shorter's "Witch Hunt," full of crashing chords and prickly piano statements; Thelonious Monk's "Evidence," wherein Longo imbibes Monk's spirit in his spiky solo and Monkian economy, and his own "Diminished Returns," a haunting dirge with mesmerizing melodic and harmonic unfoldings. And in his take on Onaje Allan Gumbs' "Everytime I See You," Longo and company create a wonderfully off-center ballad that blossoms into a performance suggesting a chamber orchestra. It's a perfect example of prodigious technique in the service of purely musical ends. Pete Malinverni leads a trio at Smalls on April 7 - and accompanies singer Jody Sandhaus at Enzo's Jazz on April 30. Mike Longo appears at Kitano on April 2. SPOTLIGHT BY PAUL BLAIR AND GEORGE KANzler CESAR CAMARGO MARIANO BIRDLAND/APRIL 15-19 Pianist Mariano, a Grammy winner who's worked with greats like Elis Regina, Gal Costa, Milton Nascimento, Nana Caymmi, Maria Betânia, Beth Carvalho, Ivan Lins and Antonio Carlos Jobim, leads a trio (son Marcelo on bass and Jurim Moriera as percussionist) for the Bossabrazil Festival. Also part of the bill are guitarist-singer Joao Bosco and tenor saxophonist Harry Allen. Mariano's been a familiar presence on the international jazz scene, too: dueting with Bosco at the Montreux festival; recording with Sadao Watanabe; and sharing stages and recording stu- dios with Michel Petrucciani among others. PB MICHAEL WEISS VILLAGE VANGUARD/APRIL 1-6 Weiss returns to the Vanguard as headliner, leading a trio that includes bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash (old friends who also often backed Tommy Flanagan at the same club). A well-seasoned vet who's been heard with groups led by Art Farmer, Johnny Griffin, Lou Donaldson, Charles McPherson, Joe Wilder and Slide Hampton, he's carrying on that Powell-ish piano tradition exemplified by Flanagan and Barry Harris. Michael promises a mixture of originals and standards over these six nights. To verify his writing skills, we heartily recommend Soul Journey (Sintra), a 2003 septet album that genuinely sparkles. PB OLEG KIREYEV SYMPHONY SPACE/APRIL 26 A name new to you, correct? But this alto-tenor saxophonist has been traveling the world in recent years: gigging for several years in Poland, studying in the U.S. with Bud Shank, performing at festivals in Russia, Switzerland and England, and recording with an ensemble that includes musicians from Senegal, Moldova, Tatarstan, Bashkiria and the Ukraine. These productions have incorporated African rhythms, Moldavian melodies and healthy doses of jazz feeling. Here, it'll be Oleg's guitar/bass/drums quartet - and loads of the sort of energy exhibited on his 2004 CD Mandala. The New York label Jazzheads will release his new CD this month. PB DIMITRI VASSILAKIS KITANO/APRIL 3 Greek? Yes, and Athens is currently his home base. But Dmitri notes that choosing which clothes to pack for his next tour is problematic, since this New York gig falls between others in Switzerland and Dubai. A chemical engineer by training, he also did post-grad study at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Several albums by this saxophonist recorded for Britain's Candid label (the most recent being Parallel Lines) suggest an outgoing personality, a sunny disposition and a decided fondness for classic Sonny Rollins sides. Supporting him at Kitano will be three talented locals: pianist Theo Hill, bassist Essiet Okun Essiet and drummer Sylvia Cuenca. PB DAVE BRUBECK TRIBECA PAC/MAY 15 No jazz musician was better known or more popular during the 1950s than pianist Brubeck. His famous quartet with Paul Desmond pioneered in presenting jazz at college concerts. He was on the cover of Time and on jukeboxes all over the country. "Take Five," which popularized odd meters in jazz, was a Top 40 hit. Over five decades later, Brubeck - who's composed everything from masses and oratorios to a musical featuring Louis Armstrong - is still going strong at 87. Not so long ago, he recorded a solo album of songs from World War II, in which he served. This Highlights in Jazz concert will feature him in various contexts. GK BOBBY MCFERRIN CARNEGIE HALL/APRIL 23 In this last of a six-concert series called "Perspectives: Bobby McFerrin" that began in February, the versatile singer-musician who's also a conductor of the Orchestra of St. Luke's and his own Voicestra, will concentrate on jazz by collaborating with special guests Chick Corea and Jack DeJohnette. McFerrin doesn't just sing. Rather, he transforms his voice and body into a jazz instrument that can mimic or echo everything from a trumpet, saxophone or bass to any member of the hand or trap set percussion family. (On April 10, also for this series, he will host guest cellist Yo-Yo Ma.) GK REPTET ZEBULON/APRIL 11 The title of their forthcoming CD - Chicken or Beef? - hints at the somewhat pixilated musical approach taken by this Seattle-based sextet: four multi-talented horn players plus bassist and percussionist. We haven't yet had the opportunity to hear this group live. Still, based on the sonic evidence contained on the group's self-titled 2003 debut CD and 2006's Do This!, we're eager to catch them on three local bandstands this month; they're also being featured at Banjo Jim's on April 13 and at Brooklyn's Bar 4 on April 18. One of their press notices says they're "debunking preconceived notions of what a jazz group out to be." Agreed. PB WAYNE ESCOFFERY JAZZ STANDARD/APRIL 18-20 This booking celebrates the interplay on saxophonist Escoffery's recent Savant CD Veneration. Two other members of that quartet - vibist Joe Locke and drummer Lewis Nash - will be on hand with Joe Martin's the bassist, and trumpeter Tom Harrell Wayne's special guest. In fact, we've lately enjoyed Wayne's work as member of Tom's own quintet. We've also heard him with Eric Reed, various Jazz at Lincoln Center and Mingus repertory ensembles and Ben Riley's Monk Legacy septet. Check YouTube for a video showing an Escoffery band in full flight at Dizzy's - and another pairing him with his wife, singer Carolyn Leonhart, at Smoke. PB ANDREW RATHBUN CORNELIA STREET CAFÉ/APRIL 5 There are non-verbal political messages being transmitted on Rathbun's new Affairs of State album for Steeplechase - largely focused on his dismay at the past seven years of national governance - but open-eared Republicans will also find much stimulation here. These musical abstractions are voiced by this Toronto-born tenorist, his front-line partner Taylor Haskins on trumpet and a superb rhythm section. It's post-bop at its best, with the leader's technical facility apparent (he also plays soprano, though not on this album). He's been earning glowing critical notices lately, particularly from fellow musicians. You ought to tune in as well. PB CEDAR WALTON IRIDIUM/APRIL 9-13 Jazz today is blessed with a sizeable contingent of elder statesmen pianists still at the top of their game. Walton, 74, is one of them. A veteran of the hard bop era who was part of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers when that group also featured Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter, he now returns to a format he favored in the 60s, 70s and 80s in his Eastern Rebellion band: the quartet with saxophone. And for this gig he's assembled what can only be called a truly all-star foursome. Joining him will be drummer Jimmy Cobb, plus two younger stars: saxist Javon Jackson and bassist Christian McBride. GK JAZZ IN JERSEY BY FRED McINTOSH LAURA HULL TOMASO'S/APRIL 12 AND 18 The talented and beautiful Ms. Hull brings her trio into the new Tomasso's on Old River Road in Edgewater for two evenings this month. The trio will be rounded out by John Hart on guitar and bass man Steve LaSpina. In addition to singing, Laura also teaches - and writes many of the songs she performs during engagements like this one. Her style? We'd choose adjectives like sunny, expressive and sincere. She cites Nancy Marano and Jeannie Lovetri as valuable mentors. As for recordings, you might want to check out her second CD, the one entitled Hullabaloo, on a label known as Hullarious Records. JIMMY HEATH NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY/APRIL 21 Catch this NEA Jazz Master performing with the NJCU Concert Jazz Ensemble. A product of Philly's jazz hotbed, Heath has been at it since the 40s. His tenor and soprano saxophone work is vigorous, imaginative and often witty. He's an educator, a composer ("Gingerbread Boy," "CTA," "Gemini" and "The Voice of the Saxophone" are among the Heath tunes others enjoy playing), an arranger, as well as a vital presence on recordings with Diz, Cannon, Miles, J.J. and his own brothers Percy and Tootie. Sample his multiple skills on a great 2006 Planet Arts big band CD called Turn Up The Heath. We eagerly await his autobiography, too. PAULA WEST SOUTH ORANGE PAC/APRIL 12 This captivating vocalist has shared bandstands with Eric Reed, Bobby Hutcherson, Bill Charlap, Mulgrew Miller and numerous other stars. Blessed with a dusky, soulful voice and a fluid delivery, she chooses songs characterized by literate lyrics and interesting harmonies. During this concert, she'll likely expand the breadth of the standard songbook to writers like Dylan and Costello. Her ultra-cohesive band, already together as a unit for two years, includes pianist George Nesterhazy, guitarist Ed Cherry, bassist Barak Mori and drummer Tony Reedus. Paula's latest CD? It's Come What May on the High Horse Records label. JIM FRYER BICKFORD THEATRE/APRIL 21 Check 'em out: Bria and Jim's Borderland Jazz Band. The Bria in question is Bria Skonberg, a young West Coast trumpet sensation who idolizes Louis Armstrong. The Jim is Jim Fryer, whose commanding trombone work is, by turn, mellow and lusty. Jim sometimes doubles on euphonium, and he sings, too. His past employers include Doc Cheatham, Vince Giordano, Slide Hampton, Mike Longo and Davis Ostwald. Also part of the band are Noel Kaletsky on reeds, Gim Burton playing guitar and banjo, Katrina refugee Ed Wise on bass, Rob Scott doing the drumming and Mark Shane at the piano. Over Easy (Okom) is the Borderland Jazz Band's new CD. LITTLE JIMMY SCOTT: FINALLY, SOME PAYOFF by Yvonne Ervin After 70 years on and off the jazz scene, vocalist Little Jimmy Scott is finally receiving a considerable amount of long-deserved recognition. During 2007, he was honored with both the National Endowment for the Arts' Jazz Masters Award and the Kennedy Center's Living Legend Award. "I've been out here a long time, honey, but it turned out to be worth it," the 82-year-old Scott told an interviewer recently. "You don't get anything if you don't work for it. You have to put something in to take something out." Scott has contributed a great deal, especially as an influence on singers ranging from Nancy Wilson and Joe Pesci to Frankie Valli and Marvin Gaye. In fact, in introducing Scott at the NEA Jazz Masters awards last year, Wilson declared, "There'd be no Nancy Wilson if it weren't for Little Jimmy Scott." Asked by a New York Times reporter to name her favorite singer, Billie Holiday replied, "Jimmy Scott." In turn, Holiday was herself a great influence on Scott, who was once married to her husband's cousin. The couple moved to New York, where Jimmy and Billie would attend one another's gigs. His distinctive alto voice, always with a bit of sadness in it, is most often compared to Holiday's own. "It was beautiful," he said of the time he spent with Holiday. "I give her and Pops [Louis Armstrong] a lot of credit for my career. They told me how it was . . . everything doesn't come right away. When it does come, you can feel that you earned it." Scott certainly has paid his dues. He started singing at 12 in his native Cleveland. By the time he was 20, he was on the road with a vaudeville-type show. Despite all the praise that other singers offered him, Scott never could catch a break. He was beaten down and cheated by managers, club owners and record company executives - probably even more so than most jazz musicians because he's such a slight and polite man. But now he has a manager he can trust, he says: wife number five: Jeannie. "This is the first one to be a wife," he said of his spouse of five years. "Here you are, trying to create a career and make it work. Well, you've got to have someone who understands what's going on." His four tumultuous previous marriages and his strained professional life are chronicled in intimate detail in David Ritz's book "Faith in Time: The Life of Jimmy Scott." Jimmy and Jeannie are indistinguishable on the phone, speaking from their new home in Las Vegas, with Jeannie filling in some of the facts. Scott's high voice, short stature and boyish looks are the result of Kallmann's Syndrome, an inherited hormonal disorder that stops a boy from going through puberty. It is now treatable. Would he still be a singer if he didn't have what he calls The Deficiency? His answer is solidly affirmative. "I was singing in the house with my sisters and brothers. We had a quartet but I couldn't keep them together," he says. His family pretty much fell apart when he was 13 and his mother was struck and killed by a car, saving one of her 10 children from being hit. The children were sent to various foster homes and orphanages. "Then when my family wasn't interested, that hurt me," he said recalling a time more than 60 years ago. "I was out in the clubs, singing in the neighborhood, and not once did they come." Scott recorded for Savoy in the 50s, and his big break could have come in 1962, when another fan, Ray Charles, decided to produce a Scott album with strings and arrangements by Gerald Wilson and Marty Paich. Entitled Falling in Love is Wonderful, it was indeed a wonderful record. But the owner of Savoy threatened to sue. All the records were pulled from stores and the album wasn't reissued until four decades later. It's unequivocally Scott's favorite among all his albums. He pretty much disappeared from the scene in the seventies and eighties, taking care of his father in Cleveland and working as a clerk. It wasn't until he performed at songwriter Doc Pomus' funeral in 1991 that things began to turn around for him. Rocker Lou Reed was enchanted by what he heard; he put Scott on one of his records and took him on tour. Seymour Stein of Sire records was present at that funeral, too, and signed Scott to his label. His first Sire recording, All the Way, produced by Tommy LiPuma with a string section and great arrangements, was a critical success. Since then, Scott has gained quite a celebrity following that currently includes Madonna, Ethan Hawke and David Lynch. He makes cameo appearances in their videos, concerts, television shows and films. In the most recent - "Be Kind, Rewind" - he, Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, McCoy Tyner and Danny Glover are depicted on a train enroute to Fats Waller's funeral. What a trip that must have been! Little Jimmy Scott headlines at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola on August 17-20. JON HENDRICKS: THE DADDY OF VOCALESE by Paul Blair The singer generally credited with popularizing the jazz style known as vocalese is set for a six-night stint at the Blue Note this month as special guest of fellow NEA Jazz Master James Moody. And what a career Hendricks is having. Over the years, for example, his albums have featured appearances by the likes of George Benson, Al Jarreau, Bobby McFerrin, Manhattan Transfer, Stanley Turrentine, Wynton Marsalis and the Count Basie band. Yet despite the critical acclaim he's received almost from the moment he burst onto the musical scene in the late Fifties as a member of the award-winning jazz vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Hendricks' name is surely less well-known among the general public than any of theirs. So what's vocalese? Basically, it's the singing of words written note-for-note to an improvised instrumental solo previously recorded by someone else. Two American singers who came to prominence in the Fifties, Eddie Jefferson and King Pleasure, were among the first to capture public attention with the style. In fact, King Pleasure's 1952 recording of Moody's Mood For Love (in which he devised words to an improvised solo played on a record of I'm in the Mood for Love some months earlier by saxophonist Moody) actually became a jukebox hit. Benson and several other artists have since cut their own versions of the King Pleasure treatment. Vocalese took a quantum leap forward with the 1958 release of Sing A Song Of Basie by the vocal trio called Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, for which Jon Hendricks was musical director. Through a multi-tracking process, the three singers were able to recreate all the horn parts of the Basie band - three trombones, four trumpets and five saxophones - on ten classic Basie numbers, backed by a rhythm section. Even more exciting were the trio's recreation of the original instrumental solos (Annie Ross usually handling the trumpet solos, Hendricks the saxophones and Lambert the trombones) with wry lyrics especially created by Hendricks. Each told a hip little story, a kind of conversation among the various instrumental sections of the full band. In recognition of Hendricks' originality, a critic writing in Time acclaimed him "the James Joyce of Jive." The musical precision the trio achieved, combined with its unrelenting swing, made the album a jazz landmark. For subsequent albums, LH&R dropped the multi-tracked approach and covered songs originally recorded by Duke Ellington, Horace Silver and other prominent jazz artists. Although LH&R broke up in 1964, most of their albums are back in print again and reaching a whole new generation of listeners. Yes, all of this is ancient history by now. What's far more important is that Jon Hendricks has brought the vocalese tradition into a new century in performance that reflect both his wry sense of humor and his uncompromising musical taste. Over the years, he's always found time for a wide range of other projects. He wrote and performed in an American TV documentary called Somewhere to Lay My Weary Head and in a long-running theatrical production called "The Evolution of the Blues." He's worked as a journalist, a Berkeley teacher, a Sorbonne lecturer and a creator of fresh new material for other musicians. For example, all the songs on Manhattan Transfer's best-selling Vocalese album, which won seven Grammys, were his. In fact, that whole package served as a kind of tribute to Hendricks. He's also toured with three other vocal notables - Mark Murphy, Kurt Elling and Kevin Mahogany - who performed together as Four Brothers. Then eight years ago, Hendricks returned to his home state to begin serving as Distinguished Professor of Jazz History at the University of Toledo. "I greet freshmen students," says Hendricks from his Manhattan apartment, "with a lecture called 'Jazz In American Society.' At the beginning of our first class, I acknowledge that it's somewhat incongruous that a full professor should be instructing freshmen on the subject of American culture. After all, I tell them, the English don't have to teach university students about the principles of British drama, since they've grown up with it. No French school has to instruct its students in painting, since that's a familiar aspect of life there. No youngster in Italy has to be told about opera, simply because they've grown up with it. But the deculturization of America, especially those cultural aspects that trace back to Africa, is the disgrace I'm here to amend. And they love hearing that - because kids aren't afraid of the truth." Another Hendricks initiative was formation of the University of Toledo Vocalstra, a 16-member ensemble that performs not only newly arranged versions of classic numbers by Basie, Monk, Gil Evans and Manhattan Transfer but also vocalese versions of such classical pieces as Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade" and Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto. The Vocalstra has toured the Midwest, appeared at an IAJE convention in New York and even gigged aboard the Queen Elizabeth II. Surprisingly, no Vocalstra video clips have yet surfaced on YouTube, but visit that website to view many delightful minutes of Hendricks onstage with Manhattan Transfer - and even several glorious late-50s performance by LH&R at their very best. Yes, that's Basie backing them on piano for "Spirit Feel" - and Tony Bennett grinning in the audience. Expect to see plenty of longtime Hendricks and Moody fans at these Blue Note shows, too. Jon Hendricks guests with the James Moody Quartet (pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Todd Coolman and drummer Joe Farnsworth) at the Blue Note on April 1-6. JAZZWOMEN! BY ELZY KOLB Original's in The great Nat Hentoff once described Carla Bley as "an incorrigibly unpredictable composer, pianist, and organist." Carla's reaction? "That's ok, I can live with that." For an incorrigible, she keeps a disciplined work schedule, though you can't call her a nine-to-fiver: "It's more like 9 to 8," she says, taking "little breaks" throughout the day. "I'm allowed to write music all the time. I'd be tough on myself if I made myself take bigger breaks. I'm so used to this regimen that I'd be very nervous if I wasn't doing it. I work in a couple of stages; the desk is the largest stage. But the original ideas come either at the piano or in the bathtub or while I'm walking around the room. I couldn't sit at the desk with a piece of blank paper for the life of me." Carla is working on a new piece she hopes to have finished in time for her April 8-12 gig at Birdland. Her band will have "No drummer, no trumpet player; just me, Andy (Sheppard, on saxophone) and Steve (Swallow, on bass). That's the smallest formation I can play with now, it's too difficult to be on the stage with just one other person, to do all the announcements, take all the solos, I just can't do that anymore with just one other person." She's been looking at a lot of music she wrote over the years for larger ensembles, and choosing pieces she thinks would sound good by the trio. As for whether the audience can expect any musical surprises, Carla says, "I have to surprise myself, and if it surprises someone else that's a good byproduct of surprising myself. It has to hold my interest, and that's hard to come by. There are only 12 notes you know." PJ's optional Singer Antoinette Montague describes herself as "a nut job when it comes to getting people out" to her gigs, especially the late night sets. To make life easy for those who may have an early wake-up call, Antoinette is calling her upcoming 11 p.m. sets at Dizzy's on April 15-19 a jazz pajama party. "Wear your pajamas under your clothes, come out and party for an hour, then go home and go to bed. Silk pajamas are not required, come comfortably dressed for a relaxed and casual set," she says. What's the repertoire for a jazz pajama party? "I'm gonna have bedtime stories like your mama told you. I'm going to sing ballads, blues, songs with pure imagination, like you have in your dream state," Antoinette says. She'll also do some Lionel Hampton material, to recognize the 100th anniversary of the vibes master's birth. Antoinette is also a board member of International Women in Jazz, which is sponsoring the Women in Jazz Festival at St. Peter's Church on April 4-6. It will be three days of great music, including concerts and a panel discussion with senior members of the jazz community such as pianist Marian McPartland, bassist Carline Ray, and singer Sarah McLawler. "What an example of the power of the music to the spirit, that these women are still actively doing their careers as octogenarians and more," Antoinette says. "You can't help but be humbled when you start looking at their careers and realize you're just scratching the surface of this music with your own endeavors. We wanted to pay them tribute while they can hear the applause, taste the sandwiches and have a good time." Amen! Whose got a gig? No foolin', Lisa Hearns sings at Garage on April 1 … Catch singer/pianist Champian Fulton at Dizzy's on April 1-5 … Eri Yamamoto plays solo piano at Fazioli Salon on April 4 … Linda Ciofalo sings at Enzo's on April 4, then heads out on the road … If you ever wondered, "What is a Jazz Singer," Carla Cook will show you at the Rose Theater on April 5; the gig is part of JALC's Jazz for Young People series … Pianist Bertha Hope's Quartet plays Sista's Place on April 5; there's a concert/symposium on "Jazz! The Women's Viewpoint" at the Bed Stuy Restoration Corp.'s Community Room on the same day, with singers Alma Carroll, Emme Kemp, Sarah McLawler and others; both events are part of the month-long Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival … Guitarist Leni Stern plays the 55 Bar on April 6 … Lenore Raphael plays piano at St. Michael's on April 6 … Saxophonist/flutist Laura Dreyer is at Cachaca on April 7; Laura also appears at Enzo's on April 25, accompanying singer Kerry Linder … Percussionist Mayra Casales plays Riverspace in Nyack on April 8 … Vocalist Teri Roiger celebrates Billie Holiday at Enzo's on April 9 … Judi Silvano and Women's Work will be at Enzo's on April 11 … Singer Kendra Shank is part of the all-star lineup at a benefit for percussionist Norman Hedman at the Jazz Standard on April 14 … Percussionist Annette Aguilar is at the G Bar on April 15, and at Creole on April 25 … Pianist Geri Allen is among the Headhunters at Iridium on April 17-20 … Rhiannon sings, accompanied by Esperanza Spalding on bass, at Joe's Pub on April 17 … Nora McCarthy appears at Flushing Town Hall with MusicPoetica on April 19, and at the Cornelia Street Café with A Small Dream in Red on April 24 … The April 22 jazz jam at Riverspace in Nyack features flutist Jamie Baum … Maria Guida sings at Kitano on April 23 … Pianist Myra Melford plays the Jazz Standard on April 26 … Catch vocalist Tessa Souter at Dizzy's on April 28 … Maucha Adnet sings the music of Jobim at Dizzy's on April 29-May 4 … Saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom is guest performer with Diane Moser's Composers Big Band at Trumpets on April 30. Party time Saxophonist Virginia Mayhew celebrates the release of her septet CD, A Simple Thank You (Renma), at Sweet Rhythm on April 4-5; Virginia gives thanks once again on the new release by the Duke Ellington Legacy, Thank You, Uncle Edward (Renma), with singer Nancy Reed … Singer Marilyn Maye marks her birthday at the Metropolitan Room on April 8-16 … Bria Skonberg sings and plays trumpet trad-style at Garage on April 17; she has a new release with the Borderline Jazz Band, Over Easy (Okom) … Vocalist/trombonist Elizabeth! celebrates the release of Hot & Silver (ElizabethJazz) on the late shift at Dizzy's on April 22-26, following Claudia Acuna's earlier sets … Singer Perez fetes the release of It's Happenin' (Zoho) at Smoke on April 27 and at the Lincoln Center Barnes and Noble on April 28 … Pianist Marilyn Crispell marks the release of her solo CD Vignettes (ECM) at Birdland on April 29 … Join singer Jody Sandhaus in blowing out the birthday candles at Enzo's on April 30 ... Also on April 30, vocalist Alma Micic will celebrate her latest CD The Hour at the Iridium. Have you seen sidewoman? Pianist Renee Rosnes appears in James Moody's Quartet at the Blue Note on April 1-6 … Drummer Sylvia Cuenca plays with Dimitri Vassilakis' New York Quartet at Kitano on April 3 … Sharel Cassity plays sax with Jimmy Heath at Iridium on April 3-8, and with Harry Whitaker every Saturday in April … Saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin is with Bertha Hope's JazzBerry Jam at St. Peter's on April 4 … Claire Daly (baritone), Pam Fleming (trumpet), Amanda Monaco (guitar) and Nicole Nelson (vocals) appear with JC Hopkins' Biggish Band at the Blue Note on April 5 … Lauren Sevian plays baritone and flute with Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra on Enjoy! (Koch) … Karolina Strassmayer plays alto on Maceo Parker's Roots & Grooves (Heads Up). HOT FLASHES BY PAUL BLAIR TREATS NIGHTLY Three of everyone's favorite rhythm section players - pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist George Mraz and drummer Lewis Nash - team up for a show of their own under the billing Manhattan Trinity at Zankel Hall on April 2 … Pianist Steve Elmer's trio plays tunes from both his 2006 I Used To Be Anonymous album (and a new disc called Fire Down Below) at Smalls on April 4 … J.D. Allen, a saxophonist of growing repute, is the star attraction at the Jazz Standard on April 7 for the debut of his new Sunnyside CD … Another new album we admire brings together pianist Michael Cabe from Seattle, bassist Mark Lau from Sydney and drummer Ernesto Cervini from Toronto. They'll feature tunes from that disc (MEM3) at the 55 Bar at 7:00 PM on April 11 … Devotees of the well-played jazz trombone can celebrate this month with the presence of Swiss-born Samuel Blaser at Smalls on April 12 - and of Elizabeth! (who uses that exclamation mark as her professional last name - and also sings) for a series of late-night sets at Dizzy's on April 22-26; or hear her at Rockwood Music Hall on April 4 ... Alto man Pete Robbins brings his electric project - the one he calls Silent Z - to Brooklyn's Bar 4 on April 14, presumably to debut music from a new CD called Do The Hate Laugh Shimmy, and perhaps even explain that oddball title … Giacomo Gates sings on April 15-16 at Dizzy's, backed by tenor man Bob Kindred, among others ... At the Knickerbocker - a choice spot in which to catch many of today's top pianists - this month's offerings include Marc Cary (April 18-19) and Jeb Patton (April 25-26) … Steve Wilson holds the spotlight at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music in Park Slope on April 19 … Vibist Tom Beckham headlines at Bar Next Door on April 25 (also at the Brooklyn Lyceum on April 9) ... Percussionists Daphnis Prieto and Billy Martin share the bill at Merkin Hall on April 28 - and saxist Chris Byars brings his excellent small group into the Rubin Museum on that same evening … April 28 also sees the debut of emerging trumpet force Ambrose Akinmusire at the Jazz Standard, leading a quintet with Mark Turner sharing the front line … Helio Alves and Duduka Da Fonseca co-lead an ensemble at Dizzy's for six evenings beginning April 29; cohorts include Claudio Roditi and Eddie Gomez. SPRING FESTS Though it lasts for just a single evening (April 3), Joe's Pub is billing this one as the Israeli Jazz Festival. First up at 7:30 PM is a quintet called Talat, which promises to blend jazz, Middle Eastern textures, Eastern Groove rhythms and a bit of klezmer. They're followed at 9:30 PM by an ensemble led by trombonist Rafi Malkiel, whose recent CD My Island evinced refreshing pan-Latin flavorings … Saint Peter's Church hosts the Women-in-Jazz Festival 2008 over the course of three days (April 4-6). Featured will be how-to panel discussions and workshops, as well as a fine assortment of talented players and singers. For details: internationalwomeninjazz.com. Admission charges are either low or non-existent … And here's the biggie: a local fest lasting throughout April and even slopping over into early May. The 9th Annual Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival includes sets by Olu Dara, Bertha Hope, an Arturo O'Farrill-Steve Turre quintet, an Oliver Lake-Reggie Workman-Andrew Cyrille trio and Houston Person; jazz films and panels; tributes to Cecil Payne, Max Roach, Nancy Wilson and jazz photographer Chuck Stewart; and the opportunity to experience loads of celebrated local venues (e.g. Sista's Place, The Renaissance Café, Jazz 966, The Jazz Spot, Sugarhill Supper Club) that you've been meaning to visit but haven't. All credit goes to a bunch of talented and determined organizers who've put together another smashing event and made special arrangements with landmarked local churches, libraries and university campuses. The complete lowdown's posted at centralbrooklynjazzconsortium.org. PARTICULARLY WORTHY DISCS We're especially high on three just-issued albums … Reedman Michael Blake, whose latest disc (The World Awakes, Stunt) is a long-overdue tribute to saxist Lucky Thompson, has a busy month ahead: leading his own group at the 55 Bar on April 2; playing with Ben Allison at the Brooklyn Public Library's main branch on April 3, as well as with Mario Pavone at the Longworth Theater in New Haven on April 4; and then taking part in a Boogaloo Blowout at Banjo Jim's on April 26 … Finally, don't miss Forever Lasting (Arbors), a wonderful Scott Robinson run-through of fourteen Thad Jones compositions on which Scott demonstrates total mastery of numerous woodwinds, brasses and a couple of miscellaneous instruments. The ever-modest Mr. Robinson plays with Martin Wind's quartet up at Fordham on April 1, premiers a flute concerto - with his wife as soloist - with the Fairlawn, NJ Community Band on April 16, and gigs with Jon-Erik Kellso at the Ear Inn in Soho on April 20. THIS JUST IN If you've already visited Jazz Museum in Harlem website (jazzmuseuminharlem.org), you're aware that this month's schedule includes a series of five Tuesday "Jazz For Curious Listeners" programs at the Harlem School for the Arts; a seminar with Monty Alexander at the same facility on April 3; an April 14 presentation by jazz writer Ira Gitler at the W. 115th St. public library; and a swing dance at All Saints Church on April 4. For most of the above, there's no admission charge … As part of the celebration marking the 200th anniversary of the founding of Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church, a new mass composed by Wynton Marsalis will be premiered at J@LC's Rose Theater on three evenings (April 10-12). It'll be a melding of the gospel music and jazz traditions, with participation by the church's choir and its pastor, Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts III.. What's more, there'll be two evenings (April 11-12) of gospel music in the Allen Room when pianist Eric Reed and his group welcome noted gospel artist Edwin Hawkins. Find details online … Trumpeter Dave Douglas heralds the release of a new CD entitled Moonshine (the 25th under his own name!) at the Jazz Standard on April 10-13. If you want to remember your evening at the club forever - or simply can't make the gig - know that every single note will be downloadable from greenleafmusic.com the following morning. We live in remarkable times … It's been years since anyone presented live jazz in Brooklyn's Bay Ridge neighborhood, but that's changed since regular Thursday evening sessions began at a German restaurant called Schnitzel Haus. Sitters-in are most welcome, and guitarist Adam Iding, whose trio kicks things off around 8:00 PM, reports that as many as a dozen other instrumentalists are often on hand to contribute. Rhythm Relief A very special star-studded benefit hosted by WBGO's Rob Crocker will take place at the Jazz Standard on Monday, April 14 to honor master conguero and percussionist Norman Hedman. In January Hedman was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). He’s is currently undergoing treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the event is a support effort to defray the considerable medical expenses in his battle against cancer. This Benefit Concert will feature Ron Carter, Joe Locke, Ray Mantilla, Frank Kimbrough, Norman Hedman's Tropique and many more. The $40 tickets are available exclusively at TicketWeb.com. You can also make a contribution in Norman Hedman's name by making a gift checks payable to Norman Hedman and send to 8 Bar Artist Management, P.O. Box 536, St. Peters, MO 63376.