WINNING SPINS BY GEORGE KANZLER Two trumpet players from successive generations have produced very different projects on their new albums. Terence Blanchard, at 45 a contemporary of Wynton Marsalis, who 's also a native of New Orleans, has augmented his quintet with a 40-piece orchestra; while Jeremy Pelt, a 30 year-old whose previous recordings have been in the acoustic mainstream tradition of Marsalis, plugs in to present his take on electric jazz fusion. A Tale of God's Will (a requiem for Katrina) on the Blue Note label, is a signal achievement, a 12-song cycle by Blanchard and, with one contribution each, the four other members of his band. It is at once sombre, angry, sad and triumphant, conjuring painful emotions while transforming them into musical art that transcends the pain. In doing so, Blanchard and his band tap deep into the roots of New Orleans music, from the African chants of Congo Square to parade and funeral music. Blanchard also draws on his experience composing for movies and television (four of these pieces were first heard in the HBO/Spike Lee documentary entitled "When the Levees Broke"), using the Northwest Sinfonia to limn cinematic panoramas of narrative scope evoking the tragic story of Katrina and its aftermath. Blanchard has always been a master of space and impossibly slow, processional tempos. Some of the most impressive tracks on A Tale of God's Will move with a slow yet dramatic solemnity, like "Levees," with its calm-before-the-storm strings; "The Water," full of swelling orchestral waves, and bassist Derrick Hodge's "Over There," which has the plainsong limpidity of a 19th Century melody. Both Blanchard's trumpet, marked by his broad sound and command of tones that he can squeeze and expand at will, and Aaron Parks' stately, spartan piano voicings contribute to the emotional depth of the slower pieces, giving them the gravitas of classic narrative ballads. And Blanchard's trumpet solos strain against that gravitas, as if barely containing the anger and anguish in plaintiff cries and heartfelt paeans. There's an austere beauty to Parks' "Ashe," a Yoruba word for "benediction and acceptance of past troubles," as piano and trumpet rise out of string and woodwind themes, and a lovely lyrical blossoming of orchestra and solos on the heartbeat paced "Wading Through." Tabla player Zack Harmon adds exotic touches to the long, dramatic "Mantra" by drummer Kendrick Scott, with its roiling rhythms and swelling orchestral waves. "Funeral Dirge" makes optimal use of orchestral dynamics to frame one of Blanchard's most evocative solos, and is followed by his most endearing melody and solos, on the concluding "Dear Mom." Younger trumpeters like Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton and Sean Jones, have been more willing to explore and embrace electric jazz fusion than the forty-somethings, even if they initially appeared to follow in Wynton Marsalis' neo-bop acoustic footsteps. Now we can add to their number Jeremy Pelt, whose earlier albums revealed a trumpeter with classic, full tone and precocious command of slow tempos akin to Blanchard's. But like those aforementioned young trumpeters, Pelt also seems enamored with Miles Davis' electric fusion period, and presents his own take on that style on his new MaxJazz album, Schock Value: Live at Smoke. Wired is an electric funk-fusion band featuring Frank Locastro on Fender Rhodes electric piano and Hammond B3 organ; Al Street, guitar; Gavin Fallow, bass guitar, and Dana Hawkins, drums. On several tracks Pelt plugs his trumpet into electronic effects like a wah-wah pedal. Those tracks, with a funk-rock 8/8 beat achieve a certain jangly groove, although "Suspicion" tends to sound like an old record with the needle stuck in one groove. The most successful of the wah-wah effects tracks is "Blues," a slow soulful groove with B3 and guitar as well as trumpet getting down and dirty. "Cause," a Pelt melody with lyrics and sung by Becca Stevens in a wispy soprano, has an incantatory flavor reminiscent of Donald Byrd's classic "Cristo Redentor," especially when Pelt solos lyrically on open horn. "Pythagorus" is the most achieved fusion number, with an intricate groove and solos brimming with rich ideas by Pelt on Harmon-muted trumpet and open flugelhorn. However "Scorpio," the closing track, is all skittering, jabbing rhythms and phrases, like a soundtrack for a messy Jackson Pollack action painting. Terence Blanchard is appearing at the Jazz Standard on September 11-16. Jeremy Pelt is part of the FONT festival with Dave Douglas and special guest Eddie Henderson at the Jazz Standard on September 20 and leads his group at for its CD release party at the Blue Note on September 24. SPOTLIGHT BY PAUL BLAIR AND GEORGE KANzler JUDY CARMICHAEL BARGEMUSIC/SEPTEMBER 27 For a hint of what Ms. Carmichael does, click on the "Bio" link at www.judycarmichael.com and watch the video. An interesting story, hers. She started on piano after her grandfather offered fifty bucks to the first grandkid able to play "Maple Leaf Rag." Not too many years later, she was performing ragtime professionally at Disneyland. But then she discovered and ultimately mastered the stride piano style. To this evening along the Brooklyn shoreline, she'll bring a pair of longtime colleagues: Mike Hashim, who plays both alto and soprano saxophones; and guitarist Chris Flory. PB GEORGE MRAZ TRIBECA PAC/OCTOBER 11 Bassist Mraz (aka "The Bad Czech") arrived from Prague during the late 60s, studied at Berklee and soon found work with a succession of leaders like Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz and Tommy Flanagan. He's headed up some memorable recordings of his own, too. We particularly admire Bottom Lines, a 1997 effort notable for Mraz's gorgeous singing tone. Pianist Cyrus Chestnut, who guested on that album, is one-third of a trio at this promising Highlights in Jazz program, along with Mraz and drummer Lewis Nash. Also appearing at this evening devoted to trio interplay will be guitarists Frank Vignola, James Chirillo and Bucky Pizzarelli. PB WESTCHESTER JAZZ ORCHESTRA IRVINGTON TOWN HALL/SEPTEMBER 29 This appearance will serve to introduce All In, the debut CD by a crack 17-piece band made up of musicians who live, teach or often play in the northern suburbs. Pianist-arranger Mike Holober serves as artistic director. The disc includes invigorating treatments of tunes by Joe Henderson, ("Caribbean Fire Dance"), Wayne Shorter ("Ping Pong"), John Coltrane ("Naima"), Bill Evans ("Turn Out the Stars") and Horace Silver ("Room 608"). Among its members are several players whose names you probably already know - guys like Marvin Stamm, Jay Brandford, Ted Rosenthal, Ed Xiques and Harvie S - but everyone's a seasoned pro and the whole album's definitely a winner. PB MARC COPLAND FAZIOLI SALON/SEPTEMBER 21 A true salon setting - admission is limited to less than two score - where you can get up close and personal in listening to solo pianists, this weekly series brings Copland, a pianist who is well known for his subtle touch and use of pedals to produce a lush legato sound, to a venue where every nuance of that sound can be appreciated. A jazzman who grew up as a contemporary of the Brecker Brothers in Philadelphia, Copland began as a saxophonist but soon switched to piano, which he's been playing on the Big Apple scene since the early 1980s. His latest recording is a trio album with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Paul Motian on the Pirouet label. GK WEISHENG LIN ez’s woodshed/SEPTEMBER 6 When Joe Lovano, Bill Mays and Lewis Nash headed to Taiwan for some quartet appearances, they took along bassist Lin, not only because he knew his way around but because he's an outstanding young player. His considerable talents will be on display during an afternoon session (2:00-5:00 PM) at this amazing musical emporium in the heart of Central Harlem. Joining him will be pianist Lou Rainone and drummer Seiji Ochiai, who played on a swell CD that Lin released not long ago. If you've never visited Big Apple Jazz, here's the perfect reason to drop by. And do cop a copy of that disc from Mr. Lin himself. PB FUKUMI KITANO/SEPTEMBER 5 Given her classy vocal approach and her fine taste in choosing tunes, this Japanese-born singer is garnering considerable attention. Many New Yorkers first made her acquaintance when she did a night at Dizzy's last year. Others heard tracks from her first CD, Let Me Introduce Myself, released in 2002, on local radio. Her second disc, The Look of Love, produced by Todd Barkan, is even more polished. The same quartet backing her on the new one - pianist David Hazeltine, trumpeter Jim Rotondi, bassist John Webber and drummer Mark Taylor - will join her at Kitano. She's also appearing at Smalls on Sept. 4. PB PATIENCE HIGGINS LENOX LOUNGE/SEPTEMBER 3, 10, 17 AND 24 If there's one musician who's done the most to bring the excitement of live jazz back to Harlem, it's saxophonist Higgins. For years, he ran the weekly jams at St. Nick's Pub. Now he fills that role at the Lenox Lounge each Monday night - and at the Uptown Lounge (inside what used to be Minton's) every Wednesday. He also teaches at Harlem School of the Arts and Long Island University, and often plays in theater district pit bands. This month's even busier than usual, given work with Vanessa Rubin at Smoke on Sept. 14-15; at the Garage for a late set on Sept. 15; and an appearance at York University in Queens on Sept. 17. PB RICHIE BEIRACH BIRDLAND/AUGUST 29-SEPTEMBER 1 Pianist Beirach first drew notice in the early 1970s when Stan Getz hired him out of Berklee Music School. Over the years he's been featured with such artists as Chet Baker and Lee Konitz, but also played free jazz, with an uncommon lyricism. His longest musical associations have been with saxophonist Dave Liebman, with whom he worked in quartets like the jazz-rock Lookout Farm and in duets memorably captured on records. An expatriate (in Germany) during recent years, Beirach is celebrating his sixtieth birthday (belatedly, it was May 23) at this gig with Randy Brecker, trumpet; Gregory Huebner, violin; George Mraz, bass; and Billy Hart, drums. GK FREDDIE BRYANT SMALLS/SEPTEMBER 26 Guitarist Freddie Bryant is prized for his electric and acoustic versatility. On electric guitar, he's been a member of trumpeter Tom Harrell's band, the Mingus Orchestra and Ben Riley's Monk Legacy Septet. Along the way, this Yale School of Music alum has also played in Klezmer bands and with West African master musician Salif Keita. But it's his mastery of Brazilian rhythms and harmonic textures that finds him on this gig, one-third of a trio led by Scott Feiner, a former guitarist himself who became immersed in Brazilian music and is now a world-renowned pandeirista, playing the tambourine-like Brazilian pandeiro. GK JERRY WELDON SMOKE/SEPTEMBER 5, 12, 19 AND 26 He's toured the world as a member of Lionel Hampton's powerhouse big band, appeared on Broadway in one of Harry Connick Jr.'s productions, taken part in a Dexter Gordon tribute at J@LC, recorded with several of Smoke's regular attractions and played tenor saxophone, by turns raucous and warm-toned, with loads of hard-swinging Hammond B3 organists - for example, Jimmy McGriff, Mel Rhyne, Joey DeFrancesco, Bobby Forrester, Jack McDuff and Dr. Lonnie Smith. That's why he's an especially apt choice to superintend proceedings at Smoke's "B3 Grooves" nights. His trio includes drummer Jason Brown and (on organ, natch) the talented Kyle Kohler. PB   JAZZ IN JERSEY BY FRED McINTOSH JON BURR PALMER SQUARE JAZZFEAST/SEPTEMBER 15 Bass man Jon Burr's resume includes work with Stephane Grappelli, Stan Getz, Roland Hanna, Dorothy Donegan, Horace Silver, Jack Wilkins, Tony Bennett, and Chet Baker. For his appearance at the Princeton Jazzfeast - co-sponsored by the New Jersey Jazz Society - he promises at least a few choice selections from his forthcoming CD Another Kind of Love, on which he accompanies the likes of Anat Cohen, Howard Alden and Bob Mintzer. Here though, the ensemble will include tenor saxophonist Harry Allen, guitarist John Hart and drummer Anthony Pinciotti, along with vocalists Yaala Ballin and Tony Jefferson. VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY/SEPTEMBER 30 The VJO, established in 1965 as the Monday night attraction at the Village Vanguard under the co-leadership of Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, enjoys a special relationship with WPU. Thad, the school's first jazz director, was succeeded by Rufus Reid, also from the VJO. And Mel taught there, too, as do current VJO members Rich Perry, John Mosca and Gary Smulyan. What's more, the orchestra's archive resides on campus. Best of all, when they're not touring, they're still performing at the Vanguard every Monday. Much of the great material they present originates from within the band itself, since many members are super-talented arrangers. JOE ASCIONE OCEAN COUNTY COLLEGE/SEPTEMBER 19 Drummer Ascione, truly a swinger, says he was influenced as a youngster by Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich - and was "discovered" by tenor man Billy Mitchell. Over the years, he's backed Cab Calloway, Al Hirt, Della Reese, George Coleman, Flip Phillips, Dick Hyman, Bob Haggart, Jerry Weldon and Ron Affif. Among his current musical associates are folks like Randy Sandke, James Chirrillo and Dan Barrett. He's also half of the popular "The Frank and Joe Show" group co-led by guitarist Frank Vignola. At OCC, Joe will support the playing of trumpeter Ed Polcer, bassist Frank Tate, reedman Ken Peplowski and vibist John Cocuzzi. CLAUDIO RODITI CORNERSTONE/SEPTEMBER 7 Growing up in Brazil, young Claudio started trumpet lessons at twelve and profited from early exposure to brassmen whose work he enjoyed on imported records. His list of early influences is remarkably diverse: Louis Armstrong, Red Nichols, Harry James, Dizzy Gillespie, Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan. Since emerging on the U.S. scene in 1970, he's made his mark with groups led by Paquito d'Rivera, Slide Hampton, Hendrik Meurkens, McCoy Tyner and others. We'd call him a bebopper, even while noting that his playing on trumpet and flugelhorn often has an intimate and elegant sound. Of his recent recordings, a Nagel-Heyer release called Reflections is particularly rewarding. At press time, only Virginia Mayhew on tenor and Nick Rolfe on piano are known to be part of his Quintet at the Cornerstone.   SONNY ROLLINS: STILL CLIMBING MOUNTAINS by Ken Dryden Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins may well be the single most admired and respected musician on today's jazz scene. But he didn't spring quickly into public acclaim as the result of skillful press agent. Rather, he's been carefully honing his craft since the late 40s. "I was a fortunate kid," he says, "growing up in Harlem at a time when it was a center of jazz activity in New York. I used to hear Fats Waller when I was a child, and I went to school across the street from where Louis Jordan was playing. Jordan was really my first influence. I wanted to be sharp, wearing a nice tuxedo and holding a gleaming saxophone. I guess my course was set early on, when I was around seven years old. Later, I became very enamored of Coleman Hawkins' work and I tried to learn some stuff from him. But he was difficult to emulate because he was so advanced. Later on, I gravitated to Lester Young, who was a mixture of intellectual and earthy. After that, it was a lot of people, I listened to everybody and learned from them. "I came up in a period when you had to have a big tone. That was a prerequisite established by Hawkins. Since microphones back then weren't as wonderful as they are today, you had to have a fat sound. I didn't have one naturally, so I'd play outside whenever I could. Years later, when I was in California, I'd go out to Malibu, park my car, walk downhill to the ocean and practice all night. I still like playing outdoors because you're playing against the elements and it really makes you sound better." Along with his commanding tone, Rollins has also been known for recording some highly unlikely songs. "I like all kinds of music," he says. "I find my repertoire in odd places. I've played cowboy songs and even Patsy Cline's "If You Love Me Half As Much As I Love You." My so-called cowboy album [Way Out West, cut in 1957] included 'I'm an Old Cowhand' and 'Wagon Wheels.' I'll do anything that I believe can fit into jazz improvisation and that I can arrange for the band." After a performing hiatus lasting several years, Rollins returned to cut a critically acclaimed 1962 album entitled The Bridge, which featured guitarist Jim Hall in place of a pianist. "I've played with lots of great piano players. Still, it's sort of a comfort zone instrument and you really don't have to have a piano. Marching bands in Congo Square didn't. I compose on my piano. I enjoy playing solo saxophone - and I've made records with just drums or with a pianoless trio. I think not having a piano behind me allows a certain freedom of expression that the presence of a piano can circumvent. Using a guitar allows me to hear some of the harmonies, but it's not a constant overall presence like the piano is. There's more freedom to think than when I feel I'm being led by a pianist." Numerous Rollins compositions over the years have become jazz standards: "Doxy," "Sonnymoon For Two," "Pent-Up House," "Airegin," "Tenor Madness" and "St. Thomas," among others. The saxist says he's prepared when inspiration hits. "I carry manuscript paper with me all the time. I write in airports or on the plane if I have ideas or musical problems and exercises. If I have an idea for a song, I jot it down right away. If I don't, I'll lose it and that's been a painful lesson I've learned through life." Rollins' current band includes two musicians who've been with him for years. "I was on tour in 1957 or 1958 with my trio, Dave Brubeck's quartet with Paul Desmond, Maynard Ferguson's big band and the Four Freshmen, all through the Midwest and South. For some reason, my bass player couldn't do the last job on the tour at the first Playboy Jazz Festival in Chicago, so they got me Bob Cranshaw. When we rehearsed, I noticed he seemed pretty apt and could quickly relate to what I was doing, so I asked him to join me when I started a new band. Clifton Anderson, my nephew, came with me in the 1980s. In fact, I bought him his first trombone when he was just a kid. He's really turned into one of the best trombonists today. He knows how to accompany me and how to make my output sound better." Unlike many veterans who claim never to practice or rehearse, Rollins is adamant about its benefits: "I still practice every day to keep up my chops and embouchure. Travel and other things can get in the way. I just have fun playing, though practicing is really nothing like performing. Performing is much more intense. You learn more on the bandstand in two minutes than by practicing six months." Over the years, Rollins has shown an ability to deliver memorable recordings that sell in significant numbers. Now he's launched a new label of his own called Doxy. "When my wife and I were with Milestone, we had control of our recording destiny and produced our own records. What I'll be doing with Doxy is nothing new. But with technological changes in the business now, I'll just do it myself for my own label. I don't intend to become a record mogul or record anyone else." Rollins also confirms that additional concert recordings made by fan Carl Smith and Richie Corsello (the latter his longtime remix engineer) would be issued in the future. Through his website, he also sells MP3s of performances previously issued on various bootleg labels without his permission. Rollins was staying in his Lower Manhattan apartment on September 11, 2001 and his memories of that day remain vivid: "The air was fetid. After witnessing the buildings coming down, I went back to my apartment. When I started practicing, my stomach felt funny and I stopped. Later, I realized I was gulping toxic air. Fortunately, I didn't get too much. I brought some stuff with me out to the country but lost a lot of books, records and clothes that I thought were contaminated. We never again slept in that apartment after 9/11, though we maintained it until 2004. Altogether, I was discombobulated and out of it, but when I joined my wife Lucille at our upstate home, she was the one who insisted that I do the Boston concert on September 15." Rollins' upcoming Carnegie hall appearance is a special event. "It’s the fiftieth anniversary of when I first played Carnegie Hall. That was a big concert with Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Ray Charles and Billie Holiday. My trio debuted there that night. This time, I'm going to use a new trio with Christian McBride on bass and Roy Haynes playing drums and reprise some of the material I played back then, a sort of then-and-now experience. I hope now sounds better. Someone recently discovered three trio recordings from that night in the Library of Congress' Voice of America archive. It's those tunes we'll do again. Then my working band will play in the second half of the concert. Everything, both old and new tunes, will eventually be issued on Doxy." The band for Rollins' Carnegie Hall concert on September 18 will include trombonist Clifton Anderson, guitarist Bobby Broom, bassist Bob Cranshaw and percussionist Kimati Dinizulu. THE NON-LEGENDARY LEE KONITZ by Paul Blair In this magazine, we deliberately steer clear of the much-overused adjective "legendary," since it suggest a personage who once made some sort of dramatic impact on the jazz world and then mysteriously disappeared. Yet that word is often used to characterize alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, who's happily very much a presence on today's scene. In fact, Konitz can sometimes be found in New York clubs where he's not playing, since he's likely to drop by to catch a set by another musician he admires. He may even bring his instrument along. Chances are that he'll be wearing a khaki safari jacket, too. But Konitz didn't wear that favorite jacket to his eightieth birthday party back in June. Instead, he chose something in black just a tad more formal, and put on a necktie. Though his landmark birthday doesn't occur until mid-October, the organizers of this year's JVC New York festival decided that late June would be an appropriate time for a party and that Zankel Hall might serve as a fine gathering spot for Konitz well-wishers. The hundreds who showed up heard a varied program: Lee as part of a trio with Steve Swallow and Paul Motian; Lee backed by an Austrian string quartet; Lee at the heart of a nonet; and finally Lee soloing in front of a large ensemble called Orquestra de Jazz de Matosinhos specially flown in from Portugal. A word about that nonet. From time to time over the years, he's organized groups of that size and made limited club appearances with them. The latest installment, the outfit heard at Zankel, is a project involving reedman and arranger Ohad Talmor in a partnership that sometimes involved Konitz (who spends a considerable portion of his time in Europe these days) faxing a few written melodic lines to Talmor, who then expands and orchestrates them. They've presented this group at least a couple of times at the Jazz Standard and on a delightful Omnitone CD called The New Nonet. It's this same group that will perform at Iridium in mid-September. He and Talmor collaborated on the recent Portology, also on Omnitone, which features an even larger ensemble. Meanwhile, for another side of Konitz, you ought to hear Organic Lee, a 2006 Steeplechase disc capturing his duo improvisations with organist Gary Versace. Though it's hard to describe the Konitz style with any precision in words, once you've heard him a few times, there's no mistaking him for anyone else. To many, he always sounds as if he's playing a bit flat - he's a fraction of a fraction below the pitch-perfect note, but consistently so - lending a certain acerbic quality that wears well. Unlike many younger saxophonists, he's unafraid of silence, pausing sometimes in the midst of a flow of notes and allowing listeners to reflect for a few seconds on what they've just heard. He's also fond of collective improvisation and counterpoint if there's another horn player involved. That's something we used to hear on recordings he made years ago with the late tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, another Tristano follower back in the day. Where has Lee Konitz been for the past six decades or so? Studying with Lennie Tristano during the late 40s; recording in 1948-49 with Miles Davis' celebrated "Birth of the Cool" group; touring with Gerry Mulligan, Claude Thornhill and Stan Kenton; and perfecting that thoughtfully cool alto tone. He certainly hasn't stayed out of recording studios, either; his discography as leader on at least two dozen labels is longer than both your arms. He's sometime played tenor and soprano saxophones, too, but we know him best as an altoist, whose solos, while never entirely predictable have a certain logic to them. Examine the records he's cut over the years and you'll see many of the same songs done over and over again: "Sweet and Lovely," "All the Things You Are," "Easy Living," "You Go to My Head" and selected others of that caliber. That's fine with his admirers, since he's not apt to repeat himself in terms of improvisation. Along the way, there’ve been a number of forgivable puns used as tune and album titles: "Subconscious Lee," "Sound-Lee," "Lone-Lee" (a solo project, of course), "Tenorlee" (featuring his work on the deeper horn), "Leeway" and even "Ice Cream Konitz." They all suggest that this master musician doesn't take himself quite as seriously as his admirers around the world do. Back in the 60s, Konitz actually thought of giving up music as a profession. But he's persevered. He put it this way to writer Whitney Balliett a few years ago: "I'm middle-aged but I'm still tooting my tooter and I see no end to it. It's still a severe challenge - never a cup of tea. It's some sort of gift to me, and I feel very fortunate being able to earn my bread doing it." Lee Konitz's New Nonet (conducted by Ohad Talmor) will fill the Iridium bandstand on September 13-16.   JAZZWOMEN! BY ELZY KOLB Grace note Janet Lawson, a co-founder of the vocal jazz program at the New School, says "Improvisation has been my wisest teacher. That's where I learned how to trust, how to be adventurous, how to feel and connect. It teaches me about life." For the past six years, Janet has been striving to recover her voice, which she lost to Lyme disease and Bell's palsy. "It was a long haul to get to a point where I could talk with any variety in my pitch," she says. Losing her voice made her wonder, "If I'm not a scat singer, who am I?" She focuses on an important lesson: "In the challenges that life throws our way, how we deal with them is the key." Though she's not able to sing yet, Janet stays active in music and education. One of the hats she's wearing these days is that of a producer of the September Concert, a series of free events to be held on Sept. 11, to mark the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. She's organizing a four-hour concert featuring New School faculty, students, and guests, including fellow vocal jazz program co-founder, singer Amy London; pianists Francesca Tanksley, Rachel Z, and Lee Ann Ledgerwood; vocalists Judy Bady, Jean Rohe, Latoya Smith, Dana Behr, and Melanie JB Charles; trombonist Benny Powell, and many others. "This concert is so essential," Janet says. "There's not a soul in the world who doesn't have some connection to this event." The concert begins at noon at Greeley Square, at 33rd between Broadway and Sixth. Other commemorative arts events are scheduled throughout the city and across the globe. Kudos to singer/producer E.J. Decker for his hard work in securing five venues for jazz as part of New York's September Concert events. Check www.septemberconcert.org/index.html. for a complete lineup. Fascinated by rhythms Drummer Sherrie Maricle was about 10 years old when she came across tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin playing "The Lamp is Low" on public radio. "I didn't even know what it was," she says. Sherrie's teachers put a name on it: Jazz. "Then I heard Buddy Rich, and that's all I thought about, all I ever wanted to do. I feel so, so lucky that when I was a kid I knew I wanted to play drums and knew I loved jazz," she says. "When I was thinking about colleges, everyone told me to do something practical, but I wanted to do what I loved. Playing, teaching, composing, I can't think of a more joyful way to live." Sherrie leads the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, where the average band member's tenure is close to a decade. "There's not much turnover, and that's fantastic for the sound of the band. The repertoire is fun and challenging, and the players have a voice in choosing the charts." If a chart commissioned for DIVA doesn't work out, it's donated to a school music program. "Sometimes it just doesn't click," Sherrie says. "It's never about playing the right notes--thousands and thousands can play the right notes. Style is what makes the difference." DIVA headlines the Diet Coke Women in Jazz Festival at Dizzy's on Sept. 11-16, with guest vocalists Carmen Bradford and Dee Daniels. Let yourself grow On her new CD, Women's Work Live at Sweet Rhythm (JSL), Judi Silvano sings material by female composers including Carla Bley, Mary Lou Williams, Blossom Dearie, Abbey Lincoln, Sheila Jordan, and others, who are perhaps better known for singing or playing piano than for writing music. "It was a matter of personal growth for me to tackle such a wide variety of styles," Judi says. "I had to grow as a singer. I had to focus less on myself as a singer and focus more on the emotion of the story being told." Bessie Smith's "Backwater Blues" felt especially meaningful to her: It was written after a hurricane devastated New Orleans in 1927. Judi was reminded of the song while studying up on the blues for a teaching project. "I always loved Bessie Smith and admired her as a social being, as a successful businesswoman in her time. This tune connects the present with the past. What happened in 1927 is almost exactly what happened two years ago with Katrina," she says. Judi and her Women's Work band (pianist Janice Friedman, bassist Jennifer Vincent, and drummer Allison Miller) celebrate with a CD release party at Sweet Rhythm on Sept. 18. Judi came across such an abundance of compositions that appealed to her, she had a hard time choosing material for the CD. "There are so many others I'd like to record, I already have enough material for a second volume," she says. That just goes to show, Women's Work is never done. Out on the town Ayana Lowe sings at 55 Bar on Sept. 1 ... Eri Yamamoto plays keyboards at 6th & B Garden on Sept. 2 ... Saxophonist Sharel Cassity's Quartet, including bassist Renee Cruz, plays the late set at Dizzy's on Sept. 4-8 ... Singer Charmaine Clamor celebrates the release of Flippin' Out (Freeham) at Iridium on Sept. 12 ... Maria Guida sings at Cornelia Street Cafe on Sept. 13 ... Catch baritone saxophonist Carol Sudhalter at the Malcolm Shabazz Cultural Center on Sept. 14 ... Pyeng Threadgill sings at the Blue Note on Sept. 14 ... Check out singer Deborah Latz at Enzo's on Sept, 14 ... Vocalist Hilary Kole is at the Jazz Standard on Sept. 17 ... The Festival of New Trumpet Music features compositions by Sarah Wilson at the Tea Lounge on Sept. 19 ... Pianist Roberta Piket plays Cornelia Street Cafe on Sept. 24 ... Pianist/composer Satoko Fujii guests with Diane Moser's Composers Big Band at Trumpets on Sept. 26. The prolific Satoko has a new CD, In Krakow in November (Not Two) ... Amy Cervini sings at Cornelia Street Cafe on Sept. 27 ... BargeMusic features pianist Judy Carmichael on Sept. 27 ... Gabriele Tranchina sings at Enzo's on Sept. 28 ... Keyboardist Rachel Z appears at Iridium with bassist Maeve Royce and drummer Bobbie Rae on Sept. 30. HOT FLASHES BY PAUL BLAIR THE GLORIES OF FONT The schedule for FONT [that's "Festival of New Trumpet"] Music 2007 is lengthy, varied and highly promising. This event - the fifth annual, by the way, and stretching over sixteen days (Sept. 15-30) - will draw listeners into clubs, churches and schools for an array of specially assembled groups playing really adventuresome stuff. Curators include Dave Douglas, Taylor Ho Bynum, Mark Gould (of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra) and Jeremy Pelt. Among the premieres slated are new works by Douglas, Pelt, Jason Price, Chinese composer Huang Ruo and Wadada Leo Smith; along with the first NYC hearing of an extended piece by Anthony Braxton. Where? There are concerts at St. Mark's Church in the East Village, Manhattan School of Music, both Eldridge St. Synagogue and Abrons Art Center on the Lower East Side, and Cornelia Street Café, Iridium and the Blue Note, as well as Barbès and Tea Lounge in Brooklyn. For a complete schedule, along with much more info about the composers and groups involved, consult www.fontmusic.org. VANDOJAM By any measure, it's gotta be one of NYC's best jazz listening opportunities: the Vandojams taking place on the second Monday of each month at a midtown restaurant called Iguana, 240 W. 54th St. between Broadway and Eighth Ave. Beginning at 8:00 PM and lasting at least until midnight, these jams provide chances for instrumentalists to drop by and play with a pretty good house rhythm section (e.g. David Berkman on piano) in a not-overly-competitive atmosphere. Talent levels are generally high and you're likely to be surprised at the number of well-known players coming in to mix it up with their peers. There's no admission charge and no obligation to purchase anything. Non-musicians are welcome, too, as listeners. This month's jam takes place on September 10, with saxophonist Mark Gross running the session and special guest Steve Wilson. Why "Vandojam"? Because these evenings are sponsored by the company producing Vandoren reeds and mouthpieces. CELEBRATING AN UPTOWN BIRTHDAY EZ's Woodshed, located inside Harlem's Big Apple Jazz shop, marks its first anniversary with a series of benefit concerts this month: Loren Schoenberg (Sept. 8), Wycliffe Gordon (Sept. 20), Ethan Iverson (Sept. 27) and Ravi Coltrane (Sept. 29), with all shows starting at 8:30 PM. Take note, too, of other attractions within the shop virtually every day of the week beginning at 5:30 PM. For info on the special concerts and EZ's weekday menu, phone these cordial guys at 212-283-5299. Big Apple Jazz is easy to find, too: right across Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. from what used to Connie's Inn and the Lafayette Theater. BLESSINGS IN MIDTOWN On Sunday, September 23 at 5PM, a special service being held at Saint Peter's Church inside the East Side's Citicorp Tower will include a Blessing of Musicians, with Minister of Music Ike Sturm officiating. Since pianist Arturo O'Farrill has been involved in the advance planning for this ceremony, you can bet that plenty of good music will also be played. As a result, those of us non-musicians who love jazz will also feel blessed. NEWISH SPOTS The Brooklyn Lyceum, located at 227 Fourth Ave. near Union St. in Park Slope, has inaugurated a Sunday evening jazz series, with this month's attractions including Scott Wendholdt's quartet (Sept. 2), Jim Hershman's trio (Sept. 9), Bud Burridge's quartet (Sept. 16), Gregg August's rewarding sextet (Sept. 23) and the Josh Brown quartet (Sept. 30) … Meanwhile, a no cover / no minimum policy will revail at All Things Gallery (227 Bleecker between Sixth and Seventh in the Village) during appearances by Jamie Baum's septet on Sept. 14 and Greg Tardy's group on Sept. 28. NOTEWORTHY GIGS The Smalls menu this month includes pianists Jeremy Manasia (Sept. 6) and Peter Zak (Sept. 7-8); Saxophonists Jon Gordon who plays at that club twice this month - on Sept. 12 and 19 - as well as at Bar Next Door in the Village on Sept. 15 and at the COTA Festival in Pennsylvania with Phil Woods on Sept. 8 - and a rare appearance of master Scott Hamilton and his group performing with Harry Allen (Sept. 18) … Iridium welcomes Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspeil (Sept. 5-6) and pianist Noah Haidu (Sept. 22, as a member of the Greg Rifkin/ Ambrose Akinmusire group) … Bassist Omer Avital's at the Jazz Standard (Sept. 10); while trombonist Pete McGuinness' big band debuts material from a sensational new CD called First Flight (Summit) at the Jazz Gallery on Sept. 18 … Do plant yourself close to the Cornelia Street Café bandstand throughout the evening of Sept. 22 to hear three cutting-edge groups in rapid succession: Gerry Hemingway's quartet at 9:00 PM, George Schuller's Free Range Rat foursome at 10:00 PM, and the Michael Attias quintet at 11:00 PM. This promises to be a night of extraordinary music ... John McLaughlin appears at Town Hall on Sept. 27 for what's said to be his first fusion band concert in ten years … The threesome that renowned bassist and acronymist Joe Fonda calls his FAB trio (himself, drummer Barry Altschul and violinist Billy Bang) plays Sweet Rhythm on Sept. 28-29. jazz anecdote by bill crow Bill Crow's books "Jazz Anecdotes" and "From Birdland to Broadway" can be found at your favorite bookstore, and at www.billcrowbass.com along with many interesting photos and links. On a tour with Judy Garland, the late Bill Lavorgna finished an afternoon rehearsal at the Mosque Theatre in Newark and went out for dinner, dressed in his street clothes. When he returned the theatre, a security guard at the stage door stopped him. "You can't go in here," he said. "But I'm with the show!" protested Bill. The guard was dubious. Bill explained that his tuxedo was in the dressing room. The guard still held his ground. Bill looked through the open door and saw Judy's manager. He yelled for help, and the manager persuaded the guard to let him in. Once inside, the manager insisted on bringing Bill to Judy's dressing room, to tell her the story. When he did, Judy fell down laughing. "He did the same thing to me!" she said. "I had my hair up in rollers, with a scarf over it, and the guy didn't believe I was Judy Garland! I had to sing him four choruses of Over the frigging Rainbow before he'd let me in!" Teddy Powell's band played a long engagement at the Rustic Cabin in New Jersey in the 1940s. Teddy went to work one afternoon and found that the club and everything in it had burned to the ground. As he stood there lamenting the loss of his guitar, his violin, his music library, and his job, a stranger standing beside him said, "You think you got troubles! I came all the way out here to tune the piano!"