Live from Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola

The William Grant Still Arts Center Presents

 Arkestry of the Cosmos:

The Universe Language of Sun Ra

American Composers Exhibition Series opening

and

Sun Ra Tribute Concert  this Saturday,

February 9 from 3-6pm FREE

Grand Opening

at WILLIAM GRANT STILL ARTS CENTER

This year’s exhibition, open through April, is titled “Arkestry of the Cosmos: The Universe Language of Sun Ra” – featuring over 150 items including a complete discography, original artwork by Ulysses Jenkins, and more.

The tribute concert will feature Dwight Trible, Marcus Miller, BobbyWest, Edwin Livingston, and two former members of Sun Ra’s Arkestra -Derf Reklaw and Dale Williams. Marcus Miller has done an excellent job of putting this group together.

Los Angeles (January 30, 2013) – In 1969, Sun Ra’s first Los Angeles appearance was at the Dorsey High School Auditorium on Farmdale Avenue, just blocks from where The William Grant Still Arts Center is today.

To honor our neighborhood as well as Sun Ra’s groundbreaking career
as a visionary jazz composer, ARKESTRY OF THE COSMOS: THE
UNIVERSE LANGUAGE OF SUN RA will exhibit archives, art, and interviews
on Sun Ra, members of The “Ark” and their quest to expand minds,
music, and souls through musical experimentation for
over a half-century.  An Opening Reception and Concert for ARKESTRY OF THE
COSMOS: THE UNIVERSE LANGUAGE OF SUN RA will take place on Saturday,
February 9, from 3:00-6:00pm, with Dwight Trible, Marcus Miller, Edwin
Livingston, Bobby West,
Derf Recklaw and Dale Williams.

The exhibition features a collection of local, national,
international, and intergalactic archives, including rare photographs,
videos, articles, and original posters on Sun Ra and his Arkestra. The
entire vinyl discography of 33 1/3s, 45s and 78s will also be on
display, among the archival material and documents.

Original artwork by Ramsess, Ulysses Jenkins,and Aise Bourne will also
be on exhibit, influenced or directly
inspired by Sun Ra.

The February 9th opening concert will feature a special one-time
performance of alumni from The Arkestra and other local musicians.
Derf Reklaw (percussion), and Dale Williams (guitar), two former
alumni of the Arkestra, will perform along with Dwight Trible
(vocals), Marcus Miller (drums), Bobby West (piano) and Edwin Livingston (bass).

Sun Ra and The Arkestra are this year’s focus for William Grant Still
Arts Center’s annual African-American Heritage Exhibition, our
exhibition series which celebrates the life and work of
African-American composers annually each spring.  Combining community
archives with original artwork and music education, past exhibitions
in the series have included

Deeds Not Words: The Life and Work of Max
Roach and Abbey Lincoln (2012), A New Day: Nina Simone (2011) and The
High Priest of Bop: The Jazz Odyssey of Thelonious Monk (2010).

The music of Sun Ra is also being presented in conjunction with DCA’s
African-American Heritage Music Education Program, sponsored in part
by Music LA. The William Grant Still Arts Center focuses on teaching
music and cultural history through practice and playing experience to
beginning and intermediate students of all ages
via the works of groundbreaking musical innovators in the tradition of the
Arts Center’s namesake, Dr. William Grant Still,

A culminating youth and community concert, featuring
compositions influenced by students learning of music through the work
Sun Ra, will take place on April 20, 2013 at Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion
Church, across the street from William Grant Still Arts Center.

PROGRAM EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Exhibition Dates:                    February 9-April 27, 2013
Opening Concert:                   Saturday, February 9, 2013   3-6pm
Culminating Youth Concert:     Saturday, April 20, 2013, Time TBA
Center Hours:                         Tuesday – Saturday, Noon – 5:00 p.m.
Location:                                William Grant Still Arts Center,
2520 South West View Street, Los Angeles, CA  90016
Cost:                                      Free

Media Contact:
Ami Motevalli, Director
William Grant Still Arts Center

ami.motevalli@lacity.org
http://wgsac.wordpress.com/

The William Grant Still Arts Center Presents
THE ARKESTRY OF THE COSMOS: THE UNIVERSE LANGUAGE OF SUN RA
February 9, 2013-April 27, 2013

Each artist puts their own unique spin on jazz music- be it piano influenced by classic poetry, an all female modern quartet, hip flutists or Irish folk song and tango inspired trumpet!

 Shows are presented by Kaplan Music & Entertainment and will be held at

Culture Project

(45 Bleecker, at Lafayette).

http://cultureproject.org/

Click the links below for ticket information.

Below you’ll find the schedule of events and info on each show.

Sunday, Jan 13: Gregg Kallor Hurricane Sandy Relief Concert

7:00 pm Doors

Gregg Kallor, described by five-time Grammy nominee Fred Hersch as “an extraordinary pianist, a composer of great distinction and a true conceptualist…” gathers with friends for a benefit concert to raise money for Occupy Sandy- a coordinated relief effort to help distribute resources and volunteers to help neighborhoods and people affected by the storm. http://greggkallor.com

Monday, Jan 14: True Blues featuring Corey Harris, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Guy Davis, Dirk Powell, and Riley Baugus

6:00 pm Doors
True Blues chronicles the extraordinary living culture of the blues in an evening of music and conversation with blues greats. Hosted by Corey Harris, an accomplished musician and MacArthur Fellowship award winner. Along with Alvin Youngblood Hart, Guy Davis, Dirk Powell and Riley Baugus, Harris will take the audience through the history and depth of blues culture with performances and stories alike.

Presented by Kaplan Music & Entertainment and T Presents.

Tuesday, Jan 15: Rose & the Nightingale

7:00 pm Doors

Rose & the Nightingale is four powerful New York based multi-instrumentalists and improvisers: Jody Redhage (voice, cello, compositions), Leala Cyr (voice, trumpet), Sara Caswell (violin, mandolin), & Laila Biali (voice, piano). The band’s warm sound of three part vocal harmonies, intricate arrangements, and burning solos has proven to cut through to a deeper level of connection with audiences. http://roseandthenightingale.com/

Tuesday, Jan 15: Flutronix 

9:30 pm Doors

Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins- Hull are Flutronix, a critically acclaimed pair of fresh and eclectic flutists who are paving the way from their classical roots to the future of music. Their original compositions, described by NewMusicBox as “equally indebted to and comfortable in several musical lineages,” navigate daring forms of popular, experimental, and contemporary classical music while implementing electronics and digital effects. http://flutronix.com/

Saturday, Jan 26: Nadje Noordhuis & Jo Lawry

7:00 pm Doors

Australian-born trumpeter/composer Nadje Noordhuis celebrates the release of her long-awaited self-titled album. Combining cinematic sweep, transportive emotion, and rich melodic grandeur, Noordhuis possesses one of the most unforgettably lyrical voices in modern music. She was one of ten semi-finalists in the 2007 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition and was selected as a Carnegie Hall Young Artist to undertake a weeklong residency with trumpet great Dave Douglas in 2010.
She will be joined by fellow Aussie and accomplished singer, Jo Lawry. Join these two Aussies as we celebrate Australia Day on January 26th! http://littlemysteryrecords.com/nadjenoordhuis/ :: http://www.jolawry.com

Sammy Miller & The Congregation

“Music that feels good”

Sammy Miller and the Congregation: Bringing the Joy Back to Jazz

Performing Next Month at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy Club Coco-Cola

New York, New York, December 7, 2012 – A native of Los Angeles, 21
year-old Sammy Miller has become known for his unique maturity and relentless
focus on making music that “feels good”, whether he’s holding down the drumset
with Jazz legends like Johnny O’Neal or leading his own group, Sammy Miller & The
Congregation.

Next month, Miller will bring the Congregation’s fresh and swinging sound to
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy Club Coco-Cola for five nights (January 22-26; 11:30pm
set time). The group includes some of New York’s most sought after young jazz talent,
including bassist Josh Crumbly (Terence Blanchard, Taylor Eigsti) and pianist Kris
Bowers (Marcus Miller, Kanye West).

Although nobody in the sextet is older than 22, the group channels the spirit of
jazz from an earlier age. “I know a lot of young musicians are looking to play odd-time
signatures, with misleading harmony, and disorientating melodies, but I am not interested
in that,” says Miller. “Jazz is about the spirit of bringing people together. It is a joyful
music. That is what we are trying to do.”

Sammy Miller received his BA from the New School and is currently a Masters Student at
The Juilliard School. These days, you can find him every Saturday at Smoke Jazz holding
the drum seat with the great Johnny O’Neal (Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown). At
the ripe old age of 21, Sammy has already performed/recorded with the likes of Wynton
Marsalis, Christian Scott, Bobby Watson, David Benoit, and Ozomotli, and has received
a list of accolades that includes the Los Angeles Jazz Society’s Shelly Manne Award, the
Dolo Coker Scholarship, and the 2009 Los Angeles Music Center’s Spotlight Award.

So hard to think that this wonderful talent and good friend is now playing in heaven. If you know the soul or have ever experienced the sound, please come and share the love with us at the Memorial Service for Austin Peralta.

Austin and the family are very dear friends of mine and I am honored to be the host and moderator for the celebration of life and music.

LeRoy Downs

Knowledge is forever continuing for human beings. There are always things that we don’t know or things that we don’t know that we don’t know. Whatever the case may be, seeking more or getting into the minds of our modern day masters is a treat in enlightenment!

The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz has now made its new home at The University of California at Los Angeles and 2012 begins and its first class of graduate students which are now underway.  As part of the curriculum, the institute holds master classes with the true “Masters” in the music coming to perform, teach and share their insights as well as approaches to music with the new generation in sound.

What an honor it is to always be in the presence of NEA Jazz Master Wayne Shorter. No horns today, just an energy exchange between you, Wayne, the music, space and time. Daniel Seeff, the West Coast Director of the Thelonious Monk Institute, was on hand to present “Master Wayne” to us. The premise of the afternoon was to have selections of Wayne’s music played from his early compositions through time, up into his more recent pieces and even reveal some music that has yet to be released. We would listen, have Wayne expound upon the music and engage with questions. It turned out that we got to see glimpses inside the man, the mind and address our own mortality and perspectives on the music.

It was like being in Wayne’s living room, “Wayne Manor” for all practical purposes. As Alfred, sorry Daniel played each composition, we all had the opportunity to listen and feel the music that we know so well and then have “Master Wayne” speak on the experience. “Pegasus” was about courage and determination, “Children of the Night”, was written for the astronauts. He opened up the “space” for some rhetorical energy and there was nothing but silence. In order to break the silence and start the dance, I asked, “How do you write such beautiful music that engages us with feeling and is composed with such a spirit of openness”?

If you know or don’t know Wayne Shorter, I will tell you that my impression is that he lives and breathes “Beyond the Sound Barrier”. You may think that Mr. Shorter would proceed to answer my question, but he has no interest in giving you answers.  He loves you enough as a fellow human being to provide tools, hints or glimpses for you to find the answers inside yourself. I would imagine that Wayne’s mind exists in multiple parallel universes. At any given time he can transport into any region and pick up a few images, memories, situations, stories or sounds and in an instant, bring them all to the front of his Occipital lobe and lay out a foundational equation in order for you to come to your own conclusion.

For most of the session we all just listened to the music and watched Wayne speak on his encounters and share his experiences. Wayne is a humble human being and expresses to us that it is not about him, but that it takes a collective effort to create. On the table next to him in his binder, he has a few books that he shares with us. James Hilton’s “Lost Horizon” and Alan Dean Foster’s,”The I Inside” are instances where he suggests that books and vast knowledge lend towards openness! “We need to listen to the music in novels”

“Written music is a doorway and its good to give back to the Universe” Yes, how true! Music is a cyclical gift given to us by the creator only to have it given back. Of course, we as an audience get to experience those vibrations and we wear them well whenever Wayne is on stage. His band now features Brian Blade on drums, John Patitucci on bass and Danilo Perez on piano; four exemplary sounds indeed. It is all about trust, diversions and interruptions are looked upon as opportunities, certainly not about this solo, then my solo, then your solo then his solo; it is more like no solo, hence, the collective unit. “The mystery of the music is like a drop in the ocean of life”

“To be free carries a lot of responsibility”. Wayne said that one of the questions that he get asked is, “ How do you know what to play”? His response is “play what you wish for”. Master of the Flute and UCLA instructor Brother James Newton was sitting right next to me. We both heard that statement, responded with a personal,“Umm”, and immediately jotted down those notes for prosperity.

He proceed to tell a story about Miles back in the day with Herbie, Ron and Tony. One of the cats said, “Man, I don’t know what to play”? Miles responded with “Don’t play nothin’”, ascertaining the fact that silence and space are just as much an important part of the sound. Weather many here know it or not, these are not just stories, they are lessons, little jewels and gems that we can not only incorporate in music but in our everyday lives.

Wayne suggests that you take the best from the past and use it as a flashlight, a guide into your unknown future. He also touches on how people like to hold on to things. They take one thing that they love about the music and claim it as their end all be all, “Yeah, that’s my thing right there”. The act of loving one thing does not lead you down the path of openness and enlightenment. It is a point of stagnation and ultimately the glass ceiling of death. This goes for musicians but, for certain the public at large who get lost in the quicksand of time. “It’s okay to play what you know, but the sheet music on a Wayne Shorter stage reminds the musicians of what NOT to play, it’s just a reference to remember what you are getting away from.  Joy is a deep sound, you have to get into the sound of your instrument and play that, don’t let it play you. The music tells you what to do, you have to get rid of yourself and get into the tone”

“Some musicians like to play a lot of notes”. This could be for several reasons; to display technique, superior ability or to hide from from the truth of tone. Wayne would encourage you to take your time and stretch out some of those notes. He spoke of tone and mentioned folks like Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole, “Soothesayer’s” who are the masters of tone and the reverence of time. Use tone not for commercial purposes, but to hear yourself, to feel yourself and allow others to see behind the mask. Notes form a vocabulary and if you allow yourself to be open, you become a part of the unfolding conversation, the spontaneous interaction in sound that gives you infinite possibilities where at any given moment, any road you take will always lead you to your destination.

Wayne also shared some other funny stories about Miles. Miles had called Wayne to be in his band but Wayne had just joined Blakey’s band so he could not just up and leave. So Miles called about a year later. They were at rehearsal with Art an Lee answered the phone and said out loud, “Hey Wayne its Miles”. They were all out one night at a club checking out some music and the horn player on stage recognized that Miles was in the audience. After the set, the horn player made his way over to Miles and said, “Hello Mr. Davis, I was wondering what you think of my playing”. Miles leaned over and said, “You wouldn’t talk to your woman that would you?”. In the 90’s Wayne saw Miles at the Hollywood Bowl and Herbie was there. Miles said, “I wonder what it would be like if we all got back together again”, the question still remains.

Wayne called Charlie Parker, “Captain Marvel”. People were always asking about Charlie Parker, the way he plays and where he learned to play like that. They try to find the roots, where Charlie came from and who he was influenced by. Charlie was married to Rebecca Parker, his first wife. Someone asked her about Charlie, her reply was only that, “Charlie was always downstairs practicing seriously”. Key word here I am sure is “practicing”. Ray Brown told told Wayne that “Charlie sounds correct”. “Music is my mistress”, “To be or not to Be-Bop!”.

Trane was also one of those serious characters. John mentioned to Wayne that he recognized that they had the same thing going on so they got together to play. In some ways, maybe John knew his life was ending which was why he felt the urgency to search and get the music out.

Click Picture above for article on Wayne and the Imani Winds

We got to a piece that Wayne recorded live at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with his band and the Imani Winds, I called it “Wayne’s World at the Walt Disney Concert Hall”. We listened to that entire piece of music uninterrupted, probably about 15 minutes long. Everyone was silent as we could look at Wayne and see he was in deep thought, re-living each magical moment. I looked around and the students were locked in as well. We all want to have that masterful vision so we used the energy in the room to see if we could tap into the “Shorter Frequency”. That is not happening. All we could do and all we can do is just listen, be open and let the sonic vibrations mix with our frequency and create our own meaning, destination and resolution.

Wayne was asked, “What is originality” and his answer was “Life. The purpose of life is to be happy; celebrate it and show appreciation for its gift. The best that I can do is to give something back to the universe that defies a beginning or an ending of something but, a gift that seeks potential in what it is”.

Three hours with Wayne and you know there is more to music, sound, the universe and yourself!
New music coming out in February 2013.

LeRoy Downs

What an evening! The perfect mix for success inspiring minds young and old to grasp the extremes of the concept known as jazz. Extremes in the sense not to the degree of superior sonic tonality reached but, to the approach and the roads taken to derive at musical resolution.

Robert Glasper opened up the evening at Royce Hall as one of the many jazz performances that we can expect to see from the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA. The audience was well attended and the paring of these two particular band could not have been better. The word “Jazz” is so subjective and as the years pass there are movements, shifts and nostalgic ideas about the perception of the sound of the music. Musicians and connoisseurs of jazz are either progressive in their approach to the art or relish the comforts of nostalgia in the vibrations of yesteryear with delightful updated nuances. We got a dose of both and hopefully open ears did not take sides and were able to feel and learn something from all roads that lead toward enlightenment.

Glasper is extremely proficient in his mastery and command of the piano but also humorous in the way that he expresses his underlying opinion of the music and the era that we live in now. He is a contemporary, born in a newer generation with different outlooks, experiences and influences that are just as valid as those of the elders. Yes, generally it is true that we learn from our elders and they are the “Wise Ones”. However, the scale tips both ways and new sounds, ideas and magnificence come from our youth. The truth is in the sound and not what knowledge that people have held on to for ages. Holding on to ones knowledge through the generations of time as the world turns towards eternity is equivalent to thinking that all music that is worth comes from the book of reality. There is more, and even though high school and collage are memories of the past, we are all students of life, and the music continues.

Derrick Hodge and Mark Colenberg comprise the remainder of the rhythm. Musical mantras, “Sexy” as Glasper would describe are the foundation for gorgeous layers of melody. Robert proceeds to play some of the old familiar standards and slowly fades the tunes as if to say, I know this is what is commonly played in jazz trio sets, but then blazes with the soul, style and energy of the next gen. It is a mixture of respect and subliminal progressive lessons to the world. He jokes about how he and Stevie Wonder wrote many tunes together and it was so much about the music and ideas that he was not worried about putting his name on the material. Fun and humor backed up by incredible trio wizardry. Herbie Hancock’s “I Have a Dream” was definitely stamped with a Glasper signature. What neo did for soul, Glasper brings to a new generation of jazz music.

Our second set was with legendary bass player Ron Carter. The classic quartet at its finest emanating nostalgic vibrations in every way! Renee Rosnes is melody, and for years has supported the the best in the music as well as leading phenomenal project of her own. Payton Crossley is a drummer that I am just getting to know and fits perfectly into the quartet as we make our acquaintance. Rolando Marales-Matos is a ray of happy sunshine. If his personality rivals his passion for percussion, he is one person you will want to meet and be your friend forever. You can tell that he is elated to be a wonderful and exciting element in the band and that he and Ron must enjoy a special music relationship.

Ron say’s that “One thing about being the leader of the band is that you get to be paid first and you get to play your favorites”. “My Funny Valentine”, “Moments Notice” and “You, The Night and the Music” were just a few of the standards that the quartet laid out for us to enjoy. Yes, we know the music and yes, this is classic jazz. Sort of in the same vein as Classical Music itself. We know the composers, the compositions, the melody, the haunting refrain and there is no fear down the road to resolve because we have been there before. Only with jazz, the musicians are always able to add the nuances and tweak the sound in the slightest of ways to add their version flavor to music. It allows for those who really know the music to discover new little gems and others not quite as knowledgeable to get a core lesson in the music with the sprinkles of ingenuity all mixed in.

The experience of both extremes allows you to get the spectrum of the music as a continuum from past to present or from the future back to classic sound. My suggestion is that you can stop and enjoy anywhere along the path. There is no time for retirement when it comes to enjoying a world of beautiful music. You can enjoy your house and your wonderful neighborhood where you feel nice and cozy but, we are all students in the world of sound. So, take some trips and broaden your horizon to get the full appreciation of what is, what was and what will be. That will be the best for the life of the music and the best for your life!

LeRoy Downs