jardine's jazz blog

Julia Othmer Oct 9th & 12th

2009-09-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Julia Othmer
October 9th
2 shows 6 & 8:30 $15 Julia Othmer
The 6pm show is sold out. Please make your reservation for the the Friday night 6pm show OR her Monday night 7pm show.

Jardine's Presents Matt Otto Quartet Tuesday September 29th

2009-09-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

Susie Thorne October 4th

2009-09-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

Susie Thorne's Website

Sunday October 4th 2 shows 6 & 8:30 $10

P.O. Box 541206
Omaha, NE 68154
(402) 968-4991

“I’m very confident that I’ve heard, in my humble opinion, one of the
5 best jazz CD’s of (the year)….”
****(Albert Price….host of “The Jazz Is Out There” Birmingham, AL)

“This is not a borderline ‘jazz influenced’ vocalist….she’s the real thing.”
****(Rob Lester….talkingbroadway.com New York, NY)

Introducing………JazzVocalist: Susie Thorne

Audiences from Japan toSweden, and many American stops in between, all enthusiastically agree: Susie Thorne is the real thing. A truly classy and classic jazz vocalist infused with real clarity. Real control. Contagious energy and authentic individuality throughout her considerable vocal and stylistic range.

Perhaps that’s why she was nominated for “Best Female Jazz Vocalist 2007” at the Agape Indie Awards in the U.K., and why she’s getting airplay from Argentina to Italy.

Susie Thorne. The real thing.

Christian Howes

2009-09-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

Christian Howes will hold a clinic at Jardine's October 4th from 3 - 5.

On Monday, October 5th he will perform from 6 - 10.

The cost for the clinic is $15 the cost for the show is $10.

NYC-based jazz violinist Christian Howes will offer a pair of events at Jardine’s October 4^th and 5th^st.

Sunday Oct 4^th 3-5 p.m. Howes will present a clinic on improvisation and jazz for music students and professionals of all ages. The clinic fee is $15. (NOTE: The clinic will now be held at KC Strings) Monday Oct 5^th, Howes will perform a concert from 6-10 p.m. with a jazz quartet. Tickets are $10. Jardine’s is located at 4536 Main St Kansas City, MO 64111

The nationally known jazz violinist will visit Kansas City as part of a ten-day tour throughout the Midwest. “I thought this tour would be the perfect excuse to visit Kansas City and present not only a concert for the community, but offer a clinic for locally-based musicians whom have perhaps rarely had the opportunity to be exposed to jazz strings.” An Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, the 37-yr old violinist is also well-known as a music educator, especially in the niche area of jazz and improvising string players. “Violinists, cellists, and violists are starting to see that they can have original voices too, just like other instrumentalists common in popular music such as guitarists and saxophonists. Part of my mission in teaching kids is to encourage them to explore what music has to offer them and in turn give them an avenue to express themselves.”

As an educator, performer and composer, Christian has gained great notoriety and respect from critics and players alike. In August, 2009, Christian was ranked (for the third time) as the #2 violinist in the Downbeat Critics Poll "Rising Stars". Says All About Jazz ,"as a jazz violinist he has no peer". The Minneapolis Tribune called Christian "arguably the most intriguing young violinist in jazz”.

After releasing a string of potent CDs as a leader, a majority of which flew under the radar of most jazz critics, violinist Christian Howes is set to make a big splash with Heartfelt, his spectacular debut on Resonance Records which charted at 24 on the national jazz radio. Rather than exhibiting the charming delicacy of a Stephane Grappelli or the jaunty Swing era bounce of a Joe Venuti, Howes is a wildly inventive post-bop burner with monstrous facility, a wide expressive range and a take-no-prisoners approach. On Heartfelt, he parlays his Herculean chops, blistering intensity and haunting romanticism into a winning combination that is eminently accessible without sacrificing his obvious skills.

In recent years, Howes has become an in-demand violinist on the New York scene, performing and recording with a bevy of jazz artists, including alto saxophonist Greg Osby, pianist D.D. Jackson, guitarists Les Paul, Frank Vignola, Joel Harrison, drummer Dafnis Prieto, vibraphonist Dave Samuels’ Caribbean Jazz Project, crossover pioneers Spyro Gyra, and a 3-yr chair in Bill Evans Soulgrass. On Heartfelt, his recent cd release on Resonance Records, the Ohio-born violinist collaborates with pianist-arranger Roger Kellaway, a legendary figure in his own right.

With all the parties brought together by Resonance Records founder George Klabin, Heartfelt is a beautifully balanced cross-generational project blending the wisdom of venerable jazz men (Kellaway and his longtime colleague on bass, Bob Magnusson) with the abundant energy and ideas of promising new youngbloods (Howes and Kneebody drummer Nate Wood).

“I think what George (Klabin) wanted to accomplish on this record was to put a world-class frame around my playing,” says Howes. “His perception is that I’ve been doing it on my own for all these years and that he had the ability to help me rise above by surrounding my voice with a world class production, so that people could hear it in a context that makes sense to the mainstream jazz audience.” They succeed marvelously on Heartfelt.

Howes, who counts Stuff Smith, John Blake and Nashville-based Billy Contreras as his biggest violin influences, endorses Yamaha violins and D’Addario strings. He is an Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music. He is also the founder of the Creative Strings Workshop in Columbus, Ohio.

For tickets, call Jardine’s at (816) 561-6480 or visit www.jardines4jazz.com

www.christianhowes.com

For media information contact Jeremy King

(p) 614-302-3295

(e) jeremymaxwellking@gmail.com

Dave Stephens S.I.N. Night Sunday September 20th

2009-09-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

Mark Lowrey w/ Drums Featuring John Bersuch of Bacon Shoe

2009-09-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.baconshoe.com/

What do this band and Mark Lowrey have in common? Find out Friday September 11th @ 10:30

Alacartoona

2009-09-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

i get this feeling when i look at you
a sinking sort of deja vu
i know already what you'll put me through
but baby, i'm hooked

you want to meet me in a rendezvous
a little secret, just me and you
do all the things that you want me to
oh...this is one of those things that i shouldn't do
-from "The Lesson"
http://www.alacartoona.com

Une Soiree De Jazz

2009-09-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

Bram Wijands, Danny Embrey, Jurgen Welge & Coleen Cassidy
Thanks to Tom Warner we have many videos of this incredible show.

Here is a link to Tom's Youtube page where you can find almost 1500 videos he has uploaded. Many from local jazz clubs.

Barclay Martin Ensemble

2009-09-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.barclaymartin.com/
http://www.myspace.com/barclaymartin
Barclay Martin Ensemble on Facebook

The Barclay Martin Ensemble performs at Jardine's once a month. The room is always packed with reservations frequently made a month in advance.

Shows at 6 and 8:30 $5 cover

Brandon Draper Saturday September 5th

2009-08-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday Sept. 5
$5

Brandon Draper Presents

6pm - Brandon Draper featuring Matt Otto
..."an insidiously mesmerizing listening experience.", Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz.

"A fluent tenor saxophonist with a cool tone and a relaxed style, Matt Otto is able to glide over the most complex chord changes gracefully." Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Matt Otto - saxophone
Brandon Draper -drums
Roger Wilder - piano
Ben Leifer - bass

8pm - Brandon Draper Group
BD - drums/percussion/electronics
Hermon Mehari - trumpet
Rich Wheeler - sax
Ben Leifer - bass

Kansas City Youth Jazz Benefit

2009-08-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

KANSAS CITY, KS, August 17, 2009 - Jardine's Restaurant (4536 Main Street, Kansas City, MO),
Kansas City's preeminent jazz venue, will be jumping to the sounds of The Wild Women of Jazz, along with special guests Chris Burnett (saxophone), Stan Kessler (trumpet), Jason Goudeau (trombone), Greg Richtor (keyboards) and others as they host a very special benefit concert in support of Kansas City Youth Jazz.

"Last year's fundraiser at Jardine's with the Wild Women was one of the highlights of our year," says Leon Brady, Kansas City Youth Jazz founder and musical director. "This is such a great club to hear live jazz in and the Wild Women - as well as all of these tremendous musicians - really put on a fantastic show. Everybody who comes will have a great time while really helping our program."

The evening will run from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m., with an auction and raffle occurring throughout the
evening. A donation of $20 will be collected at the door, with the doors opening at 5:00 p.m.
Reservations can be made by calling Jardine's Restaurant at 816.561.6480.

###

Additional information on the benefit can be found at kcyouthjazz.org.

Steve Paul's Trio ALL Review

2009-08-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

Trio ALL is making a mark for itself ; New self-named disc features well-informed original tunes and a few pleasant surprises.By Steve Paul

Credit: The Kansas City Star
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Edition: METROPOLITAN, Section: A+E, Page E1

Judging from their new disc, the young jazz players who make up Trio ALL have no shortage of audacious ambition.

From its eclectic, adventurous lineup of tunes to some wonderfully stylish playing, this is a piano trio with a future.

And to think it was pretty much an accident.

"We weren't conceiving of making an album," pianist Mark Lowrey says of the venture. "We just came to the table with a few arrangements each of things we wanted to hear and wanted to play together."

The idea was that he, bassist Ben Leifer and drummer Zack Albetta would get a chance to learn from one another and build up the book of tunes they could play in a growing number of gigs.

"They ended up sounding like an album," Lowrey adds, "in a strangely cohesive way. It was an accidental thing."

And it worked.

Lowrey, a versatile journeyman pianist, impresses with his double-fisted evocations of Mulgrew Miller and McCoy Tyner but also with delicate, edgy phrasings that recall the likes of Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett.

Albetta and Leifer are no less inventive and propulsive.

The group launched the disc recently at Jardine's, where the trio is scheduled for a monthly gig beginning July 1. From time to time you can also hear them warming up the bandstand as the rhythm section for vibrant singer Shay Estes.

One thing that contributes to the success of the CD is its natural, concert sound.

"In mixing the record," producer and engineer Eric Honour says, "we did everything we could to capture the feeling of a live event: Each of the instruments has its own well-defined space, and the blend is carefully tailored to preserve clarity and detail, while still placing all the instruments together in a sort of imaginary jazz club. I think that's crucial for a jazz record."

Another is the choice of material.
Three of this disc's seven tunes, more than half of its 43-plus minutes of music, are compositions by Leifer.

The 23-year-old bass phenom still has a semester to go in the jazz program at the UMKC Conservatory of Music, an academic career at least partly stretched out by his active performance schedule the last couple of years.

Leifer's "Time Well Spent" is a bluesy stroll with a descending lyrical line that carries a whisper of Thelonious Monk. In a solo, the bassist takes a laid-back, laconic turn that nevertheless reveals just how much tradition, skill and confidence he has amassed in a relatively short time.

His "Vitality" makes hay with passing quotes of notable modern-jazz favorites, including Herbie Hancock's "Dolphin Dance" and John Coltrane's "Moment's Notice." And the disc closes with Leifer's "New Meaning," which again hints at familiar phrases from deep within the jazz DNA. The tune also gives Lowrey space to stretch and to turn inward with good results.

Of the disc's other works, McCoy Tyner's "Passion Dance" is a high-speed chase that Lowrey and company handle with aplomb.

The trio credits "Dienda" to Mulgrew Miller, but the piece is usually pinned to another pianist, Kenny Kirkland, and it has become a lovely modern classic, popularized by the likes of Branford Marsalis and, with lyrics, Sting. Every time I hear this trio version, I like it even more.

It's no great stretch to tackle a standard like "My Favorite Things," and Trio ALL hardly remakes it, though Albetta injects into it some airy fun as the players give it a rhythmically upbeat lilt.

One surprise on the disc is Albetta's rearrangement of "Ghost Boat," which comes from the playbook of the Barclay Martin Ensemble. Like "Dienda," it starts on ballad turf but winds up in fetching, pop-jazz territory.

Accidents happen. And, in jazz, which is so dependent on improvisation, serendipity and the magic of the moment when musicians play together on a stage, accidents, especially if they sound like this session, are often exactly what you want to hear.

Steve Paul, senior writer and arts editor, 816-234-4762, paul@kcstar.com

Trumpet Summit Notes

2009-08-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

STAN KESSLER PRESENT'S TRUMPET SUMMIT 2009!
Featuring CLINT ASHLOCK and HERMON MEHARI

September 3rd, Jardines, 7:30-11:30,
$5 cover

Get ready for some real fun when these three trumpeters lock horns in a no-holds-barred
brass spectacular. There's a real buzz in town about this performance.Check out new tunes and arrangements written just for this gig! The first trumpet summit in many moons, it promises to be exciting and unique.

Stan Kessler has been a stalwart on the KC scene for 35 years and leads The Sons of Brasil and HoraceScope. He has been voted best jazz trumpeter and best jazz band(The SOBs) in The Pitch readers poll.

Clint Ashlock has established himself as a force to be reckoned with among local trumpet players. He leads The New Jazz Order Big Band and has played with countless groups, including Heat Index.

Hermon Mehari has burst onto the scene with much flair and fanfare. A UMKC student, he has already made his mark by winning first place in the National Trumpet Competition Jazz Category. He is Co-leader of the award winning jazz group Diverse, which garnered first place at the Gene Harris Combo Competition.

They will be joined by one of the swinginest rhythm sections on the planet, Roger Wilder-piano, Ben Leifer-bass, and Tim Cambron-drums