Buffalo Live Jazz

This is love...

Ten long trips around the sun since I last saw that smile, but only joy and thankfulness that on a tiny world in the vastness, for a couple of moments in the immensity of time, we were one.

- Ann Druyan, speaking about her beloved Carl Sagan in 2006

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

Friendships,

and Love.

Happy Valentines Day.

dan

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Ari Silverstein Brings Cabaret Stars to Buffalo

Promoter, Ari Silverstein (right) and singer, Mark Murphy.

Burchfield Penney Art Center

www.BurchfieldPenney.org

As part of its Year of the Arts programming, Buffalo State will
celebrate the artistry of American Cabaret in a concert-lecture
series, “High Standards: The Legacy of the Great American Songbook,”
featuring three Cabaret greats on February 23, March 1, and March 8
at the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

“Each of these singer-pianists has received international
acclaim entertaining in intimate jazz and cabaret settings,” said Ari
Silverstein, a 2003 Buffalo State graduate and New York City real
estate broker who collaborated with the Buffalo State Student Life
Office and the Music Department to bring the series to Buffalo. “Their
main focus has been keeping the American Songbook tradition alive,”

The artists will present daytime discussion-demonstrations
moderated by Silverstein and Chuck Mancuso, Buffalo State professor of
music and author of Popular Music and the Underground: Foundation of
Jazz, Rock, Country and Blues, 1900-1950. On the same day as the
discussion, each artist will perform a theme oriented concert at 7:00
p.m.

Steve Ross, known as “the Crown Prince of Cabaret,” is the
leading male artist in the genre. A native of New Rochelle, New York,
Ross has been compared to Cole Porter and Noel Coward and has
performed shows on numerous topics including composers, lyricists, and
entertainers. He will present the discussion-demonstration, “From
Saloon to Salon: Traveling with My Piano,” from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m.
February 23 in Rockwell Hall, Room 124. He will recount his evolution
from simple piano bars to the more exclusive performance rooms in
upscale hotels such as the Stanhope and the Algonquin, home to the
world-famous Algonquin Round Table. During his 7:00 p.m. performance,
Ross will bring the music of Fred Astaire to life in “Top Hat, White
Tie and Tails” in the Burchfield Penney Auditorium.

Kathleen Landis broke the mold of female singers who acted
as stand-up vocalists, and she helped establish female pianist/singers
as serious musicians in a male-dominated field. She joins such great
female vocalists as Hazel Scott, Barbara Carroll, Diana Krall and Ann
Hampton Calloway. During her discussion/demonstration, “From New
York’s Café Pierre to Buffalo’s Burchfield Penney,” 12:15 p.m. March 1
in the Burchfield Penney Auditorium, Landis will talk about the
importance of Alec Wilder’s groundbreaking tome American Popular Song:
The Great Innovators 1900-1950, and how she made a career singing and
playing the piano. At 7:00 p.m. she will perform “While We’re Young: A
Tribute to Alec Wilder,” a collection of treasured cabaret and
classical compositions written and influenced by Alec Wilder, a
graduate of the prestigious Eastman School of Music.

Bob Dorough, age 89, a longtime jazz-cabaret cult singer
and songwriter who penned such classics as “I’m Hip,” and “Devil May
Care,” also wrote many of the songs for “Schoolhouse Rock!”, the
educational series that became a staple of Saturday morning television
in the 1970s. His discussion-demonstration, “From Bebop to Schoolhouse
Rock,” at 12:15 p.m. March 8 in the Burchfield Penney Auditorium,
examines a stellar career penning jazz classics, recording with Miles
Davis, and writing clever songs that helped a generation of children
grasp grammar, math, science, and history. He will perform a
collection of previously noted classics, in his 7:00 p.m. concert,
“From Bebop to Schoolhouse Rock!”

“Unlike most traditional singers who offer a ‘list’ of
unconnected standards, this trio has honed the difficult but rewarding
cabaret-themed shows that elevate their performances to intimate
theater-like experiences,” Mancuso said.

All lectures are free. Tickets to the evening concerts cost $5
for Burchfield Penney members, Buffalo State faculty and staff, and
$10 for the general public. Students are admitted free.

Tickets can be purchased at the Burchfield Penney or online at
http://www.BurchfieldPenney.org/. For more information, call (716)
878-6011. The Office of Student Life and a grant from the Faculty
Student Association funded the series.

Thanks for your help. We hope to make this an annual event so also if
you have any financial backers you think would be interested in this
series in the future, please let me know,

All the Best,

Ari Silverstein

Email	amjsny@hotmail.com

Facebook	http://facebook.com/ari.silverstein

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Danny Hull Newsletter: Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 22

Hello friends. A New York night at a Buffalo price...

Tuesday, 2/7/2012 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Phil DiRe' & Buffalo Bop

Phil DiRe', tenor saxophone Bobby Militello, alto sax & flute Richie Marlo, trumpet & flugelhorn George Caldwell, piano Sabu Adeyola, bass your host, drum set

Phil DiRe'

George Caldwell
Photo by Mari McNeil

Buffalo Bop is back. We are honored again to feature Phil DiRe' and the ensemble only he could organize. And considering the world-class artistry on one bandstand, we are obliged to ask for a $5.00 cover, this week only. Ironically, several of our Savvy & Informed Regulars have been telling me for years to charge at the door. But I've resisted. The new management at the Iris has resisted. We want you to feel welcome, like you can stop in at your leisure, hear the music, see some friends, and not feel like somebody's got a hand in your pocket. But this is a six-piece band. And consider the pedigree: Phil DiRe' worked with Keely Smith & Sam Butera. Bobby with Brubeck, Maynard, & Bob Florence. George Caldwell was on both the Basie & Ellington bands. Sabu with Ahmad Jamal & Gary Burton. Yikes! And nobody's going home rich. We're just trying to pay these guys their due respect, which is why we're informing you-the-faithful. (We just didn't want you to feel ambushed when asked for a small contribution for the first time in thirteen years.)

We are grateful for and respectful of the support that Phil has received at all of his local appearances. And considering the standing-room-only crowds at every venue, we'd advise an early arrival. Doors open at 5:00, no reservations. Our tradition continues, now at the Iris Restaurant in the Maple-Ridge Plaza. We're at the intersection of Maple & Sweet Home Roads in Amherst. Good music, good food, good people, chilled spirits, and a great hang.

next Tuesday, 2/14/2012 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Randy Stirtzinger, vibraphone Warren Stirtzinger, guitar John Werick, bass your host, drum set

upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...

Tuesday, 2/21 Jay Bianchi & Mike Kaupa

Tuesday, 2/28 Vince Ercolomento

Tuesday, 3/6 Russ Carere

Tuesday, 3/13 Dave Schiavone

Tuesday, 4/10 Rick Strauss

Tuesday, 5/15 Bob Sneider

Tuesday, 6/19 Barbara Jean

links...

www.bobbymilitello.com/

Find your own voice...

The jazz musician's function is to feel. Unfortunately, Bird put notes into people's mouths. This vocabulary is accepted as jazz, and everyone does it. But jazz is improvising. It is the personal, emotional impact of a great improviser. It provides the listener with an experience he can have no other way. But, as today, when the vocabulary is the same, you have lost that experience. How intense can you be with someone else's words?

- Lennie Tristano, Downbeat - December 6, 1962

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

and Friendships.

dan

Monday, January 30, 2012

Danny Hull Newsletter: Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 21

Hello friends. Buffalo legends...

Tuesday, 1/31/2012 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

The Kipler Brothers

Mickey Kipler, tenor saxophone Jimmy Kipler, guitar Paul Zap, bass your host, drum set

The Kipler Brothers may be the only jazz artists that we have ever presented who are also Rock Royalty. They were known as The Rebels in 1959 when they were asked by WKBW radio personality Tommy Shannon to record his theme song. Wild Weekend was an east coast hit, and prompted Dick Clark to invite the band to appear as The Buffalo Rebels on American Bandstand. On May 5, 1960, Mickey & Jimmy Kipler made history. Maybe we'llevenplay Wild Weekend just for fun, but the music you'll hear this Tuesday will reveal the jazz roots that gave rise to these accomplished musicians, now a bit removed from their spirited teenage years. The Kipler Brothers are beloved in Buffalo, and we are both proud and privileged to present them to their hometown audience. Our tradition continues. The Iris Restaurant in the Maple-Ridge Plaza, at the intersection of Maple & Sweet Home Roads in Amherst. Good music, good food, good people, chilled spirits, and a great hang.

next Tuesday, 2/7/2012 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Phil DiRe' & Buffalo Bop

Phil DiRe', tenor saxophone Bobby Militello, alto sax & flute Richie Marlo, trumpet & flugelhorn George Caldwell, piano Sabu Adeyola, bass your host, drum set

upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...

Tuesday, 2/21 Jay Bianchi & Mike Kaupa

Tuesday, 2/28 Vince Ercolomento

Tuesday, 3/13 Dave Schiavone

Tuesday, 4/10 Rick Strauss

Tuesday, 5/15 Bob Sneider

Tuesday, 6/19 Barbara Jean

links...

Nostalgia ain't what it used to be...

People have this obsession. They want you to be like you were in 1969...because otherwise their youth goes with you. It's very selfish, but it's understandable.

- Mick Jagger

In 2012 and beyond...

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

and Friendships.

dan

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Danny Hull Newsletter: Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 20

Dr. Dick Judelsohn

Greetings everyone. It seems fitting. We're featuring one of Dick Judelsohn's favorite local artists this week. Dr. Jazz would have approved. He loved Laurie. He invited her on his program once for an extended interview. And no illness could stop him from introducing her to a Sunday audience at the Art Gallery two summers ago. We have lost yet another irreplaceable friend, and too soon. Dr. Dick Judelsohn's contributions to the jazz community and the musical art form he revered were equaled only by his contribution to pediatrics. Thank you Dick, for 35 years of inspired jazz broadcasting and for all that you shared on Bebop and Beyond. Thank you for your 13 years of support for our Tuesday night effort. Thank you for the summer parties in your courtyard. Thank you for your dignity, your warmth, your cheer, and your genuine and humble persona. You will be missed. But you cannot be replaced. Rest in Peace.

Tuesday, 1/24/2012 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Laurie Bordonaro

Laurie Bordonaro, vocals Michael T. Jones, piano Sabu Adeyola, bass your host, drum set

And if there is anyone who can pay tribute to our friend Dick with an inspired performance, it is Laurie. For like Dick Judelsohn, Laurie too is genuine. She'll offer her relentless energy and her musical esprit, and Dick will be digging it from his place in eternity. And another bonus is the long awaited return of Michael T. Jones. Our friend Mike has been taking some coursework that was meeting on Tuesday nights last semester, so we haven't had the pleasure since last August. But Laurie's trio is now reunited, and we offer it all to the memory of our friend. Our tradition continues, now at the Iris Restaurant in the Maple-Ridge Plaza, at the intersection of Maple & Sweet Home Roads in Amherst. Good music, good food, good people, chilled spirits, and a great hang.

Wednesday, 1/25/2012 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:00

Buffalo Brass rehearsal

You're invited. The Buffalo Brass is rehearsing biweekly at the Iris Restaurant. Come in and witness how Phil works the band through his arrangements. It's an inside "hear" on how a modern big band unites and serves the music...

upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...

Tuesday, 1/31 The Kipler Brothers

Tuesday, 2/7 Phil DiRe'

Tuesday, 2/21 Jay Bianchi

Tuesday, 2/28 Vince Ercolomento

Tuesday, 3/13 Dave Schiavone

Tuesday, 4/10 Rick Strauss

Tuesday, 6/19 Barbara Jean

links...

Rest in Peace Dick. You are missed...

There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.

- George Santayana (1863-1952)

In 2012 and beyond...

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

and Friendships.

dan

Monday, January 16, 2012

Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 19

Hello friends. OK, so it's a bit brisk. But it won't be this Tuesday. We've got connections...

Tuesday, 1/17/2012 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Miles Tucker, tenor saxophone Wayne Tucker, trumpet Tom Larsen, guitar Walter Stinson, bass your host, drum set

We've got a little more of the Eastman pedigree this week, and a lot of the Purchase variety. If you've been into the club on any regular basis, you likely know saxophonist Miles Tucker. He's been featured a time or two over these last few years, and he'll often come by to sit-in when he's not on the gig. Miles is for real. He brings a passion, an intensity, and a modern conception to the music that is at once futuristic and steeped in the blues. In good company, Miles the Eastman graduate will be outnumbered by our three Purchase representatives this week. Guitarist Tom Larsen & bassist Walter Stinson were both colleagues of Wayne Tucker's while Wayne earned his degree at Purchase, and their musical collaborations have continued beyond their college years. This is truly going to be an inspiring night of spontaneous playing and stimulating musical conversation. Try to make it if you can. Miles is around, but Wayne and his friends are coming in from New York just to do this gig and hang with Miles. We really can't promise when they'll be back. Our tradition continues, now at the Iris Restaurant in the Maple-Ridge Plaza, at the intersection of Maple & Sweet Home Roads in Amherst. Good music, good food, good people, chilled spirits, and a great hang.

upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...

Tuesday, 1/17 Miles & Wayne Tucker

Tuesday, 1/24 Laurie Bordonaro

Tuesday, 1/31 The Kipler Brothers

Tuesday, 2/7 Phil DiRe

Tuesday, 2/21 Jay Bianchi

Tuesday, 2/28 Vince Ercolomento

Tuesday, 3/13 Dave Schiavone

Tuesday, 4/10 Rick Strauss

Tuesday, 6/19 Barbara Jean

links...

www.tuckerandlarsenjazz.com

Advice for the ages...

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

- Plato

In 2012 and beyond...

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

and Friendships.

dan

Monday, January 2, 2012

Danny Hull Newsletter: Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 17

Hello friends. Thanks for being there last week. Yikes! The place was packed! Here's the thing about the new owners: A) They hung with us. They could have come in, cleaned house (which they did), and moved on with their agenda. Instead, they patiently adopted a wait and see posture, and accepted the value of our contribution to their business model. We not only survived, we now have an opportunity for growth. B) They are committed to improving the physical plant, both for the comfort of our audience, and for the pure listening experience. From the beginning at this location I've received complaints that unless you sit at a table close to the bandstand, you can't hear the band. So with some input from Phil DiRe, whose intellect and artistry command respect, Vinnie Lesh agreed to tie my sound system into the house. Now you can sit wherever you'd like and hear the music, not for volume, but for presence. And that's what I'm talking about with these guys. If you make a suggestion, your opinion is taken seriously. Our next goal is to simply take over where the Tralf left off. More on who we're bringing in as we get closer...

And this week...

Tuesday, 1/3/2012 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Colin Gordon, alto saxophone Chris Ziemba, piano Danny Ziemann, bass your host, drum set

Again, the Eastman School... This week's featured artist comes to us courtesy of this week's rhythm section. Eastman graduate Chris Ziemba & Eastman student Danny Ziemann actually did my job for me this week. They unselfishly got together at a local brew pub in order to brainstorm. Imagine the sacrifice. After much contemplation, (and likely a serious tab), Chris & Danny narrowed their artistic choices down to Eastman graduate student Colin Gordon. So we again enjoy the distinct privilege of presenting yet another talent new to our Savvy & Informed audience. I haven't met Colin, so the onus is on me to hang with these guys. But sometimes the other kids will let you play if you bring the ball. So please join us. Hear a young saxophonist new to your ears. Hear as well the direction the music is taking, for it is the responsibility of youth to challenge the status quo, and to direct the music in ways fresh and creative. With every 20-something that has come to our stage from the Eastman School, the commitment to time, feel, lyric, and harmonic cohesion are there. We hear the history of the music insofar as the standards and jazz canon are concerned. But we hear too how the music sounds to them today, and what it may sound like tomorrow. Join us, and hear the future. Still, the Iris Restaurant, in the Maple-Ridge Plaza. Maple & Sweet Home Roads. Good music, good food, good people, chilled spirits, and a great hang.

upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...

Tuesday, 1/17 Miles & Wayne Tucker

Tuesday, 1/24 Laurie Bordonaro

Tuesday, 1/31 The Kipler Brothers

Tuesday, 2/7 Phil DiRe

Tuesday, 2/21 Jay Bianchi

Tuesday, 2/28 Vince Ercolomento

Tuesday, 4/10 Rick Strauss

links...