Sunday, April 29, 2012

Danny Hull: Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 34


Hello friends.  This week we pay tribute to a remarkable and generous personality, and in his memory we will make a contribution to his most favored cause.
Tuesday, 5/1/2012 at the Iris Restaurant     7:30 - 10:30
Dr. Dick Judelsohn Memorial Jazz Tribute
Bruce Eaton, Master of Ceremonies
Featuring vocalists Laurie Bordonaro & Colleen Williams     trombonist Phil Sims     trumpeter Phil Nyhuis      pianists Ronnie Corsaro, Bobby Jones & Michael T. Jones     guitarists Warren Stirtzinger & Stu Weissman     bassists Buddy Fadale & Wayne Moose     drummers Pat Hulsman & your host
I doubt that the well-grounded Dr. Dick Judelsohn would have considered himself an over-achiever.  But some of us mere mortals view his life story, and are humbled indeed.   Isn't it simply enough to become a doctor?  Let alone one of national repute?  And too, despite a family and a demanding practice, find the time to indulge in your other heart's passion?  And do so publicly, professionally, and consistently for 30 years?  The jazz community pays tribute this Tuesday to not only one of our most passionate advocates, but to one of our teachers.  Seldom did this music practitioner tune into Be-Bop & Beyond on WBFO, and not learn something.  And food for thought, if the jazz community is hosting a tribute to our friend and colleague, when one considers his contributions to the health and well being of generations of kids, Children's Hospital should name a wing in his honor.  That idea we'll get to at a later time.  For now we gather in his name.  We'll render live music in his honor.  We'll hear some of his archived broadcasts, and we'll celebrate his legacy with a donation to Children's Hospital.  You are welcome to join us.
Friday, 5/4 at Sweet Home Middle School     7:30
Sunday, 5/6 at Rockwell Hall     3:00
Buffalo Choral Arts Society
Marcia A. Giambrone, Conductor & Music Director     John F. Mitton, Piano Accompanist     Mike Moser, guitar     Wayne Moose, bass     Ann Mosner, synthesizer     your correspondent, drum set
The Buffalo Choral Arts Society celebrates twenty-five years under the direction of Marcia Giambrone as they present My Favorite Things - Music from Broadway at two distinct venues next weekend.  Tickets are available by calling 812-1541 or online at www.buffalochoralarts.org
next Tuesday, 5/8/2012 at the Iris Restaurant     7:30 - 10:30
Jeff Hackworth, tenor saxophone     Michael T. Jones, piano     Dave Arenius, bass     your host, drum set
next Friday, 5/11 at the Iris Restaurant     8:00 - 10:30
Bill Dobbins, piano     Mike Kaupa, trumpet     Danny Vitale, bass     yours truly, drum set
upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...
Tuesday, 5/15 Bob Sneider
Tuesday, 5/22 Steve Davis
Tuesday, 5/29 John Whitney
Tuesday, 6/5 Fred Stone
Tuesday, 6/19 Barbara Jean
Tuesday, 7/3 Ron Corsaro & the Upstate Express
Tuesday, 7/24 Laurie Bordonaro
Tuesday, 7/31 Bill Todd
Tuesday, 8/7 Larry Covelli
Tuesday, 8/14 Don Menza
Tuesday, 8/21 Kenny Kuriscak & Tim Clarke
links...
Dr. Richard Judelsohn...
It is not length of life, but depth of life.
 - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Health,
Hope,
Dialogue,
Respect,
Tolerance,
and Friendships.
dan
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Friday, April 27, 2012


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Monday, April 23, 2012

Danny Hull: Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 33


Hello friends.  How was your summer?  Guess we've got some left-over winter coming...  Just what you get for taking your snow tires off before May 1st...  But if you'd like to sit inside in warmth and comfort while mother nature takes one last whack at us for the season, I can make a recommendation as to where might be a good place...
Tuesday, 4/24/2012 at the Iris Restaurant     7:30 - 10:30
Clay Jenkins, trumpet     John Hasselback, trombone     Lisa Hasselback, piano     Jeff Campbell, bass     your host, drum set
What a tribute to John's and Lisa's musicianship...  By now, most of you know how I book this gig.  I simply invite a guest artist to both lead the band and choose the sidemen.  So who does Clay Jenkins call?  Clay, who is regularly found in the company of the best musicians on the planet (think Joe LaBarbera, Bob Sheppard, Bill Cunliffe, Alan Pasqua, Harold Danko, The Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Lyle Mays, Peter Erskine, Dr. John, Eric Reed, John LaBarbera, Pat LaBarbera, Billy Childs, Lennie Niehaus, Kurt Elling, Diana Krall...) invites John & Lisa Hasselback.  It's common knowledge that Clay is a sweetheart.  Everyone who has had the pleasure will tell you that he is one of the most sincere and humble musicians on the scene.  With his easy manner and obvious joy for playing, the bandstand becomes a place of affection, swing, and creative energy.  But nice guy or not, he won't call you if the music suffers.  John & Lisa are beloved in the jazz community, as much for who they are as for their world-class musicianship, qualities not lost on Clay Jenkins.  Please join us.  The Iris Restaurant, in the 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, 5/1/2012 at the Iris Restaurant     7:30 - 10:30
Dr. Dick Judelsohn Memorial Jazz Tribute
Bruce Eaton, Master of Ceremonies
Featuring vocalists Laurie Bordonaro, Janice Mitchell & Colleen Williams     trombonist Phil Sims     pianists Jim Beishline, Ronnie Corsaro, Bobby Jones & Michael T. Jones     guitarists Warren Stirtzinger & Stu Weissman     bassists Buddy Fadale & Wayne Moose     drummers Pat Hulsman & your host
upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...
Tuesday, 5/8 Jeff Hackworth
Friday, 5/11 Bill Dobbins
Tuesday, 5/15 Bob Sneider
Tuesday, 5/22 Steve Davis
Tuesday, 5/29 John Whitney
Tuesday, 6/5 Fred Stone
Tuesday, 6/19 Barbara Jean
Tuesday, 7/3 Ron Corsaro & the Upstate Express
Tuesday, 7/24 Laurie Bordonaro
Tuesday, 7/31 Bill Todd
Tuesday, 8/7 Larry Covelli
Tuesday, 8/14 Don Menza
Tuesday, 8/21 Kenny Kuriscak & Tim Clarke

Recommended...
Saturday, 4/28 at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Auditorium     8:00
Donald Harrison, alto saxophone     Detroit Brooks, guitar     Zaccai Curtis, piano     Max Moran, bass     Joe Dyson, drum set
In the words of Bruce Eaton himself, this is going to be a fantastic evening of New Orleans roots-based modern jazz.  Described as a musical category unto himself, alto saxophonist and “Big Easy” cultural warrior Donald Harrison is a proven master of many genres of American music: cutting-edge, modern New York jazz; driving and smooth “Nouveau Swing”; and straight-up New Orleans funky, second-line rhythms.  Since first appearing on the international jazz scene in the 1980s alongside Terence Blanchard in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Harrison has been heard with icons such as Miles Davis, Ron Carter, Dr. John, and Lena Horne.  He has also led his own influential groups which have served as incubators for artists like Christian McBride, Cyrus Chestnut, and Esperanza Spalding.

Aspects of Harrison’s life and music have been chronicled in David Simon’s groundbreaking HBO series Treme, with Harrison appearing as himself and serving as music consultant on the project.  As an evacuee and survivor of Hurricane Katrina, Harrison also appears in Spike Lee’s HBO special When the Levees Broke  A pre-concert film by Royce Osborn, All on a Mardi Gras Day, will begin at 7 pm.
This concert has been made possible, in part, through the generous support of The Weissman Family Foundation.  Tickets are $25 for Albright-Knox Art Gallery Members and $29 for non-members and can be purchased at the Gallery’s Admissions Desk or online at www.albrightknox.org/artofjazz.  The Gallery’s AK café will be open for dinner before the concert.  For reservations, please call 716.270.8223.
links...

In music, and in life...
We shall not cease from exploration.
And the end of our exploring
Shall be to return to where we started
And know the place for the first time.
 - T.S. Eliot
Health,
Hope,
Dialogue,
Respect,
Tolerance,
and Friendships.
dan
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Sunday, April 15, 2012

Danny Hull: Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 32


Tuesday, 4/17/2012 at the Iris Restaurant     7:30 - 10:30



A Benefit for Dick Griffo featuring Phil DiRe' and Buffalo Bop

Phil DiRe' & Bobby Militello, saxophones     Richie Merlo, trumpet     George Caldwell, piano     Sabu Adeyola, bass     your host, drum set
"Just be yourself".  Sage advice, right?  For some of us, such wisdom isn't always so easy to translate into action.  For the Dick Griffo's of the world, who they are is why we love and admire them so.  Neither time nor space allow, but I wish I could share the Dick Griffo testimonials I have received while planning this benefit.  Our friend and colleague is a beloved man, and all because of who he is.  His musicianship is admired and respected, his teaching prowess is legendary, but his generosity of spirit, his kindness, and his easy manner are legion.  I mentioned the following last week, but it bears repeating:  Dick Griffo is a guy who, for over 20 years, led an all ages, free-of-charge Saturday big-band rehearsal at Alder Creek Music.  Even if you weren't one of his students, you were welcome.  Dickie wrote the charts, and he crafted his arrangements so that everyone could play - from a child beginner to your dentist who was taking up the saxophone as a hobby.  Dickie did all of this on his own time, out of the goodness of his huge heart.  Now it's our turn.  Dick's health insurance is not employer based.  He has to make the excessive monthly payments himself.  And if he's in treatment, or recovering from treatment, he can't teach.  No teaching, no income.  We need to make a difference.  And this is where you come in.  Phil DiRe' and Buffalo Bop are donating their artistry, so as to both celebrate our friend, and help him in a time of need.  Others are donating items to raffle, and we'll also do a 50/50 split to supplement your cash contributions.  Please join us & give what you can afford.  See me or Phil DiRe', and we'll get the funds to Dick on Wednesday.  With less to worry about from a financial standpoint, our friend can concentrate on his treatment.  The jazz community is generous and heartfelt, and we're out to prove it.  Thank you in advance.  As always, we are the Iris Restaurant, in the plaza at the intersection of Maple & Sweet Home Roads in Amherst.  Good music, good food, good people, chilled spirits, and a great hang.
Wednesday, 4/18/2012 at the Iris Restaurant     7:30 - 9:30
Buffalo Brass open rehearsal
Friday, 4/20 at Wegman's Dick Road     6:00 - 8:00
John Murphy, guitar     John Werick, bass     your correspondent, drum set
next Tuesday, 4/24/2012 at the Iris Restaurant     7:30 - 10:30
Clay Jenkins, trumpet     John Hasselback, trombone     Lisa Hasselback, piano     Jeff Campbell, bass     your host, drum set
upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...
Tuesday, 5/1 Dr. Dick Judelsohn Memorial Jazz Tribute
Tuesday, 5/8 Jeff Hackworth
Friday, 5/11 Bill Dobbins
Tuesday, 5/15 Bob Sneider
Tuesday, 5/22 Steve Davis
Tuesday, 5/29 John Whitney
Tuesday, 6/5 Fred Stone
Tuesday, 6/19 Barbara Jean
Tuesday, 7/3 Ron Corsaro & the Upstate Express
Tuesday, 7/24 Laurie Bordonaro
Tuesday, 7/31 Bill Todd
Tuesday, 8/7 Larry Covelli
Tuesday, 8/14 Don Menza
Tuesday, 8/21 Kenny Kuriscak
links...

Lets come together, and help...
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is part of the continent, a part of the main.
 - John Donne
Health,
Hope,
Dialogue,
Respect,
Tolerance,
and Friendships.
dan
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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Danny Hull: Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 30


Hello friends.

Ray Watkins...
If there was ever born a kindlier, gentler, or wiser man, I haven't met him.  The greater music community lost a vintage soul last March 13, and every piano he touched lost a friend.  Ray lived a full, long life, devoted to his beloved Diane.  So we should not so much grieve our loss, but celebrate that those of us who knew him were so privileged.  But in these times, when insult, antagonism, vulgarity, and privacy invasion are the way of pop culture, losing the true, the kind, the wise, the learned, and the good, diminishes us all.  Thank you, Ray, for the immaculate tunings, for the good humor, for happily playing my piano after restoring its voice, and for your words of wisdom and friendship.  You are missed, and ever shall be.
Tuesday, 4/3/2012 at the Iris Restaurant     7:30 - 10:30
Russ D'Alba, saxophone     Ronnie Corsaro, piano     Wayne Moose, bass     your host, drum set
Another new quartet!  Three seasoned Buffalo musicians on the stand this week, and I don't recall a time we've ever worked together as a unit.  That's another thing I love about this gig.  Just when you think you know who likes to work with who, a really smart guy comes up with another idea.  Russ D'Alba is the feature this week and it was his idea to invite Ronald & Wayne.  Perfect.  Ronnie, we all know and love, as not only a pianist but as a sterling arranger, composer and unparalleled contractor for the Lewiston Jazz Festival.  (How he does that job I'll never know...)  And Wayne, besides being among the first call bassists in town, is the conductor of the esteemed Williamsville East High School Orchestra.  And that is a high profile, high pressure responsibility.  And Russell?  A beloved veteran of both the music and business communities in our home town...  And that's what's so special about this gig.  On some Tuesdays we feature the future of the music:  student musicians from the Eastman school, Fredonia, or SUNY Purchase.  The next week it's their teachers:  Bruce Johnstone, Clay Jenkins, Bob Sneider, Jeff Campbell, Pete Malinverni.  And then there's weeks like this one, with Buffalo veterans who represent the very vitality of the jazz community here at home.  So come out if you can?  Say hello to Russ, to Ronnie, and to Wayne.  And as always, help us keep the scene alive and the music in the air.  The Iris Restaurant, in the 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, 4/10/2012 at the Iris Restaurant     7:30 - 10:30
Rick Strauss, guitar     Bobby Jones, piano     Danny Ziemann, bass     your host, drum set
upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...
Tuesday, 4/17 Phil DiRe' & Buffalo Bop
Tuesday, 4/24 Clay Jenkins
Tuesday, 5/1 Dr. Dick Judelsohn Memorial Jazz Tribute
Tuesday, 5/8 Jeff Hackworth
Friday, 5/11 Bill Dobbins
Tuesday, 5/15 Bob Sneider
Tuesday, 5/22 Steve Davis
Tuesday, 5/29 John Whitney
Tuesday, 6/5 Fred Stone
Tuesday, 6/19 Barbara Jean
Tuesday, 7/31 Bill Todd
Tuesday, 8/14 Don Menza
links...

It's April Fools Day.  Don't buy the left handed screwdriver...
A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice.
 - Bill Cosby

Health,
Hope,
Dialogue,
Respect,
Tolerance,
and Friendships.
dan
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