Idle ramblings from ijazzglobal.com

A friend that's moved on

2010-04-12T09:26:00.003-04:00

Sunday started out perfectly , sun shining brightly, casual conversation, the paper and breakfast on the patio with my wife Michelle. Afterwards we did the rest of the yard work that was started on Saturday, I took a short ride on my motorcycle and then did some shopping for our grandkids birthdays coming up in the next few weeks which is when I got THE call. A call that leaves you stunned and in disbelief. A call that tells you that a friend has been killed. That call came early yesterday afternoon with news that a dear friend, Ron Segers of the band ZOE, had perished in a car accident.

So sad was the news that I could feel the blood rush from my face, I stood there in shock and even after driving to Ron's house to meet with his wife, son, family members and the band couldn't quite wrap my mind around the fact that he was gone. Ron, the band ZOE and I spent many nights after gigs talking about the success that the band would achieve in the coming months. They were fixtures at Warmdaddy's during our Thursday Night Groove Series and Ron was always in front of the band smiling, laughing and having a great time with the audience !

Ron loved his family, life and his God. He will be missed by his wife and son, his family and friends, the members of ZOE and his many adoring fans. He was a great, soft spoken and gentle man that touched many with his smile and his music. You will be missed by everyone Ron. We love you. I love you.

I hope there's a band in heaven in need of a great guitar player, because they now have one. You'll be in our thoughts and prayers forever. Rest in peace.

Your friend.

michael

Berks '10 comes to a close

2010-03-29T02:29:00.004-04:00

The 20th edition of the Berks Jazz Fest has come and gone, with some terrific music along the way. It was great seeing everyone at the shows and to have a chance to meet some fans of ijazzglobal.com in person. As usual, people from all over the east coast and beyond made their way up to Berks County for the 10 day extravaganza, showing once again that there is without a doubt a large audience for this great music out there. Keep your eyes peeled to ijazzglobal.com for more details about the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival featuring Al Jarreau & George Duke, David Sanborn, and Dianne Reeves in June...for those of you here in the east starved for more great contemporary jazz after Berks finishes, you won't have to wait long.

Saturday Afternoon at the Crowne Plaza ballroom brought another delightful show, starting with a unique grouping of artists. The Canadian duo Four 80 East, along with saxophonist Shilts and guitarist Matt Marshak, were all together on one stage. I've always been a big fan of Four 80 East's acid-jazz influenced hip and uptempo grooves, and it was terrific to see Rob DeBoer and Tony Grace peform their infectious hits like "Noodle Soup" and "Eastside" in person. The british saxophonist Paul "Shilts" Weimar was well-liked by the crowd, doing some of his solo work like "Look What's Happened", and then he led the group on a medley of Down To The Bone songs, the band Shilts spent several years with. The instantly recognizable "Brooklyn Heights" and "Staten Island Groove" drew loud roars. New York-based guitarist Matt Marshak put on a great show as well, showing off his impressive guitar skills on the title track from his album, "On The Rocks" and the tune "Groovology", plus great backing on several of Four 80 East's tunes. All in all, the talents of the artists involved made this a very entertaining show.

Guitarist Nick Colionne and saxophonist Eric Darius followed. Eric delivered a simply scintillating performance and showed why he is truly one of the up and coming saxophonists in contemporary jazz. Nick, a definite crowd favorite, always manages to combine his charm with outstanding guitar licks.

Tuck & Patti and Earl Klugh big hits at Berks

2010-03-21T23:05:00.006-04:00

This year's Berks Jazz Fest produced another terrific show. Sunday Afternoon featured a couple of performances unique to Berks festivals in the past. Tuck & Patti kicked things off at 2pm, and as someone who had never seen the husband & wife duo perform live, it was a very enjoyable experience. The two have incomparable chemistry together and absolutely mesmerized the Crowne Plaza ballroom audience.

Guitar great Earl Klugh and his four-member band were next up, performing a delicious array of tunes from his storied career. From the Bossa Nova style of "Living Inside Your Love" and "Ocean Blue", to a more contemporary feel on "Last Song", as well as the peaceful chords of "Wishful Thinking" and "Kari", watching Earl's guitar mastery along with the work of the accomplished group of musicians that made up his band was just a real treat. Saxophonist Lenny Price showed off his talents on a version of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and the eccentric keyboardist David Spradley, formerly of Parliament-Funkadelic, was a constant source of laughs for the capacity audience. Earl has only made a handful of appearances at Berks since the festival's inception, and as he wished as he closed out the show, after Sunday's performance we hope he becomes a regular for years to come.

Grover Washington Jr TRIBUTE

2010-03-21T19:35:00.003-04:00

Jason Miles put together yet another incredible show on Saturday night as part of the Berks Jazz Fest in suburban Philadelphia.

The great music of Grover Washington Jr., great players and an incredible audience ! The crowd was all set to hear Grover's timeless songs with the likes of Gerald Albright, Ralph McDonald, Jeff Golub, Neil Jason among others playing for a good long time ( Jason Miles joked during his opening remarks that they were gonna play until 4am ).

I had a great time as did the fans of Grover's music and it was a wonderfully magical night. Thanks to Jason Miles for thinking to put together a tribute to one of musics pioneers !

There will be a CD released on May 18th titled , Grover LIVE and we're proud to be chosen to have the EXCLUSIVE beginning on April 18th at www.ijazzglobal.com. You'll be able to listen to this incredible recording of Grover LIVE in its entirety, and pre-order it for delivery on May 18, 2010.

michael
ijazzglobal.com

Sunny Saturday at Berks

2010-03-21T01:44:00.008-04:00

A fantastic day of music has concluded at the second day of the 20th annual Berks Jazz Festival. It was great to see everyone stop by the ijazzglobal.com table outside the ballroom at the Crowne Plaza! We'll be there again Sunday after the 2pm Earl Klugh show.

The high temperature in Reading Saturday was 74 degrees...an absolutely incredible day weatherwise, considering it is not unusual to be venturing through snow during this time of year at the festival. The quality of the concerts today matched the conditions outside, with Gregg Karukas leading things off at the Crowne Plaza Ballroom at 2pm. Gregg performed 90 minutes worth of his classy and elegant keyboard work, including tracks such as "Severna Park", "Nightshift", "Girl In The Red Dress", and "I Meant What I Said". He was followed by saxophonist Kim Waters, who had the ballroom in a frenzy with his energetic tracks like "Waterfall", "In The House", and "Reaching Out". The splendid voice of Maysa joined Kim on stage, and she was definitely a highlight of the day. Maysa wowed the crowd singing a version of "What Are You Doing For The Rest Of Your Life", plus told a humorous story to go along with her performance of a song she did with the band Incognito, "Deep Waters". Brian Bromberg & Friends closed out the evening at the Crowne Plaza, with tremendous performances from Chuck Loeb, Cindy Bradley, Michael Lington, Jeff Lorber, and Marion Meadows.

Berks Jazz Fest Gets Kicked Off

2010-03-20T00:14:00.008-04:00

We had the opportunity to see Chris Botti kick off the 20th annual Berks Jazz Festival at the Sovereign Center in Reading tonight and it was a great way to get the ten day stretch of music rolling. Chris and his band, including guitarist Mark Whitfield, performed a fine selection of tunes, from breathtaking standards such as "The Very Thought Of You", to Chris' uptempo contemporary jazz hits like "Indian Summer". Grammy-award winning vocalist Lisa Fischer was a special guest and took the stage for several songs, a great surprise for the packed arena. Chris remarked about how unique the Berks Jazz Fest is and how much he enjoys playing to the always enthusiastic audiences at the festival.

Be sure to check out the ijazzglobal.com table outside the ballroom at the Crown Plaza Hotel Saturday, before the 2pm Kim Waters & Maysa show, and the 10pm Brian Bromberg & Friends show. We'll be selling cool ijazzglobal.com gear!

Oh NO...More SNOW.

2010-02-25T09:41:00.002-05:00

Looks like more snow for us in the Philadelphia area, and just as the 4 feet we have o the ground from the last few snowfalls started to melt. I'll also update you on the status of the Thursday Night Groove Series at Warmdaddy's tonight with David Stevens.

I just found a great NEW Vocalist

2010-02-17T17:51:00.002-05:00

Well, she's not NEW, but I just found her. Actually, she sent me a CD ( produced by my friend Bill Jolly ) because she noticed that we were looking for talent for our Warmdaddy's and Moshulu nights here in Philadelphia. Her name is Vikki Wright and has a beautiful voice. VERY soulful. VERY sweet. VERY...well, VERY.

Listen for Vikki VERY soon on ijazzglobal.com AND at some of our club nights featuring some really great talent.

Warmdaddy's every Thursday right after work ( 6pm ) and the Moshulu every Friday night starting at 7pm.

More SNOW

2010-02-16T10:56:00.002-05:00

Well, we just got a few more inches of snow here in Philadelphia. Just got done shoveling AGAIN. It seems like it's never gonna end and I'm not sure that the snow will melt by JULY.

ijazzglobal.com

2010-02-15T14:32:00.001-05:00

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My CAR and the SNOW

2010-02-12T08:39:00.003-05:00

It's amazing what we'll do to our cars in the snowy weather. We take anything we can find in the glove box, under a seat or in the trunk to clear snow and ice from windshields. We'll use CD cases, screwdrivers, credit cards, coins, flashlights, flares etc., you get the picture. We take ice scrapers, shovels, broom handles, etc and push the snow from the hoods of our cars, and don't give it any thought, NONE at all.

Then when the weather's sunny and 85, we wash our baby, wax it every other week, vacuum and use a Qtip to get into those tiny places that hold STUFF, never park it under a tree, are careful not to drive into a puddle, or run over road kill and get mad at anyone who makes a mess in YOUR car. Odd, interesting, funny and bizarre don't you think ?

Is there something I let out ? What did YOU use to clear the snow from your car ?

Chill Lounge Music Update

2010-02-12T00:36:00.004-05:00

Just added some brand new music to ijazzglobal.com's Chill Lounge music channel. The longtime British electronic group Massive Attack released a new album on Feb. 6, "Heligoland". Listen to the Chill Lounge for the track, "Psyche".

Quite the album cover, BTW.