In partnership with the American Music Program at Pacific Crest School, and the Jazz Society of Oregon, New Land Jazz will honor five High School level musicians in a concert presentation on Sunday, June 29th from 2-4:30 at the Old Church.

The 2008 Summer Student Spotlight Concert will feature three Downbeat Magazine Award recipients: bassist and singer Kate Davis, tenor sax adept Ian Christensen, and alto sax wizard Patrick Sargent, as well as the community organizer of the the Curbstock Festival, guitarist Alden Harris-Mccoy, and Teen Idol Winner, singer Jeff Cameron! Each of these kids will receive the 2008 New Land Jazz Student Leadership Award.

Tickets are available before 6/27 at www.brownpapertickets.com. Tickets are also available at the door, for $10 and free for kids under 12.
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Saturday’s Esperanza Spalding show reviewed by The Oregonian.

“She was an incredibly talented bass player, a singer, a band leader, a composer - and, no matter what the quibbles so-called purists might make, a jazz musician, one spreading a wide umbrella with an ambitious take on the genre.”

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If you missed Esperanza on David Letterman, watch it now. Get your tickets, they are going fast.

Esperanza Spalding's CD Release is Saturday, June 14th, 8:00 p.m. at the Winningstad Theatre in the PCPA. Tickets are available:

Online: Ticketmaster.com

Ticketmaster phone: 503-224-4400/ 866-448-7849

PDX Jazz phone: 503-228-5299/ 888-828-5299

Outlet: Find an Outlet

TONIGHT! Esperanza Spalding performs “Precious” (Wednesday, June 4) on the Late Show with David Letterman.

This is Esperanza’s network debut.

Next week (Wednesday, June 11) she will appear on Jimmy Kmmel Live.

The song “Precious” is Esperanza Spalding’s first single from ESPERANZA her debut on Heads Up International.

Esperanza Spalding’s CD Release is Saturday, June 14th, 8:00 p.m. at the Winningstad Theatre in the PCPA. Tickets are available:

Online: Ticketmaster.com

Ticketmaster phone: 503-224-4400/ 866-448-7849

PDX Jazz phone: 503-228-5299/ 888-828-5299

Outlet: Find an Outlet

In Return to Forever News:

The American Tinnitus Association is auctioning an autographed Al Di Meola Ovation 1769ADII guitar to contribute to resources that advance tinnitus research. Al is not only a legendary jazz guitarist, he’s one the ATA most supportive members and has himself experienced tinnitus for almost his entire life.

Return to Forever returns with Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Al Di Meola and Lenny White Return on Friday June 6, 2008 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall at 8:00 p.m. Tickets available via Ticketmaster.com

Beside Jazz, Baseball, and African Cichlids from Lake Malawi, one of my favorite pastimes is reading the “Lefsetz Letters” on a daily basis. This is a prolific blog by Bob Lefsetz, LA based music industry legend, attorney, recording company exec, and overall music curmudgeon. I follow Bob’s Blog because it’s insightful, painfully honest, and appeals to my cynical DNA.

Music need not be your business to appreciate Bob. If you love music, you can share Bob’s angst. Bob’s basic rant is that the music business no longer has a personal or creative direction. It is an impersonal, corporate (faceless) monolith that devours the creative forces, spewing out its waste under the guise of Product. There is no visionary like Alfred Lion at Blue Note or even Bob Weinstock at Prestige (lovingly known in the 50’s & 60’s as ‘one-take Bob’) running a recording label today. They have been replaced by MBA’s and bean-counters, faceless artistic assassins who sing along only to the bottom-line

More importantly, Bob has already eulogized and cremated what we less-than-affectionately call the Recording Industry. If you don’t follow my gist, I can only assume that you haven’t bought a CD in a while or visited a “Record Store.”

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