New York City session king Ray Marchica will be performing with his current band (Rodney Jones, Dave Mann, and Brian Charette) at Smoke on Wednesday, November 25th, in three sets beginning at 7, 9, and 10:30PM. Guesting will be vocalists Nina Hennessey and Maddy Ruff.

Smoke Jazz & Supper Club: 2751 Broadway (between 105th and 106th Streets on the west side of Broadway)

Together with Sons of Sound, noted bandleader, pianist, author, and educator Bill Dobbins will be releasing a multi-volume project entitled the Composers Series, comprised of live recordings captured during a series of concerts at Eastman Theatre's Kilbourn Hall in Rochester, NY.

We are delighted to document and present the work of a uniquely qualified interpreter of these compositions. Composers Series: Vol. 1, The Music of Clare Fischer and George Gershwin and Vol. 2, The Music of Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn, will be available for download in December 2015, with compact discs and streaming available in early 2016. Volumes 3 and 4, focusing on composers Dave Brubeck, Marian McPartland, and Bill Evans, will follow shortly thereafter in the Spring of 2016. Together, these works reflect a lifetime of study and exploration by one of music's most respected authorities.

Sons of Sound is pleased to announce the return of Trio East (Clay Jenkins on trumpet, Jeff Campbell on bass, and Rich Thompson on drums) and the release their latest project, an exploration of new repertoire in two contexts, live (Live + 2 at Kilbourn Hall, SSPCD034) and in the studio (For The Love, SSPCD033). Joined by long-time collaborators Harold Danko on piano and Larry Koonse on guitar, the group puts on a master class in jazz improvisation and offers a rare glimpse into the approach taken to the different environments. Trio East previously released Stop-Start (SSPCD025) on Sons of Sound.

This Halloween, Saturday, October 31st, Mike Holober will be conducting the HR Big Band (German Radio) at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival in a Halloween program of Frank Zappa's music arranged by Mike and entitled "Jazz From Hell."

The sold out concert will be streamed live from the Sendesaal at HR (Hessischer Rundfunk) in Frankfurt at 7:00 PM (2:00 PM in New York).

Click here to tune in.

The Mark Turner Quartet with Avishai Cohen and a Frankfurt band called Hope follow the big band set.

Bassist and Sons of Sound recording artist Jay Leonhart joins Michael Feinstein for a duet of the Gershwin-inspired "Problem" — and tells the story of an inflight encounter with one of the 20th century's most famous musicians.

Trio East, featuring members Rich Thompson, Clay Jenkins and Jeff Campbell, will be appearing this Fall in multiple locations across the country:

08.26.15 Rich Thompson at Tempe Performing Arts Center, Tempe, AZ 8PM
10.13.15 Clay Jenkins Faculty Recital Kilbourn Hall, Rochester, NY, 8PM
11.06.15 Trio East featured in "The Harker Concert Series", San Jose, CA
11.07.15 Trio East clinic in San Jose, CA
12.04.15 Trio East at The Little Theater Café, Rochester, NY
12.11.15 Trio East at The Little Theater Café, Rochester, NY

*Trio East with Harold Danko will be travelling to perform concerts and clinics for Dave Hart (Eastman alumni) in San Jose, CA at his private school. The concert is billed under the banner "The Harker Concert Series" and has hosted greats such as Gerald Clayton and The Mitos String Quartet.

Stay tuned for news about a CD release concert later this fall.

One of the New York nightclub and cabaret scene's most talented couples -- vocalist/actress Nina Hennessey and drummer Ray Marchica -- will appear at Birdland in NYC for a special set of jazz standards along with Sean Harkness on guitar, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Bob Quaranta on piano. The show will also feature Award-Winning vocalist Marissa Mulder and pianist Ian Herman as special guests.
Sunday, August 2 at 6 pm (doors 5 pm)at Birdland, 315 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036. 212-581-3080. Tickets: www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/919343

Otonowa ("Sound Circle") was formed originally to showcase traditional Japanese songs and pop through jazz arrangements. But 2011’s terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan were to become a crucible for Otonowa, which launched this brotherhood of Japanese-American jazz luminaries into a program of touring and recording to raise both funds and spirits for the survivors. Otonowa will conduct workshops for youth and perform jazz interpretations of Japanese folk and pop melodies, employing traditional Japanese instruments to compliment the standard jazz quartet instrumentation.

TOUR SCHEDULE
8/20/15 THU Iwaki, Fukushima, Kamata Saal Hall
8/21/15 FRI Minami Soma, Fukushima
8/22/15 SAT Fukushima-shi, Channel Square
8/23/15 SUN Otsuchi, Iwate
8/24/15 MON Otsuchi, Iwate
8/25/15 TUE Ofunato, Iwate
8/26/15 WED RikuzenTakata
8/27/15 THU Karakuwa (KesenNuma), Miyagi, Tunakan
8/28/15 FRI Ishinomaki
8/29/15 SAT Ishinomaki
8/30/15 SUN Natori, Miyagi, Yuriage Harbor & Victory Café

Tax deductible donations for the tour may be made by sending a check payable to ‘SJ Jazz’ with Otonowa in memo section to:
San Jose Jazz, 38 W Santa Clara St. San Jose, CA 95113

This tour is made possible by:
Tsuchioto Project / Yamaha Drums / San Jose Jazz / Time After 5 / Otonowa USA / Volunteers

Akira Tana and Otonowa (Art Hirahara, piano; Masaru Koga, woodwinds; Noriyuki “Ken” Okada, bass) will be appearing at the 2015 Stanford Jazz Festival at the Campbell Recital Hall on Friday, July 10th at 8PM. Tickets are $15/$45 and may be purchased here.

[ Read Ken Vermes review of this performance at Jazz Police]

Jodi Stevens (Girl Talk) will be appearing in the Summer Theatre of New Canaan production of "Legally Blonde" through August 9th.

"…the real highlights come from Jodi Stevens as Paulette, the warmly humorous hairdresser… Jodi shows her versatility, commanding the stage with hilarious timing…" -- Susan Grainger

"Especially marvelous is Jodi Stevens as Paulette, the zany hairdresser with a heart of gold and an odd obsession with Ireland’s supposedly romantic ways. Stevens, her beauty all but hidden beneath Paulette’s clown-like make-up, has the large features and silly-putty expressions of the best comics. Making intelligent use of her mobile face, height and long limbs, stage presence and terrific voice, she creates a gorgeously unique character and nearly steals every one of her scenes." -- Brooks Applebaum