Sons of Sound eNews 12.01.03

In This Issue…

1. Spotlight: Guitar Master Gene Bertoncini
2. Airwaves: Acoustic Romance completes 8 weeks in the Top 20!
3. Print: Reviewers keep digging Canyon and other titles
4. Stage: December Gig Calendar online
5. Cyberspace: Sons of Sound recordings in the Apple iTunes Music Store
6. School: The Commission Project presents Walt Weiskopf and "Sight To Sound"
7. Conference: Look for us at IAJE and MIDEM
8. Next: Moon Over The World by Akira Tana

Spotlight…

One of the most eloquent and versatile masters of the guitar, Gene Bertoncini has performed with Benny Goodman, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Buddy Rich, Wayne Shorter and many others, in addition to composer/arrangers Burt Bacharach, Lalo Schifrin, and Michel Legrand. An architect by training, Bertoncini is respected for the superb structure of his arrangements, the quality of his improvisations, and the virtuosity of his technique.

In praise of his performances on the classical nylon-stringed guitar, Ken Dryden of the Chattanooga Times Free Press points out: "Few jazz musicians have devoted themselves to acoustic guitar, but Gene Bertoncini is a happy exception." Daniel Gewertz of The Boston Herald adds that Bertoncini "raised the all of soft, seductive jazz to new levels of grace and adventure." Lee Prosser of Jazz Review calls Gene "one of the finest guitarists to perform the American Songbook" and Gene's latest CD, Acoustic Romance, "jazz acoustic guitar at its best."

Airwaves…

At press time, Gene Bertoncini's Acoustic Romance is still on the JazzWeek charts for the 10th consecutive week, having enjoyed a two-month run in the Top 20, peaking at #9. Our thanks go to the program directors and listeners across the country for such tremendous support.

As of December 1st, Mike Holober's Canyon is #8 Chartbound on JazzWeek. The recording is also working its way up the CMJ Jazz charts, reaching #21 during the month of November. Stay tuned, as this campaign will run for the rest of the year. The record is expected to draw additional media coverage later this month as January magazines hit the newsstands.

Print…

< Mike Holober is the subject of a feature in the Westchester Gazette, a profile of the pianist/composer that also centers on Mike's new CD, Canyon. Thomas Staudter writes: Canyon features "an all-star ensemble ready for any kind of musical adventure. Fittingly, Holober's seven original compositions and sparkling arrangements of two familiar standards provide a landscape worthy enough for this cast of musicians, and the album stands as a perfect example of what cohesive jazz artistry should be: a set of performances that continue to intrigue and reward listeners over the course of time, where different facets of musicanship and creativity are discovered with each new visit."

> Fourteen months after its release, The Commission Project by the American Saxophone Quartet continues to attract notice. In the Winter/Spring 2004 issue of Planet Jazz, Ethan Zames points out that the disc "may not be jazz in the strictest sense, but it is terrific, and it'll make up for the deficiency of polyphony in most jazz libraries. Go buy it."

< Amanda Monaco adds her praise for Acoustic Romance to this month's All About Jazz: "Guitarist extraordinare Gene Bertoncini wows, soothes and swings his way through eleven gorgeous jazz classics on Acoustic Romance, strumming, picking, running up and down the neck of his nylon-string acoustic guitar with the intricate multi-layered stylings true to his architectural training… While it can be said that the world doesn’t need another guitar trio record, this one is an exception for many reasons: from the elaborate reharmonizing of 'Edelweiss' to the snappy 'Invitation,'Bertoncini, along with the masterful bassist Rufus Reid and the equally inventive drummer Akira Tana, succeeds in making all of these standards sound like his own… a truly lovely hour-long journey."

Stage…

The month of December features Jay Leonhart performing each Sunday at 2PM and 8PM with vocalist Barbara Carroll at the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel in New York City, while Trio member Joe Cohn performs twice weekly in New York City at Zuni (Mondays) and Fat Cat (Tuesdays). Jay winds up the year at the Desert Jazz Party in Palm Springs, CA on the 28th. (A photo of Jay performing in NYC with Michael Feinstein is prominently displayed in the Sunday, November 30th issue of The New York Times.)

Also in December, Gene Bertoncini supports Acoustic Romance Sundays and Mondays in New York City at Le Madeleine and in Annapolis, MD on December 25-27… Akira Tana tours of Japan December 2-15 with the Dusco Goykavic Quartet, featuring Don Friedman and Ron McLure. Mr. Tana returns to San Francisco for a set at Bacar on Tuesday, December 16th.… and on Fridays this month, guitarist Bob Sneider and pianist Paul Hofmann gear up for their next release, Interconnection, at the Little Theatre Café in Rochester, NY.

Please remember that our artist performance calendar is online! Check here often for the latest gig information.

Cyberspace…

Sons of Sound is pleased to announce that our catalog is being made available for download from Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store. The first titles have begun to appear, with more content on the way.

Please download the iTunes software for Macintosh or Windows, then search the store yourself or follow links from our website, like this one to Canyon by Mike Holober>

School…

Having wrapped up touring with Steely Dan, saxophonist Walt Weiskopf will premiere his 10-movement jazz suite titled "Sight to Sound" and lead educational workshops in Rochester, NY and New York City.

The Commission Project (TCP) is proud to present the world premiere of the piece on December 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the School of the Arts (SOTA), 45 Prince Street, Rochester, NY. An educational workshop led by Weiskopf will follow on December 10 at 10 a.m. at SOTA. The workshop is free and open to the public. Please call Alan Tirre at SOTA at (585) 242-7682, ext. 1170, to reserve a place at the workshop.

TCP is repeating the workshop in New York City at LaGuardia High School on December 11, and the concert at CAMI Hall on December 12. Both sets of events are made possible with support from TCP, SOTA, Chamber Music America, CAMI, prime8media, and Starbucks Coffee. Tickets to both concerts may be purchased at www.Ticketmaster.com.

"Sight to Sound" was created with generous support from Chamber Music America's New Works: Creation and Presentation Program, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The concert features the Walt Weiskopf Sextet, comprised of Weiskopf, tenor sax; Andy Fusco, alto sax; John Mosca, trombone; Walt's brother, Joel, piano; Doug Weiss, bass; and Billy Drummond, drums. Says Weiskopf: "'Sight to Sound' is based on the inspiration I take from great painters.  The movements are marked 'Sight,' 'Miro on the Wall,' 'Pablo,' 'Camille,' 'Claude,' 'Salvador,' 'Canvas,' 'Toulouse,' 'Vincent,' and 'Sound.'"

Born in Augusta, Ga., and raised in Syracuse, N.Y., Weiskopf is a professor at and a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. In 1980, he moved to New York City, where he joined the Buddy Rich Big Band at age 21 and, three years later, the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. During his stint with Akiyoshi, Weiskopf began writing for his own group and recording his first of 10 albums. His two most recent albums, Man of Many Colors and Siren, have garnered considerable acclaim, with the latter racking up four and half stars in DownBeat and winning Crusader Magazine's "Jazz Pick of the Year." JazzTimes magazine recently named Weiskopf one of the five most underrated jazz musicians on the scene today.

Conference…

In January 2004, Sons of Sound will be attending both the IAJE Convention in New York City (January 20-24) and the MIDEM Conference in Cannes (January 24-28).

Please contact us to schedule a meeting, or just drop by the respective stands: IAJE Conference Exhibitor booth 213, or MIDEM 2004 stand 05.24.

Next…

Up for release on February 16, 2004 is Moon Over The World by Akira Tana (SSPCD016).

Joined by bassist Rufus Reid and pianist Ted Lo, the drummer leads a unique "Asian-American" project that draws upon Chinese and Japanese pop and folk melodies as inspiration for a set of improvisational jazz. Just as the American songbook has provided many of the standards of the jazz repertoire, Tana and his trio look to the East for fresh material with broad cultural appeal. The results are enjoyable and impressive.

Joel Roberts in All About Jazz writes: "Tana, Reid and Co. have the chops and the imagination to elevate the material above the norm, and the good sense to have fun with a fun idea." Jeff Potter of Modern Drummer adds: "teamed with supremo bassist Rufus Reid, Tana’s drumming leads the pack with nimble touch and urgent groove."

More…

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