Groove Notes

Here is another 10 to add to the list.

Remember that there is no ranking system here, and if you don’t see your favorite jazz album yet, it doesn’t mean it won’t show up.

Hopefully these lists will inspire you to seek some of these albums out that perhaps you haven’t heard before, or revisit an old favorite. And as always, we want your thoughts on any or all of these albums. Let’s get started with this week, and in no particular order, albums 881 through 890.

881. In The Night – George Shearing (Capitol Jazz, 1958) CLICK HERE TO BUY

882. It’s a Matter of Pride – Billy Taylor (GRP, 1993) CLICK HERE TO BUY

883. French Jazz – Claude Bolling (Harkit Records, 1956) CLICK HERE TO BUY

884. Live at the Haig – Bud Shank (Candid, 1956) CLICK HERE TO BUY

885. Black Coffee – Peggy Lee (Decca, 1956) CLICK HERE TO BUY

886. Seasons – Pete Jolly (Dusty Groove, 1970) CLICK HERE TO BUY

887. Truly Wonderful – Al Grey (Vintage Jazz, 1978) CLICK HERE TO BUY

888. Tal – Tal Farlow (Universal Distribution, 1956) CLICK HERE TO BUY

889. At the Manne-Hole, Vol. 1 – Shelly Manne (Contemporary/OJC, 1961) CLICK HERE TO BUY

890. The Fabulous Doc Cheatham – Doc Cheatham (Parkwood, 1983) CLICK HERE TO BUY

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (871-880)

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die – The First 750

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die – The First 500

Photo by Sally Sheldon

I had the opportunity to interview vocalist Halie Loren by phone this week. Her most recent release, Heart First (CLICK HERE TO BUY) rose to number one on the ITunes Canada Jazz chart, and has not only received increased popularity in the U.S., but high praise in Japan as well. Halie, who will be performing this weekend (Sunday and Monday, May 27th and 28th) at the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts in Port Angeles, Washington, talked to me about her path to becoming a jazz singer, her success in other countries, and what it takes to convincingly sing a song that she didn’t write.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW

From Alaska to Oregon

Halie Loren grew up in Alaska, and moved to Oregon in her early teens. She told me that the move wasn’t necessarily a career move, but it certainly didn’t hurt her development. Her father wanted to have a job that didn’t require him to travel so much, and the family landed in Oregon. Halie, who had been singing since “birth” as she put it, and had her talents recognized by her family at an age as young as four years old, consequently had an opportunity for more exposure than she would be able to receive on a small island in Alaska.

The Jazz Influence

Loren did not have parents who were musicians, but there was always music around the house, including an eclectic album collection with a substantial amount of jazz and blues in it. The combination of that, combined with one of the lone radio stations where she grew up being a jazz station, was enough for her to fall in love with the genre. Halie also noticed something about her voice that contributed to choosing jazz as a genre.

“I would listen to Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James and Diana Krall. I totally loved the music, but I also realized that my (vocal) range seemed to lend itself to a lot of those vocalists. It was really low for a young person…and I’ve always really had a lot of fun singing it.”

International Success

Halie has seen a rise in popularity in Canada and Japan, and I asked her what the difference was between these countries and the United States. I also suggested that she had been treated like a “rock star” in Japan.

“Well maybe not a “rock star”, but perhaps a “jazz star”. Is there such a thing? I think we should invent that if there isn’t.”

“Fair enough”, I replied. Loren suggested that aside from her signing with a Canadian label, which has contributed to her success up north, that the musical landscapes and the different appreciations that these countries have might also help. In Japan specifically, Loren hints that the language barrier might be outweighed by their appreciation for authenticity.

“I definitely create music from a very authentic place, and have musicians around me who do the same. I think they are able to pick up on the authenticity and the creative place that it is coming from. It creates something pretty honest, and I think that appeals to people.”

Creating Authenticity When Covering a Song

I suggested to Loren that I felt that when a singer was recording or performing a song that they didn’t write, it is always the most convincing when they can somehow tap into the heart and the meaning of the song and has made it personal when they sing it. I asked her how she goes about making songs personal, and she told me that there are very few songs, especially jazz, that she can’t find at least some small connection with.

“I see a lot of my role in singing standards as being a storyteller and as an actress. There is always a seed of an idea in every song that I have experienced or that I can understand. And I feel that my goal in performing that piece is to bring that out, and as a result, it becomes my own story.”

Authenticity on Stage Versus Studio

I asked Halie if it was easier to tap into that authenticity on stage or in the studio, and she explained that every single album it is the struggle to do so in the studio. She explained that sometimes it can be difficult to be as spontaneous in the studio, and not have to worry about all the technical details.

“The (live) performance aspect…being in the moment entirely really helps with feeling almost transported into the song. My goal every time I go to the studio is to get a little bit closer to that feeling.”

Halie Loren will be performing this weekend at the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts in Port Angeles, Washington this Sunday and Monday, May 27th and 28th. Her new album is Heart First which can be purchased by clicking here. To listen to the full interview, which includes how Halie Loren approaches her songwriting, click here. Her website is www.halieloren.com. She can be followed on Twitter @halieloren and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/halielorenmusic.

Several of Western Washington’s finest high school jazz bands and jazz professionals are showcased on KPLU School of Jazz-Volume 8, the station’s latest CD release which is the culmination of this year’s mentoring project.

In 2005, as part of its continuing support of music education in the schools, KPLU developed a mentoring program involving bands from 10 high schools and one middle school, and the participation of 11 local jazz professionals.  The fruits of this partnership yielded the first KPLU School of Jazz CD release.

Beginning with Volume 2 (2006), the project has included only high school jazz bands.  Each year, a core group of bands from the inaugural group is featured on the project along with one or two new participating school jazz bands and guest artists.

The complete list of participants on KPLU School of Jazz – Volume 8 (2012): Stadium High School (Tacoma), North Thurston High School (Olympia), Jackson High School (Mill Creek), Bellevue High School (Bellevue), Mount Si High School (Snoqualmie), Mercer Island High School (Mercer Island), Roosevelt High School (Seattle), Mountlake Terrace High School (Mountlake Terrace), Edmonds Woodway High School (Edmonds), Mount Vernon High School (Mount Vernon), Kentwood High School (Kent) and the advanced ensemble from Seattle JazzED under the direction of Clarence Acox.

Guests artists included on KPLU School of Jazz – Volume 8: Mark Taylor, Anton Schwartz, Matso Limtiaco, Jeff Hay, Greta Matassa, Stuart MacDonald, Syd Potter, Dawn Clement, Tracy Knoop, Jim Sisko and Steve Treseler. All proceeds benefit Western Washington school music programs.

 KPLU School of Jazz – Volume 8 includes songs by Joey Calderazzo, Radiohead, Fred Sturm, Cole Porter, John Green, Neal Hefti, Astor Piazzolla and Matso Limtiaco.

KPLU School of Jazz – Volume 8 will be available for purchase beginning May 29 at KPLU’s website, www.kplu.org.

The 5th Annual Bellevue Jazz Festival returns to Downtown Bellevue May 30-June 3, 2012. National artists, local musicians and high school all stars will perform in free and ticketed venues throughout the weekend.

Shows range from concerts at the Theatre at Meydenbauer — with its ideal acoustics and intimate setting — to tableside sets in downtown bars and hotels. Also hear some of the best school jazz bands from around the Seattle area — an area noted for its depth of student and instructional talent.

The 2012 Festival will showcase an all-star lineup of featured shows by the Clayton Brothers Quintet, Booker T. Jones, and the Hubert Laws Quintet.

Award-winning high school jazz programs will be featured in the festival’s Student Showcase. Groups will perform 45-minute sets highlighting the rich and diverse offerings presented by members of the local high school jazz scene.

KPLU School of Jazz and the Bellevue Jazz Festival have teamed up to extend the learning of the region’s top jazz students. The Rising Stars ensembles will rehearse prior to the culminating event of the program on Sunday, June 3 – a performance at downtown Bellevue’s newest music venue Bake’s Place. Doors open at 6 p.m. for dinner reservations with the show starting at 7 p.m. The concert also coincides with the official 2012 KPLU School of Jazz CD release party.

In addition, more than 40 shows in various locations will keep the music flowing throughout the weekend, featuring top local and regional artists.

Individual tickets and packages for the 2012 Bellevue Jazz Festival headline performances are now on sale! Purchase your tickets today to guarantee the best seats in the house. Tickets are available for purchase online through Brown Paper Tickets. $34 per show or $78 package for preferred seating to all three performances.

Why Jazz Happened (due out in December of 2012) is the first comprehensive social history of jazz. It provides an intimate and compelling look at the many forces that shaped this most American of art forms and the many influences that gave rise to jazz’s post-war styles. Rich with the voices of musicians, producers, promoters, and others on the scene during the decades following World War II, this book views jazz’s evolution the prism of technological advances, social transformations, changes in the law, economic trends, and much more.

In an absorbing narrative enlivened by the commentary of key personalities, Marc Myers shows how events such as the draft, World War II, and, later, the G.I. bill, profoundly influenced jazz’s sound, feel, and mystique. He describes the myriad of events and trends that affected the music, among them, the American Federation of Musicians strike in the early 1940s, changes in radio and concert-promotion, the introduction of the long-playing record, the suburbanization of Los Angeles, the Civil Rights movement, the “British invasion” and the rise of electronic instruments. This groundbreaking book deepens our appreciation of this music by identifying many of the developments outside of jazz itself that contributed most to its texture, complexity, and evolution.

Marc Myers is a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal, where he writes about jazz, rock, soul, and rhythm & blues as well as art and architecture. He blogs daily at www.JazzWax.com.