Salsa, Jazz & Blues Under the Stars 2011

Hello JAZZ FRIENDS!

SUMMER'S ALMOST HERE! Are you ready for Salsa/Jazz & Blues Under the Stars?

We're kicking off our Summer Music Festival Under the Stars in just a few short weeks!! Friday, June 3^rd with island-style salsa from the Arizona-based Jaleo, along with the latest Cuban salsa group on the Albuquerque scene, En-Joy. Throughout the summer, Friday night salsa will include hot and steamy evenings with, Ivon Ulibarri y Café Mocha, Nosotros, Son Como Son, Calle 66, Cuban salsa from Team Havana, Quemozo and Charanga del Valle. Opening weekend continues with jazz on Saturday, June 4^th with the Big Band Extravaganza featuring theAlbuquerque Jazz Orchestra under the direction saxophonist, Glenn Kostur. The concert also features the NMJW Mid High and High School Honor Jazz Bands and the High School Honor Jazz Combo.

Following on the heels of opening weekend, young lions John Maestas and Asher Barreras bring their jazz ensemble, Humoso to the stage. Veteran sax man Doug Lawrence will also perform a set that evening, in an Under the Stars event that won’t soon be forgotten.

No one can forget the great evening of jazz that featured some of our favorite artists of the male persuasion. Men’s Voices returns with the New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus Le Chat Lunatique, Clay Benard, Deian McBryde, and more, as well as Women’s Voices: Ladies Sing the Blues, curated by Joan Cere featuring Hillary Smith, Busy McCarroll, The Rhinestones, Lydia Clark and newcomer Ali Rae. A second evening of Women’s Voices happens later in the season, and offers a tribute to Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, and Carmen McCrae, curated by local Diva, Patty Stephens. The night also features Zenobia and Susan Abod. The Summer Music Festival continues through August 20^th with Mystic Vic, Ben Martinez Project, Red Hot & Red, Ryan McGarvey, Tribute Trio: Acoustic and Electric, Soul Kitchen, Memphis P’Tails, a special night with the former Tonight Show music director, Kevin Eubanks and Grammy-winning artist Larry Mitchell and so much more, Under the Stars.

Here's the full schedule of concerts!!!!

New Mexico Jazz Workshop’s 35th Anniversary Season

2011 Summer Music Festival Performance Schedule

June 3 – August 20

6/3 Jaleo/En-Joy $13/$11/$10

6/4 Big Band Extravaganza $13/$11/$10

6/10 Nosotros $13/$11/$10

6/11 Humoso/Doug Lawrence $13/$11/$10

6/17 Havana Son $13/$11/$10

6/18 Women’s Voices: Ladies Sing the Blues $15/$13/$12

6/24 Son Como Son $13/$11/$10

6/25 Tribute Trio: Acoustic and Electric $13/$11/$10

7/8 Charanga del Valle $13/$11/$10

7/9 Mystic Vic/Ryan McGarvey $13/$11/$10

7/15 Ivon Ulibarri y Cafe Mocha $13/$11/$10

7/16 Kevin Eubanks/Larry Mitchell $30/$25$20

7/22 Calle 66 $13/$11/$10

7/23 NO PERFORMANCE

7/29 Team Havana $15/$13/$12

7/30 Soul Kitchen/Memphis P’Tails $13/$11/$10

8/5 Quemozo $13/$11/$10

8/6 Women’s Voices: Tribute to Carmen McCrae,

Abbey Lincoln & Nina Simone $15/$13/$12

8/12 Son Como Son $13/$11/$10

8/13 Ben Martinez Project/Red Hot & Red $13/$11/$10

8/20 Men’s Voices $15/$13/$12

An interview with Ashley SAYWUT Moyer!

Women's Voices: Tribute to Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan was a HIT. Thank you for making last Saturday an amazing night!

At Women's Voices, we introduced you to Ashley aka Saywut Moyer-- the real WILD CARD of the night! Ashley's Hip Hop beatboxing was exciting, provocative, and startling juxtaposed with jazz. Moyer mixed this "modern" vocal work with traditional jazz singing, creating a hybrid few people have ever heard before, and people can't stop talking about it! We're still getting great feedback from people intrigued by Moyer's style, so we thought we'd do a short interview with her!

NMJW: Tell us about beat box, and it's modern origins.

AM:

Beatboxing is music made only with the human body through breath control, and muscle control. It is something that can be found all over the world.

NMJW:

Like other forms of music, beatbox is male-dominated. Where are all the ladies? How did you

decide you wanted to beatbox?

AM:
I don't think most women beatbox because it isn't something that females do often enough to be considered normal. Most people in general don't even know what it is. Also, it's kinda out of character for women to make crazy sound effects and music with their mouths. However, there are a few women beatboxers all over the world. Mostly in the UK. A few here in the US as well. I decided to beatbox because I was drawn to it when I saw it, and started to imitate what I saw and heard. Once I learned that I was ok at it, I continued on and practiced.

NMJW:

Who are some of your influences? How did you get started?

AM:

Some of my influences are Zack Freeman, Roxorloops, Bizmarkee, Dougie Fresh, and any music or sounds that catch my ear...I want to imitate the sounds/music that I enjoy. I started when I was a sophomore in high school. A kid at my school was beatboxing, and I was instantly hooked. I have always been good at imitating noises, or voices, so when I heard him, It was natural for me to pick it up. I haven't stopped since. It's been 7 1/2 years already, and I am still to this day amazed at the amount of opportunities and blessings I have recieved through beatboxing. I guess it all depends on where your heart's at. I have learned that my beatboxing is a gift, it helps me connect with people and them with everyone else in the room in a way that almost feels like we are closer to god. I have accepted this as my responsibility, to be a circuit and open people to a feeling of love and humanity they may have forgotten they could feel. I have to share that love...I am truly blessed to do what I do.

NMJW:

We know you are politically active in the local and global community. How does your music support your politics?

AM:

I started out performing in my community because I had the gift of beatboxing. People noticed me, and wanted me to do shows for them. Since it was a gift, and I wanted to help people and effect change, I decided to use my beatboxing as a way to use my voice and express myself and the causes I believe in. I have always been very picky with what kind of shows I do, because I don't want to endorse something that may not have my or others best interest at heart...I enjoy working with grass roots organizations. I enjoy being able to share my gift, and not feel like a product that only focuses on me. I love working with youth in the city and state that I grew up in. I know what kind of role model these kids need, and I am proud to take that roll on. Especially as a female beatboxer.

NMJW:

What do you say to other young women interested in getting into beatboxing?

AM:

I say go for it! It is a rare art form, but like anything, practice and passion will get you where you want to be. I always enjoy beatboxing for young women who didn't know females could beatbox. It opens a whole new side of their minds where they start to consider other paths for themselves aside from what they see on TV or hear on the radio. I like to show them that they too can be respected, accepted and expressed in a way that is their own. My heart goes out to all the young women, they need someone to show them that females are supportive of each other, and that being proud of who you are is a very positive and freeing experience...to me it's what life is all about.

NMJW:

Thanks, Ashley!

AM:

Thank you!

The New Mexico Jazz Workshop Summer Concert Series BEGINS!

Hello Jazz Friends!

It's that time again, folks! Time to stretch our legs, get outside, and get sweaty! No, we're not talking about mowing the lawn. It's time for the NMJW Summer Concert Series UNDER THE STARS! Starting THIS FRIDAY, June 4th we're kicking off a summer of great concerts, all summer long and the Albuquerque Museum Amphitheater!

On FRIDAY, JUNE 4th-- Felipe Ruibal y Quemozo breaks the seal on the salsa, it's ripe, delicious and ready to go! On SATURDAY, JUNE 5th, we welcome the Albuquerque Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Bobby Shew and none other than our NMJW Youth Honor Bands, led by Christian Pincock (High School) and Sam Nesbitt (Middle School).

Where ya goin'? You know there's MORE in store. Week two of the Salsa Under the Stars we welcome Charanga del Valle, June 11th. You'll soon be over your Los Van Van heart break, just get on that dance floor. On June 12th come out for the Saxophone Summit featuring Glenn Kostur, Lee Taylor and Kanoa Kaluhiwa, and Aaron Lovato. Just buy a Summer Pass, please! You're not going to want to miss a single weekend. Because week three we have the lovely Ivon Ulibarri y Cafe Mocha! And, the first night of Women's Voices!

On Saturday, June 19^th NMJW presents the first night of Women’s Voices with Ladies Sing the Blues, hosted by KUNM radio personality, Mary Oishi. Join some of Albuquerque’s finest blues singers and musicians for a night of blistering blues born from the African-American A.M.E. Churches, to the field hollers and streets of Memphis, Chicago, New Orleans; to the dusty, back roads, train tracks, cross roads, and juke joints of the American landscape—making “a way out of no way.“ Are you ready for some hollerin’, honkin’, shoutin’, and getting’ down?” Joan Cere says (formally Joan Griffin). Cere, lead singer of Combo Special, is a performer and the curator of Ladies Sing the Blues. Cere pledges a diva-packed evening of blues featuring Hillary Smith, Wendy Beach, and Cathryn McGill. “So many soulful, talented people coming together to make the music that makes us who we are,” Cere says. Cere cites singers such as Big Momma Thornton, Bessie Smith, Janice Joplin and Ma Rainey as inspiration for Ladies Sing the Blues. Cere calls Ladies Sing the Blues, “a rootsy, rocking, feelin’ kind of music-- the kind that makes your skin tingle and brings a tear to your eye-- makes you wanna shake your stuff and join the party.”

Women's Voices 2010 continues with a tribute to the mothers of jazz: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan. Women’s Voices: Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan Saturday, July 10^th.

They sang to express the secrets of their hearts, for sheer joy, to pay the rent, to stay afloat, to keep going. Women's Voices 2010 pays tribute to the mothers of jazz: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan. This trinity of vocalists left mighty big shoes to fill. On Saturday, July 10^th, Patty Stephens, Patti Littlefield, Chava, Kathy Gutierrez, and Ashley (aka SayWut!?) Moyer pay a soulful, moving homage to the music, the women, and the lives and times that made Sarah, Billie and Ella trine stars that never lose their luster, and never fade from our collective memory.

“This tribute isn’t to the jazz song, it is to the lives of three women who sang those jazz songs,” says Patty Stephens, performer and curator of the tribute. “This tribute is from the New Mexican women of song to our ancestors, our elders.” Stephens, a favorite on the local jazz scene, says this concert is a deep exploration of the work and the world of Dames Fitzgerald, Vaughan and Holiday, not an evening of greatest hits. “I’m not talking about a contemporary singer sticking a big flower behind her ear, and bending notes,” Stephens says. “I’m talking about the women who stay up late, drag home in the middle of the night and work on new tunes and go sing at church on Sunday.”

This year’s Women’s Voices features a new, exciting element to the performance. Ashley (aka SayWut?!) Moyer, a local hip-hop beat boxer of note will, take the stage. (Beatboxing is a rediscovered art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue and voice. The art form dates back to the ancient tradition of bhol, found in the music of India.) Stephens, who will be performing a few duets with Moyer, says that beat boxing expresses the “jazz element of scat—the percussive use of the voice, and the power of improvisation.” According to Stephens, there are all components that relate back to Fitzgerald, Holiday and Vaughan. “Ashley brings to the evening a true, raw element of vocal expression inherent in jazz, and the music of the divas we honor.”

Women’s Voices 2010 Saturday, June 19^th and Saturday, July 10^th are sure to be two evenings of Jazz & Blues Under the Stars audiences won’t soon forget.

MUCH MORE to come as the summer rolls on!

We'll see you, Under the Stars . . .

School Days

Hello, Jazz Friends!

It's nearly summer! Can you believe that? We're looking forward to getting outside for the Salsa/Jazz & Blues Under the Stars shows! We're also happy to let you know that we'll be offering summer jazz courses for adults!

Eight-week and ten-week courses are available for adult students interested in Modern Jazz Ensemble, Community Big Band, Latin Jazz & Improvisation, Vocal Jazz and, Real Book Jam!

Our adult ed classes are designed for musicians looking to expand their knowledge and skills! NMJW classes offer adults the opportunity to study with some of New Mexico's most talented, working musicians.

The 2010 Summer Adult Education Program offers students four, great courses to assist adult musicians and vocalists in the development of their craft. Latin Jazz & Improvisation, taught by Rodolfo Gonzalez provides the student with skills for jazz combo performance while exploring Latin rhythms. Lewis Winn offers an updated course in Modern Jazz Ensemble which emphasizes improvisation, swing, hot, and cool styles while developing successful ensemble techniques.

NMJW Community Big Band taught by Christian Pincock is a popular, challenging but rewarding course with limited enrollment in the band, so sign-up right away! Patty Stephens, local diva and curator of Women’s Voices: Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan, offers her very popular course. This class is designed to improve your vocal jazz skills while exploring the song(s) of your choice. Each of the summer courses culminates in its own performance.

For musicians wishing to connect and collaborate with other players without the commitment of a class, Real Book Jam is a good choice.

For a small lab fee, musicians and singers are invited to come together on Saturday afternoons to simply play!

For a full description of courses and fees, please visit www.nmjazz.org

See ya in class!

2010 Summer Adult Education Program-- course series begins June 6^th and runs through August 15^h. Dates and times for classes vary. For full course description, and instructor bios, please visit our website: www.nmjazz.org. For more information, contact Vicki Dugger, Adult Education Coordinator

505-255-9798. Or, send email to Vicki at nmjazzvols@gmail.com.

Women's Voices June 12-13!

Hello friends!

It's the moment we've all been waiting for!

WOMEN'S VOICES FESTIVAL

JUNE 12-13

7pm Albuquerque Museum Amphitheater

Click here or ticket information.

Look up the word diva in the dictionary--the modern definition is fairly straight-forward: celebrated female singer. This spartan description only scratches the surface of the word. The powerful gathering of talent known as Women's Voices--a collection of New Mexico's most celebrated women in music is so grand no walls can contain it. Women's Voices, curated by Ms. Cathryn McGill presents world-class divas more akin to the original, Latin definition of the word meaning, goddess. “Women's Voices is a rare event,” says Maud Beenhouwer, Interim Executive Director of New Mexico Jazz Workshop. “It's one of the few times we get to see so many great singers in one place on the same night.” Beenhouwer states that audiences can expect an eclectic weekend of music that runs the gamut of jazz, bebop, swing, rock-n-roll, Latin and soulful R&B. “There's something for everyone at Women's Voices,” says Beenhouwer. “But don't wait too long to get your tickets--Women's Voices is one of our most anticipated events and is bound to sell out!”

2009 Women's Voices Festival featuring:

The Shortcuts

Nancy Nielsen

Susan Abod

Patty Stephens

Dianna Hughes

Tina Phillips

Hillary Smith

Patty Stephens

Joanie Griffin

Susan Clark

Jackie Zamora

Ivon Ulibarri

Cathryn McGill

Busy McCarroll

Bonnie Watts

2009 Women's Voices Band:

Stu MacAskie, Music Director/Pianist

Justin Bransford, Bass

Cal Haines, Drums

Be there!!!

Cathy McGill curates Women's Voices 2009

Look up the word diva in the dictionary--the modern definition is fairly straight-forward: celebrated female singer. This spartan description only scratches the surface of the word. The powerful gathering of talent known as Women's Voices--a collection of New Mexico's most celebrated women in music is so grand no walls can contain it.  Women's Voices, curated by Ms. Cathryn McGill presents world-class divas more akin to the original, Latin definition of the word meaning, goddess. “Women's Voices is a rare event,” says Maud Beenhouwer, Interim Executive Director of New Mexico Jazz Workshop. “It's one of the few times we get to see so many great singers in one place on the same night.” Beenhouwer states that audiences can expect an eclectic weekend of music that runs the gamut of jazz, bebop, swing, rock-n-roll, Latin and soulful R&B. “There's something for everyone at Women's Voices,” says Beenhouwer. “But don't wait too long to get your tickets--Women's Voices is one of our most anticipated events and is bound to sell out!” Find out more about Women's Voices on our website.