Oh, Ms. Spivey!

Happy birthday to American blues singer and songwriter Victoria Spivey, born on this day in 1906 in Houston, TX. 

Ms. Spivey’s career spanned forty years—even the Great Depression couldn’t  stop her! Ms. Spivey worked with Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Clarence Williams, Luis Russell, Lonnie Johnson, and Bob Dylan. She launched Spivey Records in 1961with jazz historian Len Kunstadt, made and played the blues, right up to her death in 1976.

Give a listen to You’re My Man/ Slick Chick Blues from, The Blues is Life album. Great praise, Ms. Spivey! Great praise!    

A Carnival for All Seasons

Hello Jazz Friends!

We're getting ready for Club Rio our gala event. The Carnival of Brazil is known for it scantily clad revellers, however there are other ways to celebrate the spirit and energy of Carnival. As we explore the idea of carnival, we're considering the many ways cultures celebrate. Today, we'd like to consider the Carnevale di Venezia. The Carnival of Venice was first recorded in 13th Century.  Masks, cloaks, gloves are trademarks of the Venetian Carnival. Though the participants are fully-clothed, they are no less intriguing. You might consider wearing a Venetian-style mask and costume, when you come to Club Rio! Happy costume-hunting!

CARNEVALE di VENEZIA

Venice Carnival 2012 - Venetian Masks

                                                                                                                       
CLUB RIO -- 
CLICK HERE to buy your tickets for CLUB RIO!

Monk's Mood

From the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz:

Thelonious Sphere Monk (1917-1982) is recognized as one of the most influential figures in the history of jazz. He was one of the architects of bebop and his impact as a composer and pianist has had a profound influence on every genre of music.

Monk was born on October 10, 1917 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, but his parents, Barbara Batts and Thelonious Monk, soon moved the family to New York City. Monk began piano lessons as a young child and by the age of 13 he had won the weekly amateur contest at the Apollo Theater so many times that he was barred from entering. At the age of 19, Monk joined the house band at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, where along with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and a handful of other players, he developed the style of jazz that came to be known as bebop. Monk's compositions, among them "Round Midnight," were the canvasses upon which these legendary soloists expressed their musical ideas.

Happy birthday, sir. You influence continues to resonate though us all.

Pinterest is a pinboard-style social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies, and more. Users can browse other pinboards for inspiration, 're-pin' images to their own collections or 'like' photos. Pinterest's mission is to "connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting.'

We're using Pinterest to help YOU come up with great costume ideas for CLUB RIO!

Enjoy! 

Carnival STYLE!

New MexicoJazz Workshop presents

CLUB RIO: 

An Evening in the Spirit of Carnival

Saturday, November 10th @ 7pm - 11pm

Sandia Resort and Casino 

Silent Auction, Mask-making, Dancing, Card Reading, Brazilian Cuisine, Chocolate Tasting by Choco Canyon Artisan Chocolate. 

Music by PANdemonium, the Odara Dance Ensemble

Not quite ready for Winter? Neither is New Mexico Jazz Workshop! You won't want to miss a night charged with the same energy and spice of NMJW's Salsa Under the Stars, as the music, food and dance transports you to the balmy climes of Rio de Janeiro. Get ready for a journey to Rio at the most festive time of the year- -Carnival.

CARNIVAL STYLE: 

Each week, leading up the MAIN EVENT, we will spotlight an aspect of Carnival Style.  Let's look at COSTUME.Carnival is a time to SHINE. Consider wearing colors you might not normally wear, even on a night out on the town. The whole point is to STAND OUT, consider your personal style and GO FOR IT. CLICK HERE to take a look at this Pinterest link. You're bound to see something that inspires you to create your own version! If this doesn't inspire you. 

Carnival without revealing ALL! 

Think Carnival, and instantly a young woman dressing in little more that a bedazzled bathing suit with a feather headdress comes to mind! 

But, you don't have to reveal all to go to Carnival!

Imagine your version of Marie Antoinette, encrusted in glitter. Take a look at a trailer for Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette  to get an idea of the scale of Carnival style among the aristocracy before the French Revolution! 

Men can get in on the fun, too! Think EPIC!

 
Hieronymus Carl Friedrich von Münchhausen

(11 May 1720 - 22 February 1797) 

Münchhausen was a German nobleman and a famous recounter of tall tales. HCF von M was immortalized by Terry Gillian in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Add a little glitter to this outfit and you're good to GO. Take a look at this fun smash-up-- Baron Munchausen meets Christopher Nolan. CLICK HERE.

Sticking with a nautical theme, take a look at this great blog we found, created by Afshin Tavakoli for FLAMINGO, featuring a heightened sense of style, while remaining sensible. CLICK HERE to view.

Welcome to Club Rio!

New Mexico Jazz Workshop presents

CLUB RIO: An Evening in the Spirit of Carnival

Saturday, November 10th @ 7pm – 11pm

SandiaResort and Casino

Silent Auction, Mask-making, Dancing, Card Reading, Brazilian Cuisine,

Music by PANdemonium, the Odara Dance Ensemble,  Costume Contest,

Chocolate Tasting with Choco Canyon Artisan Chocolate and more!

  

Albuquerque—New Mexico Jazz Workshop is pleased to present an evening in the spirit and excitement of Rio de Janeiro during Carnival. Welcome to Club Rio: An Evening in the Spirit of Carnival, a gala benefitting the New Mexico Jazz Workshop’s youth education programs.  CLUB RIO: An Evening in the Spirit of Carnival, Saturday, November 10th @ 7pm – 11pm, Sandia Resort and Casino. Tickets are $75 per guest. 10-top tables and sponsorship tables may be purchased at a reduced rate. Visit our website www.nmjazz.org for more information. Tickets are also available online at www.eventbrite.com or by calling NMJW at 505-255-9798.

Not quite ready for Winter? Neither is New Mexico Jazz Workshop! You won’t want to miss a night charged with the same energy and spice of NMJW’s Salsa Under the Stars as the music, food and dance transports you to the balmy climes of Rio de Janeiro. Get ready for a journey to Rio at the most festive time of the year- -Carnival.

Adopted from the pagan festival of Saturnalia by the Roman Catholic faith, the word carnival comes from carmelevare meaning to literally, “remove” or “raise” meat as a form of abstaining, from selected earthly pleasures in observation of Lent. Every year since 1753, forty-six days before Easter, observers of Lent have prepared for lavish celebrations, and none greater than Carnival in Brazil.

“Last year we journeyed to Havana,” said Maud Beenhouwer, Executive Director of New Mexico Jazz Workshop. “You can expect even bigger thrills at Club Rio. We’ll have everything Carnival has to offer except the floats!”

Beenhouwer added that Club Rio will feature some of the most celebrated aspects of a trip to Carnival. “Frank Leto and his band, PANdemonium will play authentic Brazilian music all evening long.” Said Beenhouwer. To complement the traditional sambas, the Odara Dance Ensemble, in full sparkling regalia, will perform choreographed dance numbers, and encourage the audience to join in the fun. A silent auction, Craft-a-mask table, colorful beads a-la Mardis Gras, and a Chocolate tasting provided by Choco Canyon Artisan Chocolate are all part of the fun at Club Rio.

Fun is definitely the main purpose of the night, but its aim is two-fold. “We’re not only presenting authentic music and dance at Club Rio, we are also featuring the young musicians of our Youth Honor Band Program,” Beenhouwer said. “This event helps raise much-needed funds for all of our education programs.” Beenhouwer added that money raised from the Club Rio silent auction goes directly to the NMJW’s South Valley Band Project, and Empowerment Through Music, a program that helps incarcerated youth discover their potential through electronic music.

“We’re very proud of our community programming,” Beenhouwer said. “We’d like to see them continue for many years to come, and our annual gala event helps make this possible.”

For information about Club Rio, including the dinner menu, please visit nmjazz.org. CLUB RIO: An Evening in the Spirit of Carnival, Saturday, November 10th @ 7pm – 11pm, Sandia Resort and Casino. Tickets are $75 per guest. 10-top tables and sponsorship tables may be purchased at a reduced rate. Visit our website www.nmjazz.org for more information. Tickets are also available online at www.eventbrite.com or by calling NMJW at 505-255-9798.

We're BAAAAAaack

Hello Jazz Friends!

After a rather long hiatus, we've revived our NM Jazz Blog! Here, we'll be posting information about our events, happenings, and tid-bits about the jazz community. THANK YOU for visiting. Much, MUCH more to come.