Womenful weekend at New Mexico Jazz Workshop

Hello NMJW Friends!

Here we are heading into the third weekend of Salsa/Jazz & Blues Under the Stars! It's been a scorcher out there, but the music has been even hotter. This weekend we're proud to present TWO great nights of music led by women for the enjoyment of ALL!

On Friday night, we welcome back to the Salsa Under the Stars stage Ivon Ulibarri y Cafe Mocha. Absolutely one of the best, most in sync salsa bands in the South West, Cafe Mocha never fails to deliver. Ivon leads the band, and Rosie's a powerhouse on vocals. You want cha-cha? You got it. You want SON?? You got it. You know you can't go wrong with Cafe Mocha. Remember to get the the Albuquerque Museum Amphitheater early and take advantage of the FREE salsa class with Salsa Baby!

On Juneteenth, NMJW proudly presents the first of two nights featuring some of New Mexico’s most dynamic women vocalists. Don't miss Ladies Sing the Blues featuring Hillary Smith, Cathryn McGill, Joan Cere (formally Griffin), Wendy Beach, and none other than the Rhinestones! Are you ready for some hollerin’, honkin’, shoutin and gettin’ down? Then Ladies Sing the Blues is YOUR NIGHT under the stars! 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. The emcee for Ladies Sing the Blues is KUNM radio personality, writer, poet and blogger, Mary Oishi!

You gotta be there! Get your tickets in advance and avoid the queue!

www.brownpapertickets.com

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.

Joe Gabel rolls the extra mile for NMJW!

Joe Gabel? You ROCK. You roll, too.

Joe's Ex-President's Pedalthon!

Immediate Past President Joe Gabel will cycle 400 Miles in ONE WEEK (May 17-22) to raise scholarship money for kids to attend JAZZ CAMP! What started out as an unassuming fundraiser to send 10 kids to Jazz Camp (cost: $3,000 total) has turned into a full-on campaign! Joe is committed to raising $15,000 for camp scholarships which will send 50 KIDS to camp! Yeah!

Not to be undone, Mark Zettel at Modern Bike Engines is going to give the individual who makes the largest donation to Joe's cause the installation and service on a NEW BIKE ENGINE-- valued at $1,000! (Want to know more about Modern Bike Engines, stop by at 3204 San Mateo NE.)

Now, you don't have to jump on a bike and start pedaling, to join the cause! It's easy to donate: just click on the link and donate some dough toJoe's Ex-President's Pedalthon!

http://www.firstgiving.org/joegabel

Jazz, Deconstructed thanks YOU!

Hello friends,

We've been slammed, getting ready for the Summer Concert Series, Salsa/Jazz & Blues Under the Stars. But, we want to say a huge THANK YOU for checking out Jazz, Deconstructed. The last two shows, with Joy Harjo (4.21) and Christian Pincock (4.28) were truly phenomenal.

Thank you!

Week two of Jazz, Deconstructed at The Kosmos

Evolutionary Sounds featuring Luis Guerra and Amani Malaika kicked off our BRAND NEW, month-long series, Jazz, Deconstructed. Every Wednesday in April, we're presenting jazz, not as a set-in-stone art form, but as music that is in flux, constantly transforming, regenerating . . .

This Wednesday, April 14th, NMJW welcomes Resonance. Mark Weaver on tuba and digeridoo and Patti Littlefield on vocals present their own brand of deconstructed jazz. Expect tunes by Thelonius Monk, Kurt Weill, and several original tunes that reflect their eclectic collaboration and collective wit.

See you there!

NMJW

New Mexico Jazz Workshop

Jazz, Deconstructed w/

((((RESONANCE))))

Wednesday, April 14th @ 7pm

The Kosmos 1715 5th Street NW

Albuquerque

Tickets $10 General $8 Students/Seniors/NMJW Members

Tickets available online @ Brownpapertickets.

PS-- Wanna buy your tickets online? Just click here.

PS II- We know some of you are kicking yourselves for waiting until the final hours to get your taxes done. No problem! Just get them ready by Wednesday, drop them off at the main branch post office, and high-tail it to the Kosmos for your Resonance reward!

(photo of Evolutionary Sounds by Christina Gavino Gray)

Cabaret with Deian McBryde!

Deian McBryde is a ladies' man. We mean, a self-confident, approachable man women enjoy being around. Guys like him, too. What is it about Deian that speaks to us? Charisma. The man’s got charm for days. So much charm (and guts and talent) that he’s parlayed his skills into an international singing career. A self-proclaimed, “Sonic Smoothie,” Deian has entertained in the US, Canada, Europe, Russia and Australia as a solo artist and with his little jazz band, The Pretty Girl Orchestra. Now Deian honors us by offering a brand new class at New Mexico Jazz Workshop. If you’ve ever wanted to sing loud and proud, then consider taking Deian’s NMJW class, Cabaret! which starts Monday, March 22 at 6:30pm. We caught up with Deian to talk about the class, about the art of cabaret, and singin’ to the cheap seats.

NMJW: So, what draws you to cabaret? What about this performance style attracts you?

DMc: I'm really drawn to narrative and interpretation. Cabaret is a unique form because, unlike musical theatre, the stories are very personal -- even if you are in "character." This isn't about you acting like anyone other than being more fully yourself, and offering your wisdom and vulnerabilities to the audience. When a cabaret artist is really present to what's happening (something I call, "Being in The Room") people pay attention. Maybe it helps them make sense of the world, in the case of very political cabaret, or maybe it helps them feel the empathy of someone sharing their experience. In cabaret, the drama and the humor are personal and practical to the human experience. I've done a lot of singing from concerts to nightclubs -- the times I've made them laugh hardest and cry deepest have all been in a cabaret.

NMJW: Who are some of your influences, and why?

DMc: It's not completely true but I generally "quote" my mother who "said," "Sing so the people in the cheap seats can hear you!" That's actually not at all true; she never said that and I just made it up. But, true story, when I was a kid and wanted to be one of the Carol Burnett Dancers, she said, "Well, they're not picking people from Mars for those jobs; it's just people like you me." That bit of advice has given me WAY more courage than my talent justifies. Creatively, I'm inspired by the cabaret legend, Julie Wilson, who rode the subway with me one day and said, "I never let anyone tell me how to sing my songs -- that's my only job."

NMJW: Tell us about the experiences with this art form?

DMc: I performed in cabarets in New York for a number of years. Eighty-Eights, The Duplex, Don't Tell Mama... a lot of them. I actually got "medium popular" on the scene but there was always a disconnect between me and the cabaret community in New York because I just wanted to "do my job" as Julie said. So, I did them alone with just a pianist. I didn't hire musical directors, acting coaches, choreographers and a fleet of people eager to take my limited cash -- that always just felt WAY to dilettante for me. But, things did take off when I took my 2nd trip to Australia to perform in the Melbourne Fringe Festival. I created a character (students will hear ALL about that!) and did a nightclub act based on this other life. To everyone's surprise (meaning, me) we won the Melbourne Fringe Festival Prize for Musical Direction that year... and the year after that, too! I ended up performing sold-out rooms in Melbourne and Adelaide, and slightly smaller houses in Sydney for which I am still NOT bitter. I learned from this series to never underestimate the power of a good story to move people deeply and profoundly, with grace and humor. I also sang a cabaret in the middle of a Russian Rave party in St. Petersburg a few years ago -- the kids all stopped everything to watch, listen and cheer. That taught me that a good story lives in your bones, not always in your words.

NMJW: How do you apply cabaret to "modern" music? What are some "modern" examples of the style?

DMc: Well... I dunno. I think cabaret requires a point, a purpose of some sort. I don't agree that it's a night of show tunes strung together with stories about the good old days. But I also don't think it's anything you do in a small room with a two-drink minimum. There are a lot of people doing interesting stuff, especially overseas in Australia. I don't know why but they're just funnier and less self-absorbed about it. I like a cabaret that moves me around through emotions. Too much sweet music is like too much candy on Halloween. So, New York cabaret doesn't inspire me anymore, not at the moment. I want to see funny, bawdy, poignant and beautiful work -- not just hear beautiful singing. In fact, I think that's one thing that makes cabaret AMAZING -- you don't have to be the world's best soprano or loudest tenor to have an impact in cabaret. You just have to have something to say.

NMJW: What can people expect to experience in your class?

DMc: We'll have a mix of singing and non-singing activities. I won't be critiquing the singing (much!). Mostly, I'm interested in helping people draw out their stories and tell them in compelling ways. I'm eager to help them tap into their own charisma and sense of stagecraft to make it happen within the length of a song. I think we'll be pushing some boundaries and creativity buttons (but all safely) and I think we're going to have a lot of fun!

NMJW: (Anything you want to say about the class, the style the work??)

DMc: Please only sign up if you want to work, learn, take risks, grow and transform your life. How's that for subtle?

NMJW: Thanks, Deian!

DMc: Thank you, Marya!

Cabaret! Instructor: Deian McBryde Mondays, starting March 22 through April 26th $90 General $75 NMJW members (and APS teachers) For more information check our website:

www.nmjazz.org