Coco Schumann

Today I like to focus on one of the few still active Jazz musicians in Germany, who had his first musical experiences in the 1930s, the guitar player Coco Schumann.

Heinz Jakob Schumann was born in Berlin 1924 and as half Jewish he had to learn growing up really quick. The political situation in Germany during the 1930s dominated by Nazi restrictions against Jews made it almost impossible to survive. However, Schumann survived through his love for music. He heard the swing music played by Teddy Stauffer's popular orchestra in 1936, and soon he was hired as the band's guitar player for some time. This was followed by a period of hidden and forbidden appearances in bars and basements in Berlin, and finally by denunciation, arrest and kidnapping to the concentration camps Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, Dachau. He only survived with the help of his music, weather as part of the 'Ghettoswingers' in Theresienstadt, or when he was forced to play the song 'La Paloma' for the twentieth time in Auschwitz.

After the war Coco Schumann reconnected with the Jazz-Scene, he played with Helmut Zacharias, became the first German musician with an electrical guitar, finally immigrated to Australia and then came back after a few years. Coco Schumann never categorized his music strictly and also had no problems with more common forms of music.

The shown 2 cd set is a career portrait of Coco Schumann's 50 years in jazz and popular music, issued 1997 by the German Trikont label. The material on these two cds is a mixed bag, from a jazz perspective less than half of the 37 tracks is jazz in the ordinary way. However, there are some interesting and important recordings from a historical point of view, among them the radio transcriptions of the first aired be bop performance on German radio by the Helmut Zacharias' quartet from 1949 featuring Coco Schumann on electric guitar and the leader on violin. The second disc also has some later recordings by a jazz quartet lead by Coco Schumann playing both standards and compositions by the leader. However, a significant amount of the material found here is from Schumann's exotica years. Strange instrumentation, amplified vibraphones, lots of reverb on both guitar and percussion, choirs of mysterious voices, etc. Unfortunately, this material makes up over half of the tracks. - You may listen to sound clips from the cd set by clicking here

This 1999 live date from Coco Schumann stays far away from the exotica excesses and plays straight jazz. Schumann's guitar is backed by the tenor playing of Karl Heinz Böhm, who also plays flute; Hans Schätzke on bass and Sven Kalis on drums. The material on the cd is well known jazz standards like Duke's "Take the A-Train," Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia on My Mind," Jobim's "One-Note Samba" and "Girl From Impanema," George Shearing's "Lullaby of Birdland," Johnny Mercer's "Autumn Leaves," and Lester Young's "Lester Leaps In" among them. Further a version of Coco's tune "Stipper Blues". - The live performance by the quartet is flawless and intimate, the audience is appreciative - this is a humble set by a jazz guitar master who has nothing left to prove except to himself, and he's obviously enjoying the music-making on this set. - Listen to sound clips from the cd by clicking here

Jo

Daniela Spielmann & Rabo de Lagartixa

Female saxaphone players are not very common, however, Daniela Spielmann is considered one of the best on the Brasilian music scene today. She is from Rio de Janeiro, began playing saxophone at 17 and was always interested in Brazilian music. Her style was influenced by the wind instruments most commonly used in choro, like the clarinet and flute. Besides the strong choro influence, her music also incorporates frevo, maracatu, samba, bossa nova and jazz. She studied harmony at Musiarte in Rio, attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston for an extension course, and graduated in Music Education at Uni-Rio. She has accompanied various Brasilian artists and contributed weekly music arrangements for a TV program besides being an integral member of the groups Rabo de Lagartixa, Mulheres em Pixinguinha and Sincronia Carioca. - You may find more info about Daniela Spielmann's career at her official website, click here

Rabo de Lagartixa (- which means 'gecko's tail' in English) was formed in 1993, the group consists of Daniela Spielmann (soprano sax), Jayme Vignoli or Alessandro Valente (cavaquinho), Marcello Gonçalves (7 string guitar), Alexandre Brasil (acoustic bass) and Beto Cazes (percussion). According to the notes at Daniela Spielmann's web, "The name of the group refers to the desire to create music that doesn’t sumbit itself to the standardization of the masses — you can cut off the tail of the gecko, but it will just grow back — and the rhythmic pulse of the group — the gecko’s tail continues to swing even after you cut it off". - The idea is to play choro in many different ways, taking advantage of the variations. Their first cd from 1998, 'Rabo de Lagartixa', is a splendid example of the group's repertoire in this choro novo style, click on picture below to learn about the contents of the cd.
You have an opportunity to watch a lengthy extract of a live concert performance by Rabo de Lagartixa from the group's US tour in 2002, follow the links in the video menu at Daniela Spielmann's website. - Below I insert another live recording from Brazil, a performance of one of the tunes on the mentioned cd, "Melodia Sentimental"

Jo

Smile!

Yesterday Hans and Corrie visited us at our home in Aabenraa. They are spending their holidays
in our region and had arrived just the day before after driving 10 hours in their car from Zeeland up here. They have rented a small cottage in Als and are planning to explore this area comming 10 day with a break of three days for a trip to Copenhagen. Later this week I'll accompany them for a short trip to Ribe, the oldest town in Scandinavia. We'll visit the Viking museum there and have a view of the city.

Hans and Corrie are really nice people and close friends, and it was so good to see them again. They had presents with them for us - take a look at the treasure box of carefully chosen Dutch sweets and other delights! We hardly know how to say thank you for this.

Hans also had this wonderful poster by R. Crumb with him as a special gift for me - he even helped had it hanging on the wall!

I'm proud to be a co-editor of the keepswinging-blog and I'm happy to have the opportunity to post some entries at the blog while Hans is taking a break from his daily duties and enjoying his holidays together with Corrie.

---

"The Beau Hunks? The best to come from Holland since tulips!", someone said in an interview. Perhaps this sounds overexacterated, but maybe Dutch people always look so happy like Hans and Corrie on the picture above, because they have The Beau Hunks as part of their national identity. Anyway - Smile!

Jo

New Orleans Piano Wizards

Ever since I first heard Jelly Roll Morton playing the piano, I fell in love with the New Orleans piano tradition - a mix of blues, ragtime and the Spanish tinge as reported by Mr. Jelly through his extensive lectures on the early tradition. However, although Morton was one of the first to record this music (- his famous solo recordings for Gennett in 1923-24), he was not the last 'professor' of the keyboard from New Orleans. Below I'll insert three videos of renown followers of the New Orleans piano tradition.

The first video features Professor Longhair performing his own "Tipitina"

Professor Longhair (real name was Henry Roeland Byrd, 1918-1980) was a founder of this funky piano style, which he once described as a combination of rumba, mambo and Calypso. He had his career both as a soloist and as a member of various rhythm and blues bands. He taught another New Orleans legend, Dr John, who performs his version of "Tipitina" below

Dr John (real name is Malcolm John Rebennack, b. 1940) was born in New Orleans and began his musical career as a session musician in New Orleans in the 1950s. He originally concentrated on guitar before his left ring finger was injured by a gunshot. After the injury, Rebennack concentrated on bass guitar before making piano his main instrument. He gained fame beginning
in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with music that combined New Orleans-style rhythm and blues with psychedelic rock and elaborate stage shows that bordered on voodoo religious ceremonies, including elaborate costumes and headdress.

James Booker (1939-1983) was also influenced by Professor Longhair and explored a variety of popular songs, ranging from jazz standards to rock. Rather than playing tunes in their original idioms, he integrated this repertoire into a virtuosic style that combined elements of blues, boogie-woogie, gospel, stride, latin, and classical piano. Enjoy a performance of his own composition, "Pixie"

Jo

Keep It Clean!

While your regular editor of the Keepswinging blog is taking a break and spending his holidays walking the hills and dales of Southern Jutland together with his wife, I have promissed to maintain the daily feeding of the always hungry jazz cats at this spot. I'll keep it clean, so I need a washtub and a washboard, no, actually a washboard band to let it keep swinging, right?

This great music was performed by The Washboard Rhythm Kings, c.1930, amazing to notice the band making so much hot stuff at ease. The same impression comes to mind when listening to most of the recorded output by the Washboard Rhythm Kings.

According to Scott Yanow in AMG, "The Washboard Rhythm Kings (which had different personnel on each session) played jubilant jazz that defied the soothing musical trend of the early Depression years, featuring a washboard player and usually a couple of horns along with spirited group vocals. The emphasis was on basic goodtime music that fell between Dixieland and swing. It debuted as the Alabama Washboard Stompers in 1930, became the Washboard Rhythm Kings in 1931, and by 1934-1935 was known as the Georgia Washboard Stompers. Some of the personnel have never been identified, but among the known players are guitarist Teddy Bunn; trumpeters Taft Jordan and Valaida Snow; singer Leo Watson; and such regulars as singer Jake Fenderson, Steve Washington on banjo and vocals, and Ben Smith on clarinet and alto."

Washboard bands became very popular during the 1930s and the washboard had a revival through various dixieland and skiffle groups in the 1950s. I like the original bands, here is a filmed sequence of another popular group of the 1930s, the Washboard Serenaders performing a medley of "Dark Eyes & St.Louis Blues"

Perhaps you don't need a whole washboard band to keep it clean - and swinging. The one-man-band could reach for a rubbed off version of "Tiger Rag"

Jo

Janet Klein

( Naar de Nederlandse vertaling.)
A year ago I pointed you to the Sweet Hollywaiians, a Japanese string band, that visited the west coast of the US in the summer of 2006. During that tour they played with Tom Marion, member of the R. Crumb Cheap Suit Serenaders, who took part of a record session for the album O Surdato Nnammurato. They also played with another well known ukulele player of that region ( and the rest of the world) Janet Klein. I found a fragment of a concert where she plays together with one of the Sweet Hollywaiians musicians and Tom Marion, at the Coffee Gallery October 2007

Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys surprised me with their perfect performances that revive the early Twentieth Century, with the Ragtime and vaudevillle songs made in popular in the 1910s and 1920s.

Her clothes, her performance, her voice, her hair dress even her website (!) seem to come directly from that period. Up to now she made five CDs with ca. 110 known and unknown tunes from that period. She is still searching for new finds to use in her shows. Sometimes people are a bit shocked, when they realize that their grandparents must have listened to such "naughty" songs: I have moments, when I'm singing that I'm shocking people. They realize that these songs are naught and they think, gee I didn't know that grandma and grandpa were hearing things like that back then. Like the Bratislava Hot Serenaders, Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys make great video clips to promote their music - clips made in a way as if they were filmed many years ago as an early sound film. Enjoy their version of Yiddish Hula Boy.

Up to know I haven't heard any of her albums and I love to. Her music is original, lively, comic and historical interesting. I found a ukulele classic, titeled Tonight You Belong To Me she plays in a karaoke version avant la lettre, better known as the Screen Songs, the Bouncing Ball films made by Max Fleischer. I will talk about these great films later, I promise.

Enjoy her instructions, get your little boys baby guitar, tune the strings and practice .... I'm sure you can do it. Sing, as loud as you can, the words that belong to this great hit from the 1979 film The Jerk: Tonight You Belong To Me

This small fragment was released as a small extra to the first DVD release of The Jerk—The 26th Anniversary Edition.
Hans koert keepswinging@live.nl

2009: OSCAR ALEMAN JUBILEE YEAR:

Martin Ackermann pointed me to this building that he found in Cuba. He wondered if this man was an Oscar Aleman fan too. Well, I guess, I know....... This man is a smart businissman who is ready for 2009, the Oscar Aleman Jubilee Year, in which people worldwide celebrate Oscar Aleman's one hunderdth birthday. I guess he will sell baseball caps, T-shirts, badgets and apron strings. I'm sure it will become a hype: with your apron strings behind the oven like Oscar Aleman ..... A new hype is born !!

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Nederlands ( To the English translation )

Een jaar geleden wees ik jullie op het bestaan van de Japanse stringband, the Sweet Hollywaiians , die in 2006 de westkust van Amerika bezocht. Tijdens deze tournee speelden ze met Tom Marion, lid van de R. Crumb Cheap Suit Serenaders en namen ze een CD op getiteld O Surdato Nnammurato . Ze speelden ook met een andere bekende ukulelespeler uit die streek ( en ver daarbuiten), Janet Klein, die ik vandaag in het zonnetje wil zetten. Ik vond een fragment van een optreden waarin ze met één van de Sweet Hollywaiians muzikanten en met Tom Marion een nummer speelt in de Coffee Gallery in oktober 2007

Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys verrasten me met hun perfecte optredens, kleding en repertoire keus waarmee ze de populaire ragtime- en vaudeville optredens uit het begin van de twintigste eeuw doen herleven.

Haar kleding, haar optreden, haar stem en haarstijl, haar hele uitstraling, zelfs haar website ademen die sfeer van de jaren rond 1910 uit. Tot op heden heeft ze al zo'n vijf CDs gemaakt met ruim honderd bekende en vooral onbekende nummers uit die periode. Ze is elke dag op zoek naar nieuwe muziek, nieuwe inspiraties voor haar optredens. Soms zijn mensen in het publiek wel eens geschokt als ze zich realiseren dat de soms wat al te frivole liedjes vroeger door hun opa's en oma's beluisterd werden: I have moments, When I'm singing that I'm shocking people. They realize that these songs are naught and they think, gee I didn't know that grandma and grandpa were hearing things like that back then. Net als de Bratislava Hot Serenaders, maken Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys veel werk van hun video-clips, waarmee ze hun muziek promoten - clips, als oude vergeelde filmpjes uit de beginperiode van de geluidsfilm. Hier hun versie van de Yiddish Hula Boy

Tot op heden heb ik geen enkele CD van haar gehoord, maar ik hoop dat daar verandering in komt. Haar muziek is origineel, levendig, komisch en historisch interessant. Ik vond een ukulele klassieker: Tonight You Belong To Me dat ze als een soort karaoke-versie avant la lettre uitvoert, of zoals ze dat toen deden, als een Bouncing Ball film, een Screen- of Carsongs, zoals die gemaakt werden door Max Fleischer. Bouncing Ball .... ook zo'n onderwerp waar ik binenkort nog wel eens in wil duiken.

Geniet van haar instructies en, nog beter, pak het plastic gitaartje uit de speelgoedbox, stem de vier snaren en doe de zeven accoorden na - ik weet dat je't kunt. En dan zingen ..... dat moet ook lukken zo - zo hard je kunt. De woorden komen uit de film uitgebracht in 1979 getiteld The Jerk: Tonight You Belong To Me

Dit kleine filmpje is een fragment van een bonus nummer dat voorkomt op de onlangs uitgebrachte heruitgave van de film op DVD: The Jerk—The 26th Anniversary Edition. - Hans Koert keepswinging@live.nl

2009: HET OSCAR ALEMAN JUBILEUM JAAR:

Martin Ackermann wees me op een gebouw, dat hij fotografeerde in Cuba. Hij vroeg zich af of de eigenaar van deze zaak een groot Oscar Aleman fan was. Nou, Martin, volgens mij is hij meer een gewiekst zakenman, die nu al klaar is voor het grote jubileumjaar 2009 waarin wereldwijd het honderdste geboortejaar van Oscar Aleman gevierd wordt. Binnen liggen de stapels baseballpetjes, bedrukte t-shirts, badgets en keukenschorten al klaar. En zoals je wellicht niet wist ... Ik denk dat volgend jaar heel wat huismannen net als Oscar achter het fornuis zullen staan!! Hans Koert keepswinging@live.nl


KROONJAREN / JUBILEE YEARS:
Earl Bostic - alto saxophone - 1913 - 1965
Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Retrospect
Oliver Nelson Oscar Aleman Choro Music Flexible Records Hit of the Week-Durium Keep Swinging News letter Keep Swinging Contributions

Theme Of No Repeat

( Naar de Nederlandse vertaling.)
The John Marshall Quintet album Theme Of No Repeat contains 11 tracks played by the John Marshall-Ferdinand Povel Quintet, featuring John Marshall on trumpet, Ferdinand Povel on the tenor saxophone, Tardo Hammer at the piano, John Goldsby on bass and Doug Sides on drums. It was recorded as a small tribute, as John says in the liner notes, to the giants of this music who I never knew, like Bird and Bud, and those who I was fortunate enough to know a little and play with, like Dizzy and Sonny Stitt. This band was founded in 2000 as a studio band with both US as European musicians, he had met since moving to Europe, where he became a member of the WDR Big Band.

Ferdinand Povel, the great Dutch saxophone player who has made a great career in all kinds of orchestras all through Europe, was invited to participate on this record. The piano player Tardo Hammer is from New York and a true jazz veteran, as John labels him: a total teamplayer and his way to play lifts and energizes the entire group. The bass player is John Goldsby, like John Marshall, an American musician that found a new home in Europe. The drummer, Doug Sides also lives in Germany now and I heard him to accompany Roberta Gambarini last year in a concert at the Porgy en Bess Jazz Club in Terneuzen, in the southwest part of The Netherlands.

This album contains hard bop played in a pure form your seldom hear. Earlier this year the John Marshall-Ferdinand Povel Quintet performed in concert at the Porgy en Bess Jazz club and during that occasion I bought some of its records. I reviewed his 1988 LP with the Bopera House and now this Organic Record, that remembers me to that great concert February 2008
If you live in the southern part of The Netherlands or in the Northern half of Belgium this weekend, you're a lucky guy, as this quintet will perform at De Werf in Bruges ( Belgium) on the 26th of April 2008. All information at their website.

FRED CIGAR CANTÉ ( 1940-2008 )
Today, the 23rd of April 2008, I received the sad message that Fred "Cigar" Canté passed away in his residence in Midden-Beemster in the western part of The Netherlands. We had contact by mail just once, on the 6th of June 1972. A month ago I remembered his letter in a contribution at my Keep Swinging Web Log Rollins Come Back, unknown from the fact that he was very ill.

A great man !!

Sonnymoon For All

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Nederlands ( To the English translation )

Het John Marshall Quintet album Theme Of No Repeat bevat 11 nummers door het kwintet, dat tegenwoordig beter bekend is als het John Marshall-Ferdinand Povel Quintet, met John Marshall op trompet, Ferdinand Povel op tenorsax, Tardo Hammer aan de piano, John Goldsby op bas en Doug Sides op slagwerk. De opnamen zijn, als ik John Marshall in de binnenkant van de plaat moet geloven, a small tribute to the giants of this music who I never knew, like Bird and Bud ( = een klein eerbetoon aan de grootten in de muziek als Charlie Parker en Bud Powell, die ik nooit heb gekend), and those who I was fortunate enough to know a little and play with, like Dizzy and Sonny Stitt. (= en die, waarmee ik zo gelukkig was kort te hebben kunnen spelen, Dizzy Gillespie en Sonny Stitt ). Deze groep werd gevormd in 2000 als een studioband met zowel Europese - als Amerikaanse musici, die John had leren kennen na zijn verhuizing naar Europa, waar hij een plekje vond in de grote big band van de WDR

Ferdinand Povel, de grote Nederlandse saxofonist, die in ontelbare orkesten gespeeld heeft, overal in Europa, werd uitgenodigd te spelen voor deze plaat. De pianist Tardo Hammer komt uit New York en is een echte oudgediende; een teamplayer, zoals John hem omschrijft: his way to play lifts and energizes the entire group. (= De manier waarop hij speelt tilt de hele groep naar een hoger plan). De bassist is John Goldsby, net als John Marshall een Amerikaan die in Europa zijn nieuwe vaderland vond. Doug Sides, de slagwerker, woont tegenwoordig ook in Duitsland en ik hoorde deze gigant op het slagwerk bij Roberta Gambarini, tijdens haar laatste concert in de Porgy en Bess Jazzclub in Terneuzen.

Deze plaat bevat hard bop, gespeeld op een manier, die je maar zelden meer tegenkomt. Begin dit jaar mocht ik dat zelf live aanschouwen tijdens hun optreden in de Porgy en Bess Jazz club in Terneuzen en tijdens dit concert kocht een LP, getiteld the Bopera House en deze Organic CD, die me herinnert aan dit schitterende concert.
Als je trouwens in het zuiden van Nederland woont of in België bent dezer dagen ben je een bofkont, want dit weekend is deze schitterende groep te beluisteren in De Werf in Brugge. ( 26 April 2008). Je vindt alle informatie op hun website.

FRED CIGAR CANTÉ ( 1940 - 2008 )
Gisteren, 23 april 2008, ontving ik het droeve bericht dat Fred "Cigar" Canté in Midden-Beemster overleden is. We hadden slechts één keer briefcontact op 6 juni 1972. Een maand geleden herinnerde ik hem in mijn weblog, getiteld "Sonnymoon For All", niet wetende dat hij zo ziek was.

Rollins Come Back !!

Een bijzonder man !!

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Retrospect
Oscar Aleman Choro Music Flexible Records Hit of the Week-Durium Keep Swinging News letter Keep Swinging Contributions

Middelburg Jazz for Traditionalists

( Naar de Nederlandse vertaling.)
Within a few weeks Middelburg will be the centre of jazz in Zeeland, the province in the southwestern part of The Netherlands, with its second International Jazz Festival Middelburg, sceduled from the 9th up to the 12th of May 2008 in the centre of Middelburg

Dozens of great names will appear in the attractive innercourt of the abbey and in the venues in the centre of the city: Rita Reys, Europe's first lady of jazz, Bobby Previte, Archie Shepp, Brooks Tegler, E.S.T., The Cotton City Jazz Band, Eric Vloeimans and Maceo Parker. Last year the festival was transformed into a festival with great international names in modern jazz, popular to a growing number of people. Last year their first International Jazz Festival Middelburg 2007 opened with the Belgian guitar player Philip Catherine and the US saxophone giant James Carter.

The new organisation of the festival organised a lot of concerts with modern jazz, but it is a pleasure to learn that the festival didn't forgot the people who like to listen to the more traditional New Orleans music, to swing and dixieland - This festival brings you the Middelburg roots band Champagne Charlie, De Koninck Jazz Band, Brooks Tegler Swing Band and the Cotton City Jazz Band.
The Brooks Tegler Swing Band heads off for a five weeks tour along Europe with European ( our Antoine Trommelen, Harry Kanters and Joep Peeters), Japanese ( Eiji Hanaoka and Masato Kobayashi) and Australian ( Simon Stribing ) musicians. Machteld Cambridge will be the vocalist. Brooks Tegler himself, being a skilled drummer, has been labeled as the reincarnation of Gene Krupa. Well, one of the themes during this concert will be a re-creation of the 1938 Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert. This concert, that was scedulded on the 16th of January 1938, became one of the most famous concerts in the history of jazz and has become a million seller reissued on numerous releases since that time. It was the first "live" recording ever, and for the first time Carnegie Hall was filled with such a mixed jazz band, shocking for a lot of Americans in those days. The concert was sold out and Brooks Tegler brings the music of this legendary concert. And, maybe you won't be surprised: Gene Krupa was Benny's drummerman during this concert !! So beware !

The Cotton City Jazz Band was founded in 1962 in Ghent in Belgium and has always been a favorite of mine. They play in the traditional black New Orleans music, as played by Louis Armstrong, George Lewis and Don Ewell, to name some, as it should be. In the late 1960s and early 1970s they invited the last New Orleans veterans in music to record with the band and I was so stupid to tape these Alpha LP's instead of buying copies of it. I told in a previous blog about their album with legendary banjo player Emanuel Sayles , that became an icon for me in New Orleans music. Now, twenty-five years later, Emanuel Sayles has gone, but the music still lives with the Cotton City Jazz Band.

• CHAMPAGNE CHARLIE: Friday 9th of May 2008 - De Mug - Middelburg ( 10.30 pm - .... )
• DE KONINCK JAZZ BAND: Saturday 10th of May 2008 - Koorkerkplein - Middelburg ( 1.30 - 5.00 pm )
• THE BROOKS TEGLER SWING BAND: Sunday 11th of May 2008 - Nieuwe Kerk - Middelburg ( 1.00 - 3.00 pm )
• COTTON CITY JAZZ BAND: Sunday 11 th of May 2008 - Innercourt of the abbey - Middelburg ( 3.00 - 5.00 pm)

International Jazz Festival Middelburg

Hans Koert - keepswinging@live.nl
BASILY:
On Friday evening the 25th of April the gypsy jazzband Basily will perform at The Stenge in Heinkenszand. This band has been playing at the North Sea Jazz Festival twice. The concert starts at 8.00 pm.
Information: info@vrijwilligerhuis.nl


Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Nederlands ( To the English translation )

Over een paar weken, van 9 tot en met 12 mei 2008, zal Middelburg helemaal in het teken staan van haar Tweede Internationale Jazz Festival Middelburg.
Tientallen grote namen zullen dan optreden op het sfeervolle abdijplein en op andere lokaties in het centrum: Rita Reys, Europe's first lady of jazz, Bobby Previte, Archie Shepp, Brooks Tegler, E.S.T., The Cotton City Jazz Band, Eric Vloeimans en Maceo Parker. Afgelopen jaar bewees de organisatie al, met de eerste editie van het International Jazz Festival Middelburg 2007 een festival te kunnen neerzetten met grote namen als Philip Catherine en James Carter.

Het festival heeft het roer omgegooid en ingezet op de modernere, hedendaagse verschijningsvormen in de jazz. Een goede stap, maar het is goed om te ontdekken dat de liefhebbers van de meer traditionele jazzstijlen niet vergeten zijn. Er is een hoop te genieten als je meer houdt van de tradtionele New Orleans muziek, swing of dixieland. Zo vind je op dit festival uiteraard de Middelburgse roots band Champagne Charlie , die, als het goed is, binnenkort met een nieuwe CD komen, De Koninck Jazz Band, Brooks Tegler Swing Band en de Cotton City Jazz Band.
The Brooks Tegler Swing Band heeft ingezet op een tournee van vijf weken door Europa met Europese musici, zoals onze Nederlandse Antoine Trommelen, Harry Kanters en Joep Peeters, de Japanners Eiji Hanaoka en Masato Kobayashi en de Australiër Simon Stribing ). Machteld Cambridge neemt de zangpartijen voor haar rekening. Brooks Tegler zelf, een ervaren slagwerker, wordt wel de nieuwe Gene Krupa genoemd. Omdat dit jaar 70 jaar geleden Benny Goodman zijn legendarische concert gaf in Carnegy Hall zal hij zeker stukken uit dit concert laten horen. Dit concert, voor het eerst werd er swing gespeeld in deze "klassieke" muziektempel en bovendien nog door een blank-zwarte band, iets wat voor velen in het Amerika van die tijd uiterst ongepast was, vond plaats op 16 januari 1938. Dit concert werd opgenomen en van deze liveopnamen werden miljoenen platen verkocht. Het concert was helemaal uitverkocht en Brooks Tegler laat dit concert herleven tijdens zijn optredens. En het zal niemand verwonderen dat de drummer destijds ........ Gene Krupa zelf was .

De Cotton City Jazz Band werd opgericht in 1962 in Gent en heeft voor mij altijd iets speciaals gehad. Ze spelen de traditionele zwarte New Orleansmuziek, zoals die gespeeld werd door Louis Armstrong, George Lewis en Don Ewell, om er maar een paar te noemen, precies zoals het hoort - recht door zee zonder malle fratsen. Eind jaren zestig begin jaren zeventig haalden ze de laatst levende legenden uit New Orleans, speelden met hen en brachten ze uit op een serie schitterende LP's op het Alpha label, die ik toendertijd door geldgebrek tape-te in plaats an op plaat kocht, over de impact die de LP met de veteraan banjoist Emanuel Sayles toen op me had, nu vijfentwintig jaar geleden. Emanuel Sayules leeft niet meer, maar zijn muziek herleeft in deze fantastiche band.

• CHAMPAGNE CHARLIE: Vrijdag 9 mei 2008 - De Mug - Middelburg ( 22.30 u - .... )
• DE KONINCK JAZZ BAND: Zaterdag 10 mei 2008 - Koorkerkplein - Middelburg ( 13.30 u - 17.00 pm )
• THE BROOKS TEGLER SWING BAND: Zondag 11 mei 2008 - Nieuwe Kerk - Middelburg ( 13.00 - 15.00 u ) -
• COTTON CITY JAZZ BAND: Zondag 11 mei 2008 - Abdijplein - Middelburg ( 15.00 - 17.00 pm)

BASILY:
Op vrijdagavond 25 april 2008 speelt de zigeuner jazzband Basily in de Stenge in Heinkenszand. Deze band speelde al eens twee keer op het Northsea Jazz Festival. Het concert begint om 20.00 uur. Informatie: info@vrijwilligerhuis.nl

KROONJAREN / JUBILEE YEARS:
Pierre Courbois - drums 1940

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Retrospect
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Middelburg Jazz for Modernists

( Naar de Nederlandse vertaling.)
Within a few weeks Middelburg will be the centre of jazz in Zeeland, the province in the southwestern part of The Netherlands with its second International Jazz Festival Middelburg, sceduled from the 9th up to the 12th of May 2008 in the centre of Middelburg
There has been a jazz festival in Middelburg for years, with bands that played in the more traditional jazz styles, but the festival attendance was declining and the bands, walking through the streets of the city, gave the festival and the jazz music a rather out-of-date impression being a kind of music that went out long ago. The organisation of the International Jazz Festival wants to show the people of Zeeland, that jazz is still alive and has more aspects then straw heads alone. It is a pleasure to learn that the festival concentrates now on the contemporaty jazz styles too, with musicians that are popular to a growing audience. Today I love to introduce you to some of the great names in modern jazz that will perform in the innercourt of the abbey - tomorrow I wil introduce you to the more classic jazz bands.
On Saturday evening, the 10th of May 2008 one can enjoy two concerts at the innercourt of the abbey: The first one is with Bobby Previte's New Bumb, a talked-about band featuring the New York drummer Bobby Previte as leader. He is in Europe for a ten-days-tour with his quartet that ends in Middelburg. The members of the New Bumb are Ellery Eskelin on tenor saxophone, Bill Ware on vibraphone, Brad Jones on bass and Bobby Previte on drums. The legendary Archie Shepp will be the second one for that evening that will perform on the cozy innercourt of the abbey. This man is really a legend in jazz, who launched the free jazz, but was inspired in his music by great saxophone players like Coleman Hawkins. He is known for his fight for equal rights for the blacks, as presented by Malcolm X. He will visit Middelburg with his quintet, featuring himself on the tenor saxophone, Frank Lacy on trombone, Tom McClung at the piano, Wayne Dockery on bass and Steven McCraven on drums. Frank Lacy was part of Roy Hargrove's Crisol Band who visited Porgy en Bess in Terneuzen, ten years ago ( November 1997).

There are more great names: What to think about our own Eric Vloeimans with his Gatecrash Quartet, that will bring electronic jazz, or Maceo Parker, the King of Funk, who will close the festival on Monday or the popular E.S.T., the Esbjörn Svensson Trio that will perform on Sunday evening. These musicians, from the far North, are one of the most renewing groups in jazz nowadays and worth to plan a visit. You can find more info at their website.

Hans Koert keepswinging@live.nl

NOBLE SISSLE BAND:
A few weeks ago I introduced you to a PATHE short by the Noble Sissle Band from ca. 1930. I asked for the personel and thanks to Mark Cantor, one of worlds most skilled jazz film archivist I received his point of view on the band members:

Hi there, Hans. Scott W. of Mosaic forwarded your query about the Noble Sissle band, and it has taken me a while to respond. ...... In any case, here are my thoughts about the Noble Sissle band in the superlative Pathe short: Noble Sissle, vocal and leader; trumpets, left-to-right; probably Tommy Ladnier, Arthur Briggs; possibly Billy Burns, trombone; probably Rudy Jackson, clarinet and tenor sax, seated at center of the band; Jack Carter, drums and vocal; remaining personnel unknown, probably very similar from recording personnel of the period; Ralph Duquesne, reeds; Lloyd Pinckney, piano; Frank Ethridge, guitar; Eddie Coles, string bass. How does this sound to you? Mark

Thanks Mark for your respond - I let you know ! - Hans Koert

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Nederlands ( To the English translation )

Over een paar weken, van 9 tot en met 12 mei 2008, zal Middelburg helemaal in het teken staan van haar Tweede Internationale Jazz Festival Middelburg.
Er is eigenlijk altijd al een jazzfestival in Middelburg geweest, waarin voornamelijk bands optraden in de meer traditionele jazz stijlen, maar het aantal bezoekers liep terug en er was behoefte aan andere geluiden. Bovendien gaven de bands, die overdag door de stad trokken, de argeloze bezoekers een wel erg eenzijdig beeld van dat wat de jazz te bieden heeft. De organisatie heeft dan ook drastische het roer omgegooid en wil de jazzliefhebbers uit zuidwest Nederland laten zien dat er meer onder de zon is dan alleen maar traditionele jazz. Ook de modernisten, de mensen, die meer houden van de modernere jazzstijlen, krijgen nu de kans musici te horen spelen, die anders niet zo snel naar Middelburg zouden komen. Beide soorten liefhebbers komen in het pinksterweekend ruimschoots aan hun trekken. Vandaag een vooruitblik voor de moderne jazz aanhangers - morgen kijken we vooruit met de liefhebbers van de klassieke jazzstijlen. Voor de liefhebbers van de meer moderne stromingen is er van alles te beleven; een keuze uit de keur van artiesten die optreden op het abdijplein en de straten en cafés daar omheen:

Op zaterdagavond, 10 mei 2008 zijn er op het abdijplein twee concerten. Het eerste is met Bobby Previte's New Bumb, een spraakmakende groep rondom de New Yorkse drummer en bandleider Bobby Previte. Hij is in Europa met zijn kwartet voor een korte, tiendaagse tour, waarvan Middelburg één van zijn laatste haltes is. De leden van de New Bumb zijn Ellery Eskelin op tenorsax, Bill Ware op vibrafoon, Brad Jones op bas en Bobby Previte op slagwerk. De legendarisch saxofonist Archie Shepp zal als tweede aantreden die avond op het sfeervolle abdijplein. Deze man is echt een legende in de jazz: hij was één van de eersten die free-jazz ging spelen, maar was in zijn saxofoonspel geinspireerd door niemand minder dan Coleman Hawkins. Hij was, behalve een energieke saxofonist, ook een fanatieke Malcolm X. aanhanger, die streedt voor de rechten van de zwarte Amerikaan. In Middelburg treedt hij aan met zijn kwintet, met daarin hemzelf op tenorsax, Frank Lacy op trombone, Tom McClung aan de piano, Wayne Dockery op bas en Steven McCraven op slagwerk. Frank Lacy speelde ruim tien jaar geleden ook mee in Roy Hargrove's Crisol Band, toen die in november 1997 Porgy en Bess in Terneuzen bezocht.

Er spelen nog meer grote namen in Middelburg. Wat te denken van onze eigen Eric Vloeimans met zijn Gatecrash Quartet, dat zich vooral concentreert op de electronische jazz, of Maceo Parker, weer zo'n legende, The King of Funk, die het festival maandagmiddag zal afsluiten. Ook het momenteel populaire trio E.S.T., het Esbjörn Svensson Trio zal zondagavond optreden. Deze musici uit het hoge noorden brengen vooral een vernieuwende vorm van hedendaagse jazz; de moeite waard om te gaan beluisteren. Je vindt alle informatie over de band en optredens op de website van het International Jazz Festival Middelburg.

Hans Koert keepswinging@live.nl

NOBLE SISSLE BAND:
Een paar weken geleden liet ik een stukje zien van een korte Pathe film uit 1930 met daarop de Noble Sissle Band. Ik was benieuwd naar de bezetting en dankzij Mark Cantor, die doorgaat voor één van 's werelds grootste jazzfilm archivisten, kunnen we nu zijn gezichtspunten op de film laten lezen.

Hi there, Hans. Scott W. of Mosaic forwarded your query about the Noble Sissle band, and it has taken me a while to respond. ...... In any case, here are my thoughts about the Noble Sissle band in the superlative Pathe short: Noble Sissle, zang en leider; trompetten, van links naar rechts; waarschijnlijk Tommy Ladnier, Arthur Briggs; waarschijnlijk Billy Burns, trombone; waarschijnlijk Rudy Jackson, klarinet en tenorsax, gezeten in het midden van de band; Jack Carter, slagwerk en zang. Blijven over onbekende musici, die, als ik de namen bij opnamen uit diezelfde tijd vergelijk zouden kunnen bestaan uit Ralph Duquesne, rieten; Lloyd Pinckney, piano; Frank Ethridge, gitaar; Eddie Coles, bas. Wat vind je ervan Hans? Groeten Mark

Bedankt Mark voor je reactie; ik kom er nog op terug !! - Hans Koert - keepswinging@live,nl


KROONJAREN / JUBILEE YEARS:
Tommy Turrentine - trumpet ( 1928-1997)

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Retrospect

Monty Alexander Gaston Bueno Lobo 1932 - 1938 Oscar Aleman Choro Music Flexible Records Hit of the Week-Durium Keep Swinging News letter Keep Swinging Contributions