Jazz Datebook
June 23, 2009

Regular Hits:

Mondays through August 18 The West Michigan Jazz Society presents their 9th season of Jazz at the Zoo, which opened with a crowd of 1,300 on June 15, at John Ball Park Zoo in Grand Rapids. Here’s the schedule: Monday, June 29th, Mary Rademacher and the Rad Pack; July 7th The Randy Marsh Quartet; July 13th, The River Rogues Jazz Band (early jazz); July 20th, the Evan Hyde Quintet with vocalist Edye Evans Hyde; July 27th, The Fred Knapp Trio; August 3rd, Grupo Aye (Afro-Cuban jazz); August 10th, The Wonderland Jazz Ensemble; August 17th, The Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra. Information from www.wmichjazz.org.

Monday through Thursday until August 28th The Gilmore Collection Summertime Jazz Series features a variety of jazz pianists – Mark Kahny, Wally Michaels, Steve Talaga and Nick Ayoub – at several of the Gilmore Collection restaurants. Music from 7 to 10 p.m. at each venue and musicians are welcome to stop by and sit-in. Monday, June 29th, Nick Ayoub at the Red Jet Café, 1431 Plainfield N.W., Grand Rapids (616) 719 – 5500; Tuesday, June 30th Steve Talaga at The Bluewater Grill, 5180 Northland Drive S.E. (616) 363 – 5900; Wednesday, July 1st Wally Michaels at Mangiamo, 1033 Lake Drive S.E., Grand Rapids (616) 742 -  0600; and Thursday, July 2nd Mark Kahny at Gills Blue Crab Lounge in The B.O.B., 20 Monroe N.W., Grand Rapids (616) 356 – 2000. The series continues on July 6th with pianist Mark Kahny at the Red Jet Café; July 7th with trumpeter/vocalist Sweet Willie Singleon at the BlueWater Grill; July 8th with Mark Kahny at Mangiamo; and July 9th with Nick Ayoub at Gill’s Blue Crab Lounge in The B.O.B. More information on line at www.thegilmorecollection.com.

Saturdays and Sundays from 6 to 10 p.m. The What Not Inn features a revolving cast of local musicians. Highlights include:; June 28th, Edie Evans-Hyde; July 12, Mary Rademacher. Then on Mondays a jam session open to musicians and vocalists and featuring local, regional and international jazz musicians sitting in with the “house” band with pianist Wally Michaels, bassist Jeff Beavin and drummer Jack Wilkins. No cover charge.  Music also presented Saturdays and Sundays. www.whatnotinn.com. The What Not Inn is located at M89 and the Blue Star Highway, 2405 68th Street, Fennville, MI. (269) 543-3341.

Tuesdays, June30th and July 14th from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 The Truth In Jazz Orchestra plays swing and improvisational jazz at The West Side Inn, 1635 Beidler St, Muskegon, MI. They’ve recently added some Gordon Goodwin arrangements to their book and have developed a feature for their fearsome trumpet section. Fronted by West Michigan's legendary drummer Tim Froncek the TIJO is 16 Muskegon’s crowning glory. More from www.tijo.org.

Thursdays from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Baton Rouge, LA native Sweet Willie Singleton, or varying cast of Grand Rapids jazz musicians, swing at Gill’s Blue Crab Lounge in The B.O.B., 20 Monroe Ave. N.W., Grand Rapids.

Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. through August 21st, the Greenville Rotary presents Rhythm on the River at Tower Riverside Park, Greenville. Here’s the jazz schedule: June 25th, Banjo Picker and Friends; July 2, the Hall Street Six; July 9th, Mary Rademacher and the Rad Pack; July 30th, The Flat River Big Band; August 6th, Keith Hudson and the Sweet Swing Trio; August 13th, New Orleans Nouveau; August 20th, the Danish Festival Band.

Fridays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. live music at Rosa Parks Circle outside The Grand Rapids Art Museum, 101 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids, with a variety of musical styles presented, including Organissimo on July 10th. See www.artmuseumgr.org or call (616) 831 – 1000.

Three Fridays a month trumpeter/vocalist/entertainer Sweet Willie Singleton plays jazz in Ada during the dinner hour (6 to 9 p.m.) at the Thornapple Daily Grill, 445 Ada Drive, Ada, MI. (616) 676-1233 www.thegilmorecollection.com/Thornapple/thornapple.html.

Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. live local jazz, blues and other musical forms at The Grand Seafood and Oyster Bar, 24 Washington St., Grand Haven. Live local jazz or blues guitarists on Wednesday evenings from 8 to 11 p.m.  (616) 844- 5055.

Fridays and Saturdays, May 29th and 30th at 7 p.m. live jazz at Gull Landing, 438 South Hancock Street, Pentwater. Information from Gull Landing: (231) 869 – 4215.

Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pumpernickels, 202 Butler St., Saugatuck, guitarist Chip Kristi plays jazz for breakfast. (269) 857-1196.

 

Timely Hits:

Tuesday, June 23rd through Sunday June 28th at 7 p.m. the 18th Annual World Class Jazz Mini Tour gets under way in northern lower Michigan with guitarist Rick Hicks, “Michigan’s answer to B.B. King, Wes Montgomery and Albert King.” The tour opens on Tuesday night at First Street Beach in Manistee; then Wednesday heads over to The Gull Landing in Pentwater; on Thursday riles up the Rotary Pavilion in Cadillac; Friday swings the City Camp Ground in Reed City; Saturday bops the Wenger Pavilion in Baldwin (behind Jones’s Ice Cream!); and Sunday returns to the Gull Landing in Pentwater. The tour will run every week through Labor Day. June 30th to July 5th features Soul/Blues Album of the Year award winners Root Doctor with singer Freddie Cunningham and organist Jim Alfredson; July 7th through July 12th, the New York City All Star Quartet featuring saxophonist Jerry Weldon; guitarist John Hart; organist Akiko Tsuruga and drummer Rudy Petshauer. July 14 – 19th Chicagoan Petra van Nuiss sings with the Andy Brown Quartet; July 21-26, vocalist Rick Reuther with the Tom Hagen/Cherie Lynn Trio; July 28th to August 2nd, vocalist Mary Rademacher with the Mark Kahny Band. August 4th through the 9th, Alberta Adams and Cee Cee Collins Rhythm Rockers; August 11th – 16th, Organissimo with vocalist Freddie Cunningham; August 18th – 23rd New York City area vocalist Nicole Pasternak with saxophonist Ralph Lalama and the Steve Sandner Band; August 25th – 30th the New York City Teachers Band featuring Side-Order and Sax Appeal (a septet of professional musicians who teach in NYC plus west Michigan’s own Tim Froncek on drums).

Thursday, June 25th at 6:30 p.m. pianist/composer Dick Reynolds is honored as Jazz Musician of the Year by the West Michigan Jazz Society in a performance at The Kopper Top Guest House, 634 Stocking N.W., Grand Rapids, with the Tom Hagen quartet.  Buffet Banquet from 7 to 8 p.m., followed by the awards presentation, music and dancing. Information from (616) 458 – 9258 or www.wmichjazz.org.

June 26th through June 28th The Elkhart Jazz Festival, Elkhart, Indiana. See www.elkhartjazzfestival.com or phone (888) 597 – 7627.

Saturday, June 27th at the Dogwood Center for the Arts in Fremont, The Harry Goldson Big Band presents a tribute to Benny Goodman in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Goodma’s birth. Clarinetist Harry Goldson and drummer Chris Ames plus special guest vocalist Claudia Schmidt perform classic big band and small group swing from the world of Benny Goodman. Information from www.dogwoodcenter.com or (231) 924 – 8885.

Saturday, June 27th jazz vocalist Libby York appears at the Everyday People Café, 11 Center Street, Douglas. Recently engaged at the Metropolitan Room in New York, and The Hague in The Netherlands, York will appear at the Everyday People Café once a month all summer long. Information from www.libbyyork.com.

Wednesday, July 8th at 7 p.m. the Blue Lake International Faculty Jazz Quintet appears at Stewart Memorial Music Shell, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, 300 East Crystal Lake Road, Twin Lake MI 49457. Information from www.bluelake.org.

Sunday, July 12th  from 3 to 6 p.m. Bob Adams’ Buffalo Ridge Jazz Band, led by banjo/showman Bob Adams, plays early jazz at The Oakridge Country Club, 513 West Pontaluna Road, Muskegon. See: http://www.jazztrek.com/buffalo-ridge-jazz-band.htm.  Information from The West Shore Jazz Society: (231) 759 -0071; or by mail, P.O. Box 175, Muskegon, MI 49443. The series of early jazz parties continues August 9th, Dave Greer’s Classic Jazz Stompers; September 6th The Chefs of Dixieland; October 4th the West End Jazz Band; November 1st, The Chicago Salty Dogs.

Tuesday, July 21st at 7:30 p.m. Dave Jensen conducts the Blue Lake International Jazz Band in their homecoming concert at Stewart Shell. This concert follows an extensive tour of Europe by the young musicians. Blue Lake’s International Program celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2009. Information from www.bluelake.org or (231) 894 – 1966.

Friday, July 24th at 7:30 p.m. The Helen Sung Trio (www.helensung.com) appears at the Kalamazoo Nature Center as part of the Fontana Chamber Arts Summer Series. To order tickets or to request a festival brochure the number is (269) 382-7774, or www.fontanachamberarts.org.

Friday, July 31st and Saturday, August 1st the Saugatuck-Douglas Jazz Festival returns. July 31st at 7:00 p.m. the festival kicks off at Saugatuck Brewing Company with the Marcus Miller Quintet; 8 p.m. Onita Sanders; 9 p.m. The Ron English Trio; 10 p.m. Musique Noire. Then on August 1st at noon in Coghlin Park it’s the Flat River Big Band followed at 1:15 by GEO; 2:30 p.m. by Barbara Ware with the Cliff Monear Trio; 3:45 the Cooper/Hay/VanLente group; 5 p.m. the Cuz Brothers; 6:15, “One For All” an all-star New York ensemble featuring tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, trombonist Steve Davis, trumpeter Jim Rotondi, pianist David Hazeltine, and bassist John Webber. Also on August 1st at Saugatuck United Methodist Church from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Idlewild documentary and jazz movies; 7 p.m. vocalist Shahida Nurullah with the Kris Johnson featuring Marion Hayden on bass; 8 p.m. A Night at the Idlewild Club House, a fictional drama portraying a conversation among dinner guests W.E. B. DuBois, Madam C.J. Walker and Dr. Daniel Hale Williams; 9 p.m, Cruz Brothers. August 1st at Saugatuck Christian Reformed Church, 7 p.m., the What Not Inn Trio; 8 p.m. GEQ; 9 p.m. Detroit vocalist Shahida Nurullah with the Kris Johnson featuring Marion Hayden on bass. August 1st at Saugatuck Brewing Company at 7 p.m. the Gary Tu Trio; 8 p.m. Barbara Ware with the Cliff Monear Trio; 9 p.m. the Marcus Miller Quintet; 10 p.m. the Gary Tu Trio; 11 p.m. The Kris Johnson Group with Othello. Produced in co-operation with the Idlewild Foundation. Information from (313) 965 – 0505 or www.s-djazz.com .   

Wednesday, August 5th at 7:30 p.m. the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp Faculty and Staff Jazz Ensembles appear at Stewart Memorial Music Shell, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Twin Lake, MI. See www.bluelake.org for more information.