Thursday, October 16, 2008

Hal Willner's 20th Anniversary Stay Awake Concert with Marshall Allen

http://www.calendar.ucla.edu/event_detail.cfm?MeetingID=173565

http://www.uclalive.org/event.asp?Event_ID=591

The Official 20th Anniversary Concert
Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films

With Terry Adams, Marshall Allen, Petra Haden, David Johanson, Van Dyke Parks, Shannon McNally, Ken Nordine, John C. Reilly, Maya Rudolph, Syd Straw ... plus more!

Date: Thursday, October 30, 2008
Time: 8:00PM - 10:00PM
Description: The Official 20th Century Anniversary Concert
Location: Royce Hall Auditorium
Tickets: $54, $42, $32, general; $15 for UCLA students through the Central Ticket Office .
Contact: Central Ticket Office
(310) 825-2101
cto@be.ucla.edu

U.S. Exclusive

UCLA Live presents the Official 20th Century Anniversary concert produced by Hal Wilner at Royce Hall. A few artists participating in this musical performance are: David Johansen, Van Dyke Parks, Marshall Allen, Ken Nordine, and Terry Adams.

From the inspired mind of record producer Hal Willner comes another offbeat evening of music celebrating the 20th anniversary of Stay Awake. Willner’s historic compilation of music from the Vintage Disney Songbook features work by an eclectic range of artists from Suzanne Vega and Los Lobos to Ringo Starr and Bonnie Raitt. The soon-to-be-announced lineup will include many of the album’s original performers in this one-time-only event. Best known for a groundbreaking series of multi-artist tribute albums interpreting the work of composers such as Nino Rota, Kurt Weill and Thelonious Monk, Willner set out to match surprising material with extraordinary musicians from the nether regions of pop, rock, jazz and the avant-garde. The concert features a mix of enchanting, moody and, at times, sardonic adaptations of tunes from The Jungle Book, Snow White, Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, and more.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The Sun Ra Arkestra Halloween, October 31, 2008 Storrs, CT.



















http://www.whus.org/

91.7 WHUS Presents

The Sun Ra Arkestra

Under the Direction of Marshall Allen


Halloween, October 31, 2008
Doors at 7 pm, Show at 7:30 pm
Von Der Mehden Recital Hall
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT.

Tickets available at the door:
$25 or $20 with costume
Students Free with ID
For reservations call:
Ben Shaiken at 860.486.2958

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

INTERNET WEBLOG OF EMILE ZILE - Sun Ra’s Myth Science Arkestra • ZXZY Festival, Tilburg




Click to enlarge, and as always, follow the link to see other photos.

http://www.eurodisney.biz/?p=85

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A rare chance to witness the outernational, innerspace cosmonauts live in the unsuspecting Dutch town of Tilburg. We arrived in Tillers, downed a quick La Chouffe, then T-dance and me checked out the local library’s exhibition of Sun Ra promo material, original LP cover designs and screenprints. The big band was comprised of new and old faces, led by the 84 year-young elfen-wizard band leader Marshall Allen. The Arkestra played for three hours and transmitted beta waves and beta music through all present. Beta music for a beta world.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

13th Annual Mississippi Jazz & Heritage Festival Honors John Gilmore

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=23330

http://www.JazzMississippi.com/

13th Annual Mississippi Jazz & Heritage Festival Continues in Summit

Mississippi Jazz & Heritage Festival
Honors Late Jazz Saxophonist John Gilmore

Happy Birthday John Gilmore & London Branch

(Summit, MS) The 13th Annual Mississippi Jazz & Heritage Festival (MJHF), celebrating Mississippi's great jazz legacy, will take place in Summit, Mississippi on Sunday, September, 28, 2008, from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. The late legendary jazz saxophonist and Summit, Mississippi native John Gilmore will be honored on what would have been his 77th birthday. Gilmore traveled the world and became one of the most important trend setting jazz saxophonist in modern jazz.

"We are bringing the festival to Summit for the first time, states Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Artistic Director of the Mississippi Jazz and Heritage Festival and accomplished Belzoni resident jazz pianist and trumpeter. Myers was a featured guest jazz artist at the 2006 Miles Davis 80th Birthday Concert in East St. Louis. “Mississippi=2 0has a rich jazz legacy that includes Shelby native jazz composer Gerald Wilson and Greenwood native jazz pianist Mulgrew Miller."

Born in Summit, Miss. on Sept. 28, 1931, Gilmore studied clarinet as a teenager after moving to Chicago at age three. He had a stint from '48-'51 as a clarinet soloist in Air Force bands. Like so many great Chicago musicians, he studied under Captain Walter Dyett at Du Sable High School. On tenor, he toured in 1952 with the Earl Hines Orchestra as part of a road show accompanying the Harlem Globetrotters. In 1953, Gilmore became one of the initial members of Sun Ra's quickly expanding Arkestra, alongside fellow-saxophonists Pat Patrick and Marshall Allen.

Gilmore was a key element of early Arkestral maneuvers, playing on their first record, “Jazz By Sun Ra", released in 1957 on Transition (available on the Delmark disc “Sun Song"), and on the initial offerings from Ra's prototypic independent label, Saturn; in the end, he had appeared on nearly all of Ra's 150-plus records. Along with tenor and clarinet, Gilmore played drum kit when needed, and his startling early use of bass clarinet can be heard on “Dimensions In Time" on “Fate In A Pleasant Mood/When Sun Comes Out" (Evidence).

When the Arkestra relocated to new York in the early '60s, there was little work for the huge vanguard ensemble, so the members took more side-gigs than usual; at this time, Gi lmore played o n Impulse! Records with McCoy Tyner and Freddie Hubbard, and elsewhere with Elmo Hope, Paul Bley, Pete La Roca, Andrew Hill and Blakey. During one of Gilmore's first New York performances at Birdland, Coltrane ran up to the stage after his solo yelling, “He's got it! Gilmore's got the concept!" By his own admission, Coltrane--who asked for a quickie lesson after the set--was so moved by Gilmore's harmonically ingenious, against-the-grain style that it inspired him to create the groundbreaking “Chasin' The Train."

The festival is also dedicated to the late Woodville, Mississippi native and jazz legend Lester “Prez" Young. “Lester Young is the father of the modern jazz saxophone and was born August 27, 1909 and died in 1959, after a historic career as one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time," states Dr. Myers. “Billy Holiday gave him the title “Prez", short for President of the tenor saxophone."

Dr. Myers will be performing original compositions from his critically acclaimed jazz CD, “Doctors Orders". The CD includes popular original Mississippi Delta jazz compositions like “Song For Tchula", “Message From the Country" and “Blues For Tchula".

Rachella Parks, one of the top female jazz saxophonist in the world, will be the featured guest artist. Jazz bassist “extraordinaire", Dr. London Branch, retired professor of music and former Director of the Jackson State University Orchestra, whose birthday is also on September 28th, will be performing along with accomplished Mississippi jazz drummer Al Fielder. Jackson, Mississippi native, percussionist Wilton Knott, and jazz drummer and percussionist Aye Aton, formerly with the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra.

Admission is free and donations are appreciated. For more information contact Summitt City Hall at 601-276-9536.

The Mississippi Jazz & Heritage Festival is a cooperative effort sponsored by:

National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP)
The Myers Foundation The Black Arts Music Society
The Smith Robertson Museum & Cultural Center

FREE ADMISSION! NO COVER CHARGE! DONATIONS APPRECIATED!