Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Month (February 2015): Pete Rodriguez

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Month (February 2015): Pete Rodriguez

Trumpeter, vocalist and percussionist Pete Rodríguez carries the bloodline of Nuyorican salsa as he takes the tradition of Afro-Cuban jazz to new places. The son of renowned salsero Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez and godson Dr. Pete Rodriguezof Fania Records bandleader Johnny Pacheco, the younger Rodríguez cut his teeth backing up some of the greatest names in Latin music. He became his father’s musical director at the age of 19. Coached by pianist Oscar Hernandez, the former director for "El Conde" and Ruben Blades, Rodríguez was playing trumpet, singing coro, playing maracas and giving cues to the band. As a vocalist, he sang on Tito Puente's Grammy-award winning Mambo Birdland. As an instrumentalist, he's appeared with legends including Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, Chico O'Farrill and Bebo Valdez. Now, as a bandleader, Rodríguez is drawing on these experiences to take his brand of Afro-Cuban jazz in exciting new directions.

Rodríguez’s music comes from a deeply personal place, reflecting on his connections to his father and heritage, as well as other unexpected influences. Rodríguez lived through the birth of Hip Hop during his early childhood in Bronx, New York. As a sharp contrast, after moving to Puerto Rico, he focused on classical music, performing trumpet with the Symphony of Puerto Rico at the young age of 15. While in the United States Army, he discovered his love for jazz and made it the focus of his professional and educational pursuits after leaving the military. The diversity of these life experiences can be heard both in Rodríguez’s compositions and playing style.

While pursuing his musical career, Rodríguez has also always made time for prioritizing education. He holds his bachelor and master of music degrees in jazz from Rutgers University. He obtained his doctorate of musical arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 2007.

Jazz Pianist/Radio Host Judy Carmichael Makes her First All-Vocal CD: I Love Being Here With You

Jazz Pianist/Radio Host Judy Carmichael Makes her First All-Vocal CD: I Love Being Here With You

"Known as one of the best stride and swing pianists around, Judy Carmichael is near-equally renowned for her lively, intelligent radio show, Jazz Inspired. (Full disclosure: Transcriptions of conversations from that show are available at JazzTimes.com.) Carmichael’s vocal skills remain a tertiary source of admiration, primarily because they are, at least in terms of her recordings, a relatively new addition. It wasn’t until 2008, in the wake of 10 instrumental albums, that she added vocals to half the tracks on Come and Get It. At the time, Carmichael admitted a desire to unleash her “inner Peggy Lee.” Now, with the arrival of not only her first all-vocals album but also the first on which she never touches a keyboard, that wish is fully realized.

Carmichael exhibits a truly remarkable ability to channel Lee’s breathy invitingness and her befogged insouciance. But this collection of 11 standards also echoes the intense perspicacity of the solo albums Annie Ross released prior to, during and immediately after her affiliation with Lambert and Hendricks. In other words, she winningly blends two of the all-time finest, most intuitive jazz singers.

Like Lee and Ross, Carmichael shows tremendous respect for her fellow musicians—tenor saxophonist Harry Allen, pianist Mike Renzi and bassist Jay Leonhart—allowing each ample space to leisurely stretch out."

— CHRISTOPHER LOUDON, JAZZTIMES

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Month (January 2015): Luis Marin

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Month (January 2015): Luis Marin

As a pianist, Luis Marin is often recruited to record at different musical productions with well-known artists. His services are in demand by the biggest names in the Latin music industry.

Marin has also shared the stage with Latin piano master Eddie Palmieri on various occasions, at Palmieri's own request on important concerts. In the Latin music genre, it is considered a high honor to be acknowledged by Palmieri.

Marin was born and raised in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, and began studying piano at age 7.

During 1984 he enrolled in Berklee College of Music where he majored in professional music, remaining there until 1986. While living in Boston he had the opportunity to perform with different bands, and was known throughout the city as pianist and arranger. These groups included Caribbean Express (nominated for a Grammy Award in 1987), Herman Johnson's Band (at Ryle's Jazz Club at Cambridge), and Jorge Arce Grupo Humano. Marin's work has been shared in productions for Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, and the United States.

On 2003, Marin toured as a pianist with the celebrated group Fania All Stars. He has been part of important live presentations and recordings with artists such as Palmieri, Tito Puente, Richie Ray, Papo Lucca y Sonora Ponceña, Juan Luis Guerra, Andy Montañez, Cheo Feliciano, Fiel a la Vega, Elvis Crespo, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Rita Moreno, Mario Bauzá, Yuri Buenaventura, Cuto Soto, Luis Garcia, Tony Vega, Humberto Ramirez, Mandy Vizoso, and Gilberto Monroig.

In 1997, after various years playing as a side man, the organizers of the PR Heineken JazzFest invited Marin to make his debut as a leader. Luis Marin New Jazz Group shared the stage that night with saxophonist Joe Lovano and guitarist George Benson.

It was at this successful presentation, in front of a hometown crowd, that Marin was given the chance to express his innermost feelings through his group, delighting the audience with an eclectic repertoire within the tradition of Latin jazz, becoming automatically a powerful force in this category. In 1999 he started the production of his first album as a soloist, Inconsolable, integrating major influences in his style, and rendering a special tribute to one of Puerto Rico's most esteemed singers, Gilberto Monroig. In 2004 Marin released his second album as a soloist, Live at the Nuyorican Cafe, with great reviews.

Marin is also on the staff of the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, participating as jazz piano professor in the recently created Jazz and Caribbean Music Department. Info: http://www.berklee.edu/events/detail/5057/luis-marin-latin-piano-styles

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Jazz and Bossa Radio Funding Campaign

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Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Month (November 2014): Conrad Herwig

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Month (November 2014): Conrad Herwig

Conrad Herwig is one of New York's more prominent young progressive/mainstream trombonists. He has recorded and/or performed with a number of famous leaders, including, but not limited to, Joe Henderson, Jack DeJohnette, and Paquito D'Rivera. Herwig is an alumni of the famous University of North Texas jazz program, an experience that obviously prepared him well as a big band player. He began his professional career in the early '80s with Clark Terry's big band; stints with Buddy Rich, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Mel Lewis, and others were to follow. Herwig has become an increasingly in-demand sideman in the '90s. He is an accomplished pedagogue, having taught clinics and workshops around the world. Currently, Herwig is on the faculty at William Patterson College in New Jersey. His seventh album as a leader, The Latin Side of John Coltrane, emphasizes an affinity for South American idioms. Criss Cross followed in 1998, and a year later Herwig resurfaced with Osteology. Unseen Universe followed in fall 2000. — Chris Kelsey

Conrad Herwig's Discography as a Leader:

"Shades of Light" SteepleChase 31520

'Hieroglyphica" Criss Cross 1207

"Unseen Universe" Criss Cross 1194

"Osteology" Criss Cross 1176

"Heart of Darkness" Criss Cross 1155

"The Latin Side of John Coltrane" Astor Place 4003

"Ao Vivo No Festival de Jazz de Guimaraes, Portugal" Groove 10

"New York Breed" Double-Time 108

"The Amulet" Ken 016

"Intimate Conversations" Ken 012

"New York Hardball" Ken 002

"With Every Breath" Ken 008

Late in the decade, he made his recording debut as leader on which he was teamed with saxophonist Jim Snidero. When he moved to New York he played with Mario Bauza and Eddie Palmieri, continuing to play with the latter throughout the 90s. These latter associations imbued him with a long lasting interest in Latin music.

Herwig continued to record, with varied critical success, throughout the 90s. During all this time, he was advancing his interest in and facility at writing music.

His inspiration often extended outside of jazz as is demonstrated by several of his compositions that were inspired by the short stories of Joseph Conrad, which appear on the December 1997 recording Heart Of Darkness. On his recording dates, Herwig has worked with many noted artists from the world of jazz, including Ronnie Cuber, Gary Smulyan, Brian Lynch, and several from the world of Latin music, including Dave Valentin and Paquito D'Rivera.

Herwig's technical fluency, honed on the often demanding musical complexities of Latin music, has allowed him to develop into areas of music where many other trombonists would not care to venture. Never content to re-work depleted ground, Herwig's 1998 session Osteology, on which he was paired with fellow virtuoso trombonist Steve Davis, found him exploring regions that would probably have never occurred to earlier two-trombone teams such as J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding.

Herwig's inventive and probing mind was revealed in his tribute to John Coltrane. Where many less imaginative, if often better known, performers, might have been content to only regurgitate music that was already three decades old, Herwig chose to explore the saxophonist's influence through the seemingly inappropriate use of the Latin form. The device threw fresh and interesting light upon Coltrane's music and gave clear notice that the trombonist has much to offer jazz in the new century.

Mind, Body & Jazz

Source: TopMastersinHealthcare.com