May 2009 Update Newsletter

May 2009 Update Newsletter

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Hello again from ejazzlines!

Well, there has been some pretty interesting info the last couple of weeks regarding Ol' Blue Eyes. It appears that Martin Scorsese is finally going to make a movie about Frank Sinatra, with the complete cooperation of the Chairman's estate. The best info we have gotten is that the movie is going to depict the early years and rise of Frank, and the genesis of his relationship with major organized crime figures. In other words, the real-life story of Johnny Fontane! Early word has it that Scorsese may cast Leonardo DiCaprio, who he apparently has enjoyed working with and respects tremendously, and Leonardo is supposedly working with a serious vocal coach in an effort to plausibly mimic Frank. We have also heard that Johnny Depp is being considered, among others. Apparently the movie's producers have gotten the rights to use most, if not all, of Frank's actual recordings, so we may or may not hear an actor trying to recreate the glorious Columbia and early Capitol years. In any event, those of us here at ejazzlines seriously worship Mr. Sinatra, and are looking very forward to this film. In the hands of the director of Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed and many more classics, I think we can expect the screen bio of Frank that his unparalleled career truly deserves. As Scorsese also directed The Last Waltz, produced PBS' Blues series, acted in Round Midnight, and has had fantastic soundtracks to many of his films (Goodfellas and Casino surely come to mind, among others), we also know that he is a true lover of American music. This will hopefully be a great film that will do justice to Frank's legacy.

The Jazz Education Network (http://www.jazzednet.org/) has just made us aware that they are going to attempt to have a conference in New Orleans next spring (March 2010). This is fantastic and very exciting news. Since the demise of IAJE, there has been a huge void in the jazz world, which JEN is working very hard to fill. The annual IAJE conferences we attended in NYC, Long Beach, and Toronto were truly the very best events we have had the privilege of being a part of in ejazzlines' eight year existence. We met lots of our very best customers, the folks at Jamey Aebersold and other companies, and many musicians we idolize. We seriously encourage everyone who sees this newsletter and misses IAJE to check out the JEN website and please send them an email or give them a call and let them know that you support this idea and if you may attend. Considering the economy and the fate of IAJE, they would seriously appreciate all of the encouragement they can get.

We regretfully join the many who are mourning the passing of Wayman Tisdale. We remember him as the all-time collegiate basketball great that he was as at the U of Oklahoma, for his fine NBA career, for his excellent musical career, and for being a truly exemplary person. Wayman passed away unexpectedly on May 15th after a two-year battle with Cancer. He was a Renaissance Man, who scaled the heights of both music and athletics at the highest levels, and who knows what else he would have achieved. He was a great musician, a great athlete, and a man of family and faith who will be missed by multitudes all over the globe. ejazzlines joins the many who will remember him and his contributions to the worlds of sports and music, which are very close to our hearts.

For those of you who like to keep up with new jazz releases, below are some items that you may wish to know about.

We once again thank everyone for your support - it is sincerely appreciated every day of the year!

Rob and Doug at ejazzlines

FEATURED NEW DVDs: The below featured selections are augmented by brand new releases of another CD/DVD package from Lynne Arriale, a live DVD from a great band led by Rabih Abou-Khalil, and a great-looking new educational DVD/book package called Intro to Polyrhythm. ALL MAY 2009 DVDs ALL APRIL 2009 DVDs
DIANA KRALL: LIVE IN RIO First off is a brand new one from one of the true first ladies of jazz, Diana Krall. Live in Rio has her focusing on Bossa Nova, and the DVD includes interviews with Diana and her band and other special features.	RETURN TO FOREVER RETURNS Return to Forever was a beloved group that included some of the most important jazz musicians of the last few decades. Their live 'return' was documented at Montreux last summer, and we are very proud to present this DVD to you, with Chick, Al, Stanley and Lenny all still in top form.
BUDDY RICH: UP CLOSE Alfred has just released Buddy Rich Up Close, a very interesting DVD of a 1982 performance. This DVD focuses on six songs, shot and edited from several different angles, which truly gives one a unique and enlightening look at one of the true greats of jazz drumming.	SUN RA: POINTS ON A SPACE AGE This intimate documentary tells the story of the experimental band Sun Ra Arkestra, tracing its history from its birth in the 1950s, through its ever expanding influence over the underground music scene. The focus is on exploring the recent activity of the remaining members of the band.
DAVE HOLLAND: VORTEX At long last, the folks at View Video have made Dave Holland's Vortex video available on DVD. We will have copies within about one week, and we expect to be among the very first retailers to have this for you.	DAVE BRUBECK: TIME OUT While many of you surely own at least one edition of Dave Brubecks classic Time Out, a 50th anniversary edition was just released, with a bonus DVD including commentary by Dave on the recording of the album.

FEATURED NEW BOOKS: ALL MAY 2009 BOOKS ALL APRIL 2009 BOOKS
RITMOS DE CUBA Advance has just released two Latin Jazz-themed books, Ritmos De Cuba-Cuban Rhythms for Percussion and Drumset, and Brazilian Rhythm Section Training (see next listing). This book helps to overcome the various obstacles and difficulties drummers and multi-percussionists from the four corners of the Earth have had to face in view of their lack of knowledge about Cuban rhythms. Step by step, it offers in a very skillful and up-to-date manner a compilation of polyrhythmic transcriptions of pieces performed by most of the existing Cuban music ensembles featuring a percussion section.	BRAZILIAN RHYTHM SECTION TRAINING This book reflects the perspective of a Brazilian musician living in Europe, where he came across a sincere interest for Brazilian music but lots of difficulties concerning its rhythm. If you play the drums, percussion, bass, guitar or keyboard and are interested in Brazilian rhythms, this book is certainly for you. You will learn how to translate the main percussion rhythms which are typical for Brazilian music styles into your instrument. You will also learn how to interact with fellow musicians, avoiding unnecessary repetition and adding transparency to the rhythm section.
CHARLES MINGUS EASY PIANO SOLOS This book presents 17 tunes arranged for easy piano solo including: Better Get Hit In Your Soul; Boogie Stop Shuffle; Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love; Goodbye Pork Pie Hat; and more.	MODAL MASTERY FOR JAZZ GUITAR IMPROVISATION Diatonic modal knowledge is essential to the guitarist as a tool for soloing. A solo should be a spontaneous improvisation. Modal Mastery can help store enough information to free yourself from having to search for what you want to play, thus aiding in spontaneity.
ERROLL GARNER: FIVE ORIGINAL PIANO SOLOS This great new books contains transcriptions of 5 piano solos as played by Erroll Garner. Titles are: Babette; Bounce with Me; From C to C; High Octane; and Young Love.	PERCUSSIONINST'S GUIDE TO CHECK PATTERNS An ideal book for private lessons, small group instruction or percussion ensemble rehearsals, A Percussionist's Guide to Check Patterns focuses on mastering the essential basics of reading and controlling one-beat rhythmic patterns. It provides a systematic approach to sticking duple- and triplet-based rhythms that all beginning to advanced percussionists encounter in everyday music. All musical examples are written for non-pitched percussion, keyboards and drumset, and the step-by-step presentation is guaranteed to improve syncopation control and coordination.

FEATURED NEW BIG BAND ARRANGEMENTS: MAY 2009 BIG BAND CHARTS APRIL 2009 BIG BAND CHARTS
BOPLICITY: MILES DAVIS/GIL EVANS This Gil Evans arrangement is quite possibly one of the most famous jazz arrangements of all time. And, we're pleased to present it here as-recorded, directly from the original manuscript. All solos have been transcribed, though chord changes are included in the event that your players wish to improvise instead. This is not a complicated arrangement and is within reach of most proficient bands. Solos are featured for baritone sax, trumpet, and piano. An alternate B flat part for the French horn is included that may be played by a second trumpet or a tenor sax. And, the tuba part may be played by a bass trombone. If there was ever a must-have arrangement, this is it.	NIGHT AND DAY: CHARLIE PARKER/JOE LIPMAN (BIG BAND) The chart moves along at a very brisk tempo - about 236 bpm. Naturally, as this was arranged for Parker it is an all-out alto saxophone feature. Also featured are solos for piano, trumpet 2, and trombone 2. Simple, melody-based solos were indicated in the original manuscript and have been included here. This arrangement has been engraved from the original manuscript - this is not a transcription. The ranges for trumpet 1 and trombone 1 are quite high; hence, it has been graded as advanced. There are no saxophone doubles. Unlike the Parker material with strings (with big band in a some cases) this arrangement is scored for standard big band instrumentation of lead alto, 2 altos (3 altos total), 2 tenors, 1 baritone, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, guitar, piano, bass, and drums. The original manuscript called for 3 trombones, but it has been augmented to 4 to suit a standard big band.
ROCKER: MILES DAVIS/GERRY MULLIGAN Here is another great arrangement from the famous 'Birth of the Cool' session. Gerry Mulligan's arrangement features solo space for trumpet, alto sax, and baritone sax. This chart has been produced directly from the original manuscripts. The solos have been transcribed and are presented as-played. But, chord changed are also included in the event that your players wish to improvise. An alternate B flat part for the French horn is included that may be played by a second trumpet or a tenor sax. And, the tuba part may be played by a bass trombone.	THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE ME: CHARLIE PARKER/JIMMY CARROLL We're all familiar with the famous Charlie Parker with Strings recordings that were made in 1949 and the early 1950s. Parker recorded these in the studio and did many live concerts. At first the reception from the critics wasn't so great. But, over time there recordings have been cherished by jazz fans all over the world. In fact, Parker's recording of Just Friends with strings became his best-selling single. Well, it may surprise you to know that there were several arrangements that were rehearsed for Parker's 1949 'With Strings' session that were either not recorded or were scrapped. This chart of They Didn't Believe Me was arranged by Jimmy Carroll for this date but was not recorded. We don't know the specific reason it wasn't recorded. But, due to markups on the original manuscript score and parts we do know that it was heavily rehearsed. This arrangement has the same instrumentation as the others from this session except it was scored without oboe. There is a solo alto saxophone part and 3 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello, harp, guitar, piano, bass, and drums. Recognizing that not everyone has access to strings players, alternate parts have been included in a Supersax-type configuration [2 altos, 2 tenors, 1 baritone]. Additionally, either of the tenor parts could be played by trumpets, and the cello part could be played by trombone, though a few notes would have to played down an octave.
WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED LOVE: CHARLIE PARKER/JOE LIPMAN (BIG BAND) This up-tempo chart - about 240 bpm - is a great alto sax feature. It could also be used as a trumpet or trombone feature as well. Featured are 8-bar solos for trumpet 2, trombone 2, and piano. There is also an open solo section on the form that could be opened up to allow for any number of soloists. Simple, melody-based solos were indicated in the original manuscript and have been included here. This arrangement has been engraved from the original manuscript - this is not a transcription. The ranges for trumpet 1 and trombone 1 are quite high; hence, it has been graded as advanced. There are no saxophone doubles. Unlike the Parker material with strings (with big band in a some cases) this arrangement is scored for standard big band instrumentation of lead alto, 2 altos (3 altos total), 2 tenors, 1 baritone, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, guitar, piano, bass, and drums. The original manuscript called for 3 trombones, but it has been augmented to 4 to suit a standard big band. This would make a great closer or festival chart.

In our perennial and constantly flowering efforts to present the best selection of interesting new items for you, as of this newsletter we have added 120 new CDs for the month of May 2009 and 37 for the month of April 2009; 50 new DVDs for May 2009 and 21 for April 2009; 51 new music books for May 2009 and 34 for April 2009; 24 new big band and combo arrangements for the month of May 2009 and 14 for the month of April 2009. If you haven't visited our Imports and Rarities section lately, please check it out. We are now stocking more and more obscure, rare, and hard-to-find titles from Japan and Europe, including many titles that you may not be able to find elsewhere. In our DVD section, we now carry an unbelievable but true total of nearly 2,000 jazz DVDs! We have all of the live performance DVDs, the documentaries, the method DVDs, the personal master classes - we proudly offer a selection of jazz and jazz-related DVDs that is second to none. As always, please keep in mind that many of our new releases are available in limited quantities. We do our best to predict demand and fill orders as quickly as possible, but we do run out of new releases. Even if we run out of stock, everything featured in this newsletter should be available to ship within 3 weeks.