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For the third straight year, Lisbon, Portugal based label Clean Feed will present a festival of artists that exist in their label's ever growing constellation. Anyone who is familiar with the economics of running a record label, let alone a jazz record label, should applaud and support the efforts of Clean Feed.

A browse through their catalog will reveal thoughtfully picked releases, an eye for the up and coming mingled amongst veteran efforts of established musicians.

Running from September 19th through 24th at the Living Theatre in Manhattan, each night offers a double bill featuring the cream of the Clean Feed crop. Sunday the 21st features a cooperative bill presented with the Festival of New Trumpet Music, which is currently in full swing. As an aside, any festival that has the clarity of historical understanding to give an award to Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith deserves our support and respect.

As you can already see, truly an embarassment of musical riches right now in New York.

Check out the full schedule here and go support the label and musicians involved.

More thoughts and news from the front shortly.

Cryptogramophone, the venerable west coast based label is turning 10 and is celebrating in style. As well they should — 10 years in independent niche jazz label land is equal to at least 40 years in any other business, utilizing math akin to calculating dog years.

First, they've released a 2 CD/1DVD retrospective, Assemblage 1998-2008, with the CDs covering their considerable catalog and the DVD adding some priceless footage of some of their artists. While the CDs do an excellent job of picking some notable points of their catalog, the DVD provides some previously unseen footage of Nels Cline's Andrew Hill project rehearsing and performing, and of Bennie Maupin playing with his Polish band.

The Cline footage includes over an hour of interviews, footage of the recording session, and a live performance of the band. Bennie Maupin is presented live in Poland playing music with his band to an appreciative audience.

To put the icing on the proverbial cake, Cryptogramophone is taking over the Jazz Standard starting Wednesday, April 23rd and continuing through Sunday the 27th. So all New Yorkers should stop by, catch a few sets, eat some cake, and bring some presents, because 10 years in the jazz record business is worth celebrating.

Wednesday April 23:
7:30 PM- The Jeff Gauthier Goatette
Jeff Gauthier - vln, Nels Cline - gtr, David Witham - pno, Joel Hamilton - bs, Alex Cline - drms
9:30 PM- Nels Cline & Alex Cline Duo
Nels Cline - guitars, Alex Cline - drums, percussion

Thursday April 24:
7:30 & 9:30 PM – The Nels Cline Singers
Nels Cline - guitars, Devin Hoff - bass, Scott Amendola - drums, effects

Friday April 25:
7:30 PM – Scott Amendola Band
Jenny Scheinman - vln, Nels Cline - gtr, Scott Amendola - drms, effects, Special Guest - gtr, bs
9:30 PM & 11:30 PM– The Nels Cline Singers
Nels Cline - guitars, Devin Hoff - bass, Scott Amendola - drums, effects

Saturday April 26
7:30 PM– Myra Melford/Ben Goldberg Quartet
Ben Goldberg - clarinets, Myra Melford - pno, Stomu Takeishi - bs, Scott Amendola - drms
9:30 & 11:30 PM – The Bennie Maupin Ensemble
Bennie Maupin - woodwinds, Michal Tokaj - pno, Darek Oles - bs, Munyungo Jackson - perc, Michael Stephans - drms, Hania Rybka - vcl

Sunday April 27
7:30 & 9:30 PM – The Bennie Maupin Ensemble
Bennie Maupin - woodwinds, Michal Tokaj - pno, Darek Oles - bs, Munyungo Jackson - perc, Michael Stephans - drms, Hania Rybka - vcl

I will be there and will report back:

Chicago Cultural Center Presents George Lewis

Tuesday, April 15, 4:15 - 5:45pm
Chicago Cultural Center, Cassidy Theater
78 E. Washington Street., Chicago
Free

George Lewis: Composer, Musician and Author of "A Power Stronger Than Itself: A History of the AACM" talks about the rich history of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, an organization founded in Chicago in 1965. He will be joined by Nicole Mitchell and Douglas Ewart, the current leaders of the AACM for the discussion. The three musicians will also perform together. An event co-produced by the Masters of Arts Administration and Policy Department at the School of the Art Institute and the Chicago Cultural Center.

George Lewis, Edwin H. Case Professor of Music at Columbia University. He has taught at UC San Diego, Mills College, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Simon Fraser University's Contemporary Arts Summer Institute. He has served as music curator for the Kitchen in New York, and has collaborated in the "Interarts Inquiry" and "Integrative Studies Roundtable" at the Center for Black Music Research (Chicago). A member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) since 1971, Lewis studied composition with Muhal Richard Abrams at the AACM School of Music, and trombone with Dean Hey. An active composer, improvisor, performer and computer/installation artist, Lewis has explored electronic and computer music, computer-based multimedia installations, text-sound works, and notated forms.

His artistic work is documented in over 120 recordings and has been awarded by a 2002 MacArthur Fellowship, 1999 Cal Arts/Alpert Award in the Arts, and numerous fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. His oral history is archived in Yale University's collection of "Major Figures in American Music," and his published articles on music, experimental video, visual art, and cultural studies have appeared in numerous scholarly journals and edited volumes.

Tomorrow is the closing day/night and biggest chunk of programming for the 12th Annual Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival.

Starting off at the Hyde Park Art Center at 1 PM, there's going to be a panel discussion moderated by yours truly on the subject of the 20th Anniversary of Asian Improv Records, with Tatsu Aoki, Francis Wong, Bradley Parker-Sparrow and Joannie Palatto. It should be a good time, and in my role as moderator I hope to bring up some issues about the state of recording, the internet, and technology today.

That will be followed at 2 PM by a performance by The Jeff Chan Trio plus One plus Two featuring Hyde Park's own Jimmy Ellis - saxophone, Jeff Chan - winds, Tatsu Aoki – contrabass, Ed Wilkerson - winds and special guests from the West Coast, Lewis Jordan and Francis Wong – winds.

That's the billed group, but I'm told that Tatsu Aoki won't be performing - he recently had an accident that slipped a disc in his back and actually is currently wearing a body cast. Send out some good thoughts to Mr. Aoki if you have a moment, a wonderful musician and person. He's not going to play the afternoon set because he wants to save his energy for the gig later in the day:

Fred Anderson – tenor saxophone and Tatsu Aoki – contrabass, New-York-resident-but-Chicago-native Chad Taylor – drums and San Francisco’s Francis Wong – saxophone.

Live at the Velvet Lounge. This is a reprise of the same group that played two nights at the Velvet last year for the AAJazz Fest, and I was in attendance for the second night. Nothing short of smoldering, incendiary playing from all four members of the band. I'm really looking forward to this hit - last year, Tatsu and Chad locked into these incredible grooves with Fred Anderson and Francis Wong providing tenor fireworks over the top.

If you're in Chicago, come on out. It's going to be a great day of music.

In it's Second Annual incarnation, the Umbrella Music folks (including many fantastic musicians) have put together an impressive lineup for their festival this November. Lots of great names that I recognize, and lots of new stuff to check out. I'm particularly impressed with the international "European Jazz Meets Chicago" (reminiscent of the Baden-Baden concept) that they put together along with consulates from various European nations - quite the organizational feat.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST @ ELASTIC

2830 N. Milwaukee Ave. 2nd Floor
$10 requested donation
www.elasticarts.org
773-772-3616

9 PM : PETER EVANS SOLO

Peter Evans – trumpet

10 PM : COR FUHLER/JIM BAKER DUO

Cor Fuhler – piano/electronics
Jim Baker – piano/electronics

11 PM : FREQUENCY

Nicole Mitchell – flutes
Ed Wilkerson – reeds
Harrison Bankhead – bass
Avreeayl Ra – drums

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND @ THE VELVET LOUNGE

67 E. Cermak Rd.
$15 cover
www.velvetlounge.net
312-791-9050

9 PM : BOEREN/BOWDEN/KESSLER

Eric Boeren – trumpet
Mwata Bowden – reeds
Kent Kessler – bass

10 PM : MAT MANERI/RANDY PETERSON DUO

Mat Maneri – violin/viola
Randy Peterson – drums

11 PM : LOOSE ASSEMBLY

Greg Ward – saxophone
Tomeka Reid – cello
Jason Adasiewicz – vibes
Josh Abrams – bass
Mike Reed – drums

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD @ THE HIDEOUT

1354 W. Wabansia
$15 cover
www.hideoutchicago.com
773-227-4433

9 PM : MAHALL/BISHOP/MCBRIDE/JENNESSEN

Rudi Mahalll – bass clarinet
Jeb Bishop – trombone
Nate McBride – bass
Uli Jennessen – drums

10 PM : MATEEN/CARTER/ZERANG

Sabir Mateen – reeds
Daniel Carter – reeds
Michael Zerang – percussion

11 PM : INGEBRIGT HÅKER-FLATEN QUINTET

Ola Kvernberg-violin
Dave Rempis-saxophones
Dave Miller-guitar
Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten-bass
Frank Rosaly-drums

12 AM : DANCE PARTY W/DJ’S JOSH ABRAMS AND JOHN
HERNDON

SUNDAY AFTERNOON, NOVEMBER 4TH
@ CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER

3 PM  @ Preston-Bradley Hall

78 E. Washington St.
FREE!!
www.chicagoculturalcenter.org
312-744-6630

Ari Brown – reeds
Gianluca Petrella – trombone
Junius Paul – bass
Paolino Dalla Porta – bass
Tim Daisy – drums

W/OPENING REMARKS BY JAZZ WRITER JOHN CORBETT

SUNDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 4TH
@ THE HUNGRY BRAIN

2319 W. Belmont
$10 suggested donation
www.emergingimprovisers.org
773-935-2118

9 PM : BERMAN/BEARZATTI/RODER/ACCARDI

Josh Berman – cornet
Francesco Bearzatti – reeds
Jan Roder - bass
Fabio Accardi - drums

10 PM : DÖRNER/DRUMM/LONBERG-HOLM

Axel Dörner – trumpet
Kevin Drumm – electronics
Fred Lonberg-Holm - cello

11 PM : KLANG

James Falzone – clarinet
Jason Adasiewicz – vibes
Jason Roebke – bass
Tim Daisy – drums

MONDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 5TH
@ THE CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER

“EUROPEAN JAZZ MEETS CHICAGO”

Produced in partnership with:

-The Austrian Consulate General
-The Consulate General of the Czech Republic
-The Goethe Institut Chicago
-The Italian Culture Institute of Chicago
-The Consulate General of The Netherlands
-The Swiss Consulate General
-The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs

78 E. Washington St.
www.chicagoculturalcenter.org
(312) 744-6630
ALL CONCERTS ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC!!!

-6:00 PM : WOLFGANG SELIGO TRIO  (AUSTRIA)
Preston-Bradley Hall

Wolfgang Seligo – piano
Anton Hatwich – bass
Andre Beasley - drums

-6:30 PM : ERIC BOEREN QUARTET  (THE NETHERLANDS)
Claudia Cassidy Theater

Eric Boeren-trumpet
Cor Fuhler-piano
Nate McBride-bass
Mike Reed-drums

- 7:15 PM : IVA BITTOVA SOLO  (THE CZECH REPUBLIC)
Preston-Bradley Hall

Iva Bittova – solo violin/vocals

-8:00 PM : GIANLUCA PETRELLA QUARTET  (ITALY)
Claudia Cassidy Theater

Gianluca Petrella-trombone
Francesco Bearzatti-reeds
Paolino Dalla Porta-bass
Fabio Accardi-drums

-8:45 PM : IRENE SCHWEITZER SOLO  (SWIITZERLAND)
Preston-Bradley Hall

Irene Schweitzer – solo piano

-9:45 PM : DIE ENTTÄUSCHUNG  (GERMANY)
Randolph St. Cafe

Axel Dörner-trumpet
Rudi Mahall-bass clarinet
Jan Roder-bass
Uli Jennessen-drums

There are some upcoming releases in the jazz book world that I thought might interest some Soundslope readers. All of these are not yet on the shelves so the links are to Amazon for informational purposes - feel free to support your local book stores and order through them instead.

A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music by George E. Lewis

Official release date is November 15th, but it's available for pre-order. Sure to be a page turner, 672 pages of AACM history, by far the most thorough and in depth piece of literature on the organization to date from its resident historian and scholar George Lewis. I'm looking forward to it.

Miles Davis: Miles Smiles, and the Invention of Post Bop by Jeremy Yudkin

This release examines Miles' music of the mid-1960s and the evolution of the "post-bop" style.

Ask Me Now: Conversations on Jazz and Literature edited by Sascha Feinstein

Interviews with Amiri Baraka, Jayne Cortez, Haki R. Madhubuti, Sonia Sanchez, Gary Giddins, Dan Morgenstern, Yusef Komunyakaa, Fred Hersch, Hayden Carruth, John Sinclair and others, focusing on the relationship between jazz and literature.

Jazzwomen: Conversations with Twenty-One Musicians by Wayne Enstice and Janis Stockhouse

A much needed anthology of interviews with the women of jazz, including talks with Jane Ira Bloom, Terri Lynne Carrington, Regina Carter, Marilyn Crispell, and Shirley Horn, amongst others.

That's right, Bill Dixon is coming to Chicago this Wednesday. Hard to believe this will be the first time, but that's what I've been told. I'll be in attendance and will be sure to report back.

Details for those in town:

click thumbnail for full size

Chicago City Arts and 5 Percent Sessions present a very special night of jazz music. Playing for the first time in Chicago with an all star Chicago lineup:

Bill Dixon - trumpet, flugelhorn, and piano
Ken Vandermark - saxophone and reeds
Josh Abrams - bass
Nate McBride - bass
Micheal Zerang - percussion

Concert Date: July 11, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.

Concert Venue: Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan Ave.

Pre-concert Reception: 4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Reception Venue: Chicago City Arts Gallery, 410 S. Michigan Ave., 6th floor.

This special show will be held in Ganz Hall, which is a small venue on the
7th floor above the Auditorium Theater at 430 South Michigan Avenue.

Join us before the concert at Chicago City Arts Gallery (next door to Ganz
Hall) for a glass of wine and an opportunity to see Bill Dixon's visual art.
Bill is an accomplished visual artist. Experience both sides of his creative
personality.

Tickets are $25.00 and available online.

Tickets at the door will be cash only.

Public parking is available at the Grant Park South Garage one block north of the Auditorium Building off of Michigan Avenue.

Apologies to those Soundslope readers who don't live in Chicago and don't derive a voyeuristic, vicarious pleasure of knowing what's going on musically here in the Windy City.

There are some great gigs going on this month that I thought folks should know about.

First off, the Velvet Lounge will be a veritable beehive of activity in June.

This weekend, Friday and Saturday, the Rob Brown Trio, with William Parker and Gerald Cleaver will be gracing the stage of the Velvet. I'll be there for at least one night and will definitely report back.

On Friday and Saturday of next week, Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble will be at the Velvet doing a two night stand that will also be recorded by Delmark for future CD and DVD release.

Wednesday, June 13th, the Velvet will be hosting a record release party for Fred Anderson and Hamid Drake's new disc, From the River to the Ocean, featuring album-mates Harrison Bankhead, Josh Abrams, and Jeff Parker. They're also playing a 7-9 PM special show at Stop Smiling, 1371 N Milwaukee the night before, June 12th.

On June 15th, Dee Alexander will do a tribute to Light Henry Huff, a free show at the Columbus Park Refectory, 5701 W Jackson, at 7:30 PM. For those who aren't familiar, Light was an AACM reedist and spiritual healer who touched a lot of lives in Chicago but left us far too soon. He's featured on the early Ethnic Heritage Ensemble album on the Moers label.

On June 22nd and 23rd, the Ari Brown Quartet will be at the Green Mill, and will also be recording a live CD and DVD for Delmark. On the second night they will be joined by Mr. Pete Cosey on guitar, a performance I am anxiously anticipating.

Which brings me to the Great Black Music Ensemble. They'll be playing three shows in June and two of them are particularly noteworthy.

They're playing two Sunday hits at the Velvet, on the 3rd and 10th. On the 10th they'll be joined by special guest Fred Anderson, who will be making a return to performing after an extended hiatus.

Then, on June 30th, they'll play a Saturday night at the Velvet, and they will be conducted by none other than Mr. Roscoe Mitchell.

They will be playing Roscoe's charts, and he will conduct - I don't think he's going to play, but you can't be sure. They're going to do two sets and turn the room over in between, so everyone who wants to see this once in a lifetime show will be able to get into the Velvet. Roscoe Mitchell conducting a premiere avant-big band, playing Roscoe's charts. If nothing else, it should be interesting.

And then there's everything else. The free, outdoor MCA Tuesdays on the Terrace begin and The Hideout continues it's great Wednesday night series, to name just a couple others.

This list is far from comprehensive, and it displays my biases for all to see (which are not only musical, but also geographical in terms of where I live, which happens to be a stone's throw from the Velvet). These are all shows I'm planning on attending, if all goes well.

More on the 90s list later.....