Happy to be back in Chicago on Jan 22 to celebrate my birthday.  Another day older and deeper in debt...well, doing the best I can to stay out of debt.  I'll be playin' at the Serbian Village with Tommy Muellner's group of Allstars. Gig starts at 9pm at Irving and Kedzie, just off the alley. Jam session follows the first set.

Hope to see all my Chi-Friends there.

jc 

Excited about teaching a class this fall for the first time, "The History of Rock" for Lake Michigan College.  Looking forward to re-exploring some of my favorite bands that I grew up hearing and emulating.

Sam "Pancho" Vera, jazz drummer, family man and inspiration to many musicians and non-musicians alike, passed away May 26, 2017 at age 83.  We love you Pancho and your spirit lives on.

 

 

Bobby Hutcherson Jan 31, 1941 - Aug. 25, 2016

 

Bobby was my model when I was growing up playing vibes.  Seeing him live at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago was a magical experience.  The last time I saw him play was a Dizzy's in NYC with Cedar Walton.  He was playing mostly ballads and didn't play as many notes as he used to, but he made every note count.  What a musician!  The jazz world has lost a great player.  

Bobby and me at the Jazz Showcase, 4/03/03.

Thanks to Bill Witz for the photo

Ludwig Announces New Website!

The Conn-Selmer Division of Education is excited to announce the launch of the newly designed, mobile-friendly ludwig-drums.com website. This site provides a superior user experience while highlighting "The Most Famous Name On Drums." Designed for the modern percussionist, ludwig-drums.com features an updated portfolio of products and images for our comprehensive line of Ludwig and Ludwig-Musser percussion instruments, hardware, accessories, luggage and…

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Late in posting this but an across this photo from the Jazz Showcase in Chicago a few days before my 65th.

In the band was pianist Peter Sax, bassist Al Ehrich, drummer Jeff Stitely and saxist Jerry Dimuzio.  Thanks to the guys for making the gig.

 

Photo:  Bill Klewitz

A remembrance from vibist Warren Chiasson: "Apart from being a really great friend and a musical partner when we were both on the road traveling with the George Shearing Quintet in the mid 70's, Rusty was one of the greatest instinctive Jazz Drummers I ever played with and that would include Philly Joe Jones ,Roy Haynes,and Billy Higgins, just to name a few.

His retention capabilities were just phenomenal and he gave just the right kind of support for any kind of musical situation.
He… Read more

I regret to announced that Grand Rapids jazz pianist Dave Hay lost his battle with cancer on Tuesday, December 29^th. Dave was a versatile piano, bass player and composer and performed anything from pop and funk to classical and avant-gard jazz.  We played together in the Cooper, Hay, Van Lente Group, (CHV), recorded a CD, Trio Musik and  over the years, could always rely on Dave to know just about any tune and play it from memory.  As a memberof CHV, Dave played both piano and left hand bass and didn’t…

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Jim recently performed in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area at the Musicians Union, Sacred Grounds and did a clinic on improvisation at Desert Mountain High School.

 

Desert Mountain High School Jazz Band, Michelle Irvin, Director

More photos coming

 

JAZZ VIBRAPHONIST JIM COOPER WINS ARTPRIZE AWARD

Vibraphonist and composer Jim Cooper won the 2015 ArtPrize’s Critic’s Choice Award on October 7^th for his song, Third Circle.  ArtPrize takes place in Grand Rapids, Michigan for three weeks every September and October.  Cooper was awarded  the $1000 prize which also includes five hours of free studio time. The Critic’s Choice Award was chosen and presented by WBLU-FMs Lazaro Vega.

The Critic’s Choice music category was first initiated this year as an…

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