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WPR February 2009 NEWSLETTER
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At The Edge, The Blue Side, Jazz Odyssey, and Kalihwiyo'se
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WHAT YOU'LL FIND BELOW:
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* AT THE EDGE – Vox Novus 60x60 Project
* THE BLUE SIDE - Buddy Guy is coming to GB!
* JAZZ ODYSSEY – UWGB Jazz Fest XXXIX
* KALIHWIYO'SE – Klondike Days Festival
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At The Edge with Michael Brown
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*Listed on the At the Edge webpage is one of Michael Brown’s favorite websites, Vox Novus. Vox Novus is a collective of composers, musicians, and music enthusiasts collaborating together to create, produce, promote, and enjoy the new music of today. Their members are from a variety of composers committed to the creation and dissemination of new music. Their music is of a variety of styles, aesthetics, and ideologies.
Vox Novus produces and promotes new music and are dedicated to contemporary music, the musicians who perform, and the composers that write the music of today. Their mission is to cultivate a music community and make their work available to the greater public.
Since 2003, Vox Novus has taken on a project called 60x60. 60x60 contains 60 works from 60 different composers. Each composition is 60 seconds (or less) in duration sequenced together to create a one hour performance. Highlighting the work of a great many composers, 60x60 testifies to the vibrancy of contemporary composition by presenting the diverse array of styles, aesthetics and techniques being used today.
Debuting in New York City in November 2003, 60x60 started as an electroacoustic "tape" concert with its 60 short electronic works synchronized with an analog clock to mark the passage of each minute. Since then 60x60 has received thousands of audio submissions from more than 30 countries around the world, produced radio shows, collaborated with multimedia (including dance, video, sculpture, and photography) and released several audio albums on CD.
The 60x60 project starts with a call for 60 second audio work on recorded media. The project has receives works from around the world from a large variety of musical aesthetics. In 2008, the project received more than 1000 works from composers.
More information at the Vox Novus 60x60 Project can be found at http://www.voxnovus.com/.
Check out what At the Edge has to offer on WPNE 89.3 FM and
WHND 89.7 FM from 10p-12mid every Monday. At the show’s website you will find weekly playlists and additional information http://wpr.org/regions/gby/edge.cfm.
At The Edge with Michael Brown can be heard every
Monday night from 10 p.m. to midnight
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The Blue Side with Mary Flynn
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*In this newsletter edition:
-Buddy Guy is coming!
-The Blues Foundation nominees
-Grafton Blues Association’s International Blues Challenge (IBC) representatives
-Grammy nominees and winners link
-Koko Taylor Band update
*Buddy Guy is scheduled to appear at Green Bay’s Oneida Bingo and Casino’s Three Clans Ballroom on Sunday, March 8, 2009. Tickets are now on sale. At age 72, Buddy is better than ever and his performances can be surprising in their depth and variety. You just never know what Buddy will be playing, so every performance he does is varied and exciting! His latest release, “Skin Deep”, was nominated for a Grammy. Check out more information at http://www.oneidabingoandcasino.net/PrintPage?item_id=2553.
*The Blues Foundation is preparing their annual Blues Music Awards ceremony on May 7, 2009, in Tunica, MS. Blue Side listeners will recognize many artists on the roster from music featured on the show. Of special note is the nomination--in the category for drums--the appearance of father and son nominees Willie Smith and Kenny Smith, a first for The Blues Foundation. You can review the entire list of nominees and categories at http://www.blues.org/bluesmusicawards/nominees.php4. Be sure to also take a look at The Blues Foundation webpage that features all of the news and updates with links to take you to expanded information, such as the Keeping The Blues Alive Award and other special recognitions, at http://www.blues.org/index.php4.
*A companion event for The Blues Foundation is the 25th annual International Blues Challenge (IBC), was held February 4-7, 2009, in Memphis, TN. This competition draws highly talented blues artists from across the country in an event that is considered one of the best blues festivals anywhere. Past winners have included Diunna Greenleaf and Susan Tedeshi. Homemade Jamz, a breakout band in 2008, competed in past years and have since been featured on CBS’ Sunday Morning and performed world-wide. Check out more about past years’ winners and info about this year’s competition at http://www.blues.org/ibc.
*The Grafton Blues Association sent two Wisconsin bands to the IBC. Sue DeBaco and Wise Fools were selected in the Grafton IBC competition in 2008, beating out competitors from throughout the state. T-Man and The Young Guns were Grafton reps in this year’s first IBC Youth Competition. The Blue Side will be featuring an interview with Sue DeBaco on an upcoming show to talk about the IBC and her participation in the event. Kris Raymond of the Grafton Blues Association will be talking as well about the association’s affiliation with the IBC, Grafton’s continued support of blues in the state, and the next Grafton IBC challenge. More on the state representatives and the Grafton Blues Association can be found at http://www.graftonblues.org.
*The Grammy nominations were held February 8, 2009. Marcia Ball, who put on a fabulous show at Oneida Bingo and Casino in 2007, was nominated, as was Elvin Bishop, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker Jr., and others. See the full list of nominees in the blues categories (see Section 13) at http://content.grammy.com/grammy_awards/51st_show/list.aspx#13. B B King won best Traditional Blues Album for what is being considered “a late career masterpiece” and hailed as one of his best ever recordings.
*Koko Taylor’s band, many of whom were seriously injured in a vehicle accident in WI in August 2008, continues on their individual roads to recovery. A benefit was held January 14, 2009, at SPACE in Evanston, IL, with proceeds going to the band members to help defray some medical and living costs. Alligator Records, Koko’s recording home, continues to accept donations on behalf of the musicians at Alligator Records, PO Box 60234, Chicago IL 60660.
*An all-star Chicago blues after-hours event was held in Georgetown/Washington, DC, the night of the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The Cadillac Records band backed performances by Buddy Guy, Shemekia Copeland, and Ronnie Baker Brooks. Jackson Browne was invited to the stage for a song by host, Jeffrey Wright. Mr. Wright starred as Muddy Waters in the movie. The Cadillac Records band includes Kim Wilson (harmonica), Steve Jordan (drums), Larry “The Mole” Taylor (bass), Eddie Taylor Jr (guitar), Barrelhouse Chuck (piano), and Billy Flynn (guitar).
*Also of note, Beyonce Knowles, executive producer and star of Cadillac Records, was invited to sing the first song that the new President and the First Lady danced to. At Last was Ms. Knowles’ choice, one of the featured songs in the movie. The blues world is hoping that continued exposure to these blues treasures and the vivid stories of the music will continue and give a boost to the industry.
*The Blue Side web site has been experiencing some technical difficulties in updating information. We are working on this and hope to have it corrected with updated information and all the dates and information for upcoming events. Thanks for your patience until this situation is resolved.
*And finally, Mary would like to thank everyone who sent along wishes and concern during her time off in January. Some adventures with ice led to some time off and recovery from injuries. However, she is doing well at this time. Many thanks to Michael Brown, host of Monday’s At The Edge, for stepping in for Mary and producing some great shows!
Each Tuesday, you can hear something old, something new, but always something blue music on The Blue Side on WPNE 89.3 FM and WHND 89.7 FM from 10p-12mid. Check out The Blue Side website for the playlist each week. Visit The Blue Side Essential List for updates on sources to find music, articles, and music at http://www.wpr.org/regions/gby/BlueSide.cfm. Contact The Blue Side at blues@wpr.org.
The Blue Side with Mary Flynn can be heard every
Tuesday night from 10 p.m. to midnight
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Jazz Odyssey with Chris Kuborn
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*For local jazz fans, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Jazz Fest XXXIX concert on Jan. 31, at the Weidner Center was a concert for the ages. More than 50 all-star alumni musicians from across the country returned for a tribute to retired music professor Lovell Ives, who founded the festival and UW-Green Bay’s jazz program in the late 1960s.
Ives returned to familiar territory when he directed big-band sets during the concert. The all-star band brought the house down; playing mostly songs Ives arranged himself.
Many of the 53 alumni present for the concert now perform professionally, many are educators and some do both. Playing favorites for the closing 1 hour and 45 minutes were such luminaries as Carl Allen, drums, New York; composer Terry Winch, trumpet, Nashville; Kevin Barnett, piano, Alaska; Mark Israel, trumpet, and Mark Burditt, trombone, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado; composer Woody Mankowski, vocals and saxophone, Green Bay; John Salerno, saxophone and Ives' successor, De Pere; and vocalist Todd Buffa, vocals, Green Bay.
Shawano and Eau Claire Memorial high school bands opened the concert with spice. UWGB's Vocal Jazz Ensemble featured five alums and sweet a cappella version of The Beatles' "Blackbird."
The Green Bay Press-Gazette called Jazz Fest XXXIX a “show for the ages.” Not bad for a group of musicians who rehearsed just once together before the epic all-star show.
Tune in to Jazz Odyssey each Wednesday on WPNE 89.3 FM and
WHND 89.7 FM from 10p-12mid. Check out The Jazz Odyssey website for the weekly
playlist at http://wpr.org/regions/gby/jazzodc/.
Jazz Odyssey with Chris Kuborn can be heard every
Wednesday night from 10 p.m. to midnight
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Kalihwiyo'se with Chris Powless and Richie Plass
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*The 19th Annual Klondike Days festival, a family-oriented gala event featuring a variety of turn-of-the-century activities, is planned for Eagle River Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 21 and 22, 2009. Klondike Days is always held on the third weekend in February. Highlights of the weekend long festival will be River Country Red's Rendezvous and Living History, North Woods Championship Dog Weight Pull, the one and two-horse Log Pull Classic, Hayward style lumberjack competition, the First National Bank chain-saw carving competition, the Native American cultural exposition and a huge winter craft show. The Native American Cultural Exposition will be at 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
Also, there will be many different entertainment groups including Nick Hocking’s Waswogoning Dance Theatre performing on Saturday, February 21st at 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. Hockings, who spends most of his time working to educate people on Native culture, is a member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe. He has traveled with his dance theatre to a number of locations within the four-state area.
Information about Klondike Days can be found at http://www.klondikedays.org/index.shtml.
In store for you each Thursday is Kalihwiyo’se heard on WPNE 89.3 FM and WHND 89.7 FM from 10p-12mid. Check out their website for weekly playlists and events in the northeastern Wisconsin region at http://wpr.org/regions/gby/Kalihwiyo'se.cfm
Kalihwiyo'se with Chris Powless and Richie Plass can be heard every
Thursday night from 10 p.m. to midnight
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