The polls are open for the public to choose the best smooth jazz artists of the year. 2002 marks the 3rd time for The National Smooth Jazz Awards Show. This year’s event will take place at the Golden Hall in San Diego California on March 2, 2002 at 7 PM (Pacific Time). Hosted by Mr. Personality himself, saxman Dave Koz and broadcast nationally on all participating smooth jazz radio stations, this show should be an event to remember.Stay tuned to your local smooth jazz radio station where …

I once had the opportunity to do a few gigs in a quartet featuring the great keyboardist/composer Rob Mullins. Nate Phillips, who had worked with Rob in the Jazz Crusaders, and Jeff Suttles, who had just come off tour with Janet Jackson, held down the bass and drums, respectively. The basic concept was to play instrumental arrangements of funky R&B tunes, sort of like a funk version of Paul Shaffers' "Worlds Most Dangerous Band" (the David Letterman Show band). The project was put together with …

In response to my article "On Soloing", I received a number of emails from players who loved the concepts and were trying hard to incorporate them into their performance but still felt like they were stuck in a rut of playing the same tired riffs over and over. "I feel like I'm playing in circles. What additional advice can you give me to help me break out of this pattern?", many of them asked.So it occurred to me that my original piece was oriented to more a advanced player and that it proba …

Over the last week, the jazz world has been reeling from the announcement that the International Association of Jazz Educators, a de facto trade organization, is going out of business.In an e-mail message sent on April 18, the 10,000-member organization, based in Manhattan, Kan., announced that its executive board had decided to file for bankruptcy and that its annual convention, which was to be held in Seattle next year, had been canceled.The group's demise is a major disappoint …

This summer Louis and Lucille Armstrong’s neighbors in Corona, Queens can look forward to the block party of the year on Tuesday July 16th at 7:00 pm. That’s when Jazzmobile, which has been presenting summer concerts in New York City for over three decades, will be rolling up to the Armstrong House on 107th Street, between 34th and 37th Avenues, for a free, outdoor performance by the Ray Vega Latin Jazz Sextet. This concert marks the 101st anniversary of the …