Pianist Larry Vuckovich’s new CD HIGH WALL: REAL LIFE FILM NOIR follows his acclaimed STREET SCENE film noir tribute that hit #1 on XM Satellite Radio and the top 10 of JazzWeek charts. It features the first jazz recording of a Bronislaw Kaper gem from the film noir High Wall, which inspired the CD title. Other tracks include four originals, a Barry Harris piece ”Lolita,” Crusaders’ funk and Rodrigo classical, plus two live concert tracks. Bassist Larry Grenadier returns from the STREET SCENE sessions for this CD as do percussionists Hector Lugo and Vince Delgado. Joining them are bassist Paul Keller and drummers Eddie Marshall and Chuck McPherson.

Scott Yanow, All Music Guide, has given HIGH WALL 4 1/2 stars. Chris Spector, Midwest Record, says: ”… this is a classy jazz piano date … Elegant and earthy with a surprising amount of funk … this is the kind of set you’ll be mad at yourself for missing … A real winning date. ” Reese Erlich, NPR’s Jazz Perspectives, says High Wall ‘’soars to new heights.” Look for a review in the 88s column of the September Jazz Times.

www.larryvuckovich.com
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Radio Promotion by GROOV Marketing and Consulting: (877) 476-6832
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WNCU 90.7 FM’s News and Public Affairs Department, Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies Youth Noise Network and Durham County Parks and Recreation Department’s W. D. Hill Community Center all came together in the spring of 2008 to bring radio production classes to Durham youth.Eight young people from area middle and high schools participated in the project. The schools represented in the group were Hillside New Technology High School, CE Jordan High School and Rogers-Herr Middle School.Students learned how to research, interview, write and edit their pieces. Six students produced projects that aired on Duke University’s WXDU 88.7 FM radio station. The students shared their views on love, segregation, African dance, mother and son relationships, sex education and peer pressure. The pieces were done by Tempestt Watson, Sabuna Mimy, Naeemah Kelly, Sakarah Hall-Edge, Asia Anderson and TaQuinn Huff. Afyia Carter a Recreation Specialist from W.D. Hill Community Center in Durham initiated the project after attending Women in Media Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia.. She created the media project to expose young people to radio production and broadcast. Carter enlisted the help of Tennessee Watson of Youth Noise Network, Kimberley Pierce-Cartwright of WNCU and others. Kimberley and Tennessee developed a curriculum, taught classes, and provided technical resources, while Afyia recruited, registered and provided logistical resources.

Tennessee Watson is an audio producer for the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke, where she coordinates Youth Noise Network (YNN), a youth radio project. YNN brings together a diverse group of Durham teenagers to produce a weekly radio show on WXDU 88.7 FM that addresses issues of particular concern to teens. YNN participants learn various aspects of the documentary arts and produce their own audio documentaries.

Kimberley Pierce-Cartwright is the News and Public Affairs Director for WNCU 90.7 FM. She is responsible for daily news production and delivery at the station. She is also a lab instructor for North Carolina Central University student interns who want to become broadcast journalists. WNCU students get hands on experience working in a newsroom at a public radio station. Kimberley is an advocate for youth involvement in media.

Listen to the student’s projects the links below:

Project #1
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Project #3
Project #4
Project #5
Project #6

WNCU 90.7 FM will host a community outreach effort called Sunday Jazz on the Lawn on Sunday, June 22nd from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the lawn of the historic White Rock Baptist Church, 3400 Fayetteville Street in Durham. Music will be provided by the internationally renowned John Brown Quintet, the local talent of the Clif Wallace Trio, and bassist Jonathan Michel of Philadelphia, PA. This event is free and open to the public.Rev. Jean-Luc Charles, director of the Mission and Evangelism Ministry at White Rock, says that the goal of this event is three-fold: to offer a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-generational outreach to friends and neighbors through the gift of live jazz music; to present an enjoyable afternoon affair for family and friends alike; and to creatively promote African-American culture by celebrating the heritage of jazz music.

Since WNCU is committed to bringing the awareness of jazz to the community and to displaying jazz in new and unique venues, general manager and program director Edith Thorpe responded, “why not?” when approached about the idea of Sunday Jazz on the Lawn. Thorpe immediately recognized the idea as a fresh and innovative way of presenting this timeless music to a new generation of jazz listeners and as an opportunity for jazz lovers and loyal WNCU listeners to enjoy their favorite music in a fun, friendly, family atmosphere.

The community is invited to bring a blanket, lounge chair, picnic basket and a friend to Sunday Jazz on the Lawn. In the case of inclement weather, the event will be held in the W. G. Pearson Elementary School. For more information, contact Rev. Charles at 919-688-8136, revcharles@whiterockbaptistchurch.org or Edith Thorpe at 919-530-6122.

WNCU’s News and Public Affairs Department has a new listener survey posted on our website. We periodically poll our listeners to get input about our programming and to assist in tailoring our programs to fit your lifestyle. Please take a minute to let us hear from you by filling out our listener survey. Your opinion matters to us.

To take the listener survey click here!  It’s quick and easy.

NEA Partners with Jazz at Lincoln Center for NEA Jazz Masters Awards Ceremony and Concert

Washington, DC ¬ The National Endowment for the Arts today announced the recipients of the 2009 NEA Jazz Masters Award the nation’s highest honor in this distinctly American music. The six recipients will each receive a $25,000 grant award, and will be publicly honored in an awards ceremony and concert on Friday, October 17, 2008.

The six 2009 NEA Jazz Masters are: George Benson (vocalist and solo instrumentalist, guitar), Jimmy Cobb (rhythm instrumentalist, drums), Lee Konitz (solo instrumentalist, saxophone), Toots Thielemans (solo instrumentalist, harmonica and guitar), and Snooky Young (solo instrumentalist, trumpet). Recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder will receive the 2009 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy.

For the October presentation, the Arts Endowment will partner with Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. The awards ceremony and concert at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, will feature the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis in a program dedicated to the honorees’ works. Past collaborations between the NEA and Jazz at Lincoln Center include the NEA Jazz in the Schools curriculum available free of charge to high school teachers nationwide and the media announcement event for the 2008 NEA Jazz Masters class.

“Jazz is a vital part of our nation’s history and cultural heritage, said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, “and I am delighted to announce the artists of the class of 2009, whose bodies of work have had, and continue to have, a decisive and enduring impact on the development of this art form.

Each member of the 2009 class fulfilled the selection criteria of being a distinguished artist whose excellence, impact, and significant contributions have helped to keep the important tradition of jazz alive:

A winner of ten Grammy Awards, George Benson created the innovative practice of playing a florid guitar melody accompanied by an identical, scatted vocal line.
An accomplished soloist and outstanding accompanist, jazz drummer Jimmy Cobb has worked with such renowned musicians as Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sarah Vaughan.

A pioneer of “cool jazz” saxophonist Lee Konitz was part of Miles Davis’s famous nonet performances and recordings in the 1940s, before working with Lennie Tristano and Stan Kenton and eventually emerging as a highly acclaimed band leader.

Toots Thielemans has been credited with bringing the harmonica to jazz. The mastery of his instrument is evident in his performances with Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, Billy Joel, and Paquito D¹Rivera. Arguably the greatest recording engineer in jazz history, Rudy Van Gelder¹s crystal-clear recordings have defined the sound associated with the legendary Blue Note record label since the early 1950s.

A master of the plunger mute, Snooky Young¹s distinctive sound made him the trumpeter of choice for the great jazz big band leaders Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, and Lionel Hampton, among others. He is currently a member of The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

Profiles and downloadable high resolution photos of the 2009 NEA Jazz Masters can be found on the NEA¹s Web site: http://www.arts.gov/national/jazz/jazz09/index.html

Each year since 1982, the Arts Endowment has conferred the NEA Jazz Masters Award on a handful of living legends who have made major contributions to jazz. With this new class, the award has been given to 106 great figures in American music. Other NEA Jazz Masters include Count Basie, Art Blakey, Dave Brubeck, Betty Carter, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Herbie Hancock, Elvin Jones, Abbey Lincoln, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Cecil Taylor, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, and Teddy Wilson.

About NEA Jazz Masters: NEA Jazz Masters are selected from nominations submitted by the public. Musicians selected as NEA Jazz Masters receive a one-time grant award of $25,000, are honored at a public awards ceremony, and may be offered opportunities for participation in NEA-sponsored promotional, performance, and educational activities under the NEA Jazz Masters National Initiative program. Only living musicians or jazz advocates may receive the NEA Jazz Masters honor.

The National Endowment for the Arts has supported jazz artists and organizations since 1969, providing millions of dollars in grants and awards. In 2004, the NEA significantly expanded its NEA Jazz Masters program and in 2005 created the NEA Jazz Masters Initiative, a comprehensive program of jazz support that includes the NEA Jazz Masters Award; NEA Jazz Masters Live, a series of multiple event engagements in selected communities, featuring NEA Jazz Masters; radio programming featuring NEA Jazz Masters; a compilation CD produced by Verve Music Group; educational resources through the NEA Jazz in the Schools program produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center; and publications and reports. For more information on NEA Jazz Masters, the public is invited to visit the web site, at www.neajazzmasters.org.

About Jazz at Lincoln Center: Jazz at Lincoln Center is dedicated to inspiring and growing audiences for jazz. With the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and a comprehensive array of guest artists, Jazz at Lincoln Center advances a unique vision for the continued development of the art of jazz by producing a year-round schedule of performance, education and broadcast events for audiences of all ages. These productions include concerts, national and international tours, residencies, hall of fame induction ceremony, weekly national radio and television programs, recordings, publications, an annual high school jazz band competition and festival, a band director academy, jazz appreciation curriculum for students, music publishing, children’s concerts, lectures, adult education courses, student and educator workshops and interactive websites. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis Jazz at Lincoln Center will produce nearly 3,000 events during its 2008-09 Season in its home in New York City, Frederick P. Rose Hall, and around the world. Please visit our website at www.jalc.org.