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Headed by swinging drummer Sherrie Maricle, the Diva Jazz Orchestra exudes the excitement and force found in the tradition of historic big bands, with an eye toward originality and creativity. With New York as its home base, Diva performs original contemporary and mainstream big band jazz composed and arranged to fit their distinctive ensemble sound and highlight their soloists’ unique personalities and styles. Since their premiere performance, Diva has toured the world to critical and popular acclaim. Now this all-female ensemble is celebrating its 30th anniversary with their latest endeavor, “30: Live at Dizzy’s.”
The first time that the two pianists met, Les McCann didn’t bother to formally greet Joe Alterman. The then wheelchair-bound McCann simply approached the stage of New York’s legendary Blue Note, where the younger pianist was in the middle of his sound check, and said, “Play me some blues, boy.” The results were greeted with a simple “Amen”, and with that began an unlikely friendship that has now spanned more than a decade. That tightknit relationship provides the deeply emotional core of “Joe Alterman Plays Les McCann: Big Mo & Little Joe,” a loving tribute from Alterman to his mentor and friend.
Also this week, pianist, singer and big band leader Matt Catingub pays tribute to his mother, the Samoan-born singer Mavis Rivers, with “From Samoa to Sinatra,” including five tunes with Matt singing alongside his mom via the magic of recording technology; Pete Zimmer, a top-call drummer on the New York jazz scene, offers up his sixth release a leader, “Dust Settles”; and veteran drummer Mike Clark, with guests Eddie Henderson, Bill Summers and others, ventures from straight-ahead to funk and beyond on “Kosen Rufu.”
With his career at the highest levels of the music industry spanning a half-century, Grammy nominated composer/arranger John La Barbera doesn’t have much left to prove. Thanks to his early career in helping to define the sounds of the Buddy Rich Band, Woody Herman, Bill Watrous, and so many others, La Barbera’s works have become jazz big band standards. For his new album, “Grooveyard,” he gathered a band of equals in New York City and spent some time recording his latest and best hard swinging arrangements. Along with his equally storied brothers Pat on saxophone and Joe on drums, he was joined by jazz royalty including Steve Wilson, Renee Rosnes, Clay Jenkins, and the legendary bassist Rufus Reid.
Award-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader Rubim de Toledo continues to expand his fertile catalogue of music with the exciting new release, “The Drip.” De Toledo has secured a position as one of Western Canada’s most celebrated musical artists. He has shared the stage with a long list of international stars, including the likes of Mulgrew Miller, Dick Oatts, Wycliffe Gordon, Bob Mintzer, Terell Stafford, and Peter Bernstein. On his new record, his seventh in all, the Brazilian-Canadian musician delves deeper into his tropical roots, exploring sounds from Brazil, Cuba, the Caribbean, as well as Afrobeat, funk and jazz.
Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler
Jazz Night in America