Great news !!

We have a date to celebrate our new Owl Studios release,  “Come With Me” at The Jazz Kitchen on Friday, March 18 (for everyone without hangovers after St. Patrick’s Day).

The performance will be a celebration of Women’s History Month, combining some of my music from the CD while featuring several fabulous female guest artists, including: Brenda Williams, Heather Ramsey, and Carolyn Dutton!

In addition, we’d like to present the event as a fundraiser for the first annual “Girls Create Music” camp, which will take place June 27 – July 2 at the Civic Theatre. More information can be found at the ISIS of Indiana website!

See you at The Jazz Kitchen Friday, March 18th!

It’s been an exhilarating, inspiring, busy week in New Orleans.  As a board member of the Jazz Education Network, I arrived Monday for board meetings in preparation for the 2nd annual conference.  By Wednesday evening, the Roosevelt hotel was bustling with activity as the Jazz musicians, teachers, students, enthusiasts, writers, radio programmers, promoters, agents, and spouses and chaperons thereof started arriving in anticipation of the weekend.  The theme of the conference was “Honoring Performance in the Birthplace of Jazz”.  Several of New Orleans’ legendary performers and groups were featured, such as Astral Project, Dr. Michael White, Delfeayo Marsalis, Topsy Chapman, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and many more.  In addition, performers included NEA Jazz Master Dave Liebman, Lynne Arriale, the Airmen of Note, Jeff Coffin, Larry Ridley, and a long list of who is who in jazz.
The days were jam packed with more performances and informative clinics.  Some of the exciting  new projects were the introduction of the new Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz and the Quincy Jones Music Curriculum.  Throughout the day the exhibit hall featured more than 70 exhibitors including publishers, instrument manufacturers, universities, etc.  And anyone who wasn’t completely worn out after a day of back-to-back clinics, performances, meetings, visits could walk across the street into the French Quarter and enjoy New Orleans culture and food.
One of my jobs was to lead the nightly jam sessions at the Sazerac Restaurant.  With a hotel full of the best jazz musicians in the world it wasn’t difficult to assemble a fabulous rhythm section and there was no shortage of jammers.  Legendary bassists Gene Perla, Ratzo Harris and drummer Steve Barnes helped me kick off the evenings.  Some of my highlights were playing a furious 6/8 Cuban version of All Blues with Bobby Sanabria and Don Braden and watching Shelly Berg do his magic on the piano keys.
I definitely have to catch up on some sleep now, but it was worth every second.  The Jazz Education Network has been in existence for not even three years now and has done wonders in pulling the jazz community together after the demise of the International Association for Jazz Education.  The 2012 conference will take place January 4-7 in Louisville, KY and applications for clinics and performances will be posted on the website soon, due April 30.  It’ll be even bigger and better, don’t miss it.  More info at www.jazzednet.org.

Many of you may remember that in September of 2010, Owl Studios jazz guitar artist Fareed Haque spent a few days in Florida, before and after concerts, recording instructional videos for the DVD company Truefire. Check out these past blogs by Fareed to read how he went about preparing and recording the project:

Learn to Play Guitar Like Fareed
Traveling with Fareed…But which Guitars to Bring…?
Traveling with Fareed…DVD Recording…Day Two

Fareed Haque’s Jazz Comping Survival Guide DVD is now being released and you can check out little snippets of each segment, by clicking HERE. With 76 segments, and each snippet between a minute and 3 minutes long, there is a lot of material to wet your appetite for the FULL version of the DVD available from Truefire.

This looks and sounds like an amazing jazz educational tool for guitarists of all walks of life! Pick up your copy today! And don’t forget that Fareed has some exciting projects happening this year:

New Trio Recording & Film Score
The Ups and Downs…
_____________________
Albums by Fareed on Owl Studios:

Garaj Mahal: More Mr. Nice Guy
Listen to a Sample: Title: What My Friends Say
Artist: Garaj Mahal
Copyright: 2010 Owl Studios

Flat Earth Ensemble: Flat Planet
Listen to a Sample:

Title: Bengali Bud
Artist: Fareed Haque
Copyright: 2009 Owl Studios

Garaj Mahal: w00t
Listen to a Sample:

Title: 7 Cows Jumping Over the Moon
Artist: Garaj Mahal
Copyright: 2008 Owl Studios

Composer, educator and trombonist Brent Wallarab is the Artist in Residence this week in Lafayette Indiana for the Purdue University Jazz Festival. The Jazz Fest, in its 125th year has commissioned Wallarab to write a piece celebrating it’s long tradition.

Brent has been in Lafayette Indiana this week working with, rehearsing and soloing with various bands from the surrounding area, including the Purdue Jazz Band led by Mo Trout.

The commissioned piece is titled ‘Kilgore’s Kin’ and is dedicated to the writings of Indianapolis native Kurt Vonnegut. The writing of this piece dedicated to an author continues the tradition Wallarab started with his ‘Suite Storytelling’ which can be found on the Owl Studios 2010 release by the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, Mezzanine. A recurring character in Vonnegut’s’ novels is science fiction writer, Kilgore Trout. The fact that the band premiering the new piece, ‘Kilgore’s Kin’ is led by Mo Trout, is just icing on the cake for Wallarab!

For more information about the concerts and events surrounding the 2011 Purdue University Jazz Fest click HERE.

To keep up with Owl Studios find us on Facebook.

Monday, January 10, 2011 by Owl Studios

This past weekend, jazz trumpeter and Owl Studios artist Pharez Whitted and his sextet performed at The Jazz Showcase in Chicago Illinois. The band consisted of the same members that recorded with Pharez for his 2010 release, Transient Journey. Many great reviews has come in for Transient Journey and people have said some great things about the album, like this:

“On a program of originals, Whitted leaves no prisoners in a high flying, free flowing fanfare” – Jazz Society of Oregon

Check out this great video put together by the Chicago Tribune:

Pharez at Jazz Showcase

Those jazz releases that we are so proud of, have been played all over the country on jazz radio stations. From New York, to LA and everything in the middle, jazz fans and afionados can hear Owl Studios artists!

Two of our artists have been played enough to be included in the JazzWeek Top 100 Jazz of 2010.

At #70 is the album Carnival of Soul, by legendary drummer Mike Clark! This swingin’ Organ Trio album was played a total of 1,683 times around the nation and peaked out at #8 after its release in June, 2010.  The core trio featuring Mike Clark on Drums, Jerry Z on Organ and Owl Studios artist Rob Dixon on Tenor Sax successfully toured Russia during the month of October! (Click here find links to all of their blogging during their incredible trip!)

At #49 is the jazz trumpet playing of Pharez Whitted. His 2010 release Transient Journey garnered lots of great reviews and 1,963 radio plays peaking at #7.

Look for more great Owl Studios releases in 2011 and tune into your local radio station to hear your favorite artists from this independent jazz record label!

Owl Studios will not engage in such behavior, but we will pass on to you, our fans, the lists and ‘Best of 2010′ articles in which our incredible artists appear. Because…why not? Our artists are great and deserve the recognition they get!

First, it gives me great pleasure to say that two of our artists made the Top 100 list of JazzWeek Top 100 Jazz of 2010. Click here to read the blog dedicated to this honor. Basically, Transient Journey by jazz trumpeter Pharez Whitted and Carnival of Soul by legendary drummer Mike Clark were 2 of the 100 most played albums around the United States in 2010. Yeah, AWESOME!!

Journalist, Lou Harry, of the Indianapolis Business Journal wrote a very nice ‘holiday themed thank you’ article titled ‘Art-felt Thanks‘, before the holidays began. He included Owl Studios in his thoughts of what he is thankful for in the world of Indy arts. So, thank YOU Lou!!

The Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra almost always makes it onto someones Holiday Music list. Where else can you find swingin’, original big band arrangements of classic holiday music? On the album, Carol of the Bells, that’s where!

No need for a Top Ten List when we’re talking about the funky touring Jam Band, The Twin Cats! How about a TOP 5 Midwestern Live Bands! Yeah, The Twin Cats are THAT good! Check out their album Thick and find out what the buzz is all about!!

A big ‘Thank You’ to NUVO‘s Scott Shoger, who is always out and about writing about the musical happenings in the Indy scene. He included Owl Studios in his 2010 wrap-up (but of course he would…we’re out and about too!!)

Jazz radio personality, journalist and local legend, Chuck Workman, also included the happenings of Owl Studios and the re-formatted Indy Jazz Fest in his 2010 in Review.

There are a lot of positive movements in the world of jazz, and thanks to our wonderful artists and our incredible fans, Owl Studios is right in the thick of it all!

Thank you all and here’s to a wonderful 2011!

Steve will be featured on a full array of percussion instruments including concert toms, vibes and drum set.

Steve also recently performed my big band composition, “Dragonfly” in September in Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand.

Steve is also president of PASIC, Percussive Arts Society.  They have moved their world headquarters to Indianapolis and will hold their 2nd Convention here, November 10th -13th at the Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis.  Last year there were over 6000 attendees with many professionals and “legends” Showcased during the event.

I am participating in the drum competition portion of the conference with nationally known guitarist, Corey Christiansen and bassist, Jeremy Allen.

The same group with drummer, Steve Houghton will then convene again Friday, December 3rd at The Jazz Kitchen, Indianapolis, IN for a swinging night of straight-ahead jazz with some originals thrown in by Corey and myself.