Jul 9, 2024 11:35 AM
Trumpeter, Educator Jim Rotondi Dies at 61
Jim Rotondi, a renowned hard-bop trumpeter, composer and educator, died suddenly on July 7 at a hospital in France. He…
Dr. John (pictured) is among the performers who will salute producer Tommy LiPuma on June 23 as part of the Tri-C Jazz Festival in Cleveland.
(Photo: Bruce Weber)The city of Cleveland will honor a hometown hero when Tommy LiPuma, one of the most successful producers in jazz history, will be feted with a special 80th birthday concert featuring performances by Diana Krall, Al Jarreau, Dr. John, Leon Russell and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra on June 23.
Billed as Tommy LiPuma’s Big Birthday Bash, the show will kick off the 37th annual Tri-C Jazz Fest (June 23–25) at Cleveland’s Connor Palace at Playhouse Square.
LiPuma is widely acknowledged as an innovator in the music industry, respected for his keen ear and knack for identifying new talent. His career milestones include stints at such venerable institutions as A&M, Blue Thumb, Warner Bros. and Elektra. He was also president of The GRP Recording Co. and chairman of The Verve Music Group.
As a producer, LiPuma has collaborated with Miles Davis, Natalie Cole, George Benson, Sir Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand.
LiPuma, a native of Cleveland, has produced albums that have combined for sales in excess of 75 million units. Additionally, LiPuma has won five Grammy awards among his 36 nominations.
Beginning as a professional saxophone player, LiPuma became a record promoter in his mid-20s, joining M.S. Distributors in Cleveland in 1960. He made his recording debut with the O’Jays in 1965 and went on to become the very first A&R man at the just-launched A&M Records.
In 2012, the board of trustees of Cleveland’s Cuyahoga Community College named the campus arts center the Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts in recognition of LiPuma’s support of the college and its students. Though he currently lives in New York, he continues to serve the college as a guest lecturer and faculty adviser.
LiPuma produced the forthcoming album by trumpeter Dominick Farinacci, whose Short Stories is due out June 10 on Mack Avenue. The recording marks the first time that nationally recognized artists, engineers and producers have made an entire album at Tri-C’s Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts. Farinacci, who is also a Cleveland native, first met LiPuma at age 16, when he was a participant in the Tri-C Jazz Studies program.
In addition to Tommy LiPuma’s Big Birthday Bash, the 2016 Tri-C Jazz Festival will include performances by pianist Chick Corea (June 24), David Sanborn and Maceo Parker (June 24), Terence Blanchard’s E-Collective (June 25), Melissa Aldana and Somi (June 25) and more.
For a complete lineup, visit the festival’s website.
Jim Rotondi was acclaimed for his wide, round trumpet tone, remarkable virtuosity and assured swing.
Jul 9, 2024 11:35 AM
Jim Rotondi, a renowned hard-bop trumpeter, composer and educator, died suddenly on July 7 at a hospital in France. He…
Charles Lloyd, seen here at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, makes DownBeat Poll history!
Jul 11, 2024 12:23 PM
The incomparable Charles Lloyd swept the 72nd Annual DownBeat Critics Poll, becoming the first artist ever to earn…
“Being president of Blue Note has been one of the coolest things that ever happened to me,” Was said. “It’s a gas to serve as one of the caretakers of that legacy.”
Jun 4, 2024 12:21 PM
Sitting with Don Was is a comfortable and unhurried exercise. He may seem slightly reserved at first, but ideas and…
“She reminds me of my childhood and makes we want to cry,” Cécile McLorin Salvant, pictured here with writer Ashley Kahn, said of Dianne Reeves.
Jun 11, 2024 12:31 PM
Italy’s Umbria Jazz Winter is one of those rare annual festivals that not only coincides with a major holiday —…
Maria Schneider said of Decades, her new compilation release: “I just wanted to create something, put it in a beautiful box and say, ‘Look at what we did.‘”
Jun 18, 2024 12:00 PM
Maria Schneider opened the sleek black box and placed it on a coffee table in her Manhattan apartment. Inside lay the…
