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…
Bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding and pianist Fred Hersch are raising funds for Jazz Foundation of America amid the pandemic.
(Photo: Christopher Drukker)Bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding and pianist Fred Hersch recorded a 2018 run at New York’s Village Vanguard, and a five-song digital EP derived from the engagement is aiming to raise funds for Jazz Foundation of America’s COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund.
Live At The Village Vanguard—Rough Mix EP: A Benefit Recording For The Jazz Foundation Of America opens with the Gershwin tune “But Not For Me,” while Spalding (who sticks to vocals across the recording) takes on songs like “Girl Talk” and “Some Other Time,” moving between proper lyrics and scat interpretations.
“I think there’s a lot of joy and beauty in this music that Fred and I made,” Spalding said in a press release. “Beyond collecting money for musicians in need, sharing the beauty in our hearts can have a healing effect as well.”
The recording—which will be available through June at a cost of $17—follows an outpouring of relief efforts, including JFA’s own May 14 #TheNewGig streaming concert. On May 28, the organization also announced that several entities had contributed to the COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund, including Blue Note Records, Concord Jazz, Mack Avenue Records, the Verve Label Group, Warner Music Group, Amazon Music, Apple Music and the Herb Alpert Foundation.
“[A]n immense amount of work remains to be done, and the tremendous response we have received to date only scratches the surface when you consider the thousands of musicians and families in economic free-fall across the country who are now in need of emergency financial support for basic necessities like groceries and utility payments,” JFA Executive Director Joe Petrucelli said in a press release. DB
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…
The Century Room in downtown Tucson, Arizona, was born in 2021.
May 21, 2024 12:58 PM
Players got to play. It’s long been a part of jazz history: When there’s a venue vacuum, when there are fewer…
“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 —…