Joe Solomon Jazz Workshop:TRUE JAZZ SINGERS

[Ed Fuqua]

Students and friends -
First let me thank and congratulate those of you who attended last month's GUITAR SEMINAR II. Your participation as intent listeners was absolutely essential in making the event as fantastic as it was. Now it is my extreme pleasure to invite you to be part of a meeting of two truly unique jazz vocalists on Sunday, Feb. 3rd. Both Sheila Jordan and Alexa Fila are jazz musicians in the truest sense, improvisors who offer not a well-rehearsed jazz version of a song, but instead a spontaneous improvisation driven by the way they feel and hear it in the moment of performance. Sheila has remained true to this credo throughout a career that reaches back past the sixties when I first heard her on the great Portrait Of Sheila album which I immediately bought and soon wore out. In addition, Sheila, along with Lee Konitz and Ted Brown, is among the last living links to the heyday of Lennie Tristano's east 32nd street studio when Lennie's students included not only the aforementioned three, but Warne Marsh, Sal Mosca, Peter Ind, Willie Dennis, Don Ferrara and Bird, Mingus and Leonard Bernstein were regular visitors.
Although she does not share her international renown, Alexa Fila does share Sheila Jordan's commitment to swinging, melodic, in the moment improvisation. Like her idol Billie Holiday, Alexa seldom strays from the lyrics yet she manages to fashion an entirely fresh, deeply felt version of a tune each time through it. To this I can personally attest having heard her sing some songs literally hundreds of times. Alexa always leaves me spellbound by what she's done on the last chorus and eager to hear what she'll do on the next.
I am also very happy to give bass students a chance to hear, in this intimate setting, Cameron Brown, a true master bassist and Sheila's longtime collaborator. Cameron and I first met as members of the Columbia College freshman class in the Fall of 1964. Even though we were both identified as bass players, I was far more interested in being seen carrying my instrument around than in practicing. Cameron had already reached a level of seriousness about music, study, and our shared instrument that was still years away for me. It's been nearly fifty years, but I do look forward very much to our paths crossing again on Feb. 3rd.
This event promises to be a fabulous interaction of seriously creative improvisors. I hope you can participate. Please click on or print the attached flyer for all the details.
-joe

[Anonymatt]

Really looking forward to attending one of these Joe Solomon things. Unfortunately, it always seems like I have some other rehearsal or something when it happens. Anybody ever video these workshops?

[Ed Fuqua]

I've seen a couple of folks do the iPhone vid thing, but I don't think it ever gets posted anywhere....

[Ed Fuqua]

Bump for impendingness....

[lecoreis]

It Was unbelievable .