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Riverwalk Jazz Welcomes WSNC-FM 90.5
Beginning November 5, Riverwalk Jazz will be heard Wednesdays at 12:00 Noon on WSNC in Winston Salem, NC. Visit the station website for more information. And please help us pass the word.
This Month on Riverwalk Jazz
 11/6 Davenport Blues: The Bix Beiderbecke Letters
For a rare glimpse into the interior life of Jazz Age cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, The Jim Cullum Jazz Band performs his music, and actor Darren Bridget reads from personal letters Beiderbecke wrote to his family.
 11/13 Two of a Kind: Swinging Duos at The Landing
A trio of "dynamic duos" turn up the heat on The Landing bandstand. Trumpeter Nicholas Payton teams up with vocalist Topsy Chapman on tunes from New Orleans’ Spencer Williams. Jazz fiddler Andy Stein and guitarist Marty Grosz take on the music of Joe Venuti’s Blue Four. Cornetist Leon Oakley and tuba player Mike Walbridge play classics from the 1920s.
 11/20 Jazz Legends Play the Blues: Boogie Woogie to KC Blues
Renowned Bluesmen Jay McShann (left) and Joe Williams share the stage with trumpet legend Clark Terry to salute the blues with The Jim Cullum Jazz Band.
 11/27 Nice Work if You Can Get It: A Gershwin Cabaret
In the 1920s America was humming the tunes of George Gershwin. In our Riverwalk Jazz holiday cabaret, piano man Dick Hyman shares his love of all things Gershwin in music and conversation.
Bonus Content: Gershwin Photo Galleryand Performance by Dick Hyman
Note: Riverwalk Jazz public radio broadcasts are recorded well in advance of their airdates. These listings do not reflect live appearances at The Landing in San Antonio. For what's happening at The Landing, check our calendar page.
Just Ask
Just ask and we’ll answer your questions about The Landing, The Jim Cullum Jazz Band, and Riverwalk Jazz on the radio.
Dear Riverwalk Jazz:
 I am a regular listener of the band via the internet and also on YouTube. I think all members of the band are exceptional players but I would like to make special reference to Howard Elkins. I consider him outstanding and enjoy every minute of his playing and singing.
Regards, Keith Schwartz Macquarie Fields, Sydney Australia
Editor replies:
Keith, from a musician's point of view, there are very few banjo/guitarists in the jazz world who can surpass or equal Howard in the accuracy of his time and the tastefulness of his solid rhythm backing. Among "those in the know," he is widely considered to be the "gold standard" of jazz rhythm playing.
Dear Riverwalk Jazz:
How do I buy Jim Cullum's music? I'm looking especially for his rendition of Porgy & Bess.
Larry Hill
Editor replies:
 Larry, all of the currently available CDs of The Jim Cullum Jazz Band can be purchased securely online from our retail partner in St. Louis, Jazz By Mail. Unfortunately, the Band's 1987 recording of most of the songs from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess is not among them. At this time there are several used copies available from Amazon here. If you have one, hold on to it, because there are no plans from Sony to reissue the CD.
By the way, here is a complete discography of The Jim Cullum Jazz Band compiled by José A. Estévez Jr.
From the Forums
Here are some recent posts of interest:
- On Oct. 16, 2008, diamondblast wrote: "[Louis Armstrong] is trully a legend. We should write a short book about encounters with him. It's impossible to find today someone as humble as he was—truly one of a kind." Read more >>
- On Oct. 5, 2008, OldSeaRock wrote: "As an avid reader of Jazz bios, may I suggest this book on Bix: Bix: The Definitive Biography of a Jazz Legend by Jean Pierre Lion." Read more >>
Join the conversation here.
Where to Listen to Riverwalk Jazz
If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, we invite you to join our mailing list here (there is no charge). Once you are registered, log in at http://www.riverwalkjazz.orgrg/ > in the upper right click on Update Profile > Special Interests > put a check mark in the box for Jazz Me News. Your very own edition will be in your inbox at the beginning of each month.
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Top Five Reasons to Give to Riverwalk Jazz
Another year is winding to a close for Riverwalk Jazz. This season we brought you an ambitious new series of programs—including one with trumpet legend Clark Terry, a documentary on Lester Young, and a broadcast revisiting Nick’s in the Village with extensive photo galleries and interviews from listeners who were there.Plus great music by Jim Cullum and the Band.
Now is your chance to get a head start—and do your part to help Riverwalk Jazz balance the books on 2008. The project needs each of you who enjoys listening online to make a donation now—in any amount.
And for a little motivation, please check out our
Top Five Reasons for Giving.
- You enjoy listening to Riverwalk Jazz online—and your week wouldn’t be complete without it.
- The Riverwalk Jazz website is the only place you can hear the "real stuff" 24/7.
- You want to expose new generations to Red Hot Jazz.
- You appreciate being part of something uniquely American that’s appreciated worldwide.
- You love The Jim Cullum Jazz Band.
We can’t do it without you. Please renew, or join Riverwalk Jazz today.
Forest Whitaker To Direct and Star in Satchmo Biopic
 Forest Whitaker is to play Louis Armstrong (at right) in an officially-sanctioned biopic of the great trumpet player, which the Oscar-winning actor will also direct.
Named after Armstrong's best known song from his later career, What a Wonderful World will chronicle Armstrong's life from his early days in New Orleans to his death in 1971, following a long career over which he transformed jazz and popular music.
More here >>
Pianist Dave McKenna Dies
 New England-based pianist Dave McKenna, known for his wide-ranging knowledge of classic jazz repertoire and rolling left-hand bass, died on October 18 after a long period of declining health. He was 78.
Critic Whitney Balliett called McKenna "the hardest-swinging jazz pianist in history."
In his earlier years, McKenna often worked with Bobby Hackett, including some gigs at Eddie Condon's nightclub in Manhattan, playing what Hackett called "Whiskeyland Jazz." Among Dave's biggest influences was Nat King Cole.
In recent years, through his many performances at jazz parties and festivals, he had earned a reputation as a spectacular solo artist. Typically, McKenna would choose a set of tunes whose titles were all related to a theme, such as weather, trains, etc.
More here >>
Classic Jazz Media Online
"My Ohio Home," Paul Whiteman with Bix Beiderbecke, 1928. This is the only known film of Bix.
"Ain't Misbehavin'," Topsy Chapman, Rebecca Kilgore, John Sheridan, Dan Barrett and Duke Heitger, Scotland, 2008.
"Nobody Else But Me," "I'm Old Fashioned," Dave McKenna solo piano, from the early 1980s.
Where to Hear Live Jazz
Regular Gigs:
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16 Dick Hyman solo piano recital, 4:00 PM, First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, 1985 Louis Rd, Palo Alto CA 94303. For more details, call 650-856-6662.
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26-30 America's Finest City Dixieland Jazz Festival, San Diego, featuring vibist and singer John Cocuzzi, trumpeter Connie Jones, and many others. For more details, visit their website here.
On the Road with The Jim Cullum Jazz Band
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band appears Monday through Saturday nights beginning at 8:30 PM at The Landing in San Antonio, except for highlighted dates below. To find out when the JCJB is coming to your town in 2008, view our event calendar.
November Events
 9 Jazz Mass and Concert The Jim Cullum Jazz Band will play music for a Jazz Mass at the First United Methodist Church, 1320 Main St, Houston, TX, at 6:00 PM. The Mass will be followed by a concert. Call 832-668-1836 or visit their website Click here for a map. Note: this event had been previously scheduled for last September but was delayed by Hurricane Ike.
Photo Credits
- Bix Beiderbecke 1927 courtesy http://www.bixography.com
- 1922 sheet music cover "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" from Wikipedia.com
- Jay McShann courtesy Billy Vera Collection, Clemson University
- George Gershwin 1930 courtesy The History of Motion Pictures
- Howard Elkins © William Carter
- Porgy and Bess CD cover art courtesy Jim Cullum Jr.
- Clark Terry courtesyNew Jersey Public Television & Radio
- Nick's marqueé
- Lester Young courtesyRed Hot Jazz Archive
- Louis Armstrong early publicity photo
- Dave McKenna courtesy Dave McKenna website
- First United Methodist Church, Houston, TX
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