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AGENDA Cover Models Coco Mitchell & Ty-Ron Mayes Talk “Career” on the Fashion Whisperer Podcast!

Coco Mitchell (Front) and Ty-Ron Mayes (Back) Cover Models

Supermodel Coco Mitchell dazzles on the front cover and celebrity stylist Ty-Ron Mayes shines on the flip cover of AGENDA magazine Issue 18. Both are mavericks in the world of fashion, gaining endless exposure and worldwide recognition. These fashion trailblazers have an engaging dialogue, offering hidden gems of knowledge, including how to thrive as people of color in a competitive industry. Coco Mitchell talks about her early beginnings as a model during her interview, and AGENDA’s editor-in-chief Kaylene Peoples shares how the Fashion Whisperer became a part of the magazine.

September 14, 2022 – Los Angeles, CA

“Coco Mitchell was part of that first wave of Black models who came onto the fashion industry, mainstream, and at a top level. We were all just making it up as we went along, fighting for contracts, fighting to be on the runway, fighting to be in ads, fighting for covers. It was a movement for visibility [and] for representation, because Black people were spending a lot of money buying the top designer labels [including] Calvin Klein jeans, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and still to this day, Gucci. There was an unwritten call to start having Black people in some of these ads and some of these covers, and more representation that would match the dollars that were coming out of the fashion industry.”–Ty-Ron Mayes

It all started with a fortuitous encounter with Eileen Ford who planted a seed in the mind of the young unassuming school teacher Coco Mitchell. And after one year of teaching at a Catholic school, Coco followed Eileen’s suggestion and made a call to destiny. “I got discovered by Eileen Ford [of Ford Models] on the streets of New York City. She walked up to me and asked me if I had a book. I replied, ‘I have lots of books.’” Mitchell continues, “I just graduated from college, and I’m going to be a teacher. I start in two months.” During the course of this conversation, Eileen informed her that what she’d be making every two weeks as a teacher, she could make every 20-30 minutes as a model. And the “book” Ford was referring to, she explained to Mitchell that it was a book with her pictures in it—a model’s portfolio. –Fashion Whisperer Podcast

Since that phone call, Coco Mitchell has been on a continuous, lucrative adventure as a model, working with some of the most iconic designers and campaigns around the world in the last four decades. From being a Kelly Girl to walking the runway for the biggest fashion brands, the former elementary school teacher was featured in MADEMOISELLE, GLAMOUR, Italian and French VOGUE. Coco was one of the first African American models to be in THE SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT ISSUE and has worked with Francesco Scavullo, Herb Ritts, Armani, Versace, Dior, Givenchy, Valentino, just to touch the surface of her illustrious career. And after her first modeling assignment in the late 70s, she hasn’t missed a beat and shares the title as one of the hardest working supermodels in the industry.

Coco Mitchell talks about the fit model:

“I was still so new to modeling that I didn’t know before I met Ralph Rucci that models did fittings. Ralph approached me at a restaurant, ‘Coco Mitchell, I would love for you to do my fittings.’ When I did a fitting, I fit my clothes for what I’m wearing in the show, not do fittings. I said to him, ‘I don’t understand what you’re talking about?’ He said, ‘I want you to fit my whole collection.’” Mitchell talks about how she expanded her career as a fit model for Badgley Mischka, Chado Ralph Rucci, Donna Karan, and others. She added, “You could make a quarter of a million dollars just doing fittings!”—Fashion Whisperer Podcast

Ty-Ron Mayes has styled over 150 magazine covers and countless celebrities, including Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Carol Alt, Iman, Adriana Lima, Tyson Beckford, Megan Fox, Eminem, Daymond John, Leelee Sobieski, Renauld White, M.J. Rodriguez, Ron Carter, Halle Berry, Michelle Rodriguez, Mariah Carey, Lauren Hutton, and others. He was the fashion consultant to Tyra Banks for America’s Next Top Model Cycle 20, and was not only on Cycle 21, but was appointed by Tyra as ANTM’s first Lead Wardrobe Stylist. His career as a celebrity stylist was officially launched by Francesco Scavullo and Sean Byrnes, where he styled Oprah Winfrey on several magazine covers. Mayes has styled international editions of VOGUE, HARPER’S BAZAAR, ELLE, MARIE CLAIRE, and COSMOPOLITAN magazines. He has works with many prestigious photographers, including David LaChapelle, Sante D’Orazio, Anne Menke, Udo Spreitzenbarth, Antoine Verglas, Mike Ruiz, Marlena Bielinska, Emin Kadi, Matthew Jordan Smith, Mark Borthwick, Marc Baptiste, Yu Tsai, Ezequiel de la Rosa, and Greg Gorman. Some of Mayes’s advertising clients are Stila Cosmetics, Maybelline, Miss Clairol, Clairol Beauty Collection, Iman Cosmetics, FUBU, and the Guess campaign. Designers with whom Ty-Ron has cultivated relationships include Custo Barcelona, Carmen Marc Valvo, The Blonds, Nicole Miller, Zang Toi, and Lie Sang Bong. And Ty-Ron Mayes was given the name, “The Super Stylist.”

AGENDA’s editor-in-chief, Kaylene Peoples, approached Mayes about his being on the flip cover of issue 18. Ty-Ron was initially featured in the magazine years ago when AGENDA (agendamag.com) was exclusively online. Peoples later featured Rick Genest (Zombie Boy), an editorial styled by Mayes, which appeared in the 2014 inaugural “print” issue of AGENDA Special Edition I: “Fall Is Fascinating.” In 2018, print issue 6, Mayes was featured in Fashion Trailblazers, a 14-page retrospective, titled, “Ty-Ron Mayes: An Inside View of His Fabulous, Fashionable Court.” Also, in that issue, Ty-Ron styled Supermodel Maria Borges for the cover story, as well as the fashion spreads with Kelly LeBrock and Phil Sullivan.

“Ty-Ron and I discussed his being a part of AGENDA’s team in 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic. We had a great synergy and tended to think alike when it came to fashion stories. I was delighted when he agreed to come on board. The Fashion Whisperer made its debut, and issue 12, ‘Generation Quarantine – Pandemic 2020 the Fashionable Response’ was our PSA, becoming the holy grail of that perilous epoch and now part of AGENDA’s time capsule. AGENDA was one of the pandemic’s first responders for the written word in a fashion and lifestyle print magazine, and helped to open dialogue for other fashion periodicals; and the fashion story, ‘Generation Quarantine,’ was pivotal during that time.”—Kaylene Peoples, AGENDA Editor-in-Chief

Mitchell and Mayes star in their own stunning fashion editorials. Ty-Ron styles both spreads, featuring clothes and accessories (for Coco Mitchell) by Versus by Versace, Zang Toi, Donna Karan, Salvatore Ferragamo, Carmen Marc Valvo, and Sam’s Army & Navy, photographed by Ezequiel de la Rosa; and (for Ty-Ron Mayes) with Roberto Cavalli, Alessandro Gherardeschi, Tahari, vintage Jean-Paul Gaultier, Eliza J., Christian Louboutin, Zars London, Tiffany & Co., Salvatore Ferragamo, and Versace, photographed by Udo Spreitzenbarth with makeup, hair, and grooming by Ty-Ron Mayes for Paper Faces.

“The fashion stories, ‘In Love with the Coco’ and ‘Ty-Ron Mayes – Fashion Whisperer’ are both compelling and wonderfully styled editorials that are beautiful additions to this highly curated issue of AGENDA, which is all about inclusion. Coco Mitchell has been on our radar for some time, her being our cover model is not only thrilling, but beyond ideal as we approached the current fashion season; and Ty-Ron Mayes living on AGENDA’s flip cover has been a long time coming . . . and way overdue!”–Kaylene Peoples

With prestigious campaigns with Thierry Mugler’s “White Sands,” Virginia Slims, Benson and Hedges, and countless television commercials, Coco Mitchell has spoken at FIT, Pratt, and the Phoenix Art Museum in conjunction with PAM’s “Chado Ralph Rucci” exhibit. Coco Mitchell is now consulting, coaching, casting, directing editorial shoots, and assisting those both established and emerging in their modeling careers, and continues to give back to the very community that has enriched her life in countless ways!

Ty-Ron Mayes is one of New York’s most sought-after celebrity stylists who not only dresses his famous clientele, but also models. Mayes has walked in the highly touted Blue Jacket Fashion Show for three years in a row.

“When I was asked by founder Frederick Anderson to be part of The Blue Jacket Fashion Show, I was super excited, because the charity itself brings awareness to the prevention of prostate cancer. This was an opportunity for me to join the men’s health movement. The Blue Jacket Show brings together celebrities from the fashion, sports, news, and entertainment industries to have a national conversation about the risks of this disease. This year the focus was on African American & Latin men in America who statistically are the highest documented incidence rates of prostate cancer in the world.” – Ty-Ron Mayes

Check out Ty-Ron Mayes and Coco Mitchell’s cover stories in AGENDA Issue 18: “Black Design Collective” (Digital & Print). To listen to Ty-Ron’s interview with Coco Mitchell, visit The Fashion Whisperer Podcast at agendamag.com. AGENDA is published by KL Publishing Group. (@agendamag)

Written by Sean McKenzie
E: firsttakepr@aol.com
First Take PR (https://www.firsttakepr.com)

 

 

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SIRIUS XM: SIX ALBUMS FROM 2016 YOU MUST HEAR

SiriusXM Radio | Jan 4, 2017

Everyone has shared their best of lists, and before it’s too late, we thought we’d contribute with six albums from 2016 that are worth taking a listen to. Some you may be familiar with, a few are just a little under the radar.

1. GOOD TIMES – THE MONKEES

Who would have thought that the Monkees, that so-called ‘fake band’, would have released one of the best albums of 2016, more than 50 years after they arrived on television. But that’s exactly what they did with Good Times, featuring a plethora of great songs from indie and alternative songwriters who grew up loving the pre-fab four. The first single, ‘You Bring The Summer’ comes from the pen of XTC’s Andy Partridge, and set the tone for what became the biggest comeback of the year.

2. BLUE AND LONESOME – THE ROLLING STONES

Fans have been waiting for the Stones to get back to their blues for decades, and with this, their first covers album, the band deliver. Sounding younger than ever, the band is at ease playing music that influenced their earliest years. Mick Jagger is the star of this show, as he infuses each song with power and passion and grit (along with his distinctive harmonica playing). I saw the band at Desert Trip and they were on fire – live and in the studio, the Rolling Stones just might be at their best right now.

3. HARDWIRED…TO SELF-DESTRUCT

Metallica was back with a vengeance with their first studio album in 8 years. Hardwired…is a ballad-free, relentless piece of aggression that pleased many a die-hard metal fans. The title track also served as the first single and was a shortened taste of what the band would deliver throughout the course of two discs. Prog rock length tracks, time changes and some of the greatest riffage the band has ever laid down.

4. BLACKSTAR – DAVID BOWIE

While we may never get over the loss of David Bowie, in 2016 we were given the gift of the man writing his own demise. Blackstar is one of the greatest albums in the man’s impressive catalogue, thanks to the nearly 10-minute title track and the hauntingly beautiful ‘Lazarus’. Blackstar is an album that’s beauty will continue to unravel over the years to come.

5. YOU WANT IT DARKER – LEONARD COHEN

Along with Bowie, Leonard Cohen crafted an album that stared mortality in the face and didn’t blink an eye. Skillfully produced by the bard’s son Adam, You Want It Darker is a more organic album that more recent Cohen offerings and is all the better for it. The highlight is definitely the title track, which utilized a Jewish men’s choir to stirring effect.

6. THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM – THE NEAL MORSE BAND

Definitely not a household name, Neal Morse is the current shining light of progressive rock, and his recent double-album is a tour de force that had band mate and iconic drummer Mike Portnoy saying, “I’ve always had a soft spot for double concept albums such as Pink Floyd’s THE WALL and The Who’s TOMMY, and I can bravely say that I think we’ve created an album here that can sit side by side with those masterpieces”. For fans of hard rock and prog rock, it’s a must hear. (Rich Mouser was the Mixing Engineer for this project).

CITY OF DESTRUCTION – THE NEAL MORSE BAND

Read Original Source:  SiriusXM Radio

Six albums from 2016 you must hear

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Trek Stars Team Up To Fight Bullying in “Be Kind” Campaign

trekmovies.com | Jan 4, 2017

This year, the Pop Culture Hero Coalition, an anti-bullying non-profit founded by Chase Masterson (Leeta, DS9), has teamed up with Star Trek stars who ask that you start 2017 with a resolution to Be Kind to one another. You can join the fight and be a real life hero by pledging to be kind, and you can do it in style with a Be Kind tee shirt.

“Think before you type. Start 2017 with the resolution to #BeKind,” reads the description for one of the Pop Culture Hero Coalition’s holiday fundraiser tee shirts.

Star Trek, like other modern pop culture franchises, is at its core a message to understand one another, embrace diversity, and overall be excellent to each other. Chase Masterson, the coalition’s founder, saw this as an opportunity to create the first-ever organization that uses the universal appeal of comics, film & TV to create anti-bullying programs at pop culture events, and in schools and communities.

Their mission is simple:

To educate and support children, teens and adults to overcome bullying and social injustice, and to transform their struggles into strengths, using stories and characters from pop culture TV, film, and comics.

They do this by hosting events, organizing convention panels, and even developing lesson plans for schools. They’ve had huge successes helping kids affected by the San Bernardino mass shooting, those suffering from PTSD and bullying and inner city kids in places like Chicago. Currently, they are working to teach Trek’s ideal of Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations (IDIC) in schools.

“We love our onscreen heroes. Why not be heroes, too? So many people have told us, ‘I wish you had this when I was in school.’” says Masterson. “Roddenberry created a powerful key to social justice, and we are continuing that work in real life. We have the opportunity to teach IDIC to kids, before it’s too late… before there are any more suicides, or broken hearts, or battered psyches due to bullying — and we truly appreciate your support in this crucial work”

You can help support the cause by purchasing a Be Kind tee, sweatshirt, or tank. Proceeds from sales will go directly to help the Coalition’s mission. Learn more about the Coalition’s work on their official website.

Original Source: http://trekmovie.com/2016/12/28/trek-stars-team-up-to-fight-bullying-in-be-kind-campaign/

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LTD BB1005 Bunny Brunel Test & Review – The Blue Wonder

esp-ltd-bb-1005-quilted-maple-black-aqua

Geschrieben von Dirk Groll, (Translated from German: http://www.gitarrebass.de Gitarre & Bass Magazine)

LTD BB1005

Rapid fusion action on a stately Fivestring, with a further extended range: Bunny Brunel’s signature model from LTD brings some top performances together.

The Quilted Maple blanket with stylish transparent varnish ensures the appropriate eye-catching appearance. The BB1005 is available in Black Aqua, Burnt Orange and See Through Black Sunburst; Except for the bundled models, a Fretless is also available. According to its name, this instrument is equipped for all styles.

Big Player

First, the blue testbass presents itself as a powerful instrument with a large body and an elongated head plate, total length 119 cm. The Longscale neck is made of maple and straight, the side-glued corpus wings consist of alder, with the whole front of the bodysuit with a beautiful cloudy top.

On the wide ebony fingerboard is plenty of space for a clean finger, which at the same time means that the Brunel Fivestring is not necessarily the most comfortable player for short fingers. At the flat neck profile it should not lie, however, the string position can be set very low without frills.

The solid hipshot bridge is a solid, so that the strings can be inserted from the rear through the body or can be attached conventionally from the front. The semi-finished precision tuners also come from the same manufacturer, the tuner for the low-frequency H-string being equipped with an extender lever that lowers the thickest string to the A as required.

The electrical equipment, which comes completely from Aguilar, provides for a sound versatility. In the bridge position sits a 5M-humbucker with fat Alnico magnets, at the neck also an Alnico-equipped J-Pickup. This is, of course, not a simple single coil, but a two-coil hum-Canceling design, so that all the pickup mixes that can be recalled at the crossover are free of hum. For further sound variation is a three-band active EQ on board, the center band of which can be switched by pull switch between 400 and 800 Hz.

Much of everything

Due to the flat neck / body transition, the 24th position is also completely unobstructed, and the BB1005 is also perfectly balanced due to the long corpus spine and without any approach from the top of the belt. The weight of approx. 4.2 kg is not exaggerated for a grown five and ensures that the body is calm and stable to the body.

The Brunel-Fivestring with its continuous neck, the massive neck and the optional string guide from the front, is the result of a lush sustain development and swinging pleasure arke maple ensures that the sound does not get too soft and soothing, but precisely and directly starts, Which is also important for fast-paced fusion carnivals.

Even the extender for the H-string is really usable. Actually one would only have to see under the deep H undefined booby, but actually the Brunel Fivestring also a cleanly defined A is effected. A certain surprise is provided by the electric touch, where the fat Alnico humbucker produces a rather airy and bony sound.

This is clearly due to the relatively high-pitched placement, where there are fewer bass components in the string amplitude. Convincingly, the 5M humbucker brings a clear, tidy sound with offensive growl. The narrow J-Pickup in the neck position is responsible for real bass depth and thickness, and the splitcoil fulfills this role with balanced broadband and a fine shot of offensive Alnico presence. The fact that its pole pieces protrude somewhat from the cap according to the handlebuck, could, in the case of a misdirected slap, lead to clattering noise when the strings hit the magnets.

The active OBP3 sound control is gaining power, resulting in different results in the different frequency bands. For the basses, for example, the excessively radical cuts are wasteful, because practically nobody really uses such dry settings. In the middle, the drastic effect is much more practical, especially since the switchable center frequency can still shift the striking nose, which makes the bundled testbass sound almost like a fretless.

On the other hand, extreme radical attenuations can be adjusted if an extratrocke radio sound or a soft, soft restraint is required. In the case of the height controller, the strong effect does not occur at all because it acts at quite high frequencies; This results in the detection of fine-metallic brilliance tips, but not hard and sharp presences.

Alternatives

Five-string electric basses with healthy equipment are already available in the most favorable price categories. But mostly these are vintage designs with screw neck, modern styled models with continuous neck construction are already scarce – and it goes directly into higher price categories. To this extent, the signature five-string strings, equipped with brand-name features, do not represent the mainstream. Ibanez, however, also builds similarly elaborate Neck-thru models, which are offered at attractive prices because of the more favorable production in Indonesia.

Summary

Bunny Brunel’s Signature model has a lot to offer: plenty of space for the fingers on the wide fretboard, a lot of bridge mass and a lot of sustain for lush swinging pleasure, a lot of tone with 24 freely accessible fret plus H string extender and many variations due to the rich Electric equipment – you get a lot of bass for the money, and the higher price class for a Korean LTD model should not be more astonishing.

Continue reading “LTD BB1005 Bunny Brunel Test & Review – The Blue Wonder”

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Sonic Soul Reviews KAYLENE PEOPLES “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”

carol-of-the-bells-by-kaylene-peoples-bunny-brunel-joe-calderon-rich-mouser-tony-moore-themousehouse-studio

Sonic Soul Reviews | Dec. 24, 2016

Weihnachten mit Kaylene. Nette Jazz-Variante des allseits bekannten Klassikers. Inklusive eines ganz feinen Vortrags von Gitarrist Rich Mouser. So wird´s angenehm rund um den Baum…

Translated:

Christmas with Kaylene. Nice jazz variation of the well-known classic. Including a very fine performance by guitarist Rich Mouser. So it’s pleasant around the tree …

Original Source:

KAYLENE PEOPLES „Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas“

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Bassist Bunny Brunel – Premier Guest on “The New Boffomundo Show

The New Boffomondo Show | Nov 21, 2016

The New Boffomundo Show is honored to have as its first guest, Bunny Brunel, one of the greatest bass players in jazz. He tells some tales from his associations with the likes of Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Patrick Moraz, Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke and more. Bunny’s wit and wisdom is also on display and it makes for a fine debut from the Boffomundo Boys. Enjoy! (Original Source: http://www.boffomundomusic.com/the-new-boffomundo-show)

 

 

 

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Madajazzcar : Kaylene Peoples Is a Big Hit

(Article Translated from French) http://www.newsmada.com | Nov 10, 2016

Impressive and gracious at the same time, American Kaylene Peoples has seduced audiences with her talents as a singer and flautist. As part of the 27th International Madajazzcar Festival, she hosted a singing and flute workshop at the Ivan-toeran’ny kolontsaina malagasy (IKM) in Antsahavola yesterday.

Kaylene Peoples is a remarkable singer who interprets, with ease, songs composed of a range of five different octaves. The workshop was therefore rich in various tips and techniques for singing and playing the flute. Indeed, the American singer is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and conductor. She is one of the artists who arranged songs for the soundtracks of American films, such as “American Pie”, “Serendipity”, “Ruby” …

One of her most influential orinal songs is “Do you remember,” which was among the Top 100 chart, explained one of the festival’s organizers. Her other song “Giant Steps” was voted best jazz music at the Akademia Music Award December 2015. She will be back on the Malagasy stage this day at the Carlton and will be accompanied by Bunny Brunel, SAnda Ranaivosoa, Njaka Rakotonirainy and Bolo Rakoto David.

Holy Danielle

(Original Source)

Madajazzcar : Kaylene Peoples fait sensation

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Unplugged Again! Bobby Lyle With Billy Peterson in the Dunsmore Room, October 24

jazzpolice.com | Oct 22, 2016

“…a veteran keyboardist who has always infused his funky rhythm and jazz with a touch of elegance and improvisational spirit.”–  Jonathan Widran (All Music Guide)

Back by popular demand! Former resident of the Twin Cities, keyboard prodigy-turned music director and bandleader Bobby Lyle will again join old friend, bassist Billy Peterson, in an all acoustic evening in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge on October 24 with sets at 7 and 9 pm. The duo sold out two nights in the Dunsmore Room last May. Lyle will now make magic on the venue’s new Steinway D piano.

Bobby Lyle was born in Memphis, moving north to Minneapolis with his family. He started piano lessons under his mother’s tutelage at age six, noting that “growing up in a climate where you had six months of winter every year provided lots of practice time.”  Influenced primarily by Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans, Erroll Garner, and Art Tatum, Bobby was burning up pianos and Hammond B3s as early as age 13, soon gigging in Twin Cities clubs that couldn’t yet serve him. Enrolled at Macalester College for two years where he studied piano, Bobby eventually quit college and went on the road with Red Holt and Eldee Young. Bobby soon coming to the attention of Jimi Hendrix, with whom he worked a short time before Hendrix’ death. His family moved to LA and Lyle toured for a while with Sly and the Family Stone, then Ronnie Laws. After making a few recordings for Capitol, Lyle joined forces with George Benson, later touring with and serving as Music Director for Al Jarreau, Bette Midler, and Anita Baker. From the late 80s to mid 90s, Lyle made six recordings for Atlantic, still touring with his own bands and with Bette Midler.

Three decades into a prolific career as composer, arranger, bandleader, and recording artist of fusion as well as straight-ahead, Lyle released Straight and Smooth (Three Keys) in 2004 as an overt declaration of his dual keyboard personality. And with this release, Bobby became the first artist to ever chart on both the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart and the Straight Ahead Jazz Chart. Staying on the smooth side for his next recording, Bobby’s Hands On (2006) was described by All About Jazz as “a mix of charming, laid-back, romantic and danceable grooves.”

Relocating to Houston, in 2013 Bobby released his first Hammond B-3 organ CD, The Way I Feel—a tribute to the late, great Jimmy Smith and guitarist Wes Montgomery on his own label (New Warrior Music). In 2014 Lyle, in association with smooth jazz radio personality Guy Michaels, launched Houston’s first ever TV Jazz Show called The J-Spot. These days Bobby continues touring, arranging and composing, as well as teaching at the Houston Summer Jazz Workshop and as a touring clinician and private instructor.

From Minnesota’s “First Family of Music,” bassist Billy Peterson sang in commercials with sister Linda at age 9 and played bass and drums in his father’s ensembles while in junior high. He played in a variety of combos and big bands throughout his high school years, including a summer tour with the Righteous Brothers and a stint with the Lawrence Welk All-Stars. After graduation, Billy played three years with Billy Wallace (Clifford Brown’s pianist) and co-founded the band Natural Life with saxman Bob Rockwell. He has recorded with Leo Kottke and performed or recorded with BB King, Johnny Smith, Lenny Breau, and the late Les Paul. Due to tour commitments, he passed on an invitation to join the Bill Evans Trio (Marc Johnson’s good fortune!). In 1975, he appeared on Bob Dylan’s acclaimed Blood on the Tracks, and a few years later began a long-standing collaboration with Ben Sidran, which led to his 20+ year association with the Steve Miller Band. Billy continues to tour with Bob Rockwell in Europe and nationally with the Dave King Trio, and appears in the Twin Cities with The Peterson Family, How Birds Work, and other ensembles.

The Dunsmore Room is located in Crooners Lounge at 6161 Highway 65 NE, just north of I-694 and about 20 minutes northeast of downtown Minneapolis. Reservations highly recommended atwww.croonersloungemn.com.

Original Source: http://jazzpolice.com/archives/3029

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Madajazzcar – The festival honors American jazz

lexpressmada.com | Oct 13, 2016

An ode to the roots of jazz in all its splendor. The public and the music-loving festival-goers of the capital have been entitled to it during the last two days.

From the Carlton Anosy to the University of Antananarivo, the banner of American jazz proudly floated in the framework of the international festival Madajazzcar. From a musical evening on the Anosy side Tuesday to the friendly and warm stage of Ankatso University campus yesterday, sweet jazzy melodies in Uncle Sam’s country, intoxicated the public.

With a 27th edition that continues on the track of its previous ones, Madajazzcar keeps accumulating eminent guests on its stage. After the famous Frenchmen Francis Lockwood and Guillaume Peret who enchanted the ears of the public through their performances and their collaboration with the Malagasy artists during the first half of the festival, it is the turn of the American musicians to display their know-how , To the delight of the ears of good jazz lovers who joined Madajazzcar.

The American evening at the Carlton Anosy was just as friendly as it was unheard of through the performers who excelled on stage. With “American Jazz Night”, Madajazzcar wanted to make a strong impression, in particular, with the trainings to the poster. If he marked the audience of Antsahamanitra on October 8, the duo Bunny Brunel on bass and Kaylene Peoples on vocals, accompanied by Malagasy musicians, again delighted the audience.Similarly, The Jazz Diplomats was discovered with grace and vivacity.
Couples

“Year after year it is consistently a pleasure for us to promote jazz and its history to a wider audience. What these Western artists propose, enriches the festival as much as our understanding of this musical genre, “says Désiré Razafindrazaka, chairman of the organizing committee of the Madajazzcar festival. Interpreting mainly the great standards of jazz, but also their own compositions, Bunny Brunel and Kaylene Peoples charm the public.

As with their brothers-in-arms of the US Navy Band of last year, The Jazz Diplomats which also consist of US Marines, remains the big attraction this week. It is a formation in quartet issue itself of the US Navy Band which in its totality, consists of nearly five hundred, marines musicians. The Jazz Diplomats amazed the Jazz scene at the University which was at its 24th edition yesterday afternoon. The group consists of Everett Cencich on tenor saxophone, Colin Greggs on guitar, John Parris on bass and Dave Ward on drums, all in second class rank. The university campus was the theater of a unique musical discovery yesterday, and the student audience did not ask for more.

“This is our first visit to this country and we are delighted to be here, to interact and to share with all these resplendent artists of youth. It feels a great passion for jazz, “says Colin Greggs.Yesterday, The Jazz Diplomats shared the stage with Band’n Tanana and Deba ft Jazz Quart.Today these jazzmen of the American Navy will hold a jazz workshop in the American Cultural Center Tanjombato.
Andry Patrick Rakotondrazaka

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Madajazzcar: 27 Years of Discovery and Success

(Translated from French) News Mada | Oct 7, 2016

In October 1988, three young Malagasy doctors passionate about jazz decided to create a platform dedicated to this musical genre. They are Allain Razakatiana, Bruno Razafindrakoto and Henri Rakotondrabe. They first set up a jazz club at the French Alliance of Antananarivo (AFT) and then decided to multiply their activities by organizing shows. Thus was born the festival in 1989, referred to debut ” Jazz in Tana ” and ” Jazz in Mada “. In 1991, the event observed a stand-by but returned in force in 1992, inviting a pleiade of musicians of international renown. Quickly, the festival has gained momentum under its new name ” International Festival Madajazzcar ” selected under the inspiration of the composition of the pianist and clarinetist Rajaobelina Arly Arnaud Razafy. Desired Razafindrazaka took the helm in 2001. In 2010, Madajazzcar received the label called ” DjangodOr- international jazz trophies ” that allowed him to be part of the jazz festivals recognized in Africa. In 2014, it was voted Cultural Event by the Minister of Crafts, Culture and Heritage. And this year, it is at its 27th edition which will see the participation of many musicians from all over the world.

Invited foreign artists

The French saxophonist Guillaume Perret

Currently on tour internationally, Guillaume Perret specializes in the electric saxophone. It distills an original style mixing funk, rock and classical as well as various African rhythms that deliver a new vision of jazz. Armed with his saxophone, he succeeded in producing various sounds ranging from percussion to bass guitar.

The Norwegian guitarist Hakon Storm-Mathisen

This musician is not only a teacher at the Norwegian Music Academy, but also a conductor and soloist in several bands.Hakon Storm-Mathisen oscillates between the electric, acoustic and even classical styles. Winther founder of Storm Group, he won the Independent Music Award award in the category jazz albums in 2013 with the album ”  Spinnaker  “.

The French pianist Jean-Pierre Como

Passionate about jazz since his childhood, Jean-Pierre Como decided to deepen his passion by studying in a conservatory.He then accompanied several jazz musicians such as Bernard Maury, François Couturier …

The Swiss pianist Christoph Hegi

Self-taught, the musician created a group called Tschapsmusik in 1977, now Tin Roof Jazz Orchestra. More committed than the others, he decided to put his talent at the service of education, sharing his experiences with the students of Dattwi. In 2003, he met the singer Kristina Tajsic and formed the duo called Voice meets piano inspired by the American jazz of the years 20, 40 and 50.

The American bassist Bunny Brunel

Composer, arranger, producer and designer, Bunny Brunnel participated in one of the biggest concerts of Michel Polnareff “Ze tour”, officiating at the same time as bassist and musical director. This tour received a Victory of Music for the best live performance. The artist has also created a line of electric bass guitars and double basses, and is also the author of bass guitar learning books.

The American singer Kaylene Peoples

This artist is not only a singer, she is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and conductor. Kaylene Peoples adopts neo-classical symphonic styles. Note that she was the coach of David Raksin and Henry Mancini who were the winners of one of the editions of the Academy award. Working with several large production boxes such as Warner Bros., EMI, Universal … she has composed several soundtracks for films such as American Pie 2, Serendipity …

French pianist Francis Lockwood

Overwhelmingly talented since his early childhood, Francis Lockwood received the Alto Violin Prize at the Conservatory of Calais at the age of 17. But interested in the piano, he has integrated a number of rock and jazz bands. In 1987 he was named one of the top five pianists in Europe by Jazz Hot. He is influenced by artists like Bob Dylan, Cream and sometimes even Johann Sebastian Bach.

The German Quartet Jin Jim

The band evolves into a more modern genre mixing jazz and rock. In 2014, he won the jazz competition of the 35th edition of the Leverkusener Jazztage. The quartet especially highlights the sound of the Peruvian flute which allows in some pieces to make a musical journey between the Balkan folklore and hip hop.

The French saxophonist Baptiste Herbin

Baptiste Herbin started playing the saxophone at the age of 4. At 15, the artist decided to take an interest in jazz by studying at the Conservatory of Paris. Great artists like Charlie Parker or Cannonball Adderley influenced him a lot.Currently, he plays with the star Charles Aznavour.

The American group The jazz diplomats

Belonging to the US Navy, the four musicians share the same passion, jazz. Members of the US Navy Band that was already in Madagascar last year, they decided to form another band called The Jazz Diplomats.

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Madajazzcar : 27 ans de découvertes et de succès

 

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