An early highlight of the summer for jazz fans in the US Northeast is always the Freihoer's Saratoga Jazz Festival, held on the grounds of the lovely Saratoga Performing Arts Center ("SPAC"). This year's lineup should please almost any jazz fan, bringing ta wide ranging lineup to two stages on June 29 and 30. Want the inside scoop on the festival? listen to Podcast 979 as festival organizer Danny Melnick talks about the acts, the scene and the background on a great weekend of music.

The Festival scehdule (subject to change) is:

Saturday, June 29th

Amphitheater Stage

· 12:00PM – The New Orleans Groove Masters featuring Herlin Riley, Jason Marsalis & Shannon Powell

· 1:45PM – Joey Alexander Trio with special guest Theo Croker ​

· 3:30PM – The Yussef Dayes Experience

· 5:15PM – Samara Joy​

· 7:00PM – Cimafunk with special guest Pedrito Martinez​

· 8:55PM – Lake Street Dive​

Charles R. Wood Discovery Stage

· 11:00AM – Sara Caswell Quartet

· 12:20PM – Harold López-Nussa: Timba a la Americana​

· 1:40PM – Tia Fuller​

· 3:00PM – Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra​

· 4:20PM – Theo Croker​

· 5:40PM – Coco Montoya​

Sunday June 30th

Amphitheater Stage

· 12:30PM – Terence Blanchard Sextet

· 2:00PM – Cory Henry

· 3:30PM – Laufey​

· 5:15PM – Stanley Clarke N*4Ever​

· 7:00PM – Norah Jones​

Charles R. Wood Discovery Stage

· 11:30AM – Skidmore Jazz Institute Faculty All-Stars Centennial Celebration of Max Roach, Bud Powell & J.J. Johnson featuring Clay Jenkins, Steve Wilson, Steve Davis, Mike Moreno, Bill Cunliffe, Todd Coolman & Dennis Mackrel ​

· 12:55PM – Helen Sung: JazzPlasticity

· 2:20PM – Miguel Zenon Quartet​

· 4:00PM – Olatuja

· 5:35PM – Pedrito Martinez Group

""In a world where it's easy to be cynical and bitter, what strikes me most about Nicola and his music is the pure joy and excitement that he brings and carries with him at all times. To be present in the euphoria of this art form is the most difficult skill the way I see it and many young artists seem to ignore that simple and powerful fact. Nicola, in addition to being an accomplished instrumentalist and composer, possesses that ineffable quality that draws us to his music." - Rio Sakairi, the artistic director of The Jazz Gallery, NYC,

In one of the best debut recordings of the year so far, Italian-born, NYC-based saxophonist Nicola Caminiti has released Vivid Tales of a Blurry Self-Portrait on his own label. Leading a quartet that includes pianist Lex Korten, bassist Ben Tiberio and drummer Miguel Russell, Nicola shows strong writing skills and plenty of chops to go with them. The band’s interplay shows that they’ve been honing this material for some time now, and the result is a terrific listen.

Caminiti has racked up impressive accolades over the recent past, including being named a 2023 Herb Alpert ASCAP Young Composer, winning the North American Saxophone Alliance Jazz Competition, and a Jazz Gallery Artist Commission for 2023-2024. He's performed with Pedrito Martinez, Arturo O’Farrill & Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, and his friend and mentor Dayna Stephens, among many others.

Podcast 977 is my conversation with Nicola, as we discuss the band, how he goes about writing his tunes, and what musicians have inspired and driven him to be a jazz musician. Musical selections from Vivid Tales of a Blurry Self-Portrait include “Elliptical Biking,” written during the pandemic, and “Adam Arturo,” a tribute of sorts to jazz musician Adam O’Farrill.

Zaccai Curtis continues to be one of the most engaging piano players of the past decade. Whether as a band leader (alone or with his brother Luques) or backing the likes of the late Ralph Peterson, Lakecia Benjamin and Cindy Blackman Santana, his strong sense of rhythm and deep knowledge of Latin and Afro-Cuban sounds and Bebop chords make him a cornerstone of those artist’s sounds.

Cubop Lives! is an album that stands as the culmination of his work as a composer/arranger, performer, and educator steeped in the Afro-Cuban Jazz tradition. Backed by Willie Martinez (drums, voice, timbales), Camilo Molina (percussion), Reinaldo De Jesus (percussion, drums), and brother Luques Curtis (bass), he has delivered an album that creates a fusion of the Bebop and Latin jazz traditions. For example, one of the most notable ways he does this is through the “Noro Morales Suite,” a collection of four pieces by the great Puerto Rican pianist, Noro Morales, one of Zaccai’s musical heroes. And then with his take on Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag,” he reinterprets a piano staple and turns it into something fresh and new.

Since his days learning at the feet of masters like Jackie McLean in Hartford, Connecticut, Zaccai has absorbed innumerous influences. With the new album, he gets to turn that sound loose, on his original tunes and tasty covers. There is nary a week moment on the album, and I suspect it will find its way to many year-end “Best of” lists.

Zaccai records on the Truth Revolution Recording Collective, a group he, Luques and likeminded musicians run to release and distribute their work. We discuss his label, and how he came to be so versed in Latin Jazz in Podcast 976. Musical selections include “Maple Leaf Rag” and the Curits-penned blues “Black Rice.”

Podcast 975 continues my conversation with the great Charles McPherson. A giant of the saxophone, Charles is a product of the rich jazz city of Detroit, where he was mentored by the late Barry Harris. His closest childhood friend was the future trumpeter Lonnie Hillyer; the two later played together with the iconic Charles Mingus, with whom McPherson would tour and record for more than a decade. McPherson and Hillyer lived just blocks from the famed Blue Bird Inn, a renowned jazz club where the house band included Harris, Pepper Adams, Paul Chambers, and Elvin Jones.

His new album Reverence pays a tribute to the late Barry Harris, as well as showcasing his top notch band featuring Terell Stafford on trumpet. We discuss the band and the tunes that make up Reverence, as well as The Lost Album at Ronnie Scott's, a previously unreleased album showcasing McPherson, Charles Mingus, a very young Jon Faddis, Bobby Jones, John Foster and Roy Brooks. That recording form shows in August 1972 at the famed London jazz club, illustrates McPherson's approach to playing his saxophone.

Reverence is Charles McPherson’s first release for Smoke Sessions Records, and a few listens reveal why he’s been held in such reverence for the last 64 years. The album captures a scintillating live performance from Smoke Jazz Club, where McPherson is joined by his remarkable current group featuring trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Jeb Patton, bassist David Wong, and drummer Billy Drummond. The set is a showcase for McPherson’s gifts as both composer and soloist and bridges his deep and far-reaching exploration of the full jazz spectrum.

Reverence kicks off a yearlong series of live recordings celebrating the 25th anniversary of Smoke Jazz Club and the tenth anniversary of its record label, Smoke Sessions. McPherson’s preference for recording live was a major factor in launching this series. After an inspiring, post-pandemic week performing at the recently renovated and reopened Smoke back in November 2022, McPherson knew he wanted to capture that same atmosphere and energy on his next recording, so the decision to skip the studio and record live was a relatively easy one.

Born in Joplin, Missouri, McPherson spent his formative years in the rich jazz city of Detroit, where he was mentored by the late Barry Harris. His closest childhood friend was the future trumpeter Lonnie Hillyer; the two later played together with the iconic Charles Mingus, with whom McPherson would tour and record for more than a decade. McPherson and Hillyer lived just blocks from the famed Blue Bird Inn, a renowned jazz club where the house band included Harris, Pepper Adams, Paul Chambers, and Elvin Jones.

Reverence was born shortly after Barry Harris passed away in late 2021. Harris was a pivotal figure for McPherson, not just as a musician but as a person. In light of his recent passing, the album is particularly dedicated to his memory. The final track on Reverence, “Ode to Barry,” was penned in homage to the great pianist and educator. Beyond topnotch McPherson originals, the set is rounded out by a pair of familiar standards: “Come Rain or Come Shine,” the Harold Arlen classic, showcasing the warm tenderness of McPherson’s ballad playing in a quartet setting; and the yearning, nostalgic “Old Folks,” led by a wistful Stafford outing.

Podcast 974 is the first of a two part conversation with Charles McPherson, as he talks about his love of live performances and of bebop vocabulary, and tells the story of his time with Barry Harris. Podcast 975 will pick up the conversation with talk of his time with Charles Mingus and Art Farmer, and how he keeps busy in his home near San Diego, California.

You’ve probably seen Linda Purl act more often than you’ve heard her sing. Besides being Richie Cunningham’s girlfriend and Fonzie’s fiancée on Happy Days, Matlock’s daughter Charlene Matlock, and Pam’s Mom/Steve Carell’s girlfriend on The Office, she has had stints on Homeland, True Blood, and Hacks. She has starred in over 45 made-for-TV movies and is currently recurring on The Bold and the Beautiful. She’s been on the Broadway stage and a number of Off-Broadway productions, performing roles from Shakespeare to the one-woman theatrical presentation of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking.

But she can sing. And This Could Be the Start (Reaching Records) shows off her talents in spades. Backed by a band composed off Tedd Firth (piano) David Finck (bass), Ray Marchica (drums & percussion) and Nelson Rangell (Reeds) the album is a tight collection of Standards, from Jimmy Van Heusen and Cole Porter to Cy Coleman and Stephen Sondheim. Add to that the vocal version of Carla Bley’s “Lawns” with lyrics by Sara Teasdale, and you have a constantly interesting listen.

Born in Connecticut, Ms. Purl grew up in Japan, becoming the only foreigner to have trained at the Toho Geino Academy. Her studies continued at Neighborhood Playhouse and Lee Strasberg Institute. She was Founding Director of the California International Theatre Festival. She tours with her Music Director Tedd Firth, who she describes as her catalyst for recording the new album.

Podcast 973 is my conversation with Linda Purl as discusses how she selects her tunes and prepared for This Could Be the Start. Musical selections include a dreamy “Let’s Get Lost,” the peppy “Live Alone and Like It” and “Two Hearts on Lawns.”

Since Yellowjackets’ eponymous 1981 debut album, the group has hewed its own creative path, influencing colleagues with enviable compositional craftsmanship and an ever-shifting blend of influences. In many ways Yellowjackets embody both continuity and renewal, with founding­ pianist/keyboardist Russell Ferrante providing the four-decade thread first joined by Will Kennedy­, who took over the drum chair from 1987-99 and returned to the fold in 2010. Bob Mintzer, a Jacket since 1990, contributes on tenor and soprano saxophones and EWI.

The bass chair in Yellowjackets has been held by some mighty players over the years, beginning with the legendary Jimmy Haslip, and then Felix Pastorious. By the band’s standards Australian-born electric bass virtuoso Dane Alderson is still the new kid, though he’s already anchored the quartet at bass for almost ten years. A product of the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Western Australian, his playing shows his great love of rock (“I was a total metalhead” he says in our conversation), R&B and funk.

The band’s last release was the Grammy nominated Parallel Motion. Every Jacket is well represented on the album with Alderson contributing two stand-out tracks. His slyly grooving “Early” grew out of a sketch that had been languishing on his laptop for more than a decade. “Onyx Manor” has a funk-infused drum and bass start, expanding to give everyone in the band a chance to shine.

Podcast 972 is my conversation with Dane Alderson, belatedly posted from our past conversation. We discuss how he came to join the Yellowjackets, his decision to play a 6 string bass, and his many influences as a player and a fan. Muscial selections include the Alderson-penned “Onyx Manor.”

Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal’s Bossa Nova-themed animated film They Shot the Piano Player will be in wide release nationwide from Sony Classic Pictures this week. Trueba and Mariscal are the duo behind the 2012 Academy Award nominated Chico and Rita, and their latest work features a who’s who of the best of Brazilian music, including João Gilberto, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Vinicius de Moraes, Milton Nascimento and Paulo Moura.

The film follows a New York music journalist who goes on a quest to uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of young Brazilian piano virtuoso FernandoTenorio Jr. in 1976. A celebratory origin story of the world-renowned Latino musical movement Bossa Nova, the film captures a fleeting time bursting with creative freedom at a turning point in Latin American history in the 60s and 70s, just before the continent was engulfed by totalitarian regimes. The film features the voice of actor Jeff Goldblum, who is no stranger to the world of jazz, performing and recording on piano.

Trueba is also no stranger to music, having won two Grammy Awards and four Latin Grammy Awards.as a producer for the likes of Bebe and Chuco Valdes, and Michel Camillo, His 2000 documentary Calle 54 set the standard for examination of Latin Jazz. He spoke with me from Spain, and he related the arduous process that led to the creation of They Shot the Piano Player. Fernando shares his thoughts on the importance of the music of Brazil and what he hopes to accomplish with this film, and more particularly, this animated film. Musical selections include Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Stone Flower" from the album Fernando says started his love of Brazilian music.