By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—For its 20^th anniversary, the Jazz in June outdoor concert series returns to four weekly performances, after two consecutive years in which a fortunate accident of the calendar gave us five Tuesdays in the month of June.

As always, the 7 p.m. concerts will be staged on the west side of Sheldon Museum of Art on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln downtown campus. In pleasant weather, the shows draw enthusiastic crowds of several thousand people. In case of rain, performances are moved indoors to the Sheldon auditorium.

As Jazz in June continues to struggle with the bottom-line issues of presenting free-admission concerts, the event selection committee drew more heavily from the region and less from either coast, in order to keep down the expenses of transportation and lodging.  

The Nebraska Jazz Orchestra returns to the schedule June 7, with special guest artist Greg Abate, a formidable post-bop saxophonist who has appeared several times in Lincoln over the years—either with the NJO or with small groups—and usually funded by the Berman Music Foundation. Abate’s last appearance in Lincoln was also as a guest soloist with the NJO, in March 2005 at Embassy Suites. He played his first Lincoln engagement in February 1996, supported by trumpeter Claudio Roditi, pianist Phil DeGreg, bassist Bob Bowman and drummer Todd Strait at the now-defunct 7th Street Loft. He returned in April 1997 to play Ebenezer's (another short-lived club) and to conduct a workshop at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Abate last appeared at Jazz in June in 2003, leading a quartet that also consisted of pianist Phil DeGreg, bassist Harvie S. and drummer Billy Hart.

Gerald Dunn, one of Kansas City’s premier saxophonists, will perform June 14 with his band the Jazz Disciples, also featuring Everett Freeman, piano; Tyrone Clark, bass; and Mike Warren, drums. Dunn’s recording career as a leader began with 2004’s “Live at the Blue Room—Out of the Comfort Zone,” with the Jazz Disciples. He also appears on a range of other recordings, including big band and small group dates, playing jazz and gospel material. His saxophone style has a funky, blues-based tone. Dunn also is entertainment director for the American Jazz Museum and general manager of the Blue Room in Kansas City’s legendary 18^th and Vine historic district. The Berman Music Foundation covered an outstanding July 2004 performance at the Blue Room that featured Dunn alongside saxophonist Bobby Watson, trumpeter Darryl White, pianist Jeff Jenkins, bassist Kenny Walker and drummer Mike Warren. Dunn also appeared as a member of the Darryl White Sextet at a 2003 Jazz in June performance.  

Omaha-based singer Susie Thorne will take the stage June 21 fronting a band that also includes saxophonist Darren Pettit, guitarist Ron Cooley, bassist Andy Hall and drummer Joey Gulizia. Thorne was first inspired by the choir music of her childhood and the jazz played by her musician father. She served as her mother’s piano accompanist and sang with her dad's ensemble. She later grew to love the soulful sounds of Motown. She studied piano performance at the University of Colorado, where she also rediscovered the allure of jazz. Among the artists from whom she draws inspiration are Anita O'Day and Ella Fitzgerald. Following an extended period performing in Japan and Hong Kong, Thorne recorded her first CD, 2000’s “Love for Sale.” A collection of jazz standards called “Blue Skies, Clear Day” was released in 2006. Thorne last appeared in Lincoln as guest vocalist with the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra for the NJO’s annual Christmas concert in December 2008.

 
New to Lincoln jazz fans is the smooth jazz saxophonist Joseph Vincelli, who will perform June 28 with his group (Danielle Brown, Joel McCray and Roberto Bernardinello). Based in Dallas, Vincelli has a string of recordings dating to 1995, first on Breakaway Records and then on the Integra Classic label. His sound ranges from romantic ballads to energized funk, with a band that usually includes electronic keyboards, guitar, bass and drums. Vincelli and his band have shared playbills with such notable jazzmen as singer Al Jarreau, guitarist Earl Klugh, pianist Joe Sample and saxophonist Boney James. The singer was born in New Jersey and earned a music degree from the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston, then moved to Southern California, where he was music director for the TV show "Evening Shade."

Concertgoers are urged to come early for the best locations on the lawn and to bring blankets or lawn chairs for comfort. Jazz in June performances are still free, but concertgoers are asked to make a minimum donation of $10 per family to continue the series. Organizers also stress an increased environmental awareness. Through the reduction of plastic bottles and an intense recycling waste effort, Jazz in June sets a green example for public gatherings in Nebraska.

Jazz in June is also a great opportunity for volunteers who would like to be involved in a community event. To volunteer, please contact Sheldon Public Programs Coordinator Laurie Sipple at (402) 472-1170 or Jazz in June Volunteer Coordinator Amanda Andersen, at a (402) 680-8183 or amanda.andersen@huskers.unl.edu.

By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—In the third edition of our quarterly Jazz Forecast column, we would like to point out a few area shows worth attending in upcoming months. While the emphasis remains on Lincoln and Omaha, we will also suggest venues and events farther afield, most notably Brownville, Neb., Kansas City, Mo., and Columbia, Kan.

Let us know if you have any calendar events you would like us to feature.

Nebraska Jazz Orchestra

Cornhusker Marriott, 333 S. 13^th St., Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 26

“Ace of Bass: The Music of Jaco Pastorius,” arranged by Peter Graves and featuring bassist Andy Hall and the 2011 Young Jazz Artist Winner

Lied Center for Performing Arts

301 N. 12^th St., Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, April 29

“Simply Sinatra,” featuring vocalist Steve Lippia

Capitol Jazz Society

Brewsky’s Jazz Underground

201 N. Eighth St., Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 20

Nebraska Wesleyan University Jazz Ensemble

UNL Jazz

Sheldon Museum of Art or Westbrook Music Building

University of Nebraska-Lincoln City Campus

Friday, April 29, 7:30 p.m., Kimball Hall

“Tree Lines: The Music of Christine Jensen,” Jazz Ensembles I and II with Christine Jensen, guest composer, and Ingrid Jensen, guest trumpet soloist

Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra

Lied Center for Performing Arts

301 N. 12^th St., Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 30

“A Night at the Movies,” LSO and jazz vibraphonist Joe Locke, featuring cinema scores from past to present

Club 1200 (at the Holland Center)

1200 Douglas St., Omaha, 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 21

Miguel Zenon, jazz saxophone

Brownville Concert Hall

2^nd and Atlantic streets, Brownville

Friday-Saturday, April 29-30, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 1, 2 p.m.

Annie Sellick, jazz singer

Folly Theater

300 W. 12^th St., Kansas City, Mo., 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 7

Karrin Allyson, jazz singer

Gem Theater

1616 E. 18^th St., Kansas City, Mo., 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 21

Jonathan Butler, jazz guitarist and singer

“We Always Swing” Jazz Series

Columbia, Mo.

Sunday, May 1, 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Murry’s, 3107 Green Meadows Way

Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes, jazz pianists

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By Tom Ineck

THE CARRIBEAN—The Jazz Cruise aboard Holland America's ms/Noordam was everything a jazz fanatic could imagine and more. The cruise’s 10-year history is unique, but it had definite echoes of the Topeka Jazz Festival’s eight-year run (1998-2005). Like that “jazz party,” it contrasted headlining jazz combos with various groupings of individual players, yielding mixed results—usually exciting, high-caliber interplay, with some occasional clunkers. That is the risk of throwing together world-class musicians in unfamiliar, sometimes unrehearsed ensembles.

Like the Topeka bashes, The Jazz Cruise knows the value of balancing new performers with audience favorites who return year after year, and many of those repeat artists are the same who frequently graced the Topeka Performing Arts Center in the golden years—among them Ken Peplowski, Jay Leonhart, John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, and Shelly Berg. They provide continuity and consistently high performance standards that organizers can bank on.

Also like the Topeka fest, the cruise allows jazz fans to immerse themselves in the music from late morning to late night—or not. With plenty of other things to occupy your time, both aboard ship and on shore at various ports-of-call, the choice is yours. We split most of our time among the four main concert venues, the dining rooms and our homey stateroom, occasionally walking the decks or taking shore leave in Nassau, San Juan, St. Maarten and Half Moon Cay. Usually, the time on shore was curtailed by an approaching onboard concert or by sheer boredom or annoyance, as we were subjected to desperate sales pitches by locals, who often try to hawk junk as authentic native handicraft.

There were several delightful exceptions. After the ms/Noordam docked at San Juan, a bus tour took us to the beach and to the city’s historic fort, still allowing us plenty of time to dine at a tiny bodega and roam the streets before returning to the ship. At St Maarten, we managed to find shops where the Cuban cigars and the Hennessey Pure White cognac (rare in the states) were relatively inexpensive. Because the island of Half Moon Cay is owned by Holland America, barkers are banned, the grounds are kept impeccably clean and tidy and all passengers were treated to a barbecue lunch under the palm trees.

Back on board, there was the daily decadence of dining, from the sumptuous, buffet-style breakfast and lunch at the Lido Restaurant one deck above our stateroom to the evening spread in the extravagantly ornate Vista Dining Room at the other end of the ship, where passengers were split into two separate seatings, one beginning about 6 p.m. and the other at 8 p.m. We dined at the later hour, giving us an opportunity to enjoy a glass or two of wine on our private veranda before heading to the Vista. The world-class chefs, wine stewards and wait staff delivered a memorable dining experience every evening, with constantly shifting menus that offered both the usual favorites and a variety of daily specials. Among the dishes we enjoyed were striped bass, ginger turkey breast, Asian-style rotisserie chicken, lobster thermidor, jumbo shrimp cocktail, swordfish, apricot-glazed salmon, and duck breast l’orange. Of course, the desserts were equally fabulous, from the Mississippi mud pie and apple strudel to the crème Brule and baked Alaska.

Every evening, on our return to the stateroom after the last concert of the day, we found that our cabin steward had turned down the bed, with some added personal touches. On the bed lay a towel sculpted into some sort of animal, along with a different Jazz Cruise souvenir and the next day's itinerary. One night the bed was topped with a dog sculpture, a pair of 5x7-inch picture frames suitable for cruise photos, a music schedule, a map of our next destination, a menu and, of course, a couple of scrumptious chocolates.

I can understand why many of the passengers aboard The Jazz Cruise are repeat customers, returning every year to be pampered by the music, the food, the ports of call, the service and the convenience and sense of security that such a self-contained environment provides. It quickly became apparent that a majority of the regulars are seniors. At 58, I determined—by an unscientific observation of the 1,800 passengers—that I was at the younger end of the spectrum. As the audience for mainstream, straight-ahead jazz ages, it is logical that they are drawn to a live-music venue that caters to both their esthetic tastes and their physical needs, including comfortable, wheelchair-accessible concerts.        

The Jazz Cruise is one of those rare, stress-free adventures that everyone should enjoy at least once. Some day, I hope to return.  

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