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October 2003
Prez Sez |
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My dear readers,
 Of all the “Prez Sez” letters I’ve written to you within
the last eight-plus years,
this is the first comin’ at ya from a truly happy man. As stated in our
last publication, yes, I did get married on May 30 to the most beautiful,
wonderful woman I’ve ever known. I’m speaking of course of my lovely,
newly wed bride, Grace Gandu.
After being single for more than 20 years, we tied the
knot at Grace’s house with as many of our loved ones, family and friends
as we could muster on that hot, blustery afternoon. Besides the abundance
of love between us, the real main event of the whole affair was
 reuniting
Grace many
members of her family from Nigeria. Considering the
difficulty of such a task (we’re talkin’ eight brothers and sisters, assorted
nieces, nephews and cousins) with the world in such a mess these troubled
times, we had our doubts. Still, her sisters Ruth and Lois, Lois’ young
son, Shayet, and brother, Simon, got visas to make their long journey to
the United States. Happy happy joy joy big time, and HEY…I gained an
incredible family, too.
My dear friend, and head legal consultant from the Cline
Williams law firm, Dan Stogsdill (a lay minister to boot) married us in
a very jazzy ceremony, with even a jazzier reception to follow. Jimmy Akpan,
who introduced me to Grace, and my legal right-hand man and great confidant
Tony Rager (also from Cline Williams) were groomsmen, and two BMF consultants
were on hand—New York City Latin percussionist Norman Hedman stood up for
me, and San Francisco record store maven (Jack’s Record Cellar) and old
time best pal Wade Wright did himself proud as my best man.
Lincoln’s finest jazz duo, John Carlini on piano and
saxophonist Bill Wimmer provided the non-recorded music, and a beautiful
recorded piece sung by Grace’s youngest sister, Kaniyang, was brought from
Africa. After the ceremony, everyone attending munched hungrily at the great
spread laid out at Grace’s by our dear mutual friend, Monica Schwarz. Now
onward to the beautiful Hazel Abel Park, where our wedding photogs Roger and
Nikki Bauman snapped away, creating a
magnificent collage of photos, ranging from the bride and groom getting
ready to the ceremony itself and the reception. Nikki did a grand job all
day just helping to direct traffic.
 The reception itself was a work of art, a totally jazzy
affair at the lovely Fireman’s Hall with a handpicked band of dear friends,
all from KC except Norman Hedman. Dig this…Ahmad Alaadeen, Gerald Spaits,
Russ Long,
Stan Kessler, Joe Cartwright, Ray DeMarchi and Norman. Swinging,
man, swinging! My good buddy, and numero uno wine guy, Kevin Meier, turned
us on to the best caterer we’ve ever experienced. Many thanks to Kim Morock
and her husband, whose business Tastefully
Yours simply rocked. Everyone’s girl Friday, Kay Davis from Cline
Williams coordinated it all, making our wedding a splendid, heart-warming
experience for Grace and me, her family and the 350 guests who showed up from
all over the world and coast to coast.
 We feel very fortunate to have such great friends. Help
us relive some of these memories with our photo gallery
included in this issue. Also check out Nebraska’s former First Lady and
current scribe Ruth Thone’s heart-rending story on us in the Neighborhood
Extra section of the Lincoln Journal Star dated Aug. 24. Truly poignant.
We got married on a Friday, and we started up with this
year’s Jazz in June series the following Tuesday. No rest for the wicked,
but remember jazz will always follow love. Even though Tom Ineck has covered
the whole festival in this edition of Jazz, please let me ruminate on the
proceedings for awhile.
The BMF has been getting more involved with Jazz in June
since we showcased the wunderkind Russian piano marvel Eldar Djangirov and
his trio (bassist Gerald Spaits and drummer Todd Strait) three summers ago.
We’ve been involved with the presenting and booking of the various jazz acts
and other musical matters ever since.
 This year my longtime friend and groomsman Norman Hedman
brought his
fabulous Latin group Tropique to Lincoln to kick off the season.
Norman gave the throng of jazz fanatics a preview of his upcoming CD “Because
I Can” that the BMF is helping to produce. One of the Hedman tunes, “Angel
of the Night,” was inspired by the romance that Grace and I ignited nearly
two years ago while Norman was in town. Sung on the CD by James “D-Train”
Williams, who was unable to appear, Sting’s backup vocalist Ada Dyer tore
the place up with her rendition. Grace’s sister Ruth Sankey, who operates
an African dance studio for children called Space 2000 in Nigeria, performed
a traditional native dance behind Tropique’s infectious rhythms. In all,
it was a grand night to behold.
The second week’s performance was the return of saxophone
wizard Greg Abate and his multi-talented quartet. Greg’s a swell guy, and
killer player. His band, consisting of my former Jamey Aebersold piano teacher
and pal Phil DeGreg on keyboards (admirably filling in for James Williams),
the totally unique and one-of-a-kind cat, bass powerhouse Harvie S and legendary
percussion master Billy Hart, wowed the crowd. My enjoyment of the whole
affair was, unfortunately, slightly marred by the crass behavior of Mr. Hart
…who bullied, put down and treated all those who tried to assist him like
crap. I publicly apologize to drum wrangler Tom Brogan for Mr. Hart’s
cruelty towards him. I still respect his knowledge and extraordinary
chops and will always treasure Hart’s recorded work.
The university’s own fab trumpet player and educator
Darryl White booked his own band from Denver with KC reedmen Gerald Dunn
and one of my personal faves, Bobby Watson. They knocked me out with their
exquisite sets for our third concert.
Last, but definitely not least, local musician and part
owner of Dietze Music House, Ted Eschliman, introduced a new act to me. I’m
speaking of jazz mandolin virtuoso, Chicagoan Don Stiernberg and his terrific
“jazzgrass” foursome. They are super pickers and great guys who endeared
themselves to all present. Ted, by the way, was added to the Jazz in June
mix this year as a helpful liaison between me, the musicians and the Jazz
in June staff.
 Head honcho Martha Florence passed her torch to the new Mr. Big, Doug Campbell.
He seems like a nice chap, and we all wish him well. The momentum behind
this festival the past few years is mounting, and the plans for 2004 are
underway even as we speak. The BMF is proud to announce that we will be sponsoring
Eldar Djangirov again to spearhead next year’s really big show. Eldar
is 16 now, and his incredible musicianship keeps rising and rising. He’ll
bring plenty copies of his new CD, “Handprints,” to sell and autograph for
his multitude of fans. Again, many thanks to Martha for her hard work and
efforts. I hope she’ll stick around as special consultant for years to come.
Well, with Jazz in June behind us, Grace and I readied
ourselves for our traveling Midwestern jazzy honeymoon with stops in Chicago,
Kansas City and Council Bluffs, Iowa, in that order. With the massive heat
wave plaguing our usual hot spots, we shelved our original plan to visit
the famed Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Ariz., and “stay cool” closer to home.
Other memorable moments to mentions included co -producing
and playing piano on Lincoln’s own fabled punk-rocker Jim Jacobi’s upcoming
CD release; fun, exciting gigs at the Zoo Bar with my old bandmate Charlie
Burton and his Dorothy Lynch Mob; and starting a house band duo with former
band mate from the Roadside Attraction days, Richard Sullivan, at the new
DelRay Ballroom. More news on all of this in our next edition of Jazz, in
January, as everything evolves. To find out more about Richard and his partner,
dance instructor Shelley Brackhan, see Tom’s story.
I‘ve acquired a couple of new jazz cat buddies within
the past few months. Thanks to New York trumpeter and pal John McNeil (see
Tom’s CD review) I had a ball with Frank Tafuri, whose new jazz label, OmniTone,
is based in his hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y. He has a marvelous catalog of
players like Mr. McNeil, the pianist/vibe duo of Frank Kimbrough and Joe Locke,
and saxophonist Mike Lee to name a few. (See Tom’s piece on OmniTone).
Next, KC keyboard expert from the Westport Art Ensemble,
Roger Wilder, turned me on to his lifelong friend, Rob Scheps. Rod now lives
his Portland, Ore., also has much history with our fave drummer in Portland,
Todd Strait, and is a mean reed artist in his own right. Rod was artist-in-residence
with the Lied Center in Nebraska City, rang me up, and we had a gas, too.
Besides putting finishing touches on his upcoming CD, Rob appeared at the
Blue Room in KC Sept. 17. He will perform here with BMF sponsorship at P.O.
Pears on Jan. 22. Don’t miss it.
While on the subject of Pears, I hope you caught KC’s
out-of-sight supergroup Interstring there Oct. 16. It consists of guitar
dudes Danny Embrey and Rod Fleeman (these guys are always ON FIRE!) and long-time
killer rhythm section featuring bassist Bob Bowman and drummer Todd Strait.
This is the BMF’s first P.O. Pears event to kick off another outstanding
season working with Dean Haist’s fine musical enterprise, Arts Incorporated,
and Pears’ excellent staff.
Like a solo that goes on too long, I’m nearly outta here.
Oh yeah, recommended reading for you true jazz buffs: “Good Vibes” by veteran
vibraphone pro Terry Gibbs with Cary Ginell (Studies in Jazz, No. 44). You
can order this through your favorite bookseller or Scarecrow Press Inc. toll
free at 1-800-462-6420. You’ll laugh out loud, cry and swoon through every
chapter and not be able to put this book down.
A little bit of late-breaking news has occurred since
I started this letter. I got a sweet call from one beautiful dame the
other day. Jane Jarvis, one of the great, world-class musicians (her specialty
is piano…of course), has moved back to the Big Apple from her home in Cocoa
Beach, Fla., for permanent residency. She sounded great, sez hello
to everyone she knows here and is keeping very busy. A former organist for
the Mets, she recently was asked back to play at Shea Stadium. I love that
woman.
Another female I’m very fond of (and also a grand pianist
and educator) is New Yorker (the Bronx) Dr. Valerie Capers and her crackerjack
quintet. On Sept. 21, they performed their third concert in the last few
years at Heckman Hall on the Doane College campus in Crete, Nebraska, about
20 miles from Lincoln. (Read Bill Wimmer’s account of this swinging evening.)
They were so good the first time I saw ‘em, and they keep getting better
each and every time. The BMF has pledged its efforts to support an artistic
endeavor with this talented lady at the start of 2005. I can’t wait!!
Last, but certainly not least is the return of Lincoln’s
own saxophone star, Andrew Vogt, who now lives in Denver and has just put
out his first CD (read Tom Ineck’s review). There’s lots of cool stuff to
look forward to, and best wishes to all those mentioned.
Have a great holiday season, God bless you all, and…later,
Butch Berman
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May 2003
Prez Sez
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Dear fanciers of “April showers
bring May flowers,” the birds and the
bees and all that jazz…
 Is winter really over? Well, guess what? This is officially our first
true Jazz newsletter online, and the last Prez Sez you’ll ever receive from
the single, semi-confirmed bachelor, moi.
Yup, as if you didn’t know already, the bebop man is getting hitched to
my beloved fiancée Grace Gandu on May 30. Plans to bring her family
here from Nigeria are in the works, and an all-star group of my best pals
in the jazz biz from K.C. are scheduled to perform. I, too, plan to reunite
my old chums from Charlie Burton and Rock Therapy and rock ‘n’ roll as well.
In all, a ball to be had by all. Full coverage and photos will be brought
to you in our next issue in the fall.
A lot of cool stuff has gone down since I last wrote to you. To quote
my old Irving Junior High School science teacher, Mr. Goebel, “please let
me summarize.”
First, I’m still reelin’ with the feelin’ of wonderment in pulling off
our springtime concert coup featuring the dynamic duo of jazz diva Sheila
Jordan, and bassist Cameron Brown. As usual, attendance was small at Kimball
Recital Hall on March 8, as Sheila and Cameron tore up the place with their
in-person renderings of the last CD together entitled “I’ve Grown Accustomed
to the Bass.” Check out Tom Ineck’s in-depth coverage of that memorable evening
in this edition.
We had a lovely BMF staff luncheon for them at the Green Gateau earlier
that day. It made me a bit sad when Sheila said no one had ever done this
for her in the U.S. in her 50-plus years in the biz. Ya know, the late,
great jazz pianist pal of mine, Jaki Byard, said the same thing to me when
we had him here a few years ago. What a drag that we revere these people
by buying their records and talking them up, but when you get them to your
hometowns they’re treated like cattle. Food for thought, huh?
Even though Grace and I will be heading off to Arizona for our honeymoon
at the famed Canyon Ranch, we probably won’t go until after June as—you guessed
it—get ready for another out-of-sight Jazz In June series. We were lucky
enuff to have our hands in it again this year to help book three of the four
acts and sponsor one of ‘em. I don’t want to steal any thunder from
Tom’s preview, but dig this.
Norman Hedman, one of my best men in my wedding will be bringing his great,
but slightly different line up of his band, Tropique, to lead off the series.
Next, we welcome back my Rhode Island friend, saxophonist Greg Abate, bringing
with him Phil DeGreg on piano, Harvie S. on bass and Billy Hart on drums.
Yeah, WOW! Third in line is local educator and master trumpeter Darryl White.
He’s got his Colorado cats to join him, and as their CD was great, the live
show with these guys should be a real gasser. Last, but certainly not least,
are Don Stiernberg, jazz mandolin virtuoso, and his group. My Discorama review
of his new release should tell the rest of the story.
I also want to thank Mr. White for turning me on to his mentor, John McNeil,
whose performance is also covered in this issue. We finally got to gab about
our lives and jazz in general on the phone last week, and had a blast. He’s
a totally groovy, and very bright, fellow with heavy history behind him.
Check out his catalogue, and pick up his stuff.
The weather outside is delightful, my hammock is calling me and the S.F.
Giants are leading in the Western Division, so I’d better close and get outta
here. Still gigging occasionally with Charlie Burton’s great new band when
regular ax man Mark Simpkins does his Mezcal thing. We shook up Omaha’s 49ers
club last month, and Charlie’s last FAC at Lincoln’s famed Zoo Bar was one
of his best, from what I’ve heard. They’ll be back again June 6, so go for
it and support one of the best singer/songwriter rockers around…as well
as jazz EVERYWHERE, ya dig?
Later, my friends. Here comes the bride.
Butch Berman
Late Bulletin (May 22): The last time I dealt with
a “jazz mercenary” was in 1995, when I put on a great New York all-star
show, featuring many veteran players. My “pal” at the time, Art Barron (of
the famed Dukesmen) promised to play and be leader/arranger of this group.
Well, lo and behold, I get a call from Art saying he had to cancel. He had
found another, better-paying gig and “you know how it is.”
Well, money is important but so is one’s word, as déjà vu
reared its ugly head yesterday. Norman Hedman, my dear friend and leader
of the fab Latin jazz band Tropique, scheduled for the first Jazz in June
concert, got “the call” from his new singer, James “D-Train” Williams, with
the same crap. This time, the sting stung a little harder, as James is the
singer of a new song penned by Hedman, “Angel of the Night,” that was inspired
by the romance of my future bride, Grace, and myself.
Hey, this is the opening number on my wedding reception CD, besides the
fact that most of my entire wedding party will be at Jazz in June awaiting
this much anticipated event. James, too, had some engagement conflicts,
even though contracts were drawn, flights booked and the news delivered
in this first online newsletter.
It's another case of greed over heart. I remember Art telling me to get
used to it, it will happen a lot, but this is only the second time in our
eight-year history. I know it’s a tough biz, but, Mr. Williams, you screwed
up a totally wonderful opportunity to endear yourself to our fair state
and a potential crowd of 3,000 to 4,000. You probably figured, “What the
heck. It’s only Nebraska,” not realizing our worldwide website and location.
Anyway, to you, the readers, buyer beware! If you decide to book this guy,
you may get screwed, too.
Good news still prevails, as another great vocalist, Ada Dyer, whose recorded
with Norman before, will proudly take the stage instead of Mr. Williams.
“D-Train,” you just got derailed.
Butch Berman
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January
2003
Prez Sez
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Dear jazz
Santas, elves and elvines,
A major-league holiday greeting to you all.
Even though you'll be reading this in 2003,
I'm beginning
this letter to you all on Christmas Day of '02...
and filled with many feelings.
First of all, this is my second Christmas
with my beloved fiancee, Grace, and words can't truly describe how
happy and content I am with our relationship
and upcoming wedding in May. I'm not ashamed
to admit, I've worn my heart on my sleeve... so
you fans of our newsletter in the past few years
could probably read between the lines and
tell that I wasn't always a happy jazz
camper. My spiritualists--Ananda from the
West and Reggie Arthur in New York--predicted
that my future would change for the better between
my 52nd and 53rd birthdays. Well, lo and behold,
Grace's and my paths crossed, thanks to Jimmy
Apken, and now we walk together, more at
"home" than I've ever been.
Obviously,
gratitude and thankfulness are now what I'm
full of--for a change. That's why, ever living
in the shadow of 9/11, dealing with our shaky
(at best) economic situation, and the possibility
of war ever looming, we too have a little bad
news to share.
Thus, allow
me to tell you that you're holding our last paper
newsletter. In order to make ends meet, and try
to regroup and recoup some of our resources, we
(like many others) had to downsize and cut our
budget for 2003. We still plan to come to
you four times a year-online-and will
utilize our extensive mailing list to
further alert you, our readers, of our
upcoming projects and adventures.
Please
bear with us on this, and feel free to continue
to give us feedback and stay involved with our
ongoing pursuit to present, preserve and protect
jazz.
Past, present and future jazz news
My dear friend, BMF consultant and
percussionist personified Norman Hedman-as
in Norman Hedman's Tropique from New York City-came
to town for some important biz.
He recorded some samples to augment
our new website, now under development, and
Norman-the computer whiz that he is-helped
tune up our occasionally problematic
computer (I should name it "Hal").
We also
firmed up plans for a new CD with a partially
new configuration of Tropique, featuring vocalist
James "Train" Williams. The love affair with
Grace and me inspired a new Hed-tune entitled
"Angel of the Night." Catch the new band, and
pick up his upcoming release, "Because I Can,"
at Jazz in June this summer in Lincoln. Much
more on that in our spring online issue.
I'm also
proud to say we helped bring back my old pal
and alto sax champion Greg Abate to appear the
week after Norman, with returning Cincinnatian
pianist Phil DeGreg and a master rhythm section
consisting of Harvie S on bass and Billy Hart
at the drum helm. Local trumpeter and
educator Darryl White brings his stellar
band from Colorado for the third week, and
a special surprise artist will round out
another blockbuster summer jazz spectacular.
Before I
jet out of here, I want to thank again Dean Haist,
Ed Love and Melissa from Arts Incorporated and
the staff from P.O. Pears that made the six regional
shows that we showcased there over the last 15
months such critical successes. We almost broke
even a couple of times, so we plan to do
it again next fall.
I also
want to mention keyboardist Tom Larson, whose jazz
history class makes these Pears shows a requirement
and helps broaden these kids' jazz awareness.
These days that's what it's really all about.
Let's close
on that high note (or blue note) and the best
to you all in 2003 from all of us.
Jazzically
yours,
Butch
Berman
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