Jazz filmmaker and supporter Bruce Ricker passes

Jazz and film fans will be saddened to learn that Bruce Ricker has passed away.

As Steve Paul reports in the Kansas City Star, Ricker died after a long bout of pneumonia.

Ricker's many fine films as director and/or producer include Dave Brubeck: In His Own Sweet Way (2010), Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me (2009), Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends (2007), Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser (2000), The Last of the Blue Devils (1979) on Kansas City jazz, an American Masters presentation about Clint Eastwood (who has made a few jazz films himself, including Bird), and a documentary about Jim Hall (1998).

I first became aware of Ricker's name in 2008, when he chewed me out rather mildly for a MinnPost article on the paucity of jazz films. That led to a connection with Kevin Barnes at KBEM, who was starting a jazz film series called REEL Jazz. And that led to a special showing of four films from the Bruce Ricker jazz film collection in 2009, and subsequent showings of Tony Bennett and Thelonious Monk in 2010. Kevin has said that Bruce was very generous about sharing his films.

"The jazz community--musicians, record companies, club owners, and critics--should present an evening tribute to jazz film maker Bruce Ricker." Nat Hentoff wrote those words in 1999. Maybe now it will happen.

Related:
Rhapsody Productions, Ricker's website.

Jazz classes in Minneapolis

—KBEM/Jazz88 is partnering with Minneapolis Community Education to offer a series of classes led by show hosts from the radio station. Three classes have already happened: "REEL Jazz" hosted by Ed Jones, "The Big Band Scene" hosted by Jerry Swanberg, and "Hillbilly Jazz" hosted by Phil Nusbaum and Kevin Barnes.

Coming up:

• Wednesday, October 27: "Women in Jazz" with Maryann Sullivan, host of "Corner Jazz," and vocalist Maud Hixson. Washburn High School, 7 pm–9 pm.

• Wednesday, November 3: "Jazzin' the Blues" with Calvin Worthen, host of "Blue Friday."  Northeast Middle School, 7 pm–9 pm.

• Wednesday, November 10: "Bing, Frank and how the microphone changed singing
forever" with Arne Fogel, host of "The Bing Shift." Northeast Middle School, 7 pm–9 pm.
• Wednesday, November 17: "Jazz in the Spirit" with Michele Jansen and Steve Blons, hosts of "Jazz and the Spirit." Northeast Middle School, 7 pm–9 pm.

Cost for each class: $15, $10 for current Jazz88 members. Register online at Minneapolis Community Education. Jazz88 members, call the sites directly to register and receive the member discount.

—Stefan Kac is teaching a Jazz History and Listening class at the West Bank School of Music starting Wednesday, November 3. The class meets weekly from Nov. 3–Dec. 22, 7:30 pm–9 pm. His description: "Explore the history of recorded jazz music from its origins through the present day. Listening will be interspersed with discussion of relevant historical and technical topics." Cost for the series (12 hours): $145. I'm taking this class.

—Milo Fine and Stefan Kac are teaching an Improvised Music Workshop at Walker Community Church beginning Monday, November 15, and continuing weekly through December 13, 6:30 pm–9 pm. The five sessions will include private coaching, group sessions, and a concert performance. Cost for the workshop: $125. Open to musicians and would-be musicians at all levels of technique and experience. More information here.

New Orleans Music in Exile

When: 5/9/08
Where: Bryant Lake Bowl Cabaret Theater
What: Jazz88 Reel Jazz Film Series

The second installment in Kevin Barnes's jazz film series is a kick in the head and a reminder that New Orleans is our national shame.

Documentary filmmaker Robert Mugge begins with aerial scenes of Katrina's destruction, then brings us back down to earth and into some of the devastated buildings including Eddie Bo's coffee house and Irma Thomas's club.



Interviews with Dr. John, Cyril Neville, the Iguanas, ReBirth Brass Band, Cowboy Mouth, Jon Cleary, Stephen Assaf, Mark Samuels (owner of Basin Street Records) and others reveal how the hurricane has affected the New Orleans music community. Some artists evacuated to Austin, Houston, Memphis, and Lafayette and remain there (in Texas, there's now a band called the Texiles). Others are trying to stay in NOLA. Some lost everything they had. Without exception, it's no longer an adventure, only an ordeal.

I've been curious about Basin Street because I have seen and heard several of the label's artists: Los Hombres Calientes, Irvin Mayfield, Henry Butler, Dr. Michael White, Kermit Ruffins. According to Newark's public jazz radio station WBGO (coincidentally another Jazz 88), "Before Katrina, the company had offices on upper Canal Sreet and a small full-time staff. There was the synergy of all nine artists living in one legendary city, creating and selling local music with national promotion. After Katrina, only the website was standing..... Both the offices on upper Canal Street and Mark [Samuels'] home in Lakeview were destroyed."

Samuels relocated for a while to Texas but has returned to NOLA, where he lives in the second story of his home and runs the company out of the gutted ground floor. He writes a blog that's mostly about his artists with occasional flashes of fury at the ongoing situation in his hometown.

The evening at BLB was supposed to begin with a performance by the North High Jazz Ensemble, a student group that rarely gets the chance to play out. But someone decided that students can't perform at the Bryant Lake Bowl because alcohol is served, so North High faculty members Tom Cross (keyboards), Ed Gitner (trumpet), and Jesse Buckner (drums) graciously stepped up to provide the live music opener.



New Orleans Music in Exile is available for rental. Not sure if you'll find it at Blockbuster but it's on Netflix. Also on Amazon if you want to own it. Watch the opening on the Web site; see a clip of the Iguanas here:



Up next in the film series: Imagine the Sound, a film by Ron Mann (made when he was 22) that profiles four musicians vital to the evolution of free jazz: Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, Bill Dixon, and Paul Bley. Thursday, June 12, Bryant Lake Bowl, doors open at 6, live music at 6:30, film at 7, ten bucks. To reserve tickets, send Kevin an email: KevinB@Jazz88fm.com.

'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris

When: 4/10/08
Where: Bryant Lake Bowl
What: Jazz88 Reel Jazz Film Series

A solid start to Kevin Barnes's new jazz film series. As promised, the evening begins with live music by the Preston Haining Quartet, all of whom are still in high school.



The weather is nasty, Lake Street is torn up, and parking is a challenge but people still show, the quartet plays well, Barnes introduces the film, and we enjoy beer, burritos, and Pad Thai while learning about the life and music of Jackie Paris.



My MinnPost preview was going to include a link to the trailer but server problems intervened. Watch it here and see the film if it ever comes your way.

The Jazz88 Reel Jazz Film Series

Kevin Barnes is starting a jazz film series to benefit KBEM, the Twin Cities' jazz and education radio station, and I previewed it for MinnPost. When I asked Barnes what inspired him to start the series, he said:

We helped sponsor the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film festival and brought in a Miles Davis documentary maybe six years ago.... I thought it would be nice if we could find the right setting and the opportunity to do something with both independent jazz documentary pieces and independent films created with jazz as an important part of the musical landscape.... A key part of this launch was Ed Jones's show "Reel Jazz" on Monday nights, which looks at both jazz and film.

I had never heard Jackie Paris before now, and I certainly didn't know he was the first singer to record Monk's "'Round Midnight." You can hear sound clips on the film's Web site or download songs from iTunes. His most famous recording: "Skylark."