WBGO Blog

  • WBGO Travel: Newport Jazz Festival Day Trips

    May 1, 2013. Posted by Brandy Wood.

    Add new comment | Filed under: anat cohen, Bill Charlap, chick corea, eddie palmieri, Esperanza Spalding, gregory porter, hiromi, jim hall, joshua redman, marcus miller, newport, Newport Jazz Festival, Robert Glasper, roy haynes, terence blanchard, wayne shorter, wbgo, WBGO Travel

    newportblogheader

    WBGO Travel invites you to hop aboard the bus from either New York City (Jazz at Lincoln Center, 10 Columbus Circle) or Boston (Wally's Jazz Café located at 427 Massachusetts Avenue) for a direct ride to the front gate of the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island on Saturday August 3 or Sunday, August 4. This excursion includes: admission to the festival for the full day plus food & beverage vouchers for the Louis Jadot Café on the festival grounds.

    Saturday musical line-up highlights include:

    • Esperanza Spalding - Radio Music Society
    • Wayne Shorter's 80th Birthday Celebration
    • Robert Glasper Experiment
    • Gregory Porter
    • Terence Blanchard Quintet
    • Bill Charlap Trio with special guests Bob Wilber & Anat Cohen
    • Marcus Miller

    Sunday musical line-up highlights include:

    • Chick Corea & The Vigil with Christian McBride, Tim Garland,
    • Marcus Gilmore, & Charles Altura
    • Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra
    • Dizzy Gillespie™ Big Band under the direction of Paquito D'Rivera
    • Hiromi: The Trio Project with Anthony Jackson & Steve Smith
    • Joshua Redman Quartet
    • Roy Haynes Fountain of Youth Band
    • Jim Hall Quartet with Scott Colley, Lewis Nash and special guest Julian Lage

    Visit newportjazzfest.net for full listing.

    Details of RT New York City to Newport trip:

    • Bus trip available Saturday and Sunday – board the bus at 5am at Jazz at Lincoln Center (10 Columbus Circle NY, NY) located at The Time Warner Building at the front circle.
    • Return Bus will depart from Newport Festival Front Gate at the end of the days concert festivities, approximately 7 PM and take guests back to Jazz at Lincoln Center
    • Bus will have wifi, restroom, reclining bucket seats and Newport Jazz Festival themed movie.
    • Meal vouchers are valued at $20 and can be used for food & drink at the Louis Jadot Café located on the festival grounds.

    Details of RT Boston to Newport trip:

    • Bus trip available Saturday and Sunday – board the bus at 8am at Wally's Jazz Café located at 427 Massachusetts Avenue (accessible by T and bus - Orange Line to Mass. Ave. Station, Green Line to Symphony Station, or #1 bus to Columbus Ave). Arrive at the historic Wally’s Jazz Café a bit early and enjoy a coffee or pastry.
    • Return Bus will depart from Newport Festival Front Gate at the end of the days concert festivities, approximately 7 PM and take guests back to Wally’s Jazz Café.
    • Bus will have wifi, restroom, reclining bucket seats and Newport Jazz Festival themed movie.
    • Meal vouchers are valued at $20 and can be used for food & drink at the Louis Jadot Café located on the festival grounds.

    Festival Gates open at 10am, Saturday Festival Music Program: 10:45am-7pm, Sunday Festival Music Program: 11am-6:45 pm

    Rates & Reservations:

    New York/Newport
    WBGO Member* & partner (with code) price per person: $215
    Non-Member price per person: $235

    Boston/Newport
    WBGO Member* & partner (with code) price per person: $175
    Non-Member price per person:     $195

    To make your reservation call 973-624-8880 x269 or email events@wbgo.org

    Please indicate either New York or Boston origin

    © 2013 WBGO

  • Smurfin' the Web

    January 14, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

    Add new comment | Filed under: 50th anniversary, Anniversaries, blue forest, blue man group, chick corea, comic artist, comic strip, comics, dvds, forest denizens, happy song, leprechaun, mad hatter, man group, meow, mushroom houses, pierre culliford, projectionist, Riff, smurfs, television series

    Chick Corea Smurf Cover

    Yeah, that's really the cover of a Chick Corea record. As if The Leprechaun and The Mad Hatter weren't enough...

    I just read that the Smurfs, the lovable band of blue forest denizens who lived in mushroom houses, are celebrating their 50th Anniversary this year. Belgian Pierre Culliford (aka "Peyo"), a projectionist turned comic artist, introduced the original blue man group in a 1958 comic strip, a story of Johan & Peewit in "Le Journal de Spirou". I, however, remember them very fondly from my TV-heavy childhood. At that time, I thought Gargamel and Asrial (meow) were a lot cooler. Expect a Smurf Tour later this year (yes, really), plus new comics and DVDs of the television series. "La - la - la la - la la, sing a happy song ..."

     

    "La - la - la la - la la, Smurf the whole day long ..."
    -Josh Jackson

    © 2008 WBGO

  • Toast of the Nation New York - The Place

    December 31, 2007. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

    Add new comment | Filed under: ben allison, blue note new york, chick corea, chick corea new trio, chief monk, danny meyer, field producer, gary burton, herbie hancock, herbie hancock quartet, jazz standard, joshua redman, kora player, manhattan neighborhoods, mason dixon line, millenial, seth abramson, steven bernstein, toast of the nation, Toast of the Nation 2007/2008, village vanguard

    Jazz Standard

    The Jazz Standard's address is 116 East 27th Street in Manhattan, between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue. The club seems to exist in some type of gray area, as far as Manhattan neighborhoods. The location is conceivably an eastern part of the Flatiron section of town, but more like a northern extension of the Gramercy area, since it's a full six blocks from the exclusive enclave of Gramercy Park.

    Whatever. I'm glad we're spending New Year's at Jazz Standard.

    Don't get me wrong. I've spent some quality time at clubs during the last six Toast of the Nation celebrations. Each one of them has contributed some special moments. And there are always some delightful stories when you work in the trenches to bring people across the country some live music. Here are the last six I've worked as field producer, in order:
    The Village Vanguard - Michael White's Original Liberty Jazz Band 2001/02

    Blue Note New York - Chick Corea New Trio with Gary Burton 2002/03

    Blue Note New York - Herbie Hancock Quartet 2003/04

    Yoshi's in Oakland for Joshua Redman's Elastic Band 2004/05

    Tipitina's in New Orleans for Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, The Hot 8 Brass Band, and Galactic 2005/06

    The now-defunct Tonic on the Lower East Side - Steven Bernstein's Millenial Territory Orchestra 2006/07

    So this year, we're at Jazz Standard. Thanks to Seth Abramson, it's one of the most creatively booked jazz clubs in the city. And thanks to Danny Meyer, it has some rockin' barbeque (not bad, considering we're above the Mason-Dixon line).

    Not so incidentally, WBGO broadcast Ben Allison's Medicine Wheel, with the kora player, Mamadou Diabate, live during the club's opening week celebration. It's been a long time since that show, but we're finally back at the club for another live shot. "Ain't that good news?"

    © 2007 WBGO