Jazz News: Lande’s Rubisa Patrol sells out, London Jazz Fest spotlight on young players, gentrified LA affects musicians

This is Jazz News, a look at what’s news in jazz, music and the arts.

A bit of jazz history was made in Denver last week, or at least revisited. In 1976, pianist Art Lande and multi-instrumentalist Mark Isham recorded the “Rubisa Patrol” album for the young German record label ECM. Lande and Isham reunited with reedman Bruce Williamson for the first time in 25 years at Dazzle. The sold-out affair was a kickoff event for the Denver Jazz Festival next April. Another preview event will be held on February 2 at Dazzle with the Colorado Jazz Repertory “sextet” and Tatiana LadyMay Mayfield’s tribute to Sarah and Ella. (SOURCE: Denver Jazz Fest)

The 10-day EFG London Jazz Festival included the finals of the BBC Young Jazz Musician competition. Finalists were accompanied by a house trio (including bassist Alec Dankworth) to play a set with standard repertoire and at least one original composition. Judges were bass player Jasper Høiby, trumpeter Laura Jurd, saxophonist and broadcaster Soweto Kinch, singer-songwriter Zara McFarlane, and pianist Nikki Yeoh.

The envelope, please…The winner is 22-year-old singer-songwriter-bassist Ursula Harrison from Pontygwaith, South Wales. Currently in a Master’s program at the conservatory in Amsterdam, she has become an in-demand session player, and her band Orbit Street just released an EP called “Forest.” Her winning performance will be broadcast on BBC Radio Three later in December, and the whole event’s video live on BBC Four’s iPlayer stream for the next year. Congrats to Ursula Harrison, on the move up! (SOURCE: UK Jazz News/Ursula Harrison/Wins BBC 2024) (BBC.CO.UK. Programmes)

After watching a couple of football games over the long weekend from SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California, alto saxophonist Devin Daniels spoke to DownBeat magazine about gentrification in the historically black neighborhood. SoFi Stadium is built in modern fashion, as an entire entertainment complex, with other shopping and residential provisions.

Says Daniels, “Now I’m seeing white people on intersections where I never would have thought. I’ve gotten used to it… There’s a Whole Foods in the ’hood now,” says Daniels. The DownBeat article says many jazz players are relocating to Highland Park, which is kind of an equivalent to Brooklyn in New York. Whereas Harlem was the historic hub, prices have many jazz players living across the river in New Jersey. In Denver, venues and players are spread all over, while the prices are premium for a house or flat in Denver’s Five Points. (SOURCE: DownBeat/News/Devin Daniels)

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