Jazz beyond jazz in Philly, for instance

Really enjoyed your blog on Jazz in Philly. We do a lot of Jazz and Classical live recordings for airing on WRTI, and am glad they're so dedicated to the genre.

If you haven't seen it listed already, the Kimmel Center ( www.kimmelcenter.org ) does some nice things in an ongoing series of programs called: "Mellon Jazz". They do bigger shows in the larger hall (Verizon) with big names, but they also do a smaller series with host/curator Danilo Perez in the Perelman theater, (Mellon Jazz Up-Close) which we record and air five times a season on WRTI. This is our fifth year doing it, and this year's working title/concept is "Jazz Goes Global." The next one coming up is music from Africa, on Saturday, March 1st.

http://www.kimmelcenter.org/cgi-bin/display_event.fcg?id=8416CD02:14.86587;org_id=329;event_id=2581

Having grown up in philadelphia, lived a lot of places, then settled in southern California, I can honestly say that ortlieb's is secretly the realest jazz venue in the world to the point of being quietly legendary - to those who know. If you care about jazz, or just good music, you must stop in. For a moment you can feel the excitement, exploration and grittiness of jazz's glory days. When I'm on town I try always to stop in.

HM: Sorry I didn't get there -- after my reading Mark Christman of Ars Nova Workshop, my compatriot/colleague Francis Davis and Shaun Brodie (also an arts journalist) had a quick supper near Penn campus, where we discussed such weighty matters as whether collections of past-published articles are commercially viable in today's book market. Next time in Philly: Ortlieb's.

Philly is still fertile ground even as venues become more scarce. John Swana is one of the most underrated trumpeters on a scene that boasts cats like Larry McKenna, Don Glanden and Odean Pope. I think Gary Bartz is from Baltimore, though. Gary's father worked on the railroad with the uncle of Cannonball and Nat Adderley.

HM: Thanks for this note -- gotta catch up with Swana and these others I don't know of (Odean Pope I know!). RE the Baltimore connection: Seems like there's long been a link between those cities and WIlmington, DE and DC, too. Pinaist Marc Cary told me about Grover Washington finding his band members by looking outside PA. And it seems true that the dearth of venues is not squelching the rise of new musicians. A good thing.