Around The Jazz Internet: April 13, 2012

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Musicians are rallying to raise funds for Dayna Stephens, a beloved saxophonist who suffers from a rare kidney disorder.

Billye Ninnemann/Courtesy of the artist

Musicians are rallying to raise funds for Dayna Stephens, a beloved saxophonist who suffers from a rare kidney disorder.

Billye Ninnemann/Courtesy of the artist

Your weekly recap:

• The JJA Jazz Awards nominations have been announced. We are of course deeply honored by our colleagues' appraisal of our work. Don't tell my boss that I'm voting for Do The Math though.
• The JJA Jazz Blogathon coincides with this effort. The Jazz Journalists Association is encouraging everyone to document jazz in their local communities between now and April 30. The link above has links to other "blogathon" submissions. Here's our first.
• Dayna Stephens, saxophonist, profiled in the San Jose Mercury News. The detail about driving across the George Washington Bridge with a dialysis bag above his head is devastating. Here's how to help.
• A Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in Seattle (feat. Ella, Oscar, Dizzy, the MJQ, Getz, etc.) was recently issued on CD. The source tapes were literally found sitting next to a dump. Good save.
• Giuseppi Logan's second chance. So many musicians fall through the cracks. A great detail: "I'm famous," he said to a young mother who watched from a distance. "Google me."
• Saxophonist Sonny Fortune and the concert presenter who moonlit from his assistant attorney general of New York State job for decades to be able to book musicians like Fortune.
• Some remembrances: Greg Osby on Sam Rivers. Dave Brubeck on Joe Morello. Jon Faddis on Frank Foster.
• RIP Phoebe Jacobs, who has done so much behind the scenes for jazz in New York even though you may have never heard of her. A 2007 Will Friedwald profile is above.
• RIP Hal McKusick, saxophonist. He was 87. JazzWax has more, including an interview.
• The jazz bed-and-breakfast in a brownstone in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. A quote: "What really got us going was that there's no jazz in this community," Mr. Lemon said. "We're basically the last ones standing."
• Esperanza Spalding on The Daily Show.
• Herbie Hancock turned 72 this week. The previous is a massive archived piece from Peter Hum. Hancock also announced a new book deal this week.
• Jazz based on a critic's reviews of jazz. At the Oxford Jazz Festival recently, it happened.
• 52 weeks, 52 cities, 52 jazz shows. Let's see if this blog can keep it going.
• Jazz meets Moroccan music, from Randy Weston to today.
• Jazz covers of Michael Jackson.
• Jazz secretly invaded pop music, apparently.
• Amy Winehouse's family has donated $10,000 to the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Mitch Winehouse, Amy's father, said he communicated with his late daughter via psychic, and she gave her blessing. I'm not kidding.
• The Jazz Session spoke with drummer Devin Gray and saxophonist Patrick Cornelius.
• The Checkout sat down with Big Chief Donald Harrison and had pianist Alex Brown in the studio with his quartet.

Elsewhere at NPR Music:

• Ingrid Jensen Quintet in concert. This was great.
• Thomas Lauderdale of Pink Martini is the guest on Song Travels, a new public radio series with Michael Feinstein.
• JazzSet features James Farm.
• Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz features Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes.