In 2009, four of our favorite campers have left us wanting more.

Joe Sillato was a unique personality and an incomparable singer.  Carle Porter was one of the kindest, gentlest, and funniest men the world will ever know. Jack Cooley was a pianist and a gentleman extraordinaire.  Clem Biddle was a vocalist/trumpeter who will never be imitated or replicated.  All died much too soon, with too many tunes unexplored.

Vocal faculty member Janet Planet, who worked closely with Clem Biddle every summer, was moved to write the following touching tribute to him.

The first time I met him, I knew he was going to be a handful.

A handful of spunk
A handful of knowledge
A handful of opinions
A handful of humor
A handful of talent
A handful of kindness
A handful of support
A handful of quirky songs
A handful of musicianship
A handful of theatrical
A handful of tenderness

In the last five years at camp, Clem became the teacher.  One who waited with patience for his turn.  One who always made us laugh, and one who encouraged the nerves out of the “newbies.”

I loved it  when he took my direction.  But I knew that no matter what I said, he was going to do it his way. That’s really what we all wanted anyway.

But I will say, with a little coaxing, it didn’t take long before the true Clem was exposed.

Rehearsals are always the best.  The last one before the performance, in front of the other singers, usually in a sweaty room, “it” happens–the perfect performance, where all the technique is used as a simple vehicle to express yourself through song.  We call it working the small muscles in order to speak the large muscle–the heart.

I have memories of moments from  every year spent with Clem.  One of  those moments was when Clem very gently sang “Waltz For Debby.”  Clem had two sides to his performances: the “tongue in cheek” and the ballads.   I personally couldn’t wait to hear the soft, resonant, and very honest voice of the true Clem during the ballads.

He made me cry every year at least once.

And, every year, at least once, I was reminded why I love Clem.

I’ll see you on the other side, my friend, and we’ll play again.

Love,
Janet

Our hearts go out to Joe’s, Carle’s, Jack’s and Clem’s families, who will always remain in our thoughts.

As usual, Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camps bring together a faculty of uber-talented musicians who’d like to share their art with the Rochester community.  This year brings three opportunities to hear these wonderful artists in surroundings that are laid-back, intimate, and FREE.

JOHN HARMON AND FRIENDS (Monday, July 27, Wilmot Auditorium of Nazareth College, 7:00 p.m.) Virtually unknown outside his home state of Wisconsin, John is a pianist, composer, arranger and teacher extraordinaire, a mainstay of our Wisconsin camp.  Here he’ll perform with bassist Ike Sturm, drummer Mike Melito, and perhaps some other surprise guests from the Tritone faculty.

JIM DOSER AND THE TRITONE FACULTY (Tuesday, July 28, Penfield Amphitheater–behind the Penfield Town Hall on Atlantic Ave., 7:00 p.m.). Tritone co-founder Jim Doser is a busy guy as director of music for the Penfield School Disctrict.  But occasionally he gets a chance to break out his sax and wail, and this is one of those occasions.  Here he’ll be joined by Rochester favorite Gene Bertoncini on guitar, Ike Sturm on bass, Mike Melito on drums, RPO’s Mark Kellogg on trombone, and Clay Jenkins on trumpet.  With good weather, this is a great night under the stars.  Bring a lawn chair or a blanket.

GENE BERTONCINI, SOLO GUITAR (Wednesday, July 29, Wilmot Auditorium of Nazareth College, 7:00 p.m.) Come see what led to Gene’s nomination as 2009 Guitarist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association.  Here he’ll be in his element, accompanied only by his acoustic guitar and a soul full of memories.

Click here to meet two great jazz guys.

The interviewer, Jason Crane, invented The Jazz Session podcast, which reliably hooks us up with another great jazz musician every week.  He is a master interviewer who brings to every session the energy of a passionate and articulate enthusiast, coupled with the knowledge and sensitivity of a highly skilled musician (a wonderful soprano sax player).

The interviewee in this case is Mike Melito, our drum faculty guy for Jazz at Naz 2009.  The wide-ranging, half-hour interview covers everything from Mike’s early training in the School of Hard Bop to his decision to remain a big fish in the small Rochester jazz pond rather than migrating lemming-like to NYC, a place where he could surely hold his own with the swingingest of drummers.

Both of these guys are doing what they love–Jason behind a microphone, Mike behind a drumset–and it shows.  We hope you enjoy them as much as we do and support them whenever you can.

Journalists are a skeptical lot, always seeking to root out the false and capture what’s true and real.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise that Gene Bertoncini, as true and real as they come, has been nominated for the Guitarist of the Year award by the Jazz Journalists Association.  Winners will be announced in an afternoon ceremony on Tuesday, June 16 at NYC’s Jazz Standard.

Gene’s in some excellent company–other nominees include John Abercrombie, Peter Bernstein, Bill Frisell, Jim Hall, Mary Halvorson, and Russell Malone.  Nominees were selected by the JJA’s 400 members and winners will be chosen by a committee of the organization’s professional members.

We wish Gene the best in the voting.  But regardless of the outcome, he’s Tritone’s choice for Guitarist of the Year no matter what year it is.

Forget that the title evokes Kate Smith and the contents include some of the potentially hokiest songs ever written–whether you’re vacationing or staycationing this summer, pack this new recording into your iPod.  If any of Janet’s work is going to get major airplay, Of Thee I Sing is it.

The basic concept is a winner–14 mostly familiar tunes chosen specifically to celebrate our country, our communities, and the people who live there.

But what makes this recording outstanding–in addition to Janet’s customary excellence and the solid musicianship throughout–is the good old American ingenuity of arrangers John Harmon, Tom Washatka, and Tom Theabo, who convert potentially somnolent tunes like “Home on the Range,” “Chattanooga Choo-Choo,” “Gary, Indiana,” and “Old Cape Cod” into high-octane jazz, fueling a very hip trip.

On the jazzical journey, which runs roughly east to west, you’ll make musical stops–some expected, some not–in Rhode Island, Manhattan, Cape Cod, New Orleans, Chicago, Gary, Wyoming, Chattanooga, Texas, and San Francisco.  You’ll also fall in love on a Greyhound bus, somewhere along Route 66.

Aside from the pitch-perfect Janet, your traveling companions include Harmon on piano, Washatka on sax, Theabo on guitar, John Gibson on bass and Danny Leuck on drums.

With drivers this skillful, you can just sit back and enjoy the ride.

We’ve always considered National Public Radio a national treasure.  But its Web site is also a wonderful place for jazz, featuring free, live, online concerts (which are also archived), often from the Village Vanguard, as well as great stories in both print and audio form about jazz artists.  The latest is a live concert from last week featuring trumpeter Tom Harrell’s quintet.

Just go to www.npr.org and click on Music in the left-hand column.  You can also sign up for their jazz newsletter, which keeps you informed about upcoming concerts.

Once you’ve seen what’s available on NPR.org, remember that it’s largely supported by public radio stations who purchase the network’s programs.  Please support your local station if you can.

Thanks.

“There seem to be a lot of jazz camps,” the caller said.  “Why Tritone rather than Aebersold, Jazz Vermont, Jazz Camp West, Litchfield, or many others?”

The question is legit.  There are many good jazz camps but each offers a somewhat different experience and appeals to a different type of player.  We don’t claim to know any camp but our own; what we know about the others is only hearsay from Tritone campers who have attended them (some of our campers attend multiple camps every summer and get something valuable from each). So we’ll restrict our comments to what Tritone campers tell us they like:

• Adults only. Tritone is specifically geared to the adult learner, so campers rub shoulders with people more or less their age.  No high school or college kids unless they’re the children of adult campers, and even then their activities are restricted.
• Personal attention. Our camper-to-faculty ratio never exceeds 5:1. Most faculty members are around all week, so it’s never difficult to find answers to questions or get help outside of classes.  We rarely exceed 50 campers in any camp, so every session is small and personal.
• Multi-talented faculty. You’ll find monster players on every camp’s faculty, but are they also great teachers and great people?  Ours have it all.  We’ve turned away some marquee-name players as faculty because they fall short on the other two essential qualities.
• Lots of options. Instrumentalists can play in both big band and combo every day–no need to choose one or the other.  If big band isn’t for you, we’ll find something else for you to do during that 90-minute daily slot.  Three levels of jazz theory to choose from–beginner, intermediate, and advanced.  Three different, faculty-coached jam sessions–beginner, experienced, and singer’s cabaret.
• Two different venues, both beautiful. Jazz at Naz (Rochester, NY) offers the comfort and convenience of a small college campus, with plenty of air-conditioned classroom space, practice rooms, and dorms.  Cool at the Lake (Baileys Harbor, WI) offers the magnificent, remote Bjorklunden retreat–400 acres on Lake Michigan, with plenty of air-conditioned room for all activities and lots of outdoors to enjoy.
• Chilled out. Tritone offers plenty of opportunities to learn and challenge yourself, but no danger of increasing your blood pressure.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The general mood is always fun-loving and laid-back.

Play.  Learn.  Laugh.

We’ve just started a Facebook group called Tritone Jazz Fantasy Campers as a place to keep the friendships going long after the camps end.  If you’re on Facebook and would like to keep in touch with fellow campers, post messages about what you’re up to, promote your projects or whatever, log in and join up.

Last year’s Bjorklunden campers will certainly remember Tim Nyberg, the Wisconsin-based visual artist who in 45 minutes, right before our eyes, created two abstract paintings inspired by free jazz played by Tritone’s faculty.  Both paintings knocked us out and one sold immediately.

Tim’s still at it, and his latest work, “Jazz Face,” is currently available.

It’s a striking image–28″ by 22″, acrylic on canvas–and it would make a great last-minute gift for you or a jazz fan in your life.  Tim has priced it at $900, ten percent of which he donates to Habitat for Humanity.

If you’re interested in Jazz Face or curious about Tim’s other work, please contact us at bob@tritonejazz.com and we’ll put you in touch.

No matter whether you’re celebrating Christmas or Hannukah or Kwanzaa, we’d like to wish everyone a peaceful and wonderful holiday season.

For us, turning that calendar page into a new year always starts new ideas bubbling (or is that the champagne?).

We’ve got some wonderful plans for this summer. The site’s updated except for a couple of faculty positions, so take a look.  If you like what you see, please come join us.

Have a great holiday and a wonderful winter.  Hope to see you soon.

Fred, Jim, and Bob