community weblog - [ AMRF ON TV ]

Big Band Blues and Big Band Boogie Woogie

BIG BAND BLUES WATCH THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES

BIG BAND BOOGIE WOOGIE WATCH THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES

CONTACT: JOHN PENNEY tunesailor@comcast.net 866-270-5141 or 248-798-5132

One magical evening, Two extraordinary programs...

There was magic in the air long before the band hit the stage for the 8th Annual Motor City Blues & Boogie Woogie Festival. The Award winning Paul Keller Orchestra had been rehearsing with local soloists Bob Seeley, Mr. B, Charles Boles, Dave Bennett and George Bedard for weeks during their regular Monday night gig at the Firefly Club in Ann Arbor, and the buzz in the street was palpable.

Three days before the show, Red Holloway arrived from California, and Axel Zwingenberger flew in from Germany. The interview shoots left the crew giddy. The dress rehearsal vibrated with chemistry and camaraderie. We knew we were going to capture something very, very special.

Within the first few bars of the opening number, Buddy Rich’s classic, “Basically the Blues,” the audience was whistling and cheering. Lindy-hoppers hit the dance floor. Executive Producer and AMRF President Ron Harwood drolly commented, “Well, I guess this was a good idea.” When the band launched into a rollicking version of “Sing, Sing, Sing” to close the first half of the show, he was on the dance floor himself.

It was well past midnight when the ecstatic house, still packed, demanded a second encore. By then it had become clear that one hour would not suffice to present this unique and exciting event. Instead we are proud to present two extraordinary programs: BIG BAND BLUES and BIG BAND BOOGIE WOOGIE. The programs are built around distinct narrative threads and stand alone, but when presented in this sequence they weave a tapestry illustrating the connections between blues, boogie woogie, swing music and jazz.

BIG BAND BLUES  SD Feed:  Friday, June 26 at 1200 et / SD 07
   (simultaneous HD feed on HD 03)
"If you cannot play the blues, you cannot play good jazz."
Red Holloway
"Some of the stuff John Coltrane and Miles Davis did was very, very innovative, but it was still the blues in the end."
Charles Boles 

International Boogie Woogie Honored in Houston

The American Music Research Foundation’s “International Boogie Woogie” was honored with a 2009 Gold Remi Award for Television or Cable Documentary at Worldfest, the 42nd Annual Houston International Film Festival. WorldFest is one of the oldest and largest film & video competitions in the world, with more than 4,500 category entries received from 33 countries in 2009. Awards were determined by points accumulated in juried viewings.

“International Boogie Woogie” documents solo and trio performances by four internationally acclaimed pianists at the 7th Annual Motor City Blues & Boogie Woogie Festival, augmented by interviews with the artists: Switzerland’s Sylvan Zingg, France’s Philippe LeJeune, and Canadians Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne and Michael Kaeshammer. Wayne emigrated from California, and Kaeshammer from Germany.

“International Boogie Woogie” was originally uplinked by NETA in MAy 2008, NOLA INBM OK1. It is the most recent of four nationally distributed documentaries produced by the AMRF, a non-profit based in Farmington Hills, Michigan dedicated to the promotion, preservation, and documentation of American music. “Motor City Boogie Woogie & Blues Festival” was released in 2005, “Boogie & the Blues Diva in 2006, and “Gen2 Blues” in 2007.

The AMRF will release three new programs this year. Companions “Big Band Blues” and “Big Band Boogie Woogie” feature the Paul Keller Orchestra with pianists Charles Boles, Mr. B., Bob Seeley, and Axel Zwingenberger; saxophonist Red Holloway; clarinetist Dave Bennett, and guitarist George Bedard. “4 Shades of Blues” features Ruthie Foster, Ana Popovic, Tommy Castro, and Koko Taylor.

Executive Producer and AMRF Founder Ron Harwood said of the award, “I began filming these shows 10 years ago simply to document and preserve the excellence and elegance of underappreciated artists and genres. I never expected to win awards, but I am proud of our group’s achievements.” Producer and AMRF Director John Penney added, “It’s particularly appropriate that we received this award in Texas, the birthplace of boogie woogie.”

International Boogie Woogie: Motor City Blues & Boogie Woogie Festival

The American Music Research Foundation is proud to announce release of the fourth in our series of public television programs from the annual Motor City Blues & Boogie Woogie Festival.
INTERNATIONAL BOOGIE WOOGIE has been distributed to stations nationwide by the National Educational Telecommunications Association. Individual stations may air the program at any time at their discretion, so contact your local station and let them know you want to see INTERNATIONAL BOOGIE WOOGIE! For a listing of currently scheduled broadcasts click here and be sure to check back often - listings are updated daily.

A pianist with a ferocious left hand rolling through eight-beats-to-the-bar is what comes to mind when you think of boogie woogie. The four pianists in INTERNATIONAL BOOGIE WOOGIE provide plenty of that while approaching the music from different perspectives. Switzerland's Sylvan Zingg demonstrates that, "you can boogie anything." France's Philippe LeJeune is a jazz pianist originally inspired by boogie woogie legend Memphis Slim. Vancouver B. C.'s Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne learned boogie woogie from his church organist in Los Angeles, and Toronto's Michael Kaeshammer has been reinventing the genre ever since he heard boogie woogie as a child in Germany. The program ends with all four artists jamming in a classic eight-handed "train wreck." If you love the piano, the performances in INTERNATIONAL BOOGIE WOOGIE will amaze and inspire you.

WATCH  A 3 MINUTE TRAILER AMRF logo does not appear in actual program

ALSO AVAILABLE              

Gen2 Blues       
Boogie & the Blues Diva  

Contact:
boogie@amrf.net

Gen2 Blues comes to Public Television

WATCH FOR IT ON PUBLIC TELEVISION
BUY THE DVD WITH 75 MINUTES OF BONUS FOOTAGE

Childhood is different when your father is a famous blues musician; if you follow in his footsteps you bring a different perspective on music and history to your own artistry.  This is what unites the performers in Gen2 Blues: Motor City Blues & Boogie Woogie Festival. Kenny Neal is the oldest son of Raful Neal, Tasha Taylor grew up on the road with her father, Johnnie “The Wailer” Taylor, and Bernard Allison learned his first guitar licks by copying father Luther’s records.  Special guest Tito Jackson broke father Joe’s rule to not touch the guitar but if he hadn't it might not have been the Jackson 5.
  
Backed by the Phantom Blues Band these stellar performers create a joyous celebration of the blues. This program was recorded at the Royal Oak Music Theatre during the 7th Annual Motor City Blues & Boogie Festival in October 2005.

Click here  for rough-cut 3-minute sampler

Four New Television Programs in Production

 

At the American Music Research Foundation we don’t just put on concerts, record them, and make TV shows of great performances. Rather, as a 501(c)(3) our mission is to connect all the dots, demonstrate the continuity between musical styles over time and geography, and break through the artificial barriers that package music, musicians, and audiences in separate boxes. 

 

We are producing four new 60 minute television programs from the 2005 and 2006 Motor City Blues & Boogie Woogie Festivals and have created a new web page that contains samplers from these programs, as well as "Boogie & the Blues Diva," and "2003 Motor City Boogie Woogie & Blues Festival." Click here to go to the page, or click on the links below to watch the individual samplers.

Big Band Boogie Woogie  Big band music of the swing era was primarily for dancing, and nothing got dancers on floor like the eight-beats-to-the-bar boogie woogie beat. This program recreates the feel of those times and highlights the relationship between the blues, boogie woogie, and jazz. Performers include the 15 piece Paul Keller Orchestra, pianists Bob Seeley, Charles Boles, Mr. B., and Axel Zwingenberger, clarinetist Dave Bennett, saxophonist Red Holloway, guitarist George Bedard, and of course, the dancers. Watch the sampler!

Detroit Blues & Beyond The blues informs virtually all popular music in America, and Alberta Adams and Johnnie Bassett are acknowledged masters. Sir Mack Rice wrote some of the biggest R&B hits of all time, including “Mustang Sally.” Calvin Cooke is master of the "Sacred Steel Guitar," a tradition that comes from the Pentecostal Church and is heavily influenced by the blues. The Howling Diablos are a “rock band,” but their original music would not be possible without the blues. All of these artists are from Detroit. Watch the sampler!

Gen2 Blues The sons and daughters of blues artists have a unique perspective on the continuity of the tradition. Our performers include Bernard Allison, son of Chicago blues great Luther Allison; Kenny Neal, son of Raful Neal and a member of one of New Orleans' most prestigious musical families; Tasha Taylor, daughter of Johnnie “The Wailer” Taylor; and Tito Jackson of the Jackson 5. Performing with all of these artists is the Grammy-winning Phantom Blues Band. Watch the sampler!

International Boogie Woogie The American piano style called boogie woogie has spread around the world, and is particularly popular in Europe. This program puts on the same stage Germany’s Sylvan Zingg, France’s Philippe LeJeune, Toronto’s Michael Kaeshammer, and American expatriate Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, now residing in Vancouver BC.  Watch the sampler!

                
 

AMRF Broadcast Schedule

AMRF programs are distributed via satellite to public television stations nationwide by the National Educational Telecommunications Association. Individual stations may record the feeds and may air them at any time at their discretion. To date our programs have been broadcast over 1,200 times on over 330 stations acros the country.  Check here for broadcasts in your area - schedules are updated weekly.

The transition to digital transmission on June 12, 2009 provides broadcasters with three or four discrete broadcast channels. Stations listed below without a designated channel number are the primary digital channel 1. The numbers appended to the call letters denote which of the sideband channels the programs will appear on. Consult the directory for your digital service to find out where they appear on your receiver.

Contact your public television station and tell them you want to see:

"4 Shades of Blues"

Station         Date      Day             Time          TZ             Market

KBDI2           Sept 1   Wed             3:00am     MT            Denver, CO

WPBS          Sept 11  Sat              11:00pm   ET             Watertown, NY
WNPI                                                                                     Norwood, NY

Wisconsin Public Television
WPNE2        Sept 18 Sat              11:00pm     CT            Green Bay, WI
WHAD2                                                                                Madison, WI
WPT2                                                                                    Madison, WI
WHLA2                                                                                 La Cross-Eau Claire, WI
WHWC2                                                                               Menomonie
WHRM2                                                                                Wausau, WI
WLEF2                                                                                 Park Falls, WI
                             

Big Band Blues

Oregon Public Broadcasting
KOPB           7/24        Sat             3:00am   PT            Portland, OR
KTVR                                                                         La Grande, OR
KOAC                                                                         Corvallis, OR
KEPB                                                                          Eugene, OR
KOAB                                                                         Bend, OR

2003 Motor City Boogie Woogie & Blues Festival