"A Night of Gershwin"

Last week, I was fortunate to observe an absolutely GREAT show at the Blue Wisp featuring The Steve Whipple Trio. Now, in my opinion, all jazz events here in Cincinnati are great, but this show included the element of surprise - in fact, more than one pleasant surprise! To see what the show was all about, stay tuned to the upcoming review of the event; coming soon on The Jazz Half site!

"Jazz Heroes" on Ovation

About a week ago, I was up late doing some work; with the television on as background noise. At the time, I wasn't sure what channel was on. With my head buried in my laptop and keys a-blazing, I begin to hear a guitar with the narrator beginning to talk about Wes Montgomery. I look up, and hit the 'Guide' button on my remote (you now know I have Time Warner Cable) to notice that I'm tuned into the Ovation Channel. I was on the threshold of not one, not two, but SIX consecutive 30-minute programs - all part of the "Jazz Heroes" Series! The series covered the lives of Wes Montgomery, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coletrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, and Gerry Mulligan. Despite the fact this was Thursday night, and I had to wake up at 6:00 the next morning for work, I was up until 2:00am watching these (and I would do it again!). LOTS of excellent commentary from the likes of George Benson, Joshua Redman, and many others. Not sure if Ovation will re-air these, but its worth a look into the Channel Guide (for TWC Customers), or "OvationTV.com".
- jh

It’s there, if you look for it.

Happy Friday everyone – my favourite day of the week (its so late, its technically Saturday, but that's okay). Although Friday is the official kickoff to the weekend for nightlife, many venues in the city have been featuring jazz events throughout the week. In the “Pre-Jazz Half” era, my original notion was that jazz venues and events were very few. Now, as the event calendar is built each month, it is clear the venues and events are anything but few. It is also clear that, as in years past, Cincinnati remains rich with jazz artists, venues, and listeners. And I have to say that was a pleasant surprise for me.

- jh

In the beginning...

My first introduction to Jazz came when I was about 8 years old. My father was an aficionado for playing the ponies and I would often take me with him to RiverDowns. There was traditionally 12 races and at the end of the 11th race, my father would place his bets for the 12th race, and then we would leave to beat the traffic out of the parking lot. In the car, he would turn on WNOP – 740AM. As we drove over the 275 bridge, jazz music filled the car until a certain time when the final race results came on. The biggest distinction I picked up from the sounds I heard was the absence of a vocalist – there was no singer! I was 8 and all the music I was used to hearing had a singer. As I was listening to it I anxiously waited for the vocalist to come in; and in this particular piece, there was no vocalist (I couldn’t even tell you what group or song was playing). When the song ended, despite my early age I discovered something: While waiting for the singer to appear, I actually listened to the whole song, and in the process became a fan of the music – particularly the horns. Two years later, I took up the Alto Saxophone and that opened up a whole new world…
- jh

At last, its here!

Jazz Lover's of Cincinnati, the Official Jazz Half Blog Section is finally here! Check into the blog for frequent postings; and chime in with your own comments, or feel free to drop some Jazz knowledge on the community! Cheers!
- jh