Good morning! Another superb video found to show some more great work from our imminently arriving guest, Rick Margitza. This time it’s The Big Time Jazz Orchestra from Duluth, MN performing “Widows Walk” by Rick Margitza, arranged by Dan Gailey at the 2004 Jazz Scholarship Benefit Concert.

You can hear this amazing saxophonist play live in the Grand Social on December 7th next. Book your ticket and get more detail online now.

Rick Margitza as part of the Miles Davis group at the Umbro Jazz Festival in 1989.

You can hear this amazing saxophonist play live in the Grand Social on December 7th next. Book your ticket and get more detail online now.

Miles Davis – trumpet, keyboards
Rick Margitza – saxophone
Foley Mc Creary – guitar
Adam Holzman – keyboards
Kei Akagi – keyboards
Benny Rietveld – bass
Munyungo Jackson – percussion
Ricky Wellmann – drums

Rick Margitza

I asked Rick Margitza a few questions in an e-mail dialogue a couple of days ago. Here is how it went.

Allen:   How did you come to join the Miles Davis group in 1989?

Rick:  A friend of mine who was working at Blue Note Records sent a demo tape I had done to the studio where Miles was working on his ‘amandla’ album. His producer Tommy Lipuma heard it and then played it for Miles over the phone. Miles told Tommy to call me and tell me that I had a job.

Allen:  Which of the three albums that you recorded with Miles Davis did you enjoy the most?

Rick:   Honestly, none of them. the ‘Amandla’ album is just me playing a melody….no solo. the one track that I played on ‘Live around the world’ is taken from one of the nights that I feel I didn’t play very well and the same goes for ‘Live at Montreux’

Allen:  When did you work with Maria Schneider? What was the most rewarding aspect of the experience?

Rick:   There were so so many, but if I had to pick one, I would say the fact that she actually composed something for me specifically.

Allen:   Since you have lived in Paris with what other musicians have you had the opportunity to perform beyond the Louis Moutin Quartet?

Rick:   Just a small correction, the group is called ‘The Moutin Reunion Quartet.’ Since I’ve moved here I’ve been lucky to play with many great musicians, including Martial Solal, Birelli Lagrene, Stefan Belmando, and Rhoda Scott.

Allen:   What was the most memorable aspect of playing at the Galway Jazz Festival earlier this year?

Rick:   Meeting and playing with the musicians, Myles, Dan and Shane, the drummer with the big band next Wednesday.  Travelling around and playing with local rhythm sections is always hit or miss. but these guys are all great and we had a connection very quickly. I look forward to making more music in Dublin.

While you await the most important date in December (Wednesday 7th December! When Dublin City Jazz Orchestra play in The Grand Social!) watch this video to get you in the mood!

Marshall Gilkes (Trombone) and John Riley (Drums) guesting with Dublin City Jazz Orchestra at Sligo Jazz Project 2011

Book your ticket and get more detail online now.

(tenor and soprano saxophone)

 On Wednesday 7th December 2011 at

The Dublin City Jazz Orchestra with The Fiftieth Ones Rick Margitza (tenor and soprano saxophone) special guest soloist from America. In The Loft at The Grand Social, 35 Liffey Street Lower, Dublin 1. Doors open at 8.30pm. Concert at 9pm. Admission €10. Student Discount: Two For One(on the door).

Rick Margitza playing tenor sax

Book online at entertainment.ie 

Nothing beats the rhythmic drive and sheer power of a jazz big band. The Dublin City Jazz Orchestra brings this quality to its concerts with superb ensemble playing and outstanding soloists in all four sections, reeds, trombones, trumpets and rhythm. All the members of this 17 piece jazz orchestra are well known on the Irish jazz scene and they bring to this orchestra their well honed skills, performing arrangements from great International writers and Irish composers.

Ciaran Wilde and Ray Martin founded the Dublin City Big Band in 2007. It became Dublin City Jazz Orchestra for a performance at the Electric Picnic in 2008. Allen Smith of Jazz on the Terrace and Ciaran Wilde in collaboration create opportunities for the DCJO to perform throughout Ireland.

In 2010 and 2011 the DCJO has played 24 concerts including in 2010 the dlr Festival of World Cultures, TBCT’s Culture Night, the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, Kilkenny Arts Festival. In 2011 the orchestra performed an outstanding concert in the National Concert Hall with singers Mary Coughlan, Christine Tobin and David Linx, at the Sligo Jazz Festival with guests, trombonist Marshall Gilkes and drummer John Riley, and at “Made in Temple Bar”. Always very good, many times brilliant.

This concert by the DCJO is the second in a series called “The Fiftieth Ones”. The Fiftieth One in this concert is American tenor saxophonist Rick Margitza, fifty this year.

Born into a musical family in 1961 in Detroit. Rick Margitza’s paternal grandfather, a Hungarian Gypsy violinist, taught him to play the violin at the age of four. His father, a violist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra helped his musical education. His maternal grandfather, a jazz bassist with the Glen Miller band, also played cello on the famed Charlie Parker with strings recording. After hearing Parker on this recording, Margitza switched to the saxophone.

He studied classical saxophone with Donald Sinta and jazz with Sonny Stitt, Gerry Niewood, Michael Brecker, and David Liebman. He studied at the Berklee School of Music in Boston and graduated with a B. Mus. from the Loyola University in New Orleans. Rick was touring with Maynard Ferguson and also Flora Purim and Airto Moreira at this time.

From New Orleans, Margitza moved to New York in 1989, and joined Miles Davis’ group and recorded three albums with it: “Amandla”, “Live around the world” and “Live in Montreux”. He made three recordings as leader for Blue Note during 1989-1991. Since 1994, his career has been enriched with five more solo albums and collaborations with such artists as Maria Schneider, Chick Corea and McCoy Tyner. He has performed with Bobby Hutcherson, Tony Williams, Eddie Gomez, Martial Solal and Dave Douglas. He has led his own band and performed in clubs, concert halls and festivals around the world.

His 10 albums as a leader document the evolution of his playing as well as his growth as a composer. Margitza has also composed music for orchestra including two symphonies and a saxophone concerto. He currently lives in Paris and his recording Bohemia, on the French label Nocturne, was his most personal to date.

Rick Margitza, who has long been regarded as one of the  “Young Lions” of the International Jazz Scene, is nowadays one of the most respected musicians of his generation. An excellent tenor and soprano saxophonist, mostly inspired by John Coltrane, Michael Brecker and Wayne Shorter, he has managed to expand and develop his unique voice, highly poetic and sharply incisive.

Rick Margitza has appeared in Dublin on a previous occasion recently, appearing with Myles Drennan, Damian Evans and Shane O’Donovan in JJs. As the guest soloist, he brings arrangements in which he will shine with the DCJO in this exciting concert.

The members of the DCJO are:

Trumpets: Danny Healy, Mark Adams, Eamonn Nolan Ray Martin.

Trombones: Jim Clarke, Karl Ronan, Barry McBrien, Paul Frost.

Reeds: Alex Mathias, Derek O’Connor, Ciaran Wilde, Nick Roth, Robert Geraghty.

Rhythm Section: Phil Ware(kybrds), Hugh Buckley(gtr), Cormac O’Brien(dbl bs), Shane O’Donovan(drms)

This concert is presented by Jazz on the Terrace with funding from the Small Festivals and Events Award of The Arts Council.

                                                                                                                                                                                                      The Dublin City Jazz Orchestra plays the last concert in this five concert series grant aided by the Arts Council’s Music Projects Awards 2011 at the Visual Centre for Contemporary Art & The George Bernard Shaw Theatre in Carlow on Sunday 4th December 2011 at 8.00pm. Admission €18 and €15 concessions.

The Dublin City Jazz Orchestra was begun as a big band by Ciaran Wilde and Ray Martin in 2007 to enable students at the Ballymun Wind Project to see and hear what a big band would look like as an encouragement to them in their studies.

After a performance in the IMC tent at the Electric Picnic in 2008 the band has had three residencies since then in the Button Factory in 2009 and 2010. It has a monthly residency in the Button Factory on the first Monday of each month which continues through 2011. On Sunday 27 March plays a major concert in the National Concert Hall in Dublin.

During 2010 the orchestra had a major move forward in its concert presentations. It had two series of concerts funded by the Music Network Performance and Touring Award and the Improvised Music Company Regional Touring Scheme. The orchestra also appeared at the Kilkenny Arts Festival, The dlr Festival of World Cultures, the Culture Night in September and the Cork Guinness Jazz Festival. It has appeared twice on the Late Late Show in 2010.

In 2010 Jazz on the Terrace commissioned nine Irish composers to write music specifically for the DCJO. The Arts Council provided grant aid for this music and it was premiered on 1 November. The music was played subsequently since then at other concerts.

Too often new works are only featured once. This series of concerts will mean that this music will be performed for a second time in Ireland. Jazz on the Terrace has been fortunate to secure a grant from the Music Network Arts Council Music Recording Scheme to record all of this music.

The artistic rationale behind the DCJO projects is very modest. It is to afford a jazz big band an opportunity to present its programme of music to audiences that may not hear this kind of music live very often and for the venues to bring this music to its customers.

The Irish writers who provided the compositions are Brian Byrne, David O’Rourke, Fintan O’Neill (all based in America), Brian Wynne, Abigail Smith, Karl Ronan with Pamela Keeley and Ronan Dooney, John Moriarty, Alex Mathias and Nick Roth. The other Irish arrangers are Paul Frost, Cormac McCarthy and Jim Clarke. The repertoire is also drawn from arrangements by Thad Jones, Neal Hefti, Oliver Nelson, Gordon Goodwin and Stan Kenton.

The Dublin City Jazz Orchestra.

Leader: Ciaran Wilde.

Saxophones

Ciaran Wilde(alto), Robert Geraghty(baritone), Alex Mathias(tenor), Derek O’Connor(tenor), Nick Roth(alto)

Trumpets

Raymond Martin, Danny Healy, Eamon Nolan, Mark Adams (also vocals)

Trombones

Paul Frost(bass and vocals),Karl Ronan, Barry McBrien,  Jim Clarke

Rhythm Section

Phil Ware(piano), Hugh Buckley(guitar),

Cormac O’Brien(double bass), Jason O’Donovan(drums).

Dublin City Jazz Orchestra rehearsing for their concert with Anders Bergcrantz!!

The next concert by the Dublin City Jazz Orchestra is the first in a series called ” Dublin City Jazz Orchestra with The Fiftieth Ones – Anders Bergcrantz” (trumpet and flugelhorn) from Sweden.

On Wednesday 16 November 2011 in The Loft at The Grand Social, 35 Lower Liffey Street, Dublin 1. Doors open at 8.30pm. Concert at 9.00pm. Admission price €10. Book online at entertainment.ie. Link is bit.ly/DCJOGrandSocial.

There is nothing to beat the rhythmic drive and sheer power of a jazz big band. The Dublin City Jazz Orchestra brings this quality to its concerts with superb ensemble playing and its outstanding soloists from all four sections, reeds, trombones, trumpets and rhythm. All the members of this 17 piece jazz orchestra are well known on the Irish jazz scene and they bring to this orchestra all their well honed skills performing arrangements from great International writers and Irish composers.

Ciaran Wilde and Ray Martin founded the Dublin City Big Band in 2007 to enable students at Ballymun Wind Project to see and hear a big band and encourage them in their studies.

It became Dublin City Jazz Orchestra for a performance at the Electric Picnic in 2008. The Orchestra played  weekly residencies in the Button Factory in Temple Bar in 2009 and 2010. In 2010 and 2011 the DCJO appeared on the “Late Late Show”.

I was enthused after hearing some performances of the orchestra, approached Ciaran Wilde and now in collaboration they create opportunities for the DCJO to perform throughout Ireland.

The artistic rationale is very modest, to afford a jazz orchestra opportunites to present its exciting programmes to audiences that may not hear this kind of music live very often and for venues to bring this music to its audiences.

In 2010 and 2011 the DCJO has played 24 concerts. These included concerts at the dlr Festival of World Cultures, TBCT’s Culture Night, the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, Kilkenny Arts Festival in 2010.

In 2011 the orchestra performed an outstanding concert in the National Concert Hall with singers Mary Coughlan, Christine Tobin and David Linx. It performed at the Sligo Jazz Festival with guests, trombonist Marshall Gilkes and drummer John Riley, at “Made in Temple Bar” and in the Mill Theatre in Dundrum this October. Always very good, many times brilliant.

The members of the DCJO are:

Trumpets: Danny Healy, Mark Adams, Eamonn Nolan Ray Martin.

Trombones: Jim Clarke, Karl Ronan, Barry McBrien, Paul Frost.

Reeds: Alex Mathias, Derek O’Connor, Ciaran Wilde, Nick Roth, Robert Geraghty.

Rhythm Section: Phil Ware(kybrds), Hugh Buckley(gtr), Cormac O’Brien(dbl bs), Shane O’Donovan(drms)

This concert by the DCJO is the first in a series called “The Fiftieth Ones”.The Fiftieth One in this concert is Swedish trumpeter Anders Bergcrantz, fifty this year.

Anders playing with passion.

Anders Bergcrantz was born in Malmö, Sweden into a musical family. After three years at music high school, one year at Berklee, and two years at the music conservatory, and after 23 years of growing up and living with jazz, Anders started to play professionally and got a growing reputation and began to get invitations as a guest soloist and member of different bands home and abroad.

He spent some time in NYC in the eighties and early/mid nineties where two of Anders CDs were recorded, “Live at Sweet Basil” and “In this together”. “In this together” received “The Golden Record”, the finest musical award in Sweden. These two CDs and the CD “C” which is dedicated to the music of John Coltrane includes the band members and long time friends of Anders; Richie Beirach, Ron McClure and Adam Nussbaum.

Anders has also cooperated with tenor-sax master, Billy Harper and drummer legend, Billy Hart. The Anders Bergcrantz Quintet is Anders’ Swedish unit. They recorded the cd “About Time” in 2007. This record received, once again, the foremost Swedish jazz award; “The Golden Record”! Anders was at the same time also awarded; “Musician of the year”. “About Time” was also voted best album of the year by Swedish Radio’s listeners. In 2009 he received the French/Swedish award; Django d’Or in the category Contemporary Star of Jazz.

Anders Bergcrantz has appeared in Dublin on two previous occasions appearing as a soloist with the RTE Concert Orchestra in an Ellingtonian concert and performing at Whelans with Dave Liebman, Richie Beirach, Mike Nielsen with Ronan and Conor Guilfoyle in a memorable gig.

As the guest soloist, he brings arrangements in which he will shine with the DCJO in this exciting concert.

This concert is presented by Jazz on the Terrace and supported by funding from The Small Festivals and Events Award of The Arts Council.

Ray Martin with his trumpet, on the left  and Ciaran Wilde with his alto-saxophone on the right, musical co-leaders of the DCJO lead the sprint across Meeting House Square in an early training session for their concert  on Sunday 24 July in Temple Bar Square. That’s the stratospheric trumpeter Danny Healy in the sunglasses.

So, for this second time for Temple Bar Cultural Trust and as part of its Celebrations for the Summer the DCJO will be in Temple Bar Square on the afternoon of Sunday 24 July. Get along and be there for the big blast from the best big band in Dublin.

The DCJO  made its home in the Button Factory in the heart of Temple Bar on the Curved Street for the last year or so up to this April. Its members are happy to be back in town as part of the enjoyment that is Dublin City and in particular this quarter and the centre of it, Temple Bar Square.

In the photograph above, you can see the DCJO performing on Monday 4 April in the Button Factory, with tenor saxophonist Brendan Doyle taking a solo.

Below you can see a youtube extract from the DCJO concert in the National Concert Hall on Sunday 27 March, with guitarist Hugh Buckley featured on his composition “When Wes Was”. This was arranged for the orchestra by the New York based arranger/composer from Dublin, David O’Rourke. This concert was the highlight of the earlier part of this year .

Below you can see the DCJO in their relaxed pose for one of their press photographs. In this tour in July the concerts will be  at venues in counties on the western seaboard of Ireland.

The Dublin City Jazz Orchestra

Very often when music is commissioned it has only one performance. This tour means that the music will be heard for a second time. This tour is grant aided by The Arts Council Projects Award.

The concerts will be at the following venues:

Wednesday 13 July. Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, County Donegal.

http://www.regionalculturalcentre.com/

Thursday 14 July. Ballina Arts Centre, Ballina, County Mayo.

http://www.ballinaartscentre.com/events/2011/jul/14/dublin-city-jazz-orchestra/

Wednesday 20 July. Glor, Ennis, County Clare.

to book tickets http://www.glor.ie/What’s%20On/Music_DublinCityJazz.htm

Thursday 21 July. Sligo Jazz Festival, Sligo, County Sligo.

http://www.sligojazz.ie/index.php/festival-2011/festival-acts/festival-programme/

Supported by The Arts Council

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