Jamie Baum & Short Stories Renowned flutist extraordinaire & 2016 DownBeat Magazine Readers Poll finalist arrives in Akron for a very special masterclass (6PM, free) & concert event (8PM) with all-star quintet! Featuring Jamie Baum, Nir Felder, Andy Milne, Matt Clohesy, Jeff Hirshfield. Presented by Altus Flutes & BLU Jazz+ Masterclass Foundation.
Concert + Masterclass

Composer/flutist and 2014 Guggenheim Award Fellow, Jamie Baum, known for her award-winning Septet+ (of sixteen years and counting) that featured her increasingly complex and long-form compositions, presents on this outing, her group Short Stories. Inspired by the short but eloquent, harmonically and motivically-packed compositions by such jazz icons as Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, Baum strives in this setting to create short compositions that explore a specific vibe or concept setting a pallet for this unique instrumentation and creative top-flight band. Featuring a core quartet with guests that “throw a wrench” in the mix, Baum finds her expression through a modular group and concept. Short Stories made its debut performance on January 8th, 2015 at The Greenwich House, NYC, as part of Jazz Resolutions 2015 during the APAP/Winter JazzFest/JazzConnect weekend and was filmed by Mezzo/Kidem, a French TV film crew that was broadcast in September 2015.
 

 
Join us at BLU Jazz+ as this sensational flutist and her all-star Short Stories ensemble treat us to a wonderful evening of premier live jazz as part of their Midwest tour – get your tickets today!
 

About Jamie Baum & Short Stories

NYC Flutist/composer and 2014 Guggenheim Fellow, JAMIE BAUM has toured 28 countries and worked with artists as diverse as George Russell, Mick Goodrick, Kenny Barron, Paul Motion and Randy Brecker to Dave Douglas, Richie Beirach, Ralph Alessi, Anthony Braxton and Wadada Leo Smith. She’s been nominated by the Jazz Journalists Association for “Flutist of the Year“ eight times including 2015, listed in DownBeat Critics Polls every year since 1998, and was included in the “Major New International Talent” 2015 list by Musica Jazz (Italy).
 
Baum’s fifth CD as a leader, In This Life (Sunnyside Records), received great attention including reviews from The New York Times, DownBeat, JazzTimes, etc., and was featured in NPR’s All Things Considered and WBGO’s RADAR. It made several “Best CDs of 2013” lists including DownBeat, JazzTimes, Jazziz, iTunes, The Boston Globe and Francis Davis’ NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll and was nominated by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2014 as “Best Midsize Ensemble of the Year”, in the same list with only two other bands…The Wayne Shorter Quartet and Steve Coleman and Five Elements!
 
Through a highly competitive auditioning process, Jamie was chosen to tour for the DOS/Kennedy Center Jazz Ambassador program from ’99-’03 as well as several later tours sponsored by the US State Department in South America, Europe and South Asia. Ms. Baum has been on the faculty of the jazz department at Manhattan School of Music since 2007, on the adjunct faculty roster at the New School University since 2004 and taught at Berklee College of Music (2011-2013). A clinician for Altus Flutes, they have sponsored her innovative, pioneering clinic “A Fear Free Approach to Improvisation for the Classically-Trained Musician”TM at colleges, conservatories, festivals and schools worldwide since 1993.
 
Called “the next big jazz guitarist” by NPR, hailed by the New York Times as a “whiz kid”, Nir Felder is a new voice in jazz guitar. Growing up right outside New York City, Felder spent his youth playing in rock bands while learning about jazz at the local record store, inspired by icons from John Coltrane to voodoo chile Jimi Hendrix. After attending Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship, Felder moved to New York City in 2006 and quickly became one of the city’s most highly sought after sideman, notching credits in bands led by Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington (with whom he recorded the Grammy-winning “Money Jungle”), Jack DeJohnette, Greg Osby, Eric Harland, Jose James, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Cindy Blackman. Felder’s critically acclaimed debut “Golden Age” (Sony/OKeh) has been called “absolutely beautiful” by The Seattle Post, “lyrical and lofty” by The New York Times.
 
Pianist/composer Andy Milne has been an important and respected voice on the New York jazz scene for over 20 years. During the 1990s, he was at the center of the M-BASE collective, collaborating extensively with saxophonist Steve Coleman. He has toured and recorded with Ravi Coltrane, Ralph Alessi, Carlos Ward and Carla Cook and has collaborated with a range of artists including Sekou Sundiata, Avery Brooks, Bruce Cockburn, Fred Hersch, and Dianne Reeves. He has composed and produced the scores for seven documentary films directed by acclaimed director William Shatner. Milne’s longstanding quintet Dapp Theory, intersects lyrical jazz piano, funkified polyrhythmic exploration, and spoken word poeticism.
 
Matt Clohesy, Australian bassist left his hometown of Melbourne for the USA in 2001. Based in New York City, he has since gained much recognition as an acoustic and electric bassist worldwide. He has been called upon to tour and/or record with such notable band leaders as Seamus Blake, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Geoffrey Keezer, Eric Reed, Kevin Hays, Ingrid Jensen, David Kikoski, Donny McCaslin, Tom Scott, Joel Frahm, John Ellis, Mike Moreno, Jonathan Kreisberg, Lage Lund, Eric Alexander, Maria Schneider and Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society.
 
A native New Yorker, drummer Jeff Hirshfield’s performance and recording credits include; Jim Hall, Toots Thielemans, Charlie Mariano, Joe Lovano, Red Rodney-Ira Sullivan, Kenny Wheeler, John Abercrombie, Dr. John, Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Orchestra, John Taylor, Randy Brecker, John Zorn, Mose Allison, Bennie Wallace, Bob Brookmeyer, Paul Bley, Eliane Elias, Mike Mainieri, Gary Peacock, Tim Berne, Woody Herman Orchestra, Tom Harrell, Fred Hersch, Mike Stern, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Bob Belden, James Moody, Dave Liebman, David Binney, George Garzone, Jamie Baum, Greg Osby, Chris Potter, Slide Hampton, Joe Henderson, George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band, Bill Frisell, Benny Golson, etc.
 
Extensive touring includes the U.S., Europe, Japan, South America, Australia, Israel, India, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Performing in many of the major jazz and music festivals around the world. He has performed on over 280 recordings. He has conducted clinics and master classes with a focus on musicality and listening in Europe, South America, Australia, India, Nepal, Thailand, Canada, Japan and extensively in the U.S.
 

About BLU Jazz+ Masterclass Foundation

Committed to the preservation of America’s treasured art form of jazz, BLU Jazz+ Masterclass Foundation (BJMF) is a new program developed by the founders of BLU Jazz+ Akron (BJA) that brings “front-row” jazz education performance & mentorship opportunities to student musicians and art lovers alike by presenting a series of masterclasses led by top visiting musicians from all over the world.
 
Recipient of a 2015 Knight Arts Challenge grant award by the Knight Foundation, BLU Jazz+ Masterclass Foundation expands upon the essence of Akron, Ohio’s award-winning live jazz destination, BLU Jazz+ Akron (BJA), launched in Fall 2014. Learn more at blujazzmasterclass.org.
 

About Altus Handmade Flutes

For over 25 years, Altus has crafted flutes that embody the ideal marriage of vintage inspiration and modern technology. Created and handmade by Shuichi Tanaka, each Altus flute reflects his passion to produce the finest playing flutes available utilizing the finest of materials handwork and artistry.
 
The meticulous design of the Altus flute and its uncompromised scale receive great attention. Based on the work and recommendations of British flutist William Bennett, the Altus/Bennett scale offers excellent intonation, carefully tuned harmonics, and balanced registers.
 
Masterfully hand-sculpted headjoints, contemporary precision standards and unique tubings produce the remarkable sound of the Altus flute. Vintage color, pure tonal core, ease of manipulation, excellent intonation properties, response, and projection – flutists worldwide recognize the inspired Altus sound.
 

$15 (advance), $20 (door)