Recently I had the pleasure of hearing the great jazz pianist Donald Smith & ensemble at St. Nick's Pub in New York CIty. St. Nick's Pub is the real deal, a relaxed club where audiences pack the house to hear living, breathing jazz in all its glory. Donald Smith is now one of my pianistic heros - there seems to be no separation between the man's spirit and the keyboard. He was surrounded by other equally sublime jazz musicians, including Melanie Dyer (viola) and Salim Washington (flute/saxes), also pictured below. This group also performs as the Harlem Arts Ensemble - and luckily they have a video clip on YouTube that you can check out below! Next time you are in New York City, head to St. Nick's Pub for a truly remarkable jazz experience (located at 773 St. Nicholas Avenue).

- Valerie

Every year the MacArthur Foundation awards the so-called "Genuis Grants" to "talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction." The award is an unrestricted grant of $500,000, which represents both monetary and societal support. The list of this year's awardees includes scientists, writers, social entrepreneurs, artists, and two musicians: Regina Carter and John Zorn. The fact that both of these musicians are based in the jazz and improvisational music idiom is significant - this award represents both real and symbolic validation of their efforts and, overall, the role of music in society.

Regina Carter and John Zorn are both outstanding performers and major contributors to the larger community. Regina has long been involved in music education and outreach programs. She plans to use her grant to fund going back to school, in order to pursue research on the healing potential of music. In an interview on NPR, she says that she would like to use music to help children who are terminally ill, and to better understand how music can aid the healing process. On my local jazz radio station KCSM, the announcer said that Regina plans to establish a center on music and healing. This is an area that I am very passionate about as well, so I was thrilled to hear about this and hope she is able to make it happen! I would also suggest that she look into the work of Hope Lab, a nonprofit that creates software products for children who are dealing with illness.

I haven't yet been able to find an interview with John Zorn on what he plans to do with the award. Zorn has been an avid practitioner and promoter of free jazz for decades, running his own label and organizing the music space The Stone in New York city. I'll probably stop by The Stone while in New York to perform in this year's Vision Festival, which is also part of the same "downtown" free music community. Congratulations Regina and Zorn! - Valerie