NEWS
By Jacques Kelly, The Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Sun reporter | October 11, 2011
James "Biddy" Wood, a retired music promoter and well-known personality in Baltimore's Pennsylvania Avenue jazz scene, died of respiratory failure Friday at Harbor Hospital Center's hospice unit. He was 87 and lived in Bolton Hill. Born in Lexington, Ky., he was the son of Francis M. Wood, an educator who was director of segregated, or "colored," schools in Baltimore, and Nellie Hughes, a home economics teacher. The family lived in Catonsville and "Biddy," as he was known because he was a small child, graduated in 1940 from Frederick Douglass High School.
EXPLORE
September 14, 2011
Listen to the jazz sounds of the Chris Vadala Quartet , Fri., Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. at the Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Road. Saxophonist Chris Vadala toured for many years with Churck Mangione and now heads the jazz studies program at the University of Maryland. Tickets are $20 per person; $18 for members and seniors. For tickets, call 301-377-7800. Help kickoff the Ryan Odelle Mance Memorial Scholarship Foundation's inaugural 5k walk fundraiser, Sat., Sept. 17. Check-in and donation submission begin at 8:15 a.m., with shotgun start at 9 a.m. at Riverfront Park, off Main Street at Avondale Street.
NEWS
By Frederick N. Rasmussen, The Baltimore Sun | August 24, 2011
Richard Lyle Daniel, a retired Baltimore County public school music instructor who played with and led several jazz bands, died Monday of heart failure at Holy Spirit Hospital in Camp Hill, Pa. The longtime Finksburg resident was 79. The son of a paper mill worker and a homemaker, Mr. Daniel was born and raised in West Point, Va., and graduated in 1950 from West Point High School. He served in the Air Force until 1951, when he was given an honorable medical discharge.
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August 16, 2011
Concerts Outdoor sounds' swan song The Columbia Village Centers Courtyard concert series wraps up this week with three concerts. The Bay Jazz Project performs jazz Thu., Aug. 18, 6 p.m., at the Dorsey's Search Village Center. Invasion will play British rock Fri., Aug. 19, 6 p.m., at the River Hill Village Center. Finally, the Sidleys will perform a mix of R&B and rock Aug. 19, 6 p.m., at the Harper's Choice Village Center. Go to http://www.columbiavillagecenters.com . The live music series at Columbia's Lake Kittamaqundi lakefront will close out the season this weekend with a performance by the Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition , which plays Thu., Aug. 18, 8 p.m. The Carl Filipiak Group plays guitar-based jazz Sat., Aug. 20, 8 p.m. Also at Lake Kittamaqundi, vocalist the Mango Project mixes contemporary jazz, R&B, funk and smooth jazz, and can be heard Sun., Aug. 21, 6:30 p.m. Legendary Washington guitar slinger Tom Principato stops in at the lakefront Wed., Aug. 17, 8 p.m. Go to http://www.lakefrontfestival.com . Staines at Baldwin's Veteran folk singer Bill Staines will perform Thu., Aug. 18, 8 p.m., at Baldwin's Station & Pub (7618 Main St., Sykesville)
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July 19, 2011
Live 'n' local Fractal Cat fever Columbia native Miles Gannett will perform with his band Fractal Cat Sunday, July 24, 6:30 p.m., at Gallery 788, located at 788 Washington Blvd., in Baltimore. Fractal Cat is a six-piece ensemble that evolved out of Gannett's home studio efforts. The band infuses its original compositions with a variety of instrumentation and offers a fresh, melodic take on pop/psychedelic music. The group will perform as part of a multimedia event called "Instant Gratification," as staged by photographer Philip Laubner . Fractal Cat's newest track, "Foxfire," can be heard by accessing its Facebook page (facebook.com/fractalcatmusic)
NEWS
By Mary Johnson, Special to The Baltimore Sun | June 9, 2011
On May 28, after a three-month absence of major jazz concerts in downtown Annapolis, local music enthusiasts celebrated the appearance of major jazz artists at a new venue, O'Callaghan's Hotel, where the vocal jazz quartet Mad Romance played to a capacity audience, filling all seats at every table. In setting up the show, legendary bassist Joe Byrd, who retired from performing in December 2008, continues to keep jazz alive in Annapolis with his wife, jazz entrepreneur Elana Byrd.