Jazz

The name says a lot: Steve Hudson Chamber Ensemble. You sense it's not quite classical, since a classical ensemble's name would more likely be taken from a famous composer or place. But that "chamber" part must mean something. And it does. "This particular group has a strong classical influence," says its founder, jazz pianist and composer Steve Hudson. "I decided to use 'chamber ensemble' most obviously because of the instrumental sound, using cello and violin with piano and percussion.

He has sold more than 75 million records worldwide, won a Grammy and collaborated with Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin and Frank Sinatra. Yet saxophonist Kenny G still approaches his craft like an "A" student who insists on nothing shy of "A" plus. "I've put in two to three hours [of practice] a day for the last 30 years. I figure that over time, this stuff is going to sink in and I'm going to keep getting better and better," said the instrumentalist, who is scheduled to perform at this weekend's 18th annual Capital Jazz Fest at Columbia's Merriweather Post Pavilion.

Joseph C. Rinaldi, a professional jazz clarinetist and teacher who began his career playing for the swing bands of the 1940s and later became a mainstay of the Peabody Jazz Ensemble, died Tuesday of heart failure at Huggins Hospital in Wolfboro, N.H. He was 85. Joseph Carmen Rinaldi, the son of a barber and a homemaker, was born and raised in Washington, where he graduated from St. John's College High School. Something of a musical prodigy, Mr. Rinaldi was a mere kid when his father gave him a Bb Soprano Curved Saxophone, a rather unusual-looking instrument that he kept and played for the rest of his life.

When jazz lovers Carol Stone and Woody Woodland moved to Cape May, N.J., full time in 1991, they were bored — until they attended a jazz festival in Rehoboth Beach, Del., in 1993 and realized that they could do the same thing in Cape May. They formed an executive board in January 1994, and the first festival took off at the Marquis de Lafayette Hotel in April of the same year. "Now, of course, there's so much activity going on [in Cape May], and I would say it comes on the heels of the jazz festival," said Woodland.

Ernest L. "Scribbles" Ross, a former Pennsylvania Avenue haberdasher who enjoyed dancing and listening to jazz, died of a heart attack April 2 at Maryland General Hospital. A Baltimore resident, he was 66. "He got the name 'Scribbles' when he was a child. He was always scribbling, and the name just stuck," said a sister, Clarice M. Day, who lives in Northwest Baltimore. He attended St. Peter Claver parochial school and Baltimore public schools. As a youth, when school closed for the summer, Mr. Ross traveled to Ocean City where he worked in restaurants, starting out as a dishwasher.

Concert series opens April 18 at the Other Barn, 5851 Robert Oliver Place, with vocalist Kristine Key. Showtime is 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at door. Information: 410-730-4510 or brownpapertickets.com/event/103954.

Carlos Boozer scored 23 points, Deron Williams notched his 35th double-double of the season, and the host Utah Jazz ended a two-game losing streak with a 112-89 victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday night. Williams finished with 17 points and 11 assists, and sparked a 17-6 run at the start of the third quarter that turned the game into a rout. Andray Blatche scored 24 points and Mike Miller added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards, who lost their eighth straight game.

The Columbia Jazz Band presents a "Winter Jazz Concert," featuring the music of Gershwin, Porter, Hancock and others, at 3 p.m. today at River Hill High School, 12101 Route 108, Clarksville. Free. Go to thejazzband.com for more information. div.talkforum #creditfooter { display: none; } div.talkforum .feedItemAuthor { display: none; } div.talkforum div.feedburnerFeedBlock ul li span.headline { font-weight:bold; margin:0; font-size: 12px; } div.talkforum { margin: 10px 0 5px 0; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCC; padding-bottom: 5px; }

The Glenelg Jazz Ensemble performs at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Glenwood Community Center, 2400 Route 97 in Cooksville. Tickets are $5, Call 410-313-4840.