2003

Columbia/Legacy Jazz’s restoration of its catalog of albums by jazz legend Thelonious Monk will be extended next month with four additional titles. Due Aug. 19, each has been digitally remastered and expanded with bonus tracks not on the originally issued albums.
“Criss-Cross” (1963) was the pianist’s second album for Columbia and featured tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, bassist John Ore and drummer Frankie Dunlop. The new version adds three bonus tracks, including unreleased alternate takes of “Tea For Two” and “Eronel.” His third Columbia set, 1964’s “It’s Monk’s Time,” is also extended with three bonus tracks, including a complete version of Monk’s closing theme “Epistrophy.” The album was recorded with Rouse, bassist Butch Warren and drummer Ben Riley.
Nine extra tracks bolster the reissue of 1965’s “Solo Monk,” an album marked by its blues numbers and standards. Two of the new tracks “Introspection” and “Darn That Dream,” first appeared on the 1979 double-album “Always Know.”
Lastly, 1968’s “Underground,” Monk’s final Columbia studio album, newly features previously unreleased alternate takes of “Boo Boo’s Birthday” and the waltz “Ugly Beauty,” as well as the first recorded take of “Thelonious.” The quartet was rounded out by Rouse, Riley and bassist Larry Gales, and expanded with on-the-spot improvised vocals by Jon Hendricks on the closing track “In Walked Bud.”
Source Billboard.com.

When James Brown was winding down his show at a jazz festival yesterday (July 17) in Helsinki, the crowds clapped to the beat of his 1970s hit “Sex Machine,” then roared with approval when Finland’s popular president Tarja Halonen walked on stage to jive with the Godfather of Soul.
An enthusiastic audience chanted “Tarja, Tarja, Tarja,” in the balmy, bright summer evening in Pori, on the southwestern coast of Finland, wrapped in a rare heat wave. Halonen, 59, let her hair down and visibly enjoyed dancing with 70-year-old Brown at one of Finland’s oldest music festivals.
Source Billboard.com.

Jam band fans who missed out on the chance to sail on the inaugural Jam Cruise — set to depart Jan. 6, 2004, from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. — will now get a crack at the next-best thing, Jam Cruise II. The initial cruise sold out of its 800 tickets within an hour of their on-sale date, so Cloud 9 Adventures has announced a sequel, with tickets on sale Monday (July 21).
Jam Cruise II will depart Jan. 10, 2004, from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. on the Imperial Majesty Regal Empress ship, the same day the ship will dock with returning passengers from Jam Cruise I. Both will make stops in Nassau, the Bahamas and Key West, Fla. Galactic and the Disco Biscuits will remain on the ship as participants in both cruises, and a host of other acts will climb aboard for the second edition.
Confirmed bands for Jam Cruise II include Michael Franti & Spearhead, Les Claypool, Donna The Buffalo, Yonder Mountain String Band, Rebirth Brass Band, RAQ, Codetalkers feat. Col. Bruce Hampton and the Hackensaw Boys. As previously reported, Keller Williams, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Particle, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and DJ Z-Trip will take part in Jam Cruise II.
Both tours will feature traditional cruise attractions such as casinos, dining and spa facilities as well as boasting three stages — an outdoor stage on the top deck, an indoor theater and a small nightclub. Passengers can choose between dozens of concerts, plus all-night jam sessions. The show admission is included in the package price, ranging from $500 to $1025 per person.
Source billboard.com.

The initial dates of the Gov

HBO dominated television’s Emmy Award nominations with a total of 109, with “Six Feet Under” earning 16 nominations, including one for best TV drama where it faces another HBO hit “The Sopranos.”
“Sex and the City” landed 13 nominations, including best comedy which runs against the network’s other popular comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
“The Sopranos,” also claimed 13 to tie “Sex and the City” at the No. 3 position among most-nominated programs.
The 55th Annual Emmy Awards will be given out in September.
Source yahoo.com.

Organizers announced they are scrapping the festival stop scheduled for July 26 at upstate New York’s Vernon Downs race track, citing rising production costs.
“Due to the costs of production versus the estimated tickets sales of 15,000, it did not make fiscal sense to play this date,” says a statement from promoters. “Unfortunately, the venue is such that Lollapalooza would have needed to bring in additional production facilities, which made the cost to produce the Syracuse-area show significantly more than other venues on the tour.”
But the real culprit for the cancellation appears to be sluggish ticket sales. Despite a lineup including Jane’s Addiction, Audioslave, Incubus, and Queens of the Stone’s Age only about 4,000 tickets had been sold. Slow ticket sales and staging issues doomed the original July 3 kickoff date in Ionia, Michigan as well. Refunds are available at points of purchase.
Source yahoo.com.

Miramax Films, a major player in distributing independent movies, is taking the unusual step of splitting a new movie from director Quentin Tarantino into two parts and releasing each as separate films, a studio spokesman said on Wednesday.”The idea was thought of when the script was in development and after seeing the (film) footage, it made sense,” said the spokesman.The movie, called “Kill Bill,” is the first from the critically acclaimed director since 1997’s “Jackie Brown,” and has been widely anticipated by his fans.But with preliminary versions running at three hours, it was almost twice as long as a normal movie, meaning theaters would have fewer screenings in a day and risk losing ticket sales.The movie is about a female assassin, played by Uma Thurman, who survives an attempt on her life.
Source etonline.com.

Cake will be on the road with their Unlimited Sunshine tour for a second run this fall, with this year

Garage A Trois has announced a run of shows out west in support of their recent release

The White Stripes have postponed their North American tour dates through August 10. Lead singer/guitarist Jack White suffered a compound fracture to a finger in an auto accident in his hometown of Detroit July 9. Shows affected include those in Providence, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C; Norfolk, Nashville, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Toronto, Montreal, Milwaukee, and Detroit. The White Stripes hope to reschedule the postponed shows as soon as possible, with previously purchased tickets remaining valid for the new shows.