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Reggie Young Rest in Peace

Reggie Young

(1936-2019)

It is one of life’s great blessings to have known, albeit briefly, the wonderful person Reggie Young. You can read about his accomplishments – they were many and significant, particularly to those he helped become stars and chart-toppers – wherever you get your music news. What stood out to me is how humble, considerate and thoughtful he was in person. At a small CD release party for his first CD under his own name, Forever Young, in his home town of Leipers Fork, TN, many of his longtime cohorts and friends paid tribute to a person they respected not just for his unusual musical abilities, but also for the friend they had come to know well and love.

Reggie will be missed by many as one who lived his life as it should be lived, without ego and bluster, with a focused commitment to the musical task at hand and also to respecting and helping those he came to know.

Our condolences go out to Reggie’s family. His warmth and spirit continue to guide us.

Neal Weiss, president

Whaling City Sound

left to right: Tom Evered, Neal Weiss, Jenny Young, Reggie Young
photo credit Ginny Shea, July 18, 2016, Nashville 
Sad to report the passing of legendary session guitarist and Whaling City artist Reggie Young. He was one of the most recorded guitarists in the sixties, seventies and eighties playing on numerous legendary hits by Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield and more.

Young was a member of the country supergroup The Highwaymen w/ Kris Kristofferson, WillieNelson, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. He was also a founding member of the Bill Black Combo. In 1964, The Beatles requested the Combo open for them during their first U.S. tour and invited the group over to England for another month-long tour.

“The story of Reggie Young’s career is, in many ways, a miniature version of the story of Southern soul music.” – AllMusic

A compilation of his famous recordings “Session Guitar Star” is due out next week on Ace Records.

Reggie Young “Session Guitar Star” Ace CDHD1537 will be available in the UK and via importers here on January 25, 2019. Last year the UK based reissue label Ace released a 22 track collection of his finest session work here on Amazon.
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Whaling City Sound attends Jazz Congress 2019

Ginny Shea attends

Jazz at Lincoln Center
10 W 60th St
New York, NY, 10023
on behalf of

with NBC10’s Mario Hilario

Your Digital Marketing Priorities

Having a presence digitally means more than just having a website. Molly Garber of digital marketing firm Capacity Interactive, which counts Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center as clients, shares five core priorities and how you can tackle them successfully, even with limited time and money.
Intro: Aaron Bisman (Jazz at Lincoln Center)
Panelists: Molly Garber (Capacity Interactive)

with vocalist Kristen Lee Sergeant from Inside Out WCS087 

Jazz Entrepreneurship: Online Strategies, Offline Results

3 presenters talk about their entrepreneurial ventures: what’s been successful, what’s worked, and what hasn’t. Short individual presentations followed by Q&A.
Moderator: Ashley Kahn
Panelists: Marc Plotkin (Clive Davis School of Recorded Music at NYU), Meghan Stabile (Revive Music), Spike Wilner (Smalls Jazz)

JukeBox Jury Presented by JazzWeek

Many new releases are a slam dunk at jazz radio: down-the-middle post bop, high-profile vocalists, or the latest reissue or “lost” recording. But what about artists and recordings that exist along the fringe or push the envelope? How do radio stations decide what music gets on the air? A panel of radio programmers preview music ranging from the mainstream to the adventurous, and detail why or why not each track would work on jazz radio.
Moderators: Brad Stone and J Hunter (WVCR)
Panelists: Elizabeth A. Farriss (KEWU), Willard Jenkins (WPFW), Michael Valentine (WDNA), Gary Vercelli (KXPR)

Strategic Partnership in Practice: Jazz Night in America

What does an effective strategic partnership look like? How is it created and what does it take to maintain it? What value does each individual partner see in such a relationship and what can the jazz community learn from this unique partnership between NPR Music, WBGO, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Moderator: Neal Shapiro (WNET)
Panelists: Gabrielle Armand (Jazz at Lincoln Center), Anya Grundmann (NPR), Amy Niles (WBGO)

Perfect Pitch: Will This Press Kit Get Me Booked?

Independent artists invited to submit their press kit or EPK to panel of judges for a live review.  Beyond personal feedback, the session leverages these real life examples to highlight best practices and opportunities for artists to best represent themselves through their bios, press releases, photos, videos, press clips, etc.
Moderator: Katie Simon (WBGO/Jazz Night in America)
Panelists: Bobby D. Asher (The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland), Janis Burley Wilson (August Wilson Center/Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival), Georgina Javor (Jazz at Lincoln Center)

Grab and Go food/drink with sponsor tables in Mica and Ahmet Ertegun Atrium

Monica Herzig’s SHEROES WCS106 featured on Antidote musician/promoter Ken Avis’ sponsored table

With pianist-composer Greg Murphy (Summer Breeze WCS081 and the soon released Bright Idea WCS111 and keyboard wiz Jason Miles (To Grover With Love / LIVE IN JAPAN WCS078, Kind of New WCS073)

Greg and Ray Blue

with Danny Bacher’s Still Happy WCS110 producer Jeff Levenson

KEYNOTE: Lundvall Visionary Award & Art Blakey Centennial Celebration

The Jazz Congress is honored to present the 2019 Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award to Darlene Chan, a tireless, behind the scenes advocate for so many artists and the music at large.
Immediately following the presentation of the award, members of the Jazz Messengers will reconvene onstage for a once in a lifetime reunion, hosted by Celine Peterson.
Panelists: Terence Blanchard, Randy Brecker, Cameron Brown, Donald Brown, Steve Davis, Leon Lee Dorsey, Essiet Essiet, Kevin Eubanks, Jon Faddis, Benny Green, Billy Harper, Donald Harrison, Eddie Henderson, Vincent Herring, Harold Mabern, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Ralph Peterson Jr., Bill Pierce, Lonnie Plaxico, Wallace Roney, Melissa Slocum, Charles Tolliver, Steve Turre, Bobby Watson

Opening Night Reception sponsored by BOLDEN, opening in theaters spring 2019

Celebrate opening night of Jazz Congress with BOLDEN, inspired by the life of Buddy Bolden. The film reimagines the compelling, powerful and tragic life of an unsung American hero who invented Jazz.

 

#TBT ’14 Jazz Connect

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Night Journey Rewind with CEO of Whaling City Sound records Neal Weiss

Whaling City Sound was founded in 1999, to provide the musical audience with a bit of our abundance of outstanding musicians, and in doing so, have the artists heard, seen and enjoyed by a wider audience. From the beginning, we aimed for innovative musicianship, impeccable recording quality, and professional packaging that best reflects the feel of each individual recording. Whaling City Sound is dependent on listeners of all types, from radio and retail, to jazz lovers and fans, and it is because of these people, collectively our audience, that we exist. Since our inception, our recordings have helped garner international recognition for our artists. Purchasing music on a label supports artists’ careers and exposes more artists to you. Please show your support for this label and the exceptional artists.  What it really comes down to is this – if you like the CDs and buy them, we can continue to make more of them of equal or better quality.  Thank you for your time, and enjoy the music.

Click this link to listen to the full interview!

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6/10 Gerry Gibbs and Thrasher People at New Bedford Jazz Festival
Gerry Gibbs & Thrasher People
Performing music from JazzWeek’s #1 newly released CD
“Weather or Not”
Saturday, June 10, 2017 5p
The 6th annual New Bedford JazzFest for the benefit of Your Theatre 2-7p
New Bedford Pier 3
New Bedford, MA
$20 – General Admission
The Joys of Jazz on the Waterfront

Great performers and tasty food highlight an epic experience at a nice price in New Bedford, at the 6th Annual New Bedford JazzFest.

New Bedford is again on the cusp of summer—thank heavens!— and its waterfront will again be the site for, not fishing, as it has for centuries, but jazz!

On June 10, Whaling City Sound, along with various other local sponsors, present the 6th Annual New Bedford JazzFest, featuring national and local jazz talent. Headlining this highly anticipated event will be Gerry Gibbs and Thrasher People, an exhilarating and supremely talented New York-based trio and one of Whaling City Sound’s marquee artists. Gibbs’ last four recordings have climbed to the top spot on national jazz radio charts, including his latest release, Weather or Not, in part an ear-tingling tribute to jazz greats Weather Report.

Neal Weiss, the chief proprietor at Whaling City Sound, runs the fast-growing label, which is credited with many chart-topping jazz titles. WCS has been responsible for releasing much of Gibbs’ most recent work. “Gerry is a dynamic performer, who brings tremendous energy and excitement to the stage, and inspires his band-mates.”

In addition to Gibbs’ Thrasher People, the lineup at Jazzfest also features another Whaling City Sound artist, Dino Govoni and his quartet, which in turn stars the sublime vocals of Boston’s acclaimed Cassandre McKinley. By turns powerful and soulful, bluesy and jazzy, McKinley will surely be a highlight of the festival, as she fronts the impressive work of Govoni and his sax-led quartet.

To help keep the energy high, Matthew Hartnett and the Gumbo All-Stars bring a NOLA twist to New Bedford. Hartnett’s zesty creole jazz will certainly transport festival-goers to the French Quarter, where boogie and funky trombones reign.

The day kicks off early with the SouthCoast Jazz Orchestra, a thrilling 17-piece big band appearing at the festival for its sixth year. You’ll revel in their booming big band sound, led by Symphony Music Shop owner Bob Williamson.

The music kicks off around 2:15. But come early to take advantage of the food trucks and an “Artists Colony” curated by the New Bedford Art Museum.

The fun doesn’t stop after the festival. Bring your ticket stub to JazzFest partner the Greasy Lucky Brewery, where you’ll witness a funky jazz jam session with a house band and special guests.

Advance tickets are a steal at $20 at NewBedfordJazzFest.com, by calling the Your Theatre box office at 508-993-0772, or in person at Bridgewater Credit Union (Fairhaven branch), Greasy Luck Brewery and Symphony Music Shop. After June 5, tickets will go for $25. Children 15 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. There’s parking at the Elm Street Garage. The event is under a tent, so it’s on rain or shine.

JazzFest is produced by and for the benefit of Your Theatre, Inc. (YTI), New Bedford’s 70-year old community theater group. YTI has partnered with Waterfront Historic League (WHALE) to purchase, restore and convert 149 William St. (First Baptist Church) into a theatre for YTI. Proceeds from this event will assist in this partnership to preserve vital historic architecture and provide a lasting home for New Bedford’s longest running community theatre. www.yourtheatre.org