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These are the archived "News" announcements from malletjazz.com. To return to the most recent announcement, please click here.
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Friday, October 4, 2002
Greetings, all -
Just a few quick updates from all of us here at malletjazz.com:
- VOKES-WALKER DUO AT MERRYALL
- JAMES WALKER HOSTS NEW ONLINE MALLET PERC. FORUM
- UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
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VOKES-WALKER DUO WELL-RECEIVED AT MERRYALL CENTER FOR THE ARTS
The Vokes-Walker Duo (Sara Vokes, James Walker) received an enthusiastic
response from their audience at their September 21 performance in New
Milford. Our thanks to those of you who were able to attend. For those of
you who couldn't make it to the show (or for those who simply wish to hear
some of the music again), check back at our web site in the next week or two
- we had the concert recorded, and we plan to add some new sound files to
our pages in the near future.
JAMES WALKER MODERATING NEW ONLINE MALLET PERCUSSION FORUM
James has been invited to serve as Moderator for a new online forum
dedicated to mallet percussion, part of a larger drum and percussion forum
hosted by Bill ("Tiger Bill") Meligari.
The forums are brand new as of last night (10/3), so we welcome any and all
mallet percussionists to come and participate:
http://www.tigerbill.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=4
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
Look for James in performance (vibes and steel pans) with keyboardist Lance
James, at the following Connecticut venues:
VOODOO RAIN (formerly "Club Pyramid") - 3155 Main Street, Hartford
860.246.7390
October 4, 11, 18, 25
9:00-11:30pm
FRONTLINE CAFE - 463 Albany Ave., Hartford
860.250.3714
October 17, 24, 31
8:00-11:00pm
CIRCA BISTRO - Waterbury, CT
October 26
9:30pm-1:00am
Thanks as always, for your interest and support. Best wishes for the Fall
season.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Greetings!
Just a couple of quickies:
NEW SOUND FILES
New sound files have been added to the site. Several clips from James' duo
performance with Dave Anderson at Housatonic Community College can now be
accessed at http://www.malletjazz.com/sounds.html. (Thanks to Chris Swist
for recording the concert for us!)
James has also redone the demo tracks for his Caribbean jazz group EAST
SHORE, and a new set of sound files for that group, featuring James' work on
steel pan, can be found at http://www.malletjazz.com/pansounds.html.
STEEL SUNRISE IN CONCERT SUNDAY, APRIL 28
James will be appearing with the Steel Sunrise Steel Band this coming
Sunday, performing as part of a concert dedicated to the music of composer
David MacBride, in Hartford's Elizabeth Park. The group will perform
David's steel pan work, "Companions," on a concert (along with other
ensembles) starting at 2:00 in the banquet room next to the Pondhouse Cafe.
Steel Sunrise's portion of the concert is scheduled to begin at 3:00.
Thanks again for your continued interest and support - hope to see you at
one or more of our performances in the coming months!
Best wishes,
Jim
Monday, April 8, 2002
Greetings!
Just a quick note to let everyone know of the latest developments for the
musicians at malletjazz.com:
JAMES JOINS THE ARTIST ROSTER OF MIKE BALTER MALLETS
Mallet manufacturer Mike Balter has invited James to join the artists who
endorse his line of vibraphone and marimba mallets. More information about
Mike Balter Mallets can be found online at http://www.mikebalter.com.
Special thanks to Mike for the endorsement.
VOKES-WALKER DUO TO RETURN TO MERRYALL ARTS CENTER
Sara and James have been invited to return to the Merryall Arts Center in
New Milford CT, for a performance on Saturday, September 21, 2002. Look for
another announcement as the performance date nears, including more specifics
about the evening's performance. We greatly enjoyed our first Merryall
performance (for a gracious and enthusiastic full house), and we're eager to
take to that particular stage once again.
DAVE ANDERSON AND JAMES WALKER AT HCC
Dave Anderson will rejoin James for another vibraphone/bass duo performance
at Houstatonic Community College in Bridgeport CT, on Monday, April 15, from
noon to 1pm. The performance is free and open to the public, and is part of
the wonderful semester-long concert series organized by Hernan Yepes at HCC.
Our thanks to Hernan for inviting us back - more information is available at
http://www.hctc.commnet.edu/infocenter/atrium.html.
JAMES WITH THE STEEL SUNRISE STEEL BAND
The Steel Sunrise Steel Band is scheduled to perform at Elizabeth Park in
Hartford on Sunday, April 28. Visit the band's web site at
http://www.steelsunrise.com for more information, and keep on the lookout
for other performances as the weather warms up and the steel pan season
begins again in earnest.
RHYME OR REASON AVAILABLE ONLINE
James' CD, Rhyme Or Reason, is once again available* for streaming or
download, at two popular mp3 sites:
http://www.mp3.com/malletjazz
http://malletjazz.iuma.com
(*At the moment, while all of the tracks have been uploaded to the mp3.com
server, not all of the tracks have been process by mp3.com and placed on the
site. All of the tracks from "Rhyme" should be available on mp3.com within
the next few days.)
If you're interested in an "old-fashioned" CD copy of Rhyme Or Reason,
it's available for purchase online at:
http://www.malletjazz.com/store/index.html
FUTURE PLANS
The VOKES-WALKER DUO...are selecting literature for a CD of traditional
hymns arranged for vibraphone/marimba and voice, with plans to record later
this Spring...the Duo recently received the manuscript of a new work for
voice and marimba, by Washington DC-based percussionist and composer Charles
Bubeck. There is an excellent chance that the Duo will premier the piece at
their Merryall Arts Center performance in September...
JAMES WALKER...has nearly finished composing new material for his next jazz
vibraphone/marimba CD, and is now in the process of organizing players and
studio time for the actual recording...James' RHYME OR REASON cd was
reviewed in a recent issue of Percussive Notes Magazine...the disc continues
to sell slowly but steadily - and once they're gone, we're not going to do a
second pressing, so if you'd like a copy, don't wait!...James is also in the
initial stages of developing an online e-zine, devoted to mallet percussion
(vibraphone and marimba, specifically), with the goal of debuting the 'zine
this Fall, right around the time of the Percussive Arts Society convention
in Columbus, OH...look for more performances in the Hartford area with Lance
James, either as a duo or as part of Lance's Afro/American Percussion
Ensemble...for those of you who have expressed an interest in lead sheets of
James' tunes on "Rhyme," or who have inquired about the resumption of James'
correspondence lessons, thanks for your patience - both projects are still
"in the pipeline," as is a textbook dealing with chord voicings for jazz
mallet players...
The MAHONEY/WALKER Duo...Mark Mahoney and James have spent many hours of
late revamping their respective mallet synth setups, searching for those
"perfect" sounds, as well as composing new material for the Duo. Mark and
James are also preparing a clinic presentation dealing with electronic
percussion, geared towards high school and college audiences...
THANKS...
...as always, thanks for your continued interest and support of our various
projects. We hope to see you at one or more of our upcoming performances!
If you know of any performance venues in your area (especially the
Northeastern United States) which would be well-suited to one or more of the
musicians at malletjazz.com, please drop us a line, and we'll see what we
can do to book a performance in your area.
Regards,
James Walker
Tuesday, June 26, 2001
"In Concert"
James will be performing with the Steel Sunrise Steel Band this Thursday, June 28, from 4:30-6:30pm, as part of the Sounds of Summer Concert Series in Granby, CT. For more information, contact James at www.malletjazz.com/inquiry.html, or call the Town of Granby's Recreation Department at 860-653-8947.
Other upcoming performances of note:
July 28, 2001
7:00-9:00pm
James Walker,
Mallet Duo w/Mark Mahoney
Starbucks - Southbury, CT
August 2, 2001
11:45am-1:15pm
James Walker w/Steel Sunrise Steel Band
Hartford, CT
August 17, 2001
7:00-9:00pm
James Walker
Mallet Duo w/Mark Mahoney
Starbucks - Southbury, CT
August 30, 2001
5:00-6:30pm
James Walker w/Steel Sunrise Steel Band
"Summer Sounds of the World" - Bridgeport, CT
September 9, 2001
12:00-1:30pm
James Walker w/Steel Sunrise Steel Band
"Septemberfest" - Simsbury, CT
(To the best of our knowledge, all of these events are free and open to the public. More information is available at: http://www.malletjazz.com/mjtours.html)
In Other News ("just around the corner"):
The Steel Sunrise Steel Band's debut CD, "Out of the Fire and Into the Pan," is scheduled for release the week of July 9. Look for an announcement of a CD "release party"/concert somewhere in the greater Hartford area shortly thereafter. For updates, visit the band's web site at http://www.steelsunrise.com.
Jim is currently editing the sheet music for all the songs on his "Rhyme or Reason" CD, along with his composition, "What's Your Point," with the goal of offering them for sale on malletjazz.com. Contact Jim if you're interested, or simply check back on the web site in the coming weeks.
Thanks again for your continued support and interest. All of us at malletjazz.com (which basically just boils down to the two of us - Jim and Sara!) hope you're having a great start to your summer.
--
James Walker
Sara Vokes
Thursday, May 10, 2001
Greetings, all -
Welcome to the very-intermittently-published malletjazz.com newsletter!
This month's news:
- Radio and Internet play for Jim's CD, "Rhyme or Reason"
- Jim's mp3.com page closed down
- Steel Drum CD goes to press
- New Mallet Synthesizer Duo
- Upcoming Performances
- "New Look" for malletjazz.com pages
- Vokes-Walker Duo "Children's Music" recording
Radio and Internet play for Jim's CD, "Rhyme or Reason"
"Rhyme or Reason" continues to receive air time at jazz stations around the country. A number of these stations are available over the Internet, including:
WESU, Detroit (thanks to Michael Nastos) - http://www.wemu.org/
WNUR, Evanston, IL (thanks to Sam Benediktson)- http://www.wnur.org
WFPK, Louisville - http://www.wfpk.org/
Jim McLeod's "Jazztrack", ABC "Classic" Radio, Australia (thanks to Sid Edwards) - http://www.abc.net.au/classic/
In addition to traditional radio, Jim's composition, "Passport" (featuring Liam Teague on steel pan), is now in rotation on steelbandradio.com, a new Internet site devoted to any and all music involving the Steel Pan. (http://steelbandradio.com)
Jim's mp3.com page closed down
Due to dissatisfaction with mp3.com's business practices, Jim has closed down his page at mp3.com. However, for the mp3 afficionados out there, the same mp3 files from that site are now available at www.thevibesguy.com (go to the "Downloads" section).
While we're on the subject, we should mention that "www.thevibesguy.com" is a new web site hosted by vibraphonist, Rob Willmann. It features message boards, downloads (including Jim's aforementioned mp3 files), links to other vibes-related sites, reviews of new CDs, and more. Thanks to Rob for his support of Jim's work, and for inviting Jim onboard to moderate the "Jazz Vibes" forum on the message board.
New Steel Drum CD goes to press
The new CD by the Steel Sunrise Steel Band, "Out Of The Fire And Into The Pan," will be headed out to the replication house shortly, with an expected release date of June 1. Keep an eye on the Steel Sunrise web site (www.steelsunrise.com) for up-to-the-date details.
In other steel pans news, Cliff Alexis (whose pans Jim plays exclusively, and with whom Jim studied while attending Northern Illinois University), was recently honored by the Trinidad and Tobago Folk Arts Institute of New York, as a "Legend of Pan," along with many of the top names in the world of steel pan music. Congratulations to Cliff on this wonderful and well-deserved honor:
link to the NIU press release
New Mallet Synthesizer Duo
Jim is joining forces with another local percussionist, Mark Mahoney, to form a new electronic jazz/percussion duo, featuring both players on malletKAT (an electronic MIDI instrument, with the notes arranged like a vibraphone). Look for performances in the Fairfield County area starting this Summer.
Upcoming Performances (www.malletjazz.com/tours.html)
Jim, with Steel Sunrise Steel Band:
- May 19, 2001; 11:30-2:30; Farmington Valley Arts Center; Avon, CT
- June 24, 2001; 5:00-6:00pm; Rockwell Park; Bristol, CT
- June 28, 2001 4:30-6:30pm; Sounds of Summer Concert Series; Granby, CT
(Jim will also be appearing with Hartford-based keyboardist, Lance James, in Hartford on May 18 and 25, details forthcoming. Contact Jim if you'd like more information.)
New Look for malletjazz.com
If you haven't visited the pages of malletjazz.com in the past month or so, feel free to stop by and check out the redesigned look for the site. Among the recent upgrades:
Also, the site now allows easy access to the malletjazz.com guest book from the East Shore and Vokes-Walker Duo pages, not just Jim's jazz-related pages, so if you haven't signed our guest book yet, please feel free, we'd love to hear from you!
Vokes-Walker Duo "Children's Music" recording
Not much news to report on this front - we're still working on it, planning to record this Summer. As always, if you'd like to suggest songs for inclusion on the "Children's Music" CD, drop us a line!
Thanks again for your interest in our music.
Best wishes,
Jim and Sara
Sunday, Feb 25, 2001
malletjazz.com newsletter - February 2001
New items of interest:
- Secure online sales via CDstreet.com
- New lower prices for CDs
- James' songs available at mp3.com
- Audio and MIDI added to Lessons Pages
- New steel drum CD nears completion
- Upcoming projects
Secure online sales via CDstreet.com
We're pleased to announce that James CD, "Rhyme or Reason," and his "Signal Processing for Vibraphone" CD-ROM, are both available for secure online credit card purchases via the pages of CDstreet.com. CDstreet.com promises to be easier and more convenient than the previous arrangement with PayPal. Additionally, RealAudio excerpts from all nine of the songs on "Rhyme" are available on these pages as well. Feel free to take a listen, or if you've already checked out either the CD or CD-ROM, feel free to leave your reviews and comments: http://www.cdstreet.com/artists/jameswalker
New lower prices for CDs
Taking into account the shipping fees set by CDstreet.com (which are slightly higher than what we had been asking previously), the prices of both "Rhyme" and the "Signal Processing" CD-ROM have been lowered, from $15.00 to $10.00 each. These prices are available whether ordering at CDstreet.com, or via the pages of malletjazz.com:
Secure online credit card orders: http://www.malletjazz.com/store/index.html
Form for check or money orders (print and mail): http://www.malletjazz.com/store/option3.html
James' songs available at mp3.com
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UPDATE - MAY 2, 2001: As of May 2, 2001, James' artist page at mp3.com has been discontinued at his request, due to dissatisfaction with mp3.com's business arrangements. If you are interested in obtaining mp3 files of James' work, please go to the sounds page in James' section of malletjazz.com. |
Audio and MIDI added to Lessons Pages
Several of the popular Lessons Pages on malletjazz.com have recently been upgraded to include audio (downloadable .wav and streaming RealAudio) and MIDI files demonstrating some of the examples in the lessons. Those updated include:
Click here for a list of all available lessons
New steel drum CD nears completion
James recently finished mixing the debut CD release by the Steel Sunrise steel drum band. The group (featuring James on double-tenor pans) already has many bookings planned for this summer in the greater Hartford CT area; check out their web site (http://www.steelsunrise.com) for the latest information about the band's activities.
Upcoming projects
Several new recordings are in the early stages of development:
- Plans continue for the upcoming CD of children's music by the Vokes-Walker Duo; if you or your kids have anything you'd like to see included, feel free to drop us a line!
- Building on a well-received series of performances at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport CT, James Walker and Dave Anderson have plans to get into the studio for an album of original music featuring their work on mallet percussion and electric bass, respectively.
Thanks again for your continued interest and support. Look for an announcement soon regarding upcoming performances, as Old Man Winter slowly releases his grip on Southern New England and the live music season starts up again!
http://www.malletjazz.com
James Walker: http://www.malletjazz.com/walker/
Vokes-Walker Duo: http://www.malletjazz.com/vokeswalkerduo/
East Shore Caribbean Jazz: http://www.malletjazz.com/eastshorejazz/
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