BLU Jazz+ - John Chacona writes

The Abundance Mindset Rings Out At UA JazzWeek 25

Published 7 April, 2025 By John Chacona

*clockwise from left: Theron Brown, Sean Jones, Joshua Redman, Christopher Coles*

There’s a word you’re going to be hearing a lot more of in the next two weeks. It’s abundance, the title of a buzzy new book by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson that proposes something they call “the abundance mindset“ as a new basis for progressive politics. There’s no evidence that Klein and Thompson visited the campus of The University of Akron School of Music Jazz Studies Department before they wrote the book, but if they had they would have found that mindset in abundance . This week, April 7-11, that mindset will be on public display as UA kicks off JazzWeek 25: Abundance (Jazz Festival), featuring performances by Joshua Redman and Sean Jones in an illustration–and celebration–of music, community and lineage.

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Collective Action: A New Player Brings Benny Benack III Back to NEO

Published 18 March, 2025 By John Chacona

How many times have you heard this—or said it yourself—when leaving a great concert by a touring musician: Why can’t we get more shows like this here?

Kyle Knoke, a graphic designer and concert promoter found himself asking that question and decided to answer it by creating the Midwest Jazz Collective, a consortium of 13 clubs and presenting organizations that will bring Emmy-nominated trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III to BOP STOP March 25 and BLU Jazz+ the following night.

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For Versatile Max Johnson, There’s A Play At Every Bass

Published 5 November, 2024 By John Chacona

For something a little different today, let’s talk politics. Not electoral politics; we’ve all had enough of that. No, let’s talk musical politics, which can be just as divisive and irrational. Just ask Max Johnson. He plays bass in various jazz contexts, including a trio with saxophonist Neta Raanan and drummer Eliza Salem that makes stops at BLU Jazz+ and in Avon Lake this weekend. But he also plays and composes bluegrass and concert music. It could drive a gatekeeper mad.

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Jazz In The Rubber City Rolls On This Weekend

Published 3 September, 2024 By John Chacona

Nathan-Paul Davis at RCB&J — *Nathan-Paul Davis at Rubber City Jazz and Blues Festival*

With Labor Day in the rearview mirror, northeast Ohio returns to the comfortable (clambakes, sweaters) and maybe less comfortable (fretting about the Browns) routines of early autumn. Hey, traditions are traditions, and they don’t change much–unless you’re a NEO jazz fan in which case you’ll want to add the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival to your list.

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Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO Aug. 22 – 28

Published 22 August, 2024 By John Chacona

Friendly experiencers,

An experiment this week: I’m issuing Countdown as a video-only post. Let’s see how it works. What do you think?

I couldn’t live without Jim Szabo’s essential, weekly Northeast Ohio jazz calendar , NEO’s most complete list of jazz and jazz-adjacent events. If you haven’t visited it lately, what are you waiting for?

NOTE: This article was written by a real human being. No artificial intelligence or generative language models were used in its creation.

Red beans and ricely yours,

jc

John Chacona

Tag: BLU Jazz+

The Abundance Mindset Rings Out At UA JazzWeek 25

Collective Action: A New Player Brings Benny Benack III Back to NEO

For Versatile Max Johnson, There’s A Play At Every Bass

Jazz In The Rubber City Rolls On This Weekend

Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO Aug. 22 – 28

NOTE: This article was written by a real human being. No artificial intelligence or generative language models were used in its creation.

Red beans and ricely yours,

jc