Jazz Notes: Goings on in the jazz world

Today is July 23.

Soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy was born this day in 1934 in New York City. He recently relocated to the Big Apple after some 30 years living in Europe.

Tenor saxophonist Richie Kamuca, a veteran of big band and small group jazz, was born this day in 1930 in Philadelphia. On this day in 1977, his 47th birthday, he died of cancer.

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Trumpeter Emmett Berry was born in Macon, Ga., on this day in 1916.

On this day in 1941... Sonny Dunham recorded the big band version of "Memories of You."

Looking at today's hip happenings...

On the New York jazz scene... the Alex Blake quartet is at the Zinc Bar tonight and Wednesday. Henry Threadgill's Zooid is at Iridium through Sunday. Lalo Schifrin is at the Blue Note for a weeklong 70th birthday celebration. The Larry Willis trio is at the Village Vanguard. The Lonnie Smith trio featuring special guest James Carter is at the Jazz Standard this week. Dena DeRose is at the 92nd Street Y as special guest with the Bill Charlap trio tonight as part of its Jazz in July series. The Knitting Factory features Spottiswoode and His Enemies, Antony and The Johnsons Orchestra, and Pete Galub.

Doug Munro is at Trumpets in Montclair, N.J., tonight.

On the Chicago jazz scene... alto saxophonist Frank Morgan's quartet is at the Jazz Showcase this week. Ken Cheney is at Joe's BeBop Café and Jazz Emporium tonight. Von Freeman and Friends are at the New Apartment Lounge on Tuesdays. Marshall Vente is at Philander's in Oak Park tonight.

In New Orleans tonight... New Orleans Streetbeat is at the Crescent City Brewhouse. Ingrid Lucia is at the Ritz Carlton's French Quarter Bar. James Alsanders' Jazz Project is at the Funky Butt. Brian O'Neill is at Satchmo's jazz room in Harrah's casino. Darrell Levigne and Victor Atkins are at Le Salon at the Windsor Court. The ReBirth Brass Band is at the Maple Leaf. Pete Fountain is at his club in the New Orleans Hilton. Matt Lemmler and Don Vappie are at Snug Harbor. The Ian McPhail quintet and Son del Pantano are at the Spotted Cat. The Dukes of Dixieland play traditional jazz aboard the Steamboat Natchez tonight on its dinner cruise. Otra Latin is at d.b.a.

On the California jazz scene... Kitty Margolis is at the Catalina Bar and Grill in North Hollywood tonight. The James Moody Quartet is at the Mendocino Music Festival in Mendocino Headlands State Park tonight. Gerard Carelli is at the Stanford Jazz Festival in Palo Alto. The Jessica Williams Trio is at Yoshi's in Oakland. Alan Steger is at the Bix Restaurant and Supper Club in San Francisco tonight.

Kurt Elling and his band are at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley in Seattle this week.

Ray Barretto and his band, New World Spirit, and the band Changes and the Indigo Quartet perform tonight at the Toulon Jazz Festival in Toulon, France.

On the recording front...

Saxophonist Dave Tofani has just released "An American Garden," which he says reflects the spirit and vitality of New York City and America. Its seven new jazz compositions are dedicated to the generation of Americans who were raising families during World War Two. It's on the Solo Winds label. Other musicians participating in Tofani's project included Mark Egan, Danny Gottlieb, Jack Wilkins, Ronnie Zito, Pat Rebillot and Gordon Gottlieb.

Fourplay, the quartet of Bob James, Larry Carlton, Nathan East and Harvey Mason, is out today with its latest recording, "Heartfelt." It is the group's first recording for the BMG/Bluebird label.

Columbia Legacy Jazz is out today with three different Billie Holiday compilations that document the late singer's work from about 1935 to 1942. They are "Lady Day Swings," "Blue Billie" and the sublime and poignant "Billie Holiday and Lester Young: A Musical Romance." Columbia Legacy Jazz also is out today with Louis Armstrong's "The Best of the Hot Five and Seven Recordings" and "Satch Blows the Blues" spanning his work from 1926 to 1955.

Saxophonist Marion Meadows is out today with his latest compact disc, "In Deep" on the Heads Up label. Retro-soul and hip-hop influences have joined his prior experiments with Latin rhythms and uptown R&B on this session. Album participants include Will Downing, Bob Baldwin, Julio Fernandez, Rohn Lawrence, Ray Obiedo and Roy Hargrove.