Jazz Notes: Goings on in the jazz world

Today is Dec. 5.

Alto saxophonist Marshall Royal was born this on date in 1912. He was a major voice in the Count Basie Orchestra in the 1950s and 1960s.

Singer Kay Davis was born on this date in 1920. She sang with Duke Ellington in the 1940s and was featured on Duke's recordings of "Transblucency" and "Minnehaha."

On this day in 1928, Louis Armstrong and Earl "Fatha" Hines went into the studio to record their highly original trumpet and piano duet "Weather Bird."

Looking at today's hip happenings...

There's a very special concert at Town Hall in New York tonight called "Made in America," a jazz event to benefit victims of Sept. 11. Among the all-star collaborations, Wayne Shorter will team up with Ruben Blades, Michael Brecker and John Scofield will perform together, and Cassandra Wilson and Bela Fleck will perform a version of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" that includes three rarely performed verses of the classic American song.

The lineup also includes Kenny Barron, Terence Blanchard, Regina Carter, kd lang, Joe Lovano, Brad Mehldau, Jane Monheit, Danilo Perez, Joshua Redman, Dianne Reeves, Brian Blade, Kenny Garrett, Christian McBride and John Patitucci.

The Jazz Alliance International is holding the event to assist the Robin Hood Foundation, which fights poverty in New York City by applying investment principles to charitable giving. Its focus in this instance is to help meet increased needs for food, job training and health care.

The Latin jazz community will gather tonight at the G and G bar in lower Manhattan to remember pianist and composer Kimson Plaut, who died last month while on vacation with his family. The remembrance and fund-raiser for his wife and young son will feature the band Los Jovenes Del Barrio, with whom Plaut played.

Elsewhere on the New York jazz scene, saxophonist Joe Lovano leads an all-star group at Birdland tonight through Saturday to celebrate the music of John Coltrane. His band features pianist Steve Kuhn, bassist Dennis Irwin and drummer Idris Muhammad. Chick Corea's three-week 60th birthday celebration at the Blue Note continues tonight with duet performances with Bobby McFerrin. The New Spirit Quintet with Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Eric Reed, Bob Hurst and Carl Allen is at Iridium. Pianist Geri Allen's quartet is at the Village Vanguard. Saxophonist Tim Berne's Big Satan trio and his sextet are at the Knitting Factory, along with composer-improvisers Jeff Arnal and Gordon Beeferman, who are celebrating the release of their new CD "Bodies of Water." Singer-pianist Dena DeRose and bassist Chris Berger are at St. Peter's Church today for the midday jazz series.

Vibes player Mike Mainieri presents a clinic today at the Berklee College of Music's Friend Recital Hall in Boston.

In and around Chicago tonight, pianist McCoy Tyner's trio is at the Jazz Showcase through Sunday. The Eddie Johnson quintet is at Andy's. Detour is at the Backroom. The Bill Porter Orchestra with Rich Fudoli is at Green Dolphin Street. The Brass Tracks Big Band is at Hackney's. Ken Saydak is at Joe's BeBop Café and Jazz Emporium on the Navy Pier. Pianist Steve Million's trio is at Pops for Champagne tonight. The David Polk Project is at Fitzgerald's in Berwyn.

On the New Orleans jazz scene, pianist David Torkanowsky is at Cobalt tonight. New Orleans Streetbeat is at the Crescent City Brewhouse. Leigh "Li'l Queenie" Harris and Dave Ellington team up at Dos Jefes Uptown Cigar Bar. The Ian McPhail trio is at the Dragon's Den. The Soul Rebels Brass Band is at El Matador. Trumpeter Kermit Ruffins and his Barbecue Swingers are at Le Bon Temps Roule. Drummer Johnny Vidacovich's trio features guitarist Anders Osborne at the Old Point tonight. Trumpeter Wendell Brunious leads the band at Preservation Hall tonight. Brian Seeger is at Snug Harbor.

On the California jazz scene, the Rio Fiumara-Tom Armbruster quartet is at Steamer's Jazz Café in Fullerton tonight. Guitarist Mark Elf's trio is at Yoshi's in Oakland. Larry Dunlap and Mike O'Neill team up at the Cetrella Restaurant in Half Moon Bay. Jazz-funk keyboardist Robert Walter's 20th Congress band is at the SoHo in Santa Barbara tonight. In San Francisco, the Blair Jazz Project is at Butterfly, the Mark Stock trio with Gary Rowe is at the Cypress Club, Howard Wiley is at the Intersection for the Arts, and Wesla Whitfield and Mike Greensill are at The Plush Room.

Pianist Armen Donelian has received a Fulbright Scholar Award to travel to Armenia next March, where he will teach for three months at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. In 1988, Donelian founded the Jazz in Armenia Project, a master class residency to promote jazz in his homeland. The Fulbright award enables him to continue the program into 2002.