Jazz Notes: Goings on in the jazz world

Today is June 16th.

Saxophonist Lucky Thompson was born in Detroit this day in 1924. He was a disciple of reed player Don Byas. Despite several inactive periods in his career, Lucky Thompson played and/or recorded with a veritable who's who in jazz.

Trumpeter Tom Harrell was born this day in 1946 in Urbana, Ill. The former Horace Silver and Phil Woods sideman quietly has developed into a potent force in jazz. Harrell is a melodic composer and player whose tunes have "standards" quality written all over them. He won DownBeat magazine's 1996 International Critics Poll as the top trumpeter in jazz, and then repeated as Reader's Poll winner... and has been a top contender ever since.

On this day in 1939, drummer/bandleader Chick Webb died after major surgery in Baltimore. He sat up in his hospital bed, said "I've got to go," then fell back and died. He was 37. Ella Fitzgerald sang "My Buddy" at Webb's funeral, and took over leadership of the Webb band for the next two years.

Looking at today's hip happenings...

The JVC Jazz Festival opens its annual two-week run in New York City with a concert tonight by Mickey Bass's New York Powerhouse Ensemble at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.

Elsewhere in the Big Apple, Celia Cruz is at the Central Park Summerstage. Guitarist Jim Hall's trio with bassist Scott Colley and drummer Terry Clarke is at the Village Vanguard. Roberta Flack is at the Blue Note. Frank Foster and his Loud Minority Big Band are at The Jazz Standard through Sunday. Pianist Marcus Roberts' trio with bassist Roland Guerin and drummer Jason Marsalis is at Iridium.

Peter Cincotti is at the Country Playhouse in Westport, Conn., tonight.

The 2002 Boston Globe Jazz and Blues Festival will feature a full day of music today at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Nine bands will perform on three outdoor stages. They include The Love Dogs, Daniel Ian Smith's Big Phat Jazz Orchestra, Eight to the Bar, the Ryles Jazz Orchestra, the Stan Strickland Band, the Greg Hopkins Orchestra, the Nicole Nelson Band, the Racky Thomas Band and Mango Blue.

The Earville Jazz Stand is at the gazebo in Hudson, Ohio tonight.

In and around Chicago... the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park tonight features Dave Brubeck, Nancy Wilson and Ramsey Lewis. Small ensemble and large by the Brotzmann Chicago Tentet wind down this afternoon at the Chicago Cultural Center's Claudia Cassidy Theater. Mike Finnerty and the Jazz Hippies are at Cafe Ennui tonight. Judy Roberts and Greg Fishman are at The Chambers. Sonny Turner are at Joe's BeBop Café and Jazz Emporium tonight. The Russell Alan Rowe trio is at Pops for Champagne.

On the New Orleans jazz scene... Joe Krown is at Cobalt. The Shannon Powell quartet is at Donna's. David Dunbar is at El Matador. The JMO Jazz Band is at the Ritz Carlton's French Quarter Bar tonight. James Westfall and Larry Sieberth are at Le Salon at Windsor Court. Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews is at the Maple Leaf. Lucien Barbarin and the Sunday Night Swingsters are at Palm Court. Harold 'Duke' Dejean's Olympia Brass Band is at Preservation Hall. The Albert-Ankrum Project is at Snug Harbor. Chucky C and Marva Wright and the BMWs are at the Storyville District Jazz Parlor. Sounds of Thunder plus Donald Harrison Jr. are at the Popp Bandstand in City Park this afternoon.

The 24th annual Playboy Jazz Festival concludes today at the Hollywood Bowl. The artist lineup includes the "Directions in Music" the all-star band formed by Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove, Lee Ritenour, Patti Austin and the Count Basie Orchestra directed by Grover Mitchell in a salute to Ella Fitzgerald, Keb'Mo' and the seventh edition of Bill Cosby's Cos of Good Music featuring Monty Alexander, Ernie Andrews, Dwayne Burno, Ndugu Chancler, Craig Handy, Eric Hanks, Babatunde Lea, Byron Stripling and David T. Walker. Also, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Alex Acuna, Justo Almario and Tolu, Chris Botti and the group Les Yeux Noirs.

Elsewhere on the California jazz scene... the regular Sunday night jazz jam takes place at Steamer's Jazz Café in Fullerton tonight. The Nikki Harris trio is at The Catalina Bar and Grill in North Hollywood. Singer Mary Stallings is at the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles tonight. The Pharoah Sanders quartet is at Yoshi's in Oakland tonight.

Vickie Anne and Greg Hester are at Main Street Station in Guerneville. In San Francisco tonight... Five Point Plan is at Butterfly, Walter Savage is at Enrico's, Bobbe Norris and Larry Dunlap are at the Plush Room, Don Asher is at the Bix Restaurant and Supper Club, Soul Sauce is at Jazz at Pearl's and Larry Vuckovich is at Bistro 339 with Noel Jewkes.

The Wally Schnalle quartet is at the Hedley Club in San Jose. EST, the Esbjord Svensson trio, is at the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society in Half Moon Bay this afternoon. Greta Matassa is at The Jazzschool in Berkeley this afternoon with Mimi Fox. The CARMA Big Band holds an open rehearsal tonight at The Jazzschool in Berkeley.

Pianist Yuko Maruyama is at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley in Seattle tonight.

At the JVC Jazz Festival in Toronto, singer Molly Johnson returns to Harbourfront Centre in a double bill with The Jazz Report Magazine's Pianist of the Year in 2000, Andy Milne, featured in Dapp Theory. The groups perform on the Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage beginning at 2 p.m.

The Pat Metheny Group is in Napoli, Italy, tonight.