Keeping Jazz Alive at the Supermarket! - Bossa Nova Music Productions - Press http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html Bossa Nova Music Productions: Press Jannis' PHPRss class - http://www.jannis.to/ Sun, 20 May 2012 01:24:30 -0700 Helio Alves will make a trip to the market, to play jazz, tonight. http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#27 Whole notes


It may be a stretch of the imagination to envision a grocery store as a hip jazz venue, but that’s precisely what Whole Foods Market in West Orange aims to do with its series of Tuesday evening performances.


This week, Brazilian pianist Helio Alves takes the “stage” with drummer Adriano Santos. The two will play Brazilian standards and original compositions. Alves’ excellent new CD, “Musica,” was released last year on the South Orange-based Jazz Legacy Productions label.


The store is at 235 Prospect Ave., and Alves and Santos will play tonight from 6 to 8. Call (973) 669-3196 or visit bossanovamusicproductions.com.


 

]]> http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#27 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800 Keeping Jazz Alive at the Supermarket! - Bossa Nova Music Productions - Press Jazz at the Check-Out Counter - West Orange Patch http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#26 Arts




Husband, wife team offer music at Whole Foods


By Charles Paikert | Email the author | August 23, 2010








Not exactly a smoky jazz club, to be sure, but every Tuesday night at 6 p.m. first-rate jazz musicians play a two hour set for an appreciative audience, some of whom are surprised to encounter jazz riffs while buying tofu and soy milk in the check-out line, and others, including some regulars, who listen attentively at tables in what is normally the store's dining area, nodding their heads and tapping their feet.


The idea for the jazz series at Whole Foods came from Yashmin Abler, a Brazilian-born bossa nova singer and West Orange resident who works at Whole Foods in Montclair.


In 2007, Abler was helping Whole Foods open a huge new store in lower Manhattan on the Bowery and Houston streets. "The space was so beautiful that it deserved some jazz," she recalled.


Abler proposed a jazz series to Rob Twyman, the store's manager, who agreed.


Produced by Bossa Nova Music Productions, run by Abler and her husband, guitarist Paul Abler, the concerts featured well-known jazz musicians like Yusef Lateef and Ted Curson and were an immediate hit.


Other Whole Foods stores in New York and New Jersey picked up on the concept, including  the West Orange store in 2008, where it has been running as the "Baldwin Piano Series" ever since.


"We love that it makes the grocery store more of a community gathering place," said Denise Dagnino, marketing team leader in the West Orange store. "Jazz appeals to just about everyone and all of our customers seem to be enjoying it."


And having a free concert series also gives the store "a bump on a slow night," said one store employee.


The Ablers see the concerts as a way to expose the public to an art form that is usually neglected by the mass media.


"You have to bring jazz to uncommon venues in this day and age," said Paul Abler. "You have to be creative."


During a break in a recent  concert at the store performed by Paul on guitar, Yashmin on vocals and Tomoko Ohno on piano, a wide-eyed little boy came up to Paul and wanted to touch his electric guitar.


"We see that a lot," Yashmin said. "A lot of children are exposed to this music for the first time here, after they've been bombarded by bad music on TV and radio, and they're fascinated by it. We've seen hundreds of kids over the past two years, and it's really one of the benefits of doing this."


The series also benefits local musicians like Bob DeVos, Dave Stryker, Xavier Davies, Virginia Mayhew and Vic Juris.


"It's a good gig," Paul Abler said. "It's close to home and early enough so that they have time to play somewhere else later."


The series also attracts a group of regulars, including Nate Geiger and his wife Susan.


"Each week it's a delight," said Mr. Geiger, a retired business executive who lives in West Orange.


"We look forward to it every week," added Susan Geiger, a retired music teacher. "All the musicians that come in are top caliber, it's only a few minutes from our home and it's free."





| |





Paul Abler strums his guitar during a show Tuesday at Whole Foods in West Orange. The jazz program started with Abler's wife, Yashim, in 2007 in New York. Elliot Rubin


Photos


 






Yashmin Abler, a Brazilian-born bossa nova singer and West Orange resident, started the jazz program. She is a worker at Whole Foods in Montclair.

Tomoko Ohno on piano, with Paul Abler in the background, perform Tuesday at Whole Foods on Prospect Avenue in West Orange.











 



Comments:





Carol Selman

12:09pm on Monday, August 23, 2010


I have heard jazz at this and other Whole Foods many times--performances that would carry substantial music charges in NYC. Paul Abler works tirelessly to bring in world class musicians. The local artists listed are only local in the sense that they are West Orange based: They all perform worldwide.
Of all the Whole Foods Jazz Venues, West Orange is my favorite. They have a beautiful Baldwin piano and a real following, a loyal audience there each week.


Thank you Charles for your wonderful article about all that Yashim and Paul have achieved. See you there, I trust! I will be there Aug 31 if any PATCH readers would like to say hello.
Carol








 




]]> http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#26 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700 Keeping Jazz Alive at the Supermarket! - Bossa Nova Music Productions - Press Jazz in the checkout line http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#25 By Matthew Oshinsky/The Star-Ledger
July 20, 2009, 6:51PM

Patti SaponeMontclair drummer Sylvia Cuenca will leads a powerful trio with rising organ star Jared Gold and the veteran guitarist Ed Cherry tomorrow at Whole Foods in Montclair.The robust alto and soprano saxophonist Steve Slagle continues the music scene Tuesday, 6-8 p.m., in the cafe at Whole Foods West Orange, 235 Prospect Ave., West Orange.

Slagle, often heard in the company of West Orange guitar ace Dave Stryker, works tonight with pianist Bob Albanese. Call (973) 669-3196. Next Tuesday, the 28th, it's bassist Boris Kozlov and pianist Orrin Evans.

Tomorrow, 7-9 p.m., at the Whole Foods in Montclair, 701 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair, drummer Sylvia Cuenca leads a powerful trio with Jersey rising organ star Jared Gold and the veteran guitarist Ed Cherry, who played with Dizzy Gillespie. Call (973) 746- 5110.

Both shows are free. For more information, visit bossanovamusicproductions.com]]> http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#25 Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Keeping Jazz Alive at the Supermarket! - Bossa Nova Music Productions - Press Star Ledger NJ http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#23 http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#23 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Keeping Jazz Alive at the Supermarket! - Bossa Nova Music Productions - Press Baristanet http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#22 Tuesday, April 21, 2009

mingus dynasty.jpgOther grocery stores may be cheaper, but nothing beats Whole Foods for that pampered feeling. So for the ultimate in cool grocery shopping, you'll want to swing by Whole Foods Montclair with your shopping list tomorrow (Wednesday April 22) from noon to 2 pm for a little concert by Mingus Dynasty, the successor band to jazzman Charles Mingus, directed by his widow Sue Mingus. Free, of course. And here's a little pre-Whole Foods nibble: listen to the Mingus Dynasty here.
Posted by Debbie Galant on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 10:46 AM
Permalink | Talk back to the Barista! (15) | ShareThis | Get our daily newsletter]]> http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#22 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Keeping Jazz Alive at the Supermarket! - Bossa Nova Music Productions - Press Jazz at the supermarket http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#24 Jazz at the supermarket

by Zan Stewart/The Star-Ledger
Monday March 30, 2009, 2:45 PM


West Orange-based saxophonist Virginia Mayhew and pianist Norman Simmons, of Montclair, have been developing a solid musical relationship over the past few years. The pair gets together as members of the Duke Ellington Legacy, and occasionally pop up in each other's ensembles. Tonight, from 6-8 p.m., in the cafe at Whole Foods Market, 235 Prospect Ave., West Orange, they'll pare things down to just saxophone and piano. Here's a fine opportunity to hear two top musicians intimately investigate standards and jazz classics in a pleasant, light-filled environment and for a great price: free. Call (973) 669-3196 or visit bossanovamusicproductions.com.

]]> http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#24 Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Keeping Jazz Alive at the Supermarket! - Bossa Nova Music Productions - Press Star Ledger NJ http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#21 by Zan Stewart/The Star-Ledger
Thursday March 19, 2009, 2:25 PM
Paul Yashmin Abler
AMANDA BROWN/THE STAR-LEDGERYashmin Charnet-Abler and her husband Paul Abler will be performing at Trumpets in Montclair tomorrow night.

Yashmin Charnet-Abler and Paul Abler. When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Where: Trumpets Jazz Club, 6 Depot Square, Montclair. How much: $15 cover; $10 minimum. Call (973) 744-2600 or visit trumpetsjazz.com.

Singer and lyricist Yashmin Charnet-Abler and her husband, guitarist and composer Paul Abler, have two rock-solid affinities that bond them: their deep affection for each other and their love of Brazilian music.

The couple, who met in November 2003 and were married about six months later, did their first gig together in New York in January 2004. Naturally, the music was all bossa novas and sambas.

"That was the only thing we had musically in common," says Rio de Janeiro-born Charnet-Abler, 48.

"I had always wanted to play with someone who had that authentic Brazilian expression," says Saginaw, Mich., native Abler, 51. He's also an ace modern mainstream jazz guitarist who plays as a leader and with the Jersey-based Spirit of Life Ensemble -- with which his wife sings.

The musically dynamic pair perform Saturday at Trumpets in Montclair. They both fell in love with the music they share when they were children.

For Abler, it was visits to his grandfather's home in Pontiac, Mich., and hearing such records as Stan Getz's breakthrough "Jazz Samba." Of course, growing up in Rio, Charnet-Abler was surrounded by sambas and bossas.

Abler dug deeper into Brazilian after "being hit" in the 1990s by greats like singer-songwriter Milton Nascimento. Charnet-Abler grew musically by working in groups in her native clime before moving to the United States in 1987.

Today, both find Brazilian sounds irresistible. "It's something that's very magical, has character, is fun and can reach people," says Charnet-Abler, whose latest CD is "Remember Me" (Bossa Nova Music) and whose website is yashmincharnetabler.com.

"I love the rhythms, the subtleness of the music, and the sound of vocals in Portuguese," says Abler, whose fourth CD is "Fearless" (also on Bossa Nova Music) and whose website is paulabler.com. "And it's very melodic, too," adds Charnet-Abler.

At Trumpets, the couple will delve into numerous originals with music by Abler and lyrics by his wife. His tunes -- which unfold for the composer in an organic fashion, one phrase leading to another -- and his guitar sound inspire his wife to write.

"Paul has a very expressive way of playing. It's like he's saying words, like his guitar is singing," she says.

One song they will offer will be "Remember Me," which Charnet-Abler, a lyrical alto, sings in English. "It's about how different people who have been in one's life add something, and even now they will be remembered with tenderness, with gratitude." Then there's "Cinco Minutos ("Five minutes"), which Charnet-Abler says, "was the amount of time I could stay away from Paul after we first got together."

Also on tap will be classics by Jobim and others. Sharing in the festivities will be the first-rate rhythm section of pianist Tomoko Ohno, bassist Santi DeBriano, and drummer Sylvia Cuenca.

The Ablers also produce free jazz events at Whole Foods markets in New Jersey and New York. Charnet-Abler is an executive for the grocery chain. For lineup information, visit bossanovamusicproductions.com.

"I feel really happy to be able to do this for the community, for new fans, people who don't go to clubs," she says of the store events.

Zan Stewart may be reached at zstewart@starledger.com or at (973) 324-9930.]]> http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#21 Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Keeping Jazz Alive at the Supermarket! - Bossa Nova Music Productions - Press Jazz Improv - NY http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#20 By Joe Lang
In July of 2007, jazz vocalist Yashmin Charnet-Abler happened into the Bowery location of the Whole Foods Market, and found her way into the food court. It immediately struck her that this would be a great venue for presenting live jazz. She made a few inquiries in the store that led her to contact Rob Twyman, the Regional Vice President of Whole Foods, who was open to the concept of presenting jazz at the Bowery store.
Charnet-Abler and her husband, jazz guitarist Paul Abler, had a production company named Bossa Nova Music Productions that was primarily involved in producing and promoting their recordings. Paul Abler, who plays and endorses Gibson guitars, explored the idea with Gibson about possible sponsorship involvement with presenting live jazz at Whole Foods. They were open to this concept, and also included support from their Baldwin Piano subsidiary. Since arriving in New York from his hometown of Detroit about five years ago, Abler had performed with many New York area musicians, and was in position to also handle the booking arrangements for the proposed Whole Foods concerts.
The upshot was the First annual Gibson/Baldwin Jazz Festival at Whole Foods. Twyman stated: “I believe that food and music comforts the soul, and when the opportunity came to work with Gibson/Baldwin and their roster of talent, I naturally thought the Bowery store was the perfect location for this groundbreaking event.” The initial event took place on November 3-4, 2007 in the Bowery Whole Foods Market. Among the featured performers were the guitar duo of Jack Wilkins and Howard Alden, guitarist Joshua Breakstone, pianists Allen Farnham and John DiMartino, and the Spirit of Life Ensemble led by trumpeter Ted Curson, with special guest Yusef Lateef. The festival was an artistic and critical success.
Whole Foods was pleased with this initial foray into the presentation of live jazz, and has subsequently retained Bossa Nova Music Productions to expand the marriage of Whole Foods and live jazz.
The Bowery store has subsequently hosted a second two-day festival in August of 2008, as well as other occasional events, including live music, and two book signings by Sue Mingus, the widow of the legendary jazz bassist Charles Mingus. Festivals have also been held in the Montclair and West Orange locations in
New Jersey. Weekly concert series are currently being held in the Tribeca store in Manhattan, as well as in the West Orange store. New weekly series are planned starting in January in the recently opened Union,
New Jersey location and starting in February in the Madison, New Jersey store. Weekly concerts will also resume this Spring in the Montclair and Ridgewood, New Jersey Whole Foods Markets. A new Whole Foods store will open in March in Paramus, New Jersey, and jazz programming is also planned for that location. All of the concerts are presented free for the customers of Whole Foods.
Having Whole Foods as a committed supporter of live jazz is exciting for jazz enthusiasts and for the dedicated musicians who help to keep this art form alive and well. The Whole Foods organization is devoted to wellness for its customers, and their presentation of this great music adds a special dimension to that devotion.
Following is the jazz schedule for Whole Foods.
Whole Foods Market - Tribeca, 270 Greenwich St., New York, NY, (212) 349-6555
Gibson/Baldwin Jazz Series - _ Tuesdays, 7-9 P.M.:
Whole Foods Market, 235 Prospect Avenue, West Orange, NJ, (973) 669-3196
Baldwin Jazz Solo Piano Series - Tuesdays, 5-7 P.M.
The Osteria @ Whole Foods, 2245 Springfield Avenue, Union, NJ, (908) 688-1455
Gibson Jazz Series - Fridays, 7-9 P.M.:
For future Whole Foods concert information you can check the Bossa Nova Music Productions website (www.bossanovamusicproductions.com).]]> http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#20 Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800 Keeping Jazz Alive at the Supermarket! - Bossa Nova Music Productions - Press Star Ledger NJ http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#17 by Zan Stewart/The Star-Ledger
Wednesday January 21, 2009, 3:19 PM
Daniela Schachter
JENNIFER BROWN/THE STAR-LEDGERJazz pianist Daniela Schachter plays solo in the cafe, just behind the cash registers, at the Whole Foods supermarket in West Orange.

As pianist Daniela Schachter explored her beguiling original, "Dark Blue," early Tuesday evening, a few people listened intently, savoring the notes as they ate and drank.

But Schachter, a native of Messina, Italy who lives in New York, had many other casual fans, like the fellow who passed by her, pushing his full grocery cart, smiling at what he heard. Or the young girl who sat on a shelf at the end of the check-out counter, while her mother paid for their purchases.

Schachter was performing solo in an unusual place for jazz -- the dining area of the Whole Foods Market in West Orange. The concert was staged adjacent to the check-out counters, where customers often sit to eat take-away cooked foods or drink coffee.

A number of jazz series have been held since November 2007 at various Whole Foods stores in New Jersey and New York. The music fits the market chain's core philosophy, says singer Yashmin Charnet-Abler, who produces these events with her husband, guitarist Paul Abler. (Full disclosure: This writer played on one such series last July.)

"Whole Foods wants to offer things that are healthy, that will help people, so the music is one more aspect of that," says West Orange-based Charnet-Abler, whose day job is Whole Food's regional associate coordinator for "Whole Body" -- the chain's departments that sell vitamin supplements and body care products.

"The music is kind of a gift of art," Charnet-Abler continues. "And it adds to the atmosphere of the store, so it's good for everybody."

Indeed, Schachter's efforts could be heard, though quietly, at the far-reaches of the store, lending an aesthetic touch to the shopping experience.

The pianist's "Dark Blue," which hints at a blues feeling in a very modern way, was drawn from her CD, "I Colori Del Mare," on Splasc(H) Records. The song revealed Schachter's virtuoso technique, crisp-to-warm touch and ability to create an engaging sonic portrait via lines and textures. She buoyed her essay with percolating left-hand thoughts.

Harry Warren's ace waltz, "Summer Nights," found the pianist delivering the lovely theme in single-note lines, and in multi-note voicings. In her solo, she again employed contrast, going from soft confidences to louder, direct ideas. She began "Darn That Dream" with a long, expressive introduction, a song of its own. Her improvisation touched on the timeless theme at points, and she dropped in some alluring chordal passages boasting tonal color.

Schachter's first set also offered Dave Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way," in 5/4 meter, and Monk's challenging "Four in One," which mimicked the composer's unique approach in a personal way.

The piano series continues at Whole Foods West Orange, 235 Prospect Ave., with Tomoko Ohno, Tuesday; John DiMartino, Feb. 3; Allen Farnham, Feb. 12; John DiStefano, Feb. 17; and Sharp Radway, Feb. 24. All performances are 5-7 p.m., and are free. Call (973) 669-3196.

There are other free jazz series at various Whole Foods. Pianist Helio Alves' trio performs tonight, and bassist Ugonna Okegwo's trio with pianist Xavier Davis, Jan. 29, both 7-9 p.m., at Whole Foods Tribeca, 270 Greenwich St., New York, (212) 349-6555. Guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli plays tomorrow, and guitarist Ron Jackson and bassist Bill Moring, Jan. 30, both 7-9 p.m., at The Osteria @ Whole Foods, 2245 Springfield Ave., Union, (908) 688-1455. Guitarists Gene Bertoncini and Roni Ben-Hur play Feb. 15, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at Whole Foods, 222 Main St., Madison, (973) 822-8444. For more information, visit bossanovamusicproductions.com.

Zan Stewart is the Star-Ledger's jazz writer. He is also a musician who occasionally performs at local clubs. He may be reached at zstewart@starledger.com or at (973) 324-9930.]]> http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#17 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800 Keeping Jazz Alive at the Supermarket! - Bossa Nova Music Productions - Press Time Out http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#12
Whole Foods

95 E Houston St (between Bowery and Chrystie St)
Lower East Side | Map

212-420-1320

Subway: F, V to Lower East Side—Second Ave | Directions

http://www.wholefoods.com
Prices

Tickets: Free
Description
Venerable guitar-making company Gibson has chosen an odd venue for its annual jazz festival: Whole Foods on the LES. D.D. Jackson’s Organ Nation headlines tonight at 7pm, and at 5:30, catch Charles Mingus’s widow, Sue, signing copies of her memoir, Tonight at Noon. Sun 17’s festivities kick off at 3pm with saxist Charles Davis and the Spirit of Life Ensemble, and end at 6pm with pianist Joanne Brackeen.
When
Aug 17 3pm .]]> http://bossanovamusicproductions.com/news.html#12 Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Keeping Jazz Alive at the Supermarket! - Bossa Nova Music Productions - Press