Chuck Berg

Chuck’s Contributions

07/12/07 News

Chicago Bassist/Violinist Johnny Frigo Dies at 90

Multi-instrumentalist Johnny Frigo died on July 4 at Weiss Memorial Hospital in his hometown of Chicago due to complications from a fall. Born in the city’s South Side, Frigo took up violin at a young age, but started playing bass in high school and went...

07/11/07 News

French Jazz Festival to Open Friday

The 47th annual Jazz in Juan festival will kick off this Friday, July 13, in the Juan-les-Pins resort town on the Côte d’Azur in Southeastern France. The festival runs through Sunday, July 22, with concerts every night of the week starting at 8:30 p.m. The...

07/10/07 News

Snug Harbor Owner George Brumat Dies at 63

George Brumat, 63, owner of the famous Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro in New Orleans, died Saturday in NOLA of an apparent heart attack. Brumat had a deep love for jazz and believed the music was an important part of New Orleans. Although Brumat never had children...

07/09/07 News

ASCAP/IAJE Commission Pieces to Honor Frank Foster

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), along with the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), have commissioned two composers to write pieces honoring saxist-composer-bandleader Frank Foster (pictured). ASCAP and...

07/06/07 News

Ropeadope Hits Harlem for New Experiment Project

Independent label Ropeadope Records has announced that Harlem, N.Y.C. will be the focus of the third installment in their Experiment series, bringing together musicians from the same hometown but with different musical styles to create a genre-bending tribute...

07/02/07 News

Ohio Club Gilly's Celebrates 30 Years

The enduring jazz and blues nightclub Gilly’s in Dayton, Ohio celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Gilly’s owner Jerry Gillotti (pictured) gained an interest in jazz in the army from a fellow soldier who bunked next to him while stationed in Frankfurt...

06/30/07 News

Ahmad Jamal Named Officer in French Order of Arts and Letters

The French government has inducted legendary jazz pianist and composer Ahmad Jamal into its prestigious Order of the Arts and Letters for his exceptional accomplishments in “American Classical Music.” French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres honored...

06/29/07 News

Jazz Singer Claire Martin Plays the Oak Room

British jazz songstress Claire Martin launches the American release of her new album, He Never Mentioned Love , with a 10-night stand at the famed Algonquin Hotel’s Oak Room in NYC. Martin began performances this past Tuesday, June 26 and plays through Friday...

06/27/07 News

Gordon Goodwin Launches Summer Jazz Camp in California

Grammy-Award-winning pianist, saxist and composer Gordon Goodwin will launch the first annual Big Phat Band Summer Jazz Workshop at his alma mater, California State University Northridge. The camp will run July 30 through Aug. 4 and is open to kids 14 years...

06/26/07 News

25th SFJAZZ Festival Starts Sept. 22

The San Francisco Jazz Festival has announced artists scheduled for its 25th edition. This quarter-century anniversary celebration will take place Sept. 22 to Nov. 30. SFJAZZ has organized five weeks of performances by over 30 different jazz artists. On...

06/25/07 News

Caramoor Jazz Festival to Highlight Latin Jazz

This summer’s Caramoor International Music Festival will feature two consecutive Saturdays of jazz in Katonah, N.Y., just outside of NYC. The 14th annual festival will be held on July 28 and Aug. 4, and features an emphasis on Latin jazz as part of Caramoor’s...

06/23/07 News

Rachel Z to Broadcast Live from Cincinnati

As part of the “Jazz at the Hyatt” series at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Cincinnati, jazz pianist Rachel Z and the Dept. of Good and Evil will perform two full sets, which will also be streamed live over the Internet. The concerts will take place...

06/22/07 News

MCG Jazz set to release 1993 live recording featuring Billy Taylor and Gerry Mulligan

On Aug. 28, MCG Jazz will release Billy Taylor & Gerry Mulligan: Live at MCG , an album recorded at Pittsburgh’s Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild in 1993. The album features Taylor (pictured) and Mulligan playing a set of standards (plus Taylor’s “Capricious”...

06/21/07 News

Berklee staff builds musicians' housing in NOLA

Berklee College of Music recently sponsored a trip to New Orleans to help rebuild what was lost in the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The trip occurred June 9 to 16 and the Berklee crew was made up of eight of the college’s staff members. The Berklee...

06/20/07 News

Diana Krall to release Very Best of compilation

After 10 hugely successful records and a Grammy, Diana Krall is releasing her first career compilation, Verve’s The Very Best of Diana Krall , on Sept. 18. Krall kicked off her summer tour at Yoshi’s in San Francisco on June 11 and will be touring the country...

06/19/07 News

Ben Ratliff's Coltrane book tentatively slated for September release

New York Times music critic Ben Ratliff details the development and legacy of John Coltrane’s technique and compositions in his forthcoming book, Coltrane: The Story of a Sound . In addition to exploring the life of the renowned saxophonist, Ratliff’s book...