Ran will celebrate his 75th birthday with a concert in his honor Monday, September 20 at the New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall.

The show will feature musical performances, spoken tributes, and archival audio and video.

Performers will include Bruce Brubaker, Frank Carlberg, Dominique Eade, Cecil McBee, Hankus Netsky, Ken Schaphorst, Christine Correa, Alonzo Harris and Sara Serpa.

The concert is free and it starts at 8 p.m. Read more about it here.

If you would like to contribute a message of congratulations or appreciation for a scrapbook that will be presented to Ran, please e-mail Aaron Hartley at tromboneman03@yahoo.com.

Death of a Legend: Ran was deeply saddened by the passing of Abbey Lincoln at age 80 on August 14. Ran knew Abbey since the 1960s, saw her perform dozens of times and frequently performs her compositions. He said: “There have been singers with different techniques, but Abbey with compositions, poetry and emotions from the extroversion to the introversion is unique. May her spirit soar for all times.”

Album Review: Out of the Shadows, Ran’s duet album with Christine Correa, drew a favorable review on muzikreviews.com. Critic Doug Morrissey said Christine’s voice and Ran’s piano “blend as nicely as Scotch and water and can be just as relaxing.” Read the full review here.

Critic’s Choice: Ran reports that he’s been listening to the new CD by pianist Jason Moran, Ten. His favorite song, “Pas De Deux – Lines Ballet,” “has a very haunting melody and not one extraneous note.” Ran also recently enjoyed a reissue of The Law, a 1959 film by Jules Dassin film featuring Melina Mercouri.

Ran’s duet album with Portuguese singer Sara Serpa (shown above) will be released in early September on Inner Circle Music.

Ran and Sara recorded the album in December of 2009. It will include several compositions of Ran’s, a few standards, and some originals of Sara’s. We’ll have more details next month, but for now you can get a taste of the album by checking out this video.

Ran recently visited longtime friends Gunther Schuller (above) and Vivian Hughes (below).These photos were taken by Jennique Bangs.

Ran is looking for an additional assistant to help him various projects. Candidates must be proficient with computers and available to work on Saturdays. For more information, email Ran at ran@ranblake.com.

As always, you can reach Ran directly at ran@ranblake.com, and you can read back issues here.

To learn more about studying at NEC’s Contemporary Improvisation Department, visit the department’s website or contact Department Chairperson Hankus Netsky.

We’ll see you in September.
–Steve

Vol. 6, No. 8