WorlView 4.0 live at the Dana Street Roasting Co.

Hi Folks,
This coming Friday June 8th, WorlView 4.0 will be playing at the Dana Street Roasting Co. around the corner from my teaching studio in Mountain View. This is the place I go for an outstanding cup of java during my teaching hours. They have live music several times during the month and also a French conversation evening. Dana Street Roasting Co is located at 744 W. Dana Street. Mountain View, CA94041. The gig is from 8-10:30 pm and will feature Scott Sorkin on guitar, Tom Bockhold on bass, Curt Moore on drums and yours truly on trumpet and flugelhorn. Also joining us will be some of my advanced jazzers Akhil Gopal from Mountain View HS, Max Shulaker from Aragon HS (San Mateo), Brendan Liu from South San Francisco HS(South San Francisco) and a couple of other special guests. There is no cover but there will be a tip jar if you are inclined to contribute to the band fund and WORLVIEW CD's for sale.
We'll be playing selections from my CD WORLVIEW as well as new tunes that will be recorded live in August when WorlView 7.0 plays the "Jazz At Filoli" in Redwood City. The place isn't too big so be there early if you want a seat but regardless, plan on making this one. The band is swingin', the java is steamin' and we're looking forward to seeing and playing for y'all.
Peace,
Worl

Uncle Mike RIP

Before WorlViews Pac NW tour I had some devastating news. My Uncle Mike finally after 2 & 1/2 years of his fight with cancer passed away. He had the most positive attitude and that kept him on the planet longer than what the docs originally told the family he had. He lived his last years with dignity, honor, faith and I'll never forget him. They had his funeral the Saturday of my tour and I dedicated our tour to his memory. I felt his spirit then and now. It's hard to imagine a world without my Uncle Mike and I feel for his family. His tribe is strong and came together and my aunt Denise is dealing with it with strength and grace. If I didn't know better, Mike, my dad John L and Uncle Dickie are up there playing poker, laughing and having a grand ol' time. I tip my glass and hat to you three. Love you all madly..........

WorlView 4.0 Pac NW tour part 2

Well, well.....Saturday we played at the Crossroads Bellevue and we saw more friends there. Jed Rodriguey from our days together with the 49er big band and the "Hooters From Hell" tour to London, England came by and his first word that arrived from his mouth was "Hooters". I knew it was him..... Frank Grijalva and Ron Howard from my days with the SF chapter of the McDonalds All City Jazz Band from 1985 fell by. Frank teaches in Bellevue at a private school and Ron is currently selling real estate but is rapidly reigniting his trumpet career as we speak. Jim and Kemi Norton as well as a few more family members came by and afterwards Kemi and Jim took the band out to dinner (thanks you two, it was delicious!!!). Matt Beasley who turned 40 years old today(5/31) at 10:30pm met up with us and from there we caravaned up to Bellingham. Farren and I dropped the guys off at their hotel and we landed at our dear friend Sharmon's pad and went to a party at her ex hubbys place. We had a fun time and much fine wine was consumed and then it was time to crash for tomorrow was a big day. Sunday, we gathered up the cats and had a fine breakfast at a restaurant next to Tony's coffee house and afterwards we hung out at Sharmons pad till the hit. We were playing at the Lucia Douglas Gallery, a small and intimate venue and after 2 days gigging, the band was on fire!!! That first set rivaled any gig I have ever played. We had such a blast playing & the audience knew it. They were a very hip crowd. Except for the ballroom dancer guy who told me our version of Visita Social was a samba and not a cha cha as I related to the crowd. Sometimes, people feel that it's important to give their "professional" opinion to us musicians as if we don't know our own material...I hope my smile and head nod was enough to appease you. Otherwise give me a call and I'll tell you what I really thought of your (for the lack of a better word) ignorant comment 650-740-7004. This was the only negative vibe I got the whole weekend from anyone. After the gig, Judd (the promoter for the Jazz Project) took us out to dinner at the Mambo Italiano. That place never disappointed me and is still one of my favorite places to chill and grind (Hawaiian for eating). A couple of hours later we packed it up and made our way back to Seattle where the cats flew out the next morning. Farren and I took back the rental van after we dropped off the equiptment and I left late that afternoon. Overall it was one of the greatest experiences I ever had. I want to thank Farren, Sharmon, Jim and Kemi Norton, Shelly Devlin, Kim Clarke, Matt Beasley, K-Dogg, Bob the sound guy at Crossroads Bellevue for doing an absolute bang up job with the PA, Mark from the Upstage for having us, Judd Sherwood for having us at the Lucia Douglas Gallery and anyone else who helped make this a happening and eventful weekend. We'll be back in November so look for us then.

Mother's Day concert with WorlView 5.0, Ed Johnson and Novo Tempo and Wendy Waller May 13 at the Little Fox

Hi Friends,
WorlView 5.0 has a very special gig coming up this month at a beautiful local venue.
On Sunday, May 13th at 7pm, WorlView 5.0 will be sharing the bill with Wendy Waller and Her Fine Band as well as Ed Johnson and Novo Tempo at the Little Fox Theater in Redwood City. The concert is called "MUSIC WITHOUT BORDERS" and we'll be presented a myriad of styles from across the Americas. You can experience three very musical bands on the same bill for one ticket price. Show your appreciation for the special "Mom" in your life by treating her to this concert. An additional treat: playing with us will be my good friends guitarist Sebastien Lanson and drummer Curt Moore, the leader of Soul Sauce.

Here is the press release being sent out to the media and other music fans by BeasWa Productions:

Three brilliant musicians, Ed Johnson, John Worley and Wendy Waller, with music rooted in jazz, will take you on a journey across US borders and throughout the Americas. Guitarist/vocalist Ed Johnson and his Brazilian jazz octet Novo Tempo play Ed's songs and compositions, striking not just in their originality, but also in their loyal tribute to the best of Brazilian music. Trumpet and flugelhorn master John Worley and WorlView will take you on a soaring Pan-American, Pancaribe musical journey to Brazil, Cuba and back to the US Vocalist Wendy Waller and her Fine Band will take you through New York, New Orleans and to her California home for a soulful tribute to her favorite jazz and blues singers.
7:00pm
JOHN L. WORLEY JR. trumpet/flugelhorn artist and leader of WorlView has been a member in many of the Bay Areas creative music ensembles for last 20+ years. Being adept at a multitude of styles, John has played with many national and international artists in Canada, Europe, Central and North America. http://www.johnworley.com/
8:00pm
Soul music runs in Wendy Waller's family. Critics often site Waller's ability to use her voice like an instrument. "Jazz was constantly in my ear," says Waller. "My dad played lots of jazz around the house... Making up melodies and scatting just came naturally. I improvised long before I studied improvisation." http://www.wendywaller.com/
8:45
Ed Johnson and Novo Tempo are a vibrant Bay Area original contemporary jazz ensemble with a Latin feel and a refreshing emphasis on harmony vocals and horn arrangements. Ed Johnson & Novo Tempo's music is evocative of Brazilian pop, but unlike anything you’ve heard before. http://www.edbjohnson.com/

We hope to see you there!
Best Wishes,

John L. Worley Jr


Little Fox
2215 Broadway Redwood City, California 94063
Fox Theater Tel (650) FOX-4119 Fax (650) FOX-4129
Email: info@foxdream.com
Tickets $16 Advance/$18 at the door
Please contact the Box Office at (650) 369-4119 for tickets or show information. Tickets can also be reserved via email at foxticketinfo@yahoo.com Please send phone contact along with the Name, Date and # of tickets for the event(s) and we will call you for payment information. Little Fox is a 21 years old and above venue.

WorlView in the Pac NW tour...What a Blast!!! part 1

Ok, I have a moment to breathe and I really want to share some of my experiences with you while up in the Pacific NW. Good times were had by all of us and so many folks helped contribute it it. This blog will take up some space so it will come to you in a parts. I'll start at the beginning. I flew up to Seattle on Wednesday and took a shuttle to meet Farren. We drove back to Port Townsend and took care of some last minute details revolving around the gigs and my clinic with the Port Townsend HS Big Band. One important item of business was dinner at Lonza's. Man, what a great restaurant!!! 5 stars in my book. The salmon was fresh and delightful and the wine was beautiful. The next day, I gave a clinic with their big band at 7am. It's a daunting time of day to be spot on but true to form, I had them laughing 6 minutes into it and we cruised thru the next 3 hours rehearsing, sitting in and giving a brass clinic to their brass players as well as others from local schools. Kim Clarke really has those kids playing and I got to hear a really fine guitarist ( I can't remember his name but will find it and and let you know) and a pretty soulful trumpeter named Kevin "K-Dogg" Rubio. That dude played a pretty nice solo and was a nice cat too. Look for those two cats to serenade your ears sometime in the near future. I got to meet Shelly Devlin, a trumpeter from the Seattle area. She works for Ted Brown Music CO. one of the sponsors of my clinic along with Conn-Selmer INC. It turns out she studies with Allen Vizzutti, one of my all time favorite players at the University of Washington. I use a lot of his material in my teaching so you can imagine how much I grilled her on what it's like to study with the maestro himself. Allen Vizzutti, that cat is one of the most technically astute players in the world. I used to see him play in LA back in the early 80's. The next day, Farren and I drove back to Seattle to pick up the band and drove back to Port Townsend to play at the Upstage Restaurant that night. We stopped at Metropolitan Music and picked up the drums and bass amp and had a nice visit with the owner, Paul McVicar. He was very good to us and I know that when we come back up in November, we'll hook up again. So we packed up Farren's little Honda wagon and the Dodge van I rented with the equipment and the guys and we were off on our trip. I'm taking a breath for a moment and will continue in the next part.......

WorlView 4.0 Live in the Pacific Northwest

Hey,
WorlView 4.0 will coming to the Seattle area next week!!!! Hope to see you at one of our gigs....
For more info, check out my myspace page.
Worl
4.26.07
WorlView 4.0 Pacific Northwest tour 4/27-29
4.26.07
Jazz Band Workshop at Port Townsend High School
4.27.07
WorlView 4.0 live @ Upstage Restaurant
4.28.07
WorlView 4.0 @ Crossroads Bellevue. Market Stage
4.29.07
WorlView 4.0 Art of Jazz Concert Series presented by the Jazz Project. Lucia Douglas Gallery

"Music for Our Children" Benefit Concert and Auction

Well, tomorrow is the big night for CASA of San Mateo County. WorlView 7.0 and guest artists Kat Parra, Morning and Jim Nichols and Bennett Newell-Roth will perform at the "Music for Our Children" Benefit Concert and Auction hosted by a very worthwhile organization, "Advocates for Children". The event will be held at the Woodside High School Performing Arts Center in Woodside, CA and it runs from 6-10pm. Fred Berry and Jayne Sanchez will share the spot light as Masters of Ceremony. Jayne and Yvonne Kerno, operations manager from CASA, will be running the live auction.
Advocates for Children recruits, trains and supports volunteers who develop a personal relationship with children whose parents cannot or will not support them as parents normally do. These children often bounce from one foster home to another and have little continuity in their lives except for their advocate.
You can make a difference in some child's life by showing your support for this event. Whether you participate in the silent or live auction, purchase a raffle ticket or three and/or just come on down to share your good vibe with everyone there, it will show support to this fine organization and those who benefit from it.
If you make the effort to attend this event on Saturday, I will personally comp you or your family a pair of tickets. If you cannot come to the concert and you wish to make a donation,
please send it to: Advocates for Children, CASA of San Mateo County, 777 Mariners Island Blvd., Ste. 115, San Mateo, CA 94404.
Just mention to the folks taking the tickets that you are my guests and they will let you and a guest in free. I hope that you will come down, enjoy an evening filled with great music and bright hopes for all those who will benefit from your participation.
Best Wishes,
John L. Worley Jr
Musical Director for "Music for Our Children" and leader of WorlView 7.0

Woodside High School Performing Arts Center
195 Churchill Ave
Woodside, CA 94062

Program
6:00pm - 6:45pm Silent Auction
7:00pm - 8:00pm Morning and Jim Nichols with WorlView 7.0
8:00pm - 9:00pm Presentation and Live Auction
9:00pm - 10:00pm Kat Parra, John Worley and WorlView 7.0 and closing song

WorlView 7.0 live at the Sanchez Art Center

WorlView 7.0 Live at the Sanchez Art Center.
Pacifica Performances hosted WorlView 7.0 last Saturday evening and what a great gig! Mildred Owens, Matt Beasley and Morning Nichols made this happen and thank you all. We even had an article written by Jean Bartlett that was in the Pacifica Tribune the Wednesday before. Nice writing Jean!!!
We had almost a hundred people there to see us. What an acoustically friendly place to play. It was very cool to see so many of my friends turn out. Kerry McCoy and Alta Gracia, Barbara and Steve Miller, Lionel Emde and Renee Batti, Kevin and Earl Johnson, Shawn Terry and Terri Derogatis, Jayne Sanchez, Lori Stotko and Stuart Nafey, Lyssa and a whole bunch more friendly faces. We started the evening with a Woody Shaw original, “Rahsaan’s Run”. We usually close the first set with it but I wanted the band to come out roaring and shake up the place. To open the second set, we played "Happy Birthday" as a cha cha for Stuart. It was his 55th birthday!!! Nice cake Lori....How come you didn't pop outta it?
My brother Richie and his squeeze, Amanda got a chance to get out of the house. They just had a baby girl two weeks ago and I dedicated the song, “Too Young To Go Steady” to them.
My wife Susan was there helping me out with CD sales and inspiring me to places I’ve never gone before. I always play better when she’s there. Thank you Baby!!!! We dedicated "Moon Alley" to her and Jayne Sanchez.
We played my tango “Last Tango In Delano” which is dedicated to my father John L. Worley. My father was a merchant seaman by trade and was a member of the Seafarers International Union. He was sent out to the Central Valley by the SIU to help protect Cesar Chavez and the farm workers who were picketing. This tune is for you Pop. It was commissioned by the Intersection For The Arts to be premeired at our deYoung Museum gig last Fall. Sebastien Lanson was here then and helped me put it together so he's the co-composer. Good work Sebastien.
From the WorlView library, “WorlView”, “Out Of The Night Came You”, “Moon Alley”, “Infra-Rae”, “Silent Heart”, “Visita Social”, Kwockasaurus Rex” and a few more came to life that night. The evening was a success and contributing to it was the sound man. (I think his name is Gary). What big ears you have, dude. He had it dialed in and I never heard the sound better there! Thank you man for that gift.
Well, we have a fun one coming up in February. WorlView 7.0 is going to be guests of the Stanford Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Fred Berry on February 28th. I'll be guest soloing on a few tunes with the SJO and WorlView will be featured on the 2nd set. We plan to play "Clapham Common" by Howard Cespedes, "Cape Breton" by Dr Aaron Lington, "Caravan" arranged by Wayne Wallace and "WorlView" also arranged by Wayne Wallace. Y'all should come out and help support their program. They are going to be touring Europe with Jon Faddis this summer. So come out and lend them your ears and cash. It cost a lot of ducats to get 20+ people out there. And believe me, they're worth every penny.
More to come soon...I promise. It's one of my New Year's resolutions....To blog and blog and blog.......Peace!!!

1st blog of 2007

Lot’s of stuff happened since my last blog back in November. Sorry it’s taken awhile to do this. It’s partially the curse of being a busy musician/educator.
In December, I subbed on a wonderful show called Christmas Dreamland for AMT (American Musical Theater). It was very challenging but a blast to play. I love playing a gig when you have to run the gamut in musical genres.
I played a couple of times at the Bleu Ginger/Lounge in Milpitas with my trio, WorlView 3.0. That place is starting to catch on in a big way. The food and ambience is great plus it’s one of last remaining venues to hear live jazz in the south bay. Sad….
I played a big band dance at the Elks Lodge in Alameda with my old friend and favorite band leader Rudy Salvini. His band is one of the last remaining professional dance big bands left in the bay area. He’s always got the best cats playing and most of them are from the era when there was live music everywhere.
Susan and I took a Moroccan cooking class, partied with friends at our pad and set up our tree just before x-mas. That’s part of our x-mas tradition.
On new year’s, Susan got a face painting gig in Reno at the High Roller’s party at Harrah’s. She got a moment to visit my good friend, Bob Biagi originally from South San Francisco. Bob plays flute and alto sax and drives a truck up there when he’s not jamming at a session or gig.
I was playing with the Pete Escovedo Orchestra at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. Robbie Kwock (Kwockasaurus Rex), Wayne Wallace, Dave Gregoric and Melecio Magdaluyo were on that hit. The band sounded great and we had a great time playing together.
On New Year’s Day, Susan and I were invited to our friends Dave and Shirley Deneau’s cioppino dinner and we had a blast!!! It’s an annual get together and it always kicks total butt. Shirley is the Queen of Foodies and always out does herself much to the delight of our tummies. Dave is a great tenor saxophonist and he sat in with me at the Bleu Ginger the other day and sounded marvelous I might add!
On the 3rd of January, Susan and I flew out to Wisconsin and spent a week with her family and friends. I have to say, Wisconsin is getting pretty hip. We enjoyed some pretty fine wine and cuisine and I even got a chance to sit in with a local favorite Dan, on guitar and vocals at the Elements Restaurant in Two Rivers. Susan and I met a very cool lady named Katherine Egger who convinced me to sit in. Originally there was supposed a jazz trio playing and I was going to sit in with them. But Dan was there instead and I didn’t want to get in his way. It took quite of bit of pressure from Susan’s brother Tom Tittl, Katherine and others to get me up there. But it worked and I played a bit for them. I had so much fun and as the night progressed it got crazier and wilder. There were conga lines, people jamming on percussion instruments and my God, Julie Tittl was dancing as if she were the lead in River Dance. It was wild, the wine was flowing and people were talking about this evening for days after. Mind you, Two Rivers is a sleepy burg of 31,000 and not too much happens there, especially in the winter. Which leads me to where was the snow? Trippy weather I might add. The only time it snowed was late one evening and there was a small sprinkle coming down and that disappeared as soon as the sun was out. Quite a change from all the stories I listened to about how cold it gets there in winter. I guess “old man winter” was vacationing in Florida and sent some of that sun back to WI.
We took a side trip to Green Bay and checked out the Packer Hall of Fame and Lambeau Field, also known as the “Frozen Tundra”. It was interesting checking out the exhibits and playing in the kid’s interactive area. But the coolest thing was wearing my 49er colors in their “hood”.
Naa na na na naaaaa!!!!!!
Well, we’re home now and my next blog will be focused on WorlView 7.0’s latest gig, live at the Sanchez Art Center presented by Pacifica Performances…Till then, asta pasta hombres.

Wayne Wallace CD release party at Yoshi's

Wayne Wallace and Rhythm and Rhyme had a CD release party at Yoshi's to celebrate his new release called "Reckless Search For Beauty". What a kick ass concert. Yoshi's is always a very cool place to gig and that night we had a packed house with many fans, friends, family and musicians. If you're not hip to Wayne's music then you haven't lived my friend. However, I wanted to bring up something that really spoke to me about that concert. (I'll write more about the concert at another date when I have alittle more time.) Louis Fasman is one of the Bay Area's premier trumpet players and is also one of my best friends. We will have been playing together for 30 years coming up in the summer of 07. Some of you may know that Louis has been ill for the past three weeks with Viral Meningitis. He thought he had migraines and when the docs checked him out they diagnosed him with VM. It's not the same as Spinal or Bacterial Meningitis(this one is what took down our tpt teacher, the late Dr. Herb Patnoe) but still, it can kick your butt and put you out of commission for a bit. Louis had a very able backup waiting in the wings, Chris Barnes in case he couldn't make it thru. Louis mentioned to me during the soundcheck that he might have to point to his part for me to play if he faded. In the back of my mind I thought "yeah right...you never have backed down from any part". But, I said I would do what was needed if he got tired. Man....he paced himself well the first set and got stronger and stronger and pasted the last chart "Use Me" to the back wall. That chart is a chop burner and he kicked major ass my friends. What a (for the lack of a better word) "Warrior". Louis Fasman is my hero. Damn, he had to dig deep within to get the job done and succeeded. We all should follow his example. It was totally inspiring. Louis, I will never forget that night when you felt that bad and played so well. I'll be back soon my friends to talk about the rest of the concert soon.
Peace, Worl

I'm Backkkkkkkk!!!!

Ok ok.....I'm back on the board. MJF was the most exhilerating experience I've had with my band. Everyone played great and I got a chance to hang with my bud Steve Bernstein. If you don't know who he is well, he's just one of the best trumpet cats in NYC. The band played on the Garden Stage and just kicked butt! Lot's of fun gigs since then and guess what? I turned 51 years young on the 15th of NOV. Man, it was a great day. I did a rehearsal in the morning and afterwards taught a couple of kids. I made sure to tell them that it was a great day because of my birthday and that everyday you can play your trumpet is a great day!!! WorlView 4.0 is going to the state of Washington in April to play a few gigs. Thank you Kemi for all of your help the last week or so. You and I are keeping Matt hopping. I'm also trying to book a tour to Europe this summer so look out for us there in July. WorlView is going to be pretty busy in "07" so keep and eye and ear out for us. I also started a myspace music page so click on the name and surf surf surf.....Looking forward to seeing and hearing from y'all soon.
Worl

Man, MJF is only two days away!!!!

Monterey Jazz Festival is two days away!!!....and tomorrow we rehearse. Susan is cooking up some treats for the cats and we'll be playing at the Hope St Studios here in lovely Mountain View. Our house concert at Chateau Kalleen in Petaluma, CA was a great place to play. And a great way to warm up for MJF. John and Mariette were great hosts and many many thanks for letting us do our thing at your pad. By the way, my better half Susan catered the house concert and did a totally kick ass job. I didn't know that she could do that. She's had several offers since to recreate her endeavor but turned each one down. It's a tough gig catering. And a special thank you goes out to my friend Steve B for helping out in the vino dept. Let's see...we had around 40 people there total and we went thru 28 bottles of wine!!! Mission accomplished as far as I'm concerned. Good job all of you who made it. And no DUI's. Another round of applause please!!!! In regards to MJF...Check out CNN.com for festival highlights. One of the tunes we're playing, "Silent Heart" was written by Ed Johnson and will feature Sebastien and I. Ed not only wrote the tune but took time to write the horn parts. Ed, you are the man. Thank you for all of your help my friend! Guitarist Sebastien Lanson flew all the way from Paris to join us. Thanks Dude!!! You always add so much and it's always great to have you here for the hang too. Special thanks to my friend Dr. Jeff Eaton for fitting me into his schedule at the last minute and more thanks to Dr. Carole Shimoda for tweaking me with her exquisite chiropratic skills. It takes to quote Hillary Clinton "It Takes A Village" for all of this to work. Leading a band is not a solitary effort. So many fine people contribute and in most cases, only the band leader gets or takes the credit. But I've been a sideman for so many years and I know that it's not the case. It does take a Village to make it happen and I am eternally grateful to everyone who lends his or her's talents to make it happen. It's a great feeling knowing that we all share in the experience. More to come very soon. Peace, John aka WorlBoy

WorlBoy here....

Hi Friends, It's been awhile since my last post. It's definitely a time of reflection. My friend Scott Sorkin lost his Dad two weeks ago and I just received the disturbing news that a friend and a former student took his life last week. Boy, they weren't kidding when they said that it comes in groups of three's. Gilbert Shih was a nice cat. Took life a bit too seriously at times and needed to leave the planet in a quick way. He was one of my "cherries" during his tenure with me. I remember when my teacher and mentor John Coppola gave me free lessons because I lost my job at Whitney Band Instruments. My parents didn't have the dough to pay for my lessons and I got a job studying brass repair with James Galway's repair person, Bob Gilchrist. I lost my job because of the other apprentices cutting a few corners and wasn't able to pay for my lessons. I mentioned it to Johnny and he said, "Don't worry about the money, just sweep my porch and we're ok". He also said that if I did everything he told me to, I'd be a professional musician by the age of 16. I remember after the lessons I'd ask John what could I do for him and he'd just say "practice!". That I did and I played my first gig at the ripe age of 15 years young. I never forgot Johnny's generosity and since then, I have at least one "cherry" every school year. Gilbert was one of them as well as a student of Johnny's. He worked hard and was tough on himself if he didn't feel up to snuff. I remember telling him to be easy on yourself. I'd always use the analogy..."How much do you have in your bank of self esteem?....Everytime you get down on yourself, it's like punching a $20 outta the ATM of self esteem and you have to ask yourself..how much you got in there?" Gilbert helped me with my record project. He meant a lot to me. I lost touch with him for awhile till his friends called me to tell me the news. I hope he finds a better place the next time around. I will miss you my friend. I will dedicate my performance to you at Monterey this year. Gilbert Shih 1978-2006 RIP

Maynard Ferguson passed away the night before last at the age of 78.

Maynard Ferguson passed away at 8pm, August 23. He was 78 years old. He was a tremendous influence to me. I remember in my freshman year in high school,my buddy Johnny Serrano playing for me Maynard's solo on "Concerto To End All Concertos" on the album, "Kenton in Hi Fi" That solo wigged me out completely. The range, power, brashness of Maynard's playing changed the direction of my life completely. I knew at that moment, I wanted to be a professional trumpet player and have been on that journey ever since.My first jazz trumpet teacher, Johnny Coppola used to play on Kenton's band with Maynard and roomed with him. Johnny used to tell me funny stories about their hangs and playing together on the bandstand. I called him this morning when my former student and good friend Niel Levonius gave me the sad news. It shook Johnny up to hear it as you can imagine. Johnny is the last surviving member of the Charlie Barnet band that he played on and probably the same goes for the Kenton and the Herman band too. He always had great things to say about Maynard. He even had one of Maynard's large bore Martin Committee that Maynard gave him years ago. My first jazz record was "MF Horn". I bought it at Columbia Music on Market St in SF. Man, I wore that bad boy out! Maynard's band was the 2nd big band I ever saw (the first was Stan Kenton's band at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, CA with Mike Vax playing lead). I saw Maynard and the guys at De Anza College. I remember they were wearing their striped t-shirts and black pants. I believe Bob Summers was in the band as well as Lin Biviano (?) Maynard sounded awesome and it really sent me thru the roof. I went on to see Maynard many many more times after that and try to emulate his playing, tho quite unsuccessfully I might add.I even had an opportunity to play with him at the Fairmont Hotel in SF sometime between "85" and "90". I was the first call sub in the Dick Bright Orchestra and we played him and the band on, and at the end of the show, played his greatest hits medley. That was so cool, finally getting a chance to play with the man who forever changed the direction of my life. I also want to mention that one of my best buds, Louis Fasman played on the band for about a year. That was around "85" Louis played his ass off. They were playing "Hey Jude" and during the last free section, Louis played Maynard's intro to MF. He sounded great and in my mind, was one of the best but under rated and overlooked lead players to play with Maynard. Ask Wayne B about him sometime. Louis and I played a gig with the Larry Vucovitch Big Band at Copia's tonight and we toasted the Boss with a tasty bottle of T-Vines 2002 Syrah. I'll never forget Maynard. He played the trumpet as if he were the greatest opera singer that ever lived. He could bebop with the best and no one ever has played the horn with the same passion and flair that he did. He did it his way and either you loved or hated it although it was hard to imaging people not digging Maynard. Rest in peace Maynard. And thanks again for being the influence in my life that you were and still are.

Worlboy at the SJ Jazz Festival and the Agenda Restaurant and Lounge

Tomorrow is the San Jose Jazz Festival. It’s sponsored by Comcast and a slew of others dedicated to bringing us the best in Jazz in all genres.
Tomorrow is a heavy day for me. I’m playing with 5 bands at the festival and my WorlView 4.0 tomorrow night at the Agenda Lounge.
Here’s my schedule: - Saturday -
12:30pm – Fasmania Big Band – Gordon Biersch Brewery
4:00pm – Aaron Lington Quintet – Smith Dobson Stage
7:30pm – WorlView 4.0 – Agenda Restaurant and Lounge
- Sunday-
12 noon – San Jose Jazz Orchestra – Main Stage w/ Mike Vax
3:00pm – Ed Johnson and Novo Tempo – Latin Stage
6:00pm – Foothill College Night Band - Full Spectrum Big Band Stage
For those of you who are planning on coming to the Agenda tomorrow evening, here is our set list and personnel. I like to give you all the inside view into what’s happening behind the scenes. I’m looking forward to this busy but fun weekend. I’ll get back to you all tomorrow after I get home. I’ll be a tired pup but….that’s show biz right?!?

WorlView 4.0
Agenda set list 8/19/06
Set 1
1. Kwockasaurus Rex
2. Visita Social
3. Infra-Rae
4. You’ve Changed
5. Episode From A Village Dance
6. The Double Up
7. TBA
8. Open Sesame
Set 2
1. Moon Alley
2. WorlView
3. Why Wait
4. Out Of The Night Came You
5. Too Young To Go Steady
6. Sippin’ At Pike’s Market
7. Alter Ego
8. Rahsaan’s Run

WorlView 4.0 is - Murray Low, Tom Bockhold, Curt Moore and WorlBoy aka Worl.
Sippin'At Pike's Market is a new tune I wrote. It's based on the tune "There Will Never Be Another You". I wrote it to remember the wonderful company and ice wine we all shared my last day in Seattle. I dedicate it to Kathy, Kemi, Jim and Barbara. You all were so much fun. Thanks!!!!

WorlView's MJF press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 7, 2006Media Contact: Matt Beasley650-400-4920mattbeas@aol.comhttp://www.johnworley.comJOHN WORLEY & WORLVIEW TO BRING GLOBAL CELEBRATION TO THE 49TH ANNUAL MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVALAFTER 13 SIDEMAN APPEARANCES, BAY AREA MUSIC VETERAN PRESENTS MJF HEADLINING DEBUTEvent Highlights:John Worley & WorlView49th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival Presented by VerizonSaturday, September 16, Garden Stage, 9:45pmTicket Information: 925-275-9255, www.montereyjazzfestival.orgAugust 7, 2006; It was roughly five years ago when John Worley met saxophone titan Michael Brecker backstage at the Monterey Jazz Festival. The lanky jazz superstar approached Worley and asked, "Don't I know you?" After recovering from the shock, Worley responded, "No, you don't know me, but I sure know you."Such a story is commonplace for trumpet and flugelhorn virtuoso John Worley, who has enjoyed a lengthy career as one of the great hidden gems in the San Francisco Bay Area jazz community. But in a situation uncommon for mid-career musicians, Worley's star is quickly on the rise as he presents his MJF headlining debut at the 49th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival Presented by Verizon September 15-17.Worley, whose impressive trumpet skills combine sophisticated intervallic jumps with dazzling range, tone and lyricism, plans to dazzle the crowd for his headlining MJF debut. On Saturday, September 16, John Worley & WorlView - his eclectic, all-encompassing band - will perform a fiery set on the Garden Stage at 9:45pm for a spirited session of Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and jazz intertwined with other global musical styles. Festival patrons are bound to dance the night away on the grass lawn listening to John Worley & WorlView as the second day of music comes to a close.For this special performance, Worley has assembled an all-star cast including guitarist Sebastien Lanson, trombonist Wayne Wallace, saxophonist Kristen Strom, pianist Murray Low, bassist Tom Bockhold, drummer Paul van Wageningen, and percussionist Michaelle Goerlitz. All in all, John Worley & WorlView will round out the festival's jazz talent, providing a global perspective and party atmosphere to a trumpet-laden roster including smooth jazz star Chris Botti, jazz-funk master Roy Hargrove and avant-garde Sex Mob front-man Steven Bernstein.Although this is Worley's first headlining experience in Monterey, the trumpeter is no stranger to the Festival. This year's performance will mark roughly his fourteenth performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival since the late 1980's. Over the years, he has performed at MJF in a Tribute to Bobby Hutcherson and at different times with Don Byron, Wayne Wallace, Wally Schnalle, Rebeca Mauleon, Full Faith & Credit Big Band, Anthony Brown and the Asian American Orchestra, The Wayne Shorter Commission Orchestra, and several other bands. Worley was featured twice at the 2005 Monterey Jazz Festival: once in a scorching performance with the Carla Bley Big Band on the Arena/Lyons Stage, and a second time in a rollicking session with the Jon Jang Seven on the Garden Stage.With much critical praise following last year's festival, it's easy to understand John Worley's ascent in the jazz world. After his Monterey Jazz Festival performance this September, Worley will continue surging forward with several performances in the Bay Area. On October 1, John Worley & WorlView will present two new pieces commissioned by Intersection for the Arts at the DeYoung Museum's Chicano Exhibit. In addition, Worley will be featured as a special guest artist on November 4 with the West Valley College Jazz Band in Saratoga sponsored in part by Conn/Selmer, and in February 2006 with the Stanford Jazz Orchestra. Plans for the future also include a performance tour in Europe with Sebastien Lanson,For now, John Worley remains focused on his headlining debut at this year's Monterey Jazz Festival. After years of performing as a sideman, Worley's performance leading his own band will be a milestone in his career to date. And although Festival-goers will enjoy the sounds of John Worley and WorlView, it'll be hard to find anyone having as much fun at this year's Monterey Jazz Festival than John Worley.

WorlView 4.0 live at The Agenda Restaurant and Lounge

Hi Friends,
I wanted to let you know about a few things I've got coming up. First of all, WorlView 4.0 will be appearing at the Agenda Restaurant and Lounge, this Saturday 8/19 from 7:30 -9:45pm. If you're planning on coming down to the San Jose Jazz Festival that afternoon, stop by, have a taste and/or dinner and check us out. Joining me will be Curt Moore on drums, Murray Low on piano and Tom Bockhold on bass. Also, a lot of the cats appearing at the festival know that the Agenda Lounge is the place to go afterwards to have a tasty cocktail and nosh on some delicious food so I know we will have a special guest or three stopping by and sitting in! So fall by and let the festival continue onward with WorlView and you.
Some of you may know that WorlView is performing at the 49th annual Monterey Jazz Festival on Saturday, September 16th at 9:45pm on the Garden Stage. Joining us will be jazz guitar virtuoso Sebastien Lanson from Paris as well as Wayne Wallace, Kristen Strom, Murray Low, Paul VW, TomBockhold and Michaelle Goerlitz. So we will be known as WorlView 8.0 for that gig. We'll be playing selections from our CD "WorlView: as well as Sebastien's CD "In Transition" on Dancing Sumo Records. We'll also be premiering one of my favorite composer/singer/guitarist Ed Johnson's tune, "Silent Heart" that I'm arranging for WorlView.
I've attached a press release to this email regarding the festival. This is the same one going out to all the radio stations, magazines, festival promoters ect and now you'll have an insiders view into the inner workings of jazz promotion. Check it out!
I hope to see you all this coming Saturday, August 19 at 7:30pm at the Agenda Lounge in downtown San Jose. Please make your reservation early for a good seat, have a bite (no cover if you order dinner)! And don't forget to come up and say hello to the cats!
Thanks for your time!
John Worley AKA "Worlboy"
The Agenda Restaurant and LoungeJohn Worley and WorlView 4.0Saturday, August 19thno cover charge with dinner7:30pm to 9:45pm399 South First St.San Jose, Ca. - (408) 287-3991http://www.agendalounge.com/

It's early Sunday morning....

Yo Folks, its 1 am and I just got home from a gig led by bari sax maniac Aaron Lington. Man can that guy play. And the rest of the band wasn't too shabby either. Claire Dee was singing, Deson Claiborne played drums, John Shiflitt played bass, Daveed Behroozi played piano and our good friend Ben helped out with the PA duties. It was a 70th birthday party for a cat named John and they had a Marilyn Monroe impersonator teasing the hell outta the guy....A very good time was had by all including us. There is something about getting on the bandstand with cats that are the real deal. It's like having your cake and eating it too. Earlier today I taught a couple of lessons, stopped by our friend Jennifer's house to wish her a happy 29th birthday and give her a bottle of Champagne. I also picked up my PA and hauled it to the gig so I didn't get a chance to drive that hot Mercedes, damn it. But when I get home tomorrow I plan to scope it out. I have to visit my good friend John Kalleen tomorrow. WorlView is playing a house concert at his pad in Novato on 9/2. We are going to plan the layout and talk about catering and wine....It's going to be quite an event so if you want to come, you better email me and reserve a ticket or two. We're inviting a limited amount of folks and the sets (2) will outdoors near his pool. He has 7 acres in Novato and his nearest neighbors are the cows across the street!!! And coming up in a day, its Kemi and Jim's California wedding party. It should be fun and good to see Kemi and her mom, Marion as well as all the other folks. One thing though...I'm a bit thirsty for ice wine...Can anyone (Kathy, Kemi or Barbara) out there let me know what was that delicious apple flavored ice wine we all shared at Pikes Market? I'd like to have a sip of it again. If you remember the name, email me at john@johnworley.com and let me know. ok...it's late and I gotta get up early. One last thought...Dennis and I at the reception having camera flash wars was fun!!! That cat is crazy!!! He won for sure. Hey, if you read this, be sure to call me when you get down here so we can get together. Yoko, you should have your own sitcom. You are one of the funniest people I've ever met. Jim gave me a copy of the slide show John put together. It's nice to see everyone in it. I hope to see you all again someday. Goodnight all.

Jim and Kemi's ceremony

What a great ceremony. Rev Castro made the job so easy and things went as smooth as it could be. I felt very comfortable and what an honor for me to be included in the ceremony. Kathy looked radiant and I loved her “pebbles” hairdo. She said it was a first for her and she wore it well. Kemi was a dream come true and me….well…I did what I could. We all hid behind a huge metal sculpture at the beginning of the ceremony. Rev Castro hit the sculpture 3 or 5 times which sounded like peals of thunder and Kathy and I played a drum roll on the sculpture afterwards and then the procession started. Even while typing this, I’m in awe of the perfection of the moment. For some reason, I felt as if my world was changing too. I never saw Jim so happy. It made my heart feel good to see my good friend Jim take that step. I know the feeling. Funny thing though, life is not always picture perfect. As the years go by, people and things change but if you savor every moment, you can always go back in time and remember why you took the step to live your lives together as one. It’s 'cause of Love Baby, Love!!!
Afterwards, we drove around in a bus, stopped at the baseball stadium (Mariners) and took some pictures (thanks for the Mariner's cap!) and then we were off to Kasper’s. Holy Moly, that man can cook yes siree! He hosts some foody cruises and that’s where I believe Kemi and Kathy met Kasper and his wife. They sail on these cruise ships, go on shore excursions shopping for the next meal or three in the local market places. I think he even shows them how to prepare them. The next one is in either Fiji or Tahiti or as someone put it, Fajiti. Sounds pretty damn cool….sign me up!!!
I’m going to blog later about the reception because at the moment I’m a little burnt. I just finished teaching at the Stanford Jazz Workshop for the week and I’m pooped. Plus I’m going thru some male menopause life changes at the moment. Here’s how weirded out I am. I’m going to test drive tomorrow a “98” Mercedes SLK 230 w/58,000 miles. Man what a beautiful ride!!! Plus I’m a little hung up on some other things as well as thinking about my house concert on 9/2 at Chateau Kalleen in Novato, our 9/16 gig at the Monterey Jazz Festival gig coming up and my writing commission from the Intersection For The Arts for WorlView’s gig at the DeYoung Museum on 10/1. Lot’s of exciting things coming up and I know I’ll see some of you at one or more very soon.
Love to you all and stay in touch. If you like the blog, leave a comment or two or email me at: john@johnworley.com.
Peace,
John

Birth of the Cool, Kemi and Jim's wedding and the Port Townsend hang.

Well, it’s almost August and I’m back on the blog folks. Lot’s of exciting stuff happened since my last blog. We performed Birth of the Cool at the Stanford Jazz Festival and it was a night of magic. The cats performed impeccably and the audience loved it. I hope we get a chance to perform it again because not only was it a gas to play but that music needs to be played! It was one of the more difficult roles I’ve had to play as a trumpeter. It gave me a whole new insight into Miles playing just getting thru all of those tunes in one concert.
I just got back from spending 5 days in the Pacific Northwest. Last Wednesday and Thursday I visited my friend Farren up in Port Townsend. It’s truly one of the prettiest places to be and I’m envious that those folks get to live there 24/7. We hung out with some of the hard core blues camp cats on Thursday night. They have a tribe that comes up there every year just for blues week at Centrum. It was cool sitting around those cats and listening to them share bits of blues history. One cat had a jug (!!!) strapped to his neck so he could sing, play guitar and blow some bass notes while strumming. Very trippy folks!!! They all are very into their blues scene and have a sort of communal tribal hang thing going.
For next three days, I hung out with the soon-to-be newly weds, Jim and Kemi Norton (oops, Kemi, did you take his name….) Friday night we had dinner at the Wild Ginger, a fantastic restaurant located above the Triple Door where I played a couple times with Ed Johnson.
Kemi’s mom, Marion, Jim’s mom Joan and dad, Jim Sr, Barbara, Yoko, Kathy (maid of honor) and I enjoyed each others company and got to know each other better. Barbara and Kathy came from Cleveland, Ohio, Jim Sr from NY, Joan and Marion from the SF bay area. Saturday was the big day. Kemi, Jim, Kathy and I made our way to a kick butt dim sum house and had a scrumptious feast before the rehearsal w/ Rev. Castro. By the way, he’s a pretty cool guy and made Kathy and I feel at home w/ our part in the ceremony. Thanks Rev!
After the rehearsal, we made our way to Dennis’s pad and got shaved, sheared, dressed and the girls did their makeup thang. And then it was off to pre-ceremony pictures. I have a feeling that there will be some wacky pics in the mist of all the gorgeous shots. (Especially with the bouquets)
Afterwards, Jim and I made our way to the site, Volunteer Park to way for the girls and the guests to arrive. Next….the ceremony!