While the Portsmouth art scene continued to thrive in April, one annual event was conspicuously absent. That event was the Jazzmouth Festival, an annual celebration of poetry and improvised music that has enlivened the local arts community for the past six years. In what would have been the festival’s seventh year, Jazzmouth founder and artistic director Larry Simon and the Jazzmouth executive committee decided to cancel this year’s event. 

For the sake of full disclosure, I should point out that I am a member of the committee. Canceling the festival was not an easy decision to make. A number of alternatives were discussed, including a scaled-back event at The Press Room featuring Jazzmouth guru David Amram. But, ultimately, time and financial issues took their toll.

On May 18, the Jazzmouth Executive Committee met to discuss future options for Jazzmouth. Rather than scaling back the festival or ending it altogether, the committee decided to move forward with a full-scale event next spring.

In order to do so, however, new blood will be needed to fill vacant positions on the committee, including executive director, artistic director and fundraising coordinator. That’s why Jazz Universe is issuing a call for local volunteers to fill these vacancies.

Jazzmouth is literally the only event of its kind in the United States. Part of the festival’s mission is to bring the finest performers in the poetry and music worlds together on various stages in Portsmouth to create spontaneous art. Among the various artists who have appeared in the event are Ed Sanders, Andre Codrescu, Billy Collins, Sheila Jordan, Mose Allison and Bob Dorough, to name a few. At the center of it all has been renowned composer and musician David Amram, who has served as the festival’s centerpiece since its inception, along with Larry Simon and his band of immensely talented musicians, better known as Groove Bacteria.

If you have the interest and time, you are encouraged to consider becoming a member of the Jazzmouth executive committee. It takes commitment and dedication, but the reward is knowing that you are helping a special event continue to thrive as a vital part of the local arts community.

Those interested can contact Alan Chase at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Larry Simon at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . A future committee meeting is tentatively set for early June; a specific date will be announced soon. Visit www.jazzmouth.org for updates.

It’s well known that the blues is the foundation upon which most of American popular music has been created. Jazz, country, rock, soul—all these styles draw from the well of the blues.

Two legendary blues artists had centennial celebrations this month. Robert Johnson and Big Joe Turner are two artists whose impact on the music is still felt today. Johnson, who was born on May 8, 1911, influenced generations of musicians with his remarkable guitar work and plaintive vocals. The guitarists he influenced could easily fill a book. Many have recorded tributes to Johnson, including Eric Clapton, who released a CD of Johnson’s songs in the early 2000s. Johnson was the ultimate itinerant musician, traveling around the south with his guitar and his voice, playing the blues for all who would listen.

Big Joe Turner was born on May 18, 1911, in Kansas City, one of the areas where the blues thrived in the early part of the 20th century. Turner initially worked as a singing bartender in his teens, often collaborating with pianist Pete Johnson. He went on to work with Joe Sullivan, Art Tatum and James P. Johnson, and later recorded the hits “Shake, Rattle & Roll” and “Chains of Love.” Later in his career, Turner performed and recorded with the Count Basie Orchestra, as well as various small group projects. Turner was a powerful singer whose influence can be heard in a diverse array of singers from Joe Williams to Robert Plant.

Renowned trumpet player Eugene “Snooky” Young is notable not only for his skill on his horn and his place in jazz history, but also for his participation in a legendary show at The Press Room in Portsmouth many years ago.

Young, who passed away on May 11, was a consummate lead trumpet player who performed in a variety of big bands, including the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra in the late 1930s, the legendary Count Basie Orchestra of the ’50s and early ’60s, and the original Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Young followed his close friend Clark Terry into the Tonight Show Orchestra in the ’60s, a position he held for close to 30 years, beginning in New York and then following the band to Los Angeles in the early ’70s. On the West Coast, Young established himself with a variety of bands, including those led by Louie Bellson, Gerald Wilson and John Clayton.

It was through his close friendship with Terry that Young came to The Press Room one Sunday evening in the early ’90s. Young came to the University of New Hampshire several times to participate in Terry’s residency at the school. Another musician who was part of the trip was trombonist Al Grey, who was a featured guest with the Tom Gallant Trio at The Press Room. Terry and Young attended the event to support Grey’s show and, naturally, some sitting in was expected. After a few tunes, Young and Terry pulled out their trumpets and began playing riffs—not from the stage but from their seats at a table—while Grey and the trio continued their set. After soloing, Grey would give a signal and Terry and/or Young would solo from their seats. It was an evening of musical magic that lives on in the memories of those who were there. And it reminds us of why musicians like Snooky Young are so special.