Tag Archives: rob “milo” jaramillo

Patti Does Carmen

Patti Littlefield

Vocalist Patti Littlefield has crisscrossed the country following her muse—touring in theatrical productions, performing as a singer/songwriter in San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square, working in a puppet theater in Chicago, singing with Luther Vandross in LA, hanging with Joni Mitchell, and making demos in New York City for legendary songwriter Doc Pomus. Fate deposited her in Albuquerque, where she has made a name for herself as a vocalist comfortable in an array of genres, from blues to new music. This coming Tuesday at Kosmos, as part of the New Mexico Jazz Workshop’s Jazz Stories 3.0 series, she’ll be paying homage to Carmen McRae, a vocalist close to her heart, with help from Sid Fendley (piano) and Rob “Milo” Jaramillo (bass). Rumor has it that a well-loved reed man by the name of Arlen Asher could also make an appearance.

Patti and I recently had a chat about her connection to McRae, and the upcoming concert.

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Celebrating Uncle Mike (aka Guitarist Michael Anthony)

Michael “Uncle Mike” Anthony

Even if you’ve never heard the name Michael Anthony, it’s very likely that you’ve heard him. A first-call fixture in Los Angeles studios for 15 years, the guitarist has played on hundreds of TV and film soundtracks, including seven years on the Carol Burnett Show, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and more than 250 Hanna-Barbera cartoons. On recordings, he’s backed stars ranging from Tony Bennett to the Beach Boys.

Since relocating to Albuquerque in 1980, Anthony has become a respected figure on the jazz scene and a venerated teacher, affectionately known to his students as Uncle Mike. The moniker perfectly captures his avuncular contribution, musical and otherwise, to his students’ lives. Two of those students, John Maestas and Claudio Tolousse, who have built successful careers as professional guitarists on the foundation of Anthony’s lessons, will honor him this Saturday evening when they present Michael Anthony: The Lineage Concert at the Outpost. Continue reading →

Bert Dalton’s Brazil Project Presents a ‘Manfredo Fest’-ival

Brazil Project (left to right): John Bartlit, Patty Stephens, Rob “Milo” Jaramillo, Frank Leto, and Bert Dalton

Brazil Project (left to right): John Bartlit, Patty Stephens, Rob “Milo” Jaramillo, Frank Leto, and Bert Dalton

Pianist Bert Dalton’s Brazil Project is on a mission: to make the music of Brazilian composer/
pianist Manfredo Fest more widely known and appreciated. Dalton first crossed paths with the late Fest (1936–1999), one of the innovators of the bossa nova movement in the late 1950s, more than 30 years ago. He was immediately and permanently smitten with Fest’s energetic music. He’s played it ever since, wanting to expose a wider audience to its seamless blending of bop influences and Brazilian pulse.

For this special mission, Dalton is augmenting his Brazil Project personnel—Patty Stephens
(vocals), Rob “Milo” Jaramillo (bass), John Bartlit (drums), and Frank Leto (percussion)—with Ali Ryerson, one of the world’s top jazz flutists, and Phill Fest, son of Manfredo and a guitarist whose albums place high on the jazz charts. The septet will present three concerts titled “Dig This Samba!” this week—in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and El Paso—with the El Paso concert being recorded live for an upcoming album. Continue reading →