Nichelson Entertainment: News

This is a crazy business. Shelley Carrol is now on tour with multi-platinum, Grammy award winner Sheryl Crow. The band is gearing up for a huge summer tour in support of her latest CD. In the meanwhile, Shelley is still completing dates in the US and Japan with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. It will be a busy summer for all at Nichelson Entertainment. More news to follow. You can also check www.sherylcrow.com for upcoming events and concerts.

Thanks to all who made it out to Brooklyn Jazz cafe for the Dallas release of the Mark Harper Project. The place was full of Dallas musicians and some very supportive family from out of state. The crowd seemed really into the music and we are elated to help bring Mark's debut CD to the public. Look for more appearances in the coming weeks including Ft Worth, Denton and other premium shows. If you missed it, take a listen to more on the site.

Congrats to South Memphis Music on getting a regional Emmy for the title song from the documentary-I am a man. The song was penned by Deanie Parker, Fred Nichelson, and Vernando Parker. It is now available on itunes, amazon, and other selected digital sites. Search by title or Memphis guys featuring Devin Crutcher. The film also won three other regional Emmys in Nashville last month. Look for a screening in your area or visit www.iamamanthemovie.com. It truly is a great short film and should be seen by everyone interested in a better world.

For all our big band lovers. Shelley and brad are now performing two steady gigs every month. You can catch the Big band every last wed on the month at Sandaga Market on Levee street and the last Sunday on the month at Watel's on lower Greenville. This is the premier Jazz orchestra in North Texas and features the great vocals of Sandra Kaye.

We recently had the distinct pleasure of performing at a Motown 50th Anniversary Celebration in Detroit. This event was put on by the Museum of African American History and included a STAX versus Motown battle. The lively crowd got to experience the best of both worlds. It was truly an honor for us and we thank all parties involved.

My family would like to thank all of you for your kind words and prayers during our time of sorrow following the passing of my mother, Ruby Nichelson. You cannot know how this helped us along. We will always be greatful and eager to do the same for any of you. It was a beautiful homecoming for my mother in Memphis and we got to see hundreds of friends and family that we miss too much. Peace and love to all!

Big thanks to Cal Lewiston and the great folks at Weatherford College for having Shelley Carrol featured at the 2009 Coyote Jazz festival. It was a great time amd more folks need to know about the fine work going on at WC. This school has been turning out lots of great young players who have gone on to do big things. We hope to to get to do more with them in the future.

Yesterday was a great day for Shelley Carrol and his quest to further Jazz education in Dallas. He had the distinct honor of doing a master class and clinic for some great kids in the inner city. Band director Dean Hill was great in getting this event to happen. The band boosters also really helped to make it happen. Other musicians involved were Mark Gulley, Ardina Lockhart, Carl Hillman, Scott Buclin, Rodney Engelbosch, and Frederick Nichelson. The kids really seemed to be inspired but I think the clinicians and staff were equally as fulfilled.
Shelley will also be featured with the Townview Band on Mar 25 at a concert at the Meyerson Symphony Center. Please suport this worthy event.

We happy to announce that we have struck a deal to release our future projects on The all new South Memphis Music label. This new venture will allow Fingerprints and others many more opportunities to promote their music. The first single from the label will be "I am a Man" from the documentary of the same name. Look for the song online in late April. Fingerprints new CD entitled "Dream Life" will also be out in April 2009.

Look for the song "I am a Man" featured in the Memphis documentary of the same name. This is a new classic penned by our own Deanie Parker. It showcases some great home grown talent.

The Dallas music scene lost a pillar today in Claude Johnson. He had been suffering health issues for the last few years. He was currently on dialysis treatment. Johnson studied at UNT in the late 60s and went on to play with players like Marchel Ivery, James Clay, Worm, Shelley Carrol, Martha Burks, James Lynn Marsh and other Texas greats. Although he did not record much as a leader, he was a mainstay in arranging for many jazz players. He will be missed by so many. Rest in Peace.

Jazz great Freddie Hubbard dead at 70
Dec. 29, 2008, 4:19 PM EST
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Freddie Hubbard, the Grammy-winning jazz musician whose style influenced a generation of trumpet players and who collaborated with such greats as Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, died Monday, a month after suffering a heart attack. He was 70.


Freddie Hubbard. (AP)


Hubbard died at Sherman Oaks Hospital, said his manager, fellow trumpeter David Weiss of the New Jazz Composers Octet. He had been hospitalized since suffering the heart attack a day before Thanksgiving.

A towering figure in jazz circles, Hubbard played on hundreds of recordings in a career dating to 1958, the year he arrived in New York from his hometown Indianapolis, where he had studied at the Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music and with the Indianapolis Symphony.

Soon he had hooked up with such jazz legends as Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley and Coltrane.

"I met Trane at a jam session at Count Basie's in Harlem in 1958," he told the jazz magazine Down Beat in 1995. "He said, `Why don't you come over and let's try and practice a little bit together.' I almost went crazy. I mean, here is a 20-year-old kid practicing with John Coltrane. He helped me out a lot, and we worked several jobs together."

In his earliest recordings, which included "Open Sesame" and "Goin' Up" for Blue Note in 1960, the influence of Davis and others on Hubbard is obvious, Weiss said. But within a couple years he would develop a style all his own, one that would influence generations of musicians, including Wynton Marsalis.

"He influenced all the trumpet players that came after him," Marsalis told The Associated Press earlier this year. "Certainly I listened to him a lot. ... We all listened to him. He has a big sound and a great sense of rhythm and time and really the hallmark of his playing is an exuberance. His playing is exuberant."

Hubbard played on more than 300 recordings, including his own albums and those of scores of other artists. He won his Grammy in 1972 for best jazz performance by a group for the album "First Light."

As a young musician, Hubbard became revered among his peers for a fiery, blazing style that allowed him to hit notes higher and faster than just about anyone else with a horn. As age and infirmity began to slow that style, he switched to a softer, melodic style and played a flugelhorn. His fellow musicians were still impressed.

"The sound he gets on just one note. I know he does all the flashy stuff and the high stuff and it's all great but ... he'd play `Body and Soul' on the flugelhorn and it was just that much better again than everyone around him," trumpeter Chris Botti said in an interview earlier this year.

I must say that I am not usually at a loss for words but a lot of friends and fans surprised me at Brooklyn Jazz cafe last night. Many of you may know that my family and business base is relocating to Los Angeles in early 2009. I really thought this was going to be a typical Wednesday show with Ardina Lockhart but it turned out to be a very special gathering of many of my friends and fellow musicians. Some I have known since my 80s days at UNT; others I met just last night. I must say that I have been richly blessed with some irreplaceable friendships here in the Dallas area. I will name only a few here, but there is always one more. Ardina, you helped make it all possible. Thanks. Shelley, what can I say? TJ, Johnny, LD, Melba, Gordon (The Rev), Big Sexy, Jamil, Garfield, Brad Mezei, Scott, Lorna and Robin. And even thanks to those who were gigging and/or missed it. We will celebrate again in the future. Peace!

Yours sincerely,

Frederick A. Nichelson/aka/Nick

NE would like to announce our latest retail partership with Georgia based IndieRhytm.com. This company specializes in online music retail and radio airplay. We look forward to getting our music to more people and making new fans around the planet. We should be up and running with our new stores by September 08.

The latest CD from Shelley Carrol is finally here. You can listen to tracks on this site and purchase it from CDbaby.com and other fine retailers. NE has also aquired the rights to distribute Shelley's debut Leaning House Records CD. This one is an instant classic with Sebastain Whittaker on drums along with several Ellington Orchestra members.

SA, you did it again. We love playing for you and you give it right back to us. Thanks to "The MAN", David Munoz for putting us on. It was hot but we felt cool. We also got a chance to hang with the headliner, Nils and his band. Very cool cats.

Look for Kyle out on tour this summer with Pendulum Recording artist, Regina Belle. kyle has been a part of her group for several years and will continue working on her live show. Also look for Kyle on the upcoming Bobby Lyle release.

NE will be opening a west coast office in the 4th Quarter of 2008. We will still continue operations in Texas but will soon become a mainstay in the fertile California scene. Look for more details soon.

Thanks to Rainbow Ent for hiring us to play the afterparty at Hotel Polamar for the new movie Expelled starring Ben Stien. The event was really nice and brought a taste of Hollywood to North Dallas! Much success in the future.

NE has just completed a landmark CD for the Denton Festival Foundation. The project was produced by Union President, Ray Hair. It features tracks form some of the most popular artist who have appeared at the Annual festival. They include Fingerprints, Brave Combo, John Adams, Eric Scortia, and more. The Sampler CD will be sold at this years 3 day festival event and on the website.
see dentonjazzfest.com for more details.

Memphis Soul Live made its debut at one of TX most traesured venues. We performed at One World Theater in Austin. This place should be visited by all who like music in an intimate setting. Loved it!

Tim Jones and Fingerprints are now being featured at the Mansion Hotel Bar in Dallas. This is a very upscale venue in the Turtle creek section of Dallas. The band is there several time a month so check our calendar for details.

If you had not heard, our own Kyle Turner was recently included in the 2008 Edition of Who's Who in Black Houston. This is a tremendous honor for one of the city's many great entertainers. Kyle has been not only performing for years in Houston, but he has given back countless hours to up and coming musicians. For that, Kyle is a rare talent! The ceremony was at the Hotel Intercontinental and also included gospel artist Yolanda Adams.

Well, it's official. After a year long run, we are no longer performing at Sambuca. The venue changed its format in January and no longer features jazz artists. We are disappointed in the change but vow to find a more suitable place to perform. We wish them the best. Peace.

NE has a deal in place to create a Joint venture with Allen, Texas based TVR (The Vibe Refinery). The newly formed "Refined Riffs" LLC will focus on branding opportunities and product parterships. The first campaign is a CD compilation and pairing with a prominent wine producer. Stay tuned for more details.