Renma Recordings President and saxophonist Virginia Mayhew is pleased to announce that she has joined the roster of teaching artists at Litchfield Jazz Camp. Under the artistic direction of saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator Don Braden, the camp hosts resident artists and guest clinicians who are at the top of their game. Litchfield Jazz Camp runs from July 6th through August 1st on the campus of the Forman School in Litchfield, Connecticut. This lovely setting is just a block from the sophisticated downtown of one of America's most visited 18th century villages -- a great place for friends and relatives to check out when visiting students. Litchfield Jazz Camp's Music Director, Don Braden, and his resident artists guide students through classes in performance, improvisation, jazz history, rhythm and percussion, music theory, the business of music, composition, a two-week recording intensive and a newly added American Songbook workshop. Instruction is offered in voice, piano, guitar, bass, drums, Latin rhythms, saxophones, clarinet, flute, and brass. Evening jam sessions and resident and visiting artist concerts are a bonus, and families are invited to attend. For more info about the Litchfield Jazz Camp & Festival visit: www.litchfieldjazzfest.com. . . . . . . .

NEWS | SPRING 2008 Virginia Mayhew Septet Releases "A Simple Thank You" On the strength of her musicality, animated imagination and her technical prowess, Virginia Mayhew ranks among the finest saxophonists in New York City. Proof of her ample artistic gifts, which encompass composing and arranging as well as performing, is found on the new Virginia Mayhew Septet recording titled "A Simple Thank You." This release, her fifth overall and the first to feature the Septet, appears March 18th on Renma Recordings. Mayhew, whose exceptional tenor and soprano work appears in nine songs, composed six of the nine. Her working Septet rises to the occasion with ease, staying fully involved with the music and never lapsing into a workmanlike mode like so many other bands. Mayhew is, indeed, fortunate to have such vastly creative musicians on the session: her core rhythm section of Kenny Wessel on guitar, Harvie S on bass, and Victor Jones on drums, along with Noah Bless on trombone, Scott Harrell on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Lisa Parrott on alto and baritone saxophones, along with special guests trumpeter extraordinaire Ingrid Jensen and veteran percussionist Mayra Casales. [read more] . . . . . . . NEWS | SPRING 2008 Duke Ellington Legacy Band Releases Debut Recording "Thank You Uncle Edward" The Duke Ellington Legacy's debut album "Thank You Uncle Edward", available March 18 on Renma Recordings, is an important contribution to the preservation of the timeless music from the songbook of the hallowed composer - arranger - bandleader Duke Ellington. Legacy leader-saxophonist Virginia Mayhew calls the recording "a testament to the greatness and adaptability of Ellington's music." This stirring tribute, rooted in the past, but of the present moment, is everything Mayhew says and more: It's also a personal thank-you from Legacy guitarist Edward Kennedy Ellington II to his beloved grandfather (who preferred being called "uncle", it made him feel younger). Nine impressive musicians grace the album: Pianist Norman Simmons, vocalist Nancy Reed, special guests trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, and baritone saxophonist-bass clarinetist Joe Temperley, Edward K. Ellington II and Mayhew, along with bassist Tom DiCarlo, drummer Paul Wells, and trumpeter Mark McGowan. Simmons and Mayhew have conscientiously prepared vital, warm-hearted arrangements that encourage the players to find fresh jazz expression in standards and lesser-known Ellingtonia. Simmons is responsible for eight ("Pretty Woman", "Caravan", "Mainstem", "Day Dream", "Isfahan", "Cottontail", "Moon Mist", "Come Sunday") and Mayhew arranged three ("Perdido", "In a Sentimental Mood", and her song "Toe Tickler"). The Legacy musicians know better than to try to replicate the inimitable Ellington style, and instead use the material as the vehicle in which to champion their own predilections and personalities. [read more] . . . . . . . NEWS | SPRING 2008 Duke Ellington Legacy Band Monthly Hang At "Trumpet's Jazz Club" April 2008 - June 2008, the Duke Ellington Legacy Band will be appearing monthly at "Trumpet's Jazz Club" in Montclair, NJ. Noted as the "best Jazz Club in New Jersey", Trumpet's features world-class Live Jazz and Dining six nights a week, in a trendy and relaxing environment. The Ellington Legacy Band will be performing on the following dates: April 11th, May 21st and June 11th. Set times: 7:30pm and 9:00pm. $10 cover. Reservations recommended. Please visit Trumpet's website for directions and more information: www.trumpetsjazz.com. . . . . . . . Photo credits: "A Simple Thank You" cover photo by Paul Aresu. Duke Ellington Legacy group photo by George Kopp. All rights reserved.