JAZZ CHILL

NINA SIMONE AND BILL WITHERS DUALDISCS DUE OCTOBER 11
Upcoming from BMG are releases from Bill Withers and Nina Simone, with both due October 11 in DualDisc format. The Nina Simone disc will contain 15 tracks from various 1960’s performances. Included on the disc will be two previously unreleased tracks, Porgy And Bess Medley from the 1963 Newport Jazz Festival and Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood from the Westbury Music Fair. Also included will be a DVD containing some rare performances from the Ed Sullivan Show and Live At The Bitter End.

The Bill Withers disc, entitled Just As I Am, was his 1971 debut album. The CD contains the hit Ain’t No Sunshine. Also included will be a DVD on the making of the album as well as live performances.

A SMOOTH JAZZ CHRISTMAS WITH BRIAN MCNIGHT, CHAKA KHAN, NORMAN BROWN & OTHERS
Artists from the worlds of smooth jazz and R&B are contributing to the upcoming A Charlie Brown Christmas tribute album due October 4 via Peak Records. Newly recorded tracks are being performed by a bevy of artists including, Dave Koz, Brian McNight, Chaka Khan, Eric Marienthal, Vanessa Williams, Norman Brown, David Benoit, Toni Braxton, Rick Braun, Gerald Albright and the Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman.

LES PAUL TO RELEASE FIRST ALBUM IN 27 YEARS
Les Paul & Friends is famed guitarist Les Paul’s his first album release since 1978 and it features duets with guests: Eric Clapton, Sting, Buddy Guy, Keith Richards, Steve Miller, Richie Sambora, Peter Frampton, Jeff Beck, Joan Osborne and Joss Stone, among others. It’s available from Capitol/EMI Music.

SMOOTH JAZZ STATION TO SWITCH FORMATS
Clear Channel smooth jazz radio station KJZI, 100.3 FM in the twin cities will disappear from the airwaves next year to make room for a new talk station. Starting January 1, the station will relaunch itself as KTLK FM News/Talk 100.3 that will feature Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, among other not-necessarily-political talk shows. Clear Channel decided to replace the new station in KJZI’s place because the smooth jazz format had not performed as well as they had hoped for during their two years on the air.

TANGLEWOOD JAZZ FESTIVAL 2005
The Tanglewood Jazz Music Festival is scheduled to take place on September 2-4, 2005 in the Berkshire Hills of Lenox, Massachusetts. Jazz legends set to take the stage this year include Tony Bennett performing with the Count Basie Orchestra, Sonny Rollins, Madeline Peyroux, Toots Thielmans, Kenny Warner, Oscar Castro-Neves, Airto, Marion McPartland, Chris Botti, the Yellowjackets, Skitch Henderson, Bucky Pizzarelli, Jay Leonhardt, Diane Schurr featuring Dave Samuels with the Caribbean Jazz Project.