Multiple Grammy Award winners Chaka Khan and Aaron Neville are the first two artists signed to Sony BMG’s new Burgundy label. Burgundy, distributed through Sony BMG, will focus on releasing new music from still-active, multi-platinum artists who have a strong consumer affinity and a body of work that is still relevant and appreciated.
Candy Dulfer will perform at the 16th annual Berks Jazz Fest in Reading, PA, this March. She will join the all-star lineups for two major concerts at this festival: the Music of Marvin Gaye & Motown on Sunday March 19th and Ivan Lins & Friends on Saturday March 25th. The line up for the Marvin Gaye / Motown show includes Jason Miles, Bobby Caldwell, Bashiri Johnson, and more; joining Candy for the Ivan Lins & Friends show are artists like Brenda Russell, Leonardo Amuedo, Chuck Loeb and Will Lee.
When the 37th Annual NAACP Image Awards nominations were announced in Los Angeles on January 10th, emerging vocal star and Aezra recording artist Billy Miles was honored with a nod in the "Outstanding Jazz Artist" category. Acclaimed for her self-titled solo debut album, Miles was the only female nominated in the field of five contenders, which also includes the veterans Najee and Onaje Allen Gumbs. Last year's winner in the same category was the legendary vocalist Nancy Wilson, an artist Billy has cited as a primary inspiration and influence. The sizzling Aezra CD Billy Miles - a stylish brew of jazz, pop, soul, trip-hop and more - enjoyed breakout success when National Public Radio's flagship Los Angeles outlet KCRW-FM gave it major presence on their airwaves and sponsored Southern California showcases that drew capacity crowds. In '05, Nic Harcourt, host of KCRW's top rated Morning Becomes Eclectic, called Miles "one of my favorite artists of the year," a sentiment echoed by many taste-makers. The disc's lead single, Sunshine, was a "Song Of The Week" on iTunes - where the album reached #6 on the R&B chart, and in addition to NPR success, it charted at Hot AC, AAA and Smooth Jazz radio, as did her follow up single, I Know. The latest single, the potent and bluesy Your Love's A Lie, has just been released to radio.
On Friday, January 20th, Karsh Kale will be gearing up for his fourth Six Degrees Records release, Broken English, easily segues from his role in the studio as producer and live performer. His Realize Live band, featuring guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards and Kale on drum kit and tablas, take basic ideas from South Asian modalities and apply them into a rock/funk/electro template. Just as Kale is taking his Indian percussion into new arenas, vocalist Vishal Vaid is updating the Persian art of ghazal singing in an entirely new context. Said NY Times head writer Jon Parales of this groundbreaking outfit, "The band layered its music by ear, not by preconception, so Indian melodies were supported by Western chords, and meditations could gradually solidify into marches. The musical hybrids weren't stunts. They were the sound of musicians who listen widely and well." Karsh Kale will be at CODA, 34 East 34th St (@ Madison Ave), NYC, on Friday, January 20, 2006. Doors are at 8 pm; tickets are $18 in advance / $20 day of show.
No comments:
Post a Comment