Friday, February 02, 2007

CHILL GROOVES & SMOOTH JAZZ NEWS: ENNIO MORRICONE, IVAN LINS, GERALD LEVERT, PAT METHENY, MICHAEL LINGTON, THE BIRDS AND THE BEES & MORE…

Alan & Marilyn Bergman will celebrate their 50-year collaboration with a sold-out Lincoln Center concert in New York City on Friday, February 2. The Bergmans are among the most prolific and highly acclaimed popular songwriter teams in American history, having penned some of the most cherished songs of the last 50 years, many of which have been covered by a variety of jazz musicians, including The Way We Were, The Windmills of Your Mind, How Do You Keep the Music Playing, and What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life. The concert will feature a roster of artists that includes the ever-so-busy (and special guest) Tony Bennett, plus Lucie Arnaz, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Capathia Jenkins, Sandy Stewart, Lari White, Lillias White, Nicki Richards, and Melissa Errico.

Grammy Award-winning record producer, singer and songwriter Steve Tyrell performs legendary standards and hits from his Great American Songbook on February 2 at the Parker Playhouse in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Brazilian guitarist, singer and composer Jose Augusto appears at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium in Miami on February 4.

Rendezvous recording artist Jessica Callahan performs at Genghis Cohen in Los Angeles, CA on February 5; at the Dublin Heritage Center in Dublin, CA on February 11; at the Triple Door in Seattle, WA on February 16 and 17; and at Room 5 in Los Angeles, CA on March 13.

Chicago will perform the following concerts: February 8 at the Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater FL, February 9 at Hard Rock Live in Orlando FO, and April 11 at the Kavli Theatre in Thousand Oaks CA.

French-born pianist Jean Michel-Pilc will add his own jazzy style to interpretations of works by Schubert, Ellington, Gershwin and Monk, at his February 8 concert at the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, FL.

Ivan Lins is at the Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club on Miami Beach on February 8 and 9.

In My Songs, the studio album that Gerald Levert wrapped just prior to his death of a heart attack last Nov. 10, arrives Feb. 13 from Atlantic Records. Describing In My Songs as a classic R&B album with a perfect mixture of heartfelt feeling and emotion, Levert’s manager, Leonard Brooks, says it underscores the singer’s his creative and energetic force.

Gladys Knight appears at the Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) in New Jersey on Valentine’s Day, February 14.

Michael Lington performs at the Annenberg Theatre in Palm Springs, CA on February 23, and at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, AZ on March 2. Lington, by the way, has also just launched his own line of fine Dominican-blend cigars known as Michael Lington Classic. For more information click to www.michaellingtoncigars.com.

Celebrated Italian film composer Ennio Morricone will receive an Honorary Academy Award at the 70th Academy Awards ceremony on February 25 for his "magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music." Morricone has been nominated for five Academy Awards during his career. Morricone is slated to tour the US for a series of concerts and is releasing a new album.

The Bird And The Bee’s self-titled debut album is available in stores now from Blue Note Records. Made up of vocalist Inara George, daughter of Little Feat front man Lowell George, who has been aptly referred to as "a modern day Audrey Hepburn with the voice of an angel," and keyboardist/producer Greg Kurstin, who after studying jazz piano with Charles Mingus’ pianist Jaki Byard returned to pop music, lending his talents to recording and touring with the likes of Beck, The Flaming Lips, Lily Allen, Peaches, and many more, the bird and the bee take elements of everything from the Beach Boys to 60's Brazil to electronica, spinning them into an irrepressible collection of ten sunshine-drenched, semi-psychedelic ditties.

Elisabeth Withers’ debut album, It Can Happen To Anyone, has been released on the Blue Note Records label.

Guitarist Pat Metheny will release a new quartet CD in March along with pianist Brad Mehldau. Metheny and Mehldau are also about to commence a nationwide tour together in March.

Toots & The Maytals will perform the following upcoming concerts: March 9 at Jannus Landing in St. Petersburg FL, March 10 at Freebird Live in Jacksonville Beach FL, March 11 at Langerado Music Festival in Sunrise FL, March 16 at The Rave in Milwaukee WI, and March 18 at House of Blues in Chicago IL.

Philippe Saisse is at the Buckman Performing Arts Center in Memphis, TN on March 16.

WKCR has gained a new dj -- Mathieu Schreyer, now in his second week -- hosts On The Corner, every Friday night from midnight to 3am. Mathieu comes from his Sunday night residency at L.A.’s Zanzibar, where he is better known as Mr. French. Join him on a global rhythm trip of passion and soul.

Rendezvous Entertainment artist Brian Simpson is at the Seascape Golf and Beach Resort in Destin, FL on April 13.

Jonathan Butler is set to appear at the following venues: April 15 at Gulf Place Amphitheater in Santa Rosa Beach, Fl; April 19 at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, AZ; April 21 at Hills Park at Summerlin in Las Vegas, NV; May 12 at the Thornton Winery in Temecula, CA; May 31 at Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, MD; June 2 at Keswick Theater in Glendale, PA; and on August 11 at the Long Beach Jazz Fest in Long Beach, CA.

Kyle Eastwood will be performing at the San Juan Oaks Golf Club in Hollister, CA on June 15; at the Marriot Star Pass Resort on Tucson, AZ on June 15; and get this - - - at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, CA on February 23, 2008. Talk about planning ahead!

Sony BMG Music Entertainment has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated federal law when it sold CDs without telling consumers that they contained digital rights management software. According to the FTC, which announced the tentative settlement with Sony BMG, the anti-piracy software limited the devices on which the music could be played to those made by Sony Corp. or Microsoft Corp. The agreement requires that Sony BMG let consumers exchange the CDs containing the concealed software purchased before Dec. 31, 2006, for new CDs that are not content-protected through June 31, 2007, as well as reimburse consumers up to $150 to repair damage that resulted directly from consumers' attempts to remove the software installed without their consent. The settlement in no doubt will cost Sony BMG in the millions.

The Recording Academy(R) teamed up with Sony BMG Music Entertainment to release the 2007 GRAMMY(R) Nominees CD, which celebrates many of the year's GRAMMY-nominated artists and songs Scanning at more than 77,000 units this week (via Soundscan) -- this year's compilation has started off very strong with a #1 debut on the Billboard Top Compilation Albums and a #4 debut on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart. The disc contains many of the most widely recognized GRAMMY categories. The 23 tracks from the 2007 GRAMMY Nominees CD represent nominees from the Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Best New Artist, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals categories. The CD is made possible by a special arrangement with all of the major music distribution companies and rotates distributors from year to year. The 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on Feb. 11, 2007, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast on the CBS Television Network at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).

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