Wednesday, February 14, 2007

CHILL GROOVES & SMOOTH JAZZ NEWS: GERALD LEVERT, CD101.9 GUITAR & SAXES, MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD & MORE….

Gerald Levert’s last album recorded just before his death back in November 2006 has been released. It’s entitled, In My Songs, and it’s on the Atlantic label.

Other releases out this week include: Thomas Quasthoff – HappeThe Jazz Album: Watch What Happens; Ella FitzgeraldThe Very Best Of The Cole Porter Songbook & The Very Best Of The Rodgers & Hart Songbook; Van MorrisonVan Morrison At The Movies: Soundtrack Hits; Robin ThickeThe Evolution Of Robin Thicke; and Jaco PastoriusLive And Outrageous (DVD).

New York’s CD101.9 Smooth Jazz is presenting Guitars and Saxes with Kirk Whalum, Jeff Golub, Gerald Albright, and Tim Bowman. The concert is set for March 24 at the Nokia Theatre in New York City.

Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood’s Out Louder will be released by Universal Music Group in Europe on April 16. A bonus disc will accompany the album, featuring live MSMW recording from their November 2006 performance at The Bowery Ballrooom in New York City. MSMW will tour Europe this summer. Tour dates will be announced shortly.

Michael Dorf, founder of the original Knitting Factory on East Houston St. in New York City, is producing a benefit concert concert to celebrate the 20th anniversary of "The Old Knit" at New York’s Town Hall on March 1. Featured artists will include John Zorn, Laurie Anderson, Medeski Martin & Wood, Mike Doughty, Joe Lovano, Marc Ribot, Lee Ranaldo, Don Byron, Lou Reed and others. The concert will benefit "The Stone," a non-profit performance space in The Lower East Side founded by John Zorn to support the avant-garde musical community. 100% of the box office receipts collected at The Stone go to the performing musicians, and each month the venue is curated by a different artist.

Diana Ross and Michael Buble will perform for Muhammad Ali at Celebrity Fight Night XIII in Las Vegas on March 24. Diana Ross will lead the magical evening's entertainment. Ross, a Grammy-nominated, Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated R&B performer and actress, first gained fame from her prominence in the 1960's girl group, The Supremes. Along with Ross, the 2007 Grammy-nominated, Jazz singing sensation who has had the No. 1 Jazz album on the Billboard charts for a record-smashing 78 weeks, Michael Buble, will perform under the direction of 14-time Grammy Award-winning producer David Foster as the Musical Director. Celebrity Fight Night is one of the nation’s elite charity events. The Celebrity Fight Night Foundation established The Muhammad Ali Awards as a way to acknowledge leaders in the sports, entertainment and business communities who best represent the qualities associated with the Champ and his fight to find a cure for Parkinson's disease.

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