Monday, October 17, 2011

NEWSBITS FROM CHRIS BOTTI, WAYMAN TISDALE, NILS LANDGREN, BILL EVANS, DAVE KOZ AND MORE…

It's been four years since the lovely Italia, Chris Botti's last studio album. Since then, there have been a well-received concert disc (the guest-star-laden "In Boston") and a grueling live schedule that keeps the photogenic trumpet man on the road 300 days a year. Botti, who turns 49 in a few days, came to major attention on a two-year stint touring with Sting. His solo career blossomed, so much that he emerged as something of a smooth-jazz sex symbol. Botti performs Sunday at the Orpheum Theatre. When asked about when we can expect a new studio album? Botti replied “ We're about 80 percent done on the new one. It will probably come out in late March. Our touring is so heavy it takes time to get things done.


NBA star-turned smooth jazz bassist Wayman Tisdale will have a documentary out next month on his life. The Wayman Tisdale Story will be available on DVD and a special edition CD+DVD on November 22. Embodying his life’s approach of compassion, courage, and optimism, The Wayman Tisdale Story is a feature-length documentary that offers a detailed account of the life of the former basketball star and jazz musician. Told through his own words, The Wayman Tisdale Story journeys through Tisdale’s life from his childhood as a preacher’s son to his battle with cancer. Tisdale died at the age of 44 in 2009 from complications of a hard-fought battle with bone cancer.

Swedish Jazz trombonisit Nils Landgren newest release, entitled The Moon The Stars And You, is described as an unusual smooth jazz album devoted to the moon and the stars. For this release he’s roped in some impressive support, including Jazz Crusaders pianist Joe Sample and French accordion star Richard Gallano. Landgren's warm-toned trombone is as persuasive as his Nat King Cole and Chet Baker-influenced singing. He delivers standard songs with freshness, affection and precision. Swinger Joe's Moonblues shuffles on with a gleefully virtuosity, Moon River acquires a wistful new character, and Jimmy Webb's The Moon's a Harsh Mistress gets a haunting treatment from Vince Mendoza's arrangement for the NDR Big Band. The album's dedicated to the late Esbjorn Svensson, Landgren's friend and collaborator for many years.

Pioneers For A Cure - Songs To Fight Cancer has announced the iTunes release of the classic Swing Low, Sweet Chariot by multi Grammy nominated jazz saxophonist Bill Evans. Evans has selected the Living Beyond Breast Cancer charity to benefit from proceeds of sales of the single, an advance release for the Pioneers For A Cure 'American Collection in October 2011. Throughout his 20-year career as a solo artist, saxophonist Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk. Evans steps into more adventurous territory on his most recent release, Soulgrass, blending jazz, funk and roots music into a seamless and wholly unique hybrid of quintessentially American styles.
Dave Koz has schedule a batch of 2012 concert appearances with symphonic orchestras. He’ll appear at with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with conductor Marvin Hamlish on January 26 through 29, and on May 11, hell appear at the Glendale Arts – Pop Concert in Glendale, CA.

You've had your cloud, but you haven't had it like this. And sometime in "late October," Apple plans to change the music world, again. That's when the much-anticipated iTunes Match hits the streets - at least in the US, according to details disclosed Tuesday by the company (the UK is apparently next on the list). And America - then the rest of the world - will experience a cloud like none other. But can they pull it off this time? We've argued that the iTunes Cloud - complete with scan-n-match - will trump upstarts like Spotify for a number of reasons. That includes an approach that baby-steps upon existing collections, is far cheaper, and... let's face it, comes from Apple. But this movement also involves elephants Google and Amazon, both of whom are positioning variations on this collection-based theme. iTunes Match was just one component of an announcement that included an upgraded iPhone 4S (not an iPhone 5), the induction of Sprint into the iPhone family, cheaper iPod touches and nanos, and a smoother iOS 5. And, the iCloud, which goes live ahead of Match on October 12th. This is a $24.99-a-year service that scans-n-matches your entire collection, ports it into the cloud, and enables access of 256kbps AACs from any computer, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or other iOS device. It's your collection, with on-demand streaming (essentially) and anywhere access.

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