Charles A. Kelly | City Night

The Sound of Philadelphia wasn’t just the title of the No. 1 song that served as the theme of the iconic television series “Soul Train.” The sounds that originated from the City of Brotherly Love came with an energy, a community, and a feel unique and distinct to Philly. R&B-Jazz keyboardist Charles A. Kelly came of age as a young musician playing in nightclubs at Philadelphia’s Penn’s Landing. Memories of that formative, halcyon era inspire Kelly’s newly released Innervision Records single, “City Night,” which he wrote and produced. 

Ignited by Kelly’s jubilant piano and resonant keyboard melodies, “City Night” is a festive, energizing excursion back in time. Punchy horn section work from Michael Stever (trumpet and horn arrangement), Jason Kelly (soprano sax), Andrew Neu (saxophone) and Nick Lane (trombone) add power and sheen to the slick production. Guitarist James Greene shreds a scintillating solo mid-tune and distributes tasty licks throughout the cut. Anchoring the proceedings with precision and pace are drummer Tony Moore, bassist Jerome Randall and percussionist Munyungo Jackson.  

“‘City Night’ captures the spirit of the Philadelphia nightlife from that period in my life, the time I spent playing in the nightclubs by Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River in Philadelphia. Those nights are where I had a chance to feel the excitement of playing in front of crowds of people every night. That’s when I got a chance to feel that energy for the first time, the thrill of being on stage and performing. It was then that I knew I wanted to make music my career,” recalled Kelly. 

While writing “City Night,” Kelly questioned if the song had true single potential. So, he turned to other Philadelphia music legends for inspiration. 

“I started looking at old videos of The Spinners, Blue Magic, Delfonics, and other legendary Philly International Records groups. Since I used to play with Blue Magic, it was fun and exciting to think about that time in my life. I also had great conversations with my wife about Philly vs. New York nightlife. It was then I began to feel inspired to seriously develop the song,” said Kelly about the single that provides a glimpse into his second album, “Phase II,” which is slated to drop early next year. 

Occasionally, Kelly encountered major music figures during those Philly club gigs. One of his fondest memories was opening for jazz trumpet great Freddie Hubbard. Grammy-winning pianist Billy Childs was in Hubbard’s band at the time. Seeing Childs play up close and personal was a seminal moment as was the first time Kelly met Stevie Wonder at one of the Penn’s Landing gigs. Kelly would go on to collaborate with Wonder, eventually signing to Wondirection Records after relocating to Los Angeles in 1983. 

Kelly is a versatile musician, songwriter and band leader who has collaborated with a stellar spectrum of artists spanning Neil Diamond, Elton John, Nile Rodgers, Sister Sledge, The Pointer Sisters, and Nathan East as well as contemporary Christian artists CeCe Winans, Mary Mary, Jeremy Camp, and Israel Houghton. He also was cast to act on the television series “Fame.” 

Kelly finally released his solo debut album, “You’re Not Alone,” in 2022. The collection spawned four charting singles, including the title track, "Endangered Species,” “I Know You,” and “I’m Good.” Last year, Kelly shone brightly on the charts with the top five single “SunSeeker.” For more information, visit https://www.charlesakelly.com.

Brian Bromberg, Paul Brown, Michael Paul (BPM) | Seriously

So, who are these cats called BPM? Just three humble dudes, who love to play and yearn to hang out with one another equally as much and who have absolutely no room for drama. Seriously! Grammy-nominated and hit-making bassist Brian Bromberg, two-time Grammy- winning guitarist and producer Paul Brown and show-stopping and chart-topping saxophone sensation Michael Paulo (BPM), have joined forces for the first time as a unit on a recording for their anticipated and riveting new album Seriously, available everywhere on Shanachie Entertainment September 27, 2024. Brown’s vision for the trios new recording was simple, “To make the record we all have wanted to record after 30 plus years of making records. We have no constraints or have anything to prove. The music is just solid and from the heart.”  Collectively this triumvirate of musical powerhouses have been first call for such iconic artists as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin, Sting, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Stan Getz, and Sarah Vaughan, among countless others. Brian Bromberg reveals why BPM is a match made in heaven, “I bring the bagels, Paul brings the wine, and Michael brings his golf clubs and dancing shoes! We all really do bring something different to the table.” Paul Brown confesses that the idea was born after the trio performed together in Punta Mita, Mexico. He shares, “I wanted Brian in the band because I was so impressed with his playing and compositions. It's nice to have someone that can blow the roof off when he solos. Michael is just a great all-around player who has exceptional stage presence.” Michael Paulo chimes in, “Because I am playing with two stiff guys, somebody has got to move around onstage and that’s me. I am also the man in the middle when two geniuses clash, I chill them with my Hawaiian laid back, ‘ain't no big thing bruddah’ attitude.” 

The album’s captivating first single “Seriously?” is a declaration of Bromberg, Brown, and Paulo’s intent to leave no question unanswered. Can they swing? Yes! Do they bring the funk? Yes! Can you dance to Jazz? Yes! The trio is augmented by a gritty and soulful horn section which catapults the bluesy number to a new dimension as BPM stretches out with Paul Brown’s funky licks, Michael Paulo’s swinging tenor and Bromberg’s slap-happy bass.

“I've been making music my whole life. It's my go to when things are rough. I never even thought about doing anything else. I wouldn't even know where to start,” confesses Paul Brown. The avid golfer and wine collector has dominated the Contemporary Jazz charts as both an artist and producer for several decades. Born in Los Angeles to musician parents who sang with Mel Tormé, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, among others, Brown started playing drums at age five and picked up his first guitar two years later. He has amassed 75 #1 Contemporary Jazz radio hits and engineered for R&B divas Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross and has produced for everyone including Luther Vandross, Al Jarreau and George Benson. Paul Brown’s latest solo recording is the Promised Land.

A consummate musician, Brian Bromberg’s motto is “Good enough is never good enough. Always strive to be the best you can be in music and in your life.” Born in Tucson, Arizona, the versatile bassist, and producer has recorded the diverse repertoire of Jaco Pastorius, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Jimi Hendrix. Bassist Scott LaFaro is the subject of Bromberg’s most recent recording LaFaro. Hailing from a family of musicians and artists, Bromberg gravitated towards the drums as a toddler and by the time he was a teen he was working professionally. At only 18 years old Brian’s first big break came in 1979 when bassist Marc Johnson recommended Bromberg for a gig with tenor titan Stan Getz. The prolific bassist has recorded on over 150 albums as a sideman and has either recorded and or toured with such luminaries as Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Shirley Horn, Lionel Hampton, George Duke, Lalo Schifrin, Dianne Reeves, Kenny Barron, and Michel Legrand. He also toured with such heavyweights as Freddie Hubbard and Eddie Harris. Bromberg is a self-professed wine connoisseur and is passionate about professional drag racing, animals, nature, and astronomy.

“I was very religious when I was young but when the spirit of music came calling, the stage became my church,” shares saxophonist Michael Paulo. Hailing from a musical home in Hawaii, Michael’s house was filled with music as Michael, his siblings and parents were all musicians. His most recent release, Here Is Happiness, is dedicated to his late father and legendary Hawaiian pianist Rene Paulo. Revered for his serious chops and unrivaled stage presence, Michael Paulo has been first call for everyone from Al Jarreau, Herbie Hancock and Patti Austin to David Benoit, Bobby Caldwell, and Peter White. Paulo is featured on the much talked about Miles Davis session Rubberband, which was released for the first time in 2020. A Jazz impresario, Paulo created and produces the long running Temecula Wine, and Music Festival, which has supported military veterans and organizations like the Shriner’s Hospital for Children through the years. He also produces music concert series in Hawaii as well as the California concerts Grooves at the Westin, Live from La Costa, and Rhythm on the Vine.

With the release of BPM’s Seriously, Brian Bromberg, Paul Brown and Michael Paulo are ready to hit the road and spread the good news. Look out for tour dates coming soon. Bromberg concludes, “If BPM has the ability, even on a small scale to make people happy, to make them move or make them sing, then we are playing a very little part in trying to bring people from all walks of life and stories together. That to me is an honor.” Paulo shares the same vision to emotionally connect with their audience stating, “Music is about how you make people feel and communicating emotion. When you accomplish that you have fulfilled your purpose. Paul Brown concludes, “We're all kind of in the same place in our lives where we only want to do special things that make us happy and that leave us satisfied. It's not about money or fame. Pure musicality.”

Chris Greene Quartet - Conversance

Chicagoan saxophonist Chris Greene's latest album, Conversance, is yet another milestone for Greene,his first album for Pravda Records, Chicago's longest-running indie rock label, which in its 40 years has never released a jazz recording before.The album is being released on 12” LP vinyl, CD, digital download and via streaming platforms October 19. 

In Greene and company, the label has a group that was voted best jazz band in Chicago twice in polls by the alternative weekly, the Chicago Reader and a fan friendly artist with strong ties to the community. He recently received the Mayor's Award for the Arts via the Evanston Arts Council. "This means a lot just because it's my hometown, these are people that I literally interact with just about every single day," he said in accepting the award. 

Along with a pair of fairly recent Pravda signees with whom he has played, singer-songwriters Steve Dawson and Nora O’Connor, he is helping boost the company's reputation even as it boosts his. Other artists with whom he has performed include Common, the Temptations, Poi Dog Pondering, Liquid Soul and Andrew Bird. 

For saxophonist Chris Greene, turning 50 was a double milestone. It inspired him to look back on his career and the strides he has made as an independent jazz artist. It also inspired him to reflect on his life as a husband, father and family man. Little did he know how happily those two worlds would collide.  

Greene was working at home on music for Conversance, when his attentive 12-year-old son Alex, a talented pianist and drummer and major Star Wars fan, played a melody for him inspired by one of the tunes his old man was playing. The elder Greene liked it so much, he decided to use it as the A section of the song, a six-measure blues in 6/4 time with a bridge. "It was a perfect fit," he says. "It really made the tune." He titled the tune "The Emperor Strikes Back."  

Even by Greene's high-risk standards (AllAboutJazz called him "a post-bop maverick intent on shaking things up for the mainstream"), the new album is an unpredictable delight. His treatment here of the oft-recorded jazz classic, "You Don't Know What Love Is," takes it into new, uncharted territory. Greene layers the melody over a groove borrowed from Curtis Mayfield's "Give Me Your Love" from the Superfly soundtrack. It's a great mash up. 

"Gentleman's Breakfast," a sonorous Greene original, is a "quick samba" inspired by Brazilian singers Ed Motta (with whom he has performed) and Elis Regina. Bassist Marc Piane joins the freewheeling party with his piece "Thumper," a "crazy shit's gonna happen type of song" that includes element of Frank Zappa and King Crimson. Conversance also features "Broken Glass," a great vehicle by and for Espinosa ("a great student of piano styles"), Piane's low-key "Inspiration" (the romantic flip side of "Thumper") and a bumptious reading of Duke Ellington's "Just Squeeze Me." Says Greene, "It dawned on me only recently that a lot of my albums have a Duke Ellington or Billy Strayhorn song on them," he says. "They're always in my thoughts." 

Like Duke, Greene writes with specific players in his close-knit band (including drummer Steve Corley) in mind. As reflected by the title of one of the CGQ's earlier albums, A Group Effort, he prizes its ability to think and feel as one – to "leave fingerprints on each other's playing." And as signified by the title Conversance, making great music is all about band members talking to each other through their different styles.  

Greene was born in Evanston, IL. He spent his formative years in the award-winning Evanston High School Wind and Jazz Ensembles. As a teenager he began to play professionally with many local pop/rock and jazz bands. Greene eventually went to Bloomington, IN to attend the prestigious Indiana University Jazz Studies program and studied with renowned professor and cellist David Baker. Greene returned to Chicago in 1994. 

He has given back to the community in numerous ways, collaborating with the Shorefront Legacy Center to document the work of great Black musicians with Evanston and North suburban roots such as Fred Anderson, Bob Cranshaw and Bill Brimfield and serving as resident musician at Art Makers Outpost, an Evanston arts center for children and adults where he helped create the After Dark Concert Series. He also was on a panel of Black creatives from Evanston discussing "The Art Thing We Do" at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center. 

Looking forward to his next half-century (well, why not?), Greene has all the security blankets he needs: a great band to work with, a great family to come home to, a great label to record for. 

Anne Sajdera - It's Here

Pianist/composer Anne Sajdera takes an introspective turn on It’s Here, her third album, set to be released September 20 on Bijuri Records. The recording features five originals and three covers that juxtapose wistfulness for the past with an embrace of the present, on which the Bay Area–based Sajdera works with a wide-ranging assemblage of musicians whose core comprises bassist Gary Brown and drummer Deszon Claiborne. 

The title It’s Here comes from the revelation Sajdera experienced after writing the eponymous track, then trying to determine what it was about. “It was that feeling I get when I look at old photos or mementos, and for a split second you think you don’t have that moment anymore,” she says. “But then you realize it’s right here, if you look for it.” 

The feeling of that realization is unmistakable across “It’s Here,” from Sajdera’s winsome melody to the gorgeous solos by Sajdera, trumpeter Mike Olmos, and alto saxophonist Jesse Levit. Yet it also recurs, if in altered forms, throughout the album, from the genial post-bop take on “Stella by Starlight” to the affecting solo piano closer “Just Starlight.”

Which is not to say that the record is confined to any single mood or color. The Slovakian folk song “Ach Anička” (featuring two Czech guest musicians, trumpeter Miroslav Houcal and alto saxophonist Jan Fečo, who also animated her 2018 album New Year) and the Sajdera original “Bounce” both express upbeat joy with hard-driving swing and funk, respectively. “Three Color Study,” another solo piano piece, molds its fraught emotions to an expressive but angular melodic path, while the aptly titled “Lovely” is swathed in rich orchestration with players Rita Thies (flute) and Joyce Lee (violin) augmenting the ensemble, expressionistic solos by Olmos (trumpet) and Levit (alto saxophone), and perhaps a hint of the Brazilian music Sajdera so exquisitely drew on for her debut, 2012’s Azul.

If there are common elements, however, It’s Here is nonetheless a step forward for Sajdera. She remains a resolutely forward-looking pianist and composer, and this album finds her showing a more ruminative side without diminishing the style that had helped her establish her luminescent musical career. 

Born in Portsmouth, Virginia on November 5, 1965, Anne Sajdera was a “Navy brat,” largely growing up in the busy fleet center of San Diego, California. Her maternal grandfather was a professional musician in the Chicago area up until the 1940s, and even though he passed away when she was quite young, his love of music left an imprint on the family and inspired her grandmother to make sure Anne received piano lessons. She maintained a steady diet of Chopin waltzes, Bach inventions, and Beethoven sonatas in her piano studies, but at the age of 13 became intrigued by Chick Corea’s My Spanish Heart. Adolescent explorations into other kinds of music helped her to find a tight circle of musical friends who often gathered to play and perform together. After relocating to the Bay Area in 1985, she auditioned at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and was accepted as a piano performance major, studying under Peggy Salkind, and then switching to a composition major at the end of her sophomore year, studying under Elinor Armer. 

Sajdera’s investigation of jazz picked up pace while still at the Conservatory, listening daily to Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, and finally taking flight when she began a relationship with an accomplished jazz guitarist, with whom she was soon playing casuals. A class at Berkeley’s Jazzschool with the great Brazilian pianist/composer Marcos Silva sparked her enduring passion for Brazilian music. Before long she was gigging around the Bay Area with her own band Pelo Mar, and as an original member of Bat Makumba. 

Her debut album, 2012’s Azul, also reflects this deep and abiding passion, mixing her ravishing original pieces with classic tunes by the Brazilian masters. It received a place on one of Jazziz magazine’s 2012 Critics Polls and was named one of Latin Jazz Corner’s Great Latin Jazz Albums. The long-awaited follow-up, 2018’s New Year, took on a more straight-ahead postbop aesthetic and won Sajdera another round of critical acclaim. The six-year gap between New Year and It’s Here was, of course, necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic (which pre-empted Sajdera’s initial plan to record her third album in 2020). Yet it was also the pandemic that inspired the state of thoughtful reflection that gives her third album its essential character of fond remembrance and hopeful outlook. 

Anne Sajdera will perform a CD release show, in two sets (5:00 & 7:00pm), at Keys Jazz Bistro in San Francisco on Sunday 10/6, and a CD release/birthday show, in two sets (6:00 & 7:30pm), at Mr. Tipple’s, San Francisco on Friday 11/8.

Jason Jackson | Looking Up

The seeds of success in music were planted before Jason Jackson concluded his ten-year military career three years ago. Now set to release his third recording project on October 25 and his first for the MBF Entertainment label, the R&B/jazz saxophonist is fervently energized by his upward trajectory, a feeling that permeates the nine new songs that he wrote with his producer, 16-time Billboard chart-topper Adam Hawley. The ten-track “Looking Up” arrives on October 25. 

Jackson hit the Billboard top 20 in 2021, two months after he completed his Navy service. Each project he released has taken him another step up in the soul-jazz marketplace. As Jackson steadily raises his profile, one constant force has been Hawley. “Looking Up” continues their fruitful creative partnership. In addition to producing and playing multiple instruments (guitar, keyboards, and programming) on the album and cowriting the material, Hawley signed Jackson to his MBF Entertainment imprint.     

Jackson’s recordings are personal and thematic, reflecting not just where he is in his music career, but emblematic of where he is at in his life. 

“My first record, the ‘Movin’ On’ EP, was written as I was transitioning out of the US Navy. My first full-length album, ‘All In,’ was conceived after I saw the success of the first record and decided that I wanted to pursue being a solo artist for real. This new record, ‘Looking Up,’ comes at a time when all of the pieces are finally starting to fall into place. I’ve signed with an amazing label (MBF) and I’m getting lots of opportunities to play with well established artists like Adam (Hawley), Rick Braun, Chieli Minucci, and Julian Vaughn. I’ve also had the wonderful opportunity to play shows and festivals as a solo artist such as Marcus Anderson’s MAJACE and Berks Jazz Fest. To me, this record represents that all of the hard work, pushing through slim odds, self-doubt, and setbacks were all worth it and that things are, well, looking up,” said Jackson who lives in Virginia just outside of Washington, DC.  

Jackson’s debut single, “All The Way,” featured Vaughn’s rubbery basslines and the two reconnect to open “Looking Up” with the uber funky and fun “Bump,” which was cowritten by keyboardist Judah Sealy. Keyboardist Caleb Middleton cowrote four songs with Jackson and Hawley for the album, the first of which is “Intentional,” a deliberate midtempo groove. Braun, a seminal figure in the genre who has notched 30 Billboard No. 1 singles, features on “Upside Down,” the next single that will be going for playlist adds on September 23.   

“‘Upside Down’ was the first track that Adam and I wrote for this album. We both knew it was special from the incredibly early demo. It’s got such great swag and a hook you could listen to on repeat all day. We knew we wanted a special featured artist on this track, and I thought ‘Why not shoot for the stars?’ literally. Rick Braun has been one of my favorite artists for as long as I can remember. I remember buying the ‘Shake It Up’ album from a music store at the mall and absolutely wore it out. I recently played a show with him in Norfolk, VA and found out that he is not just an amazing player, but a wonderful person as well. We had to get him on this track! Only in an ‘upside down’ world would I ever think that Rick and I would be playing a song together, much less on my record,” gushed Jackson.  

Two-time Grammy-winning bassist Mel Brown and drummer Eric Valentine dispense the beats and rhythms on “With The Get Down” on which Jackson’s sweaty sax gets way down. “Stay Awhile” pleads its case via an inviting soul-pop melody simmering atop a cozy R&B groove.  

Earlier this year while still in the studio, Jackson previewed the album with the single “Daybreak,” which features a collaboration with another genre stalwart, Special EFX guitarist Minucci, who illumines the vibrant track with gorgeous nylon guitar light, forming a striking combo with the saxophonist’s emotional soprano horn.

“This track is a throwback that conjures up images of when I was a kid in the middle and high school bands and listened to every contemporary jazz CD that I could get my hands on, all while wishing that I could play like that someday. You could say that those years were the very start of my passion for this genre and the early dawn or ‘Daybreak’ of my long musical journey to come,” Jackson shared. 

The album title track brims with confidence, promise and optimism. “I like for all of my records - and record titles - to present a snapshot of where I am to the listener, not just musically but in my life. I think ‘Looking Up’ is a statement song for my today and outlook for what lies ahead,” said Jackson. 

Keyboardist Carnell Harrell cowrote the next two tunes for the album, including the robust R&B “Rewind,” on which Jackson lets loose some fierce alto saxophone play. “Silver” is a bouncy, head-bobbing  flashback with its old-school go-go beat breakdown etched by bassist Dwayne "Smitty" Smith and Valentine’s drums.   

“Looking Up” concludes with a look back. Jackson spotlights R&B vocalist L Young to pay homage to the legendary Luther Vandross by putting their own spin on “Take You Out Tonight.” They break down the track to an intimate acoustic groove augmented by expressive soprano sax, Hawley’s guitar, Ian Martin’s bass and Ramon Yslas’s percussion. 

“Luther has always been a special artist to me ever since his greatest hits CD was dropped into my candy bag one Halloween night. To this day, I don’t know why that person decided that I needed some Luther in my life more than a Snickers bar, but I’m glad he did! That CD ignited my love for R&B. I’ve always wanted to cover a Luther song, and I think this unplugged vibe is the perfect way to end the record,” said Jackson.    

Over the Labor Day Weekend, Jackson joined Hawley for a Saturday night (August 31) performance at the LOVAM Jazz Festival in Omaha, NE. Later this month, Jackson will be performing aboard fellow saxman Dave Koz’s Somma Italia Cruise. Other concert dates prior to the album release include October 11 at the Church Street Jazz Series in Norfolk, VA and October 20 at the Myrtle Beach Jazz Festival. After the album releases, Jackson will hit the stage on November 6 with guitarist JJ Sansaverino at Jazz Legacy in Hampton, VA. 

Jackson was a teenager studying under the tutelage of James Brown’s longtime saxophonist Leroy Harper Jr. when he opened for Brian McKnight, Morris Day and the Time, KC and the Sunshine Band, and Michael McDonald. He went on to perform all over the world as a member of the Navy’s band, taking the stage in international locales such as China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Australia, and Japan. Three years ago, shortly before exiting the Navy, Jackson sent a demo recording to Hawley. The two have been linked ever since. 

Jackson’s “Looking Up” album contains the following songs: 

• “Bump” featuring Julian Vaughn
• “Intentional”
• “Upside Down” featuring Rick Braun
• “With The Get Down”
• “Stay Awhile”
• “Daybreak” featuring Chieli Minucci
• “Looking Up”
• “Rewind”
• “Silver”
• “Take You Out Tonight” featuring L Young

Aaron Parks | Little Big III

Acclaimed pianist and composer Aaron Parks returns to Blue Note Records with the October 18 release of Little Big III, the third studio album from his band Little Big featuring guitarist Greg Tuohey, bassist David Ginyard Jr., and drummer Jongkuk Kim. The heady lead single “Delusions” is out now.

Little Big III is the second album that Parks has recorded on Blue Note as a bandleader, following 2008’s Invisible Cinema, a powerfully modern, post-genre concept for improvised music in the 21st century that recently received it’s first-ever vinyl release as part of Blue Note’s Classic Vinyl Reissue Series. Invisible Cinema was a touchstone for so much of the atmospheric, indie-tinged jazz that came after and the catalyst for Parks to develop the working band that became Little Big.

Parks’ new album, co-produced by the pianist with Blue Note President Don Was, underscores the evolution of that vision, and that artist. With its shared writing credits and dynamic, streamlined production, Little Big III also reflects the vision of a bandleader who’s learned that letting go fosters greater inspiration than holding the reins tight. “There’s something about this record that feels like it captures the energy of the band in a more raw and honest way,” Parks says.

As Little Big III unfolds, the only thing more striking than the concise, accessible writing is the vibrancy of the ensemble: the empathy with which guitar and piano meld, sidestepping any surplus of harmonic information; Kim’s taste and finesse; the way Ginyard functions compositionally on the low end, anchoring this seemingly intuitive, slippery music.

For the pianist, crafting the album was an exercise in “letting the band itself start to show me what it sounded like, rather than me trying to control it all the time.” It follows that Parks is now at a stage in his life where acceptance, humility and levity are crucial — as a husband and a father, and as someone who has diligently worked on his wellness and mental health. At 40, Parks finds he’s able to “take the music itself more seriously, because I’m taking myself a little less seriously.”

Throughout Little Big III, the band’s kinship is palpable. There’s a vitality at play on the record that is extraordinary; beautiful and raw in equal measure. “While this record feels the most supple and alive,” Parks explains, “it also feels like the most focused album Little Big has recorded — the most distilled down to the essence.”

AARON PARKS – TOUR DATES:

• Nov. 15 – Bozar – Brussels, Belgium
• Nov. 16 – Alter Schlachthof – Eupen, Belgium
• Nov. 17 – Musig Im Pflegidach – Muri, Switzerland
• Nov. 19 – Kultur Worx – Kreuzlingen, Switzerland
• Nov. 20 – Świdnickie Noce Jazzowe – Świdnica, Poland
• Nov. 21 – Blue Note – Poznan, Poland
• Nov. 22 – Jassmine – Warsaw, Poland
• Nov. 23 – 40 Głogowskie Spotkania Jazzowe – Glogów, Poland
• Nov. 24 – Jazz Club Pod Filarami – Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland
• Nov. 26 – Casino – Wittlich, Germany
• Nov. 27 – Theaterhaus Jazzstage – Stuttgart, Germany
• Nov. 28 – Stadtgarten – Germany, Köln
• Nov. 29 – Jazz Dock – Prague, Czech Republic
• Nov. 30 – Il Torrione – Ferrara, Italy
• Dec. 2 – Jazz Café – London, UK

Richard Elliot | Straight Up Down

If you are one of the lucky ones, you can recall a moment in time when a portal to an entire new world was opened for you, and a fire was lit within. For Richard Elliot, that moment was when his sister, ten years his senior, took a leap of faith and invited him to listen to her record collection. The only caveat was that he takes good care of her records and put them back where they belong. Elliot not only took good care of the music, but the music has been taking care of him for over four decades. The chart-topping Grammy-nominated saxophonist recalls, “My sister had everything from Joni Mitchell, Carlos Santana and Dave Brubeck to Smokey Robinson, The Temptations and The Four Tops. I got a chance to be exposed at a young age to a lot of great music.” That inspiration ran deep, and Elliot went on to work with all three of the aforementioned Motown legends. His enviable credits also include a five-year stint with the funk and soul horns of Tower of Power and when he was just a lad worked with Natalie Cole and the Pointer Sisters. A man of many talents, Elliot, who once moonlighted as a software engineer, is also a pilot. In fact, the saxman is in the process of building his own two-seat plane in his garage. On September 6, 2024, the Scottish-born, LA raised and San Diego based renaissance man will release his 21st recording as a leader, Straight Up Down, on Shanachie Entertainment.  He shares, “I feel incredibly fortunate that I am allowed to do this as a career and even more grateful that I have been able to do it for as long as I have. It’s all about being honest and truthful in my music and never taking it all for granted.” Elliot provides maximum cruise control on Straight Up Down, an inspired collection of nine tracks, eight of which are originals. The album’s solid and alluring material shine a light on Richard Elliot’s signature soulful and bluesy approach which seamlessly combines his technical prowess and unbridled passion with the finer elements of Jazz, Blues, Pop, R&B and Rock.

“Very Delicious,” is a sumptuous and spirited affair reminiscent of the bluesy soul of John Handy’s 1970s hit “Hard Work.” The selection of “Very Delicious” as an album opener and first single is perfect as Elliot’s supple and agile tenor lines twist and turn to delight elevating the mood and urge you to join in and clap along. “When Jeff Carruthers sent me the track,” he explains, “what I set out to do was come up with a melody that was kind of more hooky. The song is a bit nostalgic, and I love things that are nostalgic. I always feel that it's important to pay homage to what came before us and to choose vibes, grooves and melody lines that speak to where the genre started.”

“Dexter (Gordon) is still my guy. I was around 18 years-old when I went to a club called Concerts By The Sea in Los Angeles. It was truly a life changing moment for me,” shares Richard Elliot. “This big man came out on stage with this low voice and this huge tenor sound. I had already been playing for a few years but when I heard him, I thought to myself ‘I'm doomed. I will never ever come up with a sound anywhere near this guy.’ It really was life changing to hear him play.” Inspired by Dexter and the likes of other tenor legends like Johnny Griffin, Gene Ammons, Coleman Hawkins, Grover Washington Jr. and Michael Brecker, Richard Elliot has managed to carve out this own niche out of his rich caldron of influences. Richard Elliot has scored more than 20 Top 10 Smooth Jazz singles and #1 Contemporary Jazz albums. His debut solo album, Trolltown was released in 1986 and shortly thereafter he began a fruitful relationship with Bruce Lundvall and was signed to Blue Note Records.  A few of his other stand out releases include 2016’s Summer Madness albums including On The Town, Soul Embrace, After Dark, and Jumpin’ Off. His 2013 collaboration with saxophonists Dave Koz Gerald Albright and Mindi Abair, Summer Horns. Elliot’s last recorded Authentic Life was released in 2021 and joined together an A-list line up including Rick Braun, Dave Koz, Jeff Lorber, Chris “Big Dog” Davis, Philippe Saisse and. David Mann

 

The ultimate family man, Richard Elliot confides, “I love spending time with my family. My wife and I have five children and it is a joy watching them pursue their careers and their lives.” He is also a self-proclaimed foodie. He and wife Camella enjoy the pursuit of discovering new places to eat. Richard and his wife also run a foundation that donates to worthy causes that benefit youth and young adults including the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, St. Judes, and the San Diego area dance organization TranscenDANCE. With the release of Straight Up Down Elliot concludes, “If there's a few people out there that enjoy or feel impacted or moved by what I do, then I feel like I've accomplished something. If my music affects them in a positive way, then I am happy.”

Nick Stone | Standing Strong

Last October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, R&B/jazz saxophonist Nick Stone’s wife, Jill, was diagnosed with breast cancer. As she fearlessly embarked on the journey to healing by undergoing extensive treatments that are still ongoing, Stone stood by her side in awe of her endless positivity and undaunted outlook. Her towering courage inspired Stone’s debut single, “Standing Strong,” which he wrote with Grammy nominated producer Nate Harasim (Dave Koz, Darren Rahn, Nils). The Sax-Ed Records release is out now and is presently collecting playlist adds.  

“Standing Strong” is an optimistic and energizing tune powered by Stone’s impassioned alto  sax leads. The invigorating melodies and high-tempo groove constructed by Harasim (piano, Rhodes, synths, guitar, and programmed drums and bass) is bolstered by Jimmy Smith’s trumpet. 29-time Billboard chart topper Darren Rahn mixed the track.  

When the couple received the cancer diagnosis, Jill took the news in stride, determined to fight the disease valiantly while Stone turned to music as an outlet to express his feelings. He entered the studio with Harasim to craft a song that was purposely positive.    

“Nate (Harasim) and I talked about it a lot and when we were approaching what we wanted to do with the song, I kept saying how amazing it was to me how nothing really ever phases Jill, that she just ‘stands strong’ in the face of adversity. That's how the song came to be. It's how the melody, bridge, chorus, and how everything was built,” said the Detroit-based Stone who premieres as a solo artist and has a long history of playing and touring with R&B/pop superstars Ne-Yo and Charlie Wilson. 

Stone’s fervent pursuit of Harasim as producer and collaborator is another storyline. After earning a Grammy nomination for his work on Dave Koz’s “Hello Tomorrow” album and collecting multiple Billboard No. 1 singles, Harasim retired from music. Stone persistently and tenaciously approached Harasim over a five-year span, attempting to lure him back into the game, but the producer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist declined. However, after doing a deep dive into Stone’s work and seeing the saxophonist’s soulful artistic expression and unique musical voice, he agreed. Harasim is producing Stone’s debut album, which is expected to drop early next year.  

As the one-year anniversary of Jill’s diagnosis approaches, Stone is hopeful for her return to full health after watching her endure taxing cancer treatments. 

“She's now in her final phases of treatment and is about to leave the cancer behind: ‘Standing Strong.’”