STEVIE WONDER’S COLLECTION OF #1 HITS BROUGHT TOGETHER

He's an icon, an indisputable musical genius, and an extraordinarily influential figure. Now the wonder that is Stevie Wonder can be heard on his first single-CD collection to feature only #1 hits. The 20-selection "Stevie Wonder Number 1's" (Motown/UMe), released August 21, 2007, leads the latest group of albums in the new platinum-selling "Number 1's" series from UMe (see below), all of which are available only in earth friendly and fully recyclable eco-paks. "Stevie Wonder Number 1's," his most up-to-date career-spanning single disc, brings together more than 40 years of classic as well as contemporary #1's, from 1963 to 2005, each track digitally remastered.

His first chart-topper, "Fingertips Part 2" (#1 R&B/#1 Pop), led to two other #1's from the '60s -- "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" (#1 R&B) and "I Was Made To Love Her" (#1 R&B). The '70s kicked off with his first self-produced #1, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" (#1 R&B), and continued with a slew of songs from immortal ballads to monster jams that helped define the decade: "Superstition" (#1 R&B/#1 Pop), "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" (#1 Pop/#1 Adult Contemporary), "Higher Ground" (#1 R&B), "Living For The City" (#1 R&B), "You Haven't Done Nothing" (#1 R&B/#1 Pop), "Boogie On Reggae Woman" (#1 R&B), "I Wish" (#1 R&B/#1 Pop), "Sir Duke" (#1 R&B/#1 Pop) and "Send One Your Love" (#1 Adult Contemporary). The '80s brought "Master Blaster (Jammin')" (#1 R&B), "That Girl" (#1 R&B), "I Just Called To Say I Love You" (#1 R&B/#1 Pop/#1 Adult Contemporary), "Part-Time Lover" (the first single ever to be #1 R&B/#1 Pop/#1 Adult Contemporary/#1 Dance), "Overjoyed" (#1 Adult Contemporary) and "Skeletons" (1 R&B). "Stevie Wonder Number 1's" wraps up with "So What The Fuss" (#1 Urban Adult Contemporary) from his most recent album, 2005's "A Time To Love."

"Stevie Wonder Number 1's" is the latest addition to the "Number 1's" brand which launched in April 2007. Following on August 28 will be "Number 1's" for R&B and Pop superstars the Jackson 5 (including hits from The Jacksons and Michael Jackson) and Kool & The Gang; country greats Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty; and genre collections covering Classic Rock (The Who, Rod Stewart, Doobie Brothers, Elton John, Guess Who, etc.), Modern Rock (INXS, Hole, Alien Ant Farm, Smash Mouth, etc.), Hard Rock (Poison, Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Scorpions, etc.) and Classic Disco (Village People, Irene Cara, Edwin Starr, etc.).

STEVIE WONDER - 2007 TOUR DATES
August 23 San Diego, CA - Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay
August 25 Lake Tahoe, NV - Harvey's Lake Tahoe Outdoor Amphitheatre
August 26 Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion At Concord
August 28 Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl
August 30 Troutdale, OR - McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater
August 31 Woodinville, WA - Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
September 4 Saratoga, CA - The Mountain Winery
September 5 Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
September 10 Chicago, IL - Charter One Pavilion @ Northerly Isl.
September 12 Rochester Hills, MI - Meadow Brook Music Festival
September 14 Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park Amphitheatre
September 16 Baltimore, MD - Pier Six Pavilion
September 18 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
September 20 Boston, MA - Bank Of America Pavilion

DETROIT JAZZ FESTIVAL ARTIST LINEUP

Artists slated to appear at the upcoming Detriot Jazz Festival this coming Labor Day Weekend include: Herbie Hancock, Regina Carter, Bill Charlap Trio, Patti Austin & the Gerald Wilson Big Band, Yusef Lateef, The Classical Jazz Quartet with Stefon Harris, Ron Carter, Lewis Nash, and Kenny Barron, Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood, Poncho Sanchez, Kenny Garrett, Kurt Elling, Dave Brubeck, Russell Malone, Charles Tolliver Big Band, Mavis Staples, Sean Jones Sextet, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and Sachal Vasandani

DEBUT SAX PACK ALBUM

Jeff Kashiwa’s latest release is Play and says that he and fellow saxophonists Kim Waters and Steve Cole will head into the studio later this month to begin recording the debut album by the Sax Pack. Kashiwa came up with the idea for the Sax Pack touring package a few years ago, and this year teamed with Waters and Cole for the 2007 edition. The musicians' separate recording agreements kept them from recording together under the Sax Pack name until now.

BELA FLECK & THE FLECKTONES TOUR DATES

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones will perform the following concerts:
August 6 @t Mariner Theatre, Homer AK
August 8 @ Big Top Chautauqua, Bayfield WI
August 9 @ Minnesota Zoo Amphitheatre, Apple Valley WI
August 10 @ Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee WI
August 11 @ Cain Park, Cleveland Heights OH
August 12 @ Kresge Auditorium, Interlochen MI
August 17 @ Harrah's North, North Kansas City MO
August 18 @ Fraze Pavilion, Kettering OH
August 28 @ Anderson Center, Binghamton NY
August 29 @ Stone Mountain Arts Center, Brownfield ME
August 30 @ Stone Mountain Arts Center, Brownfield ME
August 31 @ Summer Music Series, Lowell MA
September 1 @ LL Bean Discovery Park, Freeport ME
September 2 @ Rhythm & Roots Festival, Charlestown RI
September 3 @ Brookhaven Amphitheatre, Farmingville NY
September 14 @ Austin City Limits Festival, Austin TX
September 19 @ Alabama Theatre, Birmingham AL
September 21 @ Orpheum Theatre, Madison WI
September 22 @ Dominican University, River Forest IL
September 23 @ Bijou Theatre, Knoxville TN
September 24 @ Bijou Theatre, Knoxville TN
September 25 @ Carolina Theatre, Greensboro NC
September 26 @ Carolina Theatre, Durham NC
September 28 @ Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island SC
September 29 @ Ichthus Farm, Wilmore KY
October 6 @ Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, San Francisco CA
October 7 @ Cascade Theatre, Redding CA
October 8 @ Humboldt State University, Arcata CA
October 9 @ University of California, Santa Barbara CA
October 10 @ Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim CA
October 11 @ Fonda in Los Angeles CA

KOOL & THE GANG ISSUES FIRST STUDIO DISC IN A DECADE, ‘STILL KOOL’ FEATURES SOULFUL GROOVES & CLASSIC COVERS

Legendary groovemeisters Kool & The Gang are back on the scene with "Still Kool" on New Door Records/UMe), the chart-topping band's first studio release in ten years. Combining soulful R&B, pop, hip-hop, Urban AC and more, the disc showcases the extraordinary versatility that has won them the status of musical icons - while venturing into new sonic territory in collaboration with some talented protégés. The band that vaulted up the pop charts with such indelible tracks as "Celebration," "Ladies Night" and "Joanna" delivers a fleet of silky, melodic tunes on "Still Kool," with its trademark blend of irresistible grooves, expressive horn lines and infectious chorus hooks. On songs like "Miracles," "Dave," "Steppin' Into Love" and "Too Low for Zero," Kool & The Gang relay messages of compassion and hope with the same grace and musicality that have made them a household name for decades. But the purveyors of such booty-rocking standards as "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging" don't fail to flex their funk -- on both old-school workouts ("Bang Bang With the Gang") and hip-hop jams ("Give It Up," "Livin' in the 21"). In addition, the troupe puts its signature on such classic covers as Marvin Gaye's "What's Happening Brother" (which is performed in a medley with the original "Is What It Is") and Christopher Cross' "Sailing."

The new album, the band's first studio outing since 1996's "State of Affairs," finds the R&B giants joining forces with fiery 23-year-old vocalist Jirmad Gordon; the youthful phenom had been working on a solo project with bassist and co-founder Robert "Kool" Bell's son, Hakim Bell (who contributed to "Still Kool" as co-writer, co-producer and rapper). "We knew Jirmad was a dynamite singer, but we thought at first he might be a little too young to sing for the band," Kool recalls. "But when he came into the studio with us, he really rose to the challenge." "Jirmad is a rising star," adds sax player/keyboardist/singer/flautist Khalis Bayyan, who produced and wrote numerous tracks on "Still Kool." "He's got the chops and the passion. It turned out to be a perfect fit - after all, we were even younger than he is when we started." In addition to contributing vocals, Gordon also contributed lyrics to one song on the disc, the randy club anthem "Give It Up," which he co-wrote with longtime Kool & The Gang keyboardist Curtis F. Williams.

The tumultuous state of the world is a frequent focus of the band's new material. "Miracles" was initially written after Bayyan narrowly survived a terrifying car crash but took on new depth when it embraced the story of the "lost boys" of Sudan. "Livin' in the 21" argues for "a little faith" amid the new century's turmoil. "Dave," inspired by the classic sci-fi film "2001: A Space Odyssey," turns that movie's computer-and-astronaut dialogue into a plea for a better future. Opener "America," meanwhile, explores immigration and the various borders that divide us. But these more sober questions are balanced by plenty of party grooves and romantic interludes - and the result is quintessentially Kool.

Recorded in New York, New Jersey and Los Angeles at Sony, 4th Quarter and Alley Cat Studios, "Still Kool" was produced by Khalis Bayyan, George Brown and Curtis F. Williams.

BLACK MUSIC ANNOUNCES LONG BEACH JAZZ FESTIVAL ONLINE SWEEPSTAKES

Black Music America Digital Channel (BMA Digital) today announced the start of its "BMA Digital Channel Cool Sounds Long Beach Jazz Festival Sweepstakes." The sweepstakes launched Tuesday, July 31, 2007 at 12:00 a.m. PT. Three (3) southern California area Charter Digital Cable(R) subscriber's online sweepstakes entries will be selected randomly to receive one pair of VIP tickets for one day at the 20th Annual Long Beach Jazz Festival scheduled for August 10-12, 2007. Charter is the first cable system to launch BMA Digital (channel 946) in the Los Angeles area. BMA Digital is a co-presenting sponsor of the Long Beach Jazz Festival Pavilion. Sweepstakes entries are available online at http://www.blackmusicamerica.com/longbeach/index.htm.

In addition to the VIP ticket giveaway, one Charter Digital Cable(R) subscriber online or festival attendee entry will be randomly selected to win a grand prize package of a trip for two to Mall of America. Located in Bloomington, Minnesota, Mall of America is the largest fully enclosed retail and entertainment complex in the United States. Winner will receive roundtrip airfare, hotel accommodations and a $100 gift certificate. The grand prizewinner will be drawn from all entries received by August 30 at 11:59 p.m. and posted online August 31, 2007 at
http://www.blackmusicamerica.com/longbeach/index.htm.

"We are committed to presenting fun, interactive promotional opportunities for Charter SoCal digital subscribers and community residents," said Pete Rhodes, co-founder and CEO, BMA Digital.

As part of its sponsorship, BMA Digital will host live performances from the Pavilion stage headlined by Minneapolis based jazz ensemble Joto. Featuring members of the hit-making R&B group Mint Condition, Joto is scheduled for multiple performances on Saturday, August 11. For more information on BMA Digital or the 20th Annual Long Beach Jazz Festival visit http://www.blackmusicamerica.com or log onto http://www.longbeachjazzfestival.com.

Black Music America Digital Channel is the leading interactive urban music service, reaching households through digital cable. Branded as BMA Digital, Black Music America delivers multimedia content encompassing video, audio and enhanced graphics to more than 1 million consumers of African American arts and culture. With its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Black Music America was founded in 1984 as CBLS (Cities(TM) Best Looking Sound) and maintains its position in the industry as the oldest African American owned, 24-hour commercial cable music service. BMA Digital delivers localized programming and marketing services through Comcast Cable (channel 937) in Minneapolis and St. Paul and Charter Communications (channel 946) in Long Beach, California. The BMA Digital companion website, http://www.blackmusicamerica.com averages over 100,000 monthly visitors worldwide.

QUEEN LATIFAH'S SECOND JAZZ ALBUM DUE

Queen Latifah is putting the finishing touches on her second album of jazz music, to be called Trav'lin Light. The project, due September 25th, also features special guests Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Joe Sample, George Duke, Christian McBride, and Stevie Wonder. On Trav'lin Light, Latifah pays tribute to some of her favorite singers of the past, including Peggy Lee, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughn, Mary Wells and Roberta Flack.

SOUL BALLET 'LAVISH'

Composer and instrumentalist Rick Kelley is ready to release the newest CD from Soul Ballet, titled Lavish, on September 11th. The Artizen Music Group release features guest appearances by two of the label's owners, Rick Braun and Richard Elliot. The first single from the set is "Smooth Vegas," which features Elliot on saxophone. Soul Ballet last topped the smooth jazz charts with "Cream," a track from the 2005 release DreamBeatDream. Kelly, who in addition to music continues to succeed as an actor, says that his love of contemporary pop and hip-hop helped shape the musical feel of Lavish. Lavish will be the seventh CD from Soul Ballet since the self-titled 1996 debut.

BLUE NOTE RECORDS’ SOMETHIN’ ELSE JAZZ CLUB - A HIT AT 2007 BONNAROO MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL

Blue Note Records’ Somethin’ Else Jazz Club made its debut at the 2007 Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival last week in Manchester, Tennessee, and was an absolute hit with both fans and critics. The 500-capacity club—which was designed to resemble a downtown New York City jazz club, complete with table seating, wait service, air conditioning, and walls decorated with classic Blue Note photography and album artwork—was greeted with long lines that brought an estimated 10,000 listeners through its doors over the course of the festival.

Enthusiastic audiences were treated to a wide variety of stand-out performances that were a testament to the vitality of jazz and its appeal to a wider audience. The opening night featured a stunning solo set by Blue Note’s newest signing, African guitarist Lionel Loueke, and a smoking soul jazz performance by two Blue Note legends, saxophonist Lou Donaldson and Hammond B3 organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, which nearly burned the tent down.

Other highlights included two of the finest piano trios around led by Jacky Terrasson and Robert Glasper, the funky explorations of Mago featuring keyboardist John Medeski and drummer Billy Martin, and a driving late-night set by The Philadelphia Experiment which featured drummer Ahmir Thompson from The Roots, bassist Christian McBride, and keyboardist Uri Caine, as well as a surprise guest appearance by the actress Gina Gershon who contributed a thrilling Jew’s harp solo.

Check out what Jon Pareles had to say about Somethin’ Else in The New York Times:

“This year’s Bonnaroo had a new addition: a jazz stage set up like a club, in a dark room with tables and wait service. It was constantly packed, with a line, for music primarily from the roster of Blue Note Records, which sponsored the stage in a wise marketing move. Since Bonnaroo’s audience prizes virtuosity and nuance, why not offer them in the highly evolved form of jazz? Younger musicians like the pianist Robert Glasper are already meeting contemporary music on their own terms; he played one piece based on a hip-hop groove from J Dilla, and another that mingled Radiohead’s ‘Everything in the Right Place’ with Herbie Hancock’s ‘Maiden Voyage.’ Older musicians, like the 80-year-old saxophonist Lou Donaldson and the organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, didn’t need updating at all.”

Reid Davis also posted a rave review on his PASTE magazine blog:
“Bonnaroo may have taken some zigs and zags from its jamband roots, but it still hosts plenty of folks who dig the extended jam, the righteous solo. Why it took so long for straight-up jazz to get here I have no idea, but the idea is incredibly logical, and almost inevitable. And leave it to Blue Note Records to do it up right, with an air-conditioned, tent-housed club called ‘Somethin’ Else’—the name both a nod to Cannonball Adderley’s monumental album and a nice fit with the local hierarchy of This, That and The Other... Bottom line: a terrific idea.”
 

EARTH, WIND & FIRE TO APPEAR AT 12th ANNUAL BERMUDA MUSIC FESTIVAL

Fans of the R&B group Earth Wind & Fire get ready to "Groove" in Bermuda where the legendary band will put an exclamation point on an already jam-packed 12th Annual Bermuda Music Festival hosted by the Bermuda Department of Tourism." From October 3rd - 6th, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Natasha Bedingfield, The O'Jay's and now Earth Wind & Fire will fill four nights with "Mighty Mighty Music" during what looks to be one of Bermuda's most high profiled Music Festivals being hosted, once again, by Steve Harvey.

"We have an incredible group of talent performing at this year's Bermuda Music Festival," said Bermuda's Premier, Minister of Tourism and Transport, Dr. the Hon. Ewart F. Brown, JP, MP. "The addition of Earth Wind and Fire makes this year's music festival one of the hottest tickets Bermuda has ever seen.”

Earth, Wind & Fire are one of the most musically accomplished, critically acclaimed, and commercially popular funk bands of the '70s. Conceived by drummer, bandleader, songwriter, kalimba player, and occasional vocalist Maurice White, Earth Wind & Fire's all-encompassing musical vision incorporated jazz, smooth soul, gospel, pop, rock & roll, psychedelia, blues, folk, African music, and, later on, disco. White founded Earth, Wind & Fire in Chicago in 1969. Their breakthrough album, That's the Way of the World (1975), yielded "Shining Star," a Grammy Award-winning #1 hit on both the pop and R&B charts.

Earth, Wind & Fire's conquest of the Seventies continued with an unbroken run of multiplatinum albums: Gratitude (1975), Spirit (1976), All 'n All (1977), The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 (1978) and I Am (1979). After a short-term hiatus, Earth, Wind & Fire bounced back in 1987 with a strong album (Touch the World) and single ("System of Survival"). They became an active recording and touring entity again, albeit at a less frantic pace. A career-spanning box set, The Eternal Dance, was released in 1992. Maurice White retired from the road in 1996 but remains Earth, Wind & Fire's producer and guiding light. The band's most recent studio recording, In the Name of Love, appeared on the Pyramid/Rhino label in 2007.

Now in its 12th year, The Bermuda Music Festival is going back to its roots and will be held at the National Sports Centre, the site of the first festival. This year's festival is being produced by George Wein and his company, Festival Productions, Inc. Past performers include: Kenny G, Seal, Natalie Cole, India.Arie, Gladys Knight, Anita Baker and Isaac Hayes, to name a few.

SMOOTH JAZZ RELEASES

Here’s a list of recent smooth jazz releases…
Acoustic Alchemy – This Way (Narada Jazz Blue)
Barry Sea Paradox – Lost Soul Found Smooth Jazz (Deja Boom_
Brian Dale – Sticks & Bones (Independent)
Brian Simpson – Above The Clouds (Rendezvous)
Chris Cortez – Awakenings (Blue Bamboo Music)
D: Fuse+Hirazka – Skyline Lounge (Lost Angeles)
David Crawford – Shangri-La (Jazzer Inc.)
Dee Brown – No Time To Waste (De’Laf Records)
Deena Russo – You’re My Greatest Miracle (Deena Russo Music)
Down To The Bone – Supercharged (Narada Jazz Blue)
Eddie Noble – Love T.K.O. (Sonido Noble Music)
Elisabeth Withers – It Can Happen To Anyone (Narada Jazz)
Eric Marienthal – Just Around The Corner (Peak)
Euge Groove – Born 2 Groove (Blue Note)
Gary Carpenter & Tribal Heat – Sirena (Independent)
Glenn Alves – Abstractism (Glenn Alves Music)
J. Dee – Trippin’ On The Edge Of Funk (NuGroove)
Jared Wilson & The Vibe – Worry No More (TVA Records)
Jeff Kashiwa – Play (Native Language)
Joel Rodney Siemion – Cayman Moon (Independent)
Kirk Whalum – Roundtrip (Rendezvous)
Late Night Rendezvous – Compilation (Rendezvous)
Lauren Wood – Love, Death & Customer Service (Bad Art Records)
Lisa Hilton – The New York Sessions (Ruby Slipper)
Lorraine Gervais – A World Apart (Independent)
Marc Antoine – Hi-Lo Split (Peak)
Marcus H. Johnson – The Phoenix (Three Keys)
Maysa – Feel The Fire (Shanachie)
Nate Wingfield – Rhythm Tree (Outside The Box)
Nyee Moses – Nyee Moses (Nyess Moses Music)
Outta Nowhere – Outta Nowhere (M Entertainment)
Phil Perry – A Mighty Love (Shanachie)
Ragan Whiteside – Class Axe (Randis Music)
Ronny Smith – Simply Stated (K&A Music Group)
Sandy Zacky – Sandy’s Solos (Three Sun)
Slim Man – Soltice (Oui Oui Music)
Smooth Ones – Compilation (Rendezvous)
Soul Ballet – Lavish (ARTizen Music)
Stix Bones – Groove Like This (Bone Entertainment)
Terje Lie – Travleler (Tcat Records)
Tom Braxton – Imagine This (Pacific Coast Jazz)
U-Nam – Back From The 80’s (Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm)
Under The Lake – People Together (Mind In Overdrive)
Urban Jazz Coalition – Down To Get Up (Major 6th Records)
Vertice Williams – Vertice Williams (V-Records)
Victor Fields – Thinking Of You (Regina)
Victor McClain – Mystic Journey (Urge)
Wayne Jones – Forgotten Melody (Dim & Dimmer)

STEVIE WONDERS ‘A WARM SUMMER’S NIGHT’ TOUR

One of contemporary music's most iconic stars, the legendary Stevie Wonder, announced today that he is hitting the road for the first time in more than a decade. "A Wonder Summer's Night" tour will feature an evening of music from Stevie, a performing and songwriting tour de force who has received an astounding 25 Grammy Awards as well the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

The tour kicks off on August 23rd at Humphries in San Diego, CA and culminates on September 20th in Boston's Bank of America Pavilion. The tour is being produced by Live Nation and company executive Larry Magid. Tickets are available beginning on Saturday, August 11th.

"I am looking forward to performing in these venues under the stars. We are going to have some wonderful nights of intimate excitement," said Stevie Wonder.

Stevie Wonder released the first live performance to reach the top of the U.S. charts with Fingertips Part II. His amazing career has earned him 49 top 40 singles, 32 number-one singles, and an Academy Award(R) for "I Just Called to Say I Love You," plus Billboard's 2004 Century Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, alongside the Rolling Stones.

In 1983, Wonder spearheaded the realization of Martin Luther King Day as a national U.S. holiday. His participation in the massive 1985 "We Are the World" fundraiser for hunger in Africa was a music industry milestone, while his involvement to put an end to apartheid in South Africa is legendary.

Stevie Wonder was the youngest honoree of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors. At the 22nd Kennedy Center Honors in 1999, President Clinton remarked: "In so many ways (Wonder) has helped to compose the remaining passages of Dr. King's legacy." But it is Wonder's songwriting legacy that has inexorably connected him to the world. From Motown prodigy to groundbreaking innovator, he has always believed in music as a transformational force. Don't miss these special dates. They will be nights of intimate excitement.

"A WONDER SUMMER'S NIGHT TOUR"

Aug. 23 San Diego, CA @ Humphrey's
Aug. 25 Lake Tahoe, CA @ Harvey's Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre
Aug. 26 Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion
Aug. 28 Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
Aug. 30 Portland, OR @ Edgefield Amphitheatre
Aug. 31 Woodinville, WA @ Chateau Saint Michelle Winery
Sept. 4 Saratoga, CA @ Mountain Winery
Sept. 5 Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
Sept. 10 Chicago, IL @ Charter One Pavilion
Sept. 12 Detroit, MI @ Meadowbrook
Sept. 14 Atlanta, GA @ Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Sept. 16 Baltimore, MD @ Pier Six Pavilion
Sept. 20 Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion

WJJZ SMOOTH JAZZ SUMMER NIGHTS

Smooth jazz makes a return to Penn’s Landing at the Philadelphia Waterfront tonight and every Friday night in August, with 97.5 WJJZ’s Smooth Jazz Summer Nights at Penn’s Landing Great Plaza on Columbus Boulevard at Chestnut Street. All concerts are free. The series kicks-off August 3rd, with Jeff Kashiwa. Kashiwa's third Native Language album entitled Peace of Mind is scheduled to be in stores August 24th.

Also appearing on August 3 is Ken Navarro, one of today's leading Smooth Jazz guitarists and composers, Navarro's latest CD release on the Positive Music Records label The Meeting Place was released worldwide this past January and is climbing up the Smooth Jazz charts.

In celebration of the 10th year, two national smooth jazz artists will perform on stage every Friday night in August beginning at 7:30 p.m. Presented by the Penn's Landing Corporation, Smooth Jazz Summer Nights is a partnership with Smooth Jazz 97.5 WJJZ, along with CW Philly 57 and CBS 3.

Performers for the remaining concerts are:
· August 10: Jeff Lorber and Paul Jackson, Jr.
· August 17: Steve Cole featuring Cool World
· August 24: Chieli Minucci and Special EFX featuring Nelson Rangell
· August 31: Bobby Caldwell and the Smooth Summer All Stars

THE SPINNERS AT VAPOR

Legendary R&B group, The Spinners will perform at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway on Sunday, August 19th. Tickets are on sale now for the 8:00pm show at the new night club, Vapor. The Spinners have always made timeless music, although they were most popular as "hit-makers" in the 1970s. Original members Bobbie Smith, Henry Fambrough and Pervis Jackson are now joined onstage by Charlton Washington, high tenor Spike Bonhart and a soul-infused five piece band. The Spinners boast twelve gold records, six Grammy nominations (performing twice at the awards ceremony), a Black Gold Award from Dick Clark and a star on the Hollywood "Walk of Fame." They are also proud to give back to the community through charitable work, making appearances on behalf of autistic children, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the NAACP and many others. Scoring with approximately twenty hit singles, some of their best known tunes include I'll Be Around, Could It Be I'm Falling In Love, and Working My Way Back to You. Today, the Spinners still maintain a full world-wide touring schedule, performing sold out concerts for fans of all ages.

BRANFORD MARSALIS TOUR DATES

Branford Marsalis will perform the following concerts:
August 8 @ Center for the Arts, Jackson WY
August 10 @ Dartmouth College, Hanover NH
August 11 @ JVC Jazz Fest, Newport RI
September 9 @ Liberty Jazz Festival, Jersey City NJ
September 21 @ Manship Theatre, Baton Rouge LA
September 22 @ Family Circle Tennis Center, Charleston SC
October 19 @ Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma WA
October 20 @ Trinity University, San Antonio TX
October 26 @ Lincoln Center, New York NY
October 27 @ Lincoln Center, New York NY
November 10 @ Fox Cities PAC, Appleton WI
November 17 @ Wesleyan College, Rochester NY
January 4 @ Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Scottsdale AZ
January 6 @ Philharmonic Center, Naples FL
February 1 @ Purchase Center, Purchase NY

SAN JOSE JAZZ ANNOUNCES SPECIAL HOTEL RATES FOR UPCOMING COMCAST SAN JOSE JAZZ FESTIVAL

San Jose Jazz today announced special rates from Bay Area hotels for the upcoming 18th Annual Comcast San Jose Jazz Festival presented by Southwest Airlines. The hotels which include the Hilton, Fairmont, Holiday Inn, Wyndham and Crowne Plaza, are now offering rates from $99 to special "Jazzy Packages" breakfast and deluxe overnight stay. The 2007 Festival takes place August 10 - 12, 2007 and is one of the Bay Area's most popular events. With 10 stages in and around downtown San Jose, the Festival features hundreds of acts including Angie Stone, Red Holloway, David 'Fathead' Newman, Lee Ritenour, Gerald Albright, Greg Osby, Pete Escovedo, Denise Donatelli, and Wayne Bergeron. In 2006, more than 76,000 people attended the three-day festival.

Festival Hotel Packages include:
-- Hilton, the Host Hotel of the 2007 San Jose Jazz Festival. Festival rate: $99
-- Clarion Hotel Festival rate: $89
-- Crowne Plaza Festival rate: $109
-- Fairmont Festival rates: $155
-- Holiday Inn Festival rates: $79 single/doubles $89 triples/quad
-- Hotel Valencia Festival Rates: $149
-- Marriott Festival rate: $109
-- Montgomery Festival rate: $149
-- St. Claire Festival rate: $99
-- Wyndham Hotel Festival rates: $89.00 to $110.00

LOS ANGELES WAVEFEST

Michael McDonald, Patti Austin, and India.Arie are among the headliners for the Los Angeles WAVEFest, set for September 28th and 29th at the Greek Theater. This will be the 20th anniversary of the annual smooth jazz show, sponsored by L.A.'s KTWV. Friday evening's show will feature McDonald and Austin, as well as guitarist Marc Antoine and Latin conga master Poncho Sanchez. Saturday's show will feature Arie, Ottmar Liebert, and Philippe Saisse.

AL GREEN RECORDING NEW CD

Al Green has been working on a new album of duet performances featuring The Roots band and produced by the group's Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. The project, featuring songs penned by Green with The Roots, will pair him with an array of contemporary artists. The final track listing has not yet been finalized. Green is performing duets with D'Angelo, Anthony Hamilton, Joss Stone and Alicia Keys The project will be the follow-up to the his critically hailed Blue Note releases, 2003's I Can't Stop and 2005's Everything's OK.

CHAKA KHAN'S 'FUNK THIS'

Chaka Khan duets with Mary J. Blige on the new single "Disrespectful," a track from her forthcoming CD, Funk This. The hard-driving duet represents the current harmony between the singers, 15 years after Khan publicly decried the younger Queen Of Hip Hop Soul's 1992 version of the classic "Sweet Thing," which Khan had made famous with Rufus back in 1974. Funk This is Khan's return to a harder R&B sound after the lush orchestral arrangements of 2005's ClassiKhan. It is also the first pairing of Khan with Grammy-winning production team Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. In addition to the Blige duet, Funk This includes other original tunes as well as Khan's versions of some favorites, including Joni Mitchell's "Ladies Man," Jimi Hendrix's "Castles Made Of Sand," Prince's "Sign O' The Times," and a tune recorded by Dee Dee Bridgewater, "Foolish Fool." Khan also revisits two Rufus classics, "Pack'd My Bags," and "You Got The Love," with original Rufus guitarist Tony Maiden. Michael McDonald also guests on the tune "You Belong To Me" with Khan. Funk This will be released September 25th on Burgundy/Sony BMG Entertainment.

HARRY CONNICK JR. EUROPEAN TOUR DATES

Harry Connick, Jr. will perform the following concerts:
October 28 @ World Forum Theatre, The Hague Netherlands
October 29 @ Queen Elizabeth Hall, Antwerp Belgium
October 30 @ Grand Rex, Paris France
November 3 @ Royal Albert Hall, London UK
November 13 @ RDS Main Hall, Dublin Ireland
November 14 @ Waterfront Hall, Belfast UK
November 16 @ Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow UK
November 17 @ Symphony Hall, Birmingham UK

HERBIE HANCOCK’ LATEST FEATURES THE JONI MITCHELL SONGBOOK

Herbie Hancock’s new album, "River: The Joni Letters," due Sept. 25 via Verve, contains songs culled from the Joni Mitchell songbook. Joni Mitchell is included on the album singing a new version of "The Tea Leaf Prophecy," while Tina Turner takes the mic for "Edith and the Kingpin." Other guests include Leonard Cohen on "The Jungle Line," Norah Jones on "Court and Spark," Corinne Bailey Rae on "River" and Luciana Souza on "Amelia." Hancock is also joined the album by such veteran musicians as Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland, Vinnie Colaiuta and Lionel Loueke. Hancock and Mitchell previously worked together on the latter's 19XX album, "Mingus," on which Shorter also played. The new project also includes Shorter's "Nefertiti" and the Duke Ellington standard "Solitude."

HIDDEN BEACH OFFERS FREE DOWNLOAD SAMPLER OF JILL SCOTT’S ‘THE REAL THING’ CD

Jill Scott’s third solo CD, "The Real Thing (Words And Music Volume 3)," is set for release on September 25. "The Real Thing" will include 17 brand new songs. According to Scott’s label, Hidden Beach, there will also be a Deluxe Limited Edition featuring all of Jill's videos including her two new singles, "Hate On Me" and "My Love." Also included is the "Running Away" bonus track where Jill gives her approach on songwriting, an exclusive performance from her forthcoming "Jill Scott: Live In Paris" release and more. You can visit the Hidden Beach website so that you can get a free mp3 download sampler of the new album. The first 5000 people get it for free! Click and enjoy: http://www.hiddenbeach.com/

MICHAEL BUBLE RULES THE AIRWAVES & CONCERT WORLD

Things couldn't get any hotter this summer for Canadian singing star Michael Bublé as "Everything," the first single from his CD "CALL ME IRRESPONSIBLE," recently reached the No. 1 spot on Billboard's A/C charts. "Everything," written by Bublé, boasts the fastest trip to No. 1 in three years on the A/C chart and follows his previous No. 1 hit single "Home" also written by the 31-year old Vancouver native.

On the concert front, Bublé's 18-city sold out summer concert tour, which began in Reno, Nevada July 13th, and includes a three night run at NY's Radio City is already receiving sizzling reviews. "For everyone in attendance it would have been hard not to spend the night falling in love with Bublé's style and music. He truly enchanted the crowd," raved the Reno Gazette-Journal. "With his chill-inducing vocals and deft sense of humor, Michael Bublé proved to the audience that he could very well be pop's next superstar," said Ticketmaster's Live Daily in a review of his Phoenix show.

Bublé who recently performed on the "Today Show" and "Oprah Winfrey" was a guest on "The Regis and Kelly Show" on July 30th.

The CD "Call Me Irresponsible," Bublé's "remark on the different states of love," entered the Billboard Pop Chart at No. 2 and jumped to No. 1 the following week. It has remained in the top 30 on the pop charts since its release. It has also been No. 1 on Billboard's Traditional Jazz charts for the last l0 weeks. "Michael Buble's third studio album is the Big One," raved Stephen Holden in a NY Times review. Produced by David Foster and Humberto Gattica, the CD includes unique Bublé interpretations of "Me and Mrs. Jones," "I've Got the World On A String" and the Leonard Cohen hit "I'm Your Man" amongst other great standards as well as another Bublé written song called "Lost."

Bublé burst onto the music scene in 2003. His follow-up album "It's Time" has sold close to six million copies worldwide and remained on the Billboard Traditional Jazz Charts for two years and in the No. 1 position for over 80 weeks -- holding an all-time record. The artist's collective sales of his CDs and DVDs -- in the U.S. alone -- have passed the seven million mark.

Below are his current U.S. Tour Dates:

8/1 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
8/2 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
8/4 Boston, MA Wang Theatre
8/5 Boston, MA Wang Theatre
8/7 Philadelphia, PA Mann Center
8/8 Philadelphia, PA Mann Center
8/10 Pittsburgh, PA Petersen Events Center
8/11 Fairfax, VA Patriot
8/13 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
8/14 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
8/21 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
8/22 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
8/23 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
8/25 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena
8/27 Portland, OR Theatre of the Clouds
8/28 Seattle, WA McCaw Hall
8/29 Seattle, WA McCaw Hall

TALIB KWELI RELEASES SIXTH ALBUM ON WARNER BROS.

New Album Features Guest Appearances by Norah Jones, Justin Timberlake, KRS-ONE, and UGK Production by Kanye West, will.i.am, Madlib, and Hi-Tek; Talib Kicks the Summer Into High Gear With the Rock the Bells Festival and Summer Tour

Talib Kweli, the Brooklyn wordsmith, returns with his eagerly awaited sixth album EARDRUM, in stores on August 21st, 2007 on Kweli's own label, Blacksmith Music and Warner Bros. Records. With this career-defining new album, Kweli mixes hard-hitting beats with inventive rhymes that serve to not only entertain, but also to educate.

Hailed by USA Today as "Hip-Hop's most inventive lyricist," the MC's penchant for being a lyrical mastermind is reflected in his album title, aptly called EARDRUM. Talib explains, "The image of the ear and of the drum are powerful enough by themselves, but when you put them together, it's an instrument that's in your body that helps you hear. They're also two very simple, yet powerful words."

From start to finish EARDRUM delivers career-defining work from Kweli that showcases his advanced lyricism and knack for picking beats that resonate long after the song ends. EARDRUM shows Kweli's versatility ranging from his new single, "Hot Thing" produced by will.i.am to the alluring strings of "Soon the New Day" featuring the sultry vocals of Grammy Award-winning jazz artist, Norah Jones to the brassy horns of "Country Cousins" which feature the underground kings of the south, UGK. Other guests on the album include: Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, KRS-ONE, Blacksmith artist Jean Grae and Musiq Soulchild.

EARDRUM boasts innovative production work by such vanguard artists as Kanye West, who worked on Kweli's 2002's gold-certified "Quality" and 2004's "The Beautiful Struggle"; Black-Eyed Peas founder will.i.am; and "Black Star" producer Hi-Tek, who also collaborated with Kweli on the gold-certified 2000 album "Reflection Eternal." Additional production highlights include New York rapper Kwame and multi-instrumentalist/producer Madlib, whose previous collaboration delivered the free digital-only EP, "Liberation" (2007).

The talented wordsmith is preparing to hit the road for the Rock the Bells Festival and his own summer tour. As one of the most toured Hip-Hop artists (at least 250 dates a year) fans can expect to hear Kweli perform new tracks from EARDRUM including "Listen" and "More or Less" as well as classics from past albums.

Talib is also working hard to provide fans with additional premium content via mobile devices, and through the web. "The Story Of Blacksmith," written by Talib Kweli and Blacksmith Music, is a 15-part "text novella" which will be unveiled to fans via Talib Kweli's mobile sign up list free (Fans can sign up by texting "Talib" to 50505 from their mobile device, standard text messages rates apply). Each of the 15 chapters will break down as one text message sent weekly.

Also in the works, Kweli is revealing "The Words Of Eardrum" on talibkweli.com, an alternate track listing to the songs on EARDRUM that gives fans more insight on the songs and reveals the depth of the album.

TALIB KWELI SUMMER TOUR/ROCK THE BELLS DATES
Dates Subject to Change

8/1 CHARLOTTE, NC NEIGHBOR THEATER
8/2 ATLANTA, GA HI-FI BUYS AMPHITHEATER
8/4 MIAMI, FL BAYFRONT PARK AMPHITHEATER
8/6 NEW ORLEANS, LA HOUSE OF BLUES
8/7 DALLAS, TX SMIRNOFF MUSIC CENTER
8/8 AUSTIN,TX EMO'S
8/10 TEMPE, AZ THE BRICKHOUSE
8/11 SAN BERNARDINO, CA HYUNDAI PAVILION (Rock the Bells)
8/12 SAN DIEGO, CA COORS AMPHITHEATER (Rock the Bells)
8/13 SANTA CRUZ, CA CATALYST
8/15 SEATTLE, WA SHOWBOX
8/18 SAN FRANCISCO, CA MCCOVEY COVE
8/19 SACRAMENTO, CA SLEEP TRAIN AMPHITHEATER
8/21 SALT LAKE CITY, UT USANA AMPHITHEATER
8/22 DENVER, CO RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATER
8/23 LAWRENCE, KS GRANADA
8/25 MINNEAPOLIS, MN METRODOME
8/26 CHICAGO, IL CHARTER ONE PAVILION
8/27 MADISON, WI BARRYMORE
8/28 CLEVELAND, OH HOUSE OF BLUES
8/29 DETROIT, MI DTE ENERGY MUSIC THEATER

ANGELA BOFILL SUFFERS SECOND STROKE

Angela Bofill suffered a second massive stroke on Tuesday (July 10th). The singer is currently listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit of a Southern California hospital. The singer is reportedly conscious, but is paralyzed along the left side of her body.The 52-year-old Bofill had been battling back from her first stroke, which she suffered in January of 2006. The singer and songwriter unfortunately does not have medical insurance, and friends in the smooth jazz industry have rallied to organize benefits to help with her medical expenses. A benefit concert was held this past March by flutist and radio host Alexander Zonjic, with guests Jeff Lorber, Kem, Maysa, Najee, Ken Navarro, and many others.

BUDDY GUY TOUR DATES

Buddy Guy will perform the following concerts:
August 1 @ Music in the Zoo, Apple Valley MN
August 2 @ Ravinia, Highland Park IL
August 5 @ Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival, Annapolis MD
August 7 @ Toad's Place, Richmond VA
August 8 @ Purchase College, Purchase NY
August 9 @ Strom Auditorium, Rockport ME
August 11 @ Dutch Mason Blues Festival, Dartmouth NS
August 17 @ Empire Blues, Belleville ON
August 18 @ Diversity Festival, Pittsburgh PA
August 25 @ Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre, Oklahoma City OK
August 27 @ Jackson Hole Center, Jackson Hole WY
August 31 @ Billy Bob's Texas, Fort Worth TX
September 1 @t Long Beach Blues Festival, Long Beach CA
September 3 @ Rib America Festival, Indianapolis IN
September 5 @ Tabernacle, Atlanta GA
September 6 @ Tivoli, Chattanooga TN
September 7 @ Bull Durham Blues Fest, Durham NC
September 8 @ Southside Shuffle, Mississauga ON
September 14 @ Northern Lights Theatre, Milwaukee WI
September 15 @ Wall to Wall Guitar Festival, Urbana IL
October 11 @ Harrah's St. Louis, Maryland Heights MO
October 13 @ Delta Downs Racetrack, Vinton LA
November 9 @ Kentucky Center, Louisville KY
November 14 @ Harrah's North, Kansas City MO
April 3 @ Centre in the Square, Kitchener ON
April 4 @ Hamilton Place Theatre, Hamilton ON
April 5 @ Massey Hall, Toronto ON

FEDERICO AUBELE’S ‘PANAMERICA’ DUE SEPT. 18

Federico Aubele recently debuted 3 new songs from his forthcoming album, “Panamericana,” live on Raul Campos’ Nocturna show on legendary LA radio station KCRW. If you didn’t catch it, you can listen to it archived here - http://kcrw-lb1-1.kcrw.com/music/programs/no/no070713federico_aubele Of the tracks he debuted, “en el Desierto” is currently available as a FREE download via Federico’s myspace page – www.myspace.com/aubele & the ESL Music myspace – www.myspace.com/eslmusic
If that doesn’t sate you, Federico is also currently a featured artist in the August issue of Nokia’s eZine. Subscribers can also be the first to see the video for the first single “La Esquina” by clicking the link below and also have the chance to win a free copy of the soon to be released “Panamericana.” http://www.nokiaunwired.com/click_track.php?id=1776 “Panamericana” is set for release worldwide on September 18.

Aublele is also set to kick off his release week in high style as he announces a series of rare DJ sets around the US. Look for more shows to be announced shortly, as well as acoustic & full band dates in the North America & Europe. Here’s a peek at a few of his upcoming DJ set dates:
9/08: @ Moorea Pool & Mix Lounge, THEhotel @ Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
9/15: @ Eighteenth Street Lounge, Washington, DC
9/20: @ Supperclub, Venice, CA
9/21: @ Rx Gallery, San Francisco, CA
9/22: @ Moorea Pool & Mix Lounge, THEhotel @ Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

WJZI-FM FLIPS TO WLDB-FM

Radio station WJZI-FM (93.3) is preparing to change its call letters following its switch in June from smooth jazz programming to mainstream adult contemporary music. The new call letters are WLDB. The stationon has used the WJZI call letters since 1996, when it adopted the smooth jazz format. The radio station has said that mainstream adult contemporary has been absent from Milwaukee airwaves since WLTQ-FM dropped the format in 2003. Featured artists on the new format are Elton John, Phil Collins, Sheryl Crow, Billy Joel, Kelly Clarkson and Rod Stewart.

AMY WINEHOUSE TOUR DATES UPDATED

Amy Winehouse will perform the following concerts:
August 4 @ V Festival, Washington DC
August 5 @ Lollapalooza, Chicago IL
August 8 @ Oyafestivalen, Oslo Norway
August 18 @ V Festival, Chelmsford UK
August 19 @ V Festival, Staffordshire UK
August 25 @ Rock en Seine Festival, Paris France
September 8 @ V Festival, Toronto ON
September 9 @ Osheaga Festival, Montreal QC
September 15 @ Austin City Limits Festival, Austin TX
October 22 @ Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam Netherlands
October 30 @ Ancienne Belgique, Brussels Belgium
November 12 @ Carling Apollo, Manchester UK
November 14 @ The NIA, Birmingham UK
November 16 @ Barrowland, Glasgow UK
November 18 @ Carling Academy, Newcastle UK
November 20 @ Empress Ballroom, Blackpool UK
November 22 @ Carling Brixton Academy, London UK
November 26 @ Brighton Centre, Brighton UK
November 27 @ International Centre, Bournemouth UK
November 28 @ Cardiff International Arena, Cardiff UK
December 1 @ RDS Main Hall, Dublin Ireland
December 3 @ Waterfront Hall, Belfast UK

QUINCY JONES GOES DIGITAL

Entertainment icon, mentor and humanitarian Quincy Jones enters the digital world today with the debut episode of his new video podcast series. The video podcast debut with Episode 1, through Quincy's partnership with Wizzard Media, one of the world's leading podcast aggregators and distributors, is the first in a video podcast series comprising at least 26 episodes in Year One, providing unique and unprecedented access and a behind-the-scenes look at Quincy's world, including footage of him at work in the studio with some of today's biggest stars and at exclusive events around the globe. Also featured in upcoming video podcast episodes will be Quincy on film, popular culture, politics and events on the national and international stage.

Quincy's video podcast series is produced by Quincy with The Robert Thorne Company, which is partnered with Quincy for a just-introduced lifestyle range of consumer products and his new digital platform distributed to a network of millions online. The video podcast series is the first phase in the launch of the new digital platform, in a move intended to capture the surge of interest for entertainment content delivered through online and digital media. Management company The Firm and The Robert Thorne Company also work with Quincy on upcoming film, TV and radio projects, along with Quincy Jones Productions EVP Kimiko Fox and VP Adam Fell and Endeavor Talent Agency.

The 27-time Grammy winner's new digital platform expands with its second phase, the Fall debut of quincyjones.com, an online destination featuring incomparable access to the wisdom and experience and the strong celebrity and artist ties of this living legend with the interactivity of a social network embracing musicians, producers, artists and Quincy's other followers worldwide. It will include Quincy's Vault that will give users access to previously unreleased audio and video of Quincy and the legendary performers he's worked with as well as a virtual Quincy's Academy where users will network and share their artistry with music professionals, like-minded peers and consumers and have access to digital record distribution and marketing opportunities. The online community will be initially drawn together by interest in Quincy's incredible career, and will evolve organically with its members' tastes and interests, putting its ultimate shape and purpose largely in the hands of its users.

The video podcasts featuring Quincy are the latest innovation in his pioneering use of cutting-edge technology. Throughout Quincy's six decades in show business, he has consistently sought out and incorporated the newest technology into his legendary body of work. In 1953, he was the first arranger/conductor to utilize the newly-invented Fender electric bass in audio recordings, which dramatically changed the sound of popular music. In the late '60s, Quincy used one of the first synthesizers on his Ironside TV series theme music, which brought electronic music into the mainstream.

In the debut video podcast episode, Quincy is in the studio producing Celine Dion's version of I Knew I Loved You, recorded for the tribute album We All Love Ennio Morricone and slated for inclusion on Dion's upcoming Greatest Hits album. The song was originally the instrumental theme of the 1984 film Once Upon a Time in America, starring Robert DeNiro. Quincy asked his close friends, veteran lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman to pen lyrics for the song for Celine. The new Quincy-produced version was first performed publicly by Celine on this year's Academy Awards telecast to an audience of more than a billion viewers worldwide, and paid tribute to Morricone who was feted with an honorary Oscar. The video podcast allows viewers to experience the recording and production process with Quincy and Celine and hear Quincy sharing candid and personal thoughts on the project.

"I live to touch and share my love and wisdom with people around the world," said Quincy. "My podcasts are a powerful new way to reach out to millions and bring the best I have to offer to an extended new audience online."

The Robert Thorne Company's CEO Robert Thorne added, "Quincy will guide online viewers to digital content they'll want to experience, and a new state-of-the-art community of dialog and interactivity will emerge. Quincy's new digital platform will be a must-visit destination online."

As part of Quincy's partnership with Wizzard Media, which distributes one-third of the world's top audio and video podcasts, Quincy's video podcasts will be available on www.quincyjones.com, MySpace and Wizzard Media Channel on iTunes, and other leading podcast directories including Yahoo!, VH1, Syndic8 and Podcast Pickle. Wizzard Media's international network is growing on a monthly basis with publisher downloads in May surpassing 87 million, and will partner Quincy with ad campaigns from leading national brands and provide marketing and content development support.

"Quincy Jones is a legend and an innovator. With the material he'll bring to his video podcasts, he's certain to create an exciting and entertaining experience for podcast viewers," said Chris Spencer, CEO of Wizzard Media. "Given the huge response we anticipate through our focused research, our advertising team sees Quincy's podcast as an extraordinary business and revenue opportunity. We couldn't be more proud the ever-prestigious and always-cool Quincy chose Wizzard Media as his exclusive global podcast partner."

The video podcast debut is part of an all-encompassing initiative from Quincy Jones Enterprises, a partnership of Quincy and The Robert Thorne Company. TRTC manages Quincy's digital platform and his new lifestyle range of consumer products, comprising a full product offering in apparel and accessories, consumer and professional audio and electronics, publishing, health and grooming and home goods.

Just honored with the Grammy Foundation's Leadership Award July 28 at a star-studded, widely reported Los Angeles gala, Quincy Jones' career comprises the roles of composer, record producer, artist, film producer, arranger, conductor, instrumentalist, television producer, record company executive, television station owner, magazine founder, multi-media entrepreneur and humanitarian. As Fortune magazine recently noted, "Quincy's both cool and hot, all at once." He was just dubbed the "godfather of entertainment" on Black Enterprise's Top 50 Hollywood Power Brokers list and has worked beside such legends and current stars as Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Jackson, Bono, Celine Dion, Will Smith, Oprah and dozens more.

Among his awards is an Emmy, seven Oscar nominations, an honorary Oscar, 27 Grammys and dozens more prestigious awards in the U.S. and abroad. He is the most-nominated Grammy artist of all time with a total of 79 nominations and produced the best-selling album of all time Thriller and the best-selling single of all time We Are the World. He has scored 34 major motion pictures, and his own timeless music has been rediscovered in such films as the Austin Powers trilogy and Kill Bill. He's also produced the Oscar-winning film The Color Purple and the musical adaptation now on Broadway and touring. Together with his close friends Chris Stamps and Jennifer McCrae, Quincy is committed to helping at-risk youth around the world and alongside Harvard University, UNICEF and Inter-American Development Bank, he has worked with similarly committed celebrities, including Bob Geldof and Bono, to help children in the poorest regions of the world.

NORAH JONES TOUR DATES

Norah Jones will perform the following concerts:
August 3 @ Sentrum Scene, Oslo Norway
August 4 @ Cirkus Djurgarden, Stockholm Sweden
August 5 @ Falkoner Theatre, Copenhagen Denmark
August 7 @ Freilichtbuhne Stadtpark, Hamburg Germany
August 8 @ Zitadelle, Berlin Germany
August 13 @ La Foire Aux Vins, Colmar France
August 14 @ Theatre Antique, Vienne France
August 15 @ Arenes, Nimes France
August 18 @ Forest National, Brussels Belgium
August 19 @ Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam Netherlands
August 20 @ Philipshalle, Dusseldorf Germany
August 23 @ The Point, Dublin Ireland
August 24 @ Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow UK
August 25 @ Carling Apollo Manchester, Manchester UK
August 27 @ Carling Apollo Hammersmith, London UK

‘THE ESSENTIAL PAUL SIMON’ RELEASED

'The Essential Paul Simon,' is a two-disc, 36-song set spanning Simon's extraordinary four-decade career was released by Warner Bros. Records this past June.. The release stands as the single best collection of Simon's greatest songs, beginning with "Mother And Child Reunion" from his groundbreaking debut. The set includes highlights from each of Simon's albums, up to the collection's closer "Wartime Prayers," from the acclaimed 2006 album 'Surprise.' Simon was recently honored as the first recipient of the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at an all-star gala concert held at Washington, DC's Warner Theatre. "Few songwriters have had a broader influence or contributed more to song genres than Paul Simon," said Librarian of Congress James Billington, citing "the depth, range and sheer beauty of his music, as well as its ability to bridge peoples and cultures." The gala concert was broadcast nationally on PBS June 27, the day after release of 'The Essential Paul Simon.'

During his distinguished career, Paul Simon has been the recipient of many honors and awards including 12 Grammy Awards, three of which were albums of the year. He is an inductee to The Songwriters Hall of Fame and is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, both as a member of Simon and Garfunkel and as a solo artist. His song "Mrs. Robinson" from the motion picture "The Graduate" was named in the top ten of The American Film Institute's "100 Years 100 Songs." He was a recipient of The Kennedy Center Honors in 2003, and his landmark 'Graceland' album was recently added to the National Archives.

In addition to the 2-CD set, a Deluxe Edition containing both CDs as well as a bonus DVD will be released concurrently. Together for the first time in one place, the Deluxe Edition's DVD content features 6 music videos, "Saturday Night Live" performances and appearances, and an appearance on "The Dick Cavett Show." The "Saturday Night Live" footage includes the classic duet with George Harrison on "Homeward Bound," a performance of "Loves Me Like a Rock" from the second SNL episode ever, and Paul's appearance in a comedy sketch with the lounge-singing Sweeny Sisters.

'The Essential Paul Simon' Track Listing:

CD Disc One:

1. Mother And Child Reunion
2. Loves Me Like A Rock
3. Me And Julio Down By The School Yard
4. Duncan
5. Kodachrome® ("Kodachrome®" is a registered trademark for colored film.)
6. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
7. Slip Slidin' Away
8. Gone At Last with Phoebe Snow and The Jessy Dixon Singers
9. Something So Right
10. Late In The Evening
11. Hearts And Bones
12. Take Me To The Mardi Gras
13. That Was Your Mother
14. American Tune
15. Peace Like A River
16. Stranded In A Limousine
17. Train In The Distance
18. The Late Great Johnny Ace
19. Still Crazy After All These Years

CD Disc Two:

1. Graceland
2. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
3. The Boy In The Bubble
4. You Can Call Me Al
5. Under African Skies
6. The Obvious Child
7. Born At The Right Time
8. The Cool, Cool River
9. Spirit Voices
10. Adios Hermanos
11. Born In Puerto Rico
12. Quality
13. Darling Lorraine
14. Hurricane Eye
15. Father And Daughter
16. Outrageous
17. Wartime Prayers

DVD CONTENT

MUSIC VIDEOS

"Me And Julio Down By The School Yard" (with Mickey Mantle)
"You Can Call Me Al" (with Chevy Chase)
"Boy In The Bubble"
"Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes"
"The Obvious Child"
"Father And Daughter"

TV APPEARANCES

"The Dick Cavett Show"
-"Mrs. Robinson" (1970) - interview/performance
"Saturday Night Live"
-"Loves Me Like A Rock" (1975) - performance
-"Sweeney Sisters" (1987) - comedy sketch
-"Homeward Bound" (with George Harrison) (1976) - performance

LIONEL RITCHIE & SMOKEY ROBIINSON SIGN ON TO APPEAR AT 12th ANNUA:L BERMUDA MUSIC FESTIVAL

Bermuda Department of Tourism announced today that Grammy Award winner Lionel Richie along with Motown Legend Smokey Robinson and Grammy Award nominee Natasha Bedingfield will be among the top acts performing at the 12th Annual Bermuda Music Festival being hosted, once again, by "one of the 'Original Kings of Comedy'" Steve Harvey. From October 3-6, 2007, visitors and Bermudians alike will experience a festival that blends the talents & sounds of internationally renowned performers, rising stars and local artists.

"We are thrilled to welcome such celebrated artists to the Bermuda Music Festival," said Bermuda's Premier, Minister of Tourism and Transport, Dr. the Hon. Ewart F. Brown, JP, MP. "This is a wonderful annual event that positively impacts our country and draws visitors from across the globe. These gifted performers are sure to make this years' festival bigger and better than ever!"

Lionel Richie got his start in the Motown R&B group, the Commodores. The Commodores were one of the most successful acts on the Motown label in the 70s with such hits as "Easy" and "Three Times a Lady." It wasn't until after he left Commodores in the 80's that Lionel Richie became one of the most successful male solo artists with singles such as "Hello" and "All Night Long." Lionel Richie is the only artist, besides Irving Berlin, to
have a nine year streak of at least one number one hit every year. In 2006 he released the album Coming Home.

Smokey Robinson, nicknamed America's greatest poet by Bob Dylan, is the writer of many soul classics such as "My Girl" and "The Way You Do the Things You Do." During the sixties Smoky Robinson was not only one of the
best song writers in America but also the lead singer for the Miracles. In 1971 he left the Miracles to become Vice-President of Motown Corporations and to launch his solo career. Smoky Robinson was voted into the Rock in Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and is still continuing today to make everlasting music with the release of his 2006 album Timeless Love.

Natasha Bedingfield, who recently performed at the memorial Concert for Diana, took the US by storm last year with the first British chart topping hit by a female in almost twenty years. Vanity Fair singled her out as the spearhead of a new Britpop invasion. Her song "Unwritten" proved to be the most played song on mainstream American radio in 2006.

Comedian, actor and radio personality, Steve Harvey, is a force to be reckoned with. The comedian hit the silver screens in 2004 with two movie releases. After completing a second season of the WB's "Steve Harvey's Big Time Challenge," his latest blockbuster animated live action family film, "Racing Stripes," hit theatres this past January. "The Steve Harvey Morning Show," boasted ratings with loyal listeners over its first five years. Today, "The Steve Harvey Morning Show" is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks and airs in 18 markets including New York, Dallas, Washington, DC, Chicago, Detroit, Charlotte, Kansas City and Philadelphia.

This year's Bermuda Music Festival is going back to its roots and will be held at the National Sports Centre, the site of the first Bermuda Music Festival 12 years ago. The festival is being produced by George Wein and his company, Festival Productions, Inc. Past participants in the Bermuda Music Festival include: Kenny G, Seal, Natalie Cole, India.Arie, Gladys Knight, Anita Baker and Isaac Hayes, to name a few.

JEFF GOLUB COVERS THE FOUR TOPS ON NEW CD

Guitarist Jeff Golub is about to release another single from his current CD, Grand Central. The single "Ain't No Woman (Like The One I Got)," is a cover of the Four Tops 1974 hit, features saxophonist Richard Elliot. Also appearing on the single are trumpeter Rick Braun, keyboardist Mitchell Forman, and drummer Steve Ferrone. Grand Central was produced by Golub, who wanted to capture the loose, live feeling of a jazz club performance. Golub also has more tour dates scheduled with Guitars & Saxes 2007, also featuring Kirk Whalum, Gerald Albright, and Tim Bowman. For more tour dates, go to jeffgolub.com.

JAZZIZ LAUNCHES ONLINE MUSIC STORE

StoreBlocks™, the music distribution platform offered by music distribution developer PassAlong Networks™, today launched an online music store for JAZZIZ® Omnimedia and its subsidiaries, JAZZIZ® Magazine, JAZZIZ® Digital and JAZZIZ® Bistro. The store features PassAlong's entire catalog of 3 million songs and highlights jazz musicians on the homepage.

"JAZZIZ is an industry leader in the jazz world and we are honored to partner with them to extend our services to a new and unique audience," said Dave Jaworski, co-founder and CEO of PassAlong Networks. "We are looking for partners that want to focus on specific genres and it's great to have JAZZIZ lead the way."

StoreBlocks includes one of the industry's largest music catalogs of 3 million songs, innovative viral marketing tools and extensive store building options and features. Included in its music catalog are around 2 million independent songs in MP3 format.

"The launch of our online music store enhances our position as the preeminent infotainment and distribution company for all things jazz," said Michael Fagien, CEO of JAZZIZ Omnimedia.

All StoreBlocks program levels include the company's patent-pending Passing-and-Points™ platform, which offers fans an incentive to share music with others by awarding them points for their efforts, redeemable for future purchases. Music can be shared via email, Yahoo! Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger and with Skype.

StoreBlocks' premium services currently power more than 120 online music stores, including BreakthruRadio, TransWorld's f.y.e. - online music store and Procter & Gamble's Julie's Jukebox, a digital music store on HomeMadeSimple.com.

For nearly 25 years, JAZZIZ® Magazine has been covering the jazz world, documenting musical innovations, charting industry trends, and illustrating the artists whose lives so colorfully inform our own. Award-winning JAZZIZ® Magazine gives you the lowdown each month on what's hot (and what's not) in the world of jazz with insightful editorial, hundreds of CD reviews, and inspired photography and design. And JAZZIZ® lets you hear the music for yourself in all its classic and modern variety with JAZZIZ ON DISC™, a beautifully packaged CD filled with classic, new and exclusive music not available anywhere else! JAZZIZ® has been called "the voice of a new jazz culture; a culture it helped create," and over the past 24 years has grown to become the largest-circulated jazz publication in the world and the undisputed authority on jazz music and style. Now more than a magazine, JAZZIZ® stands for the best content, products, and services that the jazz world has to offer.

A full-service music distribution platform, StoreBlocks™ offers online retail store-building tools to enable clients to provide their end-consumers with a library of 3 million licensed songs, including 2 million in raw MP3 format, allowing for interoperability across multiple platforms and devices. Its powerful music referral system, Passing-and-Points™, offers easy-to-use rewards programs and legal music sharing. StoreBlocks offers a range of store options for everyone from individuals and charities to large corporations and currently powers more than 120 stores including BreakthruRadio, TransWorld's f.y.e. - for your entertainment online music store and Procter & Gamble's Julie's Jukebox, a digital music store on HomeMadeSimple.com. Features include turnkey templates, Web services, reporting systems, e-commerce engines and storefront showcases. StoreBlocks is a division of PassAlong Networks and can be found at http://www.StoreBlocks.com.

PassAlong Networks develops digital media innovations and services designed to enhance the Connected Consumer™ ecosystem while empowering artists and fans. PassAlong's core technologies include: media libraries, digital media store-building platforms and Web services through the StoreBlocks™ division; consumer-direct media displays, widgets and notification services through the OnTour® division; non-DRM protection technologies and media tracking through the FreedomMP3™ division; and independent artist self-publishing and promotion through its subsidiary Speakerheart.com. Current initiatives include advertising premium incentive programs, ad-supported revenue models, variable-pricing programs and in-car music downloads, mobile devices, media place-shifting and device-shifting, digital video libraries, and social networks. Founded in 2002, PassAlong Networks is privately held and based in Franklin, Tennessee. For more information, visit http://www.passalongnetworks.com.

OnTour, StoreBlocks, freedomMP3, PassAlong, Connected Consumer, Passing-and-Points and Speakerheart are trademarks of PassAlong Networks. All other brands are trademarks of their respective owners.

UPCOMING RELEASES FROM SLY & THE FAMILY STONE, SARAH VAUGHAN, GEORGE BENSON, WES MONTGOMERY & OTHERS…

A new Greatest Hits release is due from Sly and the Family Stone catalogue It is scheduled for release on August 28 and will be in digipak packaging along with new liner notes and photos.

Verve Records has a whole lot of album reissues and titles on the upcoming calendar.  They will release 13 titles, all planned for August 21.  They are: Lady Sings the Blues (Billie Holiday); Ella in Hamburg, The Very Best of the Duke Ellington Songbook, The Very Best of the Gershwin Songbook (Ella Fitzgerald); Ruby Ruby (Gato Barbieri); Shape of Things to Come (George Benson); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Jimmy Smith); Nights From the Alhambra (Loreena McKennitt); Lift to the Scaffold (Miles Davis); Live at Mister Kelly’s (Sarah Vaughn); Getz Au Go Go (Stan Getz); Oscar Peterson Trio Plus One (Oscar Peterson Trio); and Goin’ Out of My Head (Wes Montgomery).
 
Concord Jazz has slated a series of Live at The Monterey Jazz Festival titles, and they include: Dizzy Gillespie (Live at the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival); Louis Armstrong (Live at the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival); Miles Davis (Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival); Sarah Vaughan (Live at the 1971 Monterey Jazz Festival); Thelonius Monk (Live at the 1964 Monterey Jazz Festival); as well as a Various Artists compile called Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival.  All are scheduled for release on August 21.

A Number 1s series compilation title in the works for Lionel Richie and the Commodores, and will be released by Motown on August 28.  Motown will also release Number 1s for Stevie Wonder on August 21.

Kool & the Gang Videology will be released on DVD for Kool & The Gang on August 28 by Mercury Records.

Polydor Records will release Volume 2 of Millennium Collection: 20th Century Masters: The 70s, for James Brown on August 28.

A series of the upcoming Ella Fitzgerald “best of” sets are scheduled for August 21.  They are distillations of larger, more meticulous 4LP sets released in the late ‘50s.  The sets are The Very Best of the Duke Ellington Song Book (1957 – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book) and The Very Best of the Gershwin Song Book (1959 – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Song Book). 

'ULTIMATE SANTANA' DUE OCT 16 VIA ARISTA

Three new songs will be featured on the Santana retrospective "Ultimate Santana," due Oct. 16 via Arista. They include a Shakira/Lil Wayne collaboration that has yet to be named, an "infectious" rocker penned by and featuring Nickelback's Chad Kroeger titled "Into the Night" and a new version of the 2002 Michelle Branch-featuring hit "The Game of Love" with vocals from Tina Turner.

"We got a Grammy with Michelle, and Michelle brought her own spirit and her own innocence and purity," Santana tells Billboard, adding that Turner was the original intended guest on the cut, but that label politics got in the way. "However, when you hear these notes that Tina hits, every hair on your body stands up."

As for "Into the Night," Santana says it has that "kind of chant in a coliseum when your team is ahead, like 'We Will Rock You.' I am very grateful that Chad has shared it with me."

Next up on Santana's agenda is a double-disc set tentatively titled "Multi-Dimensional Warrior," which will be out next spring. Says the artist, "I took like six or seven CDs from the past that I felt never really got heard in between 'Abraxas' and 'Supernatural' and I complied this flow of songs." Santana has recorded some new guitar parts for the effort, which he describes as "a love letter to the fans."

Also in the works is a potential collaboration with producer Bill Laswell dubbed "Free Will" and music Santana has earmarked for use in conjunction with the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. "I'm writing music that will hopefully put us center stage with our African brothers there," he says.

FIRST EVER 'BEST OF' SET DUE FROM POLICE DRUMMER STEWART COPELAND

"The Stewart Copeland Anthology" Includes Acclaimed Soundtrack Recordings, Legendary Klark Kent Music, and 10 Never Before Released Recordings!

KOCH Records has announced the release of "The Stewart Copeland Anthology," a collection of musical works by legendary drummer for The Police, Stewart Copeland. This album will be released on August 14th, 2007.

Stewart Copeland rose to international stardom as drummer and co-founder of the Police, with whom he earned critical acclaim for his intricate, textured drum work. Beginning with their first hit, 1979's "Roxanne," the trio emerged as one of the most popular and innovative bands of the post-punk era, drawing upon reggae, funk, and world music to create a uniquely infectious yet cerebral brand of music which generated a series of smash singles including "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," "Every Breath You Take," and "King of Pain."

At the peak of The Police's success in 1983, Francis Ford Coppola called Stewart to ask him to compose the score for his "art movie for kids" "Rumble Fish," which began Copeland's career as a film composer. Notable for its unique blend of sampled sounds including clocks and car horns and with an end title song, "Don't Box Me In," performed by Wall of Voodoo alumnus Stan Ridgeway and Copeland, "Rumble Fish" earned Copeland a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Score. In 1985 he released "The Rhythmatist," the product of his musical pilgrimage to Africa, followed by an ever-increasing number of film scores including a pair of Oliver Stone features, "Wall Street" and "Talk Radio," in addition to acclaimed projects like the Emmy-nominated "Dead Like Me" and "West Beirut" as well as many more mainstream Hollywood productions.

"The Stewart Copeland Anthology" is a fascinating overview of his solo career including his Trey Anastasio/Les Claypool collaboration: Oysterhead, as well as key tracks from the Notte Della Taranta and GIZMO ensembles. "The Anthology" features music from many of his memorable film scores, along with key tracks from other projects (including a seminal track credited to the multi-instrumentalist Klark Kent).

Copeland says, "Contained on this album are some of the many musical adventures that I've had. Roughly chronological, 'The Anthology' starts with the callow charm of Klark Kent, and ends up with some of the slicker things that I have figured out after four decades of my obsession with music."

Returning to play together on a concert stage for the first time since 1984, The Police, 2003's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, embarked on an international tour on May 28th that instantly became the top grossing tour of 2007. Among the upcoming dates two performances at New York's Madison Square Garden followed by one at Giants Stadium are set for the 1st, 3rd and 5th of August 2007 together with ten additional US dates expected in October and November. Further they are set for blocks of European, Latin American, Japan and Australia/ NZ appearances through next spring.

Tracklisting:
1. Too Kool to Kalypso - Klark Kent
2. Don't Box Me In - Rumble Fish
3. Tulsa Tango - Rumble Fish
4. Koteja (O Bolilla) - The Rhythmatist
5. Serengeti Long Walk - The Rhythmatist
6. Theme from The Equalizer - Orchestralli
7. Anacott Steel - Wall Street
8. ** Slither (demo)
9. ** Night Drive Home - Very Bad Things
10. ** Taxi Ride - West Beirut
11. Bill is Dead - The Pallbearer
12. Wield The Spade - Oysterhead
(Trey Anastasio, Les Claypool, Stewart Copeland)
13. ** Look Up - vocals by Martina Topley-Bird
14. ** Rain - Spyro the Dragon
15. Childhood Friends - The Leopard Son
16. Mud Lions - The Leopard Son
17. ** Pizzica Degli Ucci - La Notte Della Taranta Ensemble
w/Stewart Copeland
18. ** Chrystal/Drive Daisy - Dead Like Me
19. ** George Trip/ End - Dead Like Me
20. ** Big Drum Tribe - Gizmo (Vittorio Cosma, Stewart Copeland, Armand
Sabal-Lecco, Phil X, Mauro Refosco, Dodo Nkishi)
21. ** Regret - Metropolis
**Indicates never before commercially released in the US and Canada

PEABO BRYSON'S PEAK DEBUT CD DUE OCT. 2

Andi Howard, president of Peak Records, has announced two time Grammy and Oscar winning recording artist Peabo Bryson has signed to the label. His debut release for the label, "Missing You," the 20th album of his career and his first in eight years, is set for release October 2, 2007.

Peabo Bryson is among the world's most dynamic and gifted vocal talents. Over the course of a career spanning from the mid-'60s but truly igniting in the '70s, the 2x-Oscar and Grammy-winner has amassed a fan base, critical acclaim, gold albums and an avalanche of awards by being one of the truly best friends a good song ever had... many of which he composed himself.

From ballads that gracefully continued the legacy of sweet soul music such as "Feel the Fire" and "I'm So Into You" to chart-topping pop hits such as "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" and "Can You Stop The Rain," and a plethora of duet collaborations with artists ranging from singers Celine Dion ("Beauty & The Beast"), Regina Belle ("A Whole New World") and Melissa Manchester ("Lovers After All"), to instrumentalists Kenny G ("By The Time This Night is Over") and Jim Brickman ("My Heart Belongs To You"), Peabo Bryson has proven himself as the consummate vocal professional. And, the 11 tracks of "Missing You," four of which he co-wrote, reaffirm his status!

The first single, "Count On Me" was just released to radio. Peabo Bryson is currently guest starring in Norman Brown's Summer Storm Tour 2007. Additional tour dates, including his annual "Colors of Christmas Tour" are to follow. Further background information and a selection of hi resolution images can be accessed on www.peakrecords.com. User i.d. is publicity, password is Peak.

Peak Records is a division of the Concord Music Group.

JAZZ IMPROV LIVE! 2007 CONVENTION & FESTIVAL, OCT 25-28

The first annual Jazz Improv® LIVE! Convention & Festival 2007, The One International Convention For Jazz Fans -- announces a preliminary schedule of headline events (see below for details), and Discount Advance Registration. Taking place this autumn in New York, October 25-28, 2007, at The New Yorker Hotel and Manhattan Center, at 34th Street & 8th Avenue in midtown Manhattan, right in the heart of the jazz world, the event will feature over 150 activities, a 12,000 square foot jazz expo area, and scores of performances, all day and evening, by leading and emerging artists covering the broadest array of jazz genres. Highlights include an exclusive U.S. appearance by the McCoy Tyner Trio featuring Stanley Clarke and Jack DeJohnette which will be recorded live for release on Half Note.

Legendary jazz historians and authorities Ira Gitler, Dan Morgenstern, George Wein, Ashley Kahn, Michael Cogswell (Louis Armstrong Museum), Loren Schoenberg (Jazz Museum of Harlem), Gary Walker, WBGO are among the list of experts who will be appearing on panels, workshops and interviews about the music, history, recordings, and personalities. Plus, for those who make music -- musicians, students, hobbyists, educators -- there will be an entire event track focused on playing, improvising, composing, arranging and the ins and outs of the music business, led by some of the industry's foremost players.

To take advantage of Advance Registration discounts, including a free bonus copy of Jazz Improv Magazine (300 pages with enhanced companion CD), call 1-888-472-0670, or use the secure automated registration form online at www.jazzimprov.com/live, or by mail to: Jazz Improv Convention Corporation, Murray Hill Station, P.O. Box 1813, New York, NY 10156. For information on SPONSORSHIPS and exhibiting, contact Jamie Cosnowsky, jamie@jazzimprov.com, 212-889-0853.

Thursday, October 25
Kickoff party/performance exclusively for Jazz Improv attendees in-store
at Virgin MegaStores, Times Square location, NY with headliner to be named

Friday, October 26 (evening)
McCoy Tyner - Stanley Clarke - Jack DeJohnette All Star Trio (evening)
Pat Martino Quartet (evening)
Jimmy Heath Big Band (evening)
Geri Allen Trio (evening)
Sun Ra Arkestra (afternoon)
Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra w/Dave Liebman perf. Gil Evans’
Porgy & Bess (afternoon)
Bobby Sanabria (afternoon)
Mark Sherman with Joe Magnarelli, Allen Farnham, Tim Horner, Dean Johnson
(afternoon)

Saturday, October 27 (evening)
Stanley Clarke Trio (evening)
Wallace Roney Group (evening)
Jazz Improv All Star Big Band & Guests (evening)
Roy Haynes Quartet (evening)
Pat Martino Guitar Workshop/Clinic (afternoon)
Stanley Clarke Bass Workshop/Clinic (afternoon)

Sunday, October 28
Sunday Brunch at Virgin MegaStores, Union Square
Other events may be added

Advance registration to Jazz Improv LIVE! is suggested so that attendees may obtain proper badges and credentials to ensure entry to the opening event.
Jazz Improv LIVE! is the only international convention for jazz lovers -- uniquely designed for jazz fans -- consumers -- the segment that represents the largest group of customers for jazz records, products, and live performances. Unlike other events that require membership fees, and exorbitant attendance prices, jazz fans can experience four fabulous days of jazz at a very reasonable rate.

THE 5TH DIMENSION ENTIRE SOUL CITY/BELL CATALOG TO BE REISSUED

Seven-CD Rollout Sparks New Appreciation of Late '60s Pop Group Featuring Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr.

The year 1967 marked the Summer of Love, when the initial strains of psychedelia shared the pop charts with the Tijuana Brass, the Monkees, Aretha Franklin, Nancy Sinatra and a harmonizing quintet who managed to combine sophisticated pop and soul with a touch of hippie aesthetic, the 5th Dimension. One of the great hit-making groups of the time, the 5th Dimension recorded a respectable body of chart-top hits: "Up Up & Away," "Go Where You Wanna Go," "Sweet Blindness," "Stoned Soul Picnic," "Age of Aquarius," "California Soul," "Working on a Groovy Thing," "One Less Bell to Answer" and "(Last Night) I Couldn't Get To Sleep at All" among others.

Forty years after the group's inception, on August 7, Collectors' Choice Music (CCM) will reissue ten 5th Dimension long-players on seven CDs, representing the group's entire Soul City/Bell recorded output, plus the first post-group recording by the duo of Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr.

The 5th Dimension was composed of Billy Davis, Jr., Marilyn McCoo, Florence LaRue, Lamonte McLemore and Ron Townson. They had previously recorded for Johnny Rivers' Soul City label as the Versatiles with a faux Motown sound and production by Willie Hutch, but label owner Johnny Rivers had a greater vision for the quintet.

The group's success was due in no small part to the enlistment of two world class songwriters -- Jimmy Webb and Laura Nyro. Webb wrote the bulk of the first two albums, while Nyro's songs provided a seamless second wind with albums three and four. Success continued for many years to come, but when the momentum slowed, Davis and McCoo (husband and wife as well as group-mates) released a successful album as a duo and hosted a television variety show.

Collectors' Choice has, in most cases, bundled two long-players per CD, remastered with bonus tracks and liner notes by venerated music scribe Gene Sculatti.

The 5th Dimension: Up Up & Away/Magic Garden. As key songwriter, arranger and conductor, Jimmy Webb guided the group through its first two LPs. This set includes their first hit, a remake of the Mamas & Papas' "Go Where You Wanna Go," along with the song that would propel them to superstardom, "Up Up & Away," and a third hit, "Another Day, Another Heartache," as well as notable album track "Rosecrans Blvd." Up Up & Away went Top 10 on Billboard's pop album charts and remained on the charts for a record-setting 83 weeks. The Magic Garden, a semi-concept album, was wholly written by Webb save for one Beatles cover, and launched the group's long relationship with producer Bones Howe. The CCM reissue contains three bonus tracks.

The 5th Dimension: Stoned Soul Picnic/The Age of Aquarius. The quintet shifted into even higher gear with Stoned Soul Picnic, which contained two Laura Nyro compositions: the title track and "Sweet Blindness." Although they had to ask Nyro the meaning of "surrey down," the group wasted no time in making "Stoned Soul Picnic" its own, reaching No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. The album contained the No. 25 hit "California Soul," and songs by Dick & Don Adfrissi, Jeffrey Commanor and Association co-founder Jules Alexander. Picnic is paired here with The Age of Aquarius, which featured the smash title track from the Broadway production "Hair," and the Nyro song "Wedding Bell Blues." It also included the hits "Blowin' Away" (also by Nyro) and "Working on a Groovy Thing." But who would have predicted a cover of Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love"? Anything was possible in the Aquarian age. Contains two bonus tracks as well.

The 5th Dimension: Portrait/Love's Lines, Angles & Rhymes: The 5th Dimension entered the '70s with a bang, or at least a Bell, as Johnny Rivers sold his theretofore Imperial-distributed Soul City label to Bell Records (which later became subsumed by Arista). And the hits followed them to the new address, due in no small part to the group bringing in its creative cadre. Burt Bacharach's mournful ballad "One Less Bell to Answer" was a No. 2 pop hit. But overall, Portrait went down as the group's protest album, featuring a medley called "Declaration," which they sang at the Nixon White House in 1969. The hit "Save the Country," their sixth Laura Nyro smash, also came from the album. The title track charted Top 20. Other songwriters represented included doo-wop veterans Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua and Jesse Belvin, and lyricist Norman Gimbel, who wrote Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly." Contains three bonus tracks, and features the CD debut of Love's Lines.

The 5th Dimension: Live! This 1971 double-live album showed what level of harmony (vocally, spiritually and conceptually) the group could generate onstage. That it's never been on CD before is a real surprise. But the bigger surprise is that CCM dug up three unreleased live tracks to add to this CD reissue. Contains the "Love Medley," the "Laura Nyro Medley" and the "Jimmy Webb medley."

The 5th Dimension: Individually & Collectively/Living Together, Growing Together: Neither of these LPs have been reissued before on CD, yet they represented a fertile -- if lesser known -- period for hits. Individually featured "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All," with Marilyn McCoo increasingly taking the vocal spotlight. The writer was Tony Macaulay, whose other credits included the Foundations and Edison Lighthouse. The other hit, pointing the way to increased musical sophistication, was "If I Could Reach You," which nicked the Top 10. Growing Together bore no fewer than three Hot 100 entries: the title track plus Paul Anka's "Everything's Been Changed" and "Ashes to Ashes."

The 5th Dimension: Soul & Inspiration: This was the group's last album for Bell (never previously available on CD), and the last they would make with Bones Howe, with some tracks produced by Friends of Distinction producer John Florez. The original lineup would make one more album on ABC before Davis and McCoo left to pursue their successful career. The CD features six unreleased, Bones Howe-produced bonus tracks.

Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis: I Hope We Get to Love in Time: McCoo and Davis' first post-5th Dimension album went gold, landed them three hit singles ("You Don't Have to be a Star (To Be in My Show)," "I Hope We Get to Love in Time," and "Your Love." Their new producer was Detroit-based producer Don Davis, who'd worked with Stax sensations Johnnie Taylor and the Dramatics. The album stayed on the Billboard charts for more than six months, and the duo continued its success with two subsequent albums plus their own prime-time television show. The two continue to perform 75-100 live dates per year.

THE RASCALS' ATLANTIC LPs REISSUED ON COLLECTORS' CHOICE MUSIC

The Rascals emerged from New York City in 1966 with a British Invasion look and an American soul- music sound. By the time their golden run on Atlantic was over, they'd racked up an incredible list of hits: "Good Lovin," "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore," "I've Been Lonely Too Long," "Groovin'," "A Girl Like You," "How Can I Be Sure," "It's Wonderful," "People Gotta Be Free" and "Carry Me Back," among others.

The principals of Collectors' Choice Music (CCM) spent years securing reissue rights to the Rascals' Atlantic albums, and will release them on August 28, 2007. The Rascals LPs have been reissued on CD before, but not with the original mono mixes -- which purists (including remastering engineer Bill Inglot) believe to outshine the stereo mixes. So with the first four albums -- The Young Rascals, Collections, Groovin' and Once upon a Dream -- CCM includes the stereo versions back-to-back with the mono versions. (Yes, there's a certain geek factor to that, and that's what makes CCM great.)

The Rascals were composed of songwriters Felix Cavaliere (organ/vocals) and Eddie Brigati (vocals) along with Gene Cornish (guitar) and Dino Danelli (drums). The series traces their evolution through their garage and soul origins through their mastery of songwriting and their yearning to attain a higher artistic purpose as illustrated on the later albums.

The Young Rascals: In one of the most formidable American rock debuts of the '60s, the Young Rascals, as they were then known, combined a raw garage sound with white soul stylings honed by hundreds of hours playing clubs in the New York area. The debut album includes the hits "Good Lovin'" and "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" alongside soul and R&B classics. Both the stereo and mono versions of the album are included.

Collections: Chief Rascal Felix Cavaliere told Melody Maker in 1966 that the Rascals' mission was to take back American music from the British Invasion. This album contains the defining hit "I've Lonely Too Long" alongside R&B classics like "Too Many Fish in the Sea," "Land of 1,000 Dances," "Mickey's Monkey" and more. Once again CCM includes the stereo and mono versions on one disc.

Groovin': By the time of Groovin', the Rascals had graduated to writing most of their own material, and this album bore three huge hits: the title track "Groovin'," which struck a chord with its strong vocals and lazy harmonica; and "How Can I Be Sure" and "A Girl Like You," each a pop gem enhanced by Arif Mardin's sophisticated arrangements. Created in the mono years, CCM again includes both mono and stereo versions.

Once Upon A Dream: If Groovin' had hinted at an impending psychedelic feel, Once Upon A Dream from 1968 took it all the way, daring to step out of the Rascals' comfort zone and into the burgeoning art-rock world populated at that time by no less than the Beatles and Rolling Stones. The band enlisted such key instrumentalists as King Curtis on sax, Herbert Laws on flute and Mel Lastie on trumpet, plus a string orchestra. The album did have a hit in "It's Wonderful." And the stereo and mono versions -- both included here -- are distinctly different from one another.

Freedom Suite: Going one farther than Once Upon A Dream in releasing a double album, 1969's Freedom Suite focused on the political climate following the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King. Sides three and four, featuring three long instrumental jams, freed the Rascals of three-minute single-oriented constraints. Yet it was a single here, the soulful "People Got to Be Free," that struck a chord with the times.
See: Times had clearly changed in the Rascals' world. The band's performances now featured orchestras. And Felix Cavaliere had begun studying Eastern philosophy with Swami Satchinanda. Critic Lenny Kaye -- later of Patti Smith's group -- wrote in his Rolling Stone review that he wished the Rascals would again focus on hit singles rather than lofty concepts. Yet in what would prove the final Rascals album with the original personnel, See added two more hits to the Rascals' list: the title track "See" and the gospel-tinged "Carry Me Back."

Search and Nearness: The seventh and final album for Atlantic, Search and Nearness was doomed from the start. The band had departed Atlantic with intentions to jump to Columbia before the LP's street date, so the label didn't bend over backwards to promote it. In addition, Eddie Brigati -- one of the band's key writers and vocalists -- left during the sessions, but not before bring his brother David on board to join him on "Glory Glory." The Rascals further pursued the gospel flavor of "Carry Me Back," even going so far as to enlist Atlantic label-mates Cissy Houston and the Sweet Inspirations on backing vocals. The album was dedicated to Jerry Wexler, Ahmet & Neshui Ertegun, Eddie Brigati, Arif Mardin and the entire staff of Atlantic records "in fond remembrance of five great years." That's right, five. Time went more slowly in those days. And the Rascals pumped out seven superb albums in that time.

EXPANDED WATTSTAX CD PACKAGE RELEASED

In the summer of 1972, Stax Records had an idea that was larger than life. Stax's co-owner, Al Bell, had wanted to expand the soul label's West Coast presence and develop its Stax Films arm. The ideal way to do both was to stage the biggest soul concert in history -- termed by one former staff member "the black Woodstock" -- right in the center of South Central Los Angeles, a vast portion of which had been destroyed by fire in the Watts Riots. The concert, called Wattstax, proved a crowning moment for Stax as 112,000 people united at the Los Angeles Coliseum in a spirit of joy, pride and celebration. The resultant movie was a blockbuster and plays to this date in many music film festivals. And now the original two-LP soundtrack has been expanded to three CDs, including material from the original Wattstax album (which sold seven million copies in the SoundScan era alone) as well as from its sequel, Wattstax: The Living Word, along with samplings from Wattstax-related individual artist albums released in 1972-73.

On August 28, Stax Records -- reactivated by new owner Concord Music Group -- will release the first domestic reissue of the complete Wattstax soundtrack, housed in a collectible Digipack featuring rare photographs and reproductions of vintage Wattstax-era posters. The package also contains a multi-page booklet on the story of Wattstax by noted soul music historian Rob Bowman. List price is $24.98. Digitally remastered from the original tapes, the package is one of the highlights of Stax's 50th anniversary celebration, which has also featured live concerts, a film to be premiered on PBS, a film festival and an array of reissues and DVDs.

The expanded Wattstax volume features many Stax artists whose careers were surging in the early '70s: namely Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, Eddie Floyd, William Bell, The Bar-Kays, The Emotions, Albert King, Little Milton, The Rance Allen Group, David Porter, The Soul Children, Mel & Tim, Fredrick Knight, Deborah Manning, Little Sonny and Richard Pryor. The set includes such hits as "Respect Yourself," "I'll Take You There," "Gee Whiz," "Theme from Shaft," "Son of Shaft," "Do The Funky Chicken," "Backfield in Motion," "Knock On Wood," "Steal Away" and more -- 47 songs in all on three CDs.

In addition to music from the concert, Stax filmed and recorded its artists all around town in clubs, churches and even in the studio. The expanded Wattstax anthology includes the best of the live festival from Wattstax and Wattstax: The Living Word plus a slew of previously unreleased festival performances, selected tracks from the club and church recordings staged during the week of the festival, and selected bits by comedian Richard Pryor that were recorded at the Summit Club in Los Angeles. Pryor's contributions were originally used in the Wattstax film to connect the music performances with man-on-the-street commentary on issues that were then pertinent to black America. Included also is an introduction by the Rev. Jesse Jackson - himself a Stax spoken-word recording artist at the time.

Wattstax was hoped to be the first step in a series of urban festivals and movies to be produced by Stax, but sequels were never to materialize. The festival hit the zeitgeist of black America at that point in time. And 35 hot summers after the festival, the music sounds as fresh as ever.

WATTSTAX TRACK Listings NY Press

Disc One
Salvation Symphony - Dale Warren & The Wattstax '72 Orchestra
Introduction - Rev. Jesse Jackson
Lift Every Voice And Sing - Kim Weston
Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom-Boom) - The Staple Singers
Are You Sure? - The Staple Singers
I Like The Things About Me - Staple Singers
Respect Yourself - The Staple Singers
I'll Take You There - The Staple Singers
Precious Lord, Take My Hand - Deborah Manning
Better Get A Move On - Louise McCord
Them Hot Pants - Lee Sain
Wade In The Water - Little Sonny
I Forgot To Be Your Lover - William Bell
Explain It To Her Mama - The Temprees
I've Been Lonely (For So Long) - Frederick Knight
The Newcombers - Pin The Tail On The Donkey
Knock On Wood - Eddie Floyd

Disc Two
Peace Be Still - The Emotions
Old Time Religion - The Golden 13
Lying On The Truth -The Rance Allen Group
Up Above My Head -The Rance Allen Group
Son of Shaft/Feel It - The Bar-Kays
In The Hole -The Bar-Kays
I Can't Turn You Loose - The Bar-Kays
Introduction - The David Porter Show
Ain't That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One) - David Porter
Can't See You When I Want To - David Porter
Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand) - David Porter
Niggas - Richard Pryor
Arrest/Lineup - Richard Pryor
So I Can Love You - The Emotions
Group Introduction / Show Me How - The Emotions

Disc Three
Open The Door To Your Heart - Little Milton
Backfield In Motion - Mel & Tim
Steal Away - Jonnie Taylor
Killing Floor - Albert King
Pick Up The Pieces - Carla Thomas
I Like What You're Doing (To Me) - Carla Thomas
B-A-B-Y - Carla Thomas
Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes) - Carla Thomas
I Have A God Who Loves - Carla Thomas
The Breakdown - Rufus Thomas
Do The Funky Chicken - Rufus Thomas
Do The Funky Penguin - Rufus Thomas
I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To - The Soul Children
Hearsay - The Soul Children
Theme From Shaft - Isaac Hayes