MACK AVENUE SUPERBAND LIVE FROM THE 33RD ANNUAL DETROIT JAZZ FESTIVAL

Mack Avenue Records has announced the scintillating debut release by the Mack Avenue SuperBand, an all-star ensemble comprising many of the label's most acclaimed artists. Live From The Detroit Jazz Festival - 2012, set for September 3 release, documents the SuperBand's unveiling at the 33rd annual edition of the Motor City label's hometown jazz festival last Labor Day weekend. The SuperBand will reassemble at the upcoming 34th Annual Detroit Jazz Festival on Labor Day weekend.

The brainchild of Mack Avenue president Denny Stilwell, the SuperBand is a fiery, celebratory conglomeration, the sort of chemistry experiment whose success is predicated on its combustibility. The group brings together legends and label mainstays including vibraphonist Gary Burton, guitarist Kevin Eubanks, alto saxophonist Tia Fuller, trumpeter Sean Jones, and guitarist Evan Perri, with rising stars like pianist Alfredo Rodríguez and vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant. The band is anchored by the house rhythm section of pianist Aaron Diehl, drummer Carl Allen, and bassist Rodney Whitaker (who also serves as musical director).

Al Pryor, Mack Avenue EVP of A&R and the record's producer, acknowledges the challenge inherent in bringing such a loaded roster together on one stage, calling the impressive result "a team effort." Emphasizing the tight-knit dynamic and Detroit pride of the Mack Avenue team and the experience of the Detroit Jazz Festival's skilled crew, Pryor says that the concert's ultimate success was due to the musicians' passion. "The artists were all enthusiastic when we first approached them," he says, "and all brought something special to the table."

The repertoire for the Saturday night performance at Detroit's Hart Plaza consisted of original tunes and favorite standards contributed by the SuperBand's members. The proceedings kick off with Sean Jones' "Liberty Avenue Stroll," a tribute to another thoroughfare, this one in the trumpeter's native Pittsburgh. The new piece, commissioned by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, depicts a lively and colorful jaunt, fueling robust solo turns by Fuller and the composer, as well as the members of the house rhythm section. The same line-up tears through Tia Fuller's ferocious "Breakthrough," which initially appeared on her second Mack Avenue release, Healing Space.

The Miles Davis classic "All Blues" offers a spotlight for Gary Burton, who premiered his New Quartet on Common Ground in 2011, and Kevin Eubanks, who made his Mack Avenue debut in 2010 with Zen Food, his first release following his departure from his longtime gig at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Quincy Jones has called Alfredo Rodríguez, whose debut album, Sounds of Space, was released last year, "one of the most prolific and gifted pianists of the 21st century." The inventive Cuban-born pianist's radical solo reworking of "Guantanamera," a stunningly original transformation of the familiar chestnut, is strong evidence of exactly what Jones was talking about.

The band co-led by longtime musical partners Carl Allen and Rodney Whitaker made their Mack Avenue debut with 2007's Get Ready, while Aaron Diehl's first label release came just this year, with the critically acclaimed The Bespoke Man's Narrative. But the threesome work cohesively together throughout this record as if they'd been gigging for years. They support Hot Club of Detroit guitarist Evan Perri's expansive, soulful rendition of the Django Reinhardt masterpiece "Nuages" as skillfully as they do singer Cécile McLorin Salvant on the woman-scorned belter "Oh Daddy Blues," originally recorded by Bessie Smith over a century ago. Salvant's recently released Mack Avenue debut, WomanChild, has revealed her as the heir apparent to Smith and other legendary vocalists, a verdict amply seconded by her performance here.

Most of the instrumentalists, along with tenor saxophonist Diego Rivera, reconvene at show's end for the Wild Bill Doggett rave-up "Honky Tonk," featuring blistering blues fretwork by Perri and gutbucket testifying from the soloists. The tune is a tribute to the SuperBand's label mate, Detroit's 'Gentleman of the Blues' Johnnie Bassett, who passed away while the group was in rehearsals. Far from mournful, Bassett's boisterous spirit pervades the rousing homage.

The diversity of the material reflects the equally wide-ranging Mack Avenue roster, but this cohesive and captivating live recording is representative of the label's ambitions, the vitality of its artists, and the electricity of one September evening in Detroit.

Upcoming Mack Avenue SuperBand Performances:
September 1 / Detroit Jazz Festival / Detroit, MI
Mack Avenue SuperBand· Live From The Detroit Jazz Festival - 2012 / Release Date: September 3, 2013.

NEW RELEASES - PERSONAL LIFE, AM & SHAWN LEE, HENRY MANCINI

PERSONAL LIFE - MORNING LIGHT

‘Personal Life’ is a London based jazzy soul collective formed by Robert Strauss, featuring the classic sounding voice of Stuart Lisbie plus core members of Amy Winehouse’s touring band. The vision for this project is to bring back into popular consciousness the sound, production, songwriting & musicality dating back to the glory days of the music industry, when commercial pop also meant culturally significant, sophisticated and catchy music made with integrity for people of all ages to enjoy. “We believe in a movement of real music, hand made to last the test of time. Reflecting the sounds and values of people during an incredibly inspiring, honest and spiritually elevated period in popular music history.”  Tracks inclde: Morning Light; Classic Lady; Distance Can Be So Sweet; Give Into The Night; Bring It Back; One Step Closer; I Remember; It Is What It Is; Rainy Day In London; and There's A Time For Everything. ~ tokyodawn.net

AM & SHAWN LEE - LA MUSIQUE NUMERIQUE

Loads of great electro sounds here – bassy keyboards, splashy beats, and some cool moogy moments – all wrapped up in the kind of heavy funk we've always loved from Shawn Lee! This cool collaboration with AM furthers the pair's step into the best sounds of the 80s – modes that almost feel like digging up the most underground funk of the generation at points, but which also get some pretty tuneful songwriting at others – great vocals that themselves are pretty electronic, and often echo that great moment in the years past punk and disco – when genres broke down for a bit, and music got especially wonderful! The set isn't totally retro – leave it to the pair to bring in some of their own voice as well – and titles include "Good Blood", "Suffer Like Me", "Replay", "In The Aftermath", "Two Times", "Louna", "Iron Leaf", and "Special Disco". ~ Dusty Groove

HENRY MANCINI - DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES

One of the greatest Henry Mancini soundtracks of the 60s – and a record that showed the world that he could do a lot more than just crime jazz and groovy tunes! The title track is a well-known gem from the Mancini songbook – perfect for the bittersweet, melancholy of the film – and a great start for Mancini's music – which first shows some of the joy of the couple in the narrative, then moves into much bluer, deeper territory. There's an undercurrent of sadness that haunts even the more sprightly numbers – and some of the best instrumentation is handled by west coast jazzmen who include Pete Candoli and Don Fagerquist on trumpet, Harry Klee and Ted Nash on reeds, Bob Bain on guitar, and Larry Bunker on percussion. The music was never properly issued on record at the time – and this CD features very detailed notes, lots of images, and 27 tracks that include "Cocktail Hour", "No Guts", "A Sad Pop", "I Want To Go Home", "Man Meets Girl", and "Hi Fi". ~ Dusty Groove

PETER MCGUINNESS - VOICE LIKE A HORN

As both a trombonist and a singer, Pete McGuinness is in an enviable position. There may be no greater accolade that a jazz musician may receive than the claim that he or she successfully emulates the human voice on their instrument, thus achieving a direct line of communication with a listener. And the reverse can be true as well. A jazz singer who can transform vocalizing into a form of virtuosic improvisation, reminding the listener that the voice is as flexible an instrument as any other, is equally worthy of praise. McGuinness scores on both accounts. As an acclaimed trombone player he is known for his skillful, elegant, and communicative improvisations. And now, with Voice Like a Horn, (July 9, Summit Records) McGuinness turns the spotlight on his compelling and extraordinarily dexterous singing. As both a sensitive interpreter of lyrics and as a daring improvising scat singer, McGuinness proves himself a force to be reckoned with.


Although he may be best known in jazz circles for his exceptional playing, arranging and composing with the Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra, as well as his appearances on over 40 recordings, McGuinness has always maintained a keen interest in jazz singing. The seriousness with which McGuinness approaches vocalizing can be determined in official recognition, including a first prize win at the 2010 Jazzmobile Vocal Competition (judged by the late Dr. Billy Taylor and Barry Harris); a 2008 Grammy nomination for his arrangement - complete with the leader's vocal - of "Smile" (on the McGuinness orchestra's First Flight); his inclusion as a semi-finalist at the Thelonious Monk Jazz Vocal Competition; and his featured appearances as a singer with the Jimmy Heath big band, the Smoke Big Band, and the Manhattan Vocal Project..

While his trombone playing and imaginative arranging is well on display, McGuinness makes full use of Voice Like a Horn, to present himself as a "horn-minded, jazz oriented singer." Drawing on beloved standards ("Yesterdays," "Never Let Me Go," "Tea For Two" and "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face"); less familiar fare ("Oh, You Crazy Moon," "Who Cares") and jazz originals including Dizzy Gillespie's "Birks Works" and Bill Mobley's "49th Street," McGuinness places his affecting singing and agile scatting front and center on every track.

To be sure, the music is jazz; by emphasizing vocals McGuinness isn't positioning himself for cabaret acceptance or pop visibility. "I've always loved to scat sing -- I have perfect pitch, which helps me sing more the complicated stuff - and I get more serious about it each year," he says. "That's why I used a small band rather than a large ensemble for this album, that way there would more focus on the vocals." In addition to the leader, Voice Like a Horn employs the core members of the Pete McGuinness quartet: pianist Ted Kooshian, bassist Andy Eulau, and drummer Scott Neumann. Special guests include saxophonist Jon Gordon and trumpeter Bill Mobley (in whose big band McGuinness was featured as a singer and trombonist every Monday night for over three years at the NYC jazz club, Smoke.)

While there are echoes of his influences still to be heard - Chet Baker chief among them, as McGuinness readily admits - he has used his extensive experience and open ears to hone a vocal sound all his own. "Back at the Thelonious Monk Competition, one of the judges, Abbey Lincoln I believe, told me that although I didn't win, she thought I was the best scat singer competing that year," McGuinness remembers, " but that I had to distance myself from Chet Baker, my hero at the time, and find my own voice." With Voice Like a Horn, McGuinness most assuredly has.

www.petemcguinness.com/

DAVID WEISS - ENDANGERED SPECIES: THE MUSIC OF WAYNE SHORTER

Trumpeter, composer, arranger, bandleader David Weiss distinguishes himself by consistently coming to the table equipped with all the vital ingredients to make exciting, world-class music; knowledge, expertise, and a deeply-rooted, rock-solid foundation, gleaned from years of hard work and an admirable resume of long-term associations with some of jazz's quintessential figures. These elements, plus the less tangible factor of his enthusiastic reverence for this music combined with a drive to always push the music forward, have become cornerstones of his work, both in the studio and on stage. Such is the case with the New Jazz Composers Octet ("sound of the new jazz mainstream" - Ben Ratliff, The New York Times), The Point Of Departure Quintet, and The Cookers (which began more than ten years ago and has morphed into one of the most respected working bands in jazz today). And, such is the case with another very special project that has, as Weiss explains, "taken on a life of its own," Endangered Species: The Music of Wayne Shorter, a twelve piece mini big-band devoted to reimagining the music of jazz's greatest living composer, and approaching his music the way he would/does, as an ever-changing, ever-evolving body of work. The band's self-titled debut CD, recorded before a live audience during a weeklong engagement in 2012 at the intimate Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in the Jazz at Lincoln Center facility, is scheduled for release on Motéma Records to coincide with Wayne's 80th Birthday this August.

Endangered Species began as a mini big band comprised of artists that were all recording for the same record label. The idea was to focus on a legendary composer and arrange his music for this twelve-piece band assembled for the occasion. Weiss chose Wayne Shorter as he admittedly always looks for an excuse to delve further into Shorter's music. He explains, "I consider Wayne to be one of the most important composers in the history of this music and arguably the greatest living composer we have today in jazz. I also thought a composer of such breadth and scope should have an ensemble devoted to re-examining, expounding and expanding his music. I think we did our first gig in 2004 or 2005. I was able to pull together six or seven charts for the first gig and was happy with the results so I wanted to continue the project and see what it could develop into. We did a few gigs a year after that and I would always try to add a new arrangement or two for every gig. In 2012, we did a week at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center, in conjunction with the master himself performing that same week in one of the concert venues at JALC, which resulted in this CD."

The music on Endangered Species spans nearly half a century of Shorter's prolific career. "My goal with this band was to present music from every era of Wayne's lengthy, diverse career; from his Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers days, through his stint with Miles Davis, his electric years and up to his most current quartet," said Weiss. That extraordinary breadth of music could not be captured on one disc, but the compositions on this CD include an incredible collection of Shorter compositions, including "Nellie Bly", "Eva" and "Mr. Jin" (from his time with Art Blakey), "Fall" (recorded with Miles Davis) and "Prometheus Unbound" (one of his more recent compositions). Joining Weiss on this recording is a flat-out stellar cast of musicians: Geri Allen, Ravi Coltrane, Jeremy Pelt, Diego Urcola, Marcus Strickland, Tim Green, Joe Fiedler, Steve Davis, Norbert Stachel, Dwayne Burno and E.J. Strickland.

For the uber-talented native New Yorker, arranging is a tricky proposition. It's never Weiss' intention to put himself on the same plane as the original composer, or to put his stamp on the music, but rather to embellish and orchestrate until people can, "even more fully appreciate the depth and beauty of the writing," explained Weiss. He continued, "the challenge is to see what can I do to this music so it will have the same strong impact it had when these giants were first playing it. My intention here is to say, 'Look at these great tunes. How can I make the point even more emphatically that this is some heavy, beautiful writing?" says the intrepid leader of Endangered Species. He makes a very persuasive argument indeed on the ensemble's superb debut.

When asked about his various projects, David Weiss was quoted in DownBeat Magazine as saying, "The New Jazz Composers Octet is for writing, Point of Departure is for playing, and The Cookers is for getting my ass kicked." Endangered Species is clearly the project he does out of sheer love and respect for Wayne Shorter's music.

Throughout his illustrious career, David Weiss' impact on the global jazz scene has been considerable. Born in New York City, Weiss, whose prolific work as an arranger is featured on over eighty recordings, graduated from the prestigious North Texas State University, and upon moving back to NYC, began a series of long associations some of the music's living masters, including Freddie Hubbard, Charles Tolliver, Billy Harper (whom he performs with in The Cookers), Bobby Hutcherson, Slide Hampton, James Moody, Tom Harrell, Louis Hayes, Muhal Richard Abrams, Billy Hart (another member of The Cookers), and many others. Weiss has also devoted much energy over the years to nourishing the talents of some of the finest up and coming jazz musicians on the scene, proving to be influential in the success of artists such as Marcus and E.J. Strickland, Nir Felder, Jimmy Greene, Xavier Davis, Dwayne Burno and many others.

"Best known for the gleaming authority and professionalism he brings to all his endeavors, as well as his entrepreneurial spirit, Weiss has carved out his own niche on the New York Scene. He's always got something intriguing up his sleeve-from the Cookers to ensembles of his peers like the New Jazz Composers Octet, to thoughtful tribute projects dedicated to Lee Morgan and Wayne Shorter, to his Point of Departure Quintet that explores landmark but overlooked music from the '60s . . ."
- Mark Stryker, Detroit Free Press

www.DavidWeissMusic.com

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND CLASSIC - BROTHERS AND SISTERS - THE DELUXE EDITION

When the Allman Brothers Band’s fifth album, Brothers and Sisters, was released on Capricorn Records in August 1973, the legendary southern blues-rock group had already achieved world-wide fame with their 1971 live album, At Fillmore East. This success was followed by the tragic loss of their founder, leader and musical visionary, guitarist Duane Allman, who died in a motorcycle crash on October 29, 1971. Arguably at the peak of their popularity, the band's album followed the release of the two-disc Eat a Peach, which came out on February 12, 1972, the last recording to include contributions by Duane.

While regrouping under the leadership of singer/organist Gregg Allman and guitarist/vocalist Dickey Betts—the last guitarist standing in a group noted for its dual leads—The Allman Brothers Band soldiered on with Brothers and Sisters, which turned out to be their most successful selling recording to date, spending five weeks at #1 and the first to achieve platinum status. To mark its 40th anniversary, the original classic recording—which includes such Allman standards as “Ramblin’ Man,” “Wasted Words,” “Jessica” and “Come and Go Blues”—will be re-released in re-mastered form on both CD and vinyl, with deluxe two-CD and four-CD box sets that include previously unreleased rehearsals, jams and outtakes on Universal Music Enterprises.

“Brothers and Sisters documents a band reinventing itself and finding a new direction after a traumatic loss,” says UMe Chairman/CEO Bruce Resnikoff. “The two deluxe editions, through these previously unreleased rehearsals, jams and outtakes, offer a priceless glimpse inside that creative process.”

The album’s famous front cover features a photo of Vaylor Trucks, the son of drummer Butch Trucks, while the back sports a shot of Brittany Oakley, the daughter of bassist Berry Oakley. The gatefold pictures the entire Allmans family: band members, roadies, wives, girlfriends, children, dogs, all in a seemingly idyllic Southern setting, capturing the family nature of the project.

The deluxe two-CD edition of Brothers and Sisters includes the original remastered recording as well as previously unreleased rehearsals of “Wasted Words,” “Trouble No More,” “One Way Out,” “I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town” and “Done Somebody Wrong”; outtakes of the instrumental “Southbound,” “Double Cross” and “Early Morning Blues,” as well as the brand-new archival find, “A Minor Jam.” The four-CD set includes two discs devoted to a live performance at Winterland in San Francisco, Sept. 26, 1973, right after Brothers and Sisters’ release, featuring an introduction by Bill Graham and previously unavailable live versions of “Done Somebody Wrong,” “Stormy Monday,” “Midnight Rider,” “Statesboro Blues,” “You Don’t Love Me” (which includes “Amazing Grace”), “Les Brers in A Minor,” “Blue Sky,” “Trouble No More” and “Whipping Post,” along with two Brothers and Sisters tracks in “Come and Go Blues” and “Jessica.” 

CURACAO NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL TO FEATURE HARRY BELAFONTE, SONNY ROLLINS, ERYKA BADU, DIANA ROSS AND MORE...

The Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival has announced an impressive roster highly anticipated 4th Annual Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival. Headlining are some of the most popular artists on the planet: legendary divas Diana Ross and Gladys Knight, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Marc Anthony, Toto, Luis Miguel, Raphael Saadiq, Los Lobos, Harry Belafonte, Paul Anka, Usher, Sonny Rollins, New Cool Collective, and many others.

“The Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival is growing into one of the best music festivals in the world and headlining acts like Usher, Luis Miguel, Gladys Knight and Diana Ross cements the Festival’s reputation. Curaçao is truly now an A-list destination for music and cultural tourism in the Caribbean,” says Andre Rojer, Marketing Manager North America, Curaçao Tourist Board.

The fourth edition of the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival will take place in the World Trade Center - Piscadera Bay on August 30 and 31, 2013. The two day festival boasts a wide range of international artists delivering an eclectic mix of Jazz, Blues, Pop, Soul, R&B, Rock, Latin and Gospel music. Leading up to the festival, a variety of free concerts and events will take place around the island.

Tickets for the Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival begin at $195/day and are on sale now. For more information, please visit www.curacaonorthseajazz.com.

DERRICK HODGE ANNOUNCES TOUR DATES; REVIVALIST PREMIERES NEW TRACK

Bassist and composer Derrick Hodge has announced a tour to kick off August 6 in New York City, the day that his extraordinary debut recording Live Today will be released by Blue Note Records. The tour will also bring Hodge to Washington DC, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Revivalist has also premiered the first official track from the album, “Message of Hope.” Live Today is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

Hodge is perhaps best known as the anchor of the genre-bending, GRAMMY award-winning band Robert Glasper Experiment, but he has also spent time in the cutting-edge jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard’s group, and is currently the music director for the R&B star Maxwell. Live Today weaves together a distinctive musical vision from 14 stylistically diverse originals either written or co-written by Hodge that traverse modern jazz, hip-hop, R&B, gospel, and acoustic folk. The album features guest appearances from rapper Common, singer-guitarist Alan Hampton, as well as RGE members Robert Glasper, vocoderist Casey Benjamin, and drummers Mark Colenburg and Chris Dave, in addition to keyboardists James Poyser and Aaron Parks, saxophonist Marcus Strickland, trumpeter Keyon Harrold, and the American String Quartet, among others.

DERRICK HODGE – TOUR DATES:
Aug. 6 – Cutting Room – New York, NY
Aug. 7 – Casbah – Durham, NC
Aug. 8 – Liv – Washington DC
Aug. 11 – San Jose Fest – San Jose, CA
Aug. 13 – Brick & Mortar – San Francisco, CA
Aug. 14 – New Parish – Oakland, CA
Aug. 15 – Viper Room – Los Angeles, CA
Aug. 17 – Spread Love @ National Black Arts Festival – Atlanta, GA
Sept. 6 – Regatta Bar – Boston, MA

~ Blue Note Records

NEW RELEASES - THE GENE DUDLEY GROUP, GORO ITO, QUEST

THE GENE DUDLEY GROUP - SATURDAY SHIFTING  

The Gene Dudley Group represents an outpouring of deep soul and funk music from the obscenely talented 27 year-old multi-instrumentalist; Gene Dudley. The debut album, Saturday Shifting, was recorded in a cupboard in Muswell Hill, North London, and features the man himself on; trumpet, saxophone, drums, bass, guitar and piano. On a couple of occasions, though, Gene had to budge over to allow fellow musicians Ewan Whyte and Tom Jackson to fit in and play a solo or two, but other than that, everything you hear on this album comes from the mind, mouth, fingers and heart of Mr. Gene Dudley Esq. Fans of labels like Truth & Soul and Daptone will relish these sonorous soulful offerings, but the influences on this album are wide ranging. Some tracks conjure up 60s spy soundtracks, but elsewhere there are afro-beat influences and more easy, introspective moments. But, just when you think you've got Gene Dudley's sound pinned down, the album culminates with a real game changer in the shape of the brilliantly titled Waxing Unwaxed Lemons, a quirky, electronic tinged nugget that should please many a dance floor.

GORO ITO - GETZ  / GILBERTO + 50

A beautiful tribute to the legendary Getz/Gilberto album from the 60s – served up here as a special project from Japan, dedicated to the 50th Anniversary of the record! Guitarist Goro Ito put the set together – taking the place of Joao Gilberto on that instrument – and the album features a shifting lineup of "Getz/Gilberto Lovers" that includes vocals from Kahimi Kari, Haruomi Hosono, Asako Toki, and others – plus piano from Ryuichi Sakamoto, drums from Midorin, cello from Jacques Morelenbaum, and tenor from Yasuaki Shimizu. The album's followed track by track, and the new versions really feature a lot of the same love as the old – titles that include "Girl From Ipanema", "Doralice", "Corcovado", "Desafinado", "Pra Machucar Meu Coracao", and "O Grande Amor". Also fetaures a bonus Japanese version of "Girl From Ipanema"! (SHMCD.) ~ Dusty Groove

QUEST - CIRCULAR DREAMING

A great tribute to the fresh, freewheeling sound of the Miles Davis group of the 60s – that important assemblage that featured Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Tony Williams – not to mention Miles himself! The match of music is a great one – given the huge influence that the group had on the players in Quest – especially reedman Dave Liebman and pianist Richie Bierach – who work here with bassist Ron McClure and drummer Billy Hart – in a set that's especially strong on Wayne Shorter compositions, which are handled by Liebman wonderfully. Titles include "Pinocchio", "Prince Of Darkness", "Footprints", "Paraphernalia", "Nefertitti", "Hand Jive", and "Circular Dreaming". ~ Dusty Groove

VERVE REMIXED: THE FIRST LADIES FEATURING REMIXES FROM KASKADE, BASSNECTAR, TORO Y MOI, PRETTY LIGHTS, ZEDS DEAD AND MORE

The groundbreaking Verve Remixed series is back with Verve Remixed: The First Ladies, set for release July 16th on Verve Records. The all female compilation features 13 classic jazz tracks remixed by some of today’s most acclaimed DJs and producers. Billboard has called Verve Remixed “one of the most successful brands in dance/electronic music” and it is considered by many to be the best remixed series of all time.

Verve Remixed: The First Ladies features tracks by legendary female artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington. Marlena Shaw, Astrud Gilberto and Sister Rosetta Tharpe also have timeless songs included on the record.

“Nina Simone makes me smile, cry, laugh and have a deeper sense of understanding myself all at the same time. Add to that, nearly every one of her songs has that kind of power. The ability to channel and express that kind of raw, spirit shaking soul every time she sings a song is, in my experience, incredibly rare,” said Derek Vincent Smith (aka Pretty Lights). “I don’t think I’ve ever really said this, but when I really think about it, there is no musician in all of time that has affected me like her. Real talk. The opportunity to remix her song, ‘I Put A Spell On You’ was an awesome opportunity and an indescribable experience. I hope I can do it again.”

The original tracks have been remixed by 13 of the hottest producers and DJs including Zeds Dead, the Toronto based dubstep group, Kaskade, widely considered one of the most influential names in modern electronic music, critically acclaimed indie artist Toro Y Moi, electro hip-hop soul performer Pretty Lights and Bassnectar, one of the highest profile DJs in the U.S.

Verve Remixed, a compilation series created by Verve Records, brings the greatest producers and DJs today to create remixes of classic Verve jazz tracks. The series has sold close to 1 million tracks worldwide, resonating both with fans of the original recordings and with a new untapped fanbase who are drawn to the producers showcased on the albums.

Verve Remixed: The First Ladies Track Listing:
Ella Fitzgerald – Too Darn Hot (RAC MIX)
Astrud Gilberto – Fly Me To The Moon (KASKADE REMIX)
Sarah Vaughan – Please Mr. Brown (PONTUS WINNBERG OF MIIKE SNOW REMIX)
Nina Simone – Feeling Good (BASSNECTAR REMIX)
Marlena Shaw – Women of the Ghetto (FLUME’S JACKIN HOUSE MIX)
Nina Simone – Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood (ZEDS DEAD REMIX)
Billie Holiday – My Man (TORO Y MOI REMIX)
Astrud Gilberto and Walter Wanderley Trio – So Nice (AZARI & III REMIX)
Sister Rosetta Tharpe – Jericho (C2C REMIX)
Nina Simone – Put A Spell On You (PRETTY LIGHTS REMIX)
Ella Fitzgerald – Blue Skies (MAYA JANE COLES REMIX)
Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto – Corcovado (TOKiMONSTA REMIX)
Dinah Washington – I’ve Got You Under My Skin (DJ CARNAGE AND VICTOR NIGLIO REMIX)

https://www.facebook.com/VerveRemixed
https://twitter.com/VerveRemixed

NEW RELEASES - JOE MABERN, ALEX SIPIAGIN, JOE MANGARELLI

HAROLD MABERN - LIVE AT SMALLS

One of the best Harold Mabern albums we've heard in years – recorded with a trio of familiar partners, John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums – but in a freewheeling live setting that has the group really stretching out over some long, extended tracks! Mabern's sense of imagination in this setting is wonderful – and really takes us back to the soulful majesty we loved in his music during the 70s – and although a few numbers reflect the ballad mode of some of Harold's studio albums, even these have an open-ended creativity that really goes beyond the usual! Titles include "Dreaming", "Road Song", "Boogie For Al McShann", "Afro Blue", "Alone Together", and a surprisingly great take on "Sesame Street".  ~ Dusty Groove

ALEX SIPIAGIN - LIVE AT SMALLS

A stunning showcase for the talents of trumpeter Alex Sipiagin – and maybe his greatest record so far! You might know Alex as the husband of singer Monday Michiru, but he's a hell of a trumpeter in his own right – and really stretches out here in the company of a killer quintet that includes Seamus Blake on tenor, David Kikoski on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Nate Smith on drums – all working in that long, extended style we love so much from this Smalls series! Both Sipiagin and Blake have these well-crafted long solos that hold us rapt with their sense of soul and imagination – and Kikoski, as always, balances his talents beautifully between lyrical lines and harder rhythmic impulses. Titles include "Live Score", "Calming", "Pass", "Returning", and "Videlles". ~ Dusty Groove

JOE MANGARELLI - LVE AT SMALLS

Trumpeter Joe Magnarelli's got a hell of a trio on this cooking live date – Mulgrew Miller on piano, Dwayne Burno on bass, and Jason Brown on drums – all of whom craft the tunes with a rhythmic intensity that really seems to set Joe's horn on fire! Magnarelli's always had a great way with a tone, but here he also seems to have a sense of swing that comes through even in the mellower moments – a bit like Art Farmer at times, with maybe a few echoes of Freddie Hubbard in his later years too. Yet Joe's clean, clear approach is still very much at the forefront of the album – and titles include the originals "Third Set" and "Skee" – plus "My Ideal", "Invitation", and "I'll Find You". ~ Dusty Groove

PETER LEITCH - CALIFORNIA CONCERT / JAZZ HOUSE 7004

California Concert / JAZZ HOUSE 7004), the fourth release on the artist-owned Jazz House label, captures the Peter Leitch Quartet in an incredibly strong live performance at California State University, Fresno.


Leitch's bandmates for this concert include his friend and long-time musical associate pianist John Hicks, New York bassist David Williams, and jazz legend Billy Higgins on drums. This very fortuitous coming together of musical minds is made more ephemeral through the knowledge that with the passing of Hicks and Higgins, it was an occasion that will never be repeated. "I remember this concert as being one of the great musical experiences of my life," Peter said of the concert, which took place on May 1, 1999. "Fortunately, someone had the foresight to record it."

The potent chemistry among these four veterans is palpable from the opening bars of Bird's "Relaxin' at Camarillo" to Leitch's own tribute to an early mentor, "A Blues for Ivan Symonds." The full-set recording also features Hicks's classic "After the Morning," their friend Walter Booker's "Book's Bossa," the Strayhorn-Ellington favorite "Isfahan," and a piano-guitar medley of Ellington's "In a Sentimental Mood" and "Warm Valley."

The recording was made by an avid fan and Leitch took it to master engineer Allan Tucker in New York to try to clean up the audio to make the concert set releasable. The result is a labor of love-great music played full out (no tune is under nine minutes)-well worth the listener's time. Liner notes are written by bassist Dwayne Burno, who currently works and records with the guitarist.

Coincidental with the album release is the publication of Peter Leitch's memoir Off the Books: A Jazz Life by Vehicule Press in Montreal. Slated for early summer release in Canada and a September launch in the U.S., in it the author recounts in vivid detail a life lived in search of excellence in music and art, learning his craft on the bandstand in the days before jazz education, while battling depression and drug addiction. His depiction of the Montreal of his youth reveals a long-gone vibrant club scene in that city. Leitch's moves, first to Toronto in 1977 and then to his present home , New York City, in 1982 are also recounted in detail. There is a great deal of humor in some of his recollections and observations, and more than a few hard truths leavened with bits of absurdist fantasy. Watch for it.

A launch party is planned in early September for the album and book at Walker's in TriBeCa, home of Peter Leitch's long-running Sunday night duo gig.

Peter Leitch Quartet· California Concert / Jazz House · Release Date: July 16, 2013

ROBIN THICKE ANNOUNCES SIXTH STUDIO ALBUM - BLURRED LINES

Robin Thicke has announced that his highly anticipated sixth studio album, Blurred Lines, is set to debut July 30th. The album's first single (also the title track) moved to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, marking the artist's first appearance on the chart's top spot. The global hit, featuring Pharrell and T.I., rose 6-1 as the chart's top digital, airplay and streaming gainer. "Blurred Lines" is the first song to claim all three honors simultaneously since the lattermost award was introduced last March. The track has also passed 1 million downloads sold, marking Thicke's first song to reach the milestone, and is #1 in 28 countries.


"I am absolutely thrilled that 'Blurred Lines' has reached #1 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100," said Robin. I am so grateful to all of my fans and am excited for them to check out the album when it drops in July. It is great that it is already being received so well."

Robin Thicke has established himself as one of the most respected singer-songwriters in soul and R&B music today. The musician, composer and actor, released his critically acclaimed debut album, A Beautiful World in 2003 under the name "Thicke." Soon after, he came out with his breakthrough second release, 2006's The Evolution Of Robin Thicke. Now on the way to double platinum status, Evolution's mega hit "Lost Without U" became the #1 most played song in Urban Adult Contemporary BDS and topped four Billboard charts simultaneously. The award-winning multiplatinum superstar returned to center stage in 2008 with Something Else, a joyful and modern tribute to the '70s soul and pop records that have inspired an extraordinary career. Revered by critics as one of the best soul albums in years, this '70s-inspired album dealt with racism, poverty, and love in the hits "Dreamworld," "Magic," and "The Sweetest Love." In December of 2009 Robin released Sex Therapy. The title song was hailed by critics as "the sexiest song of the year." Robin's fifth studio album, Love After War was released in December of 2011.


The tracklisting for Blurred Lines is as follows:
1. Blurred Lines ft. T.I. + Pharrell
2. Take It Easy On Me
3. Ooo La La
4. Ain't No Hat 4 That
5. Get In My Way
6. Give It 2 U ft. Kendrick Lamar
7. Feel Good
8. Go Stupid 4 U
9. 4 The Rest Of My Life
10. Top Of The World
11. The Good Life

www.robinthicke.com

NEW RELEASES - ILIAS, GAZZARA, BILLY BANG

ILIAS - SOMEWHERE IN TIME

This brand new release is from Algerian/Australian producer, composer, songwriter, guitarist and singer Ilias. Somewhere In Time is a production that has a bit of history as it was written over a 10- year period years and after six months of recording. Ilias performs lead, harmony & background vocals, drums, bass, keyboards, piano, acoustic, electric 6 & 12 string guitars - truely a labor of love! Smooth, cool vibes, laid-back, and polished thoughout each of the 11 tracks is how one can describe this release. This Australian musician one one to watch for in the coming years.  Tracks include: Never Utter The Word Never; Loving You; One Of A Kind; If I See You; Last Words; This Life; September Memory; Lonely; Sense; Only One; and Sometimes I Wonder...

GAZZARA - THE BOSSA LOUNGE EXPERIENCE

Mighty keyboards from Francesco Gazzara – easily one of our favorite Irma Records artists from years back – still sounding pretty darn great here in a nicely mature setting! The album's got a bit of the bossa promised in the title, but also has a wider-ranging groove too – echoes of older keyboard modes, mixed with bits of jazz funk at times – all handled by Gazzara on a range of Fender Rhodes, Hammond, Korg, and other keys – with core bass and drums, and additional help from Lily Latuheru on vocals and Dario Cecchini on flute and saxes! Most tracks are instrumentals, but Lily's soulful tones definitely make the vocal tracks sound great too – and titles include "New Frontier", "Blow Your Mind", "Ivory Skyscrapers", "Bahia Moon", "Berimbau", "Black Jack", and "Song For My Father". ~ Dusty Groove

BILLY BANG - DA BANG!

One of the last sessions ever recorded by the legendary Billy Bang – but a set that still bristles with all the intensity that first made us fall in love with his music! If anything, the album's almost a back-to-basics effort for Billy – served up with the kind of soulful, searching sounds he first brought to his seminal albums on the Black Saint/Soul Note label – and quite different than some of his higher concept sessions in more recent years. The group's a great one, full of pulsating improvisational energy – as Billy's violin is joined by the trombone of Dick Griffin, piano of Andrew Bemkey, bass of Hilliar Greene, and drums of Newman Taylor Baker. Griffin's presence is especially great, and really helps deepen the sound – and titles include "All Blues", "Day Dreams", "Guinea", "Da Bang", and "Law Years". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES - BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS REMIXED, KIM WATERS, MAVIS STAPLES

BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS - LEGEND REMIXED

For the first time, Bob Marley and the Wailers' iconic 1984 album, Legend, is re-imagined for Legend Remixed, an inspired new spin on the reggae classic. Legend's 16 tracks have been remixed by top DJs/producers. Included in this cohesive new set are tracks by ten time Grammy winner Stephen Marley, Pretty Lights, Thievery Corporation, Jason Bentley, Z-Trip with Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Photek, My Morning Jacket's Jim James, Roni Size, RAC, Beats Antique, Nickodemus & Zeb, as well as a new rendition remix of 'Redemption Song' by five-time Grammy Award winning reggae artist, Ziggy Marley. Tracks: Stir It Up (Ziggy Marley Remix); Three Little Birds (Stephen Marley and Jason Bentley Remix); Could You Be Loved (RAC Remix); No Woman, No Cry (Cut Chemist Remix); Get Up, Stand Up (Thievery Corporation Remix); Satisfy My Soul (Beats Antique Remix); I Shot The Sheriff (Roni Size Remix); Exodus (Pretty Lights Remix); Easy Skanking (Stephen Marley Remix); One Love/People Get Ready (Photek Remix); Redemption Song (Ziggy Marley Remix); Is This Love (Jason Bentley Remix); Jamming (Nickodemus and Zeb Remix); Punky Reggae Party (Z-Tripp Remix featuring Lee "Scratch" Perry); and Buffalo Soldier (Stephen Marley Remix) ~ amazon.com

KIM WATERS - MY LOVES

2013 release, the 19th album from the saxophonist, band leader, composer, arranger, and producer. After over two decades as a music superstar with 16 Top Ten and 14 #1 singles, four #1 CDs and sales in excess of a million album units, Kim again elevates his already luminous career profile to an even higher pinnacle with My Love. Resplendent with all the Kim Waters signature in-the-pocket grooves, seductive melodies, virtuoso improvisations, state-of-the-art production and inspired contributions from his musicians and guest vocalists, My Love, with an even deeper focus on the distinctly rich Urban Music mother-lode, is a soulful, 11-track hymnal in praise of romance in all its varied shadings, hues, depths, grandeur, yearnings and joyous fulfillments. ~ amazon.com

MAVIS STAPLES - ONE TRUE VINE

Coming off the huge success of her first collaboration with Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy the Grammy winning You Are Not Alone Mavis Staples wanted to make their second album together both a continuation of the joyous spirit of the first, and an evolution. With new song offerings from Alan Sparhawk of Low, Nick Lowe, and three Tweedy originals, One True Vine is at once a darker and more uplifting album, anchored by reinventions of two 70s classics Funkadelic s "Can You Get to That?" and the Staples Singer s "I Like the Things About Me. " Tweedy and Staples have constructed a dense narrative arc, that starts with the literal soul searching of Sparhawk s "One Holy Ghost" and Tweedy s "Jesus Wept, " and then breaks wide open with Nick Lowe s soaring "Far Celestial Shores, " a song he wrote for Mavis after touring together with Wilco. After that, the album builds to full tent revival mode, as the dark night of the soul passes and joy arrives in the form of Mavis glorious voice. Closing out with Tweedy s rapturous title track, One True Vine truly builds on the promise of You Are Not Alone, and will delight the myriad fans discovering Mavis for the first time though her Grammy wins and performances, her White House performance in the tribute to Memphis Soul, and the glorious second act of this American icon. ~ amazon.com

DEBUT ALBUM FROM VIBRAPHONIST WARREN WOLF - WOLFGANG

Throughout its history, jazz has been revitalized with a continual evolution of style, fresh transformations in expression, bold leaps into the free improvisational sphere of the unknown, and most importantly, the arrival of young artists who, while steeped in the past, have an eye to the future of the idiom. Jazz aficionados welcome the dawning of the next generations of talented musicians who boldly stride into progressive territory. Among the most important young jazz stars in that vein is vibraphonist Warren Wolf who delivers his remarkable sophomore album, Wolfgang, on Mack Avenue Records. Wolf, a multi-instrumentalist who has also honed his chops on drums and piano since age three, is also following in the footsteps of vibes masters Bobby Hutcherson and Stefon Harris by becoming a member of the SFJazz Collective (both of whom precede him in the vibes chair).

Wolfgang, set for an August 20 release, features two different three-man rhythm sections (pianist Benny Green, bassist Christian McBride, drummer Lewis Nash; and pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Kris Funn, drummer Billy Williams Jr.) as well as two noteworthy duo pieces with pianist/label-mate Aaron Diehl. Wolf and Diehl are both building their careers as young (each under age 35) musicians keeping the jazz tradition alive.

Comprising nine tunes (six of which are originals), Wolfgang spotlights Wolf taking a different, more laid-back take than his volcanic eponymous debut album on Mack Avenue. "The last record was a means of introducing myself as a leader," says the 33-year-old Baltimore-based vibraphonist. "This time I set out to showcase my writing skills with compositions that have melodies people can remember."

On his first album, which was produced by mentor/label-mate McBride (who Wolf has been performing with since 2007 after the pair met at Jazz Aspen seven years before that), Wolf placed himself in the context of a quintet and sextet (with saxophonist Tim Green and, on two tracks, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt). This time out he largely focuses on the quartet setting. "I wanted to display the beauty of the vibes," he says. "In a quintet, you're limited. With a quartet, you can hear me more. A lot of times the vibes is played in support of others. I'm showing here that I can hold the ball by myself." Wolfgang sets out to showcase Wolf's classical and blues influences, as well as his compositions.

Wolfgang opens with the vibraphonist leading his own home-base band (Funn and Williams with Goldberg sitting in as a guest) into "Sunrise," with Goldberg and Williams making predawn statements, then develops into the relaxed aurora with Wolf joining the group. The piece develops into a swinging gem with lyrical vibes lines. With the same band, Wolf speeds into the hard-burning swinger "Grand Central," which takes a frenetic pace with mad dashes of movement: a wild chase, a crushing push. "Actually, this originally had another title which we decided not to use," says Wolf. "But I was performing it at Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and a guy came up after and said that reminded him of being at Grand Central Station at rush hour. So, that's the perfect title."

The foursome also jumps into the upbeat "Lake Nerraw Flow" which features Wolf taking a rippling solo. It's a song he wrote as a senior at Berklee College of Music in 2001. "I don't write like that anymore, but I knew this would be great for all of us to stretch out," Wolf says. And the title? "That's my name spelled backwards." As for the fourth tune of the band, "Setembro," written by Ivan Lins/Gilson Peranzzetta, Wolf invites singer Darryl Tookes to harmonize with smooth wordless vocals. "It goes back to my goal for this album: record melodies that people actually enjoy," says Wolf.

Wolf and Diehl have become good friends because of their deep appreciation for both jazz and classical music. "When I first composed the song 'Wolfgang,' I had a jazz band choir in mind as well as a whole other section that I cut out." In the tune, Diehl and Wolf marvelously converse on their instruments, in dialogues and in counterpoint. The other duo number comes at the end of the disc when the pair gleefully dives into "Le Carnaval de Venice," a waltz composed by Jean-Baptiste Arban. "I first heard this music in high school [Baltimore School of the Arts] where a trumpeter took the lead," Wolf says. "Fast-forward to seeing a clip on YouTube of Wynton [Marsalis] playing this with a symphony orchestra. I bought the recording and was blown away." The piece is delivered as a percussive waltz with Diehl and Wolf flowing together like gentle waves.

With the rhythm section of Green/McBride/Nash, Wolf launches into three tunes, including a bluesy and hip take on the traditional song, "Frankie and Johnny," which his father had turned him on to when he was a teenager. "I listened to a live version that Ray Brown did with Milt Jackson and Stanley Turrentine and others, and I loved the pulse of the bass," Wolf says. "You can hear Christian yelling in this take, which is a tribute to Ray Brown." The group also serves up "Annoyance," with McBride bowing in the opening and Wolf taking the lyrical duties ("If you hear something like a mistake in this, it's supposed to be there," says Wolf, who likes to hear dissonance within the beauty) and the blues-oriented "Things Were Done Yesterday," where Green flies on the keys. "I've always been a big-time fan of Benny," Wolf says. "To hear the way he plays through changes is amazing. He tears it up here."

A smart, fun, blues-to-swing-to-classical collection of indelible melodies, Wolfgang ups the ante in Wolf's young career. Even though he's still developing his voice and his vision (he says he has several new projects he's thinking of), he has been given high praise, including from Blue Note Records' Chairman Emeritus, Bruce Lundvall. When asked about whom Lundvall is impressed with on the scene today, the legendary label chief immediately responded: Warren Wolf. "Warren is very different," he said. "He has a sense of swing and a percussive style. He has great dynamics, excellent compositions and is very exciting." He called Wolf's deal with Mack Avenue to be a very important signing.

Upcoming Warren Wolf Appearances:
Warren Wolf's WOLFPACK
June 29 / Jazzway 6004 Anniversary Show / Baltimore, MD
August 29 / Fifth Third Bank, It's Commonly Jazz Series / Cincinnati, OH
September 2 / Detroit Jazz Festival (Album Release w/ Warren Wolf Quartet) / Detroit, MI
September 13 / The Acadiana Center / Lafayette, LA
September 19 - 22 / Jazz Standard / New York, NY
September 27 / Strathmore Music Center / Rockville, MD
November 2 / Miller Theater, Columbia University / New York, NY
November 9 - December 1 / Jazz at Lincoln Center - Doha / Doha, Qatar
March 5 / Berklee College of Music, Checkout Series / Boston, MA

Warren Wolf w/ Christian McBride + Inside Straight
June 20 / The International Festival of Arts & Ideas / New Haven, CT
June 21 / Rochester International Jazz Festival / Rochester, NY
December 26 - January 1 / Umbria Jazz Festival / Umbria, Italy

Warren Wolf w/ Aaron Diehl
August 25 / Charlie Parker Jazz Festival / New York, NY
September 3 / Detroit Jazz Festival / Detroit, MI
December 26 - January 1 / Umbria Jazz Festival / Umbria, Italy

Miscellaneous Warren Wolf Performances
June 22 / Isthmus Jazz Festival (w/ Carmen Lundy Group) / Madison, WI
August 2 / An Die Musik (w/ Kristin Callahan Group) / Baltimore, MD
September 1 / Detroit Jazz Festival (w/ Mack Avenue SuperBand) / Detroit, MI
September 28 / Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival (w/ Mike Tucker Group) / Boston, MA
October 1 - 31 / SFJazz Collective Fall Tour - Various Venues / Various Cities

OLIVER JONES - JUST FOR MY LADY

On Just for My Lady, revered Canadian jazz pianist Oliver Jones joins forces with classical violinist Josée Aidans for a swinging encounter that recalls the great Oscar Peterson/Stephane Grappelli collaborations of the mid '70s. The album marks Jones' 23rd release on Justin Time Records. "I normally do 45 to 60 concerts a year, but this year won't be as many," he says. "I'm trying to slow down. Next year will be my 80th year, so it's been a long road, but I've enjoyed every minute of it. Actually, the last eight or nine years I've enjoyed it more than ever."


That joy is evident on this latest recording. While showcasing several Jones compositions, including the title track and his three-movement "The Saskatchewan Suite," the album also features an inspired cover of Michel Legrand's "The Windmills of my Mind" and a swinging take on the Gershwin number "Lady Be Good," a longstanding jazz jam vehicle that is also closely associated with the aforementioned jazz violin icon Grappelli. From poignant ballads and earthy blues numbers to irrepressible swingers, Just for My Lady touches all the bases while showcasing the remarkable talents of the 79-year-old pianist-composer and the in-demand violinist (a key player in the string sections for Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand). The two principal soloists are capably supported by the accomplished rhythm tandem of veteran bassist Eric Lagacé and rising star drummer Jim Doxas.

Opening with the Count Basie-styled "Josée's Blues," Jones and his crew set a sprightly, swinging tone for this engaging collection. "You Look Good To Me" (a tune originally recorded by the Oscar Peterson Trio on 1964's We Get Requests) opens with a reflective minuet played as a duet by pianist and violinist before segueing to a swinging quartet number that also features a potent bass solo by Lagacé. Jones' plaintive ballad "Lights of Burgundy" (named for the Montreal neighborhood where both he and his friend and colleague Oscar Peterson grew up) is underscored by Doxas' sensitive brushwork and features Aidans' 'singing' the melody on her instrument with great finesse and lyricism. Aidans also carries the melody on "The Angel and Mr. Jones," which was originally written by Jones for another violinist, Montreal's Angèle Dubeau.

The title track is a gentle ballad underscored by Doxas' brushwork while "In the Key of Geoff," written for fellow Canadian pianist Geoff Lapp, is a jaunty swinger that has Lagacé affecting a Ray Brown-styled walking bass line and Doxas dipping into a Papa Jo Jones bag on the hi hat. Lagacé's virtuosic bowing on the bass again comes to the fore on Jones' gorgeous waltz-time ballad "When Summer Comes" and also on an interpretation of Michel Legrand's "The Windmills of My Mind," which surprisingly shifts gears midsong into a midtempo swing section before returning to the poignant theme. The collection closes on a lively note with the quartet's swinging rendition of "Lady Be Good," which features the classical violinist in some of her most unbridled playing on the album. "Actually, Josée has never played any jazz before," says Jones. "She's coming from a strictly classical background, so I ended up writing out some things for her to play on her solos. She's able to interpret it exactly the way that I wanted it because she's such a fine musician and she has a very wonderful approach. So I wrote everything down for her and she just went through it like butter.

"So far she seems very enthusiastic about working with the trio," adds Jones. "I'm looking forward to the next year of working with her and experimenting on a few other things. I'm really going to see if I can get her to start improvising on her own."

The centerpiece of Just for My Lady is Jones' "The Saskatchewan Suite," which was commissioned in 2012 for the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival's 25th anniversary. While the original commission was for big band, Jones has adapted the three-movement suite here for quartet. The first movement, "Prince Albert Sunrise," is a reflective ballad that has the maestro painting beautiful tones and textures with cascading arpeggios while the classically-trained bassist Lagacé contributes some virtuosic arco work. Movement two, the boppish "Regina Sky," incorporates a motif from Charlie Parker's "Confirmation" while drummer Doxas is featured on some hip fills. Movement three, "Saskatoon Spirit," is a Latin-tinged number with a busy, intricate line doubled by piano and violin.

Jones mentions that in 2009 he recorded Pleased to Meet You with the late, great pianist Hank Jones, who was 91 at the time of that Justin Time session. "He was still full of as many ideas as any young player out there," says Jones. "He was truly an inspiration, and was one of my favorite musicians. I'm hoping I make it to age 91. My mother's cousin just died at 114 in Barbados and he was the second oldest man in the world. And my mother lived to 102. So, let's hope that I'll be a young 80 and be able to continue for another few years."

Given his genes, and the vitality that he demonstrates at the keyboard on Just For My Lady, Canada's national treasure may be around for many years to come. A late bloomer in the jazz world, Jones was already in his 50s when he made his first recording. Born on September 11, 1934 in Little Burgundy, Montreal, Quebec, Oliver Theophilus Jones began studying at age five with Madame Bonner in Little Burgundy's Union United Church, made famous by Trevor W. Payne's Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir. He later studied with Oscar Peterson's sister Daisy Peterson Sweeney. In addition to performing at Union United Church when he was a child, he later performed solo at the Cafe St. Michel as well as other clubs and theaters in the Montreal area. From 1964 to 1980, Jones served as musical director for the Jamaican calypso singer Kenny Hamilton, who made Puerto Rico his base of operations.

In 1980, Jones returned to Montreal and teamed up with bassist Charlie Biddle, working in clubs and hotel lounges around Montreal. From 1981 to 1986, they performed at Biddle's, the popular club owned by the Canadian jazz bassist. In 1983, Jones released his first Justin Time recording, Live at Biddle's, a trio recording with bassist Biddle and drummer Bernard Primeau. He followed up in 1984 with the solo piano album The Many Moods of Oliver Jones, which included liner notes by his mentor, Oscar Peterson. In 1986, Jones won a Juno Award (Canada's GRAMMY®) for Lights of Burgundy and in 1989 he won the Félix Award for his album Just Friends. He taught music at McGill University in Montreal in 1989 and the following year his tour of Nigeria was the subject of a 1990 National Film Board of Canada documentary, Oliver Jones in Africa. He has toured internationally since then and makes regular appearances at the Montreal Jazz Festival. In 2005, his album with vocalist Ranee Lee, Just You, Just Me, was released to critical and popular acclaim. His previous Justin Time studio recording was the acclaimed 2011 holiday album, A Celebration in Time, which paired the 77-year-old pianist with singer Ranee Lee, the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir under the direction of Trevor W. Payne and the Daphnée Louis Singers from Haiti.

Upcoming Oliver Jones Appearances:
July 5-6 / FIJM Cinquieme Salle PDA / Montreal, Quebec
August 17 / Festival Saint-Zénon-De-Piopolis / Piopolis, Quebec
September 22 / The Segal Centre / Montreal, Quebec

THE JIMMY AMADIE TRIO - LIVE! AT THE PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART

On any given day, the Philadelphia Museum of Art can boast any number of masterpieces by the world's greatest artists, major works by Van Gogh, Renoir, Picasso, or Dalí. But on October 14, 2011, the iconic museum hosted the culmination of a life's work by one more master, if only for a few hours. On that evening, Philly piano great Jimmy Amadie took the stage for the first time since 1967, 43 years ago, finally showing an enraptured audience the results of decades of mental practice.


That landmark performance is captured on Live at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which liner-notes writer Neil Tesser calls Amadie's "last will and testament." If this album, where Amadie is joined by his long-time rhythm section of bassist Tony Marino and drummer Bill Goodwin, does mark the pianist's last recording, which is likely given his long-running struggles with tendonitis and cancer, it's a fitting monument to an unlikely career. "That was one of the happiest days of my life," Amadie says of the concert. "It was like a rebirth."

Those familiar with his story can tell you that if anyone knows rebirth, it's Jimmy Amadie. His inspiring story was recently told on screen in Matthew Marencik's 30-minute documentary Get Me a Fight, which premiered in 2012 at Villanova University in conjunction with the school's efforts to establish the "Jimmy Amadie Jazz Academy" based on his educational work.

In his early years, Amadie shared the stage with legends like bebop trumpet legend Red Rodney and saxophonist/bandleader Charlie Ventura, accompanied Mel Tormé for three years and was a member of Woody Herman's famous Herd. But he was forced off of the bandstand in 1967 by an extreme form of tendonitis in his hands that derailed his playing career for decades.

For thirty years he turned his attention to education, taking private students and writing two influential instructional books, Harmonic Foundation for Jazz and Popular Music and Jazz Improv: How To Play It and Teach It. But he never stopped "practicing," even if his fingers rarely touched a keyboard. "What you have to know is that I play piano in my head eight to ten hours a day," Amadie says. "The piano doesn't know it, but I'm playing."

This former boxer from North Philadelphia is a natural-born fighter, though, and after several surgeries and plenty of physical therapy he gradually built his strength to the point where he could get through an entire tune. Amadie made his recording debut shortly before his sixtieth birthday.

That first album, Always With Me, was recorded laboriously between 1994 and 1995, with Amadie taking sixteen weeks off between each piece. His first trio album was recorded the same way, with drummer Bill Goodwin and bassist Steve Gilmore painstakingly adding their parts to Amadie's prerecorded piano tracks. On each album since, however, Amadie has entered the studio and recorded the music live with his band-mates, taking months off afterwards for his hands to heal.

After completing his sixth album, The Philadelphia Story, which featured the all-star line-up of Benny Golson, Randy Brecker, and Lew Tabackin, Amadie felt he'd reached a career pinnacle. "After I did that album," he says, "I figured I can't play better than that. I said to God, 'I can die in peace.' Now I take it back."

The portent of those words came clear a few months later when, during a routine surgery, it was discovered that Amadie was afflicted with lung cancer. Now, after finally emerging victorious over one lifelong struggle, he was suddenly faced with another.

"I can't tell you how devastated I was," he says, "because after all these years to feel so good about playing, I just couldn't believe that I could wind up with something else. And I went crazy. I didn't know what to do."

What he did is what he's always done: fight against the pain. He released two more albums, culminating in the trio date Something Special, also recorded with Marino and Goodwin. With no special guests to offer relief from playing, Amadie further damaged his pain-wracked hands. He continues to suffer the after-effects of that decision, but insists that the end result is worth it.

He also continues his battle with cancer, which drove him to the decision to make his long-delayed return to live performance. "Cancer's a coward," Amadie has declared on more than one occasion. "He hits you below the belt, he hits you in the back. I'm gonna throw the punches as long as I'm here to throw the punches, but he's not making it easy. He sneaks up on you and he doesn't want to make you sick; cancer's not gonna stop until he kills you. With me, he's having problems."

His ailments took their toll on the night of the concert represented on this, Amadie's ninth album. The pain in his hands, still acute following the recording of the trio record, flared up in especially ugly fashion just before the performance. That was compounded by vision problems caused by medication for his lung cancer which forced Amadie to jettison the new music he'd spent six months writing but now couldn't read, and to substitute flash cards with basic instructions for two sets of standards.

Not that the audience that filled the museum's marble staircase minded. Amadie was welcomed back to the public eye with a rousing and emotional ovation. "I'm not showing off that I can play through pain," Amadie insists. "As far as I'm concerned, once I sit down to play, I'm going to play the best that I can. I'm out there to play because I believe I have something to say. This is what's keeping me alive. I have something better than the pain: passion. Pain can try to stop you but passion overcomes it."

Live at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Track Listing:
1. There Is No Greater Love (Isham Jones, Marty Symes)
2. On Green Dolphin Street (Bronisalu Kaper, Ned Washington)
3. Here's That Rainy Day (Jimmy VanHeusen, Johnny Burke)
4. Softly As The Morning Sunrise (Sigmund Romberg, Oscar Hammerstein II)
5. This Can't Be Love (Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart)
6. Secret Love (Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster)
7. Summertime (George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward)
8. My Funny Valentine (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
9. Just In Time (Jule Stein, Betty Comden, Adolph Green)
10. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (George Baseman, Ned Washington)
11. All The Things You Are (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II)
12. 52nd Street Theme (Thelonious Monk)

BRAINKILLER DELIVERS GENRE-DEFYING NEW ALBUM - COLOURLESS GREEN SUPERHEROES

On the creative instrumental music scene today there are a plethora of fresh-sounding new bands that artfully blend jazz, classical, rock, electronica and the avant garde. Add to that list the renegade trio Brainkiller, which has been flying under the radar with a potent sound that is steeped in structure while pushing the envelope on audaciousness. With Colourless Green Superheroes, the band that continues to defy easy categorization is back with more epic compositions bursting with energy and compelling grooves, intricate time-shifting passages and odd rhythms, raucous interludes, touches of humor and various ingenious applications of keys, bone and drums.


The brainchild of trombonist Brian Allen and keyboardist Jacob Koller, Brainkiller began 13 years ago as an experimental duo. The two composers and kindred spirits explored their indelible chemistry and complimentary compositional styles together for years before adding a third permanent member, drummer Hernan Hecht (of Mole) in 2007. The following year they recorded The Infiltration, which was released on RareNoise Records in 2010. Colourless Green Superheroes continues the saga of this potent and restless creative trio. And thereʼs something new this time out - the addition of seductive vocals by enigmatic Japanese chanteuse Coppé on one track, the atmospheric and mellow "Empty Words." Says trombonist-composer Allen, "We actually all wrote this tune together, which is something very different for us. Jacob and I have never really written songs together but when we thought about having Coppé sing on this album, the three of us sat down and wrote it together at the same time. We had never done that before."

"Empty Words" is just one of 13 dynamic and wholly distinctive tunes on Colourless Green Superheroes. From Kollerʼs epic "The Vindicator Returns," which reaches King Crimson-esque levels of bombast on the strength of the composerʼs distortion-laced Fender Rhodes work and Hechtʼs thunderous backbeats, to Allenʼs subdued and lyrical "Orange Grey Shade" or his mournful dirge "A Piedi Verso Il Sole," to Kollerʼs anthemic "Top of the World" and Allenʼs quirky-bluesy plunger showcase, "Noodlin," which shifts abruptly to an uptempo chops-busting groover, Brainkiller covers a remarkably wide stylistic gamut. Add in Kollerʼs engaging trance-groover "Plates," Allenʼs strident jam "Secret Mission," Kollerʼs kinetic "Okatu Goes to a Rave" and Allenʼs slow-grooving mysterioso closer "To Be Continued," and you have a universe of sound that Brainkiller explores on their sophomore outing.

"Thereʼs definitely a lot of influences that we have," says Allen, citing saxophonist Tim Berneʼs trio with keyboardist Craig Taborn and drummer Tom Rainey and Ellery Eskelinʼs trio with accordianist Andrea Parkins and drummer Jim Black as a significant ones. Koller cites Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, Thelonious Monk, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Deerhoof, Radiohead, Phil Collins, Tim Berne, Death Cab for Cutie, Beach House and the Paul Motian Trio with Joe Lovano and Bill Frisell as some of his important influences.

"I would say that this album is pretty composed," adds Allen. "These songs are not really for open improvisation or that kind of thing. You might hear a trombone solo or a keyboard solo, but even then weʼre thinking, ʻHowʼs it going to function compositionally and how can it take us somewhere or whatʼs it going to add as opposed to having something to fill up the time or the space?ʼ Weʼve all done a lot of free improv on other projects, so we wanted this to be something different and special and unique, especially because Jacob and I write. We like to write and compose music, so it was fun for us to actually not have it be super-open or very improvisatory."

It was 13 years ago that Allen and Koller met on their respective ways to a band camp in Banff, Canada - Koller from Arizona and Allen from Texas. "Actually, we met in the airport," explains Allen. "Something happened in customs and we were detained. I remember getting off at the airport in Calgary and going to this little office, and there was Jacob sitting on the floor looking dejected. They werenʼt going to let us into the country to go to this camp because we did something wrong with our immigration forms. They were asking us to pay a lot of fines...it got pretty weird. After we straightened it out, we took the bus to Banff and started talking, and we hit it off. That night we went to a jam session and the first thing we played was a standard, and we kind of looked at each other and went, ʻHey! I wanna play with YOU! Weʼve got something here.ʼ So it was a completely kind of a random, completely lucky thing that we met."

13 years later, that rare connection continues. "We have something that I just havenʼt felt with too many other musicians," says Allen. "Itʼs just always a blast playing with Jacob. Heʼs such a good musician and he hears wonderfully...the colors and the way he can accompany. And his compositions are great...just so much fun to play."

Says Koller of his Brainkiller partner, "Brian thinks more conceptually about writing where I tend to focus on finding a specific melody or harmony that evokes a unique character. I really think our two different approaches to writing and playing music compliment each other. From the very first time we first started making music together I think it was apparent that there was a lot of raw musical chemistry between us. I think that chemistry has strengthened over the years, as has our concept about making music. I play with a lot of different people but playing music with Brian is like riding a bicycle. It is always super easy. It just happens."

Both Allen and Koller have high praise for the third member of Brainkiller, whom they say helps shape the music in profound ways. "Hernan is definitely an amazing drummer," says Koller, "but the reason why we works so well with Brainkiller is because he is a great producer who can see the entire aspect of the music. He is able to see and hear things more like a producer would rather than a composer or a player. This input from Hernan has a big influence on the outcome of the sound of Brainkiller." Adds Allen, "Weʼre always trying to figure out how we can make the most of what we have with just these three voices. So we think a lot about the orchestration of it and Hernan is really great with those details. Heʼs really amazing in the studio...just all these little fine-tuning things that he does. He has ways to define the sections and the moods so that everything has a different character, like itʼs really saturated character with as much detail as we can give it."

For his part, Hecht says he felt an immediate chemistry with Allen and Koller when he joined the band in 2007. "From the band's inception, we knew we had a unique and committed sound, but we have grown at a musical and conceptual level. Our statement became clearer, and with that came the personas and more refined possibility. Being on tour and spending as much time as we have together, we discovered we shared a pretty deep sense of humor, not realizing it was pushing the music to evolve. When we became aware of it, we decided to embrace it as part of the project. Thatʼs when we developed the new characters, a direction that not only involved a unique music but a concept from start to finish, where humor, the intricate costumes and music were one."

Hecht adds, "Brian and Jacob are special beings, with very special personalities and a way of life quite different from the average person. Of course, this is reflected in their approach when composing. They are highly intelligent creatures, very aware of the styles and the sounds coming from contemporary musics, with very deep knowledge of the mathematics of music, playing with all these elements simultaneously. I'm a big fan of them."

That kind of camaraderie is apparent from track to track on Colourless Green Superheroes, Brainkillerʼs audacious second release on RareNoise Records.

JONATHAN MORITZ TRIO - SECRET TEMPO

Hot Cup Records has announced the release of the debut album by Jonathan Moritz' Secret Tempo. This trio recording featuring the leader and composer on tenor and soprano saxophones, Shayna Dulberger on acoustic bass and Mike Pride on drums showcases this long-standing New York experimental jazz trio. Consisting of a suite of pieces composed to explore space, counterpoint, and interaction, Secret Tempo introduces audiences to a compelling New York ensemble.

The penchant for performing in the context of a pianoless trio has long been common among more open-minded and forward thinking tenor saxophonists. From Sonny Rollins to Hot Cup's own Jon Irabagon, this instrumentation has proved to be a versatile and inspiring vehicle for musicians who desire to explore the space it allows each individual musician. Moritz cites Sonny Rollins and Branford Marsalis' Trio Jeepy as influential predecessors, but his compositions are an attempt to bring in the vocabulary of so-called "new music" composition: microtonality, serialism, minimalism, and the post-Cage aesthetic.

As Moritz intimates in his liner notes, the idea behind the music of "Secret Tempo" is to explore the sounds and interactions that are created when a group of improvising musicians manipulate musical time. Rather than create music based on steady pulses and consistent densities, Moritz compositions expand and contract as each member of the trio enters and exits the piece from moment to moment. Much jazz criticism of the last half century has emphasized the importance of space in jazz, and as fans of Miles Davis will attest, the absence of sound can be a powerful musical statement. The fluctuating compositions and improvisations of "Secret Tempo" expose the fertile ground available to musicians if they allow for a wider range of possibilities when silence is considered.

Increasing the appeal of such a varied musical collection as the pieces on "Secret Tempo" is the sound quality of each member's contributions. Moritz' tone is lush and robust and owes a great debt to the big sound tenor men that he cites as influences: Ben Webster, Gene Ammons and Coleman Hawkins. The work of latter day proponents of improvised music on the big horn such as Ellery Eskelin, Tony Malaby, Mark Turner, and John Butcher can also be discerned in his blistering runs, facile use of the altissimo register and tendency to cover the instrument's entire range in a single phrase.

Shayna Dulberger proves to be the perfect foil for a saxophonist as multifaceted as Moritz. Utilizing the full range of articulations and pitches of the double-bass, Dulberger is equally comfortable sparring with Moritz on TK, laying down bedrock-solid ostinatos (7779) and offsetting Moritz' flurries with measured use of the instrument's low register. The contrast between pizzacato and arco playing as well as a wide dynamic range are meticulously recorded and showcase both Dulberger's virtuosity and restraint.

Mike Pride's drums offer such a wide range of sounds that the inclusion of other pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments to his arsenal seems almost superfluous. From the earthy lows of his bass drum to the expert manipulation of cymbals and their overtones, Pride's orchestral palate contributes a third melodic voice to each composition. His inclusion of glockenspiel and other semi-pitched metal instruments is cogent and expressive, often evoking the sound of "new music" ensembles such as 8th Blackbird and the Bang on a Can All-Stars.

Saxophonist, composer and educator Jonathan Moritz was born in Teheran, Iran in 1977. He moved at an early age to Southern California where he grew up surrounded by his Persian family and at 17 departed for Europe to study jazz saxophone at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

Moritz returned to the US to complete a BFA at California Institute of the Arts ('98-2000) and release his first trio album, Xanadu. In 2006, Moritz settled in Brooklyn becoming a frequent collaborator with like-minded improvising musicians such as Eugene Chadbourne, Micael Formanek, Mat Maneri, Nate Wooley, and many others. As a teacher, Moritz has led master classes at the University of Michigan and ISIM conference in addition to teaching instrumental music at the Morris H. Weiss School in Gravesend, Brooklyn. When he is not playing or teaching, he can be found surfing or running around with his son. Together with his French wife Elodie, he also curates the Prospect Series, an intimate and welcoming house concert series featuring innovative improvisers and Persian stew.

Shayna Dulberger is an upright bassist living and working in New York City. Dulberger has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, Israel, and Europe, and in many festivals and series such as XFest, Rhythm in the Kitchen, KMB Jazz Festival, CMJ, "Brooklyn Next" BAM Festival, the Vision Festival, ABC No Rio's C.O.M.A., and Neues Kabarett's events at the Brecht Forum.recorded. She has also performed with artists such as: Ras Moshe, William Parker, Bill Cole, Stars Like Fleas, and Walter Wright. Born in 1983 and raised in Mahopac, NY, Dulberger attended Manhattan School of Music's preparatory division during high school and graduated with a BM in Jazz at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University.

Based in New York for the past decade, drummer Mike Pride currently leads the quartet, From Bacteria To Boys, who record for AUM Fidelity Records. He has worked with everyone from improvised music icon Anthony Braxton to punk legends Millions Of Dead Cops, toured extensively on four continents and appeared on more than 75 recordings. A short list of his collaborators includes Boredoms, Califone, Eugene Chadbourne, Chinese pop-star Priscilla Chan, Nels Cline, Trevor Dunn, Milford Graves, Mary Halvorson, Curtis Hasselbring, Jon Irabagon, Haino Keiji's Fushitsusha, George Lewis, Bill McHenry, Tony Malaby, Ikue Mori, Butch Morris, Joe Morris, Marc Ribot, Matana Roberts, Jamie Saft, Chris Speed, Jason Stein, Otomo Yoshihide and John Zorn. Pride is also a busy educator and clinician, a soundtrack composer for TV, video games and independent films, and an experienced painter, cartoonist and photographer.

www.jonathanmoritz.com/