Jazz Vocalist Sarah Partridge Releases Her Album, "Bright Lights & Promises: Redefining Janis Ian"

On the night of May 11th, at the legendary "Bitter End" rock club in New York City, jazz vocalist Sarah Partridge debuted songs from her new album, "Bright Lights & Promises: Redefining Janis Ian" to rave reviews. A month of her performance, and the album is still receiving acclaim for listeners and and fellow artists across the country.

Partridge's album, released by Origin Records, is a reimagination of 11 of Janis Ian's songs. In addition, the duo wrote two originals for the recording and Ian duets with Partridge on one.

Janis Ian https://www.janisian.com/, who has received a total of 10 Grammy nominations in 8 different categories began her musical career at the age of 12 and has continued to have an illustrious career for the past 5 decades.

When talking about Partridge and her new album, Janis had this to say, "The thing I like best about Sarah is her willingness to listen, and contribute. From the title of this album, to the choice of songs, to the fun we had recording together, the project was a pleasure. And that's really, really rare."

Music reviewer Dan Bilawsky gave Partridge's album a glowing review: "The musicianship here is superb throughout—you shouldn’t expect anything less when Tim Horner is driving from the drums, Scott Robinson is covering reeds, Allen Farnham is manning the keys and arranging the material, and other heavy hitters are in the mix—and Partridge hits a bull’s-eye on every single song. She can scat, strut, soar, and tear your heart and soul to shreds without ever breaking a sweat. She’s that good, these performances are that memorable, and this album is most certainly one for the ages."

Frank Fay, an audience member at Partridge's performance at The Bitter End on May 11th, was ecstatic about what he had just witnessed. "It was a really great show! Sarah's voice is truly amazing and the new songs are superb."

NINA SIMONE, THOM BELL, AND SLY STONE TO RECEIVE RECORDING ACADEMY® SPECIAL MERIT AWARDS

The Recording Academy® will honor its 2017 Special Merit Awards recipients with an awards ceremony and live tribute concert on Tuesday, July 11, 2017, at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. This year's Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Shirley Caesar, Ahmad Jamal, Charley Pride, Jimmie Rodgers, Nina Simone, Sly Stone, and the Velvet Underground. Led by GRAMMY®-winning industry icon Paul Shaffer as musical director, the tribute concert will feature rare performances by honorees and never-seen renditions by those they've inspired. Just confirmed to perform are past GRAMMY nominee Catherine Russell, five-time GRAMMY winner Dionne Warwick, and past GRAMMY nominee Charlie Wilson. Tickets for the event are on sale now via Ticketmaster.

Additional Special Merit Awards honorees to be celebrated include Thom Bell, Mo Ostin, and Ralph S. Peer, who are this year's Trustees Award honorees, and Alan Dower Blumlein, who is the Technical GRAMMY Award recipient. Also being honored is Keith Hancock, this year's recipient of the Music Educator Award™.

Russell will perform in honor of Peer, Warwick will pay tribute to Bell, and Wilson will salute Stone. Previously announced performers include past GRAMMY nominee Andra Day, who will be honoring Simone; 12-time GRAMMY winner Kirk Franklin, who will pay tribute to Caesar; six-time GRAMMY winner Randy Newman, who will honor Ostin; and two-time GRAMMY winner Dwight Yoakam, who will salute Rodgers.

Now in its second year, the "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends™" event will be produced in partnership with THIRTEEN as part of the "Great Performances" series on PBS, set to air later this year. Previously held during GRAMMY Week, this is the second year the Recording Academy has celebrated the Special Merit Awards with a stand-alone TV event and musical tribute. In addition to the tribute concert, special celebrity guests will present recipients their award statues and guests will enjoy never-before-seen video packages celebrating each of the honorees' contributions to the music industry and our cultural heritage.

A production of THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET, "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" will be written by David Wild and directed for television by David Horn, with Mitch Owgang as producer, and David Horn and Neil Portnow as executive producers.

The Lifetime Achievement Award honors performers who have made contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording, while the Trustees Award recognizes such contributions in areas other than performance. Both awards are determined by a vote of the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. Technical GRAMMY Award recipients are determined by vote of the Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing® Advisory Council and Chapter Committees and ratified by the National Board of Trustees. The award is presented to individuals and companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field. Visit www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards for complete lists of previous nominees.

About the Lifetime Achievement Award Honorees:

A deeply spiritual and affecting gospel singer, Shirley Caesar's emotive vocal talents were discovered in a church choir when she was 10 years old. She is arguably best known for her eight-year tenure with the Chicago-based gospel group the Caravans, whom she joined after appealing to Albertina Walker to sing a solo with the group. Electing to pursue a solo career in 1966 alongside her own choir, the Caesar Singers, she subsequently carved out a profile that earned her the title of First Lady of Gospel Music. Caesar's roll call of achievements includes 11 GRAMMY Awards®, 14 Stellar awards, 15 Dove awards, an NAACP Image Award, a Soul Train Music Award, and two recent 59th GRAMMY nominations.

A prodigy who began playing piano at age 3, Ahmad Jamal started performing professionally at 14 and was signed to Okeh Records by age 21. Trained in both traditional jazz and European classical piano styles, Jamal has been labeled as a jazz innovator who helped pioneer "cool jazz," which had a significant influence on Miles Davis, among others. With a catalog spanning seven decades, he is known for wonderful renditions of pieces such as "Poinciana" and "Dolphin Dance," original compositions such as "Ahmad's Blues," the fantastic compilation Complete Live At The Spotlight Club 1958, and his most well-known album, 1958's At The Pershing: But Not For Me.

Three-time GRAMMY winner Charley Pride taught himself to play guitar in his early teens, but he dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. After playing in the Negro American League, he was signed by RCA Victor and in 1967 he became the first black singer to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. "Just Between You And Me" launched Pride to stardom, earning him his first GRAMMY nomination for 1966. In 1969 Pride scored his first No. 1 country hit with "All I Have To Offer You (Is Me)."  Pride is considered the first African-American superstar in country music.

Jimmie Rodgers* is widely regarded as the Father of Country Music. In 1961 he became one of the first three people inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 1970 he was a part of the inaugural class of songwriters voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1986, the first year of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions, he was inducted under the early influencers category. Rodgers has three recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame® — "Blue Yodel (T For Texas)" and "In The Jailhouse Now" (both from 1928) and "Blue Yodel #9 (Standing On The Corner)" (1930).

Dr. Nina Simone*, known as the High Priestess of Soul, was a child prodigy whose dreams of becoming a classical musician were deferred by the color of her skin. Her fearlessness and deep commitment to the civil rights movement gave birth to such classics as "Mississippi Goddam," "Four Women" and "To Be Young, Gifted And Black." Her approach to music was so versatile she labeled her style black classical. From R&B and rock to jazz, gospel, blues, folk, and Broadway, Simone brought her unique style to each genre. Her interpretations of "Feeling Good" and "Sinnerman" are classics that fans around the world still enjoy. Her version of "I Loves You, Porgy," which became a Top 20 hit in 1959, was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2000.

Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart is an iconic American musician, songwriter and producer most famous for his role as frontman of Sly & The Family Stone. Classic hits penned by Stone, including "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)," "Everyday People," "Dance To The Music," and "There's A Riot Going On," played a critical role in the development of soul, funk, rock, and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s. Sly & The Family Stone were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. The group has four recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame.

Despite a relatively brief lifespan and limited commercial success, the Velvet Underground are now recognized as one of the most influential rock bands of all time. Comprising Lou Reed*, John Cale, Sterling Morrison*, and Maureen "Moe" Tucker, the band was, perhaps, ahead of their time, both visually and sonically. Often dubbed the quintessential proto-punk band, they have been continually cited as the benchmark for countless modern-rock movements over the past 50 years. The Velvet Underground's seminal 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2008.

About The Trustees Award Honorees:

Producer/arranger/songwriter Thom Bell was one of the cornerstones of the Philadelphia Soul legacy. He was a prime architect in the development of a '70s soul sound that moved beyond the grit of Southern soul and the effervescence of Motown by building complex and sophisticated arrangements around smooth strings, elegant horns and a driving rhythm that anticipated the rise of disco. With the Delfonics, the Stylistics, the Spinners and others, Bell established his trademark sound with sweet strings and muted brass led by the French horn. Hits such as "I’ll Be Around" and "Betcha By Golly, Wow" cemented his stature as one of the all-time great songwriter/producers, and his partnership with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff helped create the quintessential Sound of Philadelphia.

Mo Ostin is one of the greatest record executives in music history. While he started out at Verve, it was helming Frank Sinatra's Reprise Records where Ostin came into his own. With Reprise Records and ultimately Warner Bros., where he served as Chairman for 25 years, Ostin worked with the seminal artists of the generation such as Eric Clapton, Randy Newman, Paul Simon, Prince, and Neil Young, while also developing a staff that was legendary in their own right. With an artist-friendly disposition, Ostin led with the idea that great art made great business — most of the bands signed under his watch made both critically acclaimed and profitable records. Ostin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 and was honored with The Recording Academy's President's Merit Award at the 2006 GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons®.

Ralph S. Peer* was a successful recording executive, archetypal A&R man and music publisher whose career spanned from 1919 to 1960. Through his work as a music executive, he continually broadened the palate of genres that music makers and audiences embraced. He was the executive producer of Mamie Smith’s “Crazy Blues," the first vocal blues recording, James P. Johnson's "Carolina Shout," considered by historians to be among the first jazz piano solo recordings, and Fiddlin' John Carson's "The Little Old Log Cabin In The Lane," the first country record released. He was the producer of the 1927 Bristol Sessions, considered the "Big Bang" of country music, where he discovered Jimmie Rodgers and the original Carter Family. He broadened his focus by publishing Latin music in the United States and around the globe. Fifty-nine recordings produced or published by Ralph S. Peer have been inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame.

About The Technical GRAMMY Award Recipient:

Alan Dower Blumlein* received 128 patents on his way to becoming one of the most significant audio inventors of his time. His most noteworthy patent was for the stereo in 1931, a development that was spurred by a visit to the cinema and being frustrated that the sound from a single speaker didn't match with the actors and action on screen. He also invented the Blumlein Pair microphones, a stereo disc-cutting head and a shuffling circuit, among other audio inventions.

*Denotes posthumous award

NEW MUSIC: GIACOMO GATES – WHAT TIME IS IT?; CAMILLE THURMAN – INSIDE THE MOMENT; JEREMY PELT – MAKE NOISE!

GIACOMO GATES – WHAT TIME IS IT?

Being a good jazz vocalist isn't easy, and simply releasing a CD doesn't prove competence. More than some genres, a voice that's technically good is almost a requirement. There are exceptions, but in this particular genre you don't find too many with an instrument like Leonard Cohen's. There's also the question of material. When it comes to the Great American Songbook, it's hard to give a fresh spin to tunes that were already popular in the first half of the 20th Century and never faded into obscurity. Usually the fault lies in the interpretations rather than the choices, with musicians creating uninspired arrangements of obvious material in a sad effort to seem relevant. Giacomo Gates avoids all of these pitfalls. He has a warm, intimate sound with the technical chops to do whatever he wants to with his voice and benefits from tasteful and uncluttered arrangements that allow him to draw in the listener with ingratiating humor, emotional insight, subtlety and exemplary musicianship. With John di Martino at the piano and Jerry Weldon's tenor sax out in front, the results never feel stilted and in fact Gates comes across as one of the most distinctive singers on the scene. His unique sense of phrasing and insinuating manner of delivering lyrics to songs like “On a Misty Night,” “I Didn't Know What Time It Was,” and “A Few Bucks Ahead” help assure him a place among today's top vocalists.

CAMILLE THURMAN – INSIDE THE MOMENT

2017 release. The world of jazz has been graced by many great female vocalists through the decades - Ella Fitzgerald, Sara Vaughan, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, to name just a few. Chesky Records is excited to introduce a name we feel will one day be in their company... Camille Thurman. On her Chesky Records debut, Thurman shows her versatility with stunning performances on both saxophone and vocals. The multi-talented Camille Thurman is an award-winning composer, a formidable saxophonist, and a second-place winner of the prestigious Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition. She has performed with artists ranging from Dr. Billy Taylor, George Coleman, Lew Tabackin, and George Benson, to Chaka Khan, Alicia Keys, and Missy Elliot. She recently made her Jazz at Lincoln Center debut during the Generations in Jazz Festival, leading a killer quartet as she sang, played, and showcased original compositions and some classics. She also recently gave an improvised scatting performance during Battle of the Big Bands that brought down the house in The Appel Room. The inaugural release of the new Virtual Audio Series from Chesky Records, this album was recorded in front of a live audience at Rockwood Music Hall in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, using a single binaural microphone. This technique places the listener in the middle of a live show. If you didn't know any better, you'd swear you can smell the perfume of the young lady seated to your left.

JEREMY PELT – MAKE NOISE!

A bandleader can command with his ego or he can direct from his heart. At the top of his game after twenty-plus years of musical experience, it's obvious that Jeremy Pelt, his exceptional talents as a trumpeter and composer accounted for, has tapped into a generous and encouraging spirit and built Make Noise! from the band up. That is, Pelt's four handpicked musical compatriots were fully expected to bring a firm artistic identity and fertile ideas to the game, which not surprisingly, each offered in abundance. Allowing his bandmates to shine only threw greater light on their intuitive leader. In addition to leading his own bands since the turn of the new millennium, Pelt worked with such legendary jazz veterans as Johnny Griffin, Cedar Walton, Wayne Shorter, James Moody and Louis Hayes. Throughout Make Noise!, Pelt incorporates his accumulated knowledge of still vital jazz conventions, while also blending dynamic contemporary rhythmic and harmonic ploys in to the mix.

NEW MUSIC: ELLA FITZGERALD – ELLA IN BERLIN; STEVE NELSON – BROTHERS UNDER THE SUN; BENNY GREEN – HAPPINESS! LIVE AT KUUMBWA

ELLA FITZGERALD – ELLA IN BERLIN

Includes a 16-page booklet with the original artwork, plus the original and updated liner notes. This release presents the complete original LP Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife (Verve MGV4041), as well as her comeback concert from the following year. It contains both of Ella Fitzgerald's celebrated performances at the Deutschlandhalle in Berlin, Germany, in their entireties. She is backed by all-star quartets featuring Jim Hall or Herb Ellis on guitar, and Paul Smith or Lou Levy on piano. The 1960 concert became one of Ella's most popular albums ever, winning two Grammy awards in 1960. On both concerts she performs amazing readings of the Weill-Brecht classic ''Mack the Knife.'' A complete rarely heard performance in Cannes that was taped in July 1959, and two 1956 tracks recorded live at the Hollywood Bowl, have been added here as a bonus. The latter two songs were mistakenly included on some issues of Ella in Berlin under the false belief that they formed part of the 1960 concert. This set also includes two rare versions of tunes from the second concert sung in German, which were recorded in Copenhagen in 1961 and originally issued as singles.

STEVE NELSON – BROTHERS UNDER THE SUN

Vibist Steve Nelson made a big splash as a newcomer in the jazz polls at the end of the '80s just as the vibraphone began to re-emerge as one of jazz's favorite instruments. The cool, drifty, slightly detached sound of the vibraphone will forever be associated with great jazz players like Lionel Hampton, Gary Burton and others, but Nelson has firmly established himself as a leader of top-notch small ensembles that showcase his own personal voice on the instrument. Leading a blue-chip quartet composed of pianist Danny Grissett, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Lewis Nash, Nelson has put together an imaginative setlist that serves as a tribute to the late pianist Mulgrew Miller, with whom Nelson enjoyed a long and fruitful musical collaboration and friendship. Throughout the date the interplay of the quartet is engaging, the creativity unflagging and the joy in the music making is always apparent. Brothers Under the Sun is a substantial addition to Steve Nelson's far-too-small discography as a leader.

BENNY GREEN – HAPPINESS! LIVE AT KUUMBWA

2017 release. Some of Green's best work has been in the trio format, historically a configuration that has been one of the most popular in the advancement of jazz. The ensemble featured here is made up of bassist David Wong and drummer Rodney Green. Benny Green has been performing at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center for more than 35 years. He was introduced to the stage while in the ensembles of Betty Carter and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Since then, Green has tried to make a point of playing the Northern California venue yearly. Begun as a non-profit and festival in 1975, Kuumbwa has maintained a steady presence in the jazz world as one of the premier jazz venues in the United States.

NEW MUSIC: RONNY SMITH – SHAKE IT UP; RICHARD STOLTZ MAN / RIKA STOLTZMAN – DUO CANTANDO; DELROY WILSON – GO AWAY DREAM

RONNY SMITH – SHAKE IT UP

Guitarist Ronny Smith is back with Shake It Up. As writer, producer, arranger and programmer, with ten well-chosen original tracks, this is a superb example of the tight melodic style that categorizes Ronny's playing. Mellow tones, subtle creativity, and his ability to groove over catchy rhythms leaves you breathless. Touches of each of his influences, Wes Montgomery, George Benson and Pat Martino, just to name a few. He grooves, caresses and works his way through a song with maturity. Take for instance the grooving, mellifluous Coast To Coast, featuring Scott Martin on sax, Tone Whitfield on bass and Will Allen on drums, that he uses to get the album started or the wonderfully easy grooving Chasing Your Love featuring Eddy Botts on keyboards. Both are fine examples of Ronny at his very best and much the same can be said of the foot tapping title cut, Shake It Up. Later, when Quincy Jones' horn players, the Martin Brothers, joins the line-up he adds some spice to the decidedly funky Bettin It All On Black and although Back It Up starts out in tranquil fashion it quickly develops into a tune with attitude. Chasing Your Love is one of several cuts where Reggie Wilson on bass and Will Allen on drums lay a rock solid foundation from which Smith's playing really shines and despite Feel For You being another number that re-enforces the mid-tempo groove that permeates much of the collection, the Latin driven intensity of When The Sun Goes Down, featuring Jeff Knoettner on piano, proves to be a powerful way in which to bring the CD to a close. We know you'll love Shake It Up!

RICHARD STOLTZ MAN / RIKA STOLTZMAN – DUO CANTANDO

Grammy Award-winning clarinetist Richard Stoltzman teams up with his wife, marimbist Mika Stoltzman, on an all new contemporary classical album titled "Duo Cantando" which will be released today via Savoy Jazz.  Transcending the boundaries of classical and jazz, the renowned duo's new album showcases compositions by Bill Douglas, Chick Corea, Toru Takemitsu, John Zorn and more.  "Duo Cantando" was produced by multi Grammy Award-winner Steven Epstein (Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman) and features guest performers Chick Corea on piano and Gil Rose conducting the Boston Modern Orchestra Project.  Richard has had a long and distinguished career defying easy categorization.  He's performed contemporary classical, chamber music and broken down barriers between classical and popular music most notably melding classical traditions with jazz and popular music.  The highly lauded musician has won two Grammys and has been championed by composers from Olivier Messiaen and Toru Takemitsu to Mel Torme and Judy Collins.  Sony just released a 40 CD box set compiling recordings on RCA, BMG and Sony.  The husband and wife team have been performing extensively as a duo since 2014.  Marimbist Mika also transcends boundaries performing in both the classical, jazz and new music realms.  She's performed pieces by Steve Reich, John Zorn, Chick Corea and many more.

DELROY WILSON – GO AWAY DREAM

A fantastic record from the great Delroy Wilson – a set that's dubby at the core, but also has a righteous sense of soul too – almost a Jamaican extension of the hippest styles of early 70s American soul! Delroy's vocals are wonderful – very powerful, even without trying too much – and set up amidst some great production from Bunny Lee that really makes the whole thing shine like a slow-burning dark star – a perfect vibe that's laidback, but never lazy – and a great change from some of the more polished early 80s Jamaican soul. Titles include a great remake of the Chi-Lites "Go Away Dream" – plus "No More Heartaches", "Spit In The Sky", "When She Was My Girl", "I Can't Take You Back", "I Can't Fight It Anymore", "Won't You Come Home", and "Silhouette Silhouette".  ~ Dusty Groove

NEW MUSIC: JOSH MILAN – 6.9.69; MOONCHILD - VOYAGER; IZZI DUNN – RECYCLE LOVE

JOSH MILAN – 6.9.69

We have a waited a long time for the Honeycomb Music release of Josh Milan’s first solo album 6.9.69. He has spent over 3 years producing and developing this exquisite 24-song collection. A nod to his day of birth, “6.9.69” represents Josh’s musical journey, fusing influences from some of the giants of music (i.e., Quincy Jones, Pat Matheny et al.) and creating an incredibly crafted debut LP. Josh’s lyrics explore topics of politics, identity, race, relationships and love while his music explores his life-long love of live music. This album is simply inspiring and innovative on every level. Even to describe his work in these terms understates the magic that Josh Milan brings to his debut. “6.9.69” is the kind of album you play all the way through without stopping – a masterful masterpiece! Far too many stand out cuts to list. Just have a listen and make up your own mind. Please don’t sleep on this one!

MOONCHILD  - VOYAGER

Voyager’ is the third full-length album from LA’s Moonchild, whose candid style of soul and new-school jazz has propelled them onto a swirling, emotionally charged journey of the heart. Since 2014 they have dedicated their time and energy into honing dreamlike and ethereal compositions which explore the intricacies of relationships with emotional nuance. Since cementing themselves into the vibrant LA soul scene, Moonchild have released two albums and collaborated or toured with highly-respected names in the soul-jazz crowd including Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, India.Arie, Leela James, The Internet (Odd Future’s Syd tha Kyd & Matt Martians) and more. Along the way, Moonchild have accumulated a host of iconic supporters from Robert Glasper and Laura Mvula to James Poyser, Jazzy Jeff, and Jose James.

IZZI DUNN – RECYCLE LOVE

Cellist, singer and songwriter Izzi Dunn returns with a powerhouse new album in the form of ‘Recycle Love’. ‘Our Time’ is a forceful, tough edged funker, ‘Look Up In The Sky’ has an Omar feel – that unique brand of London Town funk edged Jazz with some lovely orchestration running throughout – while ‘Lady’ is a sumptuous slab of boogie that starts off with Izzi’s Cello and slides into a solid dance floor banger! The angular groove of ‘Control’ is another big dancer that has a super catchy melody while the laid back, cosmic soul of ‘Love Interrupted’ is another highlight. ‘Devices’ shows yet another side to Izzi’s musical mind on a dark throwback soul mid tempo effort that shines a light on her strong vocals. Very good album.

LLORCA RETURNS WITH "THE GARDEN"

Don’t call it a comeback – sixteen years and a few hundred thousand sold copies after his internationally successful debut album “Newcomer”, Llorca plants exciting new seeds with his soulful sophomore effort “The Garden”. “The French Touch” excited listeners in the late Nineties and early Naughties. Combining influences from Soul, Jazz, Latin or African music with extremely elegant electronics, artists like St. Germain, Laurent Garnier, Daft Punk, or Llorca delivered their deep delights to sophisticated audiences in clubs and at parties around the world. 

Now, the man christened Lludovic Llorca (also known as Art of Tones) steps back on the scene with a decidedly different sound: gritty grooves matured in Funk, sensational songwriting and production, topped by a host of amazing voices, singers of high and mighty caliber, some known to many like Georg Levin of Berlin based Sonar Kollektiv, Parisian Soul Queen Laetitia Dana, Drum’n’Bass-Crooner Frank H. Carter III from the UK or Brooklynite Halley Hiatt, as well as some newcomers like Mawogani Wood, Stefan Frank, Sapele, and Michael Barthelemy. “The Garden” is a treasure trove of melodic seeds, growing with each listen, blooming from good songs into instant classics – surely this is Llorca’s masterpiece.

Having made his home in the Occitan region in the deep south of France, close to the Spanish border and far away from the hustle and bustle of Paris, Llorca wisely decided to direct his artistic career according to the paths taken in his personal life. At one and in agreement with his inspirations, the internationally renowned DJ, producer, and songwriter built his studio in Perpignan; more of a refuge than a fortress of solitude, it has become his sacred place to make music the way he always wanted to, a soundscape incorporating his many musical passions from Soul to Funk to Electronica or Deep House and back. After the success of “Newcomer” in 2001, released on the legendary label F Communications (Mr.Oizo, Laurent Garnier, Saint-Germain, et al), Llorca embarked on three years of touring with his band, appearing in the best clubs and on the biggest festivals around the world. Taking a step away from the limelight and into the clubs with his Electro-alter ego “Art of Tones”, this self-taught lover of Disco- and Soul-music from the 70s who at 14 was making his first foray into music on a Commodore 64, dedicated an incredible fifteen years to making this second album. Destined to make you dance, sweat, move your feet and engage your mind, the ten tracks that finally made it onto “The Garden” certainly show the artistic maturity and relevance of the musical mastermind behind them.

Leaving the world of loungefied Jazz and sensory House music of his first album behind, “The Garden” dazzles the listener with the purity of its songwriting, the deepness of its lyrics, the elegance of its string arrangements and the funkafied mastery of its bass lines (which we thought had already hit the mark on “Newcomer”). “The Garden” also charms with the natural way each invited voice becomes one with the music, then, after a few listens, it all becomes increasingly addictive and reveals a wide range of emotions – from joyful as in “You” or “All We Ever Have” to sensuous, as in “Addiction Days,” “Wonder Why” or “All Right”, just to name a few. This whole is certainly larger than the sum of its parts, intertwining and combining into one mind blowing and breathtaking suite. Welcome to Chapter 2 of Llorcas musical storybook, welcome to “The Garden”

NEW MUSIC: CODY CHESTNUTT - MY LOVE DIVINE DEGREE; NOMADE ORQUESTRA - ENTREMUNDOS; SHALIA PROSPERE - BACK TO LIFE

CODY CHESTNUTT - MY LOVE DIVINE DEGREE

Divine sounds from the mighty Cody Chestnutt – a singer who's come a long way from both his Headphone Masterpiece album, and the long drought that followed that classic set! Cody's very firmly back in the driver's seat – and he's working strongly to remind folks that fuzzy, abstract soul was a genre he virtually invented – unafraid to let the beats and crispy bits in the mix get equal space alongside his vocals, sometimes turning the bottom up top, and really letting the songs find their flow! Yet the lyrics are also more important than before, too – filled with a sense of message that really shows a maturing side of the singer, and a willingness to answer some of the struggles that might not have touched him as strongly before. Cody still may be one of the most understated singers in soul music – but he's also got this subtle power that just seems to get better as the years move on – and maybe even a bit more collaborative here, as the album features some contributions from artists who include Raphael Saadiq and Twilite Tone. Titles include "Africa The Future", "Anything Can Happen", "I Stay Ready", "Image Of Love", "Have You Heard Anything From The Lord Today", "Shine On The Mic", "This Green Leaf", "It's In The Love", "Always Sebrena", "So Sad To See A Lost Generation", "Bullets In The Street & Blood", and "Make A Better Man".  ~ Dusty Groove

NOMADE ORQUESTRA - ENTREMUNDOS

Far Out Recordings has released a unique blend of hedonism and spirituality, from a distinctly paulista (São Paulo) perspective, the album journeys through Ethio-jazz, Indian classical, Oriental, Afro-Brazilian roots rhythms and Northern hemisphere jazz, funk, soul and library influences. With support from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Jeremy Sole, Volcov, Rick Wade and many more, the sheer vastness of the album is astounding, Nomade Orquestra have quite literally conquered the world in sound. You can catch them on their upcoming tour: 8th July, Kendal Calling Festival, Bristol, UK; 29th July, WOMAD Festival, Charlton Park, UK; 30th July, The Duke Of Cumberland, Whitstable, UK; 1st August, Jazz Cafe, London, UK; 4th-5th August, Duc Des Lombards, Paris, FR; 6th August, Truefest, Hay-on-Wye, UK; 10th August, The Canteen, Bristol, UK; and 11th August, Boomtwown, Hampshire, UK.

SHALIA PROSPERE - BACK TO LIFE

The highly anticipated ‘Back To Life’ album from Shaila Prospere will be released on 30th June on CD only. The album is a bumper package of quality soul music and includes the previous two singles ‘Let Me Be Yours’ and the future classic ‘Family’ and the Soul Syndicate mixes of both of these tracks. Both of these songs have received lots of love and airplay from the soul music fraternity far and wide and have featured in all the relevant soul music charts, Sweet Rhythms, UK Soul Charts and the Mi- Soul Connoisseurs as well as the American Indie Soul Top 30. There is an abundance of quality soul and R&B tinged songs, the much loved and sought after title track ‘Back To Life’, which utilises the riff from a Jones Girls classic ‘Who Can I Run To’. A twist on the soul club anthem ‘Thinking of you’, a massive perennial staple originally performed by Sister Sledge. Most of the album has been written by Shaila, and showcases her ability to write great melodies and lyrics. What makes this album so appealing, is the fine balance between well crafted, uptempo, foot stompers, ‘Love like this’, ‘Break the Chain’ and the Soul Syndicate treatment to ‘That Place’ with its laidback, soothing, soulful house groove, tempered with the intimate haunting melodies of the soul ballad ‘Beautiful’ and the big bass slow jam ‘Don’t Ask Me To Stay’. The album has been produced by Everis Pellius and Phil ‘Phillo’ Nugent with contributions from Michael Daley and Les Jones. If you love soul and R&B, ‘Back to Life’ is a stunning album, worthy to sit in any soul music collection to be enjoyed for years to come.

NEW RELEASES: GIL SCOTT-HERON – THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED; PRINCE – PURPLE RAIN (2-CD DELUXE EDITION); ODYSSEY – GOING BACK TO MY ROOTS: THE BEST OF ODYSSEY

GIL SCOTT-HERON – THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED (BONUS TRACKS)

A set that wasn't initially conceived as a full album by Gil Scott-Heron – but one that's come to be an essential part of his catalog, thanks to the always-relevant title theme! The album's actually a classic collection of work from the early years of Gil Scott-Heron at the Flying Dutchman label – a time when he was recording some of his most impressively righteous material ever – a hip mix of protest poetry and sweet jazzy numbers – played with great keyboard accompaniment from frequent partner Brian Jackson on keyboards on nearly every track – plus help from Hubert Laws on flute and sax, and Bernard Purdie on drums. Nearly all the famous classics by Gil are here, and the titles include some of Gil's best jazz funk groovers, including "Pieces Of A Man", "Lady Day & John Coltrane", "Home Is Where The Hatred Is", "Save The Children", "Sex Education Ghetto Style", "Whitey On The Moon", "Did You Hear What They Said", The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", and "No Knock". Plus, this CD edition adds in 9 more bonus tracks – including "Free Fall", "I Think I'll Call It Morning", "When You Are Who You Are", "Who'll Pay For Reparations On My Soul", "Speed Kills", "Paint It Black", "The Middle Of Your Day", "Free Will", "Or Down You Fall", and "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (first version)".  ~ Dusty Groove

PRINCE – PURPLE RAIN (2-CD DELUXE EDITION)

One of the greatest crossover albums of the 80s – and the record that catapulted Prince very firmly into the mainstream! There's a tightness here that surpasses even that of Prince's early classics for Warner Brothers – an unabashed love of a pop hook that makes for some incredibly catchy tunes that are still delivered with a nice funky undercurrent. The whole Prince family is at the top of their game at this point – and titles include "Darling Nikki", "Let's Go Crazy", "I Would Die 4 U", "When Doves Cry", "Baby I'm A Star", and "Purple Rain". This fantastic 2CD version features a completely new 2015 Paisley Park remaster of the album, done by Prince – plus a full CD that features unreleased songs and tracks from the vaults – with titles that include "Katrina's Paper Dolls", "We Can F**k", "Father's Song", "Possessed", "Computer Blue (hallway speech version)", "Love & Sex", "The Dance Electric", "Our Destiny/Roadhouse Garden", "Wonderful Ass", "Velvet Kitty Cat", and "Electric Intercourse (studio version)". ~ Dusty Groove

ODYSSEY – GOING BACK TO MY ROOTS: THE BEST OF ODYSSEY

A fantastic soul trio, and one who turned out to be a fair bit more classy than some of their club contemporaries in the late 70s – with an ability to change things up in a great way as time moved on, and really keep their groove fresh for the 80s! This set brings together almost every one of the excellent groovers that Odyssey recorded during their years at RCA – many cuts in single versions that got plenty of play back in the day, and which together really show a wonderful transformation in sound over just a few short years. The package is a heck of a deal – 30 tracks at one mighty nice price – and titles include "Native New Yorker (12" disco mix)", "Going Back To My Roots (12" version)", "Inside Out (12" mix)", "Don't Tell Me Tell Her (12" mix)", "Roots Suite", "If You're Lookin For A Way Out", "Use It Up & Wear It Out (7" mix)", "I Got The Melody", "Follow Me", "Oh No Not My Baby", "Hang Together", "Easy Come Easy Go/Hold De Mota Down", "Lucky Star", "It Will Be Alright", and "Every Lovin Sam".  ~ Dusty Groove

NEW MUSIC RELEASES: STEVE DAVIS - THINK AHEAD; COLIN STEELE QUARTET - DIVING FOR PEARLS; MISHA MULLOY-ABBADO - NEW ANSONIA

STEVE DAVIS - THINK AHEAD

Trombonist and composer Steve Davis offers a master class on his new release, Think Ahead, in art of reacting to the unpredictable with an elite group of jazz all-stars whose ability to create spontaneously borders on the clairvoyant. For this album, Davis focuses on his original writing and arranging; it s hardly a secret that Davis is one of the most talented composers on the modern jazz scene. To render these new compositions, Davis assembled a stellar group of masters: the trombonist is joined by saxophonists Steve Wilson and Jimmy Greene, pianist Larry Willis, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash, each deserving the title of 'jazz giant' in their own right. In fact, it was this precise ensemble that Davis had in mind when he sat down to write several months before the session. He shares with every member of the ensemble a long and deep history, so he knew that he would have the makings of a truly profound, flawlessly swinging, flat-out burning set of music. In addition to Davis originals, Think Ahead also includes two beloved standards, 'Polka Dots and Moonbeams' and 'Love Walked In,' as well as two jazz classics by departed giants Tony Williams and Bobby Hutcherson, 'Warrior' and 'Little B s Poem,' respectively. 'I ve been deeply involved with everyone in this band on not only a professional level but as friends for decades,' Davis says. 'So it was more than an honor to have this group together.' The resulting record is an inspired set of straight-ahead jazz that will be a favorite for years to come.

COLIN STEELE QUARTET - DIVING FOR PEARLS

Steele has a long association with The Pearl fishers since he appeared as a studio musician on many of their albums. Steele: "I'd played on many sessions with The Pearl fishers before, and have a similar taste in music with David Scott, with our shared love of Burt Bacharach, Beatles and Beach Boys. I was impressed by the depth of the beautiful melodies and could immediately hear my own voice playing these melodies - specifically using the 'Miles Davis sound' of the Harmon mute." The results are simply gorgeous. The album kick-starts with the joyous blast of "The Bluebells" - a song that originally appeared on the Pearl fishers album "Up With The Larks". Colin Steele makes it swing and rise just beautifully. His warm, melodic playing and tone is also a perfect match for the wonderful "Everything Works Out", one of Scott's most enduring songs. "The Vampires Of Camelon" rides on a great piano riff reminiscent of Vince Guaraldi - brilliantly played by Dave Milligan, Steele's long-time collaborator, who also arranged the album. Quite fabulously so.

MISHA MULLOY-ABBADO - NEW ANSONIA

New Ansonia is the debut album from bassist and composer Misha Mullov-Abbado, winner of the 2014 Kenny Wheeler Music Prize. Son of the late, great Italian conductor Claudio Abbado and Russian violinist Viktoria Mullova, British-born Mullov-Abbado grew up in a powerfully musical environment, a unique upbringing that has inspired Misha to create his own musical identity and tell his own compelling story. This, his debut album, demonstrates gifts that are uniquely his own and is full of unusual colours, leaps of imagination and a strong sense of character. New Ansonia clearly defines the path Misha intends to follow both as a composer and performer of exceptional ability. As Kenny Wheeler Music Prize judge Evan Parker put it, this is the beginning of a journey of an outstanding individual . To achieve his musical goals Misha has brought together a wealth of young talent from the vibrant and creative London jazz scene with a front line of alto saxophonist Matthew Herd and trombonist Tom Green and alongside him in the rhythm section YouTube sensation & Quincy Jones protégé Jacob Collier on keys and drummer Scott Chapman. With a strong sense of song, evolving with dramatic twists, shifting dynamics and moods, New Ansonia is an exceptional debut - colourful, bursting with character, grooves, melody and inventive soloing.

BUDDY GRECO RELEASES 65TH ALBUM "IT'S MAGIC"

BUDDY GRECO – IT’S MAGIC

Few can match the lifelong extraordinary talent of Buddy Greco. His peers have called him a singer's singer and a musician's musician. He is internationally recognized year after year as one of the top Jazz pianists and vocalists of our time. He appears at top night clubs, concert halls and symphonies. 

He has been a guest on every major television show in the United States and throughout the world. By order of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, Buddy performed at a Command Performance which also featured the Beatles He began playing the piano at the age of four. As a child radio personality and gifted pianist, he was a performing veteran by the age of 16 when Benny Goodman 'discovered' him. Buddy traveled the world with the Benny Goodman Band for four years as pianist, singer/arranger. 

Since then, Buddy has sold millions of records and received gold records for hits such as, "Oh Look At Her Ain't She Pretty," "The Lady Is A Tramp" and "Around The World". He recently celebrated the completion of his 65th recorded album and boasts some 100 singles ranging in style from Jazz to Country/Western to modern Pop. A particular favorite is the album he made with the London Symphony Orchestra in which he arranged, conducted and played piano. Buddy was recently inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance's "Walk of Fame." He can also be found in the Encyclopedia Of Great Musicians and the Encyclopedia of Great Jazz Singers and Musicians.

Buddy has never stopped his relentless drive to stay on top. In 1993 he toured again with the 'Salute to The Benny Goodman Band,' this time to headline, star and conduct. The tour encompassed 72 cities drawing capacity crowds and standing ovations. Up to his death in 2017, in between stints at Trump's Plaza, the Desert Inn, the Cafe Royale and various world tours, Buddy continued to write music, record albums, scores, film and televsion shows and play a little golf. This CD contains classics such as Me And Mrs Jones , Touch Me In The Morning , It’s Magic and Movin On.

NEW MUSIC RELEASES: TOM BROWNE - BROTHER, BROTHER: THE GRP / ARISTA ANTHOLOGY; ERIC GALE - THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION; JOEY NEGRO – PRODUCED WITH LOVE

TOM BROWNE - BROTHER, BROTHER: THE GRP / ARISTA ANTHOLOGY

SoulMusic Records pesents "Brother, Brother: The GRP/Arista Anthology," a musically superb anthology by renowned trumpeter, musician and songwriter Tom Browne, covering his five-year tenure (1979-1984), firstly with GRP Records then with Arista Records. . From Jamaica, Queens, NY, Tom grew up in a creatively-fertile environment among other budding musicians including drummer Omar Hakim, bassist Marcus Miller, keyboardist Bernard Wright, drummer Lenny White and songwriter/musician Lesette Wilson. After being courted by several labels, Tom opted to sign with the then-fledgling GRP label, created by top jazz production team of Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen. . Following the critically-acclaimed "Browne Sugar" LP, Tom experienced his biggest commercial breakthrough with 1980's "Love Approach" which included the massive global hit, the now-timeless funk groove, 'Funkin' For Jamaica (N.Y.)', a No. 1 R&B US hit. This 29-track, 2-CD set also includes two 1991 remixes of the classic cut by the UK's Driza Bone. . Tom's third album, "Magic" kept the momentum going with charted hits, 'Let's Dance', 'Thighs High (Grip Your Hips And Move)' and 'Fungi Mama/Bebopafunkadiscolypo', are all featured here along with later hits, 'Bye Gones', 'Rockin' Radio' (produced by Maurice Starr and Michael Jonzun), 'Cruisin'', and 'Secret Fantasy' (featuring Siedah Garrett).

ERIC GALE - THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION

This Definitive Double CD Collection is the first-time Eric Gale's CTI, Columbia & Warner Brothers repertoire has compiled together on one package. . Eric Gale has put his stamp on over 500 recordings, working with a who's who of Pop, Soul & Jazz from Jimi Hendrix to Aretha Franklin. . Eric Gale recorded eleven solo albums, and was the pivotal player in the Jazz Funk super group Stuff, two tracks of which are featured on this package. This collection includes four tracks from his only CTI Records album "Forecast" which featured Jazz heavyweights Bob James on Piano, Idris Muhammad on Drums & Hubert Laws on Flute. . After the CTI album Eric signed with Columbia and released two of his greatest albums "Ginseng Woman" and "Multiplication". 'Sara Smile', the Hall & Oates classic is given the Gale treatment on the "Ginseng Woman" album and creates his own Reggae influenced Jazz classic. After leaving Columbia Eric signed with Warner Brothers and released the albums "Blue Horizon" and "Island Breeze" and tracks from those albums are featured on this package. . Also check out Lois Wilson's sleeve-notes, which gives you a great insight to the guitar legend that is Eric Gale.

JOEY NEGRO – PRODUCED WITH LOVE

Produced With Love is the extraordinary new album from UK legend Joey Negro: a buoyant, life-affirming, disco-inspired album that offers welcome relief from the grey-faced march of modern club music. “I was 13 when I first heard “Boogie Nights” by Heatwave on a children’s TV show called Multicoloured SwapShop and it started a love affair with disco music that has lasted all my life. There’s so much to love in disco. 40 years later I still hear plenty of sample tracks based around disco records but what I don’t come across much of is actual original new material made to the disco blueprint.” - Joey Negro It’s hard to find enough superlatives to describe just how influential and prolific Dave Lee, aka Joey Negro, has been over the last three decades. One of music’s major proponents of soulful, disco-tinged, vocal records and without question instrumental is its development and popularisation, no-one treats a loop, groove or hook with as much care and attention as Joey Negro. Includes tracks featuring Linda Clifford, Melba Moore, Gwen Guthrie, The Fatback Band, Angela Johnson, Peven Everett, and the O’Jays.

NEW MUSIC RELEASES: WARREN BAKER – MUSIC FOR HEAVENLY BODIES; TOMMY SMITH QUARTET – EMBODYING THE LIGHT: A DEDICATION TO JOHN COLTRANE; ROCKY MIZELL – ROCKY MIZELL & THE SUGAR ROCK BAND

TOMMY SMITH QUARTET – EMBODYING THE LIGHT: A DEDICATION TO JOHN COLTRANE

In April 2017, Smith and his new quartet went into the studio to record his first acoustic quartet album since 2005. Entitled 'Embodying the Light', the album will mark Smith's 50th birthday and the 50th anniversary of the death of one of his greatest inspirations, John Coltrane. It features Coltrane compositions including "Naima", "Dear Lord" and "Resolution" and music associated with Coltrane alongside Smith compositions written in homage to Coltrane. The group features Smith alongside one of the UK's leading young piano talents, Peter Johnstone, a former Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year and winner, with the group Square One, of the 2015 Peter Whittingham Jazz Prize. Bassist Calum Gourlay is a young veteran of gigs with Sheila Jordan, Scott Hamilton and The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, and Sebastiaan de Krom has been the drumming powerhouse behind Herbie Hancock and Jamie Cullum. Smith has been a presence on the world jazz scene since his teenage years. At the age of nineteen he was touring internationally with Gary Burton's Whiz Kids quintet and three years later he signed to the legendary jazz label Blue Note. He has since gone on to establish and direct the internationally acclaimed Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and he regularly tours the world with Norwegian bass master Arild Andersen's trio, widely regarded as one of the premier groups working in jazz today.

ROCKY MIZELL – ROCKY MIZELL & THE SUGAR ROCK BAND

Massive Miami grooves from Robert "Rocky" Mizell – not one of the Mizell brothers from the west coast, but a Florida artist with a sound that's equally nice! The album's the only one we've ever seen from Rocky, and it's got a sweet TK Records groove all the way through – rhythms that are definitely on the funkier side of Miami soul, arranged by Rocky himself, and produced to perfection by Willie Clarke! The tunes are all originals – mostly collaborations between Mizell and Clarke – and the album's got a great way of sounding smooth while still keeping things funky – that perfect Miami balance that would soon disappear when things got a bit more commercial. Titles include "Shake Your Body Down", "This Must Be Love", "Never Never Girl", "Hey Sexy Dancer", "Take It Easy Babe", and "Come To Me".  ~ Dusty Groove

WARREN BAKER – MUSIC FOR HEAVENLY BODIES

There's two sorts of heavenly bodies on the cover – but the real charms of the record lie inside, as the set's overflowing with incredible early theremin recordings! The album features spacey orchestral settings arranged by Warren Baker, and conducted by Andre Montero – plus fantastic work on the "electro theremin" by Paul Tanner – a different variation on the incredible post-war electronic instrument! The "electro theremin" was Tanner's own creation, and it works on a cool sliding principle that creates a lot of weird spacey dipping, turning, and soaring effects. The album's packaged in a lovingly heavy cover, with a nude "heavenly body" floating in space amidst a sea of bright colors! Titles include "Misty Moon Blues", "Out Of This World", "Holiday On Saturn", "20th Century Venus", and "Up To Jupiter".  ~ Dusty Groove

NEW MUSIC RELEASES: TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME – EMERGENCY; WILLIAM PARKER QUARTETS – MEDITATION / RESURRECTION; DAVID S. WARE – LIVE IN NEW YORK, 2010

TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME – EMERGENCY

A seminal jazz rock statement from drummer Tony Williams – one that has him stepping out quite far from his original "new thing" recordings of the mid 60s! The album's got a genre-forming sound that's incredibly fierce – a power trio churning of Williams drums, John McLaughlin's guitar, and Larry Young's free-thinking work on organ. The tunes are long and jamming, but also have a tight rhythmic focus that never gets too sloppy – and which virtually set the stage for a whole generation of 70s fusion players in years to come! Young and McLaughling are especially great – working here with Williams to pound out sheets of sound in a cosmic trippy maze of riffs and grooves, certainly enough to inspire the most addled rocker to head over to the jazz section! CD features the full 8 track original set – with titles that include "Sangria For Three", "Something Spiritual", "Spectrum", "Via The Spectrum Road", "Emergency", "Beyond Games", "Where" and "Vashkar".  ~ Dusty Groove

WILLIAM PARKER QUARTETS – MEDITATION / RESURRECTION

Bassist William Parker in two different settings, but both served up here with a very unified feel! The material was all recorded on a single day, with a core trio that features Parker on bass, Hamid Drake on drums, and Rob Brown on alto – a group whose energy you can really feel building up right from the core, especially in the interplay between Parker and Drake, a pair who only seem to get better together over the years! The first half features trumpeter Jalalu Kalvert Nelson – whose soaring sense of pride really adds a new dimension to the music – this righteous quality that opens up new channels of beauty when he steps in. The second half features pianist Cooper-Moore, instead of the trumpeter – and his tones are maybe more introspective, and produce a similar shift in the music, especially in the way Parker shapes his notes. This change really deepens our understanding of the trio on both sides – and shows just how adaptive they are to each other. Titles include "Horace Silver Part 2", "Things Falling Apart", "Give Me Back My Drum", "Rodney's Resurrection", "Urban Disruption", and "Orange Winter Flower".  ~ Dusty Groove

DAVID S. WARE – LIVE IN NEW YORK, 2010

Gigantic genius from the late David S Ware – heard here in an unreleased performance from the final years of his time – at a time when his saxophone greatness was still very much in full flower! The group is a trio – with William Parker on bass and Warren Smith on drums – and Ware really dominates on both tenor and a Buchler straight alto sax, which he plays with an amazing sound – really spinning out these incredible solos that are full of soul and imagination, with that special quality that first made us fall in love with his music many decades back. At his best – as he is here – Ware can improvise freely, yet still find this spiritual core to guide him forward – which is very much the case on the two long performances included in this double-length package!  ~ Dusty Groove

NEW MUSIC RELEASES: MIKE CITY – THE FEEL GOOD AGENDA VOLUME 1; SIMON LAW - LOOK TO THE SKY; LIZ AKU - ANKHOR

MIKE CITY – THE FEEL GOOD AGENDA VOLUME 1

Featuring a host of luminaries from the world of Soul & R&B, chart-topping songwriter and award winning producer Mike City presents new album ‘The Feel Good Agenda Vol.1’. Earning his big break back in the year 2000 as writer and producer of a #1 hit in the form of ‘I Wish’ performed by Carl Thomas, Mike went on to work with Brandy, Rihanna, Angie Stone and Jamie Foxx as well as penning Sunshine Anderson’s smash hit ‘Heard It All Before’. Renowned for his deeply rooted, melodic production style and distinctive vocal arrangements, Mike City consistently finds himself in-demand from A-list hip hop, R&B and pop artists, as well as finding favor in dance music circles during recent years. Features performances by Dwele, Carl Thomas, Faith Evans, Teedra Moses, Maysa, Crystal Johnson, Terri Walker, Junior, and Lalah Hathaway.

SIMON LAW - LOOK TO THE SKY

On his debut solo album 'Look To The Sky' Simon reunites with Caron Wheeler - on the up-lifting lead single "Morning Love" - as well as Jazzie B, Chante Moore and Maxi Priest, whose "Sunshine Girl" is the second single. His main writing collaborator, who sings lead vocals on the hooky "Rocket Ship" and a number of other tracks, is Lain Gray, originally a member of UK vocal group Nu Colours. Jamaican singer Nadine Sutherland, a Bob Marley discovery who was the first signing to his Tuff Gong label at the age of 11, turns in an outstanding performance on "Love Comes Back To You". An album that is at turns funky, ethereal, majestic, with a strong rhythmic groove. Here’s the full tracklist: Look To The Sky feat. Jazzie B and Lain Gray; Morning Love feat. Caron Wheeler; Rocket Ship feat. Lain Gray; Sunshine Girl feat. Maxi Priest, Lain Gray and Ruinz Ason; Love Comes Back To You feat. Nadine Sutherland; Higher feat. Chante Moore; Message Of Love feat. Lain Gray; Fire On Fire feat. Lain Gray; Outrageous feat. Lain Gray; When You Love Someone feat. Maxi Priest; Heart Of The Beast feat. Jennifer Schaffer; Your Light; Precious Child feat. Lain Gray; My Heart Is Ready feat. Joanna Law; She Walks At Dawn; and Heart Of God.

LIZ AKU - ANKHOR

It's the utmost honor for Sonar Kollektiv to be in the position to introduce “Ankhor”, the brand new album by Liz Aku. Having recorded all sorts of music with different outfits as well as solo projects over the last fifteen years the Belgian soul singer and highly gifted songwriter definitely earned her stripes and is anything but a newcomer to this game. She seems to have found her own, distinctive voice, after traveling to New Zealand and a far-reaching encounter with Mara TK from Electric Wire Hustle. Includes: The Drum Major Instinct feat. Mara TK;  Slowly; Deceive The Mind; Seasons Change; Secrets Die; Flight & Fall; Just What I Need; Ashamed; Hiding Alone; Ankhor feat. Zulu Moon; Hunger; and Breathing Underwater feat. Mara TK.