BEN WYATT ‘BUZZIN FLY VOLUME 4’

Breaking into the big time in the 90s with wife Tracey Thorn as super-duo Everything But The Girl, Ben Watt has since become a DJ extraordinaire, co-founder of the Lazy Dog club night and the Buzzin' Fly label, an imprint that has quickly become a staple in the house scene with its high quality 12" releases. So how does the label move forward? The answer lies in the fourth installment of the best-selling mix series, Buzzin' Fly Volume 4. Expanding on its deep melodic roots and moving into the era of nu-techno and electro, the album renews Buzzin' Fly's commitment to nurturing new talent - the compilation is entirely made up of home-grown tracks, the majority of which have yet to see the light of day with several from artists never heard of before. Every track is either on Buzzin' Fly or its new sister imprint, Strange Feeling.

The drive and propulsion of Watt's journey is a master-class in modern harmonic mixing where tracks glide seamlessly in and out of each other, overlapping in long extended crossfades. Of the artists involved, debutants Kimouts from Moscow and St Petersberg's BarBQ underline the growing importance of Eastern Europe in the modern scene with their warm takes on deep techno and disco. Deep house cult figures Pedro Madeira (PM Project) and Martin Brodin (Deeplay) deliver up super-fresh future-facing tracks while ultra-hip Parisian Pulp and Rex resident Mlle Caro and Franck Garcia cook up a predestined classic of instrumental tech-pop. Buzzin' Fly dark cornerstones Manoo and Francois A return with the searing "Magnetic." Head honcho Ben Watt caps it off with a fresh unreleased slice of modern techno-house in "Just A Blip," and his acclaimed electric-disco re-work of "Silver Ponds" by Strange Feeling's debut signing, the alt-pop Danish band Figurines. Buzzin' Fly Volume 4 is a bracingly fresh collection that hums sweet melodies and buzzes with sonic vibrance.

SAN JOSE JAZZ ANNOUNCES HEADLINERS FOR THE 2007 COMCAST SAN JOSE JAZZ FESTIVAL

San Jose Jazz today announced the headlining artists for the 18th Annual Comcast San Jose Jazz Festival Presented by Southwest Airlines. Scheduled for August 8 - 12, 2007, the festival will feature hundreds of musicians on ten indoor and outdoor stages throughout downtown San Jose. The 2007 Festival will have new attractions including an R & B stage, a change of venue for the popular Jazz Beyond stage and even more after-hours activities.

“Downtown is moving uptown for this year’s Festival with a new R & B Stage at San Pedro Square,” said Geoff Roach, Executive Director at San Jose Jazz. “The Festival continues to grow both in size and with the scope of music we offer. This year was the perfect time to expand our jazz spectrum as well as change some of the stage venues.

The roster of talent includes festival kick off with R&B star Angie Stone (Main Stage Friday), contemporary jazz saxophonist and bass guitarist Gerald Albright (Main Stage Saturday), David ‘Fathead’ Newman with a tribute to Ray Charles (Main Stage Saturday), Red Holloway's 80th birthday party featuring Frank Morgan, Charles McPherson and Greg Osby (Main Stage Sunday), guitarist Lee Ritenour (Main Stage Sunday) and legendary Bay Area bandleader Pete Escovedo (Main Stage Sunday).
Opening Night Gala Moves to Wednesday

The 2007 Comcast San Jose Jazz Festival kicks off on the evening of Wednesday, August 8, 2007 with the Opening Night Gala and Concert at the Mexican Heritage Plaza. The event will feature a concert, dinner, and a live and silent auction. Details will be announced at a later date.

Friday Night Kickoff with Angie Stone
The Jazz Festival proper begins on the evening of the Friday, August 10, 2007, at 5:30pm on the Main Stage in the Plaza de Cesar Chavez. Stone is a Grammy Award-nominated American R&B, hip-hop, and neo-soul singer, songwriter, keyboardist, record producer, and actress. Her music possesses a clear old school soul music influence, and her singing vocals recall those of Aretha Franklin.

One of the most innovative and unique events at the Festival is the “Jazz Beyond” Stage. This year, the stage moves from indoors at the San Jose Repertory Theatre to outside near the corner of San Pedro and Post Streets and will partner with the Pacific Arts Collective (PAC) to incorporate visual arts into the Jazz Beyond experience. Additional Friday night activities include music in many downtown restaurants, an outdoor swing dance, and the first festival club crawl. Returning for the second time this year is the Silicon Valley CEO Jam where executives from the area will gather for a jam session and fundraiser.

Saturday Features New Venues, More After Hours Activities
On Saturday, August 11, 2007, performances will commence at noon at nine of the Jazz Festival's stage venues. The Main Stage will kick off in high gear with the Airmen of Note, the big band from the United States Air Force. At 2pm, the Main Stage will host the contemporary sounds of Gerald Albright. Also performing Saturday on the Main Stage will be David ‘Fathead’ Newman with a tribute to Ray Charles at 4pm.

Other Saturday performers will include vocalist Jackie Ryan, who makes her return to San Jose from her March performance at the San Jose Jazz Sunday Series, Bay Area-native vocalist Sasha Dobson, and San Jose's Ambassador of Jazz Eddie Gale on the Jazz at the Rep Stage. Jazz guitarist Ray Obiedo and Bay Area favorite Wayne Wallace will bring some sizzle to the outdoor Latin stage, Leela James performs on the R&B Stage and blues legend Charlie Musslewhite closes the Blues Stage starting at 7:00pm.

Saturday also features “Jazz After Dark” on Post Street, Jam Sessions at the Theater on San Pedro Square, 48 Hours Jazz Club at the Smoke Tiki Lounge, film screenings at the Camera Cinemas, Master Classes, Youth Stage inside the Tech Museum, and much, much more.

Sunday Features Birthdays and a Day of All-Stars
Happy 80th Birthday Red Holloway! Sunday’s Main Stage kicks off with a birthday tribute to remember. Red Holloway will lead in a tribute to himself featuring Frank Morgan, Charles McPherson and Greg Osby. Sunday’s Main Stage also features two All Star showcases with Lee Ritenour’s All-Star’s featuring Dave Grusin, Alex Acuna and Brian Bromberg. Closing the Festival will be a lively and unforgettable ensemble of the Latin All Stars featuring Jimmy Bosh, trombone, Ray Vega, trumpet, Arturo O’Farrill, piano, Steve Berrios, drums, Yunior Cabrera, bass, Juan Escovedo, percussion, and Pete Escovedo, timbales.

Additional Sunday performers include vocalist Denise Donatelli, guitarist John Jorgensen and the Shane Dwight Blues Band.

"Comcast is proud to continue our title sponsorship for this great community event," said Eddie Garcia, Vice President of Government Affairs for Comcast. "The Comcast San Jose Jazz Festival brings a welcome spotlight to the music and education programs San Jose Jazz provides all year long.

MARVIN GAYE’S ‘IN OUR LIFETIME? – EXPANDED LOVE MAN EDITION’

Marvin Gaye’s 1981 album “In Our Lifetime?” will be re-released by Hip-O-Select in an expanded edition on June 19. “In Our Lifetime” was Gaye’s final studio release for Motown. In addition to the original album, the new “Love Man” edition includes three outtakes, the non-album “Ego Tripping Out” single and an alternate, previously unknown mix featuring a different running order. Also included will be seven tracks Gaye intended for an earlier version of the album, a party-themed effort he planned to call “Love Man.” Only “Ego Tripping Out” ever saw the light of day from those sessions, with Gate choosing to tackle more personal issues on what eventually became “In Out Lifetime?”

Track listing for “In Our Lifetime? – Expanded Love Man Edition”:
Disc 1 (original LP):
“Praise”
“Life Is For Learning”
“Love Party”
“Funk Me”
“Far Cry”
“Love Me Now Or Love Me Later”
“Heavy Love Affair”
“In Our Lifetime”

Outtakes:
“Nuclear Juice” (instrumental”
“Ego Tripping Out” (LP mix)
“Far Cry” (unedited)

Original “Love Man” single
“Ego Tripping Out (single A-side)
“Ego Tripping Out” (instrumental / single B-side)

Disc 2 (Odyssey Studios alternate mix):
“Praise”
“Life Is For Learning”
‘Heavy Love Affair”
“Love Me Or Leave Me Later”

ANNOUNCING THE “SMOOTH JAZZ TOP 20’ COUNTDOWN’

Sherman Oaks, California: Broadcast Architecture®, the premiere research, consulting and network operator for the Smooth Jazz radio format, has announced the debut of the “Smooth Jazz Top 20 Countdown™”, a weekly two-hour program counting down the week’s hottest Smooth Jazz tracks. Not coincidentally, the “Smooth Jazz Top 20” launches on the 20th anniversary of this format. Smooth Jazz airs on over 60 radio stations in the U.S. and overseas, and the demand for a countdown show has mounted steadily for years.

Each week the Smooth Jazz Top 20 Countdown™ will feature the smoothest hits of the week, based on monitored airplay on stations across the U.S. Hosted by format veteran and Broadcast Architecture® President Allen Kepler, each week’s program will feature the hottest 20 tracks on radio, plus artist interviews and commentary, updates on all the latest news from the Smooth Jazz world, and a special “Chartbound” track destined to be a hit.

Kepler stated: “All of us at BA are thrilled to launch this brand new program concept to smooth jazz radio. Our weekly Smooth Jazz Top 20 Countdown™ will offer our listeners a chance to follow the development of new artists and familiar artists’ brand-new projects. The program will be loaded with the latest information on musicians featured as well as insights from the smooth jazz performers themselves. Furthering our new Smooth Jazz Network™ concept, we see this program as another enhancement to our already vibrant musical genre.”

BA Affiliate Relations Vice President Christine Brodie states: “The Smooth Jazz Top 20 Countdown™ is designed to have broad appeal to an entire range of radio formats – whether 24/7 Smooth Jazz, AC, Soft AC or Urban AC. Already cleared in several markets weeks before its debut, now is obviously the perfect time for the Countdown concept, giving Smooth Jazz listeners nationwide an avenue to get “up close and personal” with both established and breakout artists”.

The “Smooth Jazz Top 20 Countdown™” debuts worldwide the weekend of June 9th. Broadcast Architecture®, the world’s leading Smooth Jazz research and consulting firm, launched the Smooth Jazz Network™ in January of this year. The new 24 hour format has already cleared 19 markets across the US including Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Phoenix, Miami, Baltimore and Sacramento. Kepler joins other Smooth Jazz Network™ hosts Miranda Wilson, Annie Ashe, Billy Raven and smooth jazz artists turned radio hosts; Ramsey Lewis, Dave Koz, Kenny G, Brian Culbertson, Paul Hardcastle and Norman Brown.

WARREN HILL WINS WIND INSTRUMENTALIST FOR THIRD TIME

Congratulations to PopJazz's own Warren Hill for winning "Wind Instrumentalist of the Year" for the third time in a row!

Canadian Smooth Jazz Award Winners Friday, April 27, 2007
And the winners are.....

International Instrumental - Nick Colionne
International Vocal - Al Jarreau
Female Vocalist - Kellylee Evans
Male Vocalist - Marc Jordan
Group/Duo - Strung Out Troubadours
Guitarist of the Year - Johannes Linstead
Wind Instrumentalist of the Year - Warren Hill
Keyboardist/Pianist - Carol Welsman
Album of the Year - Rik Emmett / Dave Dunlop - Strung Out Troubadours
Best Original Composition presented by SOCAN - Amy Sky /Eddie Schwartz - Everything Love Is
Broadcaster of the Year - Gary James - Wave 94.7FM - Hamilton/Toronto, Ontario

Spyro Gyra received the George Benson Lifetime Achievement Award

Congratulations to all award winners and nominees at the 2007 Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards

SPYRO GYRA IS GOOD TO GO-GO WITH NEW RELEASE

The entity known as Spyro Gyra is a marathon runner in the arena of contemporary jazz. For more than three decades, moving across a musical landscape marked by increasingly challenging terrain and accelerated change, they have maintained the well-deserved reputation as a viable and highly versatile creative force. Since their earliest recordings in the mid 1970s, they have maintained a fresh approach to their craft by borrowing from a range of sources and distilling them into an unmistakable signature sound.

This innovative and eclectic sensibility has earned the band nine GRAMMY nominations overall, and has fueled the sale of 11 million records - Including one platinum and two gold records. In the midst of the achievements and accolades, Spyro Gyra keeps moving, having logged over 5,000 high-energy performances in their prestigious and prolific career.

The band passes another milestone on this long-distance run with the June 12, 2007, release of Good To Go-Go (HUCD 3127 and on SACD in 5.1 Surround Sound HUSA 9127) on Heads Up International. The album is the band's twenty-sixth of their overall career and their fifth release on Heads Up, following on the heels of the GRAMMY nominated 2006 release Wrapped in a Dream (Best Pop Instrumental Album).

A new face in the Spyro Gyra lineup belongs to drummer/percussionist Bonny B (short for Bonaparte). The Trinidad native had been touring with the band for several months before they went into the studio to record Good To Go-Go, and the energy he brought to the party served as the catalyst for some fine tuning in the group's overall philosophy. Bonny B joins saxophonist and Spyro Gyra founder Jay Beckenstein, keyboardist Tom Schuman, guitarist Julio Fernandez and bassist Scott Ambush in the five-man lineup.

"The fact that we had this new drummer with this great spirit about him prompted us to go in the direction of a more live-sounding, less produced record," says Beckenstein. "The band was just sounding so killer on the road that I wanted to capture some of that energy and reproduce it on the record. When you bring somebody new on board who's bringing some unexpected things with him, it shakes you up a little bit and puts you in new territory. It's been a process of discovery for all of us, and it's been a lot of fun."

That lighthearted sensibility makes its way into the album's 12 tracks. The bouncy midtempo, "Simple Pleasures," is tailor made for driving with the windows down on a warm summer evening, while the syncopated backbeat and subtle tonal shifts of uptempo "Get Busy" make for a challenging but fun melodic exercise.

Other highlights further into the set include "Funkyard Dog," a fast-paced romp wherein Bonny B sets up a tight groove yet allows plenty of room for Beckenstein and the rest of his bandmates to shine, and "Island Time," an energetic calypso track guaranteed to transport even the most urban-rooted listener directly to the islands. "A Winter Tale," although upbeat in tempo and overall tone, is a bit more introspective, with generous contributions from Schuman and Fernandez.

The title track, penned by Ambush, takes the album into the homestretch with a highly percussive drum/bass groove that sets up a large but well-grounded space for plenty of sax, keys and more. The closer, "Newroses" ratchets up the tempo and energy even higher, with all parties trading licks from more than six minutes all told. It's the ideal closing statement by a band that refuses to be anything but forward-thinking and forward-pushing.

"We've always had this belief that the thing we're doing in any given moment is the best we've ever done," says Beckenstein. "And we always want to maintain that philosophy, because that's what drives us forward. We haven't succumbed to the mentality of 'Let's just play the hits and collect the check.' We never saw ourselves as a pop band. We've always seen ourselves as a forward thinking creative outfit. After 30 years, it still feels very interesting and exciting."

Regardless of what may lie ahead, Spyro Gyra is Good To Go-Go.

STEVE COLE’S FIFTH CD RELEASE ‘TRUE’

Acclaimed jazz saxophonist Steve Cole will be heading out for a national tour along with tour mate Brian Culbertson and dates with The Sax Pack featuring sax players Jeff Kashiwa and Kim Water this summer. The combined tours will began in Seattle May 25 and ends in Huntington, NY September 29, 2007. In regards to the reunion with Steve Cole, Brian Culbertson states, “It’s been over eight years since we’ve shared the stage together and I can’t wait to get out there once again. The chemistry back then was so strong, there’s no telling what’s going to happen this summer!”

Cole’s solo career began in earnest after his first solo album, 1998’s “Stay Awhile” turned out to be a smooth jazz sensation, featuring a pair of #1 NAC smashes, “When I Think Of You,” and “Say It Again,” as well as the top 5 hit, “Where The Night Begins.” The success of this debut album culminated at the 2000 Oasis Smooth Jazz Awards where Steve was the recipient of the Prism Award for Best New Artist. Cole followed the record’s success by performing and recording frequently, both as band leader and featured guest, with such artists as Boz Scaggs, Junior Wells, Brian Culbertson, Waymon Tisdale, KMFDM, Rick Braun, Peter White, Larry Carlton, and Jeff Lorber.

Steve Cole’s newest album, TRUE is his fifth major label release. With plenty of funk, R&B, soul, and jazz influences, Cole effortlessly bridges the gap between instrumental virtuosity, seamless ensemble playing, and a high-caliber creative chemistry that runs the stylistic gamut in what’s regarded as his finest album yet.
For more information on Steve Cole, please visit his official website at http://www.stevecole.net.

You won’t want to miss this tour!

2-Jun Phoenix AZ Celebrity Theater w/The Sax Pack
3-Jun Las Vegas NV Green Valley Ranch w/The Sax Pack
8-Jun Newport Beach CA Hyatt Newporter Amphitheater Reunited with Brian Culbertson
9-Jun Temecula CA Thornton Winery Reunited with Brian Culbertson
17-Jun Country Club Hills IL Country Club Hills Theater Reunited with Brian Culbertson
23-Jun Southfield MI Southfield Civic Center w/The Sax Pack
27-Jun Garden City NY City Café Solo Show
28-Jun Garden City NY City Café Solo Show
12-Jul Walnut Creek CA Broadway Plaza Solo Show
15-Jul Salt Lake City UT Salt Lake City Jazz Festival Reunited with Brian Culbertson
25-Jul New York NY CD 101.9 Smooth Cruise Reunited with Brian Culbertson
12-Aug Long Beach CA Long Beach Jazz Festival w/The Sax Pack
16-Aug Washington DC The Birchmere Solo Show
17-Aug Philadelphia PA Penn’s Landing Solo Show
18-Aug Annapolis MD Ramshead On Stage Solo Show
25-Aug Ontario CA Inland Empire Jazz Festival Reunited with Brian Culbertson
6-Sept Vienna VA Filene Center Reunited with Brian Culbertson
15-Sept Mableton GA Mable House Amphitheater w/The Sax Pack
28-Sept New Haven CT Lyman Center w/The Sax Pack
29-Sept Huntington NY IMAC w/The Sax Pack

STEELY DAN TOUR DATES

Steely Dan will perform the following concerts:
May 25 - Tower Theatre, Upper Darby PA
May 26 - Borgata Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City NJ
May 29 - Bank of America Pavilion, Boston MA
May 30 – Bank of America Pavillion, Boston MA
June 1 - Turning Stone Casino, Verona NY
June 2 - Seneca Niagara Casino, Niagara Falls NY
June 4 - Freedom Hill, Sterling Heights MI
June 5 - Toledo Zoo Amphitheatre, Toledo OH
June 7 - Wolf Trap, Vienna VA
June 8 - Ntelos Pavilion, Portsmouth NH
June 10 - Beacon Theatre, New York NY
June 11 – Beacon Theatre, New York NY
June 13 – Beacon Theatre, New York NY
June 27 - Auditorium Theatre, Chicago IL
July 28 - Marcus Amphitheatre, Milwaukee WI
July 5 - National Indoor Arena, Birmingham UK
July 6 - Liverpool Summer Pops Festival, Liverpool UK
July 7 - Carling Apollo Hammersmith, London UK
July 10 - Grand Rex, Paris France
July 15 – Zitadelle,Berlin Germany
July 19 - Molde Jazz Festival, Molde Norway
July 24 – Stadtpark, Hamburg Germany
July 25 – Museumplatz, Bonn Germany

NEW BEST OF COLLECTION DUE FROM GEORGE DUKE

A selection of veteran keyboardist and producer George Duke's best-loved jazz and R&B tunes have been compiled on the new CD Ultimate George Duke, available now. The disk is one of the first to be released on the new Mosaic Contemporary label. Featured on the new set are such Duke classics as "Reach For It," "Dukey Stick," "Brazilian Love Affair," "No Rhyme No Reason," and "Love Can Be So Cold." Duke's most recent album release is last year's In A Mellow Tone, which features well-known standards and originals recorded with bassist Brian Bromberg and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. Other artists featured on the album include guitarists Ray Fuller and Mike Miller, saxophonist Everette Harp, percussionist Airto, and trumpet player Dennis Farias

LITCHFIELD JAZZ FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2007 LINE-UP

The 12th Annual Litchfield Jazz Festival line-up is set. The event will be held on August 3, 4, 5 at the Goshen Fairgrounds in Northwest Connecticut. This year’s line-up is a salute to jazz orchestras featuring the Mingus Big Band, Count Basie Orchestra with Nnenna Freelon, Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra featuring Carla Bley and much more. With past performers like Dave Brubeck, Eartha Kitt, Dionne Warwick and Diana Krall, it’s no wonder the Litchfield Jazz Festival was recently nominated for two Festie Awards by MelodyTrip.com. A long-time festival attendee called it “a most mellow and tasty event,” and Dave Hershorin of New Orleans Radio said, “Litchfield really is what other jazz festivals wish they could be…a true gem.”

The weekend kicks off on Friday, August 3, with a gala “Friends of the Festival” party, with music provided by outstanding students of Litchfield Jazz Camp and hors d'oeuvres by Jordan Caterers. The party is followed by a performance by two-time Grammy Award Winner and NEA Jazz Master, trombonist Slide Hampton. Up next is the Count Basie Orchestra featuring Six-time Grammy Award nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon.

On Saturday, August 4, the music begins at noon with Insight, a group of seven young talented, award-winning musicians. In 2005 Eddie Palmieri reflected, "Give them another two years, and Insight will blow any band off the stage!’" Up next is 20-year-old vocalist Rachael Price. Rachael was a semi-finalist at the Montreux Vocal Competition. Following Rachael Price for his sixth appearance on the Litchfield Jazz Festival is Mario Pavone / Deez to Blues Sextet. Bassist Mario Pavone has recorded 17 albums as a leader. His latest recording, “Deez to Blues,” has appeared on best-of-the-year lists in The New York Times, The New Yorker, All About Jazz and more. Next up is the Sonny Fortune Quartet. Sonny has played in venues world wide with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Reggie Workman and many others. Next the festival welcomes Matt Wilson’s Arts & Crafts, with guest artist vocalist Bill Henderson. The New York Times called him “one of the best drummers of his generation.” This is Matt’s eleventh the festival. Closing the evening is the Mingus Big Band celebrating the music of the late composer and bassist, Charles Mingus.

Opening on Sunday, August 5, is the high-energy Rolando Matias - Afro-Rican Ensemble featuring Bobby Matos. Up next is the Dave Stryker Organ Trio. Stryker is a regular teaching artist at Litchfield Jazz Camp and has played with such greats as Stanley Turrentine, Dizzy Gillespie and Freddie Hubbard. Following Stryker is the Helio Alves Trio led by the Brazilian born, New York-based pianist. Alves has recorded more than 40 albums as a sideman and recently released his second album as a leader. Next up is a Litchfield favorite – Don Braden who is the Music Director of Litchfield Jazz Camp. Braden will be performing with his Contemporary Standards Ensemble making this his tenth appearance on the festival. Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra will feature Carla Bley. Haden has received three Grammy Awards, a Guggenheim Fellowship and four NEA grants for composition. The LMO’s latest project, “Not In Our Name,” was released on Verve. And brining the 12th Annual Litchfield Jazz Festival to a close is a multi-Grammy-nominated vocalist/pianist – Karrin Allyson. Karrin appeared on the festival in 2005 and had the audience on their feet! She is “one of the most charismatic figures on tour today.” (New York Times).

Premium tickets are $350 for Best Friends VIP weekend passes and $125 for the opening gala and performance. These include upfront seating and VIP parking. Multi-day JazzPasses are available from $65 - $150 only until June 29th. Advance-purchase general admission tickets are $37 for lawn and $55 for tent. Visit www.litchfieldjazzfest.com for more information and to purchase tickets. Any other questions call 860-567-4162.

The Litchfield Jazz Festival is sponsored in part by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, Steinway & Sons, The Republican-American, Down Beat, Connecticut Grand Hotel, Northeast Beverage Corporation of Connecticut, Jazz Corner, Hartford Magazine, Home Living Connecticut and Connecticut Business Magazine and others. Litchfield Jazz Camp students who study for up to a month prior to The Festival and perform at the festival participate with generous support from the CT State Department of Education Interdistrict Grants.

MILES DAVIS’ ‘EVOLUTION OF A GROOVE’ REMIX TO FEATURE CARLOS SANTANA, NAS, OLU DARA & MORE

In honor of Miles Davis' 81st birthday on Saturday, May 26, Legacy Recordings announces the long-awaited release of "Evolution Of The Groove," the highly-anticipated Miles Davis Remix EP premiering tracks with Nas, Carlos Santana, Olu Dara and an A-list contemporary music ensemble featuring Miles' nephew Vince Wilburn, Jr., on drums and programming, guitarist Pat Thrall (Pat Travers Band, Meat Loaf) and bassist Charley Drayton (Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop, Divinyls). "Evolution Of The Groove" will be available August 7.

Executive produced by Steve Berkowitz and Vince Wilburn, Jr., and co- produced by Wilburn, Jr., Thrall, and Drayton, "Evolution Of The Groove" was recorded mainly at the Hit Factory in New York City. Nas' vocals on the track "Freedom Jazz Dance," co-produced by jazz funk legend Lenny White (Return To Forever), were recorded at DARP Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tracks on "Evolution Of The Groove" Remix EP include "Freddie Freeloader," "Freedom Jazz Dance" featuring Nas, "It's About That Time" featuring Carlos Santana (this is a longer version that the one originally included on 2006's "Cool & Collected"), "Honky Tonk" and "Black Satin."

Remix musicians on "Freedom Jazz Dance" are: Nas (vocal), Vince Wilburn, Jr. (drums), Victor Bailey (bass), Geri Allen (Fender Rhodes), Olu Dara (additional trumpet), Erik Kussio and Todd Lea for Orkestra Earthquake Music (drum programming), Diego Carlin (keyboard programming), and Pat Thrall (programming and editing).

Remix musicians on "It's About That Time" are: Carlos Santana (lead guitar), Vince Wilburn, Jr. (drums, programming), Charley Drayton (bass, programming), Geri Allen (Fender Rhodes), Azize Faye (African drums), Ndongo Mbaye (talking drum), and Pat Thrall (guitar, programming).

Throughout an expansive and prolific career which began in the mid-1940s and continued until his death in 1991, Miles Davis launched an unparalleled series of revolutions in jazz and popular music, his boundless invention encompassing post bop, hard bop, cool jazz, funk, rock, fusion, Eastern modalities, Western heresies, and more through his unforgettable performances and timeless recordings. One of the great bandleaders of the 20th century, Miles chose his sidemen and collaborators with alchemical precision, forever pushing against the boundaries of convention and expectation to create new sounds, new dreams, new music that needed to be heard.
Both an homage to Miles and a continuation of the spirit and intention of his music, "Evolution Of The Groove" imagines Miles Davis in the 21st century, the lyricism of his horn and the power of his musical vision blending with contemporary hip-hop, jazz and rock in provocative new ways and seductive new grooves.

RICKIE LEE JONES TOUR DATES

Rickie Lee Jones will perform the following concerts:
June 9 - Health & Harmony Festival, Santa Rosa CA
June 15 - City Stages, Birmingham AL
June 16 - Three Rivers Arts Fest, Pittsburgh PA
June 18 - World Cafe Live, Philadelphia PA
June 19 – Birchmere, Alexandria VA
June 21 - Tupelo Music Hall, Londonderry NH
June 22 - Richard Fisher Center, Hudson NY
June 23 - South Portland Auditorium, South Portland ME
June 25 - Higher Ground, Burlington VT
June 26 - The Tralf, Buffalo NY
June 28 - Irving Plaza, New York NY
June 29 - La Spectrum, Montreal QC
June 30 - Danforth Music Hall, Toronto ON

CAPITOL/EMI TO RELEASE SWINGIN’ NEW HITS COLLECTIONS FOR LOUIS PRIMA & KEELY SMITH

On July 17, Capitol/EMI will release new single-disc hits collections for Louis Prima and Keely Smith on CD and digitally, featuring the best solo and collaborative work of the formerly married big band and swing music icons. Jump, Jive An' Wail: The Essential Louis Prima gathers 26 of the late Grammy winner's classics, including "I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)," which makes its first-ever appearance on a Prima compilation, "Jump, Jive An' Wail, "Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody," "Buona Sera," and "Just One Of Those Things." Known as the "King of the Swingers," Grammy Award winning Louis Prima swung his way to icon status thanks to an infectious sound whose appeal translated across generations.

Keely Smith: The Essential Capitol Collection features 27 of Smith's best recordings, including a previously unreleased live version of "When Day Is Done" from the Sahara with an intro by Prima, and three classic duets with Frank Sinatra. This ultimate single-disc collection also includes many of her most sought-after solo recordings with orchestral direction by Nelson Riddle and Billy May.

Discovered in New Orleans in 1934 by bandleader Guy Lombardo, Louis Prima's breakthrough year was 1935, when he garnered rave reviews at The Famous Door in New York, packing the club with his down-homey slant on jazz and his hilarious -- and somewhat suggestive -- approach to the art of singing. Prima moved to Hollywood later that year, and before long, he was a bi-coastal sensation co-starring with Bing Crosby in Paramount's Rhythm On The Range. He began crisscrossing the country with a big band, playing the same venues as the Dorseys, the Millers, and the Goodmans.

By the early '50s the big band era had cooled. Prima survived by paring down his group and hitting the road on one-nighters. His ace-in-the-hole was his new girl singer, a 16-year-old christened Dorothy Jacqueline Keely who joined his act as Keely Smith. Prima and Smith performed a dizzying five shows a night at the Sahara Hotel's Casbar Lounge in Las Vegas, beginning at midnight and ending at 6am. They married, and for the rest of the '50s reigned supreme on The Strip. Prima moved the show to the main room at the Sands for a reported three million dollars.

Recording contracts at Capitol Records followed, where they made the most famous recordings of their careers, many recorded live by Capitol's state-of-the-art remote facilities. Perhaps Louis Prima's most durable recording -- due to the sheer number of generations it has transcended -- is his jaunty take on "I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)." His musical legacy, solidified by the brilliant work he did at Capitol, is radiantly captured on this consummate collection. Prima's vital influence on the swing genre continues to this day.

Less than a week after Prima's group cut its first Capitol recordings, Smith was recording solo with none other than arranger extraordinaire Nelson Riddle. "I Wish You Love" became the title track of her debut LP and was nominated for a 1958 Grammy in the Best Female Vocal category. She lost out to one of her idols, Ella Fitzgerald, but she and Prima won the award that year for Best Vocal Group for their landmark recording of "That Old Black Magic." As part of Prima's entourage, Smith was Louis' 'straight-man' supreme, flinging zingers and musical counterpoints to his shouts and verbal anarchy. On her own, she was a high priestess of the art of pop singing.

Besides the I Wish You Love collection, Smith made two other superb solo albums for Capitol, Politely with the masterful Billy May and Swinging Pretty, her second collaboration with Nelson Riddle. She added to her recording legacy with a group of first-rate albums for Dot and Reprise throughout the 1960s, before devoting the rest of the century to rearing her children. With the new millennium, she began recording again for Concord Jazz, releasing a series of highly regarded albums.

NANCY SINATRA TO LAUNCH NEW WEEKLY SHOW EXCLUSIVELY ON SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO

SIRIUS Satellite Radio today announced the launch of a new show hosted by Nancy Sinatra exclusively on Siriusly Sinatra, SIRIUS channel 75, on Sunday evenings. The Nancy for Frank show features Nancy playing favorite hits as well as rarely heard recordings by her father and other great artists dedicated to the time and spirit of Frank Sinatra. Nancy for Frank debuts this Sunday, May 27th at 5 pm Eastern.

Nancy Sinatra will play her favorite recordings by Frank Sinatra and other great artists, offering personal insights into the music and its background from her intimate perspective. Nancy has access to rare live concert performances and archived material that has never been released and
will present it in this special setting.

"I'm proud and excited to share my father's music with SIRIUS listeners every Sunday," Nancy Sinatra said. "I have some rarities that few people have heard until now. I'm thrilled to play this music as well as traditional favorites from Dad's incredible library of music for this
terrific audience."

Nancy for Frank will air Sunday evenings from 5-8 pm and will be rebroadcast on Tuesday afternoons from 2-5 pm and Thursday evenings from 9 pm-12 midnight (all times Eastern) on SIRIUS, channel 75. Charles Granata, who wrote the acclaimed "Sessions with Sinatra," is co-producing the show with Nancy.

Siriusly Sinatra is the only 24-hour, seven-day-a-week, commercial-free channel, radio broadcast spanning the entire spectrum of Sinatra's career, as well as other artists from the big band, swing and traditional pop genres.

ACOUSTIC ALCHEMY ANNOUNCE TOUR DATES IN SUPPORT OF NEW CD

With the release of This Way, Acoustic Alchemy's first album under Higher Octave/Narada Jazz's association with The Blue Note Label Group, guitarists Greg Carmichael and Miles Gilderdale celebrate a remarkable two decades since 1987's Red Dust and Spanish Lace established the British ensemble as an ever evolving, powerhouse force in contemporary jazz.

Their thousands of fans around the world may be feeling nostalgic, but the duo-while keeping their trademark acoustic guitar synergy front and center--is clearly committed to forging ahead, following the laid back pop-soul vibe of American/English (2005) with their most aggressive and swinging, hard rocking and artfully jazzy disc to date. Complementing performances by familiar Acoustic Alchemy recording and touring members Terry Disley (piano), Snake Davis (sax), Fred White (keyboards and trumpet), Julian Crampton (bass) and Greg Grainger (drums) are special guest appearances by smooth jazz stars, trumpeter Rick Braun, saxman Jeff Kashiwa (who has toured with the band and appeared on 2001's Aart) and keyboardist Neil Cowley, a member of jazz groove band (and Narada Jazz/Blue Note labelmates) Down To The Bone.

While Carmichael and Gilderdale composed the majority of the songs and produced several tracks at Gilderdale's home facility 9 Miles High Studio in York, England, others were produced at various studios on Carmichael's home turf of London and at Hansa House Studios in Bonn, Germany, where many of the band's classics were recorded, produced and mixed over the years by longtime associate Klaus Genuit. In addition to Genuit's three tracks, This Way includes six others produced and engineered by Richard Bull, who began working with AA on 2000's The Beautiful Game. Two tracks, the trippy and sensual "Out of Nowhere" and the snappy, neo-soul driven "Now I'm On My Way" were mixed by legendary mixer Steve Hodge (Usher, Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige).

Carmichael explains the very loose and spirited feeling of This Way as the result of a natural chemistry he's developed with Gilderdale over the years since Gilderdale-formerly a backing guitarist with the band-became Carmichael's full partner after the passing of founding member Nick Webb in 1998 and the release that year of Positive Thinking.

"What I love about This Way is that it's got so much more playing on it than we've done before," he says, "a lot more soloing and a really relaxed and organic vibe. I think this is less by design and more due to the fact that Miles and I are great friends who are very comfortable and laugh a lot together. When we got together at his place, either one of us would come up with a starting idea and we'd just let it grow naturally, then refine it and change it until we had a great song," When I think of tracks like 'Egg,' which has a very British, straight ahead sound, I realize that this is really the jazziest record we've ever made, less pop jazz and with more extended solo sections. Our fans might be surprised to hear Miles play so much electric guitar, but in essence, that's what he is by trade and what his focus was before he joined me as a partner on The Beautiful Game. So this album is the best of everything, not just my way, not just his way, but This Way."

Acoustic Alchemy tour dates:
June 22 Rialto Theare - Tuscon, AZ
June 23 Celebrity Theater - Phoenix, AR
June 24 The Canyon Club - Las Vegas, NV
June 28 House of Blues - San Diego, CA
June 29 Hyatt Newport - Newport Beach, CA
June 30 Thorton Winery - Temecula, CA
July 1 Garden Concert Series - Soquel, CA
July 3-8 Jazz Alley - Seattle, WA
Aug 2 Claytron - St. Louis, MO
Aug 3 Northern Lights Theater - Milwaukee, WI
Aug 7 Birchmere - Alexandria, VA
Aug 8 Rams Head On Stage - Annapolis, MD
Aug 9-10 Scullers Jazz Club - Boston, MA
Aug 11 Long Island Summer Festival - Oyster Bay, LI, New York
Aug 12 Harrisburg Jazz Festival - Harrisburg, PA
Feb 8 Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society - Sioux Falls, SD

MICHAEL BUBLE "CALL ME IRRESPONSIBLE" ALBUM LEAPS TO #1

You can call Canadian singing sensation Michael Bublé a lot better than irresponsible. As of next week his "CALL ME IRRESPONSIBLE" CD jumps to the number-one slot in the country and around the world, it was confirmed today by his record label, Warner/Reprise.

The 31-year-old Vancouver native woke up this morning by receiving the news from his long-time manager Bruce Allen that his smash CD catapulted from its No. 2 debut last week to the biggest selling record in the the country according to the Billboard Charts and Soundscan with 144,950 units sold. It is also the No. 1 digitally downloaded CD and No. 1 on the Billboard Traditional Jazz charts. Bublé's previous Reprise albums "It's Time" and his self-titled debut also leaped ahead on the Billboard Catalogue Charts to No. 1 and No. 5 respectively.

Globally, "Irresponsible" has reached No. 1 in his native Canada, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Singapore, Italy, Holland, and the European Record Charts. It has already gone platinum in Australia, Singapore, Canada (2X) and Italy and gold in Germany, Switzerland, Ireland and the UK. In addition, the record is Top 5 in Austria, Mexico, Hong Kong, Switzerland, UK, Germany, Sweden and Ireland.
Bublé, a multi-platinum, Grammy nominated four-time Juno award-winning artist whose collective worldwide record sales have exceeded 13 million units, is currently in Chicago where he is scheduled to perform live with his band on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" tomorrow, May 17th. He will also be making an appearance on "Regis and Kelly" on June 20th.

On the touring front (current Michael Bublé tour schedule follows this release), Bublé, who hits the road beginning July 12th in Reno, Nevada, has already sold out several shows including two each in NY, Chicago and LA. Additional shows in those markets are expected to be announced shortly according to the tour's US promoter Don Fox at Beaver Productions. Current touring schedule follows this release.

"Michael Bublé's third studio album is the Big One," raved Stephen Holden in a recent NY Times review. Produced by David Foster and Humberto Gattica, "Call Me Irresponsible" includes the Bublé penned radio smash "Everything" -- currently No. 5* on mediabase ac chart -- following up his previous No. 1 radio hit, "Home." The new CD also includes energy infused interpretations of standards including "Me and Mrs. Jones," "I've Got The World On A String," "Dream" and the Leonard Cohen song "I'm Your Man."

Bublé burst onto the music scene in 2003. His follow-up album "It's Time" has sold close to six million copies and remained on the Billboard Traditional Jazz Charts for a staggering two years and in the No. 1 position for over 80 weeks -- holding an all-time record.

Michael Bublé Tour Schedule:

7/12 Reno, NV Reno Events Center
7/14 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand
7/15 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre
7/17 Salt Lake City, UT Ford Theater
7/18 Denver, CO Wells Fargo Theatre
7/20 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre
7/21 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre
7/23 Chicago, IL Chicago Auditorium Theatre
7/24 Chicago, IL Chicago Auditorium Theatre
7/27 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
7/28 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
7/31 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
8/1 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
8/4 Boston, MA Wang Theatre
8/5 Boston, MA Wang Theatre
8/7 Philadelphia, PA Mann Center
8/8 Philadelphia, PA Mann Center
8/10 Pittsburgh, PA Event's Center
8/11 Fairfax, VA Patriot
8/13 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
8/14 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
8/22 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
8/23 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
8/25 Oakland, CA Paramount Theatre
8/27 Portland, OR TBD
8/28 Seattle, WA McCaw Hall
8/29 Seattle, WA McCaw Hall

EDDIE LEVERT SR. & GERALD LEVERT GIVE FANS 'SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT'

The thing that holds a father and son together most is the love and respect they have for one another. Eddie Levert Sr. and Gerald Levert had a special father-son relationship that was unmistakable. On June 12, 2007, the legendary duo continues the remarkable Levert family legacy with the Atlantic Records release of a soul-stirring collection of songs suitably titled "Something To Talk About," available just in time for Father's Day.

"Something To Talk About" is the second duet album released by the dynamic duo. "Father & Son," released in 1995, was the first collaboration between Eddie & Gerald and included their rendition of the pop classic "Wind Beneath My Wings," and generated the wonderful remake of The O'Jays' "You've Got Your Hooks in Me" and the suave hit ballad "Already Missing You." Their performance of "Wind Beneath My Wings" received a standing ovation at the 1995 Essence Awards.

The eagerly awaited "Something To Talk About" serves as a touching reminder of the close relationship the loving two-some shared before Gerald's untimely death in November 2006. Most duos compete for the spotlight, but the way this father and son play off of each other, their voices blend so seamlessly that it's often difficult to tell which vocal powerhouse is taking the lead. The smooth steppers-groove "Close & Personal" calls everyone to the dance floor, while the velvety "That's What I Do" is reminiscent of the classic ballads that the Cleveland, Ohio natives are both famous for. The album's title track is a refreshing remake of the Bonnie Raitt classic "Something To Talk About."

Eddie Levert Sr. is a founding member and one-third of the highly successful trio The O'Jays. Celebrating over forty years as a major staple in soul music, their trademark musical style, combined with their spectacular showmanship, has garnered them countless accolades and awards. The O'Jays have enjoyed numerous hit songs, including "Love Train," "Stairway to Heaven," and the theme song of Donald Trump's "Apprentice," "For the Love of Money." Eddie continues to perform with The O'Jays and will be releasing the heartfelt book, "I Got Your Back," which tells of the bond he and Gerald shared.

With a powerful, soulful, and near carbon copy of his father's voice, Gerald's two-decade music career resulted in millions of albums sold and numerous R&B chart-toppers. Gerald's claim to fame began in 1986 as a member of the R&B trio LeVert, which also included his brother, Sean, and childhood friend Marc Gordon. They quickly racked up hits like "(Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop) Goes My Mind," "Casanova," and "Baby I'm Ready," while scoring six top ten R&B albums. Gerald embarked on a solo career in 1991 with the release of "Private Line," the first in a string of gold and platinum solo albums. In 1995, he recorded "Father & Son" with Eddie Sr. Gerald's last studio album, "In My Songs," was completed just prior to his death. Released in February 2007, it debuted at #1 on the national R&B charts.

NEW RELEASE DUE SOON FROM CANDY DULFER

Dutch smooth jazz saxophonist Candy Dulfer has signed a new recording deal with Cleveland-based Heads Up International, the label has announced. Her debut album, titled Candy Store, will be released in September. "I'm so looking forward to the release of this album," says Dulfer. "I had a blast recording for my new label, Heads Up. They gave me absolute freedom to record whatever I wanted, so this CD truly represents how I feel about music." Dulfer added that while she still feels it's important to incorporate the influence of her musical mentors on each album, Candy Store will truly reflect her own style. Dulfer racked up a smooth jazz hit with "Finsbury Park, Cafe 67" from her last studio album, 2003's Right In My Soul. She released the concert CD/DVD Live At Montreux, 2002 in 2005, and wrapped a brief U.S. tour just last month. 

Candy’s new studio album ‘Candy Store’ will be released this summer. It will be available in Spain on June 18, in Holland, Belgium and Switzerland on June 22, in Germany and Austria on June 29, in France in early July, in Japan on July 25, and in the U.S on September 16.

NEW FEDERICO AUBELE ITUNES EXCLUSIVE EP ON SALE NOW!

Federico Aubele's new iTunes exclusive live EP "Live @ Stubb's" is on sale now. This 3-track EP features a live version of "En el Desierto," a brand new song from Federico's forthcoming album, Panamericana. The EP was recorded on a hot and hazy night at the legendary Stubb's Bar-B-Q in Austin, Texas as Federico opened for Thievery Corporation to help kick off last year's Austin City Limits Music Festival. The new album, Panamericana, is set for release worldwide on September 18th, 2007. His dates opening for Bebel Gilberto have been re-booked. Check with the venues for ticket-sale dates...

Federico Aubele Acoustic (all dates 5/19 – 6/27 supporting Bebel Gilberto)
5/19: @ Carnival Center, Miami, FL
5/22-23: @ Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY
6/17: @ El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
6/18-19: @ Bimbo's 365, San Francisco, CA
6/24: @ Park West, Chicago, IL
6/27: @ Mod Club, Toronto, Ont
6/30: Montreal Jazz Festival @ Salle Wilfrid Pelletier, Montreal, Quebec Supporting Skye

MILES DAVIS INSPIRES NEW REMIX ALBUM

A five-song EP of remixed Miles Davis recordings, titled The Evolution Of The Groove, is set to be released this summer by Sony/Legacy. The set will feature performances by Carlos Santana, rap star Nas and his father, jazz trumpeter Olu Dara. The project is co-produced by Davis' nephew, drummer Vince Wilburn Jr. Wilburn was also a co-producer on last year's Davis compilation, Cool & Collected, which featured some of the tunes most associated with Davis and the concept of "cool" jazz.

Cool & Collected featured one remixed track, "It's About That Time," that featured Santana and pianist Geri Allen, and will also be included on the upcoming Evolution Of The Groove EP, says Wilburn, who just completed the mastering of the new project in Burbank, California.

ABBEY LINCOLN “ABBEY SINGS ABBEY’

Legendary vocalist Abbey Lincoln re-invents her signature songs from her classic Verve recordings on this new release out May 22. The CD feaures guitar work from Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello) and strong backing from bassist Scott Colley, Shawn Pelton, Gil Goldstein and Dave Eggar. Abbey Sings Abbey blends elements of jazz, blues and the singer/songwriter tradition to create a refreshing sound of haunting beauty. Here’s a list of the tracks that appear on the CD:

“Blue Monk”
“Throw It Away”
“And It’s Supposed To Be Love”
“Should’ve Been”
The World Is Falling Down”
“Bird Alone”
“Down Here Below”
“The Music Is The Magic”
“Learning How To Listen”
“The Merry Dancer”
“Love Has Gone Away”
“Being Me”

AMAZON TO LAUNCH DRM-FREE MP3 MUSIC DOWNLOAD STORE WITH SONGS AND ALBUMS FROM EMI AND MORE THAN 12,000 OTHER LABELS

Amazon has announced it will launch a digital music store later this year offering millions of songs in the DRM-free MP3 format from more than 12,000 record labels. EMI Music’s digital catalog is the latest addition to the store. Every song and album in the Amazon.com digital music store will be available exclusively in the MP3 format without digital rights management (DRM) software. Amazon’s DRM-free MP3s will free customers to play their music on virtually any of their personal devices — including PCs, Macs™, iPods™, Zunes™, Zens™ — and to burn songs to CDs for personal use.

“Our MP3-only strategy means all the music that customers buy on Amazon is always DRM-free and plays on any device,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO. “We’re excited to have EMI joining us in this effort and look forward to offering our customers MP3s from amazing artists like Coldplay, Norah Jones and Joss Stone.”

“Amazon.com is known around the world for the unique experience it offers music customers through features such as customer reviews and personalized recommendations,” said Eric Nicoli, EMI CEO. “They have been an important retail partner of ours, and we are delighted they will be offering consumers EMI’s new premium DRM-free downloads in their new digital music store. We think having a trusted destination like Amazon.com offer a high-quality digital music product that will play across a number of devices gives consumers more options and will be a significant boost for the overall digital music market.”

ANGELIQUE KIDJO SCORES HIGHEST ALBUM DEBUT EVER WITH STARBUCKS ENTERTAINMENT RELEASE "DJIN DJIN"

International music star Angelique Kidjo's has notched her highest chart position ever, as her new album DJIN DJIN (pronounced "gin gin") bows at #61 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart, selling nearly 11,000 copies in its first week. The album has also entered Billboard's World Music chart at #1 and comes in at #56 on the Canadian Album chart.

DJIN DJIN was co-released on May 1st by Starbucks Entertainment and Razor & Tie Entertainment and has received rave reviews from the press. The Associated Press declared the album "lush, dense and beautiful", while The New York Times said of Kidjo's performances on the new album, "she handily reinforces her stature as an upbeat heroine of contemporary Afro-pop." The Washington Times stated, "Despite having been nominated four times, Ms. Kidjo has yet to take home a Grammy. If she continues putting material out like this, it's only a matter of time before she does." Kidjo and guest star Ziggy Marley will be performing a track from the album, "Sedjedo", on NBC's The Tonight Show on Tuesday, May 22nd and will appear on The CBS Saturday Early Show on Saturday, July 14th. The first single from DJIN DJIN, "Salala", featuring Peter Gabriel can be heard nationwide on such tastemaker radio stations as KFOG/San Francisco, WBOS/Boston, KCRW/Los Angeles and many more.

Inspired by the traditions and culture of Kidjo's native Benin in West Africa, the title of the album refers to the sound of the bell that greets the beginning of a new day for Africa. DJIN DJIN is produced by the legendary Tony Visconti (David Bowie, Morrissey, T. Rex) and finds Kidjo partnering with such luminaries as Josh Groban, Alicia Keys, Peter Gabriel, Carlos Santana, Joss Stone and Ziggy Marley to create an album which is truly global in scope. The CD is available simultaneously at Starbucks Company-operated locations in the U.S. and Canada as well as traditional retail.

Kidjo and her band of accomplished international musicians have been criss-crossing the globe on tour since February of this year, first as sole support for Josh Groban and currently on a run of headlining dates. Kidjo will again open for Groban on the second leg of his North American tour beginning in mid-July (see below for a full list of tour dates).

Angelique Kidjo on tour:
MAY
11 Santa Cruz, CA Rio Theatre
12 San Francisco, CA Herbst Theatre
16 New York, NY BB King's
17 Washington, DC Lisner Auditorium
18 Louisville, KY Brown Theatre
19 Somerville, MA Somerville Theatre
20 Wilmington, DE Grand Opera House

JUNE
10 New Haven, CT International Festival Of Arts & Ideals
16 Hollywood, CA Playboy Jazz Festival
22 Salt Lake City, UT Utah Arts Festival/Library Square
23 Aspen, CO Jazz Aspen
24 Taos, NM KTAO Solar Center
26 Sante Fe, NM Sante Fe Brewing Company
28 Montreal, QC Le Spectrum

JULY
17 Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center*
18 Charlotte, NC Charlotte Bobcats Arena*
20 Norfolk, VA Scope Arena*
21 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall*
24 East Rutherford, NJ Continental Airlines Arena*
25 Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum*
27 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless*
28 Albany, NY Pepsi Arena*
30 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun*
31 Wilkes-Barre, PA Wachovia Arena*

AUGUST
3 Hershey, PA Giant Center
4 Pittsburgh, PA Mellon Arena*
5 Westhampton Beach, NY Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center
6 Albany, NY Washington Park Concert Series
7 Milwaukee, WI US Cellular Arena*
8 Green Bay, WI Resch Arena*
10 St. Paul, MN Xcel Center*
12 New York, NY Central Park Summerstage
14 Edmonton, AB Rexcall Center*
15 Calgary, AB Rengrowth Saddledome*
17 Vancouver, BC GM Place*
18 Seattle, WA Key Arena*
21 Napa, ID The Idaho Center*
22 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena*
24 Stockton, CA Stockton Arena*
25 Anaheim, CA The Honda Center*
28 Salt Lake City, UT Delta Center*
29 Denver, CO Pepsi Center*
31 Omaha, NE Qwest Center*

*supporting Josh Groban

MOMENTUM IS BUILDING FOR JAZZ MY SOUL BY THE JAZZ EXPLORERS

”HYP-Notic, cool ...vocals that will mezmerize you into a trance. That's what this CD by Jazz Explorers is all about. The vocals by Carmen Lundy and the group will haunt you. ... The band is superb and tight. A must have!” -- Leon Reyes KVMR Radio 89.5 FM Nevada City/Sacramento Ca Host: Leon's Jazz In A Box

“ A highly enjoyable CD with excellent compositions and playing from a talented group of musicians... very high quality vocals from Carmen Lundy.” Martin Wright, Radio 3ZZZ, Australia

“ I love love LOVE Mo Trane, and I'll be using it in an upcoming show!!!” Rafe Gomez, The Groove Boutique, WQCD/CD101.9 - New York, NY Rhythm Dynamics Inc. is very happy to report that “Jazz My Soul” by The Jazz Explorers is being noticed and picked up by radio stations across the planet. From trend setting New York, Colorado, California, Florida, Texas and 7 other states to jazz-aware Europe, Australia and beyond, “Jazz My Soul” is showing broad appeal with at least 6 different tracks getting airplay.

This extraordinary project features great performances by a unique gathering of jazz legends, including George Cables, Dave Liebman, Carmen Lundy, Billy Hart, Sonny Fortune, Victor Lewis and Cecil McBee with a strong supporting cast. “Jazz My Soul” propels contemporary mainstream jazz forward with power and subtlety. The Jazz Explorers perform the soulful original music of Boulder, Colorado composer, producer and band leader Tim Duffy, whose influences include Duke Ellington, Howlin' Wolf, Charles Lloyd, Sun Ra, and James Brown.

Producer Bob Funk brings to this project a broad range of musical experience, as an original member of The Uptown Horns, including live performance and/or recording with Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones, BB King, Stevie Wonder, Tom Waits, Albert Collins, Sammy Davis Jr, David Sanborn, James Brown and Frank Sinatra Jr. ”Jazz My Soul” features two shimmering vocals, “We're Only Human” and “Autumn” both with deep under currents, exquisitely interpreted by the great Carmen Lundy, that bridge the classic/smooth/contemporary categories. The instrumental tracks of “Jazz My Soul” convey a broad range of emotions from the driving hard-bop “International Ballistic Soul Kiss” with a burning solo by Dave Liebman, to the funky smooth groove of “Mo Trane”, to the profound piano of George Cables on “Our Father”, “Mystique” and “Moroccan”, culminating with the heartfelt tribute, “In Memorium, Elvin Jones” delivered by former band mate, Sonny Fortune. From atmospheric to inspiring, “Jazz My Soul” is the real deal.

Current US radio play: WQCD/CD101.9 - New York, NY, WMPG, Maine,WNMC, Traverse City, MI, KCME-FM, Colorado Springs, CO WVOF, Bridgeport CT, KDEC/FM100.5 - Decorah, IA, KJZY/Jazzy 93.7 - Santa Rosa, CA, KMGQ/Magic 106.3 - Santa Barbara, CA WCIR/103CIR - Beckley, WV, WSBZ/106.3 The Seabreeze - Destin, FL, WXJZ/Smooth Jazz 100.9 - Gainesville, FL KJJZ/K Jazz - Palm Springs, CA, WWWS/AM 1400 Solid Gold Soul - Buffalo, NY, KTOY - Texarkana, TX, KKSJ/KTSJ - Lafayette, LA WJSJ - Jacksonville, FL, WSJF- St. Augustine, GA, WSSJ/Smooth Jazz 92.3 - St. Augustine Beach, FL.

ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL SET FOR JUNE 8-16

The sixth annual Rochester International Jazz Festival presented by Heluva Good Quality Foods released its lineup for its biggest and most diverse festival of creative improvised music. More than 600 artists from 13 countries will perform in more than 200 concerts at 18 venues during the nine-day event June 8-16.

“This year marks the most extensive and by far the most diverse lineup we have ever presented,” said John Nugent, founder, artistic director and co-producer. “Each year as we expand our event, our main goal is to present a multifaceted artistic celebration of all forms of American music in a smorgasbord of musical tastes. We always work hard to leave no ears behind.”

“Thanks to the City of Rochester’s increased support, we have been able to expand the number of free concerts and are adding another major free outdoor stage,” said Marc Iacona, executive director and co-producer. “That means more fantastic music for the tens of thousands of people who will come here from all over the nation, adding to Rochester’s reputation as one of the nation’s fastest growing music destinations.“

The Festival is presented in 18 venues, most within walking distance, including the Eastman Theatre, Kilbourn Hall, Max of Eastman Place, Harro East Ballroom, Robert Mondavi Festival Tent, Montage Grille, High Fidelity, Memorial Art Gallery, George Eastman House, Rochester Museum & Science Center, Strong National Museum of Play, Mary Jemison Riverboat, Nordic Jazz Now at the Reformation Lutheran Church, Crowne Plaza State Street Bar & Grille, City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by Rochester Area Community Foundation, City of Rochester East Ave. Stage at Alexander St., City of Rochester East Ave. Stage at Chestnut St.

Artists will be coming from 13 countries and the U.S. including Lithuania, Sweden, Hungary, Scotland, Spain, Finland, Norway, Canada, Madagascar, Cuba, Netherlands, Brazil, and Russia.

The 2007 lineup includes 4 Brothers 7, 8Ryan Shaw, Andy Milne's "Dapp Theory, Alytaus Diksielandas (Lithuania), Andreas Petterson 4tet (Sweden), Avishai Cohen Trio, Bettye Lavette, Bill Frisell Trio, Bob Sneider Trio, Bonerama, Brockport Community Big Band, Catherine Russell, Christian Scott, CNYJO with Brett Z, Corey Harris, Corneliu Tutu (Hungary), Cowboy Mouth, Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks, Das Contras (Scotland), Dave Brubeck, Dave Glasser 4tet, Dave Rivello Ensemble + guest , Don Byron’s “Ivey Dyvey”, Eastman School of Music Trio, Eldar (Russia), Esperanza Spalding (Spain), Fedchock, Five Corners 5tet (Finland), Fred Costello Quartet , Fred Hersch Trio, Gap Mangione, Gene Bertoncini solo, Geri Allen Trio, Hannah Flanigan 4tet , Harry Allen Quartet, Hilario Duran Trio, Ilmiliekki Quartet (Finland), In The Country (Norway), James Moody 4tet, Jason & Bandwagon, Jazz Animated Films, Jens Winther European Quintet, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jonathan Kriesberg Trio, Josh Irving 4tet , Kyle Eastwood Band, Lalo, Layah Jane (Canada), Los Lonely Boys, Lotte Anker (Denmark), Maceo Parker, Madagascar Slim (Madagascar), Madeleine Peyroux + Dr. John, Mamadou Diabate Ensemble, Mambo Kings, Martin Rickert 4tet (Canada), Matt Wilson Arts & Crafts, Michelle Lambert Bebop for Babies, Midaircondo (Sweden), Mike Cottone Quartet, Motor Kings, Mr. Something Something, Music Educators Big Band, Nancy Kelly, Olu Dara, Omar Sosa (Cuba), Paradigm Shift + Gray/Marcus/Wycliffe, Paul Tillotson Love Trio, Peter Asplund Quartet (Sweden), Randy Brecker 5tet, Revision, Rick Holland-Evan Dobbins, Rik Emmit, Robin Eubanks EB3, Rusted Root, Saskia Laroo (Netherlands), Scott Goudie (Canada), Shooter Jennings, Shuffle Demons, Sisters Euclid (Canada), Solomon Burke + Raul Midon, Soul Rebels (New Orleans), Stephane Wrembel Trio, Steps Ahead, Ted Michaels Sings Sinatra, Tessa Souter, The Capital C’s, The Latin Side of Miles Davis, Tony Caramia, Toots & The Maytalls, Trio Beyond / Jean Luc Ponty, Tiempo Libre, Trio Nossa (Brazil), Vince Ercolamento Quartet, Walter Wolfman, Wynton Marsalis w/ Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Zanussi 5 (Norway), Zapp String Quartet (Netherlands) and Animated Jazz Shorts from the Hubley Studio.

CALGARY JAZZ FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LINEUP

The “New” Calgary Jazz Festival has announced it’s headline acts for the 2007 event, slated to run June 19-24 at various locations in the city. Offering an eclectic lineup that ventures into world, contemporary, funk and blues from every corner of the globe, there’s something for everyone.
Below is a listing of artists sent out in a newsletter from festival organizers this past weekend:

Tuesday, June 19
NoName Jazz Sextet CANTOS
Saxophonist Alexandre Côté and drummer Ugo Di Vito lead this hot young Montreal group. Their compositions are influenced by sixties Hard Bop.

Mr. Something Something The Auburn
Juno nominees, chart topping recordings, and energetic live shows, the ‘Mr. Sum Sum’ afro-funk collective is a guaranteed good time.

The October Trio. Beat Niq
Vancouver Jazz Fest’s Galaxie Rising Stars Award winners deliver up a tight show of everything from intimate, subtle renderings to blistering grooves like no others. Evan Arntzen (saxophones), Josh Cole (bass), and Dan Gaucher (drums) are claimed as that city’s most creative musicians, but we won’t forget Dan’s strong Calgary roots.

ZMF Trio CANTOS
National Jazz Awards violinist Jesse Zubot (aka Zubot & Dawson) presents his latest cutting edge jazz project with Toronto drummer Jean Martin and the infamous American bassist Joe Fonda. Blurring the lines between contemporary improvisation, composition and old school free jazz, it’s always an incredible performance. www.dripaudio.com

Wednesday, June 20th
Elmer Ferrer Band Wild Rose Brewery
While being trained in classical guitar styles at Havana’s famed National School of Arts, Elmer saw a bootleg copy of the Armerican movie Crossroads and decided he wanted to play the blues. He secretly studied electric guitar until the same school that denied him his desire recognized his talent and hired him to teach at the new ‘Department of Electric Guitar’ Now widely recognized as Cuba’s best on the axe, Ferrer adds high energy Afro-Cuban flair to the blues. www.elmerferrer.com

Rollanda Lee and The Canadian Hot Stars Quincy’s
The original ‘Dixie Chick’ has entertained audiences all over the world.. Her own seven piece Canadian Hot All Stars (including Calgary trumpeter Al Muirhead) swing with traditional 1920’s and 30’s jazz New Orleans style.

Christine Jensen Quartet Beat Niq
The Montreal arranger and saxophonist has been labeled “one of the most important Canadian composers of her generation”, by Globe and Mail jazz critic, Mark Miller. Her quartet are also Canadian jazz all stars - Dave Restivo on piano, Fraser Hollins on bass, and Greg Ritchie on drums.

Community Performance Series with Mark Sonksen
Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association 8 pm
Chicago bassist and composer joins Calgary favourites Gerry Hebert on sax, Keith Smith on guitar, and Jon May on drums in this version of the monthly series for serious jazz listeners.

Thursday, June 21
Pierre Dørge & The New Jungle Orchestra with Brandi Disterheft Cantos
Guitarist Pierre leads a wild, ten piece Danish ensemble that combines swing, bop, and Euro-classicism in rich, bursting, dadaistic freestyle harmonies. Definitely not easy listening, but a once in a lifetime experience. National Jazz Awards Rising Star Brandi Disterheft “has the same lope or rhythmical pulse as my late bass player Ray Brown. She is what we call serious” says Oscar Peterson.

Dhafer Youssef with Jatinder Thakur and the Divine Shadows String Quartet, and Amir Amiri. Cathedral Church of the Redeemer Tunisian-born singer and oud virtuoso Dhafer Youssef’s haunting, Sufi inspired music has captured the hearts and minds of audiences across Europe. Hailed by The Guardian as world music’s most exciting new star, Youssef draws on the evocative sound of his Islamic heritage, combining it with new directions in European jazz to create a distinctive and atmospheric sound. Accompanied by Indian virtuoso tabla player Jatinder Thakur and the Divine Shadows Strings, (aka the Koehne Quartet), this will truly be a memorable performance. www.dhaferyoussef.com

Amir Amiri immigrated to Canada from Iran with little more than his hammer dulcimer ten years ago. Since then, he has become one of our most cherished musical resources, filling concert halls and intimate clubs across North America with his own spiritual compositions. Joining him is Edmonton’s award winning drummer and percussionist Sandro Dominelli

Jan Verwey, with Jillian Lebeck and Paul Rushka Beat Niq
One of the few who dared to play the chromatic harmonica in jazz, he created his own style. This Dutch innovator is accompanied by bassist Paul Rushka and Jillian Lebeck, one of Canada’s most dynamic and innovative vocalist/pianist/composers.
www.jillianlebeck.com

Thursday & Friday June 21 & 22 Ironwood, Southwood United Church
Matt Masters sings the standards with Terra Hazelton and and the Valleau Village People. The country crooner has found his true voice in jazz with Calgary expatriate Terra Hazelton (of Jeff Healey fame) and the Valleau Village People (who had to come up with this name to avoid contractual obligations).

Friday, June 22
Joshua Redman and Kris Davis The Gateway Lounge
One of the most compelling and fearless saxophone voices in jazz. His latest cd, ‘Back East’ pushes boundaries and stimulates his creative juices in the classic acoustic trio format, with bassist Reuben Rogers and Antonio Sanchez on drums.
Son of recently deceased legend Dewey Redman, Joshua burst onto the jazz scene in 1993 with his self-titled debut cd and Wish. Both sold over a quarter of a million copies combined—unheard of in jazz. Although his muscular swing and earthy ballads may evoke Sonny Rollins, Redman has proven himself a wide-ranging musician and a fearless voice at the vanguard of contemporary music. Michael Brecker simply called him “a genius.” www.joshuaredman.com

Jens Winther Euro Quintet Cantos
Denmark’s leading trumpeter brings his hot, up-tempo band and arrangements to Canada. Internationally renown, Winther’s talent has been recognised with numerous awards and prizes for his outstanding contribution to the world of jazz as a player, composer and bandleader.

Tobey Foyeh and Orchestra Africa and Lynn Olagundaye and Guerrilla Funk Monster Quincy’s on Seventh Tobey first came to America from Nigeria touring with Hugh Masekela. Originally trained in traditional music, he went on to Bostons’ Berklee College and now composes, arranges, and produces complex pieces featuring African instruments and back-up singers and dancers in costume with electronic keyboards and guitars. Their music expresses social situations in Africa, the people, and their joys and pains.

Lynn Olagundaye and the Guerrilla Funk Allstars are all Canadian born, but they present the rhythm of their roots in full on rhythm and blues hip hop party to rock the house.

Kellylee Evans The Ironwood
Delivering a rich, smooth but unique vocal style through jazz, soul, R & B, and blues is garnering Kellylee world wide attention, including that of Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling and other judges at the Thelonius Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition. She earned the silver medal out of a field of 160. One to watch. www.kellyleeevans.com.

Saturday June 23
James Hunter The Gateway Lounge
‘People Gonna Talk’ about James Hunter’s Calgary debut. Discovered by Van Morrison, James’ songwriting craft and impassioned performances have turned him into today’s hottest act in Roots and Blues. www.jameshuntermusic.com

Vijay Iyer Quartet with Rudresh Mahanthappa Ironwood
Cutting edge jazz from two leading innovators at the heart of the New York scene. Vijay is a forceful, rhythmically invigorating performer who with a unique sense for compositional balance. Described as “one of the most original and accomplished young pianists in years’. He often works with saxophonist Rudresh, who was just awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for ‘distinguished achievement in the past and exceptional promise for future accomplishment’ in composition and performance. Both men draw on their Asian heritage and American influence to create dynamic, stunning performances that could well be one of the best shows of the festival. www.vijay-iyer.com, www.rudreshm.com

UMO Jazz Orchestra Quincy’s on Seventh
Arguably one of the best big bands in the world is from Finland. Continuous support by the city of Helsinki and the ministry of education has helped keep UMO together for over thirty years, record 23 cds and have a repertoire of 1200 compositions. www.umo.fi

Marianne Trudel Quintet Cantos
The award-winning pianist from Montreal offers a rich quilt of sonic colours seemlessly stitched together with a keen sense of compositional design and deft improvisational gestures. Drawing equally on the classical, jazz and free improv idioms, she cleverly balances these influences out on a razor’s edge. With Rob Mosher (soprano sax, oboe - New York), Jonathan Stewart (tenor sax - Kingston, Ontario), Morgan Moore (bass - Montreal) and Kelby MacNayr (drums - Victoria, BC). www.mariannetrudel.com.

Barry Romberg Beat Niq
Juno Award-winning drummer mixes contemporary with free jazz in a powerful performance. With supreme saxophonist Kirk Macdonald, trumpeter Kevin Turcotte and Rich Brown on bass. www.barryromberg.com

Sunday June 24
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra with The Bad Plus The Gateway Lounge
A double header dance party featuring the politically-charged, funk-driven Antibalas and the musically controversial Bad Plus. The eleven piece Afrobeat Orchestra incorporates elements of jazz, funk, dub, improvised music, and traditional drumming from Cuba and West Africa with strong lyrics in a driving beat.

The Bad Plus is a midwest American collective that challenged the definition of jazz trio. Bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson, and drummer David King mixed their own diverse compositions with covers of rock bands like Nirvana and Aphex Twin. Favoring group improvisation over individual solos, eschewing all jazz cliches, The Bad Plus rip into each set with precision, dynamics and reckless abandon, attracting new audiences to jazz.

Francois Carrier Cantos
An inexhaustible improviser, Carrier pushes boundaries of creative evolution with his saxes and some of the biggest names in the business. His latest cd is a 1999 recording of him with the late Dewey Redman. He appears for a Sunday afternoon performance in Calgary with drummer Michel Lambert and French bassist Jean Jacques Avenel. www.francoiscarrier.com

Coco Zhao The Auburn Saloon
Avant-garde crooner from China charms all with his Sinatra-style performance. Out of a small town in the Hunan province of China comes the exotic Dream Situation. Zhao challenges the stereotypical jazz vocalist image, singing the lyrics in Chinese, but transcending cultures with contemporary American jazz idioms.

CHILL GROOVES & SMOOTH JAZZ NEWS

The JVC Jazz Festival New York will feature Keith Jarrett/Jack DeJohnette/Gary Peacock, Eartha Kitt, Nancy Wilson, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and many others. The JVC Jazz Festival is set for June 17 –30.

Susan Tedeschi will perform the following concerts: May 19 at Doheny Blues Festival in Dana Point CA, and August 2 at Ravinia in Highland Park IL (with Buddy Guy).

Soulful crooners The Persuaders performed on May 5th at Frank’s Lounge in Brooklyn, NY at 660 Fulton Street. They’ll not only performed, but also have a meet/greet, sign autographs and more.

A number of performer will appear at the upcoming Soul-Patrol Convention in Philadelphia during the memorial day weekend (May 25-27). Performers appearing at the Philadelphia Black Heritage Ferstival include Barbara Mason, Billy Griffin, Chi-Lites, Jason Miles, Jimmy Castor, Ken Webb, Melba Moore, Michael Henderson, and Ray, Goodman & Brown.

Brian Culbertson will be staying out West during the month of May. Here are his current tour dates: May 25 in Seattle at WABenaroya Concert Hal, and May 26 at Incline Village, NV Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe.

WAYNE SHORTER TOUR DATES

Wayne Shorter will perform the following concerts: June 21-22 at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam Netherlands, June 27 at Carnegie Hall in New York NY, June 29 at Theatre Maisonneuve in Montreal QC, July 28 at Chapiteau in Marciac France, August 3 at Kurhaus in Wiesbaden Germany, August 5 at International Centre in Harrogate UK, and March 28 at Kimmel Center in Philadelphia PA.

WYNTON MARSALIS WINS 2007 MONTBLANC DE LA CULTURE AWARD

Wynton Marsalis, artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, was presented with the 2007 Montblanc de la Culture Award, which supports the arts in ten countries, at a gala held during the Tribeca Film Festival last night. The event, at the Angel Orensanz Foundation Center for the Arts, was emceed by actor and Saturday Night Live alumnus Dean Edwards and included Montblanc jurors singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash and producer Lee Daniels, Festival co-founders Craig Hatkoff and Jane Rosenthal, and other celebrities.

The evening's festivities included surprise tributes and performances by individuals who have been influential to Marsalis' life and career. Wynton's father, Ellis Marsalis, tap dance maestro Savion Glover, percussionist Roy Haynes and legendary 81-year-old jazz artist Clark Terry, Marsalis' longtime friend and mentor, performed to honor Marsalis. Created in 1992, the Montblanc de la Culture Award honors individuals in 10 countries who commit their time and resources to enhance the arts and culture. An international panel of jurors selects a winner from each country. Actor Val Kilmer was also one of this year's U.S. jurors.

As this year's U.S. winner, Marsalis received a monetary award that he has chosen to donate to Jazz at Lincoln Center, as well as a limited edition of this year's Montblanc Patron of Art Writing Instrument -- one of only 10 in the world -- specially designed and named for Alexander von Humboldt, the German naturalist and arts patron who supported many artists of his time. This year's other U.S. nominees were music impresario Quincy Jones and Martha Richards, who established the Fund for Women Artists.

"We are proud to honor all the nominees tonight for their efforts on behalf of the arts, and we congratulate Wynton Marsalis on being voted this year's Montblanc de la Culture Award winner," said Jan-Patrick Schmitz, President and CEO of Montblanc North America. "His commitment to improving people's lives through music, and his contributions to numerous arts endeavors, are closely aligned with Montblanc's core values - to support the arts and artists worldwide, thus nourishing the soul of civilization."

As part of the gala, an inspirational canvas was autographed by Wynton Marsalis and other invited guests, including Tribeca Film Festival co-founders Robert De Niro, Craig Hatkoff and Jane Rosenthal, Emmy Rossum, Salman Rushdie, Naomie Harris, Mort Zuckerman, Grace Hightower De Niro, Rachael Leigh Cook, Rosanne Cash and Lee Daniels. The canvas will be auctioned at a later date, with proceeds to benefit educational programs at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Savion Glover and Roy Haynes were the first to take center stage, surprising Marsalis. The two wowed the crowd with fancy footwork and dynamic rhythm in honor of Marsalis. After Marsalis accepted the award, Terry Clark, Ellis Marsalis and Roy Haynes, along with jazz musicians Stantwan Kendricks and Mark McLaurine, played in an impromptu jam session that energized the crowd.

As an advocate, educator and cultural leader for music education, Marsalis regularly conducts master classes, lectures and concerts for students, including the popular Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz for Young People concerts that spawned the first-ever comprehensive jazz appreciation curriculum of the same name for grades 4-9. Marsalis' organization, Jazz at Lincoln Center, is dedicated to bringing jazz to a larger audience and, in doing so, produces nearly 1,000 performances and educational events each year. His educational endeavors also include the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival that has involved more than 3,500 bands in North America and Australia.

Brandford Marsalis will perform the following concerts: May 5 at Clarke Atlanta University in Atlanta GA, May 6 at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans LA, May 8 at The Seasons in Yakima WA, May 10-13 at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley in Seattle WA, May 15 at Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis MN, May 16 at Paramount Theatre in St. Cloud MN, May 17 at Detroit Orchestra Hall in Detroit MI, May 18 at Wharton Center in E. Lansing MI, June 20 at Town Hall in New York NY, June 21 at International Jazz Festival in Ottawa ON, July 2 at Arts on the Avenue in Philadelphia PA, July 6 at Theatre Maisonneuve in Montreal QC, July 7 at Connecticut State University in Danbury CT, August 8 at Center for the Arts in Jackson WY, August 10 at Dartmouth College in Hanover NH, August 11 at JVC Jazz Fest in Newport RI, September 22 at Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston SC, October 20 at Trinity University in San Antonio TX, October 26-27 at Lincoln Center in New York NY, November 10 at Fox Cities PAC in Appleton WI, November 17 at Wesleyan College in Rochester NY, January 4 at Scottsdale Center for the Arts in Scottsdale AZ, January 6 at Philharmonic Center in Naples FL, and February 1 at Purchase Center in Purchase NY.W

MAYNARD FERGUSON’S FINAL CD RELEASED

Contemporary Productions has announced the release of The One and Only Maynard Ferguson Legacy CD.

Recorded at Bennett Studios in Englewood, NJ, following a sold out engagement in New York City at the famed Blue Note Jazz Club, this CD includes Ferguson's last recordings along with marquis alumni from decades of jazz music they shared together. The One and Only Maynard Ferguson will go on sale this Friday, May 4th and will be sold exclusively through the Maynard Ferguson website http://www.maynardferguson.com. Retail cost is $20.

Ferguson, affectionately known as "The Boss," worked with hundreds of musicians worldwide throughout his more than six decades in the business. He often enlisted the musical and composition talents of notable and famous alumni including Wayne Bergeron, Denis DiBlasio, Chip McNeill, and Steve Wiest as well as many of his Big Bop Nouveau Band members. These talented individuals are just a handful of featured musicians on The One and Only Maynard Ferguson CD. This recording contains nine tracks -- five are new takes on old favorites including "The Days of Wine and Roses" and "Besame Mucho," where fans will enjoy a dueling trumpet duet between Ferguson and Wayne Bergeron. Other tunes include three original compositions by Denis DiBlasio, and an all new composition by pianist and Ferguson's son-in-law, Christian Jacob titled "Lost Horizons" featuring the beautiful flugelhorn played by Ferguson.

The One and Only Maynard Ferguson is quintessential of 'The Boss' and a very seductive collection full of original pieces plus Ferguson's unique take on familiar tunes," said Dr. Herb Wong, an internationally respected jazz journalist, historian, critic and concert producer. "The arrangements by Denis DiBlasio and Chip McNeill are incredible and certainly reflect that unmistakable Maynard Ferguson flair. Memories of bygone performances stand out in this legacy CD, I could hear how excited he was ... Ferguson's
performance was tumultuous."

Ferguson passed away just three weeks after The One and Only Maynard Ferguson was recorded, at the age 78. What was intended to be just one of many albums recorded, this particular one has evolved into Ferguson's legacy piece. The One and Only Maynard Ferguson is sure to secure Ferguson's deserved standing as a legend in the history of American Jazz.

Maynard Ferguson Background:
Walter Maynard Ferguson, born May 4, 1928, in Montreal, started his career at age 13 when he performed as a featured soloist with the Canadian Broadcasting Company Orchestra. He opened for some of the great Big Band Leaders of the 1940s including Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Harry James, and then went on to play with Charlie Barnett, Jimmy Dorsey and Stan Kenton. In 1945 at age 17, Ferguson became the leader of his own Big Band. The 78 year old musical phenomenon went on to record more than 60 albums, receiving numerous honors and awards including the GRAMMY(R) nomination for "Gonna Fly Now" otherwise known as the theme from the movie Rocky. In 2005, Ferguson was awarded Canada's highest civilian honor, the "Order of Canada" from the Right Honorable Governor General Adrienne Clarkson. Additionally, Ferguson has been the recipient of DownBeat Magazine's prestigious "DownBeat" award.

"The Boss" had performed for packed houses for decades. In his final days, he and the Big Bop Nouveau Band were touring the United States, recording what we now know as The One and Only Maynard Ferguson and preparation for a fall 2006 tour in Tokyo. Maynard Ferguson was passionate about his music, his fans and his family. An inspiration both onstage and off, Ferguson's life was full of high notes. His dedication to his craft was unparalleled and his vibrant presence on stage was legendary. Maynard Ferguson will be greatly missed. Maynard Ferguson: 5/4/1928 - 8/23/2006

DIANA KRALL TOUR UPDATE

Singer Diana Krall has just announced dates in support of her latest smooth jazz release, From This Moment On, beginning on June 8th in Oakland, California and criss-crossing the country before returning to California on September 22nd for her appearance at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Her co-headliner at many of the shows will be trumpeter Chris Botti.

This marks her first major public appearances in a year, as the Grammy-award winner took some time off with her husband Elvis Costello after the birth of their twin sons. She will be joined by the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra for her four night stretch at Las Vegas' Hilton Hotel, and for her two nights at the Hollywood Bowl.

Diana Krall Tour dates:

June 8, 9 - Oakland, CA - Yoshi's
June 14, 15, 16, 17 - Las Vegas, NV - Hilton Hotel (w/Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra)
June 19 - Livermore, CA - Wente Vineyard
June 20, 21 - Saratoga, CA - Mountain Winery
June 24 - Santa Rosa, CA - Wells Fargo Center
July 7 - Atlantic City, CA - Borgata Event Center (w/Chris Botti)
July 8 - Newark, NJ - New Jersey Performing Arts Center (w/Chris Botti)
July 9 - Canandaigua, NY - Constellation PAC (w/Chris Botti)
July 10 - Providence, RI - Providence {PAC (w/Chris Botti)
July 12 - Wallingford, CT - Chevrolet Theater (w/Chris Botti)
July 13 - Hyannis, MA - Cape Cod Melody Tent
July 14 - Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion
July 16 - Vienna, VA - Wolftrap Filene Center (w/Chris Botti)
July 18 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park (w/Chris Botti)
July 19 - Nashville, TN - Schermerhorn Symphony Center
July 21 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theater (w/Chris Botti)
August 7 - Bend, OR - Les Schwab Amphitheater (w/Chris Botti)
August 8 - Eugene, OR - Cuthbert Amphitheater (w/Chris Botti)
August 9 - Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium (w/Chris Botti)
August 11, 12 - Woodinville, WA - Chateau St. Michelle
August 14 - Lake Tahoe, NV - Harveys Outdoor Amp. (w/Chris Botti)
August 15 - San Francisco, CA - Davies Symphony Hall
August 17, 18 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl (w/Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra)
August 19 - Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl (w/Chris Botti)
August 21 - Temecula, CA - Pechanga Casino
August 22 - San Diego, CA - Bayside
August 23 - Phoenix, AZ - The Dodge Theater (w/Chris Botti)
August 27 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheater (w/Chris Botti)
August 29 - St. Louis, MO - Fox Theater (w/Chris Botti)
August 31 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater (w/Chris Botti)
September 2 - Highland Park, IL - Ravinia (w/Chris Botti)
September 22 - Monterey, CA - Monterey Jazz Fest

MONTERAY JAZZ FEST ANNOUNCES 2007 LINE UP

The 50-year-old Monterey Jazz Festival has announced its star-studded lineup for 2007, featuring trumpeter Terence Blanchard, vocalist Diana Krall, pianists Dave Brubeck and Gonzalo Rubacalba, saxophonists Sonny Rollins and Ornette Coleman, and many more jazz favorites. The event is scheduled to take place on the weekend of September 21st through 23rd at the Monterey, California Fairgrounds. Shows will occur in the afternoons and evenings, from Friday through Sunday, at the large Arena/Lyons stage and at five additional venues on the grounds. For more information, go to www.montereyjazzfest.com.

Artists scheduled to perform at the Monterey Jazz Festival's Arena are:

Friday, September 21st - Evening
John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension
Dave Holland, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chris Potter, Eric Harland
Isaac Delgado

Saturday, September 22nd - Afternoon
Los Lobos
Otis Taylor Band
James Hunter

Saturday, September 22nd - Evening
Diana Krall
Gerald Wilson Orchestra (premiering "Monterey Moods")
Terence Blanchard Quintet (premiering "Requiem for Katrina") with Monterey Jazz Festival Chamber Orchestra

Sunday, September 23rd - Afternoon
Ornette Coleman
Next Generation Jazz Orchestra with Artist-In-Residence Terence Blanchard
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts/Winning Big Band from MJF's Next Generation Festival

Sunday, September 23rd - Evening
Sonny Rollins
Dave Brubeck Quintet with special guest Jim Hall
Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All-Stars with Terence Blanchard, Nnenna Freelon, Benny Green and James Moody

NORMAN BROWN - NEW CD & TOUR INFO

Grammy Award-winning guitarist/singer Norman Brown has just released Stay With Me, and this summer he will launch his third annual Summer Storm tour, with Peabo Bryson, Marion Meadows and Jeff Lorber. The tour begins on May 26th in Oceanside, California and continues through the summer and fall, winding up in Avalon, California at the Catalina Jazz Fest on October 21st.

The title track was written and produced by singer/songwriter Brian McKnight, who provides back-up vocals to the R&B tune. Trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Kirk Whalum also guest on the album for a reunion of supergroup BWB on "It's Not Over," and guitarist/producer Paul Brown collaborated on "Pop's Cool Groove" and "Soul Dance" and produced "I Need You." One of his favorite tracks is the bossa nova-flavored "Pop's Cool Groove," which was inspired by his father, who was a fan of legendary guitarist Wes Montgomery. "He would sit down in the basement and listen to me practice for hours and hours," Brown recalls of his dad. "He really liked Wes Montgomery and that style, so I learned that style. And when I finished this song, it was like, 'Oh, yeah. This is Pop's cool groove."

Stay With Me includes the following tracks:

"Let's Take A Ride You"
"You Keep Lifting Me Higher"
"Pop's Cool Groove"
"It Ain't Over BWB"
"So In Love"
"Stay With Me"
"Soul Dance"
"Every Little Thing"
"A Quiet Place"
"I Need You"
Dates for Norman Brown's Summer Storm tour are as follows:

May 26 - Oceanside, CA - Oceanside Pier Amphitheater
June 17 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl/Playboy Jazz Fest
June 20 - Detroit, MI - Chene Park
June 22 - Wilmington, DE - Rodney Square
June 23 - Hampton, VA - Hampton Jazz Fest
June 24 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Freihofer's Jazz Fest
July 7 - Omaha, NE - Omaha Riverfront Jazz & Festival (w/o Peabo Bryson)
July 8 - Columbus, OH - Wendy's Corporate Headquarters
July 20 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
July 21 - Melbourne, FL - King Center for Performing Arts
July 22 - Indianapolis, IN - Indianapolis Black Expo
July 28 - Harrisburg, PA - The Forum Theatre
August 17 - Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theater
August 18 - Temecula, CA - Wilson Creek Winery
August 24 - Seattle, WA - Seattle University
August 25 - Las Vegas, NV - Boulder Station Casino
September 7 - West Bend, WI - Ziegler Kettle Moraine Jazz Fest
September 8 - Central Park, CA - BB Jazz Fest
September 22 - Scottsdale, AZ - Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater
October 19 - Clearwater, FL - Clearwater Jazz Holiday
October 21 - Avalon, CA - Catalina Jazz Festival