Well here we go again…another smooth jazz radio station is switching formats. If this keeps going, the smooth jazz format will eventually totally disappear as more and more radio stations keep dropping the format. Now comes news that KBZN (97.9 FM, "97.9 The Breeze") in Salt Lake City, Utah is switching to a “smooth adult contemporary” format. "We are custom-designing KBZN to be the Wasatch Front's 'Smooth AC' station, which is how Arbitron now describes 'Smooth Jazz' in its format listings," said Dan R. Jessop, KBZN operations director. "We believe this is the perfect market to move the format into more familiar sounding instrumentals and vocals. We are excited but love our listeners who preferred just instrumentals. We hope they and a lot of new samplers will become familiar with 'The Breeze' and make us their first choice for Smooth Music." "We are proud to be in on the beginning of a new Smooth revolution with a music mix that will appeal most in this market," Jessop said. Jessop said many markets nationally don't have smooth jazz or smooth AC stations. As a matter of fact, WJJZ in Philadelphia dumped the smooth jazz format this month.
KBZN is owned by Capital Broadcasting. During the 1980s the call letters were KZAN. It was a country formatted station using the slogan "Great Utah Country." DJs included "Terrible T", David Chandler, Trisha Griffith, Gentleman Jim, Mike Martin. In many respects, KBZN will now sound a lot more like KSFI ("FM-100") and KOSY. The change is also being made in hopes of attracting new listeners. KBZN had a 1.6 percent share of the age 12-plus audience (18th place) in the latest Arbitron estimates.
Friday, September 19, 2008
HERBIE HANCOCK REISSUES
In a nearly 50-year recordingcareer filled with many diverse achievements and awards, Herbie Hancock was honored for the first time with a GRAMMY for Album Of The Year. The last time -- and the only other time -- a jazz album garnered this top award was in 1964 when Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto won for Getz/Gilberto.Beginning in 1962 with his Blue Note album Takin' Off, Hancock has recorded some 50 albums as a leader. By far his most prolific period was when he was signed to Columbia Records from 1972 to 1988. At the same time as he was recording for CBS/Columbia in the U.S. he had a separate contract with CBS/SONY in Japan. Between the two affiliations he recorded some 30
albums in these years.
The albums he made for Columbia in the U.S. were mostly electric and mixed elements of jazz with R&B, Dance and Pop. He played an arsenal of keyboards, and also was one of the first musicians to utilize a new piece of equipment called a Vocoder. The Vocoder was a kind of synthesized voice processor through which he sang -- on Sunlight (1978) and a few other albums. Other recordings during this period used outside vocalists. Many of these records enjoyed airplay on non-jazz formats and also charted. Several of the U.S. titles have had only limited availability on CD, often just as imports.
Digital providers will now have the following albums available: Death Wish / Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1974), Sunlight (1978), Feets Don't Fail Me Now (1978), Monster (1980), Mr. Hands (1980), Magic Windows (1981), Lite Me Up (1981) and Village Life (1984). There were also two electric albums made for CBS/SONY that have never been released outside
of Japan -- Flood (1975) and Direct Step (1978).
Herbie's arrangement with CBS/SONY made it possible for him to make straight ahead acoustic jazz albums for release in the Japanese market, at the same time he was making electric albums in the U.S. which were aimed at a much larger audience. All of the acoustic albums featured long-time musical companions bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, and there were also several others that added trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and saxophonist Wayne Shorter to that same rhythm section.
In 1974 he recorded Dedication, his first album for CBS/SONY Japan. This album, unique in his discography, was half solo acoustic piano and half electric keyboards. The acoustic first side included extended re-workings of two of his classic compositions, "Maiden Voyage" and "Dolphin Dance," while the second side featured multiple keyboard workouts on another classic -- "Cantaloupe Island" -- and a new piece called "Nobu."
The so-called Mwandishi Sextet -- trumpeter Eddie Henderson, trombonist Julian Priester, multi-reed player Bennie Maupin, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Billy Hart -- recorded three adventurous, often abstract, electric albums for Warner Brothers and Columbia between 1970 and 1972. The Headhunters, Herbie's second and more funk/groove oriented electric band,
then found great commercial success with three highly influential albums made for Columbia between 1973 and 1975 -- Headhunters, Thrust and Man-Child. Some U.S. fans got to hear this band live in person but unless they bought an expensive import they did not get to hear Flood, originally a Japanese only double LP live album featuring the best known Headhunters line-up -- Benny Maupin on reeds, Paul Jackson on bass, Mike Clark on drums, and Bill Summers on percussion. Highly charged versions of "Chameleon," and "Hang Up Your Hangups" highlight what is one of the most exciting live albums of Hancock's career.
Another unique electric album recorded for the Japanese market was Direct Step (1978). This title was recorded direct-to-disc, an audiophile format that gained some attention around that time. Instead of recording first on tape and then going through the rest of the disc-cutting LP mastering process, the recording was done directly to a vinyl-disc cutting lathe. Bypassing the tape step often resulted in superior sound which led in this case to "Direct Step" being chosen as one of the first CDs to be issued when the CD format was introduced in the early '80s.
Two other albums which stand out from his U.S. releases in the late 1970s and early 1980s are Mr. Hands and Village Life. The overlooked Mr. Hands (1980) is an all-instrumental album done in the middle of the period when most of his albums were vocal-oriented. Each track features Herbie on multiple keyboards with a different ensemble including, among others, Jaco Pastorius, Paul Jackson, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Harvey Mason, Bill Summers and Sheila E. Village Life (1984) is a unique duet album where Herbie plays various keyboards and is joined by African kora player Foday Musa Soso. Soso had also appeared on Herbie's previous Columbia release Sound System (1984) and collaborated with Herbie again on the 1987 live album for Verve called Jazz Africa.
At the Newport Jazz Festival NY in 1976 there was a three-part retrospective concert of Herbie's music featuring the Mwandishi Sextet, the latest edition of The Headhunters band which included guitarists Wah Wah Watson and Ray Parker, and a specially-assembled acoustic band including Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. Originally Herbie had asked Miles Davis to participate in the acoustic part of the program but when Miles declined he asked Hubbard, who had played on three of his key Blue Note albums. The entire evening, recorded by Columbia U.S. and released under the title V.S.O.P., is now available for the first time at iTunes and other digital providers. V.S.O.P., which stood for Very Special One-Time Performance, ironically ended up also being the first part of the name of V.S.O.P. The Quintet, as the band with Hubbard, Shorter, Carter and Williams came to be known.
Due to the success of the Newport/NY concert they ended up going on tour in the U.S. and Japan, and also recorded four more albums. Three of those albums now make their first appearance digitally. Tempest In A Colosseum, which has never been released in any format outside of Japan, comes from a live show at the Denen Colosseum in Tokyo and includes versions of mostly well-known compositions by all of the band members including an outstanding version of "Maiden Voyage." Live Under The Sky, which finally saw a U.S. release as a double CD in 2004, was also recorded live in Japan. And Five Stars, the only studio album the band made, includes a Hancock composition that he only recorded once called "Fingerpainting" plus rarely recorded tunes by Tony Williams ("Mutants On The Beach") and Wayne Shorter ("Circe.")
The rhythm section of Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams is unquestionably one of the greatest in the history of jazz. Miles Davis brought these three musicians together for the first time in 1963 for his Seven Steps To Heaven (Columbia) album and they went on to make a dozen more albums with Miles between 1963 and 1968. They also performed together on two of Herbie's classic Blue Notes -- Empyrean Isles and Maiden Voyage, but surprisingly never made a trio album during this very active time period. The first trio sessions with these three musicians took place on July 13, 1977 in San Francisco, when they actually recorded two albums in one day -- The Herbie Hancock Trio for CBS/SONY, and Third Plane, under Ron Carter's name, for Milestone. The Herbie Hancock Trio album is notable for the inclusion of three striking Hancock compositions which he never recorded again -- "Watch It," "Watcha Waitin' For," and "Look," plus an extended version of his classic "Speak Like A Child."
And in 1981, the trio did one more album for CBS/SONY which included "Dolphin Dance," a tune each by Ron and Tony, and a couple of standards. The two CBS albums, neither of which were ever released in the U.S. in any format, are now available digitally. As of September 16th, all thirty albums Herbie Hancock recorded as a leader for Columbia Records and its Japanese affiliate CBS/SONY between 1972 and 1988 will be available through digital providers.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
ERIC BENET - LOVE & LIFE
Love and Life is the fourth studio album from American R&B singer Eric Benét. It was released on September 9, 2008. The first single You're The Only One is currently rising on the r&b charts and it is his first top twenty hit in 2 yearsLOVE & LIFE Tracklisting
Love, Patience, & Time
Hunger
You're The Only One
Don't Let Go
Everlove (duet with Terry Dexter)
Chocolate Legs
Weekend Girl
Iminluvwichoo (duet with Linda Kiraly)
Spanish Fly
Still I Believe
Sing To Me
One More Tomorrow
iTunes bonus track: Can't Stop
Eric Benet Upcoming Tour Dates:
Sept 13 - Lexington, KY @ Roots and Heritage Festival
Sept 14 - New York, NY @ Liberty R&B and Jazz Festival
Sept 19 - Las Vegas, NV @ Hoodie Awards
Sept 20 - Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theatre
Sept 25 - Jacksonville, FL @ Ritz Theatre
Sept 26 - North Myrtle Beach, S.C. @ House of Blues - Myrtle Beach
Sept 27 - Atlanta, GA @ Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Sept 29 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues Chicago
Oct 1 - Detroit, MI @ South Beach
Oct 2 - Cleveland, OH @ Playhouse Square
Oct 5 - New Brunswick, NJ @ State Theatre
Oct 6 - New York, NY @ B.B. King's
Oct 7 - Alexandria, VA @ Birchmere
Oct 8 - Alexandria, VA @ Birchmere
Oct 10 - Norfolk, VA @ Attucks Theatre
Oct 11 - Durham, NC @ Carolina Theatre
Oct 12 - Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
Oct 16 - Houston, TX @ Arena Theatre
Oct 17 - Baton Rouge, LA @ River Center
Oct 18 - Dallas, TX @ Nokia Theatre Grand Prairie
Sept 13 - Lexington, KY @ Roots and Heritage Festival
Sept 14 - New York, NY @ Liberty R&B and Jazz Festival
Sept 19 - Las Vegas, NV @ Hoodie Awards
Sept 20 - Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theatre
Sept 25 - Jacksonville, FL @ Ritz Theatre
Sept 26 - North Myrtle Beach, S.C. @ House of Blues - Myrtle Beach
Sept 27 - Atlanta, GA @ Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Sept 29 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues Chicago
Oct 1 - Detroit, MI @ South Beach
Oct 2 - Cleveland, OH @ Playhouse Square
Oct 5 - New Brunswick, NJ @ State Theatre
Oct 6 - New York, NY @ B.B. King's
Oct 7 - Alexandria, VA @ Birchmere
Oct 8 - Alexandria, VA @ Birchmere
Oct 10 - Norfolk, VA @ Attucks Theatre
Oct 11 - Durham, NC @ Carolina Theatre
Oct 12 - Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
Oct 16 - Houston, TX @ Arena Theatre
Oct 17 - Baton Rouge, LA @ River Center
Oct 18 - Dallas, TX @ Nokia Theatre Grand Prairie
JOHN LEGEND - EVOLVER
Platinum-selling Grammy-winning artistr John Legend and his forthcoming new album, EVOLVER, will be the iTunes Store's largest international "Complete My Album" campaign to-date. Complete My Album allows music fans to buy albums at a reduced price based on songs they've already purchased. Available on iTunes in 20 territories, "Countdown to EVOLVER" offers fans a series of album tracks leading up to the release of John's eagerly-awaited new studio album on Tuesday, October 28.On July 29th iTunes launched its largest international Complete My Album campaign, "Countdown to EVOLVER," with the online release of "Green Light" (featuring Andre 3000), followed by the online release of "If You're Out There" on August 24. A special new John Legend track, "Green Light (Afroganic Remix)," will be available exclusively online on iTunes in 20 countries beginning Tuesday, September 16. An additional two tracks from EVOLVER will be available exclusively on iTunes across those same 20 territories on September 30 and October 14.
In addition to the United States, "Countdown to EVOLVER" is available in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Italy, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and Sweden.
One of the most eagerly-awaited releases of 2008, EVOLVER is the first full-length studio album in two years from five time Grammy-winning recording artist and concert performer John Legend. In addition to OutKast's Andre 3000, guests on EVOLVER include emerging UK hip-hop artist
Estelle, R&B/pop superstar Brandy and John's longtime collaborator Kanye West.
Songs on EVOLVER include "Green Light," "It's Over" (featuring Kanye West), "Everybody Knows," "No Other Love" (featuring Estelle), "Satisfaction," "This Time," "Cross The Line," "I Love, You Love," "Good Morning," "If You're Out There," and "Quickly" (featuring Brandy).
Released in late December 2004, John Legend's debut album, "Get Lifted," peaked at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart and became America's #1 Top R&B/Hip-Hop album in January 2005. A critical and commercial triumph, "Get Lifted" earned John an astounding eight Grammy
nominations -- he won Best New Artist, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance ("Ordinary People") and Best R&B album -- while selling more than three million copies worldwide.
John's second collection, "Once Again," entered the Billboard Top 200 at #3 shortly after its release in October 2006, peaking at #1 on the R&B Album Sales chart, earning an RIAA platinum certification while securing two Grammy nominations: "Save Room" (for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance) and "Heaven" (which won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance).
John racked up his fifth overall career Grammy win in 2006 when "Family Affair" -- a track he'd cut with Joss Stone and Van Hunt for "Different Strokes by Different Folks," a Sly & the Family Stone tribute album (Epic/Legacy) -- took home top honors in the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals category.
In 2007, John Legend launched the Show Me Campaign (ShowMeCampaign.org), a grassroots movement whose mission is "to fight economic and spiritual poverty through fostering sustainable development (personal, social, educational, economic) at the individual, family, and small community levels."
http://www.johnlegend.com/
http://www.myspace.com/johnegend
http://www.johnlegendnetwork.com/
http://www.showmecampaign.org/
http://www.columbiarecords.com/
ITUNES 8.0 IS HERE
Apple(R) has announced iTunes(R) 8, the next major release of Apple's ubiquitous music and video player for Macs and PCs which is seamlessly integrated with the most popular online content store in the world (http://www.itunes.com). iTunes 8 includes the new breakthrough Genius feature, which lets you automatically create playlists from songs in your music library that go great together -- with just one click. Genius helps music fans rediscover favorite songs in their existing music library and suggests related music on the iTunes Store they might want to add to their music collection. iTunes 8 features new ways of viewing your music and video libraries, and adds television programs in stunning high definition for sale on the iTunes Store.
Using Apple's breakthrough Genius feature is easy-select any song, click the Genius button, and iTunes instantly creates a playlist of songs that go great together from your own library. You can preview the playlist Genius creates, refresh the list to choose different songs and save Genius playlists to enjoy again later. You can even create Genius Playlists on-the-go with the new iPod(R) classic, iPod touch, iPod nano and iPhone(TM). The Genius sidebar appears right in iTunes and recommends music from the iTunes Store that you don't already have, based on the songs you select.
When you turn on iTunes 8's new Genius feature, information about your music library is anonymously sent to the iTunes Store, where it is combined with the anonymously-gathered knowledge from millions of other iTunes users and processed through Apple-developed algorithms. The Genius results, specifically tailored to your personal music library, are sent back to your computer to enable users to automatically create Genius playlists in iTunes and on your iPods, even when they are not connected to the Internet.
iTunes 8's new visual browsing interface displays your music and video libraries using your album and video covers, and also provides a great way to navigate your movies, TV shows, iPhone apps, podcasts and audiobooks.
The iTunes Store has become the world's most popular online TV store and features an incredible selection of over 30,000 episodes from ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, NBC and over 70 cable networks including Bravo, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, ESPN, FX, HBO, MTV, Nickelodeon, Sci Fi, Showtime and USA. With iTunes 8, television fans can now watch their favorite programs from ABC, NBC and Showtime in stunning HD for just $2.99 per episode, perfect for viewing on their Mac(R) or PC, or on their widescreen TV with Apple TV.
The iTunes Store is the world's most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of 8.5 million songs, over 30,000 TV episodes and over 2,500 films including 600 in stunning high definition video. With Apple's legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as iTunes Movie Rentals, integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, the ability to turn previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and seamless integration with iPod and iPhone, the iTunes Store is the best way for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.
iTunes 8 for Mac and Windows includes the iTunes Store and is available as a free download from (http://www.itunes.com). Purchase and download of songs and videos from the iTunes Store requires a valid credit card from a financial institution in the country of purchase. Video availability varies by country.
Using Apple's breakthrough Genius feature is easy-select any song, click the Genius button, and iTunes instantly creates a playlist of songs that go great together from your own library. You can preview the playlist Genius creates, refresh the list to choose different songs and save Genius playlists to enjoy again later. You can even create Genius Playlists on-the-go with the new iPod(R) classic, iPod touch, iPod nano and iPhone(TM). The Genius sidebar appears right in iTunes and recommends music from the iTunes Store that you don't already have, based on the songs you select.
When you turn on iTunes 8's new Genius feature, information about your music library is anonymously sent to the iTunes Store, where it is combined with the anonymously-gathered knowledge from millions of other iTunes users and processed through Apple-developed algorithms. The Genius results, specifically tailored to your personal music library, are sent back to your computer to enable users to automatically create Genius playlists in iTunes and on your iPods, even when they are not connected to the Internet.
iTunes 8's new visual browsing interface displays your music and video libraries using your album and video covers, and also provides a great way to navigate your movies, TV shows, iPhone apps, podcasts and audiobooks.
The iTunes Store has become the world's most popular online TV store and features an incredible selection of over 30,000 episodes from ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, NBC and over 70 cable networks including Bravo, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, ESPN, FX, HBO, MTV, Nickelodeon, Sci Fi, Showtime and USA. With iTunes 8, television fans can now watch their favorite programs from ABC, NBC and Showtime in stunning HD for just $2.99 per episode, perfect for viewing on their Mac(R) or PC, or on their widescreen TV with Apple TV.
The iTunes Store is the world's most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of 8.5 million songs, over 30,000 TV episodes and over 2,500 films including 600 in stunning high definition video. With Apple's legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as iTunes Movie Rentals, integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, the ability to turn previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and seamless integration with iPod and iPhone, the iTunes Store is the best way for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.
iTunes 8 for Mac and Windows includes the iTunes Store and is available as a free download from (http://www.itunes.com). Purchase and download of songs and videos from the iTunes Store requires a valid credit card from a financial institution in the country of purchase. Video availability varies by country.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
TOM JONES - 24 HOURS
Tom Jones is set to release an album of almost entirely original material this fall. The 68-year-old singer will release "24 Hours" on Oct. 21 in the US and on Nov. 25 via S-Curve Records. It's a retro-tinged album much in the style of Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" that finds the Welshman's voice as strong as ever. "The fire is still in me," Jones told The Associated Press in a recent interview, speaking by phone from his home in Los Angeles. "Not to be an oldie, but a goodie. I want to be a contender." The albumc was produced by British production duo Future Cut, who have cut tracks for Lily Allen, Kate Nash and others. With backing horns and an almost Stax Records kind of soul, the sound is distinctly retro. "We've been thinking about this for a while, doing a retro sound but new," said Jones. "And Amy Winehouse, she cracked it. When that album came out, my son called me right away and said, `You know what we've been talking about? Listen to this.'"Since he released the hit "It's Not Unusual" in 1965, Jones has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. While his 2000 album "Reload" was a hit in Europe and elsewhere (buoyed by the club hit "Sex Bomb"), it was never released in the U.S. — which Jones calls "a shame." "The hits that I've had recently have all been European," he said. "I've had a lot of success worldwide, which is a pain because I live here and I do most of my shows in America. ... Hopefully this will straighten that out."
Jones, who regularly performs in Las Vegas, believes his voice hasn't aged — thanks partly to his careful treatment of it; he takes a humidifier with him traveling to keep his throat from drying. Jones even believes his lower registers have gotten richer. "I wanted my voice to sound as natural as possible," Jones said of the album. "The arrangements and the production needs to be modern, but the vocal needs to sound like me."
There are several covers on the album — including Bruce Springsteen's "The Hitter" and "I'm Alive" by Tommy James and the Shondells — but the rest Jones either co-wrote or collaborated with the songwriters. Bono and the Edge of U2 guest on the song "Sugar Daddy." "I love doing the songs that I've had success with and the audience keeps those alive," Jones said. "But I love moving on."
JOE THOMAS - NEW MAN
Having sold over ten (10) million CDs worldwide the multi-platinum selling crooner is set to release his seventh (7th) album, "Joe Thomas, New Man" on September 23, on Kedar Entertainment Group/563 Entertainment. Few male R&B solo singers that debuted in the early 90's, in Joe's case fifteen years ago, can attest to the success that seven-time Grammy Award nominated (Best Male R&B Vocal Performance -- "Let's Stay Home Tonight," Best R&B Album -- "Better Days," Best R&B Performance by a Duo or a Group -- "More Than a Woman" w/Angie Stone, Best Pop Collaboration w/Vocals -- "Thank God I Found You" w/98 Degrees and Mariah Carey, Best Male R&B Performance -- "I Wanna Know," Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group, and Best R&B Album -- "Coming Home" w/Brian McKnight and BeBe Winans) star Joe can.
Over the course of Joe's career, the consummate Soul singer has released nine (9) top 10 singles on Billboard's "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" chart. His new single, "E.R. (Emergency Room)," is already shooting up the charts according Radio and Records on the Urban AC charts being the #1 most added in its 1st week going for radio adds, July 14th & 15th, and is currently the song with the Most Increased Airplay this week, a feat the song has held more than once since its add date. With more than eight (8) million in audience at radio, since its release, "E.R. (Emergency Room)" has also held the Greatest Gainer status on this chart for five (5) weeks.
Admiring the genius and swagger of artists like Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway, songs from his forthcoming album share the sacred/profane dilemma that elevates beyond the arena of his peers. From the sweet as cherry Kool-Aide lyrics on "Man In Your Life" to lonely teardrops of "Sorry" to the perfect summer record "Why Just Be Friends" and the freaky deke of "Triple Black Room" remix featuring Diddy, Joe continues to dig deep into his own psyche for the best material. With a voice that is sweet as chocolate and strong as coffee, "Joe Thomas, New Man" is the perfect album detailing all that Joe is.
Joe is currently crisscrossing the country to promote "Joe Thomas, New Man" with radio visits & shows, local television performances and print interviews in over 30 major cities like Atlanta, Chicago, LA, Detroit and more
Over the course of Joe's career, the consummate Soul singer has released nine (9) top 10 singles on Billboard's "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" chart. His new single, "E.R. (Emergency Room)," is already shooting up the charts according Radio and Records on the Urban AC charts being the #1 most added in its 1st week going for radio adds, July 14th & 15th, and is currently the song with the Most Increased Airplay this week, a feat the song has held more than once since its add date. With more than eight (8) million in audience at radio, since its release, "E.R. (Emergency Room)" has also held the Greatest Gainer status on this chart for five (5) weeks.
Admiring the genius and swagger of artists like Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway, songs from his forthcoming album share the sacred/profane dilemma that elevates beyond the arena of his peers. From the sweet as cherry Kool-Aide lyrics on "Man In Your Life" to lonely teardrops of "Sorry" to the perfect summer record "Why Just Be Friends" and the freaky deke of "Triple Black Room" remix featuring Diddy, Joe continues to dig deep into his own psyche for the best material. With a voice that is sweet as chocolate and strong as coffee, "Joe Thomas, New Man" is the perfect album detailing all that Joe is.
Joe is currently crisscrossing the country to promote "Joe Thomas, New Man" with radio visits & shows, local television performances and print interviews in over 30 major cities like Atlanta, Chicago, LA, Detroit and more
DAVE KOZ - GREATEST HITS
Capitol Records has just released Dave Koz - Greatest Hits iand iit's a fitting time for a career retrospective of the renowned instrumentalist/composer, with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce recently announcing that Koz will be honored with a star in the sidewalk on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame in 2009. Dave has had numerous No. 1 singles and No. 1 albums and been honored with six GRAMMY nominations and an NAACP Image award nod. Dave Koz – Greatest Hits contains eleven fan favorites, plus four brand new songs. "Life In The Fast Lane," is already climbing the radio charts.In the meantime, devoted fans can chat with Dave! On Thursday, September 25, at 6:30pm PST (California time). Are there any questions you'd like to ask Dave about his new CD, Greatest Hits? Any questions you have about the upcoming cruise or tour? Or any questions about ANYTHING?! Dave will answer them! If you would like to throw your name into the hat for a drawing to participate in the chat, please send an email to contests@davekoz.com by midnight (California time) on September 20. The call in is only open to Dave Koz fan club members, so if you are not already a member you can still join by going to davekoz.com. Ten lucky fan club members will win and be notified via email by September 22. At that time, the chat guidelines and long-distance dial-in number will be sent to the winning fan club members.
Upcoming later in the year is the annual The Dave Koz & Friends at Sea 4 th annual cruise which is about sold out! The cruise sails on November 2nd from Ft. Lauderdale on the luxurious Holland America m/s Westerdam. Among the scheduled guests are Dave Koz, Rick Braun, Richard Elliot, Eric Benet, George Duke and many more! Enjoy the fun onboard and the beautiful ports of call of Samana, Dominican Republic; St. Thomas; St. Barths; and Half Moon Cay.
JIM BRICKMAN - UNSPOKEN
Adult Contemporary and Grammy-nominated artist Jim Brickman returns with "Unspoken" -- an all-new album of instrumental solo piano compositions to be released by SLG Records (a unit of the Savoy Label Group). Jim Brickman revolutionized the sound of Adult Contemporary music with a remarkable series of piano-based recordings that were distinctively evocative in their unique blend of pop and romanticism. The fourteen new tracks on "Unspoken" hearken back to Brickman's roots as an unparalleled composer of pop instrumental songs reaffirming his status as a master of heart rending melodicism. Brickman will embark on his annual Fall/Winter tour beginning in September. "Unspoken' is available now on SLG Records.
Jim Brickman's remarkable career includes six Gold and Platinum selling albums, three #1 and twelve Top 10 Adult Contemporary radio hits, consistent debuts at #1 on Billboard Magazine's New Age chart, a Grammy nomination in 2003, SESAC "Songwriter of the Year" award, a Canadian Country Music Award, a Dove Award and his position as the all time chart leader on Radio & Records Adult Contemporary chart. Among his many hit compositions are blockbuster collaborations with guest vocalists such as Martina McBride ("Valentine"), Sara Evans ("Never Alone") and last year's collaboration with ex-Lonestar great Richie McDonald ("Coming Home For Christmas").
Complete track listing of "Unspoken":
1) Glory featuring David Benoit
2) Cloudy Day
3) Sudden Inspiration
4) New Beginnings
5) Whisper
6) After The Rain
7) The Crossing
8) Flying High
9) Unspoken
10) First Dance
11) Far Away From Home
12) Timeless
13) Blessed
14) Over the Rainbow
Brickman will also embark on his annual Fall/Winter tour this month -- confirmed dates are as follows:
9/18 Harrisonburg, VA
9/20 Hoover, AL
9/21 Baton Rouge, LA
9/25 La Crosse, WI
9/26 Elgin, IL
9/27 Cedarburg, WI
12/1 Spokane, WA
12/2 Boise, ID
12/3 Logan, UT
12/4 Sioux Falls, SD
12/5 Des Moines, IA
12/6 Springfield, MO
12/7 Warrensburg, MO
12/9 Omaha, NE
12/10 Madison, WI
12/11 Kalamazoo, MI
12/12 Green Bay, WI
12/13 Aurora, IL
12/14 Indianapolis, IN
12/15 South Bend, IN
12/16 Denver, CO
12/17 Kansas City, MO
12/18 Durham, NC
12/19 Macon, GA
12/20 Washington, DC
12/21 Hartford, CT
12/22 Virginia Beach, VA
12/23 Charlotte, NC
12/26 Cleveland, OH
12/27& 28 Boston, MA
12/29 New Brunswick, NJ
12/30 Pittsburgh, PA
12/31 Wilmington, DE
Jim Brickman's remarkable career includes six Gold and Platinum selling albums, three #1 and twelve Top 10 Adult Contemporary radio hits, consistent debuts at #1 on Billboard Magazine's New Age chart, a Grammy nomination in 2003, SESAC "Songwriter of the Year" award, a Canadian Country Music Award, a Dove Award and his position as the all time chart leader on Radio & Records Adult Contemporary chart. Among his many hit compositions are blockbuster collaborations with guest vocalists such as Martina McBride ("Valentine"), Sara Evans ("Never Alone") and last year's collaboration with ex-Lonestar great Richie McDonald ("Coming Home For Christmas").
Complete track listing of "Unspoken":
1) Glory featuring David Benoit
2) Cloudy Day
3) Sudden Inspiration
4) New Beginnings
5) Whisper
6) After The Rain
7) The Crossing
8) Flying High
9) Unspoken
10) First Dance
11) Far Away From Home
12) Timeless
13) Blessed
14) Over the Rainbow
Brickman will also embark on his annual Fall/Winter tour this month -- confirmed dates are as follows:
9/18 Harrisonburg, VA
9/20 Hoover, AL
9/21 Baton Rouge, LA
9/25 La Crosse, WI
9/26 Elgin, IL
9/27 Cedarburg, WI
12/1 Spokane, WA
12/2 Boise, ID
12/3 Logan, UT
12/4 Sioux Falls, SD
12/5 Des Moines, IA
12/6 Springfield, MO
12/7 Warrensburg, MO
12/9 Omaha, NE
12/10 Madison, WI
12/11 Kalamazoo, MI
12/12 Green Bay, WI
12/13 Aurora, IL
12/14 Indianapolis, IN
12/15 South Bend, IN
12/16 Denver, CO
12/17 Kansas City, MO
12/18 Durham, NC
12/19 Macon, GA
12/20 Washington, DC
12/21 Hartford, CT
12/22 Virginia Beach, VA
12/23 Charlotte, NC
12/26 Cleveland, OH
12/27& 28 Boston, MA
12/29 New Brunswick, NJ
12/30 Pittsburgh, PA
12/31 Wilmington, DE
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
RHYTHM & BLUES FOUNDATION 20th ANNIVERSARY
The cream of the R&B crop recently congregated at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center Verizon Hall to honor not only legends, but more importantly, those overlooked throughout the genre's rich history. The occasion was the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's 20th anniversary, as well as its 15th Pioneer Awards Show Gala.
Co-hosted by former Pioneer Award honorees Dionne Warwick, Bonnie Raitt, and Jerry Butler, along with Emmy winner Wayne Brady, the evening's festivities kicked off with a musical montage, culminating in Pioneer Awards handed to Bill Withers, Teena Marie, R&B/blues singer Sugar Pie DeSanto, Kool & The Gang , the Whispers, and Motown session superstars the Funk Brothers. Chaka Khan received the Foundation's "Lifetime Achievement Award"; former Stax and Motown Records executive Al Bell received the Ahmet Ertegun Leadership Award, newly named for the late Atlantic Records founder; and the Legacy Award was given to the family of soul legend Donny Hathaway.
The evening kicked off with a seven-minute overture, conducted by Musical Director Bill Jolly and his orchestra musically telling the story of Rhythm and Blues development through -- the drum, cotton field chants, gospel, jazz, blues, R&B, doo-wop, rock, soul, funk, hip-hop, rap, and neo-soul. Visual montages included Clara Ward, the Dixie Hummingbirds, B.B. King and others. During the big band segment, Raitt broke ranks with pop and the blues to sing the jazzy "In the Mood," as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Count Basie's images weaved in and out. Butler and Warwick sang their signature songs, "For Your Precious Love" and "Walk On By," respectively. And Brady flashed his versatility with electrifying renditions of James Brown's "It's a Man's World" and "Sex Machine."
Former Spinner G.C. Cameron sang his "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" (later made popular by Boyz II Men), to an accompanying video of Isaac Hayes, Ertegun, Brown, and others who passed away over the past two years; Public Enemy's Chuck D covered rap and hip-hop, and included PE anthem "Fight the Power"; Kenny Lattimore and Brady sang a Donny Hathaway segment that included a raucous turn with "The Ghetto"; The Funk Brothers were accompanied by Kindred the Family Soul on a Motown medley: Neo-soul superstar Anthony Hamilton performed "I Can't Let Go," with an ensemble of Gary "U.S." Bonds, Mabel John, Maxine Brown, Chuck Jackson,, Kindred the Family Soul, Vivian Green, Jaguar Wright, Stax session guitarist Steve Cropper, Steve Jordan, Jean Wright, Betty Wright, Bunny Sigler, Warwick, Butler, Brady, Raitt and many others.
This special evening featured performances by honorees Bill Withers, DeSanto, the Whispers, Khan, Marie, the Funk Brothers and 76-year-old DeSanto, who stole the show when she performed "I Wanna Know" and threw in an amazingly limber forward flip that won her a standing ovation. The surprise of the evening was a rare appearance by the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who presented a "Lifetime Achievement Award" to a tearful and grateful Chaka Khan. The finale, "I'll Take You There" turned into a once in a lifetime reunion music fest that included the aforementioned performers as well as the Dixie Cups, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Kim Weston and John Oats.
The Rhythm & Blues Foundation was founded in 1988 with the intention of preserving the genre's historical and cultural importance, as well as providing a helping hand to those in need. Respect was the over-riding sentiment, as tears and hugs flowed freely from the stage.
For more information on the Rhythm & Blues Foundation click to on to http://www.rhythmblues.org/.
Co-hosted by former Pioneer Award honorees Dionne Warwick, Bonnie Raitt, and Jerry Butler, along with Emmy winner Wayne Brady, the evening's festivities kicked off with a musical montage, culminating in Pioneer Awards handed to Bill Withers, Teena Marie, R&B/blues singer Sugar Pie DeSanto, Kool & The Gang , the Whispers, and Motown session superstars the Funk Brothers. Chaka Khan received the Foundation's "Lifetime Achievement Award"; former Stax and Motown Records executive Al Bell received the Ahmet Ertegun Leadership Award, newly named for the late Atlantic Records founder; and the Legacy Award was given to the family of soul legend Donny Hathaway.
The evening kicked off with a seven-minute overture, conducted by Musical Director Bill Jolly and his orchestra musically telling the story of Rhythm and Blues development through -- the drum, cotton field chants, gospel, jazz, blues, R&B, doo-wop, rock, soul, funk, hip-hop, rap, and neo-soul. Visual montages included Clara Ward, the Dixie Hummingbirds, B.B. King and others. During the big band segment, Raitt broke ranks with pop and the blues to sing the jazzy "In the Mood," as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Count Basie's images weaved in and out. Butler and Warwick sang their signature songs, "For Your Precious Love" and "Walk On By," respectively. And Brady flashed his versatility with electrifying renditions of James Brown's "It's a Man's World" and "Sex Machine."
Former Spinner G.C. Cameron sang his "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" (later made popular by Boyz II Men), to an accompanying video of Isaac Hayes, Ertegun, Brown, and others who passed away over the past two years; Public Enemy's Chuck D covered rap and hip-hop, and included PE anthem "Fight the Power"; Kenny Lattimore and Brady sang a Donny Hathaway segment that included a raucous turn with "The Ghetto"; The Funk Brothers were accompanied by Kindred the Family Soul on a Motown medley: Neo-soul superstar Anthony Hamilton performed "I Can't Let Go," with an ensemble of Gary "U.S." Bonds, Mabel John, Maxine Brown, Chuck Jackson,, Kindred the Family Soul, Vivian Green, Jaguar Wright, Stax session guitarist Steve Cropper, Steve Jordan, Jean Wright, Betty Wright, Bunny Sigler, Warwick, Butler, Brady, Raitt and many others.
This special evening featured performances by honorees Bill Withers, DeSanto, the Whispers, Khan, Marie, the Funk Brothers and 76-year-old DeSanto, who stole the show when she performed "I Wanna Know" and threw in an amazingly limber forward flip that won her a standing ovation. The surprise of the evening was a rare appearance by the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who presented a "Lifetime Achievement Award" to a tearful and grateful Chaka Khan. The finale, "I'll Take You There" turned into a once in a lifetime reunion music fest that included the aforementioned performers as well as the Dixie Cups, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Kim Weston and John Oats.
The Rhythm & Blues Foundation was founded in 1988 with the intention of preserving the genre's historical and cultural importance, as well as providing a helping hand to those in need. Respect was the over-riding sentiment, as tears and hugs flowed freely from the stage.
For more information on the Rhythm & Blues Foundation click to on to http://www.rhythmblues.org/.
AARON PARKS - INVISIBLE CINEMA
Invisible Cinema, the hot new Blue Note Records debut by Aaron Parks was just released August 19, 2008, and already critics are raving. The album finds the 24-year old pianist and composer—who is featured in the September issue of JazzTimes as a “New Visionary”—exploring the common ground between his influences: from modern progressive jazz to indie rock and hip-hop. Parks represents a new generation of Jazz musicians, as is evidenced by the fact that he cites bands from Radiohead to Blonde Redhead among his major influences alongside Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau, and Terence Blanchard. Parks will be hitting the road this Fall in support of Invisible Cinema.
See below for all U.S. tour dates.
TOUR DATES
10/17 — Memphis, TN — Germantown Performing Arts Center
10/18 — New Orleans, LA — Snug Harbor
10/19 — Los Angeles, CA — Jazz Bakery
10/20 — San Francisco, CA — Yoshi’s
10/23 — Seattle, WA — Earshot Jazz Festival
10/24 — Denver, CO — Dazzle Jazz Club
11/01 — Philadelphia, PA — Chris' Jazz Cafe
See below for all U.S. tour dates.
TOUR DATES
10/17 — Memphis, TN — Germantown Performing Arts Center
10/18 — New Orleans, LA — Snug Harbor
10/19 — Los Angeles, CA — Jazz Bakery
10/20 — San Francisco, CA — Yoshi’s
10/23 — Seattle, WA — Earshot Jazz Festival
10/24 — Denver, CO — Dazzle Jazz Club
11/01 — Philadelphia, PA — Chris' Jazz Cafe
Monday, September 15, 2008
WAYMAN TISDALE HAS LEG AMPUTATED
Smooth jazz bass guitarist Wayman Tisdale, the former NBA player and current jazz musician, had part of his right leg amputated due to bone cancer a couple of weeks ago.Tisdale, 44, revealed on his Web site that was having the surgery. Tisdale first learned he had cancerous cyst below his right knee after he broke his leg in a fall at his Los Angeles home in February 2007.
Tisdale underwent knee-replacement surgery and resumed touring with his jazz band, but deciding to endure the amputation to ensure that the cancer would not return. Tisdale was the second pick in the 1985 NBA Draft out of Oklahoma. He averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in his 12 seasons in the NBA, playing for the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. His best season was in 1989-90 with the Kings, when he averaged 22.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. In 1997, Tisdale retired from the NBA and began pursuing his jazz career. He has released eight albums, including his latest one Rebound, which came out this year.
The news about Tisdale's amputation comes as another surprise about a former NBA player this week, one day after the shocking death of former two-time All-Star Kevin Duckworth. Duckworth died during a trip to the Oregon Coast to help with a basketball clinic for the Portland Trail Blazers
WaymanTisdale released his debut CD, Power Forward, in 1995. In 2002, he was awarded the Legacy Tribute Award by the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. His album releases include: Power Forward (1995); In The Zone (1996); Decisions (1998); Face to Face (2001); Presents 21 Days (2003);Hang Time (2004); Way Up! (2006); and Rebound (2008)
Tisdale underwent knee-replacement surgery and resumed touring with his jazz band, but deciding to endure the amputation to ensure that the cancer would not return. Tisdale was the second pick in the 1985 NBA Draft out of Oklahoma. He averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in his 12 seasons in the NBA, playing for the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. His best season was in 1989-90 with the Kings, when he averaged 22.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. In 1997, Tisdale retired from the NBA and began pursuing his jazz career. He has released eight albums, including his latest one Rebound, which came out this year.
The news about Tisdale's amputation comes as another surprise about a former NBA player this week, one day after the shocking death of former two-time All-Star Kevin Duckworth. Duckworth died during a trip to the Oregon Coast to help with a basketball clinic for the Portland Trail Blazers
WaymanTisdale released his debut CD, Power Forward, in 1995. In 2002, he was awarded the Legacy Tribute Award by the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. His album releases include: Power Forward (1995); In The Zone (1996); Decisions (1998); Face to Face (2001); Presents 21 Days (2003);Hang Time (2004); Way Up! (2006); and Rebound (2008)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
SOUNDUNWOUND.COM
Amazon.com has quietly unveiled a Wikipedia-like music information site called SoundUnwound. The adjunct to its online commerce system allows fans to edit band profiles, album and song information and other music related news and updates. All edits are first reviewed by Amazon staff before going live. Initial artist information is compiled from Amazon.com editorial reviews, Internet Movie Database and Musicbrainz content. The site includes music recommendations of similar artists, links to YouTube videos, streaming song clips (which doesn't seem to be working at the moment) and links to buy digital tracks through the AmazonMP3 store. SoundUnwound is in a beta stage at this time. No timeline is available for when the company expects a more formal launch. SoundUnwound is actually pretty interesting and I assume it will get loaded with tons more information over time. Here you’ll find load of pages about artists, releases, record labels and genres for you to explore. Just go for a wander - uncover Elton John's real name, check out that Funk genre, find artists similar to Amy Winehouse and discover some new music! What I like most is the fact that you can search for album covers (in high-resolution) that you can download to you mp3 player. The world of music is huge and ever-changing, so we know there'll be things missing or wrong. But never fear - SoundUnwound pages are open for anyone to edit, so go ahead and fix it! You'll have made the world a better place :-) Go take SoundUnwound for a spin!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
BOZ SCAGGS – SPEAK LOW
Five years after his first volume of standards, But Beautiful, debuted at # 1 on the Billboard Jazz chart, GRAMMY award winning musician Boz Scaggs offers his second volume of standards and ballads, aptly titled Speak Low (out September 30 on vinyl and wide release on October 28th via Decca).The multi-dimensional singer, whose 1976 album Silk Degrees was one of the landmark pop titles of the decade, began working on Speak Low several years ago. He’d settled on most of the material, and had developed a rough notion of the sound in his head. “I had a few distinct elements I wanted to hear paired with my voice,” Scaggs recalls, “but I needed an arranger who could bring those textures to life.” He remembers wondering whether he’d ever realize the sound he’d imagined. And then he experienced what he describes as a remarkable coincidence.
“It was raining, cold out. I walked by the Blue Note and heard music coming out of the club. It was vibes, string trio, a coupl e of horns - this was the sound I’d been hearing in my head, exactly. Turned out to be Gil Goldstein and a nonet. After the set Gil and I started talking, and it was just a really nice meeting. When we got together around a piano, that was it. We knew.”
The album was recorded at Skywalker Sound, a state-of-the-art studio that’s part of filmmaker George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch complex. The room is massive, a soundstage big enough to fit an orchestra. Yet Speak Low sounds like it was made in someone’s cozy living room. “The sense of intimacy you get there is quite remarkable,” Scaggs says. “You think you can get closer to the music in a smaller room, but that’s not always true. At Skywalker, the vastness brought us all together…. The quiets in that room are much quieter, and all of the dynamics are really vivid. It’s a great room to sing in.”
Fans can experience the intimacy of this album live as Scaggs embarks on a nationwide tour this fall with multiple shows in most of the cities. This special tour will bring Scaggs to legendary jazz clubs across the country where he’ll not only perform the standards from ‘Speak Low’ but he’ll debut new versions of fan favorites like “Lowdown,” “JoJo,” and “Lido Shuffle.”
Once Boz Scaggs wraps up his tour of small theaters, he will hit a few jazz clubs in support of his second album of standards, "Speak Low," which will be released Oct. 28 on Decca. Scaggs will also unveil jazz versions of hit tunes from "Silk Degrees": "Lowdown," "JoJo" and "Lido Shuffle." Since the album is all ballads, those tunes could go a long way to bringing some pep to the show.
BOZ SCAGGS “SPEAK LOW” TOUR DATES:
October 28 - Napa House Opera House Napa, CA
October 30 - Jazz Alley Seattle, WA
October 31 - Jazz Alley Seattle, WA
November 1 - Jazz Alley Seattle, WA
November 2 - Jazz Alley Seattle, WA
November 5 - Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant Minneapolis, MN
November 6 - Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant Minneapolis, MN
November 7 - UCO Jazz Club Edmond, OK
November 10 - Blue Note New York City, NY
November 11 - Blue Note New York City, NY
November 14 - Blue Note New York City, NY
November 15 - Blue Note New York City, NY
November 16 - Blue Note New York City, NY
November 19 - Blue Alley Washington, DC
November 20 - Ram’s Head on Stage Annapolis, MD
November 23 - Wilbur Theatre Boston, MA
“It was raining, cold out. I walked by the Blue Note and heard music coming out of the club. It was vibes, string trio, a coupl e of horns - this was the sound I’d been hearing in my head, exactly. Turned out to be Gil Goldstein and a nonet. After the set Gil and I started talking, and it was just a really nice meeting. When we got together around a piano, that was it. We knew.”
The album was recorded at Skywalker Sound, a state-of-the-art studio that’s part of filmmaker George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch complex. The room is massive, a soundstage big enough to fit an orchestra. Yet Speak Low sounds like it was made in someone’s cozy living room. “The sense of intimacy you get there is quite remarkable,” Scaggs says. “You think you can get closer to the music in a smaller room, but that’s not always true. At Skywalker, the vastness brought us all together…. The quiets in that room are much quieter, and all of the dynamics are really vivid. It’s a great room to sing in.”
Fans can experience the intimacy of this album live as Scaggs embarks on a nationwide tour this fall with multiple shows in most of the cities. This special tour will bring Scaggs to legendary jazz clubs across the country where he’ll not only perform the standards from ‘Speak Low’ but he’ll debut new versions of fan favorites like “Lowdown,” “JoJo,” and “Lido Shuffle.”
Once Boz Scaggs wraps up his tour of small theaters, he will hit a few jazz clubs in support of his second album of standards, "Speak Low," which will be released Oct. 28 on Decca. Scaggs will also unveil jazz versions of hit tunes from "Silk Degrees": "Lowdown," "JoJo" and "Lido Shuffle." Since the album is all ballads, those tunes could go a long way to bringing some pep to the show.
BOZ SCAGGS “SPEAK LOW” TOUR DATES:
October 28 - Napa House Opera House Napa, CA
October 30 - Jazz Alley Seattle, WA
October 31 - Jazz Alley Seattle, WA
November 1 - Jazz Alley Seattle, WA
November 2 - Jazz Alley Seattle, WA
November 5 - Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant Minneapolis, MN
November 6 - Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant Minneapolis, MN
November 7 - UCO Jazz Club Edmond, OK
November 10 - Blue Note New York City, NY
November 11 - Blue Note New York City, NY
November 14 - Blue Note New York City, NY
November 15 - Blue Note New York City, NY
November 16 - Blue Note New York City, NY
November 19 - Blue Alley Washington, DC
November 20 - Ram’s Head on Stage Annapolis, MD
November 23 - Wilbur Theatre Boston, MA
Friday, September 12, 2008
SOULTRACKS READERS CHOICE AWARDS
The Upcoming SoulTracksReaders Choice Awards will feature many great performances, as a matters of fact dozens of top artists have already confirmed their attendance, including Albright, Maya Azucena, Gordon Chambers, Abby Dobson, Conya Doss, The Dramatics, Amp Fiddler Robert Gee, LaShelle Griffin, Dain Harris, April Hill, Heston, Impromp2, Kloud 9, Phil Perry, Kendra Ross, Sy Smith, Taniq, Liv Warfield, Yahzarah and Melissa Young. This year's awards ceremony will be held on Friday, October 3rd at Detroit's beautiful Max M. Fisher Music Center. And it will be followed by an All-Star Jam to be held on the evening of Saturday, October 4 at the GM Theatre at Detroit's wonderful Museum of African American History, creating a full weekend of fantastic soul music. It is also important to note that 100% of the profits from this year's weekend will be donated to the music program at Cornerstone Schools, one of the nation's most vibrant and successful urban schools. SoulTracks is the leading online resource dedicated to classic and modern Soul Music. From its inception in 2003, SoulTracks has been designed to provide useful information and updates on the greatest Classic Soul artists and to introduce readers to the next generation of Soul Music singers. SoulTracks includes artist biographies, CD reviews, Soul Music News and "Where Are They Now?" features, as well as regular CD giveaways, free song downloads and special offers. SoulTracks is currently the most popular soul music website in America. For more information click to www.soultracks.com
Thursday, September 11, 2008
JAZZYSRADIO.COM
Here’s a recent find on the Internet. If you are into 1970’s style Quiet Storm radio then you should check out JazzysRadio.com. The Quiet Storm radio format is typically a late-night radio format that features soulful jams. The Quiet Storm was originally pioneered in the mid 1970’s by then radio station intern Melvin Lindsey at WHUR-FM in Washington, D.C. As luck may have it Melvin Lindsay first became a DJ for the station in 1976 as a stand0in for an employee who failed to report to work. Lindsey spun the records and the response from listeners was so positive that Lindsey was asked to stay on the air. As a result Melvin Lindsey was given his own radio show at WHUR-FM. Jazzysradio.com is based on the same 1970s radio format called Quiet Storm, which was a late-night show playing soulful slow jams by the likes of Smokey Robinson, the type of music designed to keep you on that chilled, amorous vibe. Typical artists heard there include Isaac Hayes, Luther Vandross, The Stylistics, The Sylvers, Prince, The Floaters, Anita Baker, Al Green, Teddy Pendergrass, Smokey Robinson, Barry White, Marvin Gaye, Raphael Saadiq, among many others.
TOWER OF POWER 40th ANNIVERSARY TOUR
The Tower of Power are celebrating their 40th year together and have set a series of tour dates to commemorate the occasion. Here’s a listing of where you can catch them between now and mid-December.
September 13 - Kansas City, MO - Ameristar Casino
September 18 - Bakersfield, CA - Kern County Fair
September 19 - Las Vegas, NV - Sun Coast Hotel Casino
September 20 - Las Vegas, NV - Sun Coast Hotel Casino
September 21 - Las Vegas, NV - Sun Coast Hotel Casino
September 26 - Tucson, AZ - Fox Tucson Theatre
September 27 - Coachella, CA - Spotlight 29 Casino
October 8 - Fresno, CA - Paul Paul Theater
October 9 - Anaheim, CA - The Grove of Anaheim
October 11 - Wendover, NV - Peppermill Casino Concert Hall
October 18 - San Francisco, CA -The Fillmore
November 5 - San Juan, Puerto Rico - Dave Koz Jazz Cruise
November 7 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Casino
November 8 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Casino
November 9 - Providence, RI - The Hi Hat
November 11 - Buffalo, NY - The Tralf
November 13 - Waterbury, CT - The Palace Theater
November 14 - Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blues
November 15 - New York, NY - B.B. Kings
November 16 - New York, NY - B.B. Kings
November 18 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head On Stage
November 20 - Boston, MA - Scullers Jazz Club
December 5 - Oroville, CA - Feather Falls Casino
December 6 - Brooks, CA - Cache Creek Casino - Club 88
December 11 - Seattle, WA - Jazz Alley
December 12 - Seattle, WA - Jazz Alley
December 13 - Seattle, WA - Jazz Alley
December 14 - Seattle, WA - Jazz Alley
September 13 - Kansas City, MO - Ameristar Casino
September 18 - Bakersfield, CA - Kern County Fair
September 19 - Las Vegas, NV - Sun Coast Hotel Casino
September 20 - Las Vegas, NV - Sun Coast Hotel Casino
September 21 - Las Vegas, NV - Sun Coast Hotel Casino
September 26 - Tucson, AZ - Fox Tucson Theatre
September 27 - Coachella, CA - Spotlight 29 Casino
October 8 - Fresno, CA - Paul Paul Theater
October 9 - Anaheim, CA - The Grove of Anaheim
October 11 - Wendover, NV - Peppermill Casino Concert Hall
October 18 - San Francisco, CA -The Fillmore
November 5 - San Juan, Puerto Rico - Dave Koz Jazz Cruise
November 7 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Casino
November 8 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Casino
November 9 - Providence, RI - The Hi Hat
November 11 - Buffalo, NY - The Tralf
November 13 - Waterbury, CT - The Palace Theater
November 14 - Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blues
November 15 - New York, NY - B.B. Kings
November 16 - New York, NY - B.B. Kings
November 18 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head On Stage
November 20 - Boston, MA - Scullers Jazz Club
December 5 - Oroville, CA - Feather Falls Casino
December 6 - Brooks, CA - Cache Creek Casino - Club 88
December 11 - Seattle, WA - Jazz Alley
December 12 - Seattle, WA - Jazz Alley
December 13 - Seattle, WA - Jazz Alley
December 14 - Seattle, WA - Jazz Alley
Monday, September 08, 2008
WJJZ 97.5 FM DROPS SMOOTH JAZZ FORMAT
Greater Media has decided to change formats on Smooth Jazz WJJZ/Philadelphia, and spent this past weekend stunting the station format as they eventually flip to an as-yet-unspecified new format on Monday at 9 a.m. Greater Media switched to Smooth Jazz on WJJZ at 97.5 in 2006, after the format and call letters spent 13 years with Clear Channel, at 106.1. A note on the WJJZ station website says, "For nearly two years we have committed substantial resources to this program. Unfortunately, we have had limited success with Smooth Jazz as judged by the marketplaces. We are grateful for your loyalty and support, and we appreciate your understanding." The site says a "powerful new choice" for radio listeners will begin airing Monday. The fact of the matter is that the Smooth Jazz format was ended again due to low ratings. At this time it is not known whether Smooth Jazz will return on HD radio at 97.5-HD2, although there is a strong possibility of this happening, now that WISX has dropped the Smooth Jazz format from its 106.1-HD2 subchannel. WJJZ's move follows the flips of Lincoln Financial's KJCD, now Sports, Emmis' WQCD/New York, now Triple A, and WJZW/Washington, now an Oldies outlet, as well as several other stations around the country who have decided to abandon the Smooth Jazz format.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
MP3TUNES MUSIC LOCKER
MP3tunes has announced that the MP3tunes Music Locker is now available with the new Logitech(R) Squeezebox(TM) Boom all-in-one network music player. The Squeezebox Boom is an in-home, fully networked music player that features an integrated amplifier, high-performance speakers and a simplified setup. When combined with the MP3tunes Music Locker that stores your music library in a cloud, the Squeezebox Boom lets you listen to your digital music in the kitchen, the bedroom or any other room in your house-- without running your computer or docking your iPod.
"When you own music, it should be forever, and you should be able to enjoy it wherever you go, which is why we developed the MP3tunes MusicLocker to securely keep music in a cloud," commented Michael Robertson, CEO of MP3tunes. "With the Squeezebox Boom, a truly snazzy audio device, all it takes is a common Internet connection and your Music Locker can go anywhere you go."
Through September 30, anyone can experience a free virtual Squeezebox Boom, an online replica that gives visitors the opportunity to experience the look, layout and function of the Squeezebox Boom in an interactive way. Each virtual Squeezebox Boom is preloaded with music, pre-selected andprovided by Jamendo, under Creative Commons license. For an interactivedemo and more information, visit http://www.mp3tunes.com/boom.
"MP3tunes is the perfect complement to the Squeezebox Boom because aMusic Locker truly sets your personal music collection free from your PC,"said Robin Selden, vice president and general manager of Logitech's Streaming Media business unit. "With just a few simple clicks, you cane asily create your personal Music Locker on MP3tunes.com and upload yourmusic. Now your music is available to be played on the Squeezebox Boom,without your PC on, wherever you like."
MP3tunes and Logitech will be giving away three complete music systems,comprised of a Logitech Squeezebox Boom and the MP3tunes Premium 50 MusicLocker (estimated retail value U.S. $339.94).
"When you own music, it should be forever, and you should be able to enjoy it wherever you go, which is why we developed the MP3tunes MusicLocker to securely keep music in a cloud," commented Michael Robertson, CEO of MP3tunes. "With the Squeezebox Boom, a truly snazzy audio device, all it takes is a common Internet connection and your Music Locker can go anywhere you go."
Through September 30, anyone can experience a free virtual Squeezebox Boom, an online replica that gives visitors the opportunity to experience the look, layout and function of the Squeezebox Boom in an interactive way. Each virtual Squeezebox Boom is preloaded with music, pre-selected andprovided by Jamendo, under Creative Commons license. For an interactivedemo and more information, visit http://www.mp3tunes.com/boom.
"MP3tunes is the perfect complement to the Squeezebox Boom because aMusic Locker truly sets your personal music collection free from your PC,"said Robin Selden, vice president and general manager of Logitech's Streaming Media business unit. "With just a few simple clicks, you cane asily create your personal Music Locker on MP3tunes.com and upload yourmusic. Now your music is available to be played on the Squeezebox Boom,without your PC on, wherever you like."
MP3tunes and Logitech will be giving away three complete music systems,comprised of a Logitech Squeezebox Boom and the MP3tunes Premium 50 MusicLocker (estimated retail value U.S. $339.94).
Monday, September 01, 2008
MILES DAVIS - KIND OF BLUE: 50TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTOR'S EDITION
Kind of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition is an expansive and lavishly-designed box set. The contents of the box include: two CDs (running time over two hours); a newly-produced black-and-white documentary DVD (55 minutes); a full-size 60-page book of critical essays, annotations and photography; and an envelope chockfull of memorabilia. The box also includes the 12-inch LP package pressed on 180-gram blue vinyl and an enormous 22x33 fold-out poster of Miles. The box will be released on September 30th by Columbia/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.
Of special importance to Miles Davis aficionados around the globe is the DVD, Celebrating a Masterpiece: Kind of Blue. The new DVD incorporates material from the 2004 mini-documentary, Made In Heaven, including black-and-white still photography of the recording sessions and the voicesof Miles (at the sessions), as well as excerpts of radio interviews with the late Bill Evans and Cannonball Adderley. There are interviews with musicians and luminaries including composer/performer David Amram, the late Ed Bradley, Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, Bill Cosby, Herbie Hancock (who demonstrates "So What" at the piano), Eddie Henderson, Shirley Horn, Dave Liebman, the late Jackie McLean, funk-rocker Me'Shell Ndege'Ocello, hip-hop's Q-Tip, Carlos Santana, John Scofield, Horace Silver, and many others.
The DVD also unearths the group's entire 26-minute appearance on"Robert Herridge Theatre: The Sound of Miles Davis," a CBS television program recorded in 1959 and broadcast in 1960. Another bonus feature is the gallery of images captured by Columbia staff photographer Don Hunstein, covering the original recording sessions, as well as a key performance at New York's Plaza Hotel in September 1958. In conjunction with the latter, an unprecedented four-week exhibit of Miles Davis photography will be mounted at New York's downtown Morrison Hotel Gallery in November-December 2008. The exhibit will then travel to other Morrison Hotel locations andStarwood Hotels in 2009.
At the absolute core of the box set is the original 45-minute album program, whose five titles -- "So What," "Freddie Freeloader," "Blue in Green," "All Blues," and "Flamenco Sketches" -- are indelibly etched in our contemporary musical DNA, be it jazz, rock, third through fifth stream classical, or beyond. They are familiar old acquaintances on the LP as it existed in the marketplace for nearly three decades: the first three numbers occupying side one (which happened to have been cut on the firstday of recording, two three-hour sessions on Monday, March 2, 1959); and the last two numbers on side two (recorded at the final three-hour session of Wednesday, April 22, 1959).
On CD One of the box set, after the original five tunes are presented, there is the alternate take of "Flamenco Sketches," the only complete alternate take from the original recording sessions (a track first unveiled on the 5-LP/4-CD box set of 1988, Miles Davis: The Columbia Years 1955-1985, the first Miles Davis box set ever issued by Columbia). Following the alternate take, there are "studio sequences" (ranging from 11 seconds to nearly two minutes) for every one of the five titles, and one"false start." As transcribed and fleshed out by Ashley Kahn, these short tracks are eye-opening revelations into the studio relationship between Miles, the musicians, Columbia staff producer Irving Townsend, and recording engineer Fred Plaut, at this still-early stage in Miles' career as a leader (though he had been making records since 1945).
The 1959 sessions occupy CD One -- and then CD Two turns back the calendar to May 26, 1958. The five completed tracks from that session with producer Cal Lampley -- "On Green Dolphin Street," "Fran-Dance" (with analternate take), "Stella by Starlight," and "Love for Sale" -- are the only other studio recordings of the sextet with Adderley, Coltrane, Evans, Chambers, and Cobb (though live recordings exist from the Newport JazzFestival in July, and the Plaza in September).
The five 1958 studio tracks, scattered on various LP through the years,were united in one place for the first time on the double GrammyAward-winning 6-CD box set issued in 2000, Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961. Now, for the first time, the five 1958 studio tracks are rightfully coupled -- at last -- with the five sextet tracks of Kind of Blue. The final track on CD Two is a mesmerizing 17-minute live concert version of "So What" (without Adderley, with Kelly), recorded in Holland, April 1960.
In late 1958, after some eight months, Bill Evans left the lineup and was replaced by Wynton Kelly. As Miles began to formulate his next studiorecording, Evans was invited back for the sessions and became an integral spark on the album's concept. Cobb bears witness to the fact that "the concept behind Kind of Blue grew out of the way the two (Miles and Evans) played together," as Francis Davis writes. "Evans and Davis were certainly on the same wavelength, and the pianist certainly contributes more than a sideman's share of Kind of Blue's air of pensive melancholy. In addition to which, his eloquent liner notes -- titled 'Improvisation in Jazz' -- cued listeners to hear the album as the very essence of jazz, an unmediated exercise in spontaneity."
The session-by-session transcripts compiled and expounded by Ashley Kahn are an indication of the quantum advance in scholarly exegesis that has grown up around Miles Davis in general and Kind of Blue in particular.This intellectual pursuit is given full exposure in the course of the boxset's 60-page book. Kahn's 3,000-word section, titled "Between The Takes,"reflects the full scope of research that went into his book Kind of Blue:The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece (DaCapo Press, 2000; updated edition, Perseus, 2007, foreword by Jimmy Cobb).
Kahn's section is preceded by two major in-depth studies from writers who have also studied their subject for their entire careers. The book's opening essay is a 4,000-word overview written by Francis Davis, contributing editor of The Atlantic Monthly, jazz columnist for The VillageVoice, and winner of five ASCAP-Deems Taylor Awards for Excellence in Music Journalism. In addition to writing many books (among them The History ofthe Blues, Hyperion, 1995; and Jazz and Its Discontents: A Francis Davis Reader, Perseus, 2004), he has also written liner notes for over 60 jazz and pop albums, including titles by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and BillEvans.
"The two recording sessions for Kind of Blue," Francis Davis writes,"took place in the nick of time: it's impossible to imagine Davis, Evans,Coltrane, and Adderley coming together so harmoniously a year or two later, by which point each had become not just leader of his band but practically founder of his own school." The second essay, "The Last King Of America: How Miles Davis InventedModernity," is a 3,000-word study by Professor Gerald Early of Washington University in St. Louis. Early, who has served as consultant on numerous Ken Burns documentary projects (Baseball, Jazz, Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, The War), is a widely published author whohas written about subjects diverse as Negro baseball, Motown, Sammy Davis Jr., Muhammad Ali -- and Miles Davis. Early was the editor of Miles Davisand American Culture (2001), a compendium of essays.
"Kind of Blue would not have been possible if the LP did not exist,"Early says. "It was jazz conceived for the record album, not only because of the playing times of the tunes but also because of how the album createsan overall mood. Kind of Blue is not simply a series of tracks as the standard small group jazz album of the day was. Kind of Blue was one of thefew jazz records of its time that had a sense of narrative, a cohesive inter-relation between the tunes. It was a work, not a bunch of disparatetunes used to pace a small group jazz album: one fast-tempo piece, one ballad, one blues, one or two standards, a bop-oriented original. The sense of the album as an organic whole added to its appeal." Even so, the Kind of Blue LP was possessed by another kind of voodoo for decades.
Musicians who tried to "play along" with the first three tracks (side one) were perplexed because the music always sounded slightly sharper than pitch. In 1995, the problem was traced back to the old Columbia 30th Street Studio, and a 3-track tape machine that was running slightly slow during the March recording sessions. As a result, after the mastering process, those first three tunes always sounded sharp. In 1995, this pitch problem was finally corrected. At the same time, it was decided to remix the original 3-track tapes on a Presto all-tube recorder, similarto the one used in 1959. The mixes were brought back to "real life." The rich, full instrumental sound was restored, rendering every previous configuration obsolete.
Listening to Kind of Blue today, the ground rules come quickly: This was an exercise in solo and group improvisation, a break from the conventions of chordal complexity, "improvising on the sparest and starkest of scales as an alternative to bebop's dense thickets of chord changes," as Francis Davis writes. It was a "return to emphasis on melodic rather than harmonic variation," as Miles told The Jazz Review the year before. The works were composed (as it were) just hours before the sessions, so there could be no rehearsals as such. Once the group got past the "studio sequences" described earlier, the results were all first takes; only"Flamenco Sketches" was given an alternate take. Moreover, as Davis and Early and many other writers and musicians have openly discussed -- and Miles would frequently accede -- the five works allhad their roots in other sources. Kind of Blue was the first Miles Davis album comprised entirely of songs credited to his name, even though at least two of its themes were provided by Evans: "Flamenco Sketches" (whosepiano intro derived from Evans' "Peace Piece," itself based on LeonardBernstein's "Some Other Time" from On The Town); and "Blue in Green," which (writes Davis) "sprang verbatim from [Evans'] introduction to 'AloneTogether' on an earlier recording of that standard by Chet Baker."
This mayhave been business-as-usual in the jazz scene, but the financial impact of Miles not crediting anyone else certainly hastened the departure of Evans from the group. How and why has Kind of Blue held on to its status as an album that crosses genres, speaks to generations, and is one of the first (if not the first) album that any new jazz acolyte purchases? It "was one of those records," Early concludes, "along with Dave Brubeck's Time Out, another Columbia jazz record released in 1959, that made jazz a middlebrow music, a respectable music for middle-class, educated people who felt they hadrefined taste. This was enormously important for Davis both commerciallyand artistically for the rest of his career. As jazz ceased to be dancemusic, it needed middle brow status in order to survive as art music. Davis was essential in making this transformation possible."
Of special importance to Miles Davis aficionados around the globe is the DVD, Celebrating a Masterpiece: Kind of Blue. The new DVD incorporates material from the 2004 mini-documentary, Made In Heaven, including black-and-white still photography of the recording sessions and the voicesof Miles (at the sessions), as well as excerpts of radio interviews with the late Bill Evans and Cannonball Adderley. There are interviews with musicians and luminaries including composer/performer David Amram, the late Ed Bradley, Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, Bill Cosby, Herbie Hancock (who demonstrates "So What" at the piano), Eddie Henderson, Shirley Horn, Dave Liebman, the late Jackie McLean, funk-rocker Me'Shell Ndege'Ocello, hip-hop's Q-Tip, Carlos Santana, John Scofield, Horace Silver, and many others.
The DVD also unearths the group's entire 26-minute appearance on"Robert Herridge Theatre: The Sound of Miles Davis," a CBS television program recorded in 1959 and broadcast in 1960. Another bonus feature is the gallery of images captured by Columbia staff photographer Don Hunstein, covering the original recording sessions, as well as a key performance at New York's Plaza Hotel in September 1958. In conjunction with the latter, an unprecedented four-week exhibit of Miles Davis photography will be mounted at New York's downtown Morrison Hotel Gallery in November-December 2008. The exhibit will then travel to other Morrison Hotel locations andStarwood Hotels in 2009.
At the absolute core of the box set is the original 45-minute album program, whose five titles -- "So What," "Freddie Freeloader," "Blue in Green," "All Blues," and "Flamenco Sketches" -- are indelibly etched in our contemporary musical DNA, be it jazz, rock, third through fifth stream classical, or beyond. They are familiar old acquaintances on the LP as it existed in the marketplace for nearly three decades: the first three numbers occupying side one (which happened to have been cut on the firstday of recording, two three-hour sessions on Monday, March 2, 1959); and the last two numbers on side two (recorded at the final three-hour session of Wednesday, April 22, 1959).
On CD One of the box set, after the original five tunes are presented, there is the alternate take of "Flamenco Sketches," the only complete alternate take from the original recording sessions (a track first unveiled on the 5-LP/4-CD box set of 1988, Miles Davis: The Columbia Years 1955-1985, the first Miles Davis box set ever issued by Columbia). Following the alternate take, there are "studio sequences" (ranging from 11 seconds to nearly two minutes) for every one of the five titles, and one"false start." As transcribed and fleshed out by Ashley Kahn, these short tracks are eye-opening revelations into the studio relationship between Miles, the musicians, Columbia staff producer Irving Townsend, and recording engineer Fred Plaut, at this still-early stage in Miles' career as a leader (though he had been making records since 1945).
The 1959 sessions occupy CD One -- and then CD Two turns back the calendar to May 26, 1958. The five completed tracks from that session with producer Cal Lampley -- "On Green Dolphin Street," "Fran-Dance" (with analternate take), "Stella by Starlight," and "Love for Sale" -- are the only other studio recordings of the sextet with Adderley, Coltrane, Evans, Chambers, and Cobb (though live recordings exist from the Newport JazzFestival in July, and the Plaza in September).
The five 1958 studio tracks, scattered on various LP through the years,were united in one place for the first time on the double GrammyAward-winning 6-CD box set issued in 2000, Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961. Now, for the first time, the five 1958 studio tracks are rightfully coupled -- at last -- with the five sextet tracks of Kind of Blue. The final track on CD Two is a mesmerizing 17-minute live concert version of "So What" (without Adderley, with Kelly), recorded in Holland, April 1960.
In late 1958, after some eight months, Bill Evans left the lineup and was replaced by Wynton Kelly. As Miles began to formulate his next studiorecording, Evans was invited back for the sessions and became an integral spark on the album's concept. Cobb bears witness to the fact that "the concept behind Kind of Blue grew out of the way the two (Miles and Evans) played together," as Francis Davis writes. "Evans and Davis were certainly on the same wavelength, and the pianist certainly contributes more than a sideman's share of Kind of Blue's air of pensive melancholy. In addition to which, his eloquent liner notes -- titled 'Improvisation in Jazz' -- cued listeners to hear the album as the very essence of jazz, an unmediated exercise in spontaneity."
The session-by-session transcripts compiled and expounded by Ashley Kahn are an indication of the quantum advance in scholarly exegesis that has grown up around Miles Davis in general and Kind of Blue in particular.This intellectual pursuit is given full exposure in the course of the boxset's 60-page book. Kahn's 3,000-word section, titled "Between The Takes,"reflects the full scope of research that went into his book Kind of Blue:The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece (DaCapo Press, 2000; updated edition, Perseus, 2007, foreword by Jimmy Cobb).
Kahn's section is preceded by two major in-depth studies from writers who have also studied their subject for their entire careers. The book's opening essay is a 4,000-word overview written by Francis Davis, contributing editor of The Atlantic Monthly, jazz columnist for The VillageVoice, and winner of five ASCAP-Deems Taylor Awards for Excellence in Music Journalism. In addition to writing many books (among them The History ofthe Blues, Hyperion, 1995; and Jazz and Its Discontents: A Francis Davis Reader, Perseus, 2004), he has also written liner notes for over 60 jazz and pop albums, including titles by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and BillEvans.
"The two recording sessions for Kind of Blue," Francis Davis writes,"took place in the nick of time: it's impossible to imagine Davis, Evans,Coltrane, and Adderley coming together so harmoniously a year or two later, by which point each had become not just leader of his band but practically founder of his own school." The second essay, "The Last King Of America: How Miles Davis InventedModernity," is a 3,000-word study by Professor Gerald Early of Washington University in St. Louis. Early, who has served as consultant on numerous Ken Burns documentary projects (Baseball, Jazz, Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, The War), is a widely published author whohas written about subjects diverse as Negro baseball, Motown, Sammy Davis Jr., Muhammad Ali -- and Miles Davis. Early was the editor of Miles Davisand American Culture (2001), a compendium of essays.
"Kind of Blue would not have been possible if the LP did not exist,"Early says. "It was jazz conceived for the record album, not only because of the playing times of the tunes but also because of how the album createsan overall mood. Kind of Blue is not simply a series of tracks as the standard small group jazz album of the day was. Kind of Blue was one of thefew jazz records of its time that had a sense of narrative, a cohesive inter-relation between the tunes. It was a work, not a bunch of disparatetunes used to pace a small group jazz album: one fast-tempo piece, one ballad, one blues, one or two standards, a bop-oriented original. The sense of the album as an organic whole added to its appeal." Even so, the Kind of Blue LP was possessed by another kind of voodoo for decades.
Musicians who tried to "play along" with the first three tracks (side one) were perplexed because the music always sounded slightly sharper than pitch. In 1995, the problem was traced back to the old Columbia 30th Street Studio, and a 3-track tape machine that was running slightly slow during the March recording sessions. As a result, after the mastering process, those first three tunes always sounded sharp. In 1995, this pitch problem was finally corrected. At the same time, it was decided to remix the original 3-track tapes on a Presto all-tube recorder, similarto the one used in 1959. The mixes were brought back to "real life." The rich, full instrumental sound was restored, rendering every previous configuration obsolete.
Listening to Kind of Blue today, the ground rules come quickly: This was an exercise in solo and group improvisation, a break from the conventions of chordal complexity, "improvising on the sparest and starkest of scales as an alternative to bebop's dense thickets of chord changes," as Francis Davis writes. It was a "return to emphasis on melodic rather than harmonic variation," as Miles told The Jazz Review the year before. The works were composed (as it were) just hours before the sessions, so there could be no rehearsals as such. Once the group got past the "studio sequences" described earlier, the results were all first takes; only"Flamenco Sketches" was given an alternate take. Moreover, as Davis and Early and many other writers and musicians have openly discussed -- and Miles would frequently accede -- the five works allhad their roots in other sources. Kind of Blue was the first Miles Davis album comprised entirely of songs credited to his name, even though at least two of its themes were provided by Evans: "Flamenco Sketches" (whosepiano intro derived from Evans' "Peace Piece," itself based on LeonardBernstein's "Some Other Time" from On The Town); and "Blue in Green," which (writes Davis) "sprang verbatim from [Evans'] introduction to 'AloneTogether' on an earlier recording of that standard by Chet Baker."
This mayhave been business-as-usual in the jazz scene, but the financial impact of Miles not crediting anyone else certainly hastened the departure of Evans from the group. How and why has Kind of Blue held on to its status as an album that crosses genres, speaks to generations, and is one of the first (if not the first) album that any new jazz acolyte purchases? It "was one of those records," Early concludes, "along with Dave Brubeck's Time Out, another Columbia jazz record released in 1959, that made jazz a middlebrow music, a respectable music for middle-class, educated people who felt they hadrefined taste. This was enormously important for Davis both commerciallyand artistically for the rest of his career. As jazz ceased to be dancemusic, it needed middle brow status in order to survive as art music. Davis was essential in making this transformation possible."
Thursday, August 28, 2008
DENA TAYLOR - ROUND MIDNIGHT
Dena Taylor will debut a selection of vocal jazz arrangements as featured artist July 13-21, on the exciting virtual jazz community "The Jazz Network" created by Jaijai Jackson, daughter of jazz bassist "Chubby Jackson." Dena's resounding voice premieres itself with her new release "Round Midnight." On this solo effort, Dena rounded up some very impressive musicians for her debut recording with keyboardist Ron Teixeira, bassist Ron Pirtle, and drummer Dave Dunscombe. Displaying a great respect for jazz standards Dena's debut CD is a heartwarming expression of her true nature and shows her spirit as a soulful storyteller. "The strong-voiced, yet sweet singing Taylor chose the 9 tracks based on her appreciation of the lyrics and emotional attachment to the melodies."She is a jazz and blues vocalist extraordinaire! Has a huge repertoire of songs from both genres of music and sings all of them very well. Is very professional, has great back up musicians, garners fans wherever she performs, and audiences feel she is singing to them. All in all, Dena Taylor is a joy to watch as well as to listen to her vocals." ~ Sandi Hall, Development Executive, WFIT 89.5FM-Brevards only Public Radio Station "Dena's voice is strong and seasoned. It captures the essence of the jazz standards by making them all her own." ~ Jaijai Jackson"This vocalist has an intensely strong, rich and mellow voice and she draws you into the jazz songs she sings." ~ CD Baby reviewAfter many years of building her musical talent singing locally in any venue she could find, she continued honing her skills after entering into the military where she remained from 1970 to 1982, mostly in Greece, Spain and Germany. Dena was able to utilize her vocal talents jamming with friends as well as performing in USO shows and local events in nearby hotels and clubs.Blending her theater and acting training with her lifelong love of the standard jazz repertoire, Dena's latest project is being heralded as a newcomer on the scene who surely has a message to express.
With musical influences like Rosemary Clooney, early Barbra Striesand, Dusty Springfeild and gospel artist CeCe Winans, Dena found her own voice and what feels good to her in her new CD "Round Midnight". Dena primarily performs in the central Florida area but is certainly open to taking her talents to wherever audiences want to hear what she has to share. Be it small intimate performances to large fund-raisers that lend her voice to those areas of charity that lies close to her heart. "I love it when the audience is in my song with me" says Dena.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
SARAH MCLACHLAN – CLOSER: THE BEST OF SARAH MCLACHLAN
On October 7th, 2008, multi-platinum Arista recording artist Sarah McLachlan will release the first best-of collection of her long and illustrious career. Closer: The Best Of Sarah McLachlan contains 14 classic tracks personally selected by the artist from her award-winning catalog, as well as two newly recorded and previously unreleased songs, "U Want Me 2" and "Don't Give Up On Us," working with her longtime producer Pierre Marchand. Additionally, a deluxe 2-CD version will be available, which will include the 16-song album plus a bonus disc of additional songs from Sarah's discography.
Since joining Arista two decades ago, every one of Sarah McLachlan's studio and live albums and videos have been certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum by the RIAA, starting with Touch (1988) and Solace (1991), both gold sellers. Her 1994 breakthrough, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (triple-platinum) was followed by the digitally enhanced multimedia version of The Freedom Sessions (1995, gold). Sarah's landmark fifth album, the 8x-platinum Surfacing (1997), contained two Grammy Award-winning tracks, as "Building a Mystery" won for Best Female Pop Vocal, and "Last Dance" was voted Best Pop Instrumental. 1999's triple-platinum Mirrorball, and its platinum long-form video counterpart, were both culled from that year's Lilith Fair tour, and spun off Sarah's third Grammy-winning performance, as "I Will Remember You" won for Best Female Pop Vocal. The double-platinum Afterglow followed in 2003, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album, while its opening track, "Fallen" was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal. 2007's Wintersong, was the #1 best seller on the Holiday Album charts that year, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, and was certified Platinum, marking her 15th release to be certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum by the RIAA.
Here are some of the highlights of Closer: The Best Of Sarah McLachlan:
-- "Good Enough," "Possession" - Both tracks are culled from Sarah McLachlan's third Arista album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (released 10/22/1993), her commercial breakthrough and first Billboard Top 50 chart entry. "... McLachlan never flinches, never takes the easy route of cliché and formula. This care and attention given to her art allows each song to stand strong individually, making the whole an extraordinary collection." (AllMusic.com)
-- "Building A Mystery" -- Taken from the Diamond-certified (10X-platinum) album Surfacing (released 7/15/1997), which entered the Billboard chart at Number Two, "Building A Mystery" won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal. ("Last Dance," a second track from Surfacing not included on the new collection, was voted Best Pop Instrumental.)
-- "I Will Remember You" -- Sarah McLachlan founded the legendary Lilith Tour in 1997 and her quadruple-platinum album, Mirrorball (released 6/15/1999), was recorded live during the 1999 tour. "I Will Remember You" from Mirrorball earned Sarah her third career Grammy Award, again in the category of Best Female Pop Vocal.
-- "Fallen" -- The opening track from Sarah's double-platinum album Afterglow (released 11/4/2003), which reached Number Two on the Billboard Top 200. "Fallen" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal. In addition, Afterglow was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album.
-- "U Want Me 2," "Don't Give Up On Us" -- Composed by Sarah McLachlan and co-produced by Sarah and Pierre Marchand, these new recordings will be a special treat for fans who eagerly await the follow-up to Afterglow, Sarah's last album of all-original material.
Since joining Arista two decades ago, every one of Sarah McLachlan's studio and live albums and videos have been certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum by the RIAA, starting with Touch (1988) and Solace (1991), both gold sellers. Her 1994 breakthrough, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (triple-platinum) was followed by the digitally enhanced multimedia version of The Freedom Sessions (1995, gold). Sarah's landmark fifth album, the 8x-platinum Surfacing (1997), contained two Grammy Award-winning tracks, as "Building a Mystery" won for Best Female Pop Vocal, and "Last Dance" was voted Best Pop Instrumental. 1999's triple-platinum Mirrorball, and its platinum long-form video counterpart, were both culled from that year's Lilith Fair tour, and spun off Sarah's third Grammy-winning performance, as "I Will Remember You" won for Best Female Pop Vocal. The double-platinum Afterglow followed in 2003, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album, while its opening track, "Fallen" was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal. 2007's Wintersong, was the #1 best seller on the Holiday Album charts that year, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, and was certified Platinum, marking her 15th release to be certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum by the RIAA.
Here are some of the highlights of Closer: The Best Of Sarah McLachlan:
-- "Good Enough," "Possession" - Both tracks are culled from Sarah McLachlan's third Arista album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (released 10/22/1993), her commercial breakthrough and first Billboard Top 50 chart entry. "... McLachlan never flinches, never takes the easy route of cliché and formula. This care and attention given to her art allows each song to stand strong individually, making the whole an extraordinary collection." (AllMusic.com)
-- "Building A Mystery" -- Taken from the Diamond-certified (10X-platinum) album Surfacing (released 7/15/1997), which entered the Billboard chart at Number Two, "Building A Mystery" won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal. ("Last Dance," a second track from Surfacing not included on the new collection, was voted Best Pop Instrumental.)
-- "I Will Remember You" -- Sarah McLachlan founded the legendary Lilith Tour in 1997 and her quadruple-platinum album, Mirrorball (released 6/15/1999), was recorded live during the 1999 tour. "I Will Remember You" from Mirrorball earned Sarah her third career Grammy Award, again in the category of Best Female Pop Vocal.
-- "Fallen" -- The opening track from Sarah's double-platinum album Afterglow (released 11/4/2003), which reached Number Two on the Billboard Top 200. "Fallen" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal. In addition, Afterglow was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album.
-- "U Want Me 2," "Don't Give Up On Us" -- Composed by Sarah McLachlan and co-produced by Sarah and Pierre Marchand, these new recordings will be a special treat for fans who eagerly await the follow-up to Afterglow, Sarah's last album of all-original material.
UPCOMING NEW RELEASES FROM VAN MORRISON, VERVE REMIXED, SANTANA & OTHERS...
Cal Tjader – Ca; Tjader Plays The Contemporary Music of Mexico & Brazil (Verve, Sept 23)
The Crusaders – Pass The Plat (Verve, Sept 23)
George Duke – Feel (Verve, Sept 23)
Herbie Hancock – The Definitive Herbie Hancock (Verve, Sept 23)
Luiz Bonfa – Luiz Bonfa Plays & Sings Bossa Nova (Verve, Sept 23)
Roy Ayers – You Send Me (Verve, Sept 23)
Stan Getz – Big Band Bossa Nova (Verve, Sept 23)
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks (Vinyl LP, Sept. 23)
Van Morrison – Moondance (Vinyl LP, Sept. 23)
Van Morrison - His Band & Street Choir (Vinyl LP, Sept 23)
Verve Remixed Holiday (Various Artists, Sept 23)
Verve Unmixed Holiday (Various Artists, Sept 23)
Linda Eder – The Other Side of Me (Verve, Sept 23)
Van Morrison – A Period of Transition (Polydor, Sept. 30)
Van Morrison - How Long Has This Been Going On (Polydor, Sept 30)
Van Morrison - Hymns to the Silence (Polydor, Sept 30)
Van Morrison - Poetic Champions Compose (Polydor, Sept 30)
Van Morrison - Saint Dominic’s Preview (Polydor, Sept 30)
Van Morrison - Tell Me Something (Polydor, Sept 30)
Santana – Multi-Dimensional Warrior (2CD, Sept 30)
Nina Simone – TO Be Free: The Nina Simone Story (3CD/DVD, RCA, Sept 30)
Billy Paul – 360 Degrees Of Billy Paul (Legacy, Oct 14)
Eliane Elias - Bossa Nova Stories (Blue Note, Oct 14)
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Wake Up Everybody (Legacy, Oct 14)
Leon Huff – How To Create Music (Legacy, Oct 14)
The O’Jays – Back Stabbers (Legacy, Oct 14)
Teddy Pendergrass – Teddy Pendergrass (Legacy, Oct 14)
Teddy Pendergrass – Life Is A Song Worth Singing (Legacy, Oct 14)
Love Train: The Sound Of Philadelphia (4CD, Various Artists, Legacy, Oct 21)
The Crusaders – Pass The Plat (Verve, Sept 23)
George Duke – Feel (Verve, Sept 23)
Herbie Hancock – The Definitive Herbie Hancock (Verve, Sept 23)
Luiz Bonfa – Luiz Bonfa Plays & Sings Bossa Nova (Verve, Sept 23)
Roy Ayers – You Send Me (Verve, Sept 23)
Stan Getz – Big Band Bossa Nova (Verve, Sept 23)
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks (Vinyl LP, Sept. 23)
Van Morrison – Moondance (Vinyl LP, Sept. 23)
Van Morrison - His Band & Street Choir (Vinyl LP, Sept 23)
Verve Remixed Holiday (Various Artists, Sept 23)
Verve Unmixed Holiday (Various Artists, Sept 23)
Linda Eder – The Other Side of Me (Verve, Sept 23)
Van Morrison – A Period of Transition (Polydor, Sept. 30)
Van Morrison - How Long Has This Been Going On (Polydor, Sept 30)
Van Morrison - Hymns to the Silence (Polydor, Sept 30)
Van Morrison - Poetic Champions Compose (Polydor, Sept 30)
Van Morrison - Saint Dominic’s Preview (Polydor, Sept 30)
Van Morrison - Tell Me Something (Polydor, Sept 30)
Santana – Multi-Dimensional Warrior (2CD, Sept 30)
Nina Simone – TO Be Free: The Nina Simone Story (3CD/DVD, RCA, Sept 30)
Billy Paul – 360 Degrees Of Billy Paul (Legacy, Oct 14)
Eliane Elias - Bossa Nova Stories (Blue Note, Oct 14)
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Wake Up Everybody (Legacy, Oct 14)
Leon Huff – How To Create Music (Legacy, Oct 14)
The O’Jays – Back Stabbers (Legacy, Oct 14)
Teddy Pendergrass – Teddy Pendergrass (Legacy, Oct 14)
Teddy Pendergrass – Life Is A Song Worth Singing (Legacy, Oct 14)
Love Train: The Sound Of Philadelphia (4CD, Various Artists, Legacy, Oct 21)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
NEW RELEASES FROM BRAZILIAN GIRLS, DAVID SANBORN, EDDIE FLOYD, LEON WARE & MORE...
Afronaut – African Lounge Experience (African Cream)
Airto – Promises Of The Sun (Arista)
Airto – Identify (Mercyry)
Alicia Meyers – Alicia (MCA)
Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band – La Diablesse EP (Heavenly Sweetness)
Bar-Kays – Propositions (Mercury)
Brazilian Girls – New York City (Verve Forecast)
Cal Tjader – The Best Of Cal Tjader: Live At The Monterey Jazz Festival 1958-1980 (Monteray Jazz Fest/UME)
Curtis Haywood – Curtis Haywood (MegaWave)
David Sanborn – Here And Gone (Decca)
Eastside Connection – Brand Spanking New (Rampart/Barrio Gold)
Eddie Floyd – Eddie Love You So (Stax/Concord)
Ella Fitzgerald – Miss Ella’s Playhouse (Verve)
Evelyn Champagne King – Open Book (Thumb)
Falcon People – Duden (Falcon People)
Fanga – Natural Juice (Underdog)
Ivana Satilli – Tony (Do Right)
Jards Macale – Macao (Biscoito Fino)
John Pizzarelli – With A Song In My Heart (Telarc)
Junior – Ji (Mercury)
Klique – Let’s Wear It Out! (MCA)
Klique – It’s Winning Time (MCA)
Kool & The Gang – Celebrate! (De-Lite/Polygram)
LTD – Love Magic (A&M)
Lalo Shifrin – Mannix Original Sounstrack
Lamont Dozier – Working On You (CBS/Expansion)
Laura Nyro – Season Of Light…Laura Nyro In Concert (Iconoclassic)
Leon Ware – Moonride (Stax)
The Manhattans – Sweet Talking Soul: The Manhattans 1965-1990 (Shout! Factory)
Naruyoshi Kikuchi Dub Sextet (East Works)
Phil Perry – Ready For Love (Shanachie)
Phyllis Hyman – Prime Of My Live (Zoo)
SMV: Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten – Thunder (Heads Up)
Shirelles – Tonight’s The Night/Sing To Trumpets & Strings (Scepter/Ace)
Richie Havens – Nobody Left To Crown (Verve Forecast)
Roy Hargrove Quintet – Earfood (Groovin’ High)
Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere – Nudge It Up A Notch (Stax/Concord)
Sun – Wanna Lake Love (Capitol/Vivid)
Yamama’nym – Soularevolution (Outta Control)
Airto – Promises Of The Sun (Arista)
Airto – Identify (Mercyry)
Alicia Meyers – Alicia (MCA)
Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band – La Diablesse EP (Heavenly Sweetness)
Bar-Kays – Propositions (Mercury)
Brazilian Girls – New York City (Verve Forecast)
Cal Tjader – The Best Of Cal Tjader: Live At The Monterey Jazz Festival 1958-1980 (Monteray Jazz Fest/UME)
Curtis Haywood – Curtis Haywood (MegaWave)
David Sanborn – Here And Gone (Decca)
Eastside Connection – Brand Spanking New (Rampart/Barrio Gold)
Eddie Floyd – Eddie Love You So (Stax/Concord)
Ella Fitzgerald – Miss Ella’s Playhouse (Verve)
Evelyn Champagne King – Open Book (Thumb)
Falcon People – Duden (Falcon People)
Fanga – Natural Juice (Underdog)
Ivana Satilli – Tony (Do Right)
Jards Macale – Macao (Biscoito Fino)
John Pizzarelli – With A Song In My Heart (Telarc)
Junior – Ji (Mercury)
Klique – Let’s Wear It Out! (MCA)
Klique – It’s Winning Time (MCA)
Kool & The Gang – Celebrate! (De-Lite/Polygram)
LTD – Love Magic (A&M)
Lalo Shifrin – Mannix Original Sounstrack
Lamont Dozier – Working On You (CBS/Expansion)
Laura Nyro – Season Of Light…Laura Nyro In Concert (Iconoclassic)
Leon Ware – Moonride (Stax)
The Manhattans – Sweet Talking Soul: The Manhattans 1965-1990 (Shout! Factory)
Naruyoshi Kikuchi Dub Sextet (East Works)
Phil Perry – Ready For Love (Shanachie)
Phyllis Hyman – Prime Of My Live (Zoo)
SMV: Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten – Thunder (Heads Up)
Shirelles – Tonight’s The Night/Sing To Trumpets & Strings (Scepter/Ace)
Richie Havens – Nobody Left To Crown (Verve Forecast)
Roy Hargrove Quintet – Earfood (Groovin’ High)
Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere – Nudge It Up A Notch (Stax/Concord)
Sun – Wanna Lake Love (Capitol/Vivid)
Yamama’nym – Soularevolution (Outta Control)
SADAO WATANABE – BASIE’S AT NIGHT
Japanese jazz saxophonist Sadao Watanabe is set to release a new, double-disc album and perform on rare select dates in the United States. The new CD, "Basie's At Night" will be released on September 2, 2008 and features some of Watanabe's best songs recorded at Basie's in Ichinoseki, Iwati on April 14, 2007. Sadao Watanabe learned clarinet and alto in high school, and moved to Tokyo in the '50s, where he joined Toshiko Akiyoshi's bop-oriented group. When the pianist moved to the U.S. in 1956, Watanabe took over the band. Watanabe has remained mostly based in Japan throughout his career, but when he attended Berklee in the early '60s, he was able to work with Gary McFarland, Chico Hamilton, and Gabor Szabo.
The tracklisting for "Basie's At Night" is:
Disc 1
1. One For You
2. Plum Island
3. I’m Old Fashioned
4. Alake – Lopin’
5. Tembea
6. Deep In A Dream
7. Maji
Disc 2
1. Bye Bye Babe
2. Basie’s At Bight
3. Life Is All Like That (For Snoopy & his friends)
4. See What Happens
5. Call Me
6. Manha De Carnaval
7. Episode
8. Karibu
9. Harambee
10. Carinhoso
Sadao Watanabe will perform on select U.S. dates in August and September.
The U.S. dates are:
August 29 - San Francisco, CA @ Yoshi's
August 30 - San Francisco, CA @ Yoshi's
August 31 - San Francisco, CA @ Yoshi's
September 2 - Los Angeles, CA @ Catalina Jazz Club
September 3 - Los Angeles, CA @ Catalina Jazz Club
September 5 - Washington, D.C. @ Blues Alley
September 6 - Washington, D.C. @ Blues Alley
September 8 - New York, NY @ Blue Note
September 9 - Boston, MA @ Regatta Bar
September 10 - Chicago, IL @ TBD
The tracklisting for "Basie's At Night" is:
Disc 1
1. One For You
2. Plum Island
3. I’m Old Fashioned
4. Alake – Lopin’
5. Tembea
6. Deep In A Dream
7. Maji
Disc 2
1. Bye Bye Babe
2. Basie’s At Bight
3. Life Is All Like That (For Snoopy & his friends)
4. See What Happens
5. Call Me
6. Manha De Carnaval
7. Episode
8. Karibu
9. Harambee
10. Carinhoso
Sadao Watanabe will perform on select U.S. dates in August and September.
The U.S. dates are:
August 29 - San Francisco, CA @ Yoshi's
August 30 - San Francisco, CA @ Yoshi's
August 31 - San Francisco, CA @ Yoshi's
September 2 - Los Angeles, CA @ Catalina Jazz Club
September 3 - Los Angeles, CA @ Catalina Jazz Club
September 5 - Washington, D.C. @ Blues Alley
September 6 - Washington, D.C. @ Blues Alley
September 8 - New York, NY @ Blue Note
September 9 - Boston, MA @ Regatta Bar
September 10 - Chicago, IL @ TBD
Monday, August 25, 2008
STEELY DAN SUMER TOUR 2008
Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen will soon be wrapping up their THINK FAST, STEELY DAN SUMMER TOUR 2008, but not before two last blow-out concerts in the Sonoma Wine Country! Becker and Fagen have decided to end their critically and popularly-acclaimed tour in Santa Rosa, August 26 and 27. Tickets are still available for the Sonoma County concerts, which went on-sale in June. The concerts represent one of the most intimate opportunities ever to experience the iconic music of Steely Dan in the bands' 30+ year performance history. Presented in the 1600 seat Ruth Finley Person Theater at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, the concerts will feature Steely Dan's incredible roster of hits, with no seat further than 75-feet from the stage!
Becker and Fagen will draw from their deep, powerful, three-decade-plus catalog of signature hits and album favorites. The dapper duo will be supported, as always, by their tight, sophisticated and of world-class R&B and jazz players. Set lists may also sample from Fagen's just released Nightfly Trilogy, and Becker's newly released solo album, Circus Money.
"When we first decided to make an offer to Steely Dan, it was a long shot because our theater is much smaller than the 4,000+ seat venues the band normally plays," said Rick Bartalini who oversees talent booking for the Arts Center's entertainment programs. "But, when we learned the band was heading west again for a private show in Las Vegas (after having played the Bay Area in July), we decided to put together our best offer possible for two nights. We didn't realize then that they would be extending their tour to come here ... or that we would get to host the finale, which is a big honor! It's the chance of a lifetime for fans to see the band in such an intimate setting, and the fact that it's the tour finale makes it even more incredible."
Becker and Fagen will draw from their deep, powerful, three-decade-plus catalog of signature hits and album favorites. The dapper duo will be supported, as always, by their tight, sophisticated and of world-class R&B and jazz players. Set lists may also sample from Fagen's just released Nightfly Trilogy, and Becker's newly released solo album, Circus Money.
"When we first decided to make an offer to Steely Dan, it was a long shot because our theater is much smaller than the 4,000+ seat venues the band normally plays," said Rick Bartalini who oversees talent booking for the Arts Center's entertainment programs. "But, when we learned the band was heading west again for a private show in Las Vegas (after having played the Bay Area in July), we decided to put together our best offer possible for two nights. We didn't realize then that they would be extending their tour to come here ... or that we would get to host the finale, which is a big honor! It's the chance of a lifetime for fans to see the band in such an intimate setting, and the fact that it's the tour finale makes it even more incredible."
LALO SHIFRIN – MUSIC IMPOSSIBLE: MY LIFE IN MUSIC
If you love the music of Lalo Schifrin as much as I do, then you will be please to know that Scarecrow Press will release the autobiography of six-time Academy Award(R) nominated composer Lalo Schifrin this summer. Mission Impossible: My Life in Music, edited by Richard Palmer, is a journey from Schifrin's formative years in Argentina to the classical and jazz atmospheres in Paris in the 1950s; from his jazz career with Dizzy Gillespie to his development as a film composer. Schifrin has written over 100 film and television scores including Mission Impossible, Mannix, Cool Hand Luke, Bullitt, The Cincinnati Kid, Amityville Horror, four of the Dirty Harry films, and more recently Abominable and the Rush Hour trilogy. To date, Lalo Schifrin has won four Grammys(R) (twenty-one nominations), one Cable ACE Award, and six Academy Award(R) nominations.
Organized in eight parts, the book reflects on Schifrin's cosmopolitan experience providing impressions and vignettes of the extraordinary people with whom he worked. His music bridges three styles -- jazz, classical, and film/TV -- his autobiography offers insights on all three genres, as well as politics, literature, and travel. It includes over 30 photos, appendixes listing Schifrin's works, a discography, and an audio CD featuring some of Schifrin's greatest compositions.
Schifrin's career has taken him in many directions. As a jazz musician he performed and recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Count Basie, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and George Benson. His classical activities include Zubin Mehta, The Three Tenors, Rostropovich, Barenboim, and others. His longtime involvement in both the jazz and symphonic worlds came together in 1993 as pianist and conductor for his on-going series of "Jazz Meets the Symphony" recordings, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and jazz stars like Ray Brown, Grady Tate, Jon Faddis, Paquito D'Rivera and James Morrison.
Organized in eight parts, the book reflects on Schifrin's cosmopolitan experience providing impressions and vignettes of the extraordinary people with whom he worked. His music bridges three styles -- jazz, classical, and film/TV -- his autobiography offers insights on all three genres, as well as politics, literature, and travel. It includes over 30 photos, appendixes listing Schifrin's works, a discography, and an audio CD featuring some of Schifrin's greatest compositions.
Schifrin's career has taken him in many directions. As a jazz musician he performed and recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Count Basie, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and George Benson. His classical activities include Zubin Mehta, The Three Tenors, Rostropovich, Barenboim, and others. His longtime involvement in both the jazz and symphonic worlds came together in 1993 as pianist and conductor for his on-going series of "Jazz Meets the Symphony" recordings, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and jazz stars like Ray Brown, Grady Tate, Jon Faddis, Paquito D'Rivera and James Morrison.
Friday, August 22, 2008
SONY'S NEW XROSS FADE
Sony today introduced a DJ-style shelf system with a dual dock for iPod(R) devices called XROSS FADE(TM). It's perfect for mixing and playing music from iPod players, CDs and other music sources, XROSS FADE helps create the ultimate party soundtrack. Part of the Muteki(TM) series of stereo systems, the XROSS FADE (model LBT-DJ2i) has an imposing presence and massive output that can fill nearly any room with sound, whether it's in a home, a dorm, or even powering a block party.
This music system has 450 watts of total power output (wow!), so all you aspiring DJs can crank up the volume while still maintaining high quality sound. As its name implies, the XROSS FADE system comes with DJ-style features, including a cross-fader with monitor cue and a built-in two-channel mixer. With this feature, an upcoming track can be checked through headphones to be sure it's cued properly before playing it aloud. DJs can mix two songs or fade into the next song without missing a beat. With an interface and two scroll wheel mechanisms that allow for easy menu navigation similar to that of iPod players, users never need to touch their iPod players while scanning for the next track. The XROSS FADE system even has a USB recording function that saves mixing sessions to a USB device in the MP3 format without a PC.
For MP3 files, the system's MP3 Booster+ feature improves audio quality by restoring sound that is lost during compression. For extra thump, the beat blend feature adds a layer of pre-programmed percussion, drum sounds and drum loops over the mix. The XROSS FADE system includes traditional shelf system features, such as a CD player, an AM/FM tuner, and a line-in jack for listening to MP3 players. Users can mix music from these sources as well as their iPod players. The system converts CDs and AM/FM radio to MP3 files as well. With its matte black and chrome finish and appearance similar to a DJ mixing board, the XROSS FADE system is designed to be a statement piece for the bedroom, dorm room or living room. It produces a booming, high-impact sound through a pair of two-way bass reflex speakers and a dual 7-inch
subwoofer enclosure.
How much and when will it be available? The LBT-DJ2i XROSS FADE music system will be available in September for about $500 direct from select retailers nationwide. For more information about the XROSS FADE system and the entire Muteki line of shelf systems, click to http://www.sony.com/muteki.
This music system has 450 watts of total power output (wow!), so all you aspiring DJs can crank up the volume while still maintaining high quality sound. As its name implies, the XROSS FADE system comes with DJ-style features, including a cross-fader with monitor cue and a built-in two-channel mixer. With this feature, an upcoming track can be checked through headphones to be sure it's cued properly before playing it aloud. DJs can mix two songs or fade into the next song without missing a beat. With an interface and two scroll wheel mechanisms that allow for easy menu navigation similar to that of iPod players, users never need to touch their iPod players while scanning for the next track. The XROSS FADE system even has a USB recording function that saves mixing sessions to a USB device in the MP3 format without a PC.
For MP3 files, the system's MP3 Booster+ feature improves audio quality by restoring sound that is lost during compression. For extra thump, the beat blend feature adds a layer of pre-programmed percussion, drum sounds and drum loops over the mix. The XROSS FADE system includes traditional shelf system features, such as a CD player, an AM/FM tuner, and a line-in jack for listening to MP3 players. Users can mix music from these sources as well as their iPod players. The system converts CDs and AM/FM radio to MP3 files as well. With its matte black and chrome finish and appearance similar to a DJ mixing board, the XROSS FADE system is designed to be a statement piece for the bedroom, dorm room or living room. It produces a booming, high-impact sound through a pair of two-way bass reflex speakers and a dual 7-inch
subwoofer enclosure.
How much and when will it be available? The LBT-DJ2i XROSS FADE music system will be available in September for about $500 direct from select retailers nationwide. For more information about the XROSS FADE system and the entire Muteki line of shelf systems, click to http://www.sony.com/muteki.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
ENIGMA - SEVEN LIVES MANY FACES
Created and produced by ENIGMA mastermind Michael Cretu, Seven Lives Many Faces debuts 18 years after ENIGMA's spectacular global debut in the fall of 1990 with "Sadeness, Part 1." An omni-cultural trip traversed in 12 chapters, Seven Lives Many Faces is an aural expedition that moves well beyond the scope of the familiar range of sound, broadening listeners' sonic horizon and challenging the musical status quo. How popular is ENIGMA you say? Well with more than 40 million albums sold, 50 number one chart positions, and approximately 100 platinum sales awards around the world, ENIGMA is Germany's most successful musical export of the past 20 years. ENIGMA's seventh studio album, Seven Lives Many Faces, will be released by Virgin/EMI on September 30 in two physical and digital configurations: a single CD and digital album, and an expanded Special Edition with five additional new tracks, available in a deluxe 2-CD package and digitally."The idea behind ENIGMA is to make the impossible possible," says Cretu. "As long as I don't repeat myself, I won't get bored. That's why I always have to start something new, invent things!" To create Seven Lives Many Faces, Cretu drew from his vast digital archive of more than 400,000 different sounds. "Technology has never been a surrogate for a good idea, but even a good idea can never replace instinct," he says. "What I choose from this archive and how I combine the different elements is frequently difficult to follow, even for people who are involved in music." The new album (Seven Lives Many Faces) is driven, in part, by string arrangements paired with aggressive drums and percussion, bringing together traditional and modern musical elements. "Figuratively speaking, it was my intention to combine the dirtiest Bronx hip-hop beats with the purity of the London Symphony Orchestra."
Cretu has always looked for new ways to combine music and language, instrumentation and lyrics. Seven Lives Many Faces's final track, "The Language of Sound," a post-dadaist sonic collage of vocal fragments and human sounds, is representative of his broader creative vision for ENIGMA. Cretu explains, "Language produces barriers; music, on the other hand, is limitless. It is indispensable for the human race because it produces vibrations, tremors, emotions."
ENGIMA: Seven Lives Many Faces [CD, digital album]
Encounters
Seven Lives
Touchness
The Same Parents
Fata Morgana
Hell’s Heaven
La Puerta Del Cielo
Distorted Love
Je T’aime Till My Dying Day
Déjà vu
Between Generations
The Language of Sound
ENIGMA: Seven Lives Many Faces (Special Edition) [2-CD and Digital Collection]
Disc 1:
Encounters
Seven Lives
Touchness
The Same Parents
Fata Morgana
Hell’s Heaven
La Puerta Del Cielo
Distorted Love
Je T’aime Till My Dying Day
Déjà vu
Between Generations
The Language of Sound
Disc 2:
Superficial
We Are Nature
Downtown Silence
Sunrise
The Language of Sound (Slow Edit)
THE SEPTEMBER CONCERT CALENDAR
Adele, Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival, Seattle, WA, Sept 1
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ Visual Arts Collective/Knitting Factory, Boise, ID, Sept 2
Sadao Watanabe @ Catalina Jazz Club, Los Angeles, CA, Sept 2-3
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin,
Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ Whiskey, Jacques Ketchum, ID, Sept 3
Adele @ Webster Hall, New York, NY, Sept 3
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ The Knotty Pine, Victor, ID, Sept 4
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ Mangy Moose, Teton Village, Wyoming, Sept 5
Sadao Watanabe @ Blues Alley, Washington, DC, Sept 5-6
Adele @ Somerville, Theatre, Somerville, MA, Sept 6
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ The Other Side, Misoula, MT, Sept 6
Spanish Harlem Orchestra @ Rosslyn Jazz Festival, Arlington, VA, Sept 6
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ TBA, Boseman, MT, Sept 7
Sadao Watanabe @ The Blue Note, NewYork, NY, Sept 8
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ John’s Alley, Moscow, ID, Sept 9
Sadao Watanabe @ Regatta Bar, Boston, MA, Sept 9
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ Shoebox, Seattle, WA, Sept 10
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ Lola’s Room, Portland, OR, Sept 11
Mindi Abiar @ The Wave Summer Jazz Series, Newport Beach, CA, Sept 12
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ Domino Room, Bend, OR, Sept 12
Mindi Abair @ Palmdale Jazz & Wine Festival, Palmdale, CA, Sept 13
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ Moe’s Alley, Santa Cruz, CA, Sept 13
Brian Culberton, Average White Band @ Keswick Theatre, Glendale, PA, Sept 13
Aretha Franklin, Erykah Badu, KEM, Bobby Caldwell, Euge Groove, Leela James, Kool & The Gang, Brian Culbertson, Roy Ayers, Gil Parris @ Liberty R&B and Jazz Festival, Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NY, Sept 13-14
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ West Beach Music & Arts, Santa Barbara, CA, Sept 14
Chris Botti, Sting, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Steven Tyler @ Symphony Hall, Boston, MA, Sept 18-19
Mindi Abair @ Tower Theatre, Fresno, CA, Sept 26
Bobby Caldwell @ Discovery Meadow, San Jose, CA, Sept 27
Mindi Abair @ Bob Hope Theatre, Stockton, CA, Sept 27
Spanish Harlem Orchestra @ Lerner Hall, New York, NY, Sept 27
Dave Koz @ The Greek, Los Angeles, CA, Sept 27
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ Visual Arts Collective/Knitting Factory, Boise, ID, Sept 2
Sadao Watanabe @ Catalina Jazz Club, Los Angeles, CA, Sept 2-3
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin,
Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ Whiskey, Jacques Ketchum, ID, Sept 3
Adele @ Webster Hall, New York, NY, Sept 3
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ The Knotty Pine, Victor, ID, Sept 4
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ Mangy Moose, Teton Village, Wyoming, Sept 5
Sadao Watanabe @ Blues Alley, Washington, DC, Sept 5-6
Adele @ Somerville, Theatre, Somerville, MA, Sept 6
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ The Other Side, Misoula, MT, Sept 6
Spanish Harlem Orchestra @ Rosslyn Jazz Festival, Arlington, VA, Sept 6
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ TBA, Boseman, MT, Sept 7
Sadao Watanabe @ The Blue Note, NewYork, NY, Sept 8
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ John’s Alley, Moscow, ID, Sept 9
Sadao Watanabe @ Regatta Bar, Boston, MA, Sept 9
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ Shoebox, Seattle, WA, Sept 10
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ Lola’s Room, Portland, OR, Sept 11
Mindi Abiar @ The Wave Summer Jazz Series, Newport Beach, CA, Sept 12
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ Domino Room, Bend, OR, Sept 12
Mindi Abair @ Palmdale Jazz & Wine Festival, Palmdale, CA, Sept 13
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ Moe’s Alley, Santa Cruz, CA, Sept 13
Brian Culberton, Average White Band @ Keswick Theatre, Glendale, PA, Sept 13
Aretha Franklin, Erykah Badu, KEM, Bobby Caldwell, Euge Groove, Leela James, Kool & The Gang, Brian Culbertson, Roy Ayers, Gil Parris @ Liberty R&B and Jazz Festival, Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NY, Sept 13-14
Global Noize w/Jason Miles, DJ Logic, Karl Denson, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Dean Brown, Carl Burnett, Brian Dunne, james Genus, Falu, Suphala @ West Beach Music & Arts, Santa Barbara, CA, Sept 14
Chris Botti, Sting, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Steven Tyler @ Symphony Hall, Boston, MA, Sept 18-19
Mindi Abair @ Tower Theatre, Fresno, CA, Sept 26
Bobby Caldwell @ Discovery Meadow, San Jose, CA, Sept 27
Mindi Abair @ Bob Hope Theatre, Stockton, CA, Sept 27
Spanish Harlem Orchestra @ Lerner Hall, New York, NY, Sept 27
Dave Koz @ The Greek, Los Angeles, CA, Sept 27
BETTE MIDLER - BEST BETTE
Bette Midler is an artist of stunning versatility who can leave you in tears with a funny story or a sad song. A gifted actress and natural comedian, Midler is best known as an exceptional interpreter of song, winning four Grammy® Awards since her 1972 debut with Atlantic Records. As Midler continues to charm Sin City with her ongoing concert show at Caesars Palace, The Showgirl Must Go On, Rhino pays tribute to the Divine Miss M with a career-spanning collection of her biggest hits and an unreleased demo. JACKPOT -- THE BEST BETTE will be available on September 23 from Rhino Records at all physical and digital outlets.
The 19-song retrospective paints a vibrant portrait of Midler's uncanny ability to inhabit any style of music and make it her own. Taken from nine studio albums, this eclectic selection touches on girl group ("Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"), Top 40 ("Friends"), soul ("When A Man Loves A Woman"), standards ("This Ole House"), holiday ("Cool Yule") and rock ("Beast Of Burden").
JACKPOT also spotlights two of Midler's most important musical milestones. The first is "Wind Beneath My Wings," her first #1 hit and winner of the 1989 Grammy® Award for Record of the Year. The second is "From A Distance," winner of the 1990 Grammy® for Song of the Year and a #2 hit for Midler from her platinum-certified album Some People's Lives.
Alongside the familiar melodies on JACKPOT is "Something Your Heart Has Been Telling Me," an unreleased demo Midler recorded in the summer of 1984 with renowned songwriters Robert Kraft and Barry Reynolds. Kraft recalls cutting the track at Atlantic Studios: "I always thought there was some magic in those sessions, because the songs seemed to acquire a haunting, almost bittersweet quality as we laid down the tracks. Roberta Flack recorded this song several years later, but I have always been a fan of Bette's original vocal on this version."
JACKPOT -- THE BEST BETTE
Track Listing
1. "In The Mood"
2. "This Ole House"
3. "Beast Of Burden"
4. "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)"
5. "The Rose"
6. "When A Man Loves A Woman"
7. "I've Still Got My Health"
8. "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most"
9. "Hello In There"
10. "The Glory Of Love"
11. "Tenderly"
12. "Wind Beneath My Wings"
13. "Do You Want To Dance?"
14. "Baby Mine"
15. "From A Distance"
16. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" -- Single Version
17. "Friends"
18. "Something Your Heart Has Been Telling Me" *
19. "Cool Yule"
* Previously unreleased
The 19-song retrospective paints a vibrant portrait of Midler's uncanny ability to inhabit any style of music and make it her own. Taken from nine studio albums, this eclectic selection touches on girl group ("Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"), Top 40 ("Friends"), soul ("When A Man Loves A Woman"), standards ("This Ole House"), holiday ("Cool Yule") and rock ("Beast Of Burden").
JACKPOT also spotlights two of Midler's most important musical milestones. The first is "Wind Beneath My Wings," her first #1 hit and winner of the 1989 Grammy® Award for Record of the Year. The second is "From A Distance," winner of the 1990 Grammy® for Song of the Year and a #2 hit for Midler from her platinum-certified album Some People's Lives.
Alongside the familiar melodies on JACKPOT is "Something Your Heart Has Been Telling Me," an unreleased demo Midler recorded in the summer of 1984 with renowned songwriters Robert Kraft and Barry Reynolds. Kraft recalls cutting the track at Atlantic Studios: "I always thought there was some magic in those sessions, because the songs seemed to acquire a haunting, almost bittersweet quality as we laid down the tracks. Roberta Flack recorded this song several years later, but I have always been a fan of Bette's original vocal on this version."
JACKPOT -- THE BEST BETTE
Track Listing
1. "In The Mood"
2. "This Ole House"
3. "Beast Of Burden"
4. "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)"
5. "The Rose"
6. "When A Man Loves A Woman"
7. "I've Still Got My Health"
8. "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most"
9. "Hello In There"
10. "The Glory Of Love"
11. "Tenderly"
12. "Wind Beneath My Wings"
13. "Do You Want To Dance?"
14. "Baby Mine"
15. "From A Distance"
16. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" -- Single Version
17. "Friends"
18. "Something Your Heart Has Been Telling Me" *
19. "Cool Yule"
* Previously unreleased
JERRY WEXLER - VISIONARY MUSIC PRODUCER
Jerry Wexler, one of the prime architects of Atlantic Records -- as a visionary producer as well as a senior executive -- passed away earlier this week at his home in Florida at the age of 91. A passionate jazz fan and record collector, Jerry Wexler joined Atlantic in 1953, six years after the company's formation. He had previously been a writer at Billboard -- where he coined the term "Rhythm and Blues" for the genre then known as "Race Music." Hired by co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, Wexler entered Atlantic as a partner, remaining as an executive until 1975, when he left his post as Vice Chairman to focus on producing and writing.
Together with Ertegun, Wexler revolutionized R&B music and the music business itself in the '50s and '60s. A true renaissance man, Jerry brought a rare combination of creativity, intelligence, wit, artistic sensibility, and business savvy to the evolution of Atlantic from a small independent label into a major industry force. He understood music and musicians in a way few label executives did, and was able to inspire them to do their best and most original work.
In his early days at Atlantic, Wexler worked alongside Ertegun to produce groundbreaking records by such artists as Ray Charles, LaVern Baker, Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, Big Joe Turner, and Ruth Brown. He subsequently produced such soul stars as Aretha Franklin -- whom he personally signed to the label -- Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, King Curtis, Donny Hathaway, and many others. Wexler pioneered Atlantic's move into Southern Soul music and forged the hugely successful partnership with the Memphis-based Stax Records -- the home of Otis Redding -- and the label's rhythm section (comprised primarily of the members of Booker T. & The MG's). He went on to produce landmark records at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals and Criteria Studios in Miami.
Along with Ertegun, Wexler was instrumental in signing Led Zeppelin to Atlantic, and he brought in the Allman Brothers by helping their manager, Phil Walden, set up Capricorn Records. Numerous other Atlantic artists benefited from Jerry's guidance and inspiration, and he produced classic records by Dusty Springfield, Esther Phillips, Willie Nelson, Dr. John, and many more. Wexler was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
In describing his producing style, Wexler once noted that he was "the guy in the middle who is neither an engineer nor a musician, but an ear to hear what is happening and reshape it... the role becomes one of director. You keep it rolling; you know the choices that must be made. In my analysis, the final determination is that if you can't go out and change the music, you aren't a producer. You are merely presiding at a happening."
The history of Atlantic Records and of the sound of contemporary music would be very different without the impact that Jerry's great ears, uncanny intuition, and true genius had on countless artists and their music. He will be deeply missed by those who knew him and, more importantly, by the millions who -- knowingly or unknowingly -- have heard his phenomenal body of work. He remains inspiration to all of us as we strive to build on Atlantic's legacy in the 21st Century. Our condolences go out to Jerry's family and friends during this sad and difficult time.
Together with Ertegun, Wexler revolutionized R&B music and the music business itself in the '50s and '60s. A true renaissance man, Jerry brought a rare combination of creativity, intelligence, wit, artistic sensibility, and business savvy to the evolution of Atlantic from a small independent label into a major industry force. He understood music and musicians in a way few label executives did, and was able to inspire them to do their best and most original work.
In his early days at Atlantic, Wexler worked alongside Ertegun to produce groundbreaking records by such artists as Ray Charles, LaVern Baker, Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, Big Joe Turner, and Ruth Brown. He subsequently produced such soul stars as Aretha Franklin -- whom he personally signed to the label -- Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, King Curtis, Donny Hathaway, and many others. Wexler pioneered Atlantic's move into Southern Soul music and forged the hugely successful partnership with the Memphis-based Stax Records -- the home of Otis Redding -- and the label's rhythm section (comprised primarily of the members of Booker T. & The MG's). He went on to produce landmark records at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals and Criteria Studios in Miami.
Along with Ertegun, Wexler was instrumental in signing Led Zeppelin to Atlantic, and he brought in the Allman Brothers by helping their manager, Phil Walden, set up Capricorn Records. Numerous other Atlantic artists benefited from Jerry's guidance and inspiration, and he produced classic records by Dusty Springfield, Esther Phillips, Willie Nelson, Dr. John, and many more. Wexler was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
In describing his producing style, Wexler once noted that he was "the guy in the middle who is neither an engineer nor a musician, but an ear to hear what is happening and reshape it... the role becomes one of director. You keep it rolling; you know the choices that must be made. In my analysis, the final determination is that if you can't go out and change the music, you aren't a producer. You are merely presiding at a happening."
The history of Atlantic Records and of the sound of contemporary music would be very different without the impact that Jerry's great ears, uncanny intuition, and true genius had on countless artists and their music. He will be deeply missed by those who knew him and, more importantly, by the millions who -- knowingly or unknowingly -- have heard his phenomenal body of work. He remains inspiration to all of us as we strive to build on Atlantic's legacy in the 21st Century. Our condolences go out to Jerry's family and friends during this sad and difficult time.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
UB40 - GREATEST HITS
For more than 25 years, UB40 has been one of the world's premiere pop-reggae acts, with severalinternational chart-topping singles and global sales totaling more than 70 million albums. On September 30, Virgin/EMI will release UB40: Greatest Hits, a new CD and digital collection of 21 hits and standout tracks spanning the influential group's career. In 1983, UB40 released the album Labour of Love, a direct tribute to the musicians who had inspired and influenced them. The phenomenally popular 'Red Red Wine' was the album's first single, and it went straight to #1 on the UK charts upon its release, remaining on the British charts for two years. In 1984, the song became UB40's first U.S. #1 and went on to be a worldwide hit for the group.Included on UB40: Greatest Hits are the group's first #1 smash, 1984's "Red Red Wine," and their reggae-splashed hit versions of "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)," "(I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You," and "The Way You Do The Things You Do." Also included are two songs featuring The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde, "I Got You Babe" and "Breakfast In Bed." "Swing Low", the official anthem for the England rugby team's triumphant 2003 World Cup campaign in Australia, was the group's 49th UK chart single.
After many years performing live and developing a name for themselves, UB40's fortunes changed at the beginning of 1980, when they were asked to support The Pretenders on a UK tour. The cover art for UB40's first album, released that year, was a reproduction of the UK's unemployment benefit card, with the title Signing Off rubber-stamped in red. It referred to "signing off" the dole and getting a job, both an acknowledgement of the launch of the band and a celebration of their new status.
Because they were from the West Midlands and they were a large multicultural group playing music of Jamaican origin, UB40 were initially thought to be part of the two-tone music scene which had burst out of nearby Coventry. Rooted in Caribbean ska, rock steady and reggae, the two-tone style was popularized by Coventry bands including The Specials and The Selecter. Signing Off made it clear that UB40 were not part of the two-tone movement. While they were part of the same social and political tendency, their musical approach was quite different. Their sound was more relaxed, sophisticated and sultry.
UB40: Greatest Hits (CD, Digital Album)
1. (I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You
2. One In Ten
3. Red Red Wine
4. If It Happens Again
5. Here I Am (Come And Take Me)
6. Sing Our Own Song
7. I Got You Babe [featuring Chrissie Hynde]
8. Groovin' (Out On Life)
9. My Way Of Thinking
10. The Way You Do The Things You Do
11. Higher Ground
12. Please Don't Make Me Cry
13. Kingston Town
14. Come Back Darling
15. Don't Break My Heart
16. Cherry Oh Baby
17. Breakfast In Bed [featuring Chrissie Hynde]
18. Rat In Mi Kitchen
19. Homely Girl
20. Until My Dying Day
21. Swing Low [featuring The United Colors Of Sound]
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