BANDA BLACK RIO, TABOU COMBO & BRAZILIAN LOVE AFFAIR REVISITED

BRAZILIAN LOVE AFFAIR REVISITED
The evolution of Far Out's excellent Brazilian Love Affair series – featuring standouts from earlier volumes as well as new and exclusive tracks! Brazilian Love Affair Revisited celebrates the series to date as well as it charts the evolving sounds of Brazil and its London interpreters – and shows where the sound is going via newer material and younger talents. A great set with both classic and contemporary legends such as Ed Motta, Marcos Valle, Joyce, Azymuth and others, respectful remixes and interpretations by Osunlade, Mark Pritchard and Kirk Degiorgio, newer tracks from more recent Far Out arrivals such as Raf Vilar and Clara Moreno. 15 tracks in all: "Os Escravos Do Jo (Precussion Edit)" and more by Friends From Rio 2, "Ponteio" by Da Lata, "Nova Bossa Nova" by Marcos Valle, "Paz" by Troubleman feat Nina Miranda, "Todos Os Santos" by Joyce, "Preguiciman" by Mamond, "Bossa Me" by Raf Vilar, "Without Words" by 4 Hero Presents Nature's Plan feat Ed Motta, "Sem Pressa (Remix By Danny Wheeler)" by Alex Malheiros And Banda Utopia feat Sabrina Malheiros and more.

BANDA BLACK RIO - SUPER NOVA SAMBA FUNK
Banda Black Rio – the pioneering samba, soul and funk combo that broke so much ground back in the 70’s and remain vital to this day – led here by William Magalhaes, in a mode that celebrates decades of the best Brazilian music, while fearlessly moving it forward! William's father Oberdan Magalhaes was a driving force behind the original Banda Black Rio, and William wrote or co-wrote each track and he sings, plays keys and synth, guitar, bass, drums and more. The expansive group brings a depth of percussion, horns, strings and vocals – delivering timeless and dexterous jazzy Brazilian funk and dancefloor soul. The guest list includes classic and contemporary greats like Seu Jorge, Elza Soares, Marcio Local and others. Includes "Louis Lane" with Seu Jorge & Mano Brown, "Super Nova Samba Funk (9 No Samba)", "America Do Sul", "Isabela" feat Elza Soares and Cesar Camargo Mariano, "Samba Nova", "Quem Vem La" feat Marcio Local, "Deixa Estar" feat Aleha and "Lindos Olhos" feat Seu Jorge and Don Pixote.

TABOUT COMBO - RESPECT

Driving rhythms, heavy percussion, and funk filtered through native Haitian and more Caribbean-inflected music - the great Respect album by the Tabou Combo de Petion-Ville! Of the many Tabou Combo albums to be release over ther the years, this one is probably on of ther very beset. The dexterity of the musicians – the exciting percussion backdrop and these spindly, swirling and hypnotic electric guitars are especially impressive – but everything's really, really great. There are impassioned lead vocals and sweet group backup, some accordion and more instrumentation – with songs that balance moving melodies with some surprisingly tripped out bits of echo and other atmospherics. Titles include "Respect", "Minouche", "Maria", "Alle Lave", "Ti Gran Mou'n", "Bebe Paramount", "Plus Pres De Toi" and "Compas Popcorn".

NEW RELEASES FROM E FAMILY, JOEY SOMMERVILLE, JESSY J, KENNY THOMAS, TROMBONE SHORTY & MORE...

Acoustic Alchemy - Roseland
Afrolicious – A Dub For Mali
Alex Jacquemin – First And Last Light
Alexander Boynton Jr – Doo Bee Doo Bop
Brian Hughes – Fast Train To A Quiet Place
Corey Wilkes – Kind Of Miles: Live At The Velvet Lounge
Deborah Bond – Madam Palindrome
Dwight Trible - Cosmic
E Family – Now And Forever
George Benson – Essential Collection
Jessy J – Hot Sauce
Joey Sommerville – The Get Down Club
Keith Tippett – From Granite To Wind
Kenny Thomas – Breathe
Lorenzo Johnson – Things Are Looking Up
Mark De Clive-Lowe – Leaving This Plant
Maya Azucena – Cry Love
Miles Bonny – Lumberjack Soul
Miles Davis – Live In Europe 1967 The Bootleg Series Vol. 1
Neamen – So Free
Poncho Sanchez & Terence Blanchard – Chano Y Dizzy
Randy Scott – 90 Degrees At Midnight
Sabrina Malheiros - Dreaming
Shuyo Okino & Kyoto Jazz Massive – Destiny
Tasha Taylor - Taylormade
Trombone Shorty – For True
Wendell Harrison – It’s About Damn Time

STANLEY JORDAN – FRIENDS

On his latest Mack Avenue recording, Friends, Jordan takes the time-honored path of inviting a handpicked cadre of guests: guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli, Mike Stern, Russell Malone and Charlie Hunter; violinist Regina Carter; saxophonists Kenny Garrett and Ronnie Laws; trumpeter Nicholas Payton; bassists Christian McBride and Charnett Moffett; and drummer Kenwood Dennard. The results proved truly outstanding on numbers ranging from a Bela Bartokpiece to a Katy Perrypop smash, a heady original blues and three jazz classics spanning swing, cool and modern. There's a listener-friendly samba, an airy spirit song and an astounding nod to the atonal. Jordan even plays some serious piano on a couple of songs, revisiting his first instrument with newfound confidence and wonder.

Jordan opens Friends with the straight-ahead original Capital J featuring Kenny Garrett on tenor saxophone and Nicholas Payton on trumpet. "So much of the great jazz I grew up with was built on a strong horn line," Jordan states. "In the spirit of those great classics I wrote this tune. Nick's tone is fresh and full of life, and he creates interesting, complex improvisations while still leaving plenty of space. Kenny combines a deep musical knowledge with a natural and effortless facility. My favorite part of Capital J was just comping behind the horns."

A trip to Bluesville is next with Walkin' the Dog, which recalls B.B. Kingbut with some edgier things going on around the fringe. Jordan collaborates with groove-master Charlie Hunter on this one. "Our paths have crossed in many jam band situations. We both play multiple parts at once, but he plays more in the lower range while I play more in the higher range, so we complement each other very well."

Next up is the big band standard Lil' Darlin', a gem from the pen of the great Neal Hefti redefined as a quintessential ballad by Count Basie. Together Jordan and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli create a dreamy romantic feel. "Bucky brought that one in and gave us all a history lesson. How precious this moment was, reminding us that we were in the presence of one of the greats who helped create this music we call jazz."

Jazz rocker Mike Stern emerges next for a mind-blowing spin through the groundbreaking John Coltraneclassic Giant Steps. "Mike and I cut our teeth in the same scene in New York in the early '80s. Once we jammed together on Giant Steps back in the '90s while on tour. He glides through this complex tune with an approach that is so beautiful, natural and musical."

Jordan really lets the fur fly with his take on pop sensation Katy Perry's runaway hit I Kissed a Girl on which he plays guitar and piano simultaneously in a second teaming with Charlie Hunter. Jordan-who scored massive hits with covers of Michael Jackson's The Lady in My Life and The Beatles' Eleanor Rigby-sees this as a vital continuum in both jazz history and his history. "I chose a song from the current generation-a generation moving into a more tolerant and accepting world."

Samba Delight, featuring Ronnie Laws on soprano saxophone and Regina Carter on violin, puts one in the mind of tropical paradise. "Ronnie is a remarkable and versatile musician who is at the crossroads of many musical worlds," Jordan explains. "When I showed Ronnie Samba Delight he remarked on how much he liked the tune. It felt really good to hear that because I composed it with him in mind!"

The pendulum swings back to jazz with the super standard Seven Come Eleven, a song made famous in Benny Goodman's band as a feature for electric jazz guitar pioneer Charlie Christian. In loving homage, Jordan put himself together with Bucky Pizzarelli and Russell Malone to swing this classic into the rafters. "When I told Bucky I was thinking about doing Seven Come Eleven, he just lit up! I love the old time three-way improv we played toward the end. Bucky played a rousing solo, and Russell was great as well-providing a cool yet uplifting spirit."

Bathed in Light is an original that Jordan calls this album's "spirit song." It brings back Garrett and Payton on horns, and the always empathetic Christian McBride on bass in a softer turn than the swinging opener Capital J. "This was our first chance to play together," Jordan says of McBride, "a dream come true because I have admired his playing for many years. He was very sensitive as he adjusted his approach to each song, playing just the right part at all times." On the inspiration behind the music and title, Jordan muses, "The splashy guitar chords bring out the meaning of the title. Sometimes when we're bogged down in the details of things, we get depressed. But when we put things into proper perspective, the clouds part and we see a rainbow. I was having one of those moments when I wrote this song." Mirroring the Zen of all this, Kenwood Dennard played live drums and keyboards simultaneously.

With boundless beauty, Friends moves into the home stretch with two creative renditions of classical themes. The first is Romantic Intermezzo, based on the theme of the fourth movement of Bela Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. This deeply stirring piece features Regina Carter on violin and Stanley, this time exclusively on piano, in his most virtuosic recording on the instrument to date. "Though most of my training is on guitar, I have a strong connection to the piano. I started at the age of three, so playing piano is natural for me, but I had to get out of the mental grid that I'm a 'guitar player'-a major liberation for me." Reflecting on working with the violin virtuoso, Jordan says, "Regina Carter is an amazing violinist who combines my favorite elements from the jazz side and the classical side. Doing improvisations of 'classical' compositions often means spelling out more than just chord symbols. In this case, I wrote out many of the voicings I was using so we could improvise in a cohesive way. The result was a dense page of notes, which was probably a lot to drop on Regina at the last minute, but she rose to the occasion admirably. The sensitivity of her playing is exquisite."

A take on Claude Debussy's Reverie in a jazz context features Jordan and his road trio of Charnett Moffett on bass and Kenwood Dennard on drums. The group has been performing this for many years, which explains the fluid ease with which they weave through it. "We pretty much stuck to the form on this one except for a brief modal improv which was obviously not written into the original composition," Jordan states, "but I feel that it gets across the meaning and spirit of the song."

Friends closes on an ear-turning note with One for Milton, a heartfelt yet adventurous tribute to one of Jordan's most beloved music teachers, composer Milton Babbit (1916-2011),who passed away as Jordan was preparing to record Friends. "I studied theory and composition with Milton at Princeton in the late '70s and early '80s. He was a giant in his field and he left a big impression on me-musically and personally. In Eastern spiritual traditions a guru is someone whose very presence confers enlightenment. Milton truly fit this description. Russell, Kenwood and I created this from scratch as an improvisation. I've always been a fan of Russell's more experimental side, and it got a great showing on this recording. We didn't try to imitate Milton's style, but in the spirit of his music we did take an atonal approach. If anything, there are parts that sound a bit like Milton's teacher, Arnold Schoenberg."

Reflecting on the wealth of music inspired by collaborating with chosen peers on Friends, Stanley Jordan concludes, "I am so humbled and grateful to all of the wonderful musicians who graced this project. This collection truly speaks to my belief in the integrationist spirit of music. I'd like to move beyond 'fusion' and explore the concept of 'integration.' When you integrate styles, you combine them into something new while still remaining true to the original sources. The same principal holds for our friendships, which require mutual respect. Our friends are a mirror revealing the diversity within us, and at the same time they give us the courage to share our true selves with the world."

In a career that took flight in 1985 with both immediate commercial and critical acclaim, guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan has consistently displayed a chameleonic musical persona of openness, imagination, versatility, respect and maverick daring. Be it bold reinventions of classical masterpieces or soulful explorations through pop-rock hits, to blazing straight ahead jazz forays and ultramodern improvisational works-solo or with a group-Jordan can always be counted on to take listeners on breathless journeys into the unexpected.

Stanley Jordan Upcoming Concert Appearances:
September 29 - Birchmere Music Hall / Arlington, VA
September 30 - Rams Head Tavern /Annapolis, MD
October 1 - Sellersville Theater / Sellersville, PA
October 5-8 - Jazz at the Bistro / St. Louis, MO
October 11-12 - Yoshi's / San Francisco, CA
October 20-23 - Iridium Jazz Club / New York, NY
November 12 - The Soiled Dove Underground / Denver, CO
November 16 - Sculler's Jazz Club /Boston, MA
December 2 - One World Theater / Austin, TX
December 3 - Dosey Doe Coffee House / The Woodlands, TX
January 28, 2012 - Norton Center For The Arts at Centre College / Danville, KY

Stanley Jordan · Friends
Mack Avenue - Release Date: September 27, 2011
http://www.stanleyjordan.name/en/

RAY CHARLES – LIVE IN FRANCE 1961

Eagle Rock Entertainment and Reelin’ In The Years Productions have announced the October 25th worldwide release of Ray Charles - Live In France 1961 on DVD. The newly discovered concerts, featuring an hour and 45 minutes of performances, were filmed at the 1961 Antibes Jazz Festival in France and show Ray Charles in his prime period with the original Raelettes and his most legendary band (including David “Fathead” Newman and Hank Crawford.) These concerts, Ray’s first-ever performances in Europe, helped him become one of America’s most beloved international stars. Issued with the full cooperation of the Ray Charles Estate, the concerts have been newly transferred from the original 16mm films and have been digitally restored and remastered.

Ray Charles - Live In France 1961 features 25 songs including the timeless classics “What’d I Say," “Georgia On My Mind,” "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" and "I Believe To My Soul." Also included are “Doodlin’,” "One Mint Julep" & "Hornful Soul" showcasing Ray’s jazz era, as well as the country-tinged Nat King Cole composition, “With You On My Mind,” a song Ray never recorded. Also included is a 25-minute bonus section that features six additional performances from the festival.

This historic discovery is the first project to develop from the new partnership between Reelin’ In The Years Productions, the world’s largest library of music footage and France’s Institut National de l’Audiovisuel (Ina), one of Europe’s most important footage archives. Reelin’ In The Years is confident that Ina’s vast, well-documented archive will provide music footage for many more projects of this caliber in the near future.

Ray Charles - Live In France 1961 will make its Hollywood (and world-wide) premiere at a special screening presented by the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles on October 20th.  The film’s producers and other notables are expected to be on hand at the event for which tickets are available to the public. The screening will be followed by a moderated panel discussion that will include director David Peck, one of the film’s producers Tom Gulotta, Ray Charles catalog authority James Austin and Rob Bowman, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at Toronto’s York University, whose incisive liner notes are part of the Ray Charles - Live In France 1961 package.

Track Listing:
July 18, 1961:
1) The Story
2) Doodlin’
3) One Mint Julep
4) Let The Good Times Roll
5) Georgia On My Mind
6) Sticks And Stones
7) Hallelujah, I Love Her So
8) What’d I Say

July 22, 1961:
9) Hornful Soul
10) Let The Good Times Roll
11) Georgia On My Mind
12) My Bonnie
13) With You On My Mind
14) Ruby
15) Tell The Truth
16) I Wonder
17) Sticks And Stones
18) I Believe To My Soul
19) What’d I Say

Bonus Tracks July 19,1961:
20) The Story
21) Sticks And Stones
22) Yes Indeed
23) I Believe To My Soul
24) What ’d I Say

July21, 1961

25) I Wonder
 
Ray Charles · Live In France 1961
Eagle Rock Entertainment · Release Date: October 25, 2011

RICHARD ELLIOT – IN THE ZONE

Soul Jazz veteran Richard Elliot invites loyal fans and newcomers alike to celebrate 25 years since the release of his debut album Initial Approach. Where's the party? Where else - In the Zone, a grooving, funked up, horn splashed collection that finds the energized-as-ever tenor saxophonist paying homage to the pioneering instrumental artists of his formative years ('70s-early '80s) whose brilliance and musical innovations inspired his own. Drawing on the influences of legends like Grover Washington, Jr., Bob James and David Sanborn, Elliot fashions the perfect contemporary jazz complement to Rock Steady, his 2009 recording that was inspired by the great R&B artists he grew up listening to; that collection debuted at #5 on the Billboard Jazz Album chart and remained on the list for over 40 weeks.

In The Zone includes a simmering, hypnotic retro-soul cover of "Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)," a Marvin Gaye staple whose original instrumental version marked Washington's first session as a leader. Beyond that, the collection is driven by 9 powerful retro-flavored original songs penned by Elliot and co-producer Jeff Lorber, who share a colorful collaborative history over the past 10 years. The two played numerous shows in the early 2000s as part of the all-star Groovin' For Grover tour (with Gerald Albright and Paul Taylor) and have worked together on various tracks on Elliot's recordings Crush (2001), Ricochet (2003), Metro Blue (2005), RnR (Elliot's hit dual 2007 recording with trumpet great Rick Braun) and Rock Steady.

Lorber, who began recording as leader of The Jeff Lorber Fusion in the late '70s, brings his unique dual history as a Jazz Fusion pioneer and R&B producer/re-mixer to the session. In addition to his array of keyboards, including the Fender Rhodes, In The Zone features the input of longtime Elliot associates Nate Phillips (bass), Tony Moore and Lil' John Roberts (drums), Dwight Sills and Michael Thompson (guitar), and percussionist Lenny Castro. The same way that Bob James' horn arrangements created a powerful sonic magic behind Washington's early recordings like "Mister Magic," arranger David Mann creates dreamy retro-atmospheres with a subtle mix of muted trumpets, flute and bass clarinet that transport Elliot deeper In The Zone.

"The interesting thing about my desire to pay homage to the wonderful array of R&B and jazz I grew up with on these last two recordings is that I actually wanted to do it as far back as Metro Blue," says Elliot of the album whose key single, a cover of The Stylistics' "People Make The World Go Round," spent an unprecedented 11 weeks at #1 on Radio & Records airplay chart. "The music of the '70s carved out a lot of where I wanted to go musically, and I felt this need to express some musical gratitude, not by doing a cover record but by incorporating a few familiar songs among originals that had references to my influences. Compared to Rock Steady, the vibe is definitely subtler on In The Zone, especially with David's wonderfully sophisticated low-key horn arrangements, but the same love of that time is there. The vibe is the '70s forerunner to the contemporary instrumental music that became popular in my own era as an artist."

The first single, "Boom Town," has an exuberant and aggressive, in-the-pocket tenor hook that does Sanborn proud-it's intense yet has a smooth, poppy finish. Elliot launches the set with the playful and lilting tropical chill vacation "Island Style," then gets back to the city on the moody and atmospheric mid-tempo ballad "Metropolis," which as it evolves includes Elliot's rich sense of improvisation and emotional power. The same type of sensuous atmospheres caressing that track play behind the lighthearted funk of the drive time tune "The Lower Road." With Lorber providing the percussive synth blasts and Fender Rhodes harmonies, Elliot gets down to bluesy business with his muscular playing on the horn-drenched funk of "Bring It!"

"Just a Taste" takes the groove down a notch into romantic chill territory, while the vibrant, in-the-pocket title track lives up to its name with a swirl of percussive synth accents, brassy vamps and bubbling-over retro keyboard flavors. Elliot saves some of his most expressive, in your face tenor playing for another horn-fired jam "Panamera" before wrapping In The Zone on the wistful, candlelit ballad "Golden Triangle."

Taking the concept of In The Zone to another metaphoric place, Elliot has been on one of the most incredible rolls of his career since Metro Blue, which debuted at #2 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart. In addition to the incredible chart success of "People Make The World Go Round," "RnR" (the title track from the album Elliot recorded with Braun) stayed at #1 on the chart for over two months. Elliot and Braun crisscrossed the US as part of Jazz Attack (with Peter White and Jonathan Butler) in 2005, 2007 and 2009; and spent 2008 touring as RnR. The saxman also did media appearances and performed in South Africa for the first time, and did his first ever shows in Russia and St. Petersburg in January 2009. Elliot is currently headlining on tour with Grammy® award-winning guitarist Norman Brown.

The Scotland-born, L.A.-raised saxman was still on the road with Tower of Power when he released his debut album Trolltown in 1986. Embarking upon one of instrumental music's most dynamic and multifaceted careers, he has scored four #1 albums (On The Town, Soul Embrace, After Dark and Jumpin' Off) and a growing number of #1 airplay singles. In addition to his participation in all-star tours like Groovin' For Grover and Jazz Attack, in the mid-'90s he helped launch another of the genre's annual franchises, the Guitars & Saxes tours, which he has also participated in on and off ever since. At his peak, Elliot was doing over 100 tour dates a year, but he has scaled it back as his family has grown to include five children over the years.

"My original motivation for doing an album like In The Zone was the opportunity to reconnect with my earlier self, the musician I was when I first started out," says Elliot. "The songs remind me of listening to my heroes in those days and seeing them perform live, feeling incredible joy and enthusiasm about the possibility of following in their footsteps. The wonderful thing is, so many years after I began performing professionally, I still feel that excitement. I love to play live more than anything. Under certain circumstances, the recording process can be arduous, but when you can tap into the kind on inspiration I draw from here, it's a whole different, joyous experience. It's all about feeling the same way I did back when I was 18 and dreaming that this could someday be my life."

Richard Elliot · In The Zone
Artistry Music · Release Date: October 11, 2011
http://www.richardelliot.com/

RAY BARRETO – ACID (REMASTERED)

Ray's late 60’ss Acid album is a landmark recording – a sublime mixture of Latin jazz, percussion, and soul – grooving hard in a variety of styles, and always hitting the money on every single track. Barretto opens the album on familiar ground, with its high-energy boogaloo-styled salsa sung passionately in Spanish. With the second track, "Mercy, Mercy Baby," the sound shifts dramatically as soul gets a serious drenching in hot sauce. The band chants "Mercy, Mercy Baby" behind Memphis-styled horns, catchy lyrics, timbales, and Barretto's kicking congas. The title track, "Acid," opens up sparsely with a lazy hypnotic bass and percussion groove over which stretches the muted trumpet sounds of Rene Lopez, and it’s one of those tunes you'll be playing over and over again until your CD player burns out. After a rock-steady timbales solo by Orestes Vilato, the band begins calling out "Barretto, Barretto," and master Ray steps forward, obliging them with one of his most fiery and intense conga solos ever. The rest of the record is equally great – with cuts like the bouncy groover "Soul Drummers", the tasty boogaloo "El Nuevo Barretto", and the extended "Espiritu Libre", a great Latin jazz track. Acid turned on a lot of important players with its irresistible blending of Latin and soul music, significantly helping to bring about the rise of the Afro-Latin funk revolution.

Tracks
1. El Nuevo Barretto (Barretto) - 5:50
2. Mercy, Mercy, Baby (Barretto) - 2:44
3. Acid (Barretto) - 5:05
4. Deeper Shade of Soul (Barretto) - 2:46
5. Soul Drummers (Barretto) - 3:48
6. Sola Te Dejare (Barretto/Lopez) - 3:49
7. Teacher of Love (Barretto/Cruz) - 2:27
8. Espiritu Libre (Barretto) - 8:27

Musicians:
Ray Barretto - Percussion, Congas, Vocals
Big Daddy  -  Bass
Rene Lopez  -  Trumpet
Roberto Rodriguez  -  Trumpet
Adalberto Santiago  -  Vocals, Bells
Orestes Vilato  -  Timbales
Pete Bonet  -  Vocals, Guiro

SINGER VESTA WILLIAMS FOUND DEAD

A powerful singer and underrated songwriter, Vesta Williams released a number of quality singles and albums during the late 80s and early 90s, and has been one of the most sought-after session vocalists of the past two decades. Born in Coshocton, Ohio, Vesta moved to California as a child and performed in a family act with her sisters in the Los Angeles area. After high school she moved back to Ohio and joined the group Wild Honey, formed by Ron Townsend of the 5th Dimension (who was Williams' cousin). Williams' big voice and impressive tone were similar to Chaka Khan, and she was soon developing a solid career as a jingle singer as well as a backing vocalist for singers ranging from Gladys Knight to Sting to Anita Baker. Ironically, by the 1980s she was touring with Khan as a backup singer.

Vesta's increasing notoriety in the music industry led to a meeting with producer David Crawford, who assisted in landing her a contract with A&M Records. Her debut album, Vesta, was produced by Crawford, Gary Taylor and others and included the hit "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," which hit the R&B top ten. Williams assumed a greater role in the creation of her 1988 follow-up, Vesta 4 U, and the results were notable. The excellent disc included two top five hits, "Sweet Sweet Love" and the beautiful ballad "Congratulations," which became a signature song for Vesta and a Quiet Storm staple.

Williams continued her ascension in 1991 with the album Special and the hit title track, both of which became her biggest charters. Unfortunately, she stumbled two years later with Everything-N-More, a lesser album that eschewed her adult soul roots for a more contemporary sound. It stiffed on the charts and nearly stopped her solo recording career in its tracks. Fortunately, Vesta continued to be a popular session singer, landing regular spots on albums by such artists as Phil Perry, Howard Hewett and George Duke.

Disappointed with the results of Everything-N-More, Vesta left A&M in search of a new recording contract. It took nearly five years before she released her next album, Relationships, on Lee Ritenour's IE Records. It was a mature album that appealed to adult soul fans but didn't received sufficient airplay to garner any hits.

As the 21st Century came, Vesta continued to work regularly as a session vocalist, particularly on jazz albums, and her song "One More Bridge To Cross" was arguably the highlight of the popular 2005 compilation Love Pages by the Cafe Soul All-Stars. She also occasionally worked in radio and toured in multi-artist smooth jazz shows. In 2007, Vesta signed with Shanachie Records and released Distant Lover, an album of soul music cover songs.

On September 23, 2011, Vesta reportedly died in her hotel room in Los Angeles, at the tragically young age of 48. Though her time as a major recording artist was relatively brief, Vesta Williams impacted the soul music world for over two decades. Both via her own solo work as well as through her impressive appearances on the albums of other artists, Vesta made a career's worth of notable music and was consistently among the most distinctive singers of her era. She will be missed.

Source: www.soultracks.com / by Chris Rizik

LALO SHIFRIN – BULLITT (ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK + BONUS TRACKS)

An amazing new take on the legendary Bullitt soundtrack – one that features the full original album, plus 19 more bonus tracks from the film ever released before now. There's almost 80 minutes of music on this release, and every second of it is pure Lalo Schifrin genius – a beautiful blend of jazz, bossa, and other groovy elements – filtered with some occasional dramatic touches too – easily one of the most perfect records that Schifrin ever cut, and that's saying a hell of a lot, given his reputation for perfection! There's lots of cool bubbling electric bass, lilting keyboards, and moody breezy rhythms – nearly every cut's a winner, and if you like his other work, we can bet that this will become one of your favorites. As with other Screen Archives productions over the last few years, the quality level is amazing – new mastering, and a huge amount of notes – with core album tunes that include "Bullitt", "Room 26", "On the Way To San Mateo", and "Shifting Gears" – and bonus tracks that include film versions of "Air Terminal", "Just Coffee", "Music To Interrogate By", "Shifting Gears", "On The Way To San Mateo", "Song For Cathy", "Architect's Building", "Quiet Morning", "Ice Pick Mike", and "Ross". Only a limited release with 3,000 copies is being made available, so get yours quick before they sellout!

Bullitt Tracklisting
1. Bullitt Main Title [2:05]
2. Room 26 [2:24]
3. Hotel Daniels [2:50]
4. The Aftermath of Love [2:47]
5. Music to Interrogate By [2:48]
6. On the Way to San Mateo [2:38]
7. Ice Pick Mike [2:57]
8. A Song for Cathy [2:44]
9. Shifting Gears [3:14]
10. Cantata for Combo [3:03]
11. The First Snowfall - Paul Francis Webster/Sonny Burke [3:05]
12. Bullitt End Title [2:42]
13. Main Title [3:47]
14. Architect's Building [1:28]
15. Cantata for Combo [3:03]
16. A Song for Cathy [2:02]
17. Hotel Daniels [2:58]
18. Room 26 [1:14]
19. The Aftermath of Love [2:45]
20. Dr. Willard [0:54]
21. Ice Pick Mike [3:12]
22. Quiet Morning [2:33]
23. Music to Interrogate By [3:04]
24. Just Coffee [1:25]
25. Shifting Gears [3:15]
26. On the Way to San Mateo [1:24]
27. The First Snowfall - Paul Francis Webster/Sonny Burke [3:27]
28. Ross [2:06]
29. Air Terminal/Main Lobby [2:32]
30. End Credits [0:31]
31. Bullitt Demo [3:06]

NEWSBITS FROM GEORGE BENSON, U-NAM, CHRIS STANDRING, ALEXANDER O’NEAL. LARRY CARLTON…

Jazz Cruises has announced that George Benson will be their Cozumel guest for both sailings of The Smooth Jazz Cruise 2013. After many years of resisting their invitation to attend, Benson has finally decided to get onboard. What changed that caused George Benson to join the cruise? There is an old adage that says “success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.” Well, this success did have many fathers! First, several folks, especially fellow artists, had told George that the cruise was a wonderful event. Second, when he found out that the lineup included such icons as David Sanborn, Marcus Miller, Bob James and Jonathan Butler, genre stars Rick Braun, Richard Elliot, Candy Dulfer, Brian Culbertson and Jeff Golub, internationally acclaimed vocalist Angie Stone and jazz violin sensation Ken Ford, he was drawn in further. Third, during his stay at the Seabreeze Jazz Festival, Jazz Cruises’ staff not only saw his show, but also were able to spend some time with him and pressed him as to our desire to have him finally become part of The Smooth Jazz Cruise family. Put this all together and it spells George Benson on the cruise.

U-Nam's "Give Me The Night" has been released as a digital single.  It's from the forthcoming album, Weekend In L.A. (A Tribute To George Benson), by U-Nam and Friends featuring George Duke, Paul Jackson Jr., Phil Perry, Tim TiO Owens, Ronnie Foster, Patrice Rushen, and others.

Chris Standring has just finished mastering Send Me Some Snow, his new Christmas record that he did along with singer songwriter Kathrin Shorr. It's a vintage sounding collection of original songs with sentimental, romantic themes, all complete with lush orchestration and christmassy feelings. The album will be released to the world on November 1st, and no doubt I will be able to release some audio snippets ahead of time. He’s also one song away from finishing writing material for his new solo album which will be released in 2012, hopefully 1st quarter. According to Standring, “…April looks very possible, highly likely actually. Cross fingers. It's coming along nicely. I can tell you it's a little more upbeat and joyful than Blue Bolero. It's pretty funky too in places. Again, there is lots of orchestration on it as I get deeper and deeper into that territory.”

Alexander O'Neal, a pioneer of the Minneapolis Sound, returns with his first ever U.S. live recording on CD and DVD. Fresh off the BET Awards, a feature episode of Unsung, and a thrilling live set at the Essence Festival at the Superdome, the chart topping O'Neal proves he's still got it. Recorded live where it all began--downtown Minneapolis along with his 8-piece band--O'Neal lights up all his biggest hits. Live in Minneapolis includes a number of songs written by famed Minneapolis producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, such as "Criticize," "All True Man," "If You Were Here Tonight," "Sunshine" and more. Bobby Z, drummer for Prince and the Revolution, produced and directed the package, with mixes by Z's Grammy winning brother David Z. The package also includes a bonus DVD concert film edited by Z's son, Joseph Rivkin. This is Bobby Z's first project after suffering a near fatal heart attack last February. "It is Alex in top form," said Z. "I am proud of him on this masterpiece!" Says O'Neal, "Thanks to Bobby Z for believing in me. Who would have thought, with Z being from the Prince camp, and me from the Flyte Tyme camp, we would come together and bring this kind of musical beauty."

Larry Carlton will be performing “The Royal Scam” plus select hits with Steely Dan on September 23, 2011 at the Beacon Theatre in New York, NY (2124 Broadway New York, NY 10023). More upcoming shows: Friday, Sept. 30 - Nashville Symphony; Thursday, Oct. 20 - Quebec, Canada; Friday, Oct. 21 - Gravenhurst, Canada; Saturday, Oct. 22 - Niagara Falls, NY; Sunday, Oct. 23 - Norfolk, CT. See http://www.larrycarlton.com/ for more details.

BOB JAMES & KEIKO MATSUI - ALTAIR & VEGA

A prolific composer, Grammy-winner and founding member of the contemporary jazz supergroup Fourplay, pianist Bob James explores the classically influenced side of his immense musicality on Altair & Vega. A duet project recorded with fellow piano virtuoso Keiko Matsui, it's a modern take on the four-hands piano tradition established in the 18th and 19th centuries by the likes of such classical composers as Haydn, Brahms and Schubert. Named for a Japanese folkloric tale about the seventh day of the seventh month (July 7th - an annual celebration known as Tanabata), Altair and Vega are two stars in the galaxy that pass by each other only once a year. "So this kind of rare meeting of these two fictional characters seemed to be a good title because it also described my eventual hookup with Keiko on this project," says James.
"Originally this story came from China," adds Matsui. "Later it was combined with Japanese tradition. We write one's wish and prayer on origami (Japanese traditional color paper) and hang it from bambondero grass. We decorate bamboo with origami under the sky for an evening.For us, July 7th is a special day with romantic feeling."

The genesis of this four-hands piano project came 12 years ago when James wrote a piece he titled "Altair & Vega" that he envisioned playing with Matsui. "I didn't really know Keiko at that time," he recalls. "I had only met her once backstage at the Hollywood Bowl but I just thought I would send her this piece of music to see if she might be interested in playing it. I always found it a fun challenge to have two people both sitting at the same piano, working out the choreography and how their hands would go back and forth." The two ultimately got together in the studio when Matsui was on tour in the States and they recorded Altair & Vega as a four-hands piece, which was released in 2001 on James' Dancing on the Water (Warner Bros.). Matsui responded by writing a piece for James called "Ever After," which had appeared on her album Whisper from the Mirror. Shortly after, James and Matsui embarked on a tour together of nine Japanese cities, performing four-hands piano adaptations of their original compositions. "And we had a great time doing it," recalls James. "The audiences loved it, but for a variety of contractual reasons and other problems, we never really got to complete an actual CD project of that music."

Last year, the two performed a four-hands duet in Pittsburgh at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild (MCG), which was documented on video. Two days before that, they had performed a concert in James' hometown, Traverse City, Michigan, and later documented the music in James' home studio. A CD/DVD package of those four-hands piano performances is now available on the eOne label. "Most of the music on this project crosses borders," says James. "There are some elements of classical music along with elements of Keiko's and my different influences. So it is partially written and partially improvised."

On Matsui's Frozen Lake, a piece she wrote at the session after taking a walk on Long Lake by James' home studio, James performs on an Avant Grand digital piano, which gives him a kind of Fender Rhodes effect. His Divertimento: The Professor & The Student is a variation on a piece by Haydn that was originally written for piano duet. "He was using it as a method for teaching so he could sit down at the piano and play with students," James explains. "So he would play a phrase and the student would echo it or answer it. And I used that as a jumping off place for me and Keiko. So I play the role of the professor and she plays the part of the student, and those actually became our nicknames during the course of our working together on this project."

Matsui's Midnight Stone and Invisible Wing are previously recorded pieces given a new four-hands treatment here while the lengthy 13-minute suite, The Forever Variations, is a four-hands take on Matsui's popular theme Forever Forever. "That is, for the most part, written," says James. "Although the kind of jazz or funk stuff that happens in the middle is improvised. So there are a couple of places where we take off."

They also turn in an enchanting arrangement of J.S. Bach's Chorale from Cantata BWV 147 which the two had played together on tour in Japan. As Matsui explains, "In 2002, I did a Christmas show in Tokyo and I invited Bob as guest. And he brought this beautiful four-hands arrangement of the Bach piece as Christmas present for me. We performed it for first time at that show. I love this arrangement. So beautiful and cool!"

Adds Matsui, "Bob's arrangements are very unique. Sometimes it's like classical music with lots of written parts and sometimes we have lots of freedom to improvise. So mentally and technically, our mind and body are working hard to nail both worlds."

Regarding the challenges of the four-hands technique, James says, "It's not for everybody because a lot of pianists don't want to give up that control. There's only one sustain pedal, for example. So whoever does the sustain pedal has a lot of power over phrasing and smooth transitions. I think most of us pianists very often use the pedal as a kind of crutch to smooth our way through technical passages that we're either having trouble with or whatever. And if you happen to be the pianist who doesn't have control over the sustain pedal, you better make sure that your technique is really accurate.

"The other thing is, once we get in the middle of the keyboard, fingering becomes very important," he continues. "Because if some of your fingers are sticking out there and getting in the way of your partner, you make it impossible for them to play. So you have to make sure that you avoid those clashes. And you do that by giving up control and becoming a team. So you have to agree about the way you pass the ball back and forth melodically so that the two really become one person on one piano."

James says that Matsui was an ideal partner on this four-hands project. "Keiko was a dream to work with. There was no way for either one of us to know how we would get along that way, but she is very methodical in the way that she approaches the piano and accurate. So I developed a lot of confidence that I know where and when she's going to arrive on a note, and I try to be the same way with her. In fact, we always challenged each other for accuracy...at the end of every performance, one or the other of us would be depressed because we made the most mistakes. And when you have somebody else that you know is going to be really, really accurate, it motivates you to keep trying to get it better and better so that you don't be the one that brings it down."

MICK JAGGER, JOSS STONE, DAVE STEWART, DAMIAN MARLEY, A.R. RAHMAN - SUPERHEAVY

Mick Jagger has teamed up with Eurythmics founder Dave Stewart, soul singer Joss Stone, Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack composer A.R.Rahman and reggae star Damian Marley to form a band cooperative project called SuperHeavy. This diverse and eclectic line up who share eleven Grammy Awards between them, have been recording together in various studios around the world, with the majority of the tracks on the project laid down over three weeks in Los Angeles earlier this year. The album will be unveiled in September and tracks include the first single `Miracle Worker', plus `One Day One Night', `Energy', `Unbelievable,' `SuperHeavy,' I Can't Take It No More,' `You're Never Gonna Change' and `I Don't Mind.'

SuperHeavy came together after Jagger and Stewart considered what a band comprising of musicians from different genres would sound like. Jagger explains, "Dave really wanted to make a record with a different group of musicians, in other words, with different backgrounds of music. Instead of everyone being a rock musician, or basically a blues musician, or some other genre, he wanted to get as many genres together that would fit. I said it sounds like a good idea, I never thought it would actually happen." Yet soon enough Jagger found himself back in the studio with Stewart and Joss Stone, having previously worked together on the 2004 Alfie movie soundtrack. Stewart says Stone was, "an obvious choice for us. She's such an incredible singer and spirit." Stewart and Jagger's dream team took further shape when they were inspired to bring Damian Marley into the mix, says Stewart, "We'd always wanted a Jamaican musician because Mick and I are crazy about Jamaica and Jamaican music. Stewart has worked with legend Jimmy Cliff while Mick has duetted with Peter Tosh from the Wailers on the Temptations tune "Don't Look Back" in 1978.

We were listening to loads of stuff and suddenly a light bulb went off and we thought about Damian Marley." Jagger had long been a fan of Marley's, fresh from another cross-genre collaboration with American rapper Nas, citing his strength as a lyricist and toaster along with his penchant for experimentation and collaborative spirit. Marley brought on board his rhythm section, bassist and composer Shiah Coore and drummer Courtney Diedrick, while Stewart introduced the band to his long-term collaborator Ann Marie Calhoun, a rock violinist who had previously worked with the Foo Fighters.

Recording in L.A. meant the band's path crossed with legendary Indian composer A.R. Rahman, in the City of Angels fresh from his Slumdog Millionaire Oscar glory. Jagger explains, "We didn't know what kind of music we'd make, we didn't know if it would be any good, but we hoped we'd have fun." They were thrilled to have Rahman on board, Stewart says, "He brings so much musical knowledge, amazing musicianship, melody and singing power from a different culture."

Despite their disparate backgrounds, they instantly connected and hit the ground running, writing twenty-two songs in the first six days. Stone was thrilled with the results, "That's what you need, all these opinionated people who have been brilliant in their own field, shove them together and see what comes out. It's really unexpected, it's mind blowing" she enthuses. Similarly enthused was Rahman, "The first day I was in a daze thinking, `What am I doing? What's my role?' and then slowly we started writing with each other, and it was great. It took me way back to my high school days when I was playing in a rock band, but this one was a real one!" Jagger says of the writing process, "We ran the gamut of all our different styles mixed up, so we got Joss singing, Damian doing toasting, and me singing different styles."

However, despite the free flow of creative juices and the easy rapport they established, getting the band together in one place became very difficult, as Stewart explains, "It's the most complicated record ever made. Imagine, some of it's recorded in LA, some of it's recorded in the South of France, some of it's recorded off the coast of Cyprus, some of it's recorded in Turkey, some of it's recorded in Miami, some of it's recorded in the Caribbean, and some of it's recorded in Chennai, in India."

The project needed a name. Marley had been riffing the term "SuperHeavy", inspired by Muhammad Ali being the super heavy weight champion of the world and the phrase became the band's catchphrase, "It was Mick who said, `Why don't we call it SuperHeavy?", recalls Stewart, "We all thought about it for ages and then it sort of stuck." SuperHeavy is a new and spontaneous way of working for all the collaborators as Jagger explains, "I said to Dave, normally [with the Stones] we'd always have written songs before we go into the studio, but the jam sessions resulted in some great work believes Stone, "It felt better when we were just jamming, that way we made it up as we went along and it was easy."

The band found a harmonious way of working together, "With five of you everyone has to give and take quite a lot. We tried to understand everyone wouldn't be too egotistical, start throwing things around the studio, we wouldn't have fights!" says Jagger. However they weren't averse to telling each other to be better either, Jagger continues, "We were writing a lot of stuff and throwing it away. I would say, `That's rubbish, another cliché Joss', and she'd say, `Well you come up with something then!'" The experience was refreshing and exciting for the band, "We're four vocalists, we've never worked like that before. It's great because the whole burdens not on you, and that made it fun." Jagger enthuses.

Back to that alchemical experiment, Jagger, Stewart, Marley, Rahman and Stone appear to have created a new genre. It's a new kind of music, it's a new genre, one that cannot be placed" says Stone. Yet, Jagger is keen to point out the music is accessible, "It's very approachable. If you're a Rolling Stones fan there's definitely stuff you can relate to. Other stuff that you can't relate to so much, maybe if you listen you'll enjoy it."

A first for Mick Jagger is singing in Urdu, on a song composed by Rahman, entitled "Satyameva Jayate", meaning, "the truth alone triumphs", Rahman wrote the song after some gentle teasing from the others. Rahman explains, "In the daytime I was playing with them, in the night time and evenings I was gigging" "Then", says Jagger, "He didn't come into the studio one day, so I said, `Where's A.R?' and he came in really late at night, really pleased saying, `I've got my song!' I manage one line in Urdu, only one!"

Marley's way of working was different to the rest of the band. Stone reveals, "Damian is kind of quiet but he has some brilliant ideas. He works on stuff at night. Sometimes he'll just go away and sit with the lyrics and bring something to it. His rhythm section brings so much. He has his own thing going in the next room so I pop in and out." Marley would work on toasting over the record by himself and re-join the band when he was happy with it.

As far as the future of SuperHeavy goes, "We haven't planned to do a tour or anything, but if people really like it maybe we will. We'd love to get out and play some of it live," says Jagger humbly. "As soon as we started playing together in the studio it gelled, and all these different styles didn't seem to be a problem to make them fit together... I hope people will like it...."

Main Credits on the SuperHeavy album are - Mick Jagger (vocals, guitar and harmonica), Dave Stewart (guitar), Joss Stone (vocals), Damian Marley (vocals) and A. R. Rahman (vocals plus a variety of keyboards). The SuperHeavy album is co-produced by Jagger & Stewart. Universal Music will release the album worldwide on their A&M label imprint.

The Deluxe version contains 4 bonus tracks. Mick Jagger has teamed up with Eurythmics founder Dave Stewart, soul singer Joss Stone, Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack composer A.R.Rahman and reggae star Damian Marley to form a band cooperative project called SuperHeavy. This diverse and eclectic line up who share eleven Grammy Awards between them, have been recording together in various studios around the world, with the majority of the tracks on the project laid down over three weeks in Los Angeles earlier this year. The album will be unveiled in September and tracks include the first single `Miracle Worker', plus `One Day One Night', `Energy', `Unbelievable,' `SuperHeavy,' I Can't Take It No More,' `You're Never Gonna Change' and `I Don't Mind.'

THE E FAMILY – NOW AND FOREVER

After years of playing on each other’s projects, The E Family came together to produce this ultimate, long overdue and highly anticipated labor of love, Now And Forever. Available in stores on September 20, 2011 on Sheila E’s Stiletto Flats Music through Waterfront Entertainment (Fontana / Universal), Now And Forever pays homage to their collective diversity of styles, influences and experiences.

The E Family is a force with which to be reckoned. Pete Escovedo discovered and cultivated a love and passion for music, embracing Latin jazz and passing it on to his sons and daughters. Pete has performed and toured with Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Bobby McFerrin, Cal Tjader, Woody Herman, Billy Cobham, Boz Scaggs, Anita Baker, Arturo Sandoval, Poncho Sanchez, Carlos Santana, and Chick Corea to name a few. Today, Pete leads one of the country’s top orchestras, performing their own unique brand of Latin jazz. Pete’s daughter, multiple Grammy® and Emmy® nominee Sheila E. for her Outstanding Contribution as Musical Director for Fiesta Latina: A Performance At The White House, is also an impressive drummer, composer, producer and philanthropist, having performed with artists such as Ringo Starr, Prince, Jennifer Lopez, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, George Duke, Placido Domingo, Natalie Cole, Phil Collins, Celine Dion, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder and countless others. Juan Escovedo brings his flavor of R&B to the table, having performed with a roster of noted artists including Patti Labelle, Jodi Watley, Lou Bega, MC Hammer, En Vogue, Herbie Hancock and many more. Youngest son Peter Michael has performed with Mariah Carey, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Nicks, and George Michael, to name a few, and is a talented musical director whose credits include The Martin Short and Wayne Brady television shows, the latter garnering him two Emmy® nominations.

Collectively they are the latest evolution of one of the most amazing musical family dynasties that continues to deliver a colorful and powerful concoction of music to move the body and soothe the soul. The E Family’s new release, Now And Forever‚ is a track collection encompassing a rich range of musical influences, ranging from Latin, Hip Hop, Pop, R&B and Jazz, and features special guest artists Earth Wind & Fire, Gloria Estefan, Joss Stone, Israel Houghton, Raphael Saadiq, George Duke, Wes Quave, and Damon Castillo. It is a must have for a wide range of music lovers.

In celebration of the release of  Now And Forever, The E Family will hold a star-studded album release event on September 20, 2011 at the Conga Room at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles. The event will feature a full performance with the 14-piece band and give fans the opportunity to enjoy the spectacular experience of seeing the family live together on stage. Red carpet arrivals begin at 6:30pm and doors open to the public at 7:00pm. It will be an event not to be missed. Special guests, press information and event details will follow at a later date.

Now And Forever Track Listing:
1.    I Take It Back (featuring Gloria Estefan)
2.    I Like It
3.    Nothing Without You
4.    The Other Half of Me (featuring Joss Stone with Raphael Saadiq and George Duke)
5.    Do What It Do
6.    Peace and Joy (featuring Earth,Wind & Fire)
7.    Praise His Name
8.    Nina
9.    All Around (featuring Israel Houghton)
10.    It’s Gonna Make You Dance
11.    The “J”
12.    Get Out of My Way
13.    Live Percussion Jam

RAMSEY LEWIS, TAKING ANOTHER LOOK

Just like a breath of fresh air comes a brand new album from acclaimed jazz musician and three-time Grammy winner Ramsey Lewis. Lewis’ 80th album release, entitled Ramsey, Taking Another Look is being released on the Los Angeles based Hidden Beach Recordings. The inspiration for Ramsey, Taking Another Look comes from an appearance at The Blue Note jazz club in Tokyo where he was asked if he would consider bringing an electric band. Then his agent suggested the same idea, however, with a more specific focus – and that was to revisit Sun Goddess, his most successful album of the seventies (and his fifth to be certified gold by the RIAA). Soon afterwards came a decision to re-record some old songs where Lewis and his Electric Band breathe new life into many of Lewis’ favorite tunes from the mid-seventies, including a new rendition of the Stevie Wonder penned ‘Living for the City” as well as a new edit of the original “Sun Goddess” recording featuring Earth, Wind & Fire. The ten tracks on the album cover a wide range of emotions but not so much to lose the project’s “concept album” perception. They reveal more than rehashed 1970’s funk. While they don’t “blow the roof off the sucka,” they do win you over with their tender grooves; their fresh vibrant sounds; as well as being breezy, and organic all at the same time. You really need to give it a listen to understand what I am taking about. My personal favorites include the smooth groove sounding rendition of the Stylistics “Betcha By Golly Wow,” Wonders “Living For The City,” “To Know Her,” and ‘Intimacy.” In other words, I love the sound and I guarantee you will too! For Ramsey, the idea of taking another look suggests the liberties he takes with these songs. Rather than turning back the hands of time, his goal is to bring this material into the 21st century for new audiences to enjoy.

Ramsey Lewis on Ramsey, Taking Another Look
‘The idea of the electric quintet came up and having played mostly in an acoustic trio arrangement for 12-15 years, I decided to get together with the guys to see how it felt. The rehearsals went so well that I called in my engineer, Danny Leake and my producer/son, Frayne Lewis to come in and roll tape. I’ve recorded maybe 65-70 albums, and this album is definitely among the top five.”

In support of this upcoming release Ramsey Lewis will be touring into 2012 with a five piece electric band, including Henry Johnson, Tim Gant, Joshua Ramos, and Charles Heath.

“Living for the City” is accompanied by a music video created at Chicago’s Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy, with Film & Broadcast and Recording Arts students taking the lead on production. Featuring an energetic performance by Ramsey Lewis and his Electric Band, the clip celebrates the visual vibrancy of Chicago at night time. Here is the link from Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXphoapoLUY

Composer, pianist and jazz legend Ramsey Lewis has been referred to as “the great performer,” a title reflecting his performance style and musical selections which display his early gospel playing and classical training along with his love of jazz and other musical forms. A native Chicagoan, Lewis represents the great diversity of music for which Chicago is noted. Ramsey Lewis first captivated fans with his first album Ramsey Lewis And The Gentleman Of Swing by the Ramsey Lewis Trio in 1956. By 1965, he was one of the nation’s most successful jazz pianists, topping the charts with “The In Crowd,” “Hang On Sloopy” and “Wade In The Water.” He has won three Grammy Awards and seven gold records to his credit. Often called legendary, Lewis concedes “It’s a high honor when someone says so, but I don’t see myself that way. What keeps me enthusiastic and energizes me, is the realization that the more I learn, the more I find there is to know.”

In addition to recording albums and performing live, Lewis hosted WNUA-FM Chicago’s weekday morning drive-time radio show, “The Ramsey Lewis Morning Show,” from 1997-2009. The syndicated ‘Ramsey Lewis Morning Show” ran from 2007-09, and today he continues to host the syndicated “Legends Of Jazz With Ramsey Lewis,” radio program.

Ramsey, Taking Another Look will be released on September 20, 2011.
Ramsey, Taking Another Look Track Listing:
1. Intimacy
2. Tambura

3. Love Song

4. Living For The City

5. Betcha By Golly Wow

6. To Know Her

7. The Way She Smiles

8. Jungle Strut

9. Sharing Her Journey

10. Sun Goddess

http://www.ramseylewis.com/

NINA SIMONE SINGS THE BLUES

Sings The Blues (1967) is an album by singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone (1933-2003). This was Simone's first album for RCA Records after previously recording for Colpix Records and Philips Records. The album was also reissued in 2006 with bonus tracks, and re-packaged in 1991 by RCA/Novus as a 17-track compilation under the title The Blues. Nina's not just singing the blues here – she's completely reinventing the sound of the format – by drawing on a long tradition of vocal expression, and infusing it with the hipper, more personally exploratory mode she forged in the 60s! The album's got a subtle brilliance that means that it's sometimes overlooked next to her more forceful work of the time, but it's every bit essential Simone as some of her other key sides of the decade. The group is a small combo featuring Eric Gale, Bernard Purdie, Buddy Lucas, and Ernest Hayes – and titles include "I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl", "Do I Move You?", "In The Dark", "Real Real", and "Backlash Blues".  

Sings The Blues Track List:
1. "Do I Move You" (Simone) - 2:46

2. "Day and Night" (Stevenson) - 2:35
3. "(Romance) In the Dark" (Green) - 2:57
4. "Real Real" (Simone) - 2:21
5. "My Man's Gone Now" (Gershwin, Heyward) - 4:16
6. "Backlash Blues" (Hughes, Simone) - 2:31
7. "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl" (Simone) - 2:32
8. "Buck" (Stroud) - 1:52
9. "Since I Fell for You" (Johnson) - 2:52
10. "The House of the Rising Sun" (Traditional) - 3:53
11. "Blues for Mama" (Lincoln, Simone) - 4:00

Bonus tracks for 2006 reissue:
1. "Do I Move You" [alternate version] (Simone) - 2:19
2. "Whatever I Am" (Dixon) - 3:02

Additional tracks appended to the 1991 The Blues:
1. "The Pusher" (Axton) – 4:50
2. "Turn Me On" (Loudermilk) – 2:24
3. "Nobody's Fault But Mine" (Simone) – 2:59
4. "Go to Hell" (Bailey) – 2:46
5. "I Shall Be Released" (Dylan) – 3:51
6. "Gin House Blues" (Henderson, Troy) – 3:08

Personnel

Tracks 1-12

· Nina Simone: vocal, piano

· Eric Gale: guitar

· Rudy Stevenson: guitar

· Ernie Hayes: organ

· Bob Bushnell: bass

· Bernard Purdie: drums, timpani

· Buddy Lucas: harmonica, tenor sax

Track 13

· Nina Simone: vocal, piano

· Eric Gale: guitar

· Everett Barksdale: guitar

· Weldon Irvine: organ

· Richard Tee: organ

· Jerry Jemmott: bass

· probably Bernard Purdie: drums

· Gordon Powell: vibes, percussion

· Montego Joe: percussion

· George Devens: percussion

· Joe Shepley, Jimmy Nottingham, Harold Johnson, Wilbur Bascomb: trumpets

· Jimmy Cleveland, Richard Harris: trombones

· Seldon Powell, George Coleman, Norris Turney, Haywood Henry: saxophones

· Ralph H. Fields, Eileen Gilbert, Jerome Graff, Milt Grayson, Hilda Harris, Noah Hopkins, Maeretha Stewart, Barbara Webb: vocals

· Arranged and conducted by Weldon Irvine

JESSY J - HOT SAUCE

More than just another pretty face, Jessy J has worked diligently to achieve recognition for her finely honed chops, songwriting skills and a strong sense of originality. Jessy was born in Portland, Oregon, she's played the saxophone for over 20 years. An accomplished singer and dancer, she sang background vocals for Michael Bolton, played with the Henry Mancini Jazz Orchestra and performed in the off-Broadway production of Blast! She's also done studio work with Michael Bublé, Seal, the Temptations, Jessica Simpson, Michael Bolton and Mexico's pop diva Gloria Trevi. Jessy's success is the product of a lot of hard work and a never ending focus on accomplishing her goals. "I still practice every day," she says. "I love to play music because my spirit feels at peace. I dreamed of playing music as a child and now music is my life."

Jessy J's new album, Hot Sauce, is a special blend of ten fiery tunes and is seasoned with authentic Latin zing and packed with real jazz flavor. The accomplished saxophonist/singer/composer's third album spotlights her collaborations with some of today's most prominent contemporary jazz musicians, including guitarists Paul Brown and Ray Parker Jr, keyboardists Joe Sample and Gregg Karukas, and drummer Harvey Mason of Fourplay. Hot Sauce showcases eight originals - from mild to wild - along with adventurous new arrangements of Francis Anthony `Eg' White's pop hit "Leave Right Now" and Duke Ellington's jazz classic "In a Sentimental Mood." Jessy returned to the studio with mentor and Grammy® winning hitmaker Paul Brown, who produced her acclaimed 2009 release, True Love. In addition to handling production duties, Brown co-writes and performs on the album. "I first met Paul in 2006, and we have a strong friendship," says Jessy. "Paul brings the best out in me. Our collaborations are highly productive, and they always sound amazing." Drawing on a wealth of influences, Hot Sauce combines jazz with Latin rhythms and spotlights Jessy's stylish vocals and lush, sultry saxophone playing. "My previous recording, True Love, was an instrumental pop album," she says. "This time I had a chance to work with some legendary musicians, and I believe I was able to show my growth as an artist." Jessy also embraces her Latin heritage on her new album. The mellow ballad "Rio Grande" displays the best of this seductive and alluring style. "My mom is from Texas, and my dad is from Sinaloa, Mexico," she says. "I'm really proud to be a Latina role model. It's such a rich culture, and I have an affinity to music from both sides of the border."

THE ESSENCE OF SONNY ROLLINS

Theodore Walter Rollins was born on September 7, 1930 in New York City. He grew up in Harlem not far from the Savoy Ballroom, the Apollo Theatre, and the doorstep of his idol, Coleman Hawkins. After early discovery of Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong, he started out on alto saxophone, inspired by Louis Jordan. At the age of sixteen, he switched to tenor, trying to emulate Hawkins. He also fell under the spell of the musical revolution that surrounded him, Bebop. He began to follow Charlie Parker, and soon came under the wing of Thelonious Monk, who became his musical mentor and guru. Living in Sugar Hill, his neighborhood musical peers included Jackie McLean, Kenny Drew and Art Taylor, but it was young Sonny who was first out of the pack, working and recording with Babs Gonzales, J.J. Johnson, Bud Powell and Miles Davis before he turned twenty.

"Of course, these people are there to be called on because I think I represent them in a way," Rollins said recently of his peers and mentors. "They're not here now so I feel like I'm sort of representing all of them, all of the guys. Remember, I'm one of the last guys left, as I'm constantly being told, so I feel a holy obligation sometimes to evoke these people." In the early fifties, he established a reputation first among musicians, then the public, as the most brash and creative young tenor on the scene, through his work with Miles, Monk, and the MJQ. Miles Davis was an early Sonny Rollins fan and in his autobiography wrote that he "began to hang out with Sonny Rollins and his Sugar Hill Harlem crowd...anyway, Sonny had a big reputation among a lot of the younger musicians in Harlem. People loved Sonny Rollins up in Harlem and everywhere else. He was a legend, almost a god to a lot of the younger musicians. Some thought he was playing the saxophone on the level of Bird. I know one thing--he was close. He was an aggressive, innovative player who always had fresh musical ideas. I loved him back then as a player and he could also write his ass off..."

Sonny moved to Chicago for a few years to remove himself from the surrounding elements of negativity around the Jazz scene. He reemerged at the end of 1955 as a member of the Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet, with an even more authoritative presence. His trademarks became a caustic, often humorous style of melodic invention, a command of everything from the most arcane ballads to calypsos, and an overriding logic in his playing that found him hailed for models of thematic improvisation. It was during this time that Sonny acquired a nickname, "Newk." As Miles Davis explained in his autobiography: "Sonny had just got back from playing a gig out in Chicago. He knew Bird, and Bird really liked Sonny, or "Newk" as we called him, because he looked like the Brooklyn Dodgers' pitcher Don Newcombe. One day, me and Sonny were in a cab...when the white cabdriver turned around and looked at Sonny and said, `Damn, you're Don Newcombe!'' Man, the guy was totally excited. I was amazed, because I hadn't thought about it before. We just put that cabdriver on something terrible. Sonny started talking about what kind of pitches he was going to throw Stan Musial, the great hitter for the St. Louis Cardinals, that evening..."

In 1956, Sonny began recording the first of a series of landmark recordings issued under his own name: Valse Hot introduced the practice, now common, of playing bop in 3/4 meter; St. Thomas initiated his explorations of calypso patterns; and Blue 7 was hailed by Gunther Schuller as demonstrating a new manner of "thematic improvisation," in which the soloist develops motifs extracted from his theme. Way Out West (1957), Rollins's first album using a trio of saxophone, double bass, and drums, offered a solution to his longstanding difficulties with incompatible pianists, and exemplified his witty ability to improvise on hackneyed material (Wagon Wheels, I'm an Old Cowhand). It Could Happen to You (also 1957) was the first in a long series of unaccompanied solo recordings, and The Freedom Suite (1958) foreshadowed the political stances taken in jazz in the 1960s. During the years 1956 to 1958 Rollins was widely regarded as the most talented and innovative tenor saxophonist in jazz. Rollins's first examples of the unaccompanied solo playing that would become a specialty also appeared in this period; yet the perpetually dissatisfied saxophonist questioned the acclaim his music was attracting, and between 1959 and late `61 withdrew from public performance.

Sonny remembers that he took his leave of absence from the scene because "I was getting very famous at the time and I felt I needed to brush up on various aspects of my craft. I felt I was getting too much, too soon, so I said, wait a minute, I'm going to do it my way. I wasn't going to let people push me out there, so I could fall down. I wanted to get myself together, on my own. I used to practice on the Bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge because I was living on the Lower East Side at the time."

When he returned to action in early `62, his first recording was appropriately titled The Bridge. By the mid 60's, his live sets became grand, marathon stream-of-consciousness solos where he would call forth melodies from his encyclopedic knowledge of popular songs, including startling segues and sometimes barely visiting one theme before surging into dazzling variations upon the next. Rollins was brilliant, yet restless. The period between 1962 and `66 saw him returning to action and striking productive relationships with Jim Hall, Don Cherry, Paul Bley, and his idol Hawkins, yet he grew dissatisfied with the music business once again and started yet another sabbatical in `66. "I was getting into eastern religions," he remembers. "I've always been my own man. I've always done, tried to do, what I wanted to do for myself. So these are things I wanted to do. I wanted to go on the Bridge. I wanted to get into religion. But also, the Jazz music business is always bad. It's never good. So that led me to stop playing in public for a while, again. During the second sabbatical, I worked in Japan a little bit, and went to India after that and spent a lot of time in a monastery. I resurfaced in the early 70s, and made my first record in `72. I took some time off to get myself together and I think it's a good thing for anybody to do."

In 1972, with the encouragement and support of his wife Lucille, who had become his business manager, Rollins returned to performing and recording, signing with Milestone and releasing Next Album. (Working at first with Orrin Keepnews, Sonny was by the early ’80s producing his own Milestone sessions with Lucille.) His lengthy association with the Berkeley-based label produced two dozen albums in various settings – from his working groups to all-star ensembles (Tommy Flanagan, Jack DeJohnette, Stanley Clarke, Tony Williams); from a solo recital to tour recordings with the Milestone Jazzstars (Ron Carter, McCoy Tyner); in the studio and on the concert stage (Montreux, San Francisco, New York, Boston). Sonny was also the subject of a mid-’80s documentary by Robert Mugge entitled Saxophone Colossus; part of its soundtrack is available as G-Man.

He won his first performance Grammy for This Is What I Do (2000), and his second for 2004’s Without a Song (The 9/11 Concert), in the Best Jazz Instrumental Solo category (for “Why Was I Born”). In addition, Sonny received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2004. In June 2006 Rollins was inducted into the Academy of Achievement – and gave a solo performance – at the International Achievement Summit in Los Angeles. The event was hosted by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and attended by world leaders as well as distinguished figures in the arts and sciences. Rollins was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art, First Class, in November 2009. The award is one of Austria’s highest honors, given to leading international figures for distinguished achievements. The only other American artists who have received this recognition are Frank Sinatra and Jessye Norman.

In 2010 on the eve of his 80th birthday, Sonny Rollins is one of 229 leaders in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts, business, and public affairs who have been elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. A center for independent policy research, the Academy is among the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies and celebrates the 230th anniversary of its founding this year. “I am convinced that all art has the desire to leave the ordinary,” Rollins said in a recent interview for the Catalan magazine Jaç, “and to say it one way, at a spiritual level, a state of the exaltation at existence. All art has this in common. But jazz, the world of improvisation, is perhaps the highest, because we do not have the opportunity to make changes. It’s as if we were painting before the public, and the following morning we cannot go back and correct that blue color or change that red. We have to have the blues and reds very well placed before going out to play. So for me, jazz is probably the most demanding art.”

And Sonny Rollins – seeker and grand master – is jazz’s most exacting, exhilarating, and inspiring practitioner.

GINA CAREY - MELODIC

Palm Springs, California based soul artist Gina Carey has recently climbed to the #1 spot of Starpoint Radios’ Top 30 UK Soul Charts with her new CD release Melodic, this has not been achieved since her first Urban Gospel release In His Time in 1996. On July 7, 2011, her Album Melodic entered the UK Soul Charts at #27 and steadily climbed each week until she hit the #1 spot. “Unbelievable”, “Don’t Ever Let Me Go”,” Red Hat”,” Without You”, and “Share My Life” were amongst the most popular DJ choices. Melodic was officially released on June 18, 2011. All songs were written, composed and arranged by Gina except for “Without You and Don’t Ever Let Me Go”. Those songs were written by her husband and label mate Gico Music’s Smooth Jazz/ Urban Soul Guitarist John Carey. John also produced Melodic and is the featured lead guitarist on all of her songs. Chicago /Inglewood Native, Gina Carey began her professional career as a Urban Gospel singer and songwriter. Her first three albums, In His Time, Changes  and Tell Um were all Gospel projects. Shortly after her last Gospel release, in 2006, Gina won "Best Gospel Performer - Female" at the Las Vegas Black Music Awards. Her fourth and fifth CD’s My Journey and Melodic were released in the Urban /Soul music Genre. In 2008 her "True Love" music video from her My Journey CD aired on BET J on the "Morning Cup Show." Gina is planning on touring the UK along with her husband John Carey in 2012. They are also working on a duo CD that is due to be released in January of 2012.