CHRISTIAN McBRIDE – CONVERSATIONS WITH CHRISTIAN

On his eight CDs that precede Conversations With Christian, bassist Christian McBride has framed himself in ensemble contexts, most recently on the widely lauded 2009 Mack Avenue release Kind of Brown, which showcases the Inside Straight quintet (his return to the acoustic jazz format as a leader) and The Good Feeling, released in September, comprising a suite of well-wrought charts for an A-list 17-piece big band.

Although McBride's leader and sideman c.v. includes no small number of pungent duos with various game-changers-to name two, McCoy Tyner and Jim Hall-he has heretofore refrained from devoting an entire recording to the genre. That discographical gap is now rectified with Conversations with Christian, on which the 39-year-old maestro places himself in the forefront of the flow on a duet apiece with "13 of my closest musical friends and cohorts"-singers Angélique Kidjo, Sting and Dee Dee Bridgewater; pianists George Duke, Eddie Palmieri and Chick Corea, as well as Dr. Billy Taylor and Hank Jones (who both passed away in 2010); violinist Regina Carter; trumpeter Roy Hargrove; guitarist Russell Malone; tenor saxophonist Ron Blake; and actress Gina Gershon. In the process, McBride unleashes the full measure of his already legendary skills, crafting as complete a portrait of his diverse interests-different vibrations of the blues and African-American church experience, bebop, the American Songbook, the Latin Tinge, the Freedom Principle, even comedy-as he has ever presented.

"I love and appreciate so many different styles and cultures," he remarks. "Changing hats, going from one project to another, from a straight-ahead session to an R&B session to a pop session, has always fueled my activity. I try to put all those different sounds into one pot and make it a coherent, jazz-inflected sound."

McBride first considered a proposal to do a duet project during the latter '90s, when he was signed to Verve. "At the time," he recalls, "I didn't feel I was ready, or that it was the project I wanted to do. I had other things in mind. But as time progressed, I got to do other projects-putting together the Christian McBride Band and experimenting with a lot of different sounds and layers-and my focus returned to the duets idea."

This renewed interest coincided with McBride's involvement with the National Jazz Museum In Harlem (he is co-director), where he launched a still ongoing series of public talks and interviews. "My manager, Andre Guess, and my wife, Melissa Walker, noticed that I had a good rapport with almost everyone I interviewed," recalls McBride, whose warmth comes through as palpably in conversation as in notes and tones. "They both suggested that it might be time."

In conjunction with the project, McBride conducted videotaped interviews with each participant. Available as discrete podcasts since 2009, this series eventually led to the popular Sirius-XM radio show, The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian.

"I think the duet is a logical extension of the nature of the bass itself," McBride says. "It's the root. Joe Zawinul once stated that the drums are the father of all music, and the bass is the mother. I had a hard time disagreeing. The bass has the rhythm and the pulse, and also the notes and harmonies. That would seem to make it the ideal instrument for any sort of duet."

If the bass is the ideal instrument to perform the duo function, McBride would seem to be its ideal practitioner. He immersed himself in the genre directly after arriving in New York City from Philadelphia, his hometown, in 1989. Then 17, just out of high school, he entered the rarefied atmosphere of such New York piano saloons as Bradley's, the Knickerbocker and the Village Gate, learning the tools of the trade on drummer-less gigs with such elder masters as Larry Willis, John Hicks and George Cables.

"Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, and Oscar Pettiford were my main favorite bass soloists, plus Jaco Pastorius on the electric side," McBride says. "Their articulation was so clean and so sharp, and you wondered why all bass players didn't play with that clarity. It seemed to me that musicians across the board were learning the language of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane and more modern geniuses like Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson, and that as a bassist I should also learn that language. With the exception of a few people, most bass solos I heard seemed a little uncertain and ambiguous, and I didn't buy that the reason was the instrument's frequency. I wanted every single, solitary note I was playing on the bass to be as crystal clear, as articulate and precise, as any other instrument, while still keeping the full tone.

Such formative experiences, as well as extended tours with "arena" acts like Pat Metheny, Chick Corea and Sting, many years playing with the drummer-less three-bass unit Super Bass with Ray Brown and John Clayton, and consequential engagements with pop icons like James Brown, Queen Latifah and The Roots, gave McBride the confidence to eschew the original material that he "had ready for almost all of the duets." He realized that, "since everything is exposed in a duet, my partner should be as comfortable as humanly possible, whether it meant doing a song of theirs or some mutually-agreed upon standard. I knew that I could feel comfortable with just about anything."

McBride transcends the challenge, crafting one eyebrow-raising solo after another, and conjuring a lexicon of apropos, state-of-the-art bass-lines. On Kidjo's anthemic "Afirika," which opens the proceedings, he adapts the band arrangement into a surging, metrically complex bass part, rendered with the huge sound that is his trademark, complementing to perfection the Beninoise diva's over-the-barline phrasing. Later, with Sting on the 1985 hit "Consider Me Gone" from the film Bring on the Night, he sets up a gentle 4/4 vamp to blanket and complement the singer's keening tenor and self-comping guitar; still later, he signifies with good-humored, "filthy" expertise to Dee Dee Bridgewater's lusty interpretation of "It's Your Thing" by the Isley Brothers.

Observe the intense, contemplative mood that McBride's arco introduction sets for "Spiritual," a late-in-life composition by Dr. Billy Taylor; his comfort zone swinging through the changes on songbook standards "Alone Together" (Hank Jones) and "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" (Roy Hargrove); the soulfulness he imparts to his own "Sister Rosa" (Russell Malone) and up-tempo "McDukey Blues" (George Duke). He surefootedly explores the open spaces with Chick Corea on "Tango Improvisation," a spur-of-the-moment creation, and finds a path into Eddie Palmieri's singularly Afro-Caribbean universe on "Guajeo Y Tumbao." On "Fat Bach and Greens," he and Regina Carter morph seamlessly from a well-wrought reading of Johann Sebastian Bach's Double Violin Concerto into extemporaneous highbrow back-and-forth on the blues, while on "Shake 'n Blake" he engages in informed variations on rhythm changes with tenor saxophonist Ron Blake, his long-time partner.

The operative principle throughout is McBride's dictum, "Most of what I enjoy doing is based in, around, and upon the groove; I want to hold down the fort-but have the ability to visit the roof if I want." Conversations With Christian will assume its place as a masterpiece of the duo idiom.

Christian McBride · Conversations With Christian
Mack Avenue Records · Release Date: November 8, 2011
christianmcbride.com

WALTER MCCARTY - EMOTIONALLY

Former NBA Star Walter McCarty is about to turn the heat up with sultry smooth music from his sophomore effort Emotionally. The album includes ten passionate cuts with most of the selections written, produced and performed by McCarty. Also on the album is a cover version of “How Deep is Your Love,” from the Bee Gees. The album has a variety of smooth soul, R&B and jazz influences. The album is on Hit Boys Entertainment and is presently available in all digital downloading sites. A native of Evansville, Indiana, Walter is famous for drilling 3-Pointers from the corner. He has played for The New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers. His NBA career lasted for a decade and he was an assistant coach for The Pacers as recent as last year. Music was a great balance for him throughout his NBA career. Being involved in this career provided the means for him to invest time in learning to play the piano and creating music tracks. However, music was always an important part in Walter’s early life. Walter started singing in church around the age of five and he participated in musical activities through middle school all the way to high school. His major influences are Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, and during heyday of Boys II Men and Jodeci, he was inspired to pursue music with every chance he had.

Over the years Walter has worked with numerous industry insiders, including the hit-making production team The Underdogs, R&B singer/songwriter Tank and co-writing on such songs as “Come Back To Me Shawty,” performed by Tyrese. After honing his songwriting style on the Los Angeles music scene, Walter returned to do his own projects with renewed focus. “I’m so fortunate to have this platform to express all the things that I’ve experienced and put them into song. All I’ve ever wanted to do is perform and be heard musically”. Emotionally is a testament to Walter’s emergence of reconnecting with his first love, which is music. He contends that this album will be pleasing to everyone who listens to it regardless of what genre of music they like and it makes a great gift to share with others for the upcoming holiday season.

www.waltermccarty.com/#all

ADELE CANCELS U.S. TOUR

Adele has been forced to cancel her upcoming 10 city sold-out tour of the U.S. due to a hemorrhage into her vocal chord. Vocal chord issues forced the British singer to postpone dates earlier this year as well. Adele has just wrapped up touring around the UK and was preparing to kick off her US tour on October 7 in Atlantic City, NJ when her illness reappeared (see below for full list of cancelled US tour dates). Renowned for her powerful live vocal performances, Adele has been advised by doctors that she'll need an extended rest period in order to begin to recuperate properly. Further details to follow regarding these cancelled dates. Refunds may be obtained at point of purchase. Adele recently posted the following on her site about the cancellations: "Singing is literally my life, it's my hobby, my love, my freedom and now my job. I have absolutely no choice but to recuperate properly and fully, or I risk damaging my voice forever. I have great confidence in believing you know how much this upsets me, how seriously I take it and how truly devastated and annoyed I am by this. wanting to do something so bad and not being able to is the most frustrating thing as I'm sure you know! my voice is weak and I need to build it back up. I'm gonna be starting up vocal rehab as soon as, and start building my over all stamina in my voice, body and mind. i will be back and I'm gonna smash the ball out the park once I'm touring again. I apologise from the bottom of my heart, sincerely I do. I know its not only disappointing because of the show, but it's plane tickets, hotel bookings, birthdays, anniversaries and time wasted. but please have faith in me that this is the only thing I can do to make sure I can always sing and always make music for you to the best of my ability. truly yours and yours only forever, 'Adele xx "

October 7 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Spa & Resort

October 8 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center

October 10 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium

October 11 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

October 13 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live

October 14 Miami, FL Waterfront Theater at American Airlines Arena

October 16 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre

October 18 Spring, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

October 19 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center

October 21 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie

http://www.adele.tv/

http://www.columbiarecords.com/

MONTY ALEXANDER –HARLEM-KINGSTON EXPRESS

In a career spanning five decades, pianist Monty Alexander has distinctively bridged the worlds of jazz, popular song, and the music of his native Jamaica. With over 70 albums to his name, Alexander celebrates his 50th year in music with his newest release - Monty Alexander: Harlem-Kingston Express: Live, his debut on the innovative Motéma label. The album presents Alexander's most 'reggaefied' touring group yet, which for past few years has defined a bold new chapter in his life-long journey of uniting jazz with reggae and a wide array of other Island musical idioms that he holds dear.

Alexander has been on the express track his whole life and now, in this 50th year of phenomenal musicianship, he shows no sign of slowing down. In 1961, the urban sophistication of jazz and the American songbook, and an invitation to accompany none other than Frank Sinatra, lured the teen prodigy Alexander away from Jamaica and the art form most associated with that nation. The move led to an extraordinary career in jazz, reggae and popular song including collaboration with greats such as Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Bill Cosby and Bobby McFerrin.

Though for a long while, Alexander left behind the down-home, one-love spirit of Island music, through the years - encouraged in part by the emergence of reggae as an international force - he began incorporating Jamaican references into his jazz performances, eventually recording several Bob Marley songbook reggae focused projects in the 1990s. Those efforts involved bringing Jamaican melodic themes into a jazz context, as opposed to reaching for an authentic reggae sound.  He has also recorded several specifically reggae focused projects, but this is the first recording to fully incorporate the 'Full Monty' spectrum from authentic jazz to authentic reggae and all of the shadings in between.

Though his widest reputation is as a jazz artist, Alexander actually grew up deep inside the Jamaican "yard" movement. His first band, "Monty and The Cyclones," was focused on native Jamaican music (mento, ska and R&B and his performances can be heard on seminal reggae recordings from Federal Recording Studio (that later launched the careers of Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley, among others). To this day, 'Commander 'Zander' [as his reggae mates have called him since the Jamaican government bestowed the national honor of "Commander in the Order of Distinction" upon him in 2000]  - maintains close ties with top figures in the genre, including Ernest Ranglin, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, as well as distinguished producers such as Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd and Duke Reid as well as Island records impresario, Chris Blackwell.

 With Harlem-Kingston Express: Live, Alexander returns to his roots, extending all the way into reggae dance-hall territory, while also utilizing the full spectrum of jazz composition and performance that has earned him his moniker as a legend of jazz. A photo of his stage set up in the centerfold of the CD booklet reveals the secret to his new sound: On his left sits "Harlem," a traditional jazz rhythm section featuring Obed Calvaire on drums, Hassan Shakur on acoustic bass, and Yotam Silberstein on guitar; and on his right sits "Kingston," a roots-rock posse featuring the seasoned reggae artists, Karl Wright on drums, Hoova Simpson on electric bass, Andy Bassford on electric skank guitar and Alexander's long-time compadre, Robert "Bobby T" Thomas on hand drums, stretching out across center stage with a dance-hall worthy percussion arsenal. In the middle of these two units sits "Commander 'Zander" happily at the helm, 'driving' his piano and swinging the sound seamlessly from jazz quartet to reggae five-some to nine-piece fusion and back again throughout the night according to his musical whim and design.

Alexander's infectious joy of performing reaches yet a new height in this new configuration.  "It was a while before I said [to myself], 'If I want to do this music and [be free to] pick from the whole palette - everything from my own piece to Duke Ellington, to Bob Marley - then I need to bring two rhythm sections together,'" explains Alexander. "That way, it all can be available to me, whatever I feel, the whole time. Because I feel American and I feel Jamaican, and the rhythms that come from the street and the country in America are just as meaningful to me as the vibrations that come from Jamaica. It's like, [my] left hand and [my] right hand."

Monty's Harlem-Kingston Express band configuration is an international crowd-pleaser, as can be heard from the robust and spontaneous applause outbursts peppering the proceedings on this release consisting of tracks drawn from live performances in five countries - U.S., Jamaica, France, Germany, and Holland - over the course of four years (2006 through 2010), and seamlessly assembled into a 'one world' traveling concert that reflects not only Alexander's life experience, but also his life philosophy. The majority of the album was recorded live during the group's triumphant week at New York City's Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola (Jazz At Lincoln Center) in June 2010. The Wall Street Journal's Pia Catton hailed that engagement as "an outrageously good time," and later published the performance as number one on his "Top Five" list of favorite New York concerts of that Summer.

Motéma label founder and president Jana Herzen, (a long-time reggae fan who once played professionally in the genre) also caught Alexander at Dizzy's and loved the show. It was Todd Barkan - the distinguished producer, presenter and Dizzy's Artistic Director - who introduced Herzen to Alexander and suggested that Motéma would be a perfect home for Alexander's Harlem-Kingston Express: Live disc.

Says Herzen of the signing, "This is a quintessential 'Motéma' project: it's unique, it bridges cultures and generations, and Monty is a musical genius with an ultimate 'feel-good', vibe." Herzen's label, named after an African word meaning both 'heart' & 'love,' especially selects artists like Alexander who have a distinctive artistic voice and a commitment to positivity." The campaign for this project is aimed at helping Monty expand his touring circuit into world music and jam-band territory."

WAYNE SHORTER – THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA ALBUMS COLLECTION

Columbia’s complete collections release series continues with the best of Wayne Shorter’s electric era all in one bundle. Included are 4 original albums plus two bonus discs. Each individual album is packaged in a replica mini-slleve reproducing the album’s original art, and it covers nearly 20 years of his greatest electric solo and co-leader performances of his own songs. It’s the most complete package to date of Wayne Shorter’s Columbia albums. Enigmatic, often inscrutable, Wayne Shorter (b. 1933) doesn’t give much of himself away to the public. Thankfully, he’s given the world more than plenty in terms of beautiful music.  A brilliant tenor and soprano saxophonist, an outstanding composer, and, at present, a bandleader of rare distinction, Shorter is finally basking in the adoration he’s long deserved.

 

The journey started in Newark, New Jersey where Shorter began drawing attention to his musical prowess as a teenager.  His five year stint, starting in 1959, with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers alerted the jazz world to Shorter’s compelling voice on the tenor saxophone and his beguiling compositions.  On joining Miles Davis in 1964, Shorter solidified what came to be called “The Second Great Quintet,” alongside the trumpeter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams.  Shorter’s tunes – “Footprints,” "E.S.P.", and "Nefertiti" among them – and his alluringly elliptical playing were decisive elements in the critical success of the Davis band.  Shorter’s own concurrently released albums as a leader have proved to be just as inspiring to subsequent generations of players as his work with Davis.

 

With Davis’s initial fusion foray, In a Silent Way, Shorter turned to the soprano saxophone, instantly cementing a new and highly influential voice on the instrument. After participating on the epochal Bitches Brew, Shorter joined forces with Joe Zawinul, forming Weather Report. Increasing commercial success, particularly after the innovative bassist Jaco Pastorius joined, marked the fusion super group’s notable fifteen-year run. Shorter’s own Native Dancer (1974), effectively introduced North American audiences to singer and composer Milton Nascimento.

 

With the dissolution of Weather Report in 1985, Shorter, the musician, was on his own for the first time. His albums Atlantis, Phantom Navigator and Joy Ryder found him delving deeper into extended composition while continuing to investigate electric fusion. Approaching his eighth decade, Shorter reverted to an acoustic setting once more, forming a highly lauded quartet noted for its risky improvisational ethos. Shorter remains what Hancock dubbed him: “the master.”

• Includes the long unavailable albums -- Atlantis, Phantom Navigator , and Joy Ryder
• Two unique bonus discs featuring Shorter performing all of the compositions he wrote for the premiere jazz/fusion band Weather Report -- 23 tunes , 90 minutes of music 
• Plus his all-time best-selling solo album, Native Dancer, with Brazilian superstar Milton Nascimento 
• Nearly 20 years of his greatest electric solo and co-leader performances of his own songs

 Albums Included:

• New bonus disc -  Weather Report Recordings of Wayne Shorter Compositions 1
• New bonus disc -  Weather Report Recordings of Wayne Shorter Compositions 2
• Native Dancer w/ Milton Nascimento (1974)
• Atlantis (1985)
• Phantom Navigator (1986)
• Joy Ryder (1988)

ROBERT FLACK TO RECORD BEATLES TRIBUTE ALBUM

Roberta Flack, the four-time Grammy Award-winning artist, has long been known as an unparalleled musician who effortlessly inhabits the worlds of pop, soul, R&B, jazz and folk.  From her very first recording, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" which hit #1 in the U.S. across all charts, Flack has created strong emotional bonds with her listeners through her poignant musicality and unerring stylizations while also shining an uncompromising light onto the culture and politics of the times.  Back in the spotlight after performing a memorable duet with Maxwell at the 2010 Grammy Awards, Flack is putting the finishing touches on her new album—her first in over 8 years.  Newly signed to a partnership of 429 Records, Sony ATV Music Publishing and Flack's RAS Records, the album, which was produced by Sherrod Barnes, who has also produced Beyonce and Angie Stone, with contributing producers Jerry Barnes and Barry Miles, is slated for early February 2012 release worldwide (Sony Music will release the album in Japan).  A single from the collection will be released this month—her interpretation of "We Can Work It Out".  The single will be available worldwide September 27th exclusively at iTunes.

Since bursting onto the scene in 1969 with the blockbuster album "First Take" (produced by the legendary Joel Dorn), she's followed her fiercely uncompromising lyrical and musical muses earning her a place alongside pioneering artists such as Aretha Franklin, Elton John, and Nina Simone.  A multiple Grammy winner, she is the only artist along with U2 to win "Record of the Year" in consecutive years (for "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly").  Although she's taken some time between recordings, she's never stopped performing having constantly toured worldwide.  Flack, a national treasure, gives her time freely to a host of charitable and humanitarian causes--among them, the ASPCA (spokesperson of the year for 2011) and the Roberta Flack School of Music in Bronx, NY (which she founded in 2006).

Says Roberta:  "My passion for this project comes from the magical genius of the greatest songwriters of all time.  Love, inspiration, friendship and my own life's lessons come together when I sing the songs they created.  I am honored to be a part of the fabulous legacy of the Beatles."

Says Steve Vining, President of 429 Records/Savoy Label Group: "It's rare that a record project has so much going for it—a legendary, Grammy Award-winning vocalist, the most recognized songs in our lifetimes, a gifted production team and the combined support of Sony/ATV, SLG/429 and our distribution partners world-wide.  We're honored Roberta and Danny have placed their faith in our team and we all are looking forward to spreading the word about this truly extraordinary recording."Says Danny Strick, Co-President of Sony/ATV Music Publishing: "To hear Roberta Flack's unique interpretations of some of the most important songs in pop culture is wonderful.  We are very excited to be working with Steve Vining and the Savoy team as we expose these wonderful recordings to lovers of music around the world."

ORIGINAL JAZZ CLASSICS REMASTERED

Concord Music Group has released six new titles in the Original Jazz Classics Remasters each enhanced by 24-bit remastering by Joe Tarantino, generous helpings of bonus tracks (many of them previously unreleased), and new liner notes that provide historical and technical context, the series showcases some of the most pivotal recordings of the past several decades by artists whose influences on the jazz tradition is beyond measure. “These six releases bring us to 20 titles altogether since the launch of the series in March 2010, ” says Nick Phillips, Vice President of Catalog and Jazz A&R at Concord Music Group and producer of the series. “Each occupies an important place in any quality jazz collection.”

Chet Baker: In New York

Recorded in September 1958 for Riverside, Chet Baker’s In New York features saxophonist Johnny Griffin, pianist Al Haig, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones. In addition to the half-dozen tracks from the original album, the reissue includes a bonus seventh track — “Soft Winds, ” a blues composition written by Benny Goodman and Fletcher Henderson. The recording provides a glimpse of the trumpeter “coming off a run of popularity, critical praise, and commercial success the likes of which few musicians have known, ” according to the new liner notes by Doug Ramsey. By the late ’50s, Baker had won numerous awards throughout the decade for his instrumental work, and was even regarded as a romantic idol for his singing. “Baker had been somewhat pigeonholed as a West Coast cool jazz artist, “ says Phillips, “but this recording illustrates that he was right at home playing with New York musicians — who dealt with their own stereotype of being harder edged and more aggressive. On this recording, they all seem to meet effortlessly somewhere in the middle.” Of the ongoing tug-of-war between Baker’s artistic successes and his personal battles with substance abuse, Ramsey adds: “It will be a long time before Chet’s struggles with his demon are forgotten, but one day when the headlines have finally disappeared, the beauty of his music will still be shimmering in the air.”

Ornette Coleman: Something Else!!!

Recorded at Contemporary’s studios in Los Angeles in February and March 1958, Ornette Coleman’s Something Else!!! features Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Walter Norris on piano, Don Payne on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. The first of two albums that Coleman recorded for Contemporary, Something Else!!! marks the saxophonist’s debut as a leader. “He was a very influential but at times controversial artist, ” says Phillips. “Right out of the gate he was doing something that was just so different from what people were used to hearing, ” says Phillips. ”Although structurally-speaking, the music in this recording is based on established song forms, you can hear very clearly that Coleman is starting to break free of the limitations of conventional harmony.” Neil Tesser writes in his new liner notes that Coleman traced jazz back to its roots to rid the music of its increasingly elaborate harmonic structures and other constraints. “Without the limitations imposed by such harmonic patterns, his band would freely travel into, out of, and between musical keys, ” says Tesser. “As Ornette said in the original notes, ‘I think one day music will be a lot freer. The pattern for a tune, for instance, will be forgotten and the tune itself will be the pattern . . .’ When he recorded Something Else!!! that day was still a little ways off. In these performances, you hear him in the last throes of unshackling the past.”

Thelonious Monk: Thelonious Alone in San Francisco

Recorded on Riverside in October 1959, Thelonious Alone in San Francisco was a sequel of sorts to Thelonious Himself, recorded two years earlier. In addition to the album’s 10 original tracks, the reissue includes an alternate take of “There’s Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie.” “With Thelonious Alone in San Francisco, Monk proved that his earlier success as a solo artist was not a fluke, ” says Tesser in his liner notes for the reissue. “And in rejecting all the ‘rules’ for playing without accompaniment — as he’d rejected so many rules before — Monk expanded the entire concept of the solo piano idiom. Without Monk’s recordings as bedrock, it’s hard to imagine similarly intimate (though otherwise quite different) solo albums that would eventually come from Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea or even McCoy Tyner.” For as unique as Monk’s style was, “he stayed pretty consistently within that style throughout the remainder of his career, ” says Phillips. “That’s not to imply that there was any lack of creativity on his part. Within the unique style that he established, there was so much to explore and develop. But he still sounds unmistakably like Thelonious Monk, no matter what chapter of his career you listen to.”

Cannonball Adderley with Bill Evans: Know What I Mean?

Know What I Mean? was recorded between January and March 1961, with bassist Percy Heath and drummer Connie Kay supporting the saxophonist and pianist. The reissue includes three bonus tracks that are alternate takes of “Who Cares?, ” “Toy” (previously unreleased), and “Know What I Mean?”. “This album takes two artists who were part of the legendary, historic 1958 Miles Davis Sextet and pairs them together, ” says Phillips. “The modal approach that Evans was pioneering in the context of that 1958 group reveals itself in some of the material that he and Cannonball are playing on this album.” Orrin Keepnews, who produced the original recording sessions, writes in his new liner notes for this OJC Remasters reissue, “One of the many advantages of working with a man like Julian Adderley was that he was totally stubborn about pursuing an idea he believed in. And, quite simply, he thoroughly believed in the validity of an album based on his moving very much in a Bill Evans–influenced direction.”  In his liner notes to the original recording, Joe Goldberg observes that while not all of the selections are ballads, an “aura of relaxation” permeates the recording. “In this instance it can be recognized as simply a matter of four highly skilled artists away from their usual tasks and delighting in one another’s musical company, ” he says. “Nothing more really need be said about the results of their meeting than that the feeling of delight comes through.”

Bill Evans Trio: Explorations

Recorded in New York in February 1961 for Riverside, Explorations was the last album this version of the Evans trio would make in a recording studio. Bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian also appear on Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby — both live recordings, released later in 1961 — but LaFaro died in a car accident shortly after the live sessions. This reissue features four bonus tracks, including previously unreleased alternate takes of “How Deep Is the Ocean?” and “I Wish I Knew.” “Evans’ sound and approach was his own by ’61, ” says Ashley Kahn in his new liner notes. “His piano style had fully matured, as had the interplay of the trio . . . Upon entering Bell Sound’s studio on February 2, 1961, producer Orrin Keepnews immediately noted the three had ‘made giant strides towards the goal of becoming a three-voice unit rather than a piano player and his accompanists.’” What’s more, the disparity of styles between the unreleased alternate takes and their counterparts that made the final cut on the original record “illustrates that jazz masters like these are real improvisers, ” says Phillips, “and no two takes are ever going to sound the same — because no two moments in jazz are ever the same.”

Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass: Easy Living

Recorded in Los Angeles in 1983 and 1986, Easy Living was one of a series of Ella Fitzgerald–Joe Pass collaborations on Pablo throughout the ’80s. In addition to the original album’s 15 tracks, the reissue also includes two previously unreleased bonus tracks — alternate takes of “Don’t Be that Way” and “Love for Sale.” Easy Living and the other collaborations between these two veterans “worked on many levels, ” says Tad Hershorn in his liner notes for the reissue. “As her voice aged and deepened, Fitzgerald discovered partial remedies in her phrasing, choices of keys and the pleasing maturity that now enveloped her still youthful voice. Pass was the perfect foil to display her diminishing resources to their best and most emotive advantage. Ella was known to incessantly toy with songs in her restless artistic striving, so one can perceive the music she made with Pass as a direct extension of her creative method. The leanness of their music underscores that even this late in her career, Ella Fitzgerald retained her bonafides as a singer for whom words did matter: not every song was merely a vehicle for her to bat notes out of the park. The allure was in the quiet majestic intimacy that focused an audience’s attention on full absorption of the musings of joy, wistfulness, and melody.”  The level of confidence with which each of these two musicians performs on this recording is hard to miss. “The fact that Ella could walk into the studio with a bunch of lead sheets, ” says Phillips, “and they could do a little rehearsal on the spot, figure out the best key for her, and he could just play it in any key behind her — all of that takes some phenomenal musicianship . . . They have a very conversational, relaxed sensibility about them, and both musicians seem very much at ease performing together and recording together in the studio.”

ASIENTO - ANIMATION

Unconventional. Unheard of. Some might add unreal. Upon first listen, you'll be struck by the startling freshness and flat-out nerve that have become hallmark sounds of Animation, the best rock & jazz mélange you've never heard of. With two Grammy nominated Blue Note CDs, animation * imagination (1999) and re*animation LIVE! (2000), the group has raised the bar for experimental music, carrying with it infectious tinges of hip-hop, trip-hop, drum 'n' bass, fusion and whatever your own imagination might add with each new listen. The journey continues with Asiento, the group's long-overdue album to be released on the UK-based RareNoiseRecords. Spearheaded by music visionaries Bob Belden (producer/saxophone), Tim Hagans (trumpet) and keyboardist/synth Scott Kinsey (keyboard/synthesizer), as well as Matt Garrison (bass), Guy Licata (drums) and DJ Logic (turntables), Animation re-imagines the landmark 1969 Miles Davis release Bitches Brew.

A bit of history: In December 2006, as part of a series called "Reissue: Classic Recordings Live," Belden led Animation into New York City's famed and more classically oriented Merkin Hall for a rare show performed by his extremely happenstance, inconspicuous aggregate. That's where they "re-imagined" Bitches Brew, and where the BBC, in tow, recorded the music for posterity. No, you won't find Bitches Brew played verbatim with this group. To contrary, Animation proves that a group of musicians can distill the essence of a classic album while creating a unique musical fingerprint to make it a "new original." Asiento showcases musicians taking liberties, reinventing a work of art from 40 years ago and reinterpreting and applying the original work to the parameters and context of the 21st century. Such now-classic material like "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down," "Spanish Key" and the title track, as well as other tracks from the original album, are heard in a new setting with new and oftentimes radical perspectives.

And there could be no better person for the task of reinventing and "re-imagining" Miles Davis and Bitches Brew than Bob Belden. In 1998 he produced a four-CD box entitled The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions, which included not only the six tracks from the original 1969 double-LP, but an additional 15 different songs by more or less the same edition of the Davis ensemble that existed at that time. While working on this reissue, Belden profited from having a strong accord with Davis' legendary producer Teo Macero. As producer for the original Bitches Brew sessions, Macero provided Belden with invaluable guidance on the work he did with Davis over the years.

Room does not permit going into too much detail about Belden's personal catalogue. Suffice to say, he traces the evolution of the Animation group back to the late 1980s and his innovative Treasure Island big band, continuing on with material that's had the main members of Animation on board to this day. His acclaimed releases - such as Black Dahlia, Strawberry Fields, Tapestry, Straight To My Heart: The Music Of Sting, When Doves Cry: The Music Of Prince, and Puccini's Turandot - canvassed the 1990s musical terra firma and helped cement the foundation of his ever-changing musical aesthetic

Scott Kinsey, Matt Garrison, Guy Licata and DJ Logic all played major roles in how the musical creation process. Kinsey has been like an alter ego to Belden and Hagans, now making a name for himself with his innovative group Human Element and also having worked with such artists as the late Joe Zawinul (Kinsey was the only keyboardist Zawinul would share the bandstand with or let sub on gigs!), Tribal Tech with Scott Henderson, Bill Evans. Kinsey has also had soundtrack gigs with David Holmes for films such as Ocean's Eleven through Ocean's Thirteen.

Garrison, the son of the legendary bassist Jimmy Garrison, has worked with, among others, Jack DeJohnette, Joni Mitchell and Herbie Hancock and currently plays with Kinsey in Human Element. Licata's credits include work with Bill Laswell, Bernie Worrell and The Collective, and Method of Defiance, Laswell's latest band. Additionally, Garrison recorded and toured in guitarist John McLaughlin's project, The Heart of Things (Verve - 1997).

As for DJ Logic, the man's credits run long and wide and include sizeable streaks with such names as Vernon Reid, John Mayer, Bob Weir's Ratdog, Jason Miles, Global Noize, and Medeski Martin & Wood. His background is loaded with work in and around hip-hop, funk, soul jazz and jazz.

It makes complete sense that Rare Noise should be in on the production side. Co-founded by Giacomo Bruzzo and Italian musician Eraldo Bernocchi, Rare Noise credits also include working with example fellow experimentalist Bill Laswell of M.O.D. Technologies. Yes, that same Bill Laswell, responsible for those radical late-'90s reconstructions and remixes of electric Miles Davis from the 1960s and '70s. Says Belden of Rare Noise: "Rare Noise is way into the music. For the first time I have a company that 'gets it,' and is into the music, the band and the musicians individually." Speaking of Bruzzo, Belden adds, "He's into progress and not nostalgia!!!"

As for the name of the album, Asiento, label-head Bruzzo says it "refers to a particular level of initiation within Santeria." "And what is Santeria?" Bruzzo asks proverbially. "Santeria is a syncretic religion of West African and Caribbean origin. And a disciple who has passed the Asiento is considered, for the first time, a fully-fledged 'Santero,' a priest within the order. This point is both one of arrival and one of departure." Referring to the Merkin show and forthcoming album, Bruzzo concludes, "This title wants to honor the very personal importance of that evening's performance, to declare that performance to be a point of arrival, but also a point of departure for Animation. Finally, it is to provide a reference to the music and their authors without being overly explicit or subservient."

Animation was released in different markets around the world at different times. The album is available via dual release as a CD Digipak and conventional digital release, as well as a uniquely mixed version of the album by 3D60 technology (http://www.3d60.co.uk/). The CD Digipack and .flac/.mp3 formats is available via the RareNoiseRecords website and the album was released to all digital retailers IODA. The album was officially released on April 26 as 3D60 version (CD and digital) and 5.1 surround digital. In addition, there is a digital-only software 5.1 version and remixes of all six tracks from a variety of DJs.

WYNTON MARSALIS & ERIC CLAPTON PLAY THE BLUES - LIVE FROM JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER

New York City’s premier jazz venue got the blues last April when Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton performed together in Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center for two sold-out shows dedicated to vintage blues. The extraordinary collaboration, billed as Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play the Blues, paired these musical virtuosos with members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as they brought to life a repertoire of songs selected by Clapton and arranged by Marsalis. Now Reprise Records captures the magic of these unprecedented shows from earlier this year on CD and as a CD/DVD combo that both feature selections taken from the two public concerts (April 8-9), as well a special performance for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s annual gala (April 7). The DVD will also feature a bonus performance of the classic "Stagger Lee" from legendary bluesman Taj Mahal's opening solo set for these special shows.

Marsalis, Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center and nine-time Grammy® Award winner, writes about his collaboration with Clapton, a 19-time Grammy recipient, in the album’s liner notes: “...we wanted these concerts to sound like people playing music they know and love, not like a project.” To help them achieve that level of devotion, Marsalis and Clapton were joined on stage by Dan Nimmer (piano), Carlos Henriquez (bass), Ali Jackson (drums), Marcus Printup (trumpet), Victor Goines (clarinet), Chris Crenshaw (trombone, vocals), Don Vappie (banjo) and Clapton’s longtime keyboardist/sideman Chris Stainton. Marsalis says the group combined the sound of an early blues jump-band with the sound of New Orleans jazz to accommodate the integration of guitar/trumpet lead, a combination that gave the musicians the latitude to play different grooves, from the Delta to the Caribbean and beyond.

The band nimbly navigated a diverse set list that touched on different styles, from the four-on-the-floor swing of Louis Armstrong’s “Ice Cream” and the southern slow-drag of W.C. Handy’s “Joe Turner’s Blues” to the traveling blues of “Joliet Bound” and the boogie-woogie jump of “Kidman Blues.” After opening the shows with his solo set, Mahal returned to join the band on “Corrine, Corrina” and the New Orleans funeral standard “Just A Closer Walk With Thee.”

The one song not selected by Clapton for the show was his own “Layla,” which was requested by bassist Henriquez and arranged as a Crescent City dirge to tremendous results. On his review of the performance, David Fricke of Rolling Stone wrote: “In the [song’s] instrumental break, Clapton hit a series of stabbing licks lightly crusted with distortion, followed by Marsalis’ slow parade of clean hurting peals – a moving dialogue in lovesickness and blues routes.”

ARTIST PROFILE: STEVE COLEMAN

Steve Coleman, born in Chicago, Illinois on September 20, 1956, is an American saxophone player, spontaneous composer, composer and band leader. His music and concepts have been a heavy influence on contemporary jazz.orn in Chicago, Illinois, Coleman moved to New York City in 1978 and has lived in the NYC area since that time. Although he has led several groups over the years, his main group, Steve Coleman and Five Elements, began in 1981 and is still active today. He was one of the founders of the so-called M-Base movement, has led several groups, and has recorded extensively. Initially influenced by saxophonists Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Von Freeman and Bunky Green, Coleman has performed and recorded with Thad Jones, Sam Rivers, drummer Doug Hammond, Cecil Taylor, Abbey Lincoln and Dave Holland. He has incorporated many elements from the folkloric music of the African Diaspora fused with musical ideas influenced by ancient metaphysical concepts. He has stated that his main concern is the use of music as a language of sonic symbols used to express the nature of man's existence.

Coleman's work around 1990, such as the recording Black Science (Novus) is unusual for its indefinite meter. This is accomplished in many ways, but one example of this technique is composing music that involves each musician performing in different but related time spans, generally resulting in asymmetric cycles, for example a cycle of 7 against a cycle of 11. The feel of the resulting music is usually groove-based, but with a loose structure that is the consequence of the melodic, harmonic and rhythmic relationships of the various cycles. A highlight of this period is the recording The Tao of Mad Phat: Fringe Zones (Novus), which was recorded in front of a live studio audience.

Coleman does not agree with using categories to describe music today, in particular he does not use the term jazz. Preferring a more organic approach to music he uses the term Spontaneous Composition. According to Coleman, there extends back into ancient times a tradition of musicians who have attempted to express through music the various visions and realities that they perceive, and for him this is the driving force behind many of the ‘so-called’ innovations in music (and indeed in other fields as well). He feels that the various tools and fields of inquiry that people have used (physics and metaphysics, number, language, music, dance, astronomy, etc.) are all related and present one holistic body of work. The various forms that his music assumes are not only intuitively inspired by but intuitively and logically determined by the human perception of ‘The Great Work’ (i.e. the creation of all nature by the Universal Mind).

One of the primary methods that Coleman uses to create his music is linked to two concepts: Sacred Geometry (the use of shapes to symbolically express natural principles), and Energy (the potential for change and change itself in physical, metaphysical and psychic phenomena, including life, growth, etc.). Coleman uses various kinds of musical structures to symbolize the Sacred Geometry and specific kinds of musical movement to reference the various states of Energy. In any event the concept of Change seems to be central to his theory. He has stated that it is the change between the various musical structures that represents process, with the structures themselves being symbolic of various principles. Coleman believes that it is through the Spontaneous Composition of forms that these ideas can be most readily expressed, regardless of external stylistic appearances. A frequent statement of his is “it is the movement that is important.”

These ideas, although rare, are not new in music. Musicians as diverse as Johann Sebastian Bach, Béla Bartók and John Coltrane have stated similar ideas.

FRANK SINATRA – BEST OF THE BEST

For the first time, Frank Sinatra's greatest recordings for Capitol Records and his own Reprise Records have been gathered for one stellar collection. Sinatra: Best of the Best will be released in single-disc and deluxe 2-CD packages on November 1 (October 31 internationally), with insightful track notes written by Frank Sinatra Jr. On the same date, both configurations will also be available for download purchase from all major digital service providers. Best of the Best's chronological tracklist leads with 1953's "I've Got The World On A String," followed by 12 other classic tracks Sinatra recorded for Capitol between 1953 and 1960, including "Young At Heart," "You Make Me Feel So Young," "All The Way," and "Come Fly With Me," as well as the Sinatra recording that is the theme of "Married With Children," "Love And Marriage." 10 of Sinatra's best Reprise recordings, released between 1962 and 1980, are also featured, including "Night And Day," "The Way You Look Tonight," "Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)," "Strangers In The Night," "My Way," and "Theme From New York, New York." Best of the Best's 2-CD version adds a previously out-of-print and sought-after Seattle concert recording, and is packaged in a lift-top box with an expanded booklet and 6 postcards.

At Capitol Records, Frank Sinatra pioneered his landmark 'concept' albums. Working with arrangers such as Nelson Riddle, Billy May and Gordon Jenkins and singing the songs of Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin, and Rodgers and Hart, to name a few, set Sinatra's recordings apart from those of all other vocalists of the 20th century and quite possibly all time. In 1960, Frank Sinatra realized a dream when he founded Reprise Records. Sinatra was one of the first to recognize the value of artists owning their master recordings. The new label gave him the artistic and business freedom he longed for in his recording career.

At Reprise, Sinatra collaborated with new arrangers such as Johnny Mandel, Don Costa, and Quincy Jones, as well making albums with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. During his years of recording for Capitol and Reprise, Sinatra was also making concert appearances around the world and starring in hit movies, including From Here To Eternity, Pal Joey, High Society, and The Manchurian Candidate. Sinatra loved and found comfort in recording music, once saying "I adore making records. I'd rather do that than almost anything else. You can never do anything in life quite on your own - you don't live on your own little island. Making a record is as near as you can get to it - although, of course, the arranger and the orchestra play an enormous part. But once you're on that record singing, it's you and you alone." Tina Sinatra recalls the ambience that was present in the studio while her father recorded saying, "I remember his command, it was palpable, you could feel the energy in the room. It was like this vacuum of power, all eyes were always on him. It was very similar to seeing him on stage."

Frank Sinatra Jr. fondly remembers his father's legendary sessions for Capitol and Reprise, saying "There was a tremendous level of excitement-air of expectation-every time he recorded. Everyone knew they were making the best records around. How could they miss? They had the best singer, best arrangers, best musicians, best engineers, and the best studios in town." Nancy Sinatra Jr. recalls the excitement of her father's recording sessions at Capitol, saying, "I came to sessions whenever I could. We would go to dinner at the Villa Capri and then we would drive to Capitol. Attending record sessions at Capitol was like going to a concert today-it was the hottest ticket that you could get your hands on; it was fantastic. It was great for him to have a small audience in the room and everything was live. The orchestra was in the room and everybody as a result of that did their best. There was magic in those studios and that building."

Frank Sinatra is one of the world's most recognizable, admired and influential artists of all time, with a vast catalogue of music that is a soundtrack for our lives. Long acclaimed as the world's greatest performer of popular music, he is the artist who set the standard for all others to follow. More than a singer, he was an actor, recording artist, nightclub and concert star, radio and television personality and, on occasion, producer, director and conductor. Besides recording nearly 1,500 songs, he starred in some 60 motion pictures.

A beloved entertainer for six decades, Sinatra earned three Oscars, three Golden Globes (including the Cecil B. DeMille Award), ten personal Grammys (and a total of 20 for his albums), an Emmy, a Peabody and the Kennedy Center Honors Award. A generous charitable contributor, he was honored with the prestigious Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In addition, Sinatra was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor and the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress' highest civilian award. Frank Sinatra has been called the most popular entertainer of the 20th century. His popularity and legions of fans around the world span all ages and demographic groups.

Sinatra: Best of the Best (CD; digital)
1.  I've Got The World On A String
2.  My Funny Valentine
3.  Young At Heart
4.  In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
5.  Love And Marriage
6.  You Make Me Feel So Young
7.  I've Got You Under My Skin
8.  The Lady Is A Tramp
9.  Witchcraft
10. All The Way
11. Come Fly With Me
12. Angel Eyes
13. Nice 'N' Easy
14. Night And Day
15. The Way You Look Tonight
16. My Kind Of Town
17. Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)
18. It Was A Very Good Year
19. Strangers In The Night
20. Summer Wind
21. That's Life
22. My Way
23. Theme From New York, New York

Sinatra: Best of the Best (2CD; digital)
CD1: same as above
CD2 – IN CONCERT Live In Seattle (out-of-print)
1. Introduction/You Make Me Feel So Young
2. It Happened In Monterey
3. At Long Last Love
4. I Get A Kick Out Of You
5. Just One Of Those Things
6. A Foggy Day
7. The Lady Is A Tramp
8. They Can't Take That Away From Me
9. I Won't Dance
10. Sinatra Dialogue
11. When Your Lover Has Gone
12. Violets For Your Furs
13. My Funny Valentine
14. Glad To Be Unhappy
15. One For My Baby
16. The Tender Trap
17. Hey Jealous Lover
18. I've Got You Under My Skin
19. Oh! Look At Me Now

Frank Sinatra · Sinatra: Best Of The Best
Capitol/Reprise Records · Release Date: November 1, 2011
http://www.sinatra.com/

“THE PLAYBOY CLUB” SERIES SOUNDTRACK

Verve Music Group has partnered with 20th Century Fox Television to bring a music component to the new 1960s-centric, Chicago-based NBC television series "The Playboy Club," in which the star-powered music performances featured on the show will be available on iTunes. "The Playboy Club" premiered on September 19th on the NBC television network. Each episode of "The Playboy Club" will include multiple performances, by both the show's cast (spotlighting the key club's 'Bunny' hostesses) as well as today's major artists paying tribute to '60s music icons who performed at the Club. The first two performances to be available on iTunes from the premiere episode will be: "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)," the Frank Sinatra classic as performed by Laura Benanti as 'Bunny' Carol-Lynne; "Shake A Tail Feather," originally made famous by Ike & Tina Turner, performed by the Playboy Club special guest Karen LeBlanc. Future guest star appearances include Universal Republic artist Colbie Caillat, Universal Republic's Javier Colon (2011 winner of NBC's "The Voice") and Raphael Saadiq. Tributes will be paid to Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Leslie Gore and others. The tracks are being produced by Mike Fratantuno, Terrance Graves and Brian Lapin, collectively known as The Transcenders, and cast vocals are being produced in Chicago by Grammy award-winning producer/artist/composer Richard Marx.

"From the very beginning, it was always part of the creators' vision to incorporate musical performances into the storytelling of 'The Playboy Club,' and we are proud to partner with Verve to make the songs from the show available for download," commented TCFTV Chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden. "As we've seen with 'Glee,' music downloads can be a powerful connection for fans to deepen their enjoyment of the series beyond its weekly telecast, and a great opportunity for us to expose the series to an even larger audience." "The Playboy Club" was the upscale watering hole for the elite Who's Who of entertainment, politics, business, and all the happenings of the '60s. The series provides a tantalizing backstage peek into this fascinating world. "The Playboy Club" focuses on the aspiring singers and performers who wore the 'Bunny' costumes and also served as waitresses and entertainers at the club. Along with the show's dramatic turn of events each week, issues of race relations, religion, sexual orientation, freedom of speech and freedom of the press – and more – are woven into the fabric of "The Playboy Club." A symbol of success and the pinnacle of entertainment in the swinging '60s, "The Playboy Club" comes back to life on NBC in 2011.

Sadly though, NBC cancelled "The Playboy Club" on October 4 due to low ratings after only 3 episodes.

GEORGE DUKE – MASTER OF THE GAME & FOLLOW THE RAINBOW (EXPANDED EDITIONS)

After his US R&B success with Reach For It (1977) and Dukey Stick (1978), Master Of The Game was jazz'n'funk pioneer George Duke's fifth album for Epic Records, the follow up to Follow The Rainbow. A US Top 20 R&B and Top 200 pop charted album, Master Of The Game included the Top 30 R&B and club hit single `I Want You For Myself' featuring vocalist Lynn Davis. The master keyboardist was the sole writer on eight tracks collaborating with famed percussionist Sheila E. on Games" and with guitarist David Myles, drummer Ricky Lawson and bassist Byron Miler - all featured players on the album - on the nine-minute-plus funk opus, "The Alien Challenges The Stick/The Alien Succumbs To The Macho Intergalactic Funkativity Of The Funkblasters." Other key cuts on Master Of The Game - previously only available as a Japanese CD release - include the Latin-flavoured instrumental `Dog-Man' and the Earth, Wind & Fire-influenced cut `Every Little Step I Take.'

A US Top 5 jazz, Top 20 R&B and Top 60 pop charted album, Follow The Rainbow included the Top 30 R&B hit single `Say That You Will.' The master keyboardist - who wrote all but one track on the album ("Funkin' For The Thrill," written by bassist Byron Miller) - brought together key players such as drummer Ndugu Chancler, percussionist Sheila E., singers Lynn and Josie James and former Earth Wind & Fire member Roland Bautista for the fun'n'funk sessions. Key cuts on Follow The Rainbow - previously only available as a Japanese CD release - include Duke grooves `Party Down' and `I Am For Real,' the slow jam `Straight From The Heart' and the mellow jazz instrumental `Corine' (written for George's wife). Follow The Rainbow is one of the four George Duke classic jazz/funk albums being reissued by SoulMusic.com Records.

MIGUEL ZENON – ALAM ADENTRO: THE PUERTO RICAN SONGBOOK

Saxophonist, composer and arranger Miguel Zenón’s new release is an album comprised of ten tracks, two each by Bobby Capó, Tite Curet Alonso, Pedro Flores, Rafael Hernández, and Sylvia Rexach, who Zenón refers to as “the George Gershwins, Cole Porters and Jerome Kerns of Puerto Rican song,” and it features his regular quartet augmented by a 10-piece wind ensemble. The music was arranged by Zenón and orchestrated by Argentine pianist, composer and arranger Guillermo Klein. “This project grew out of my interest in exploring the history and development of The Puerto Rican song,” says Zenón. “… I started focusing on the similar characteristics between The Puerto Rican Songbook and The Great American Songbook, not only musically, but also in terms of cultural impact. From there on, the project started to take shape.” Remaking popular songs is part of the stock in trade of a jazz musician, but Alma Adentro was a profoundly different experience for Zenón.“This was not just about melodies and harmonies,” he says. “There was a deeper, more emotional connection here. I grew up with these songs and they all had a very special and lasting effect on me.”

2011 Tour Dates:

October 2: Club de Leones - Adjuntas, Puerto Rico Caravana Cultural - The Music of Ornette Coleman w/Miguel Zenón, Avishai Cohen, Ben Street & Adam Cruz

November 2-3: Jazzhus Montmarte - Copenhagen, Denmark

November 4: Budapest Jazz Club - Budapest, Hungary

November 5: Salzburger Jazz Festival - Salzburg, Austria

November 9: "Jazz @ The Atlas," Atlas Performing Arts Center - Washington, DC

November 10: Harlem Stage - New York, NY

November 12: Vermont Jazz Center - Brattleboro, VT

November 14: Jazz Alley - Seattle, WA

November 15: Yoshi's - Oakland, CA

November 16: Mission Theater - Portland, OR

November 17: The Loft at UC San Diego - San Diego, CA

November 19: The Broad Stage - Los Angeles, CA

November 20: Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society - Half Moon Bay, CA

December 9: Berklee Performance Center - Boston, MA

PHIL PERRY / ALEX BUGNON HEADLINE SMOOTH JAZZ NEW YORK CRUISE

Smooth Jazz New York is about to close out their contemporary jazz star-studded 14th Smooth Jazz summer season with Phil Perry and Alex Bugnon for two encore shows on October 7, 2011 at 6:30pm and 9:30pm aboard The Spirit of New York cruise ship. The double bill follows a 10-show summer roster which included Jonathan Butler, Spyro Gyra, Jazz Attack (with Gerald Albright, Peter White and Rick Braun), Najee, Kirk Whalum, Jeff Golub, Norman Brown, and Rachelle Ferrell, among others. The special October 7th Friday night encore Smooth Cruise will set sail from Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St & West Side Hwy) and cruise down the Hudson River, offering exceptional music as well as stunning views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. “It’s always a pleasure to present these incredibly talented artists and even more special to do it on a double bill where they join musical forces for one night,” says Bill Zafiros, co-founder of Smooth Jazz New York.

Phil Perry is known for his passionate and soulful vocals. He first came to the attention of soul music fans in the early 70s as lead singer of the Montclairs. He would later become a sought-after background vocalist for such well-known artists as Anita Baker, Boz Scaggs, Rod Stewart, Peabo Bryson, and George Duke. However, Perry has shined in the spotlight distinguishing him through strong solo albums that have highlighted both his ability to interpret classic soul songs as well as his own songwriting skills. Since his first solo release, 1991’s hit album The Heart of the Man, eight other releases have followed. A 2011 remastered reissue of his work with Kevin Sanlin will be available shortly. Entitled Perry & Sanlin the 2 CD set includes Those Who Love (1980) and We're The Winners (1981).

Keyboardist Alex Bugnon has crafted one of the most recognized styles in today’s contemporary jazz piano: a sultry blend of contemporary jazz, funk, and R&B with hints of gospel, for good measure. The Swiss native grew up going to the Montreux Jazz Festival right in his hometown. Working as a session musician in New York, he backed urban and jazz performers including Patti Austin, Freddie Jackson, James Ingram, and Keith Sweat. He released his debut album, Love Season, in 1989. It reached the pop charts and the Top 40 of the R&B charts, as did his follow-up, 1990’s Head Over Heels. Ten albums and numerous appearances on recordings by other artists have since followed. His most recent CD, Going Home was released in 2009.

JEFF LOGAN – BLACK TIE AFFAIR

Although he appears on the album cover wearing a tuxedo with a bowtie, keyboardist Jeff Logan's forthcoming Black Tie Affair is far from a stuffy, extravagant and exclusive soirée.  Everyone is invited to enjoy the irresistibly charming, jazzy R&B collection that humbly serves an endless feast of soul-nourishing melodies.  Literally "the host with the most," Logan wrote ten of the twelve songs, produced the whole shebang, and played all the instruments on the record.  Believing that artists come and go, but well-crafted songs stand the test of time, Logan is passionately committed to composing meaningful, memorable melodies that convey moods, communicate feelings, and emote about emotions with or without words.  His gift as a songwriter lies in his innate ability to construct songs of simplicity and pristine beauty.  While making the piano and keyboard melodies prominent, Logan adorned the tracks with guitar, bass, percussion, drums and drum programming.  His DC-area roots are clearly in evidence from the shuffling go-go beat that underscores "Black Tie Affair," the first single recently serviced to radio stations where the infectious cut is already receiving airplay.  On "Smoothology 101" and "Stratosphere," the multi-instrumentalist breaks the silence by crooning lead and background vocals that vacillate between sensual falsetto seductions and soulful, gritty growls.  Logan tips his chapeau to Rodgers & Hammerstein with a classy piano and organ duet on "Favorite Things."  Vibrant and festive, he converted The Ohio Players' hit "Sweet Sticky Thing" into a danceable instrumental because no affair would be complete without a bit of funky business.

Logan said, Black Tie Affair personifies my undying passion for developing melodic vignettes into full-blossomed compositions.  The album is an eclectic blend of musical bliss with a twist where each song feeds off of the energy of another.  Discerning contemporary jazz enthusiasts will appreciate it because my aesthetic expression is simple yet serenely soothing and sublime as a hybrid organism born out of complex melodies."

A native Washingtonian who grew up and still resides in nearby Maryland, Logan is a self-taught musician who began playing as a teenager.  He was in a high school band that opened shows at DC's Warner Theatre for Motown legends Martha & The Vandellas and Junior Walker & The All-Stars.  Music continued to be part of his life through college, after earning a Master’s degree, and while working as an administrator in the Prince George’s County detention center where he has served for over 21 years.  A prolific songwriter, Logan launched BASS-mint Records in 2002 to release his albums.  Previous recording projects include Soulitude (2002), Mello-Fabulous (2003), Radio-Active (2005) and Gratitude (2007) as well as two 2009 releases: a gospel offering, Destiny, and a collection of neo-soul songs, Love's Compass.  Black Tie Affair, Logan's first release supported by comprehensive radio promotions, marketing and publicity campaigns, is part of a concerted effort to reach a wider audience. 

Jeff Logan's Black Tie Affair Track Listing:
 "Sunbreeze"
"Black Tie Affair"
"Smile"
"Smoothology 101"
"Favorite Things"
"Water To Wine"
"Improvise"
"Sweet Sticky Thing"
"Noteworthy"
"Sand 'N Between"
"Stratosphere"
"Elevator Up"

STING – THE BACK TO BASS TOUR

Sting is about to embark on his Back to Bass Tour throughout North America as he celebrates the 25th anniversary of his solo career by taking it back to bass... all of the hits, stripped down, as they haven't been played in years.   In support of his forthcoming box set collection Sting: 25 Years, slated for release on September 27, the tour features Sting backed by a 5-piece band in an intimate theatre setting.Beginning in Boston on October 21 at The Wang Theatre at the Citi Performing Arts Center, the tour will extend across the U.S. and Canada.  Cities announced today include Philadelphia, Washington DC, Toronto, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver. Additional dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

Back to Bass finds Sting performing songs spanning his dynamic and enduring solo career, from his 1985 debut The Dream Of The Blue Turtles to his latest release, Live in Berlin, plus a selection of The Police's greatest hits. Highlights include the Grammy® winners "Brand New Day" and "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" plus fan-favorites "Englishman In New York," "Desert Rose" and "Roxanne." Sting will be joined by a band including his longtime guitarist Dominic Miller, Rufus Miller (guitarist), Vinnie Colaiuta (drummer), Peter Tickell (electric fiddle), and Jo Lawry(vocalist).

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sting's solo career, the definitive box set Sting: 25 Years,was released on September 27, 2011.  This collection captures for the first time both the highlights and rarities of Sting's enduring solo career and contains three CDs, all re-mastered exclusively for this set and personally curated by Sting, as well as a previously unreleased live DVD, Rough, Raw & Unreleased, filmed at New York City's Irving Plaza. The discs are housed in a hardcover book featuring rare photos, complete lyrics, and newly written commentary by Sting. In addition, Sting: The Best of 25 Years (single disc) will be released on October 18, 2011.

Sting: Back To Bass Tour 2011 - North America

October 21 Boston, MA The Wang Theatre at the Citi Performing Arts Center

October 26 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theater

October 29 Washington, DC Constitution Hall 

November 1 Toronto, ON Massey Hall

November 5 Chicago, IL Rosemont Theatre
November 6 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre 
November 12 Miami, FL The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater
November 16 Dallas, TX Verizon Theatre 
November 17 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater 
November 20 Denver, CO Wells Fargo Theatre 
November 22 Phoenix, AZ Comerica Theatre 
November 28 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
December 2 San Francisco, CA Nob Hill Masonic Center 
December 5 Seattle, WA The Paramount Theatre 
December 8 Vancouver, BC Queen Elizabeth Theatre 

http://www.sting.com/

DESANDANN – TANDE-LA

“Desandann” - the Choir’s Cuban name - literally means “descendents,” and with the songs on their new album Tande-La (which translates to “listen”), they tell the stories of their Haitian ancestors who were brought to Cuba to toil in near slave conditions on the sugar and coffee plantations. The Choir - six women and four men, aged 27 to 61 - hail from Camagüey, Cuba’s third largest city. All have studied music to university level in Camagüey and all are members of the Provincial Choir, directed by their leader Emilia Chavez. Desandann emerged out of this choir in 1994, a difficult time for Cubans when the economy collapsed following the end of the USSR and of Soviet support for the Cuban revolution.

The singers decided to re-forge the resistance songs and laments of their forebears, to celebrate the history of their Haitian ancestors enslaved to the Caribbean from West Africa. To the songs that had been passed down in their families since the early 19th century, they added more modern Haitian sounds. In addition to Spanish and French, the Choir mainly sing in Creole, Cuba’s second language which is spoken by close to a million people. This pragmatic fusion of African, French and other tongues is the language of a people twice exiled: first to Haiti from Africa through the iniquitous slave trade, and then from Haiti to Cuba -- tricked into a second slavery by their French masters after the Haitian Revolution of 1790. Other Haitians arrived in Cuba over the 20th century, fleeing political upheaval, poverty and oppression - especially during the barbaric regime of Papa Doc Duvalier from the 1950s to the 1970s, which was marked by reigns of terror and the brutality of his private militia, the Tonton Macoutes.

With melodies driven by richly textured harmonies, shifting Caribbean rhythms with a very original root bass sound, their first U.S. release "Tande-La" showcases the impassioned singing of a unique group celebrating roots, resistance and the irresistible rhythms of life. The album Tande-la on Real World Records is available now. Their first ever national tour of the United States started on September 21 and will run through November 4, 2011, comprising 23 dates.

The Creole Choir of Cuba 2011 US Tour:
10/1/11 Boston, MA                
10/2/11 New York, NY        
10/6/11 Hanover, NH        
10/9/11 Union NJ                
10/12/11 Amherst, MA            
10/14/11 Portland. ME            
10/15/11 New Bedford, MA        
10/16/11 Philadelphia, PA                
10/19/11 North Bethesda, MD            
10/20/11 Hampton, VA        
10/22/11 Santa Cruz, CA        
10/25/11 Chico, CA                
10/27/11 Arcata, CA                
10/29/11 Scottsdale, AZ    
11/1/11 San Diego, CA            
11/2/11 Santa Barbara, CA            
11/3/11 San Francisco, CA
11/5/11 Riverside, CA