GEORGE BENSON WINS OUTSTANDING JAZZ ALBUM AWARD FOR 'GUITAR MAN'

Congratulations to George Benson and all involved in the making of Guitar Man. It was announced that Guitar Man has won the award for Outstanding Jazz Album at the 43rd NAACP Image Awards.

On Guitar Man, Benson’s mastery of the guitar is demonstrated in a variety of styles and settings, all with legendary jazz roots. The opening track “Tenderly” is a solo guitar track that serves as a reminder that Benson is one guitar man with sufficient technical and interpretive skills to be a band unto himself. The second song is an intriguing rendition of Lennon and McCartney’s “I Want To Hold Your Hand.” Along with Benson on nylon-string guitar and Garfield on piano are guitarists Paul Jackson Jr. and Ray Fuller; bassist Freddie Washington; drummer Oscar Seaton, Jr. (who regularly tours with Benson); violinist Charlie Bisharat; and flutist/clarinetist Dan Higgins. All come together to create a fully orchestrated sound that casts one of the most simplistic of the Beatles’ early love ballads into something full-bodied and engaging.

The remainder of the set consists of either solo guitar tracks or Benson backed by the aforementioned five-man team, which lays down an easygoing rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour.” Benson delivers the lyrics in his own engaging vocal style that includes a healthy dose of his trademark scatting guitar accompaniment.

Other highlights include a rollicking version of the Champs’ 1958 instrumental hit, “Tequila,” followed a couple tracks later by “My One and Only Love,” which opens with a 16-bar solo jazz guitar intro that segues into a sweet vocal ballad. Benson delivers a playful straightahead rendition of “Paper Moon” with the quartet, followed by a solo guitar rendition of “Danny Boy” (one of the few times, if ever, that a guitar sounds like bagpipes). In the final stretch, Benson and Garfield set up a lush guitar-and-piano arrangement of the smoky standard, “Since I Fell For You,” with Benson once again stepping up to the mic for an emotional delivery of the song’s impassioned lyrics.

Upcoming George Benson tour dates:
March 24 @ Sovereign Performing Arts, Reading, PA
March 25 @ Knight Theater, Charlotte, NC
June 2 @ Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
June 23 @ Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, Canada
June 24 @ Royal Theatre, Victoria, Canada
June 26 @ Toronto Jazz Festival, Toronto, Canada
September 1 @ Imperiale Palace Hotel, Portofino, Italy
September 20 @ Snoqualmie Casino, Snoqualmie, WA
September 22 @ Johnson’s Beach & Resort, Guerneville, CA
January 17-18, 2013 @ Smooth Jazz Cruise, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
January 24-25, 2013 @ Smooth Jazz Cruise, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

SOB's (SOUNDS OF BRAZIL) TO CELEBRATE 30 YEARS IN NEW YORK...

2012 marks Manhattan live music landmark S.O.B.s’ (Sounds of Brazil) thirtieth year in existence and to celebrate, they have partnered up with their talent booking and marketing team, Noizy Cricket!!, and world-renowned International Creative Management (ICM) as well as OGPR Marketing & Public Relations to provide an all star anniversary concert at this year’s SXSW, on Wednesday, March 14th. The show is to be held at 6th Street’s Malaia World Lounge.

The performance line-up, meant to showcase S.O.B’s commitment to musical diversity, includes acts like Miguel, Machine Gun Kelly, and 2 Chainz, as well as rap supergroup Slaughterhouse [Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Royce Da 5'9, Crooked I], Elle Varner, Nikki Jean, Maya Azuceña, Airplane Boys & Hoodie Allen. Opening honors will be performed by warm-up alumn, Anthm. AllHipHop, who have supported S.O.B.’s with on-the-scene media coverage for the past decade, is the event’s media partner. YouHeardThatNew’s infamous founder, Low Key, will host the evening with 2DopeBoyz’s DJ Meka providing the musical backdrop in-between sets.

Founded in June of 1982 by owner and director, Larry Gold, on what was then a barren stretch of land at the corners of Varick and Houston Streets, to expose the musical heritage of the Afro-Latino Diaspora, S.O.B.’s has gone on to become renowned as the premier venue for not only World Music, but all genres, in New York City and the world over. The list of music legends to have graced the stage in the past thirty years is too extensive to list but the venue’s contributions to connecting music to fans doesn’t stop there. S.O.B.’s has also developed a reputation in the industry as a breeding ground for up-and-coming artists and trends. A show at S.O.B.’s can be a springboard for emerging artists, garnering them press from mainstream local, national and even international media as well as attracting attention from music industry professionals. This has been the case with uncounted artists including John Legend, Erykah Badu, Kanye West, Common, Drake and Ryan Leslie. In fact, the venue spawned the long-standing Breeding Ground feature on AllHipHop, on which the site has highlighted its picks from the crop of Hip Hop hopefuls over the years.

The partnership between S.O.B.’s and International Creative Management to present the venue’s thirtieth anniversary made perfect sense as the two, working closely with Noizy Cricket!!, have collaborated for many years to provide amazing live entertainment to New York audiences.

“We could have provided an entire month’s worth of concerts with all of the talent that has stepped on to the S.O.B’s stage over the past thirty years.” shares Noizy Cricket!! founder, le’Roy Benros. “We’ve gathered some of the freshest talent out today who've put on legendary performances here in New York and brought them to SXSW for a night to remember!"

“After 30 years of building S.O.B's into one of the elite music venues in NYC we are honored to finally be showcasing some of the best of Urban Music at SXSW.” adds owner, Larry Gold.

“We have been working with Larry and the S.O.B.’s family for many years and this will be a great way to celebrate their 30th anniversary,” says ICM Agent, Zach Iser. “Our clients are proud to be a part of this special evening of live music.”

Media is encouraged to attend this momentous occasion in New York City’s music history at one of the nation’s biggest and best music festivals, SXSW. Attendance is free to all on a first come, first served basis with SXSW wristbands and select media will be given access to talent for interview purposes.

ADELE'S '21' CONTINUES TO SHATTER SALES RECORDS...

Exactly one year after its release, Adele's 21 experienced its biggest sales week ever with over 730,000 copies sold. This astounding number follows Adele's Grammy sweep and her first public performance since undergoing vocal surgery in November, a riveting rendition of her hit "Rolling in the Deep." Honored with 6 Grammy Awards, Adele has tied the record held by Beyonce for most Grammys won by a female artist in a single year, as well as Eric Clapton's record for most Grammys won by a British artist in one night. Furthermore, Adele is only the second artist in Grammy History, after Christopher Cross in 1981, to have won The Recording Academy's top three categories - "Record of the Year," "Album of the Year" and "Song of the Year"- while also possessing a "Best New Artist" Grammy.

The album, which won Adele this "Best New Artist" distinction in 2009, 19, is also experiencing a sales boost. Four years after its release, it has sold nearly 2 million copies. Adele has two albums occupying the top 5 slots on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart this week, with 19 selling an impressive 87,000 copies.

Adele's Grammy-winning album 21 surpassed 2 million downloads on the iTunes Store in the U.S. within a year of its release, making her the first artist to go double platinum on iTunes.

Now in its 21st non-consecutive week at #1 on The Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, 21 is the longest running #1 by a woman in Billboard's nearly 56 year history. The album has been certified 7x Platinum in the U.S. and has sold over 18 million copies worldwide. 21 has additionally spawned over 16 million singles sold in the U.S. alone, including 7x Platinum certified "Rolling in the Deep," 4x Platinum certified "Someone Like You," 2x Platinum certified "Set Fire to the Rain" and Gold certified "Rumour Has It."

JILL SCOTT & STEVE TYRELL ADDED TO 13th CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL LINEUP

The 13th Cape Town International Jazz Festival line-up has been bolstered by the addition of three exciting internationally acclaimed artists. Master vocalist, poet and actress Jill Scott's (USA) exciting repertoire is expected to bring the house down as she joins the other greats on the festival's Kippies stage.

In 2000 Scott released her much anticipated debut record Who is Jill Scott? Words & Sounds, Vol.1. This double platinum selling album earned Scott several Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist. Two more critically acclaimed albums followed; Beautifully Human: Words & Sounds, Vol. 2 and The Real Thing: Words & Sounds, Vol. 3. Both garnered two more Grammy Awards and spawned multiple worldwide tours.

Most recently Scott was cast as the lead character in The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, a HBO/BBC mini-series filmed on location in Botswana and currently being broadcast in South Africa. Prior to that she starred alongside Tyler Perry and Janet Jackson in the movie series Why Did I Get Married?. This Three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, New York Times best-selling poet and critically acclaimed actress joins the bill as one of the headline acts.

Texas-born jazz vocalist and popular standard singer Steve Tyrell (USA) also joins the bill. He is known for the self-produced and critically acclaimed album A New Standard, released by Atlantic in 1999. In 1986 Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram recorded Tyrell's Somewhere Out There which won two Grammys (including Song of the Year) and received an Oscar nomination. Three years later, Ronstadt recorded Tyrell's Don't Know Much featuring Aaron Neville which earned both her and Neville a Grammy win for Best Vocal Performance.

Hip Hop artist Pharoahe Monch (USA), completes the line-up bringing the total number of performing artists to 41. Known for his popular hit Simon Says, the New York native was originally part of Organized Confusion with partner Prince Poetry. Today the former visual artist works on his own, recently having released W.A.R. (We are Renegades). The music video for the new single off the album, Still Standing, was released on February 5 and features fellow Jazz Festival performer Jill Scott.

These three acclaimed performers join an already star-studded line-up of artists, with this year’s headliners reflecting the festival's philosophy of broadening audience's perspectives of what is understood as 'jazz'.

As previously announced, the rest of the line-up for 2012 is completed by the following artists: James Ingram (USA), Dave Koz with special guest Patti Austin (USA), Mike Stern with special guest Dave Weckl (USA), Virtual Jazz Reality (SA), Brubecks play Brubeck (USA/SA), Ron Carter, Donald Harrison and Lenny White (USA), Andre Petersen Quintet (SA), Atmosphere (USA), Jean Grae (USA), Goodluck (SA), Zamajobe (SA), Zahara (SA), The Jason Reolon Trio (SA), David Sanchez with special guest Lionel Loueke (Puerto Rico/Benin), The Moreira Project (Mozambique) and Alexander Sinton High School Jazz Band (SA). Zakes Bantwini (SA); Unathi (SA); Lindiwe Suttle (SA); Sophia Foster, (SA); Hassan'adas (SA); Victor Kula (SA); Adam Glasser (SA); Herbie Tsoaeli (SA); Steve Dyer (SA)' Ill Literate Skill (SA); Hip Hop Pantsula (SA); Dorothy Masuka (SA); Hugh Masekela with Special Guest ‘' Tribute to Mama Afrika''' Gabriel Tchiema (Angola); Allen Stone (USA); Nouvelle Vague (France); Xia Jia (China); Alfredo Rodriguez (Cuba); Kevin Mahogany (USA); The Patti Austin Trio (USA); Marcus Miller (USA) and Third World (USA).

This year’s Cape Town International Jazz Festival will take place on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 March. In its 13th year, the festival continues to titillate South African audiences with the finest in local and international performers at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).

Celebrating not only musical creativity, but visual creativity too, The Duotone Photographic Exhibition is an annual fixture of the festival. Every year it commemorates prolific jazz photography to educate people about the power of art & photography, how one image can be timeless and to expose other forms of art , culture and heritage as it is all one form of expression and enjoyment. This year it showcases the works of Nuno Martins (Angola); Sipho Maluka (SA) and Shelley Christians (SA).

One of the most exciting elements to the festival is the annual free Community Concert which brings thousands together in the centre of Cape Town on Green Market Square. This year the concert will take place on March 28th, the Wednesday preceding the festival. The line-up is usually a teaser of some of the local and international acts that will feature at the festival.

The gold sponsors for the Cape Town International Jazz Festival 2012 is the Department of Arts and Culture and the SABC. Other sponsors include Provincial Government of the Western Cape, The City of Cape Town, Oude Meester, Hansa Pilsner, Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Cape Town Partnership and the Western Cape Education Department.

For more information visit http://www.capetownjazzfest.com/

KATE McGARRY - GIRL TALK

Kate McGarry, one of her generation's most individual and influential singers, has earned acclaim for blending her love of folk and pop music with jazz fluency and improvisation. As the Nashville Scene said, the sweet-toned, Grammy Award-nominated vocalist "embraces jazz's freedom yet points the genre toward a future that's as fresh and thrilling as its past." With Girl Talk - her fifth Palmetto Records album, to be released April 10 - McGarry pays homage to her role models among the great women of the jazz vocal tradition, from Betty Carter to Sheila Jordan to Carmen McRae. Accompanied by an intimately swinging jazz combo, McGarry puts her own inimitable spin on such classic songs as "We Kiss in a Shadow," "The Man I Love," the winking title track and, as a dream duet with Kurt Elling, the Brazilian "O Cantador." McGarry, although inspired by tradition, makes the album's songs feel utterly contemporary, not only through her distinctly 21st-century musical personality but through the personal emotions and sexual politics at play.

"Starry-eyed admiration and gratitude for our strong lineage of visionary jazz women is what fueled the making of Girl Talk, my first straight-ahead recording in many years," McGarry explains. "As part of my research for the album, I listened to hours of interviews with some of my favorite jazz singers - Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, Anita O'Day, Shirley Horn, Nina Simone, Elis Regina, Sheila Jordan, Irene Kral, Abbey Lincoln. There's something so compelling about hearing their speaking voices detailing the struggles and triumphs of their daily lives and journeys - my kind of `girl talk.' These icons were co-creators of the great art of jazz singing at a time in our nation's history when women's voices and dreams were so easily silenced or devalued."

The title track of Girl Talk, a "Mad Men"-era number by Bobby Troup and Neal Hefti, reflects the days when women were supposed to know their place rather than have their own voice. "The lyrics of that song are patronizing, of course," McGarry says. "But I learned it from the LP Betty Carter, Finally, where Betty pretty much obliterates the original lyrical intent and gives the tune a whole new feeling. Her version was a beacon for me. I love how the great women jazz singers didn't allow the songs of the time to define or reduce them - they redefined and expanded the meanings of the songs with their bold storytelling. In doing so, they gave themselves and other women a bigger space to live in."

With "The Man I Love" by the Gershwins, McGarry felt it as "such a sad song, with this idea that you couldn't be complete as a person without finding a man," she says. "We re-set the tune, removing some of the chords, changing some. We slowed it down, made it feel starker. And instead of concentrating on all this man's wonderful qualities, we focused on the words `I'm waiting.' It became more explicitly a cautionary tale." McGarry was moved to arrange the opening number, "We Kiss in a Shadow" (from The King and I), after she read a story about the New Jersey student who jumped off the George Washington Bridge in 2010 after being outed, cruelly, as gay. "To me, it became a song about civil rights," she says. "It's sad, but hopeful. It's written in anticipation of a time, hopefully soon, when people are free to legally love and marry whomever they choose - without having to suffer the discrimination and violence that come from ignorance and fear."

The challenge and opportunity in this album was for McGarry to "honor the tradition these women developed but also allow the music to reflect life today - my life today," she says. "Singing these songs can't be like putting on a costume. I didn't grow up in the ‘30s or ‘40s or ‘50s, and I wouldn't consider myself a traditional jazz singer per se. As someone who has covered everything from Björk to Sting to the Cars, I definitely have my own influences musically, just as I've lived in a world that's so different in terms of media and society. But the elements of harmonic and rhythmic improvisation, of swing, of storytelling - these are where those classic jazz singers and I connect. I see this album as a bridge between the contemporary things I do and the jazz tradition I learned so much from."

McGarry's previous Palmetto release was the Grammy-nominated If Less Is More, Nothing Is Everything of 2008, an album The New York Times called "astute and sensitive" and that impressed author Ted Gioia as "absolutely heartrending." The Boston Phoenix went further, saying: "If you want to know why there's no greater influence on the young generation of post-Joni female jazz singer-songwriters than Kate McGarry, check out her cover of the Cars' `Just What I Needed' - slow, mournful, with spare backing of ghostly organ, brushed drums, acoustic guitar and bass. McGarry is as beholden to folk and pop as to the tradition of Ella-Sarah-Betty, which she also happens to know cold."

Along with guitarist Keith Ganz, McGarry's husband and co-arranger/producer, the band on Girl Talk features musicians who have become like a family for the singer: keyboardist Gary Versace, bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Clarence Penn. The arrangements range from quartet to trio to duo, with the haunted Jimmy Rowles ballad "Looking Back" featuring the singer with only Ganz's shadowing accompaniment on electric guitar (plus a beautiful acoustic solo).

In the years since the release of her previous album, McGarry and Ganz experienced multiple losses, with the passing of parents and McGarry's beloved singing teacher (Dr. Horace Boyer, a gospel music scholar). Adding to the life changes, the couple relocated to the quieter, more spacious environs of Durham, N.C., after many years of living in New York. Summing up this period and its scene-setting for Girl Talk, McGarry says, "Inevitably, this has been a time of reflection, and the new album represents a celebration of mentors and parental figures of all kinds in my life."

Singer Kate McGarry grew up in Hyannis, Mass., as one of 10 children in a musical family that spent many nights singing. At the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, she earned a degree in African-American music and jazz; she began developing her organic vocal style through early training in jazz performance with iconic saxophonist Archie Shepp, and her experiences studying at a meditation ashram and exploring Celtic, Brazilian and Indian music also contributed to her widescreen vision as a vocalist and composer. After years in Los Angeles, McGarry moved to New York in the late ‘90s; her independently produced sophomore album, Show Me, was picked up by Palmetto Records, making her the first vocalist ever on the label's roster. Jazziz magazine declared about McGarry upon that first Palmetto release, "With this near-flawless album, she has arrived."

In 2005, McGarry's Mercy Streets album - which ranged characteristically from the Peter Gabriel title track to songs by Björk, Joni Mitchell and Irving Berlin - was called "one of the most important vocal albums of the year" by All About Jazz. Featuring originals alongside tunes by Sting and Bill Evans/Miles Davis, her album The Target was named one of the best jazz vocal albums of 2007 by Downbeat. The Downbeat reviewer called the recording "a milestone of maturity," adding: "No matter how many liberties she takes with meter and interpretation, she exercises a fidelity to the meaning of the song. McGarry has the pure untrammeled voice of an ingénue who finds wonder in the simplest of things." Her 2008 album, If Less Is More, Nothing Is Everything, was nominated for a Grammy Award, with The Wall Street Journal calling it "an exceptionally appealing blend of folk and jazz" for its mix of originals, standards, Brazilian tunes and songs by the likes of Bob Dylan. National Public Radio said: "Kate McGarry is called a jazz vocalist, but she's hard to pin down. She draws on the music of her youth to inspire her - from the Irish tunes of her family's roots to musical theater to pop songs."

McGarry has performed on some of the world's most prestigious stages, from Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Birdland to the Berlin Jazz Fest, San Sebastian Jazz Fest and Jazz Baltica. The singer has recorded and toured with such jazz luminaries as Hank Jones, Fred Hersch, Kurt Elling and Maria Schneider. And she has toured Eastern Europe, South America and China on behalf of the U.S. State Department.

http://www.katemcgarry.com/
http://www.palmetto-records.com/

RAMSEY LEWIS, SHEILA E., BONEY JAMES, CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE TOPLINE 2012 PLAYBOY JAZZ FESTIVAL

Featuring a world class lineup of talent, the 34th annual Playboy Jazz Festival will present an eclectic roster of Grammy-winning artists, acclaimed jazz icons, rising stars and Festival favorites, Saturday and Sunday, June 16th and 17th, at the renowned Hollywood Bowl.

Showcasing the entire spectrum of jazz, the event annually attracts over 35,000 fans from all over the world. Among the headliners for the two day concert are Ramsey Lewis, Robin Thicke, Ozomatli, Sheila E., Boney James and Christian McBride.

Having played the Festival on numerous occasions, Grammy-winner Ramsey Lewis will take to the Playboy stage for the first time with his popular Electric Band. Known for such chart topping hits as "The In Crowd", "Hang On Sloopy" and more, Lewis continues to captivate fans with his legendary piano playing and the innovative style that have earned him three Grammy awards and seven Gold records. He will perform hits from his classic Sun Goddess album as well as his latest CD, Ramsey Taking Another Look

Currently riding high with the success of his fifth album, Love After War, R&B singing sensation Robin Thicke is making his highly anticipated Festival debut. Before his stunning breakthrough as a hit making singer-songwriter, the Los Angeles native was already composing and producing for such superstar artists as Michael Jackson, Marc Anthony, Christina Aguilera and many others. His debut CD sold nearly two million copies, spawning the mega-hit "Lost Without U", which topped four Billboard charts simultaneously and was named ASCAP's Song Of The Year. His current release, Love After War, features Lil Wayne and debuted on the Billboard 200. Festival fans will be able to experience firsthand the talent that has won Thicke thousands of faithful fans and catapulted him to multi-platinum status.

Celebrated Los Angeles culture-mashers Ozomatli, whose rapid rise to stardom has taken them from hometown heroes to United States Department Cultural Ambassadors, are returning to the Playboy stage for their fifth appearance. Their notorious urban-Latino collision of hip-hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, meringue and comparsa, East L.A R&B and New Orleans jazz mixed with Jamaican reggae and Indian raga should once again move the crowd to its feet.

Sure to turn up the heat is the return appearance of the Emmy and Grammy-nominated Sheila E. Making her Festival debut as a leader, she has previously performed several times at the Festival with her legendary father, percussionist Pete Escovedo, and their family's famous band, with whom she still tours. A star in her own right, she has served as the musical director for such superstars as Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, and Prince. Known for her mega hit, "The Glamorous Life", she also performed with Prince on his Purple Rain Soundtrack leading to such solo hits as "The Belle of St. Mark" and "A Love Bizarre". She also toured with Ringo Starr and his All-Starr band in 2001, 2003 and 2006 and more recently performed alongside Marc Anthony in the American Idol Season 10 finale.

With four gold albums, three Grammy nominations, a Soul Train Award, and an NAACP award nomination to his credit, Boney James is considered by many to be one of the most influential jazz artists of his generation. Back by popular demand, James will bring his soulful grooves back to the Festival for the fourth time. Having sold over 3 million copies of his 12 albums, (Eight of which made #1 on the Billboard contemporary jazz chart), James produced, arranged and co-wrote his latest CD, Contact. Although the new CD still features James' signature sound, it has an added intensity inspired by his personal life after a serious car accident. Continuing to break down barriers with his music, James continues to make ‘contact' with his fans, connecting with them through his music all over the world.

Philadelphia born bass virtuoso and Grammy winner Christian McBride is one of the most recorded musicians of his generation. Having appeared on close to 300 recordings as a sideman or leader before the age of 40, McBride has played with such high caliber artists as Sting, The Roots, Kathleen Battle, Carly Simon and James Brown to name a few. Making his first Festival appearance with his big band, McBride's first big band album, The Good Feeling, just won the 2012 Grammy for "Best Large Jazz Ensemble". He has performed and recorded with such jazz giants as Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Roy Haynes, Joshua Redman, and many more. In 2006, he was named to the position of "creative chair for jazz" with the L.A. Philharmonic, taking over from Dianne Reeves. Although he lives in the musical worlds of hip hop, soul and classical music, he continues to be a trailblazer as a band leader and has composed a number of pieces for larger ensembles, showcasing his hallmark energy and versatility.

Since the release of their second album Naturally in 2005, Sharon Jones & the Dap- Kings have become a worldwide sensation. Steeped in the gilded and gritty sounds of gospel, 60s soul and funk, the nine-piece band continues to electrify fans with their fiery live performances and intoxicating, heart-throbbing sound. Their latest CD, I Learned the Hard Way, moved 100,000 copies in just four months out and they have been playing to sell out crowds all over the world. Returning for a second appearance after their triumphant debut a few years ago, Jones & the Dap- Kings will no doubt rock the house once more.

Bringing their ‘party' to the Festival for the first time, The Soul Rebels with special guests Leo Nocentelli, Zigaboo Modeliste and Ivan Neville were founded by New Orleans natives Lumar LeBlanc and Derrick Moss, all of whom are making their Festival debut. An eight piece ensemble harnessing the power of horns and drums in the party-like atmosphere of a dance club, the group honed their skills where most New Orleans bands do -- in the street. Nocentelli, the group's guitarist, has recorded with such major artists as Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and Sting. Modeliste, a pioneer of second line funk, has worked with Keith Richards, Robert Palmer and Dr. John. Both of them are original members of the legendary Meters, New Orleans' most famous funk band. Singer-songwriter Ivan Neville, also a multi-instrumentalist, is the son of Aaron Neville and leader of the group Dumpstaphunk. Together they've updated the brass band tradition and taken it a step further by adding hip hop and half sung, half rapped lyrics. The group averages 250 shows a year, playing everywhere from South Africa to Europe and the United States.

Bringing an international flavor to the Festival are the Global Gumbo All-Stars. A creation of the legendary Quincy Jones, the group features acclaimed bassist Richard Bona, noted guitarist Lionel Loueke, drummer Francisco Mela, and young piano phenomenon Alfredo Rodriguez, in a rotating ensemble of top singers and musicians from around the world. Born in Cameroon, bassist Richard Bona has worked as the musical director for Harry Belafonte and toured with Pat Metheny as a percussionist and vocalist. A native of West Africa, Lionel Loueke has performed with Herbie Hancock, Angelique Kidjo, Wayne Shorter, Santana and Sting. Cuban drummer Francisco Mela is a favorite among such elite jazz musicians as Joe Lovano, John Scoffield and others. Since being discovered by Quincy Jones at the Montereux Jazz Festival, young pianist and Jones' protégé, Alfredo Rodriguez has sky rocketed to success, performing with such legendary jazz artists as Herbie Hancock, and McCoy Tyner, playing many of the world's top jazz Festivals.

Returning as Master of Ceremonies for his 31st year, jazz aficionado Bill Cosby will bring his own group of specially chosen musicians to perform. Featured in this year's Cos Of Good Music are: Pianist Farid Barron; noted bassist and composer Dwayne Burno; three time Grammy nominee, world class drummer and percussionist Ndugu Chancler; veteran saxophonist Tia Fuller; guitarist Matthew Garrison; esteemed trumpeter Ingrid Jensen; master jazz percussionist Babatunde Lea; exceptional saxophonist Erena Terakubo. Farid Barron, Tia Fuller, Matthew Garrison, and Erena Terakubo are all making their Festival debut.

Celebrating their 50th anniversary, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is synonymous with Dixieland and the best of New Orleans jazz and blues. Making a return appearance, the group once again will bring the spirit of the Crescent City to the Playboy stage in another rousing performance. Renowned for their rotating group of local New Orleans musicians who tour throughout the world, the group's mission is to preserve the legacy of the traditional New Orleans and Dixieland jazz typically played on the Mississippi riverboats until the early 20th century.

A Festival favorite, Keb' Mo' will bring the African-American folk-soul vibe of his 2011 collection, The Reflection to the show. A three-time Grammy winner, The Reflection is Mo's first new album since Suitcase in 2006. Featuring such diverse artists as Vince Gill, Dave Koz, India Arie, and David T. Walker, The Reflection is unique as it's not a blues album, but an accumulation of all of Mo's various influences - pre-disco, R&B, American folk, gospel, blues and more that contribute to create the sound uniquely so his own.

Renowned drummer, composer, and producer Terri Lyne Carrington will make her Festival debut with a live performance of her Grammy-winng The Mosaic Project (2011) at this year's show, featuring noted female artists Gretchen Parlato, Carmen Lundy, Tia Fuller (also playing in the Cos Of Good Music), Ingrid Jensen, Helen Sung, Linda Taylor and Mimi Jones, all of whom are making their Festival along with Carrington. After 20 years of touring with such luminaries as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Al Jarreau, Stan Getz and many more, Carrington took a hiatus from recording, and returned in 2005. Recently she returned to her hometown of Boston where she was appointed a professor at her Alma Mater, Berklee College of Music.

Although most of the members of the exciting new all-star septet The Cookers have played the Festival at one time or other, this is their debut performance together as a group. One of the hottest bands around, The Cookers summon up an aggressive mid 60s spirit with a potent collection of expansive post-bop originals, marked by all the pyrotechnic playing expected of some of the heaviest hitters on the scene today. Billy Harper, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, and Billy Hart all came up in the heady era of the mid ‘60s, while David Weiss and Craig Handy are from a more recent generation. Their version of the band was solidified in 2007 and they have been playing venues around the world ever since. .

Marking their first festival appearance, the all-star group Spectrum Road features devoted Williams protégé Cindy Blackman-Santana on drums, John Medeski (Medeski, Martin & Wood) on keyboards, Vernon Reid (founder and primary songwriter of the rock band Living Colour) and the legendary Jack Bruce (from the psychedelic rock power trio Cream). Spectrum Road is named for one of the incendiary tracks on the Emergency! album by The Tony Williams Lifetime. From his stunning debut with Miles Davis at 17, through his pioneering fusion work with John McLaughlin, Larry Young, Allan Holdsworth and others, the late Tony Williams was one of the most renowned jazz drummers of all time. The four originally joined forces as the Lifetime Tribute Band, playing a series of concerts commemorating Williams' famed group in Japan. In 2011 they reunited, playing high profile jazz clubs throughout North America. The response was so positive, they renamed themselves and began touring as Spectrum Road.

The eight piece ensemble Chico Trujillo will bring the high energy music of Chile to the Playboy stage in their Festival debut. One of the major orchestras in the country, Chico Trujillo pioneered the revival of Chilean Cumbia. Led by vocalist Aldo "Macha" Asenjo, the band is known in its homeland as the ‘soundtrack' to every party, from Arica to Punta Arenas. Their hot, sizzling blend of classic cumbia, bolero, Latin music, Balkan and reggae attracts audiences of all generations. Chico Trujillo has come to symbolize a unique cocktail that has its roots in the pre-Pinochet era and has managed to incorporate all aspects of popular culture in Chile´.

Bringing his hard hitting Afro-pop to the Festival for the first time is KG Omulo, a singer/songwriter and pioneer of Afro-Urban music who regularly packs American clubs with his powerful calls for justice and deep grooves. His ability to take on the dark ironies of politics, with anger in the rhythms, combined with his powerful baritone voice, has made him equally popular in his native Kenya. His songs include English and Swahili lyrics. On his recently released solo debut album Ayah Ye! Moving Train, Omulo taps into the spirit of Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. The band includes some of Central Florida's finest brass and string practitioners, who have collectively worked with Sam Rivers, Ray Charles, T-Pain, Mofrot, The Legendary JC's, Junkie Rush, AM Conspiracy and Shak Nasti.

Opening Saturday's show at 3:00 p.m. is the LAUSD / Beyond the Bell All City Jazz Band under the direction of Tony White and J.B. Dyas. Calabasas High School Jazz Band will open the show on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

Darlene Chan, president of FestivalWest Inc. is the producer for the Playboy Jazz Festivals for the 34th consecutive year. Hugh Hefner is executive producer and Richard Rosenzweig is President Emeritus of the Playboy Jazz Festival.

Single day tickets will be available through Ticketmaster starting February 10th. Patrons can purchase tickets online at www.ticketmaster.com, over the phone by calling (213) 365-3500 or (714) 740-7878, at any Ticketmaster outlet or by downloading a ticket order form available at www.playboyjazzfestival.c... There is also a link to the Ticketmaster website on the Playboy Jazz Festival website. Tickets may also be purchased at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office beginning May 7th.

http://www.playboyjazzfestival.com/

CATHERINE RUSSELL - STRICTLY ROMANCIN'

Strictly Romancin' is a paean to natural attractions; to a lover, an art form, and to one’s family heritage. On the album, Catherine explores love’s foibles, failures, and bliss, from amorous to humorous, embodying the lost art of song savvy, inhabiting the lyric, and allowing each melody to shine. On this 14 song collection, this ever soulful vocalist takes us on a journey; from Harlem dance hall, to Parisian Café, to Store Front Church, to New Orleans Gin Joint, to Uptown Cabaret, blurring distinctions between the carnal and the eternal, in a musical tour de force.

For these sessions, Catherine reunites with the team from her previous chart topping album, Inside This Heart of Mine, including recording engineer Katherine Miller, producer Paul Kahn, and Musical Director/Guitarist/Banjoist/Arranger, Matt Munisteri, who contributes his expansive vision. Also returning are the cream of New York City based players, trumpet great Jon-Erik Kellso, trombonist John Allred, saxophone/clarinetist Dan Block; this time joined by veteran saxophonist/arranger Andy Farber. Joe Barbato on accordion and Aaron Weinstein on violin add a gypsy flavor on two tracks. The rhythm section includes players from Catherine Russell’s road tested band, including stride and swing connoisseur Mark Shane on piano, the always solid Lee Hudson on bass, and Mark McClean on drums.

The album opens with “Under The Spell of The Blues”; a newly minted version borrowed from the original Chick Webb / Ella Fitzgerald recording. Alone with heartache at the dawn, Catherine sets a mournful tone with her mesmerizing lament.

The classic Dorothy Fields – Jimmy McHugh composition, “I’m In The Mood For Love”, was plucked from the fruitful recording collaboration of Louis Armstrong and Luis Russell. “Everything’s Been Done Before”, from the same source, is an unusual melody. Both are impeccably rendered by Catherine’s lush croon. “Ev’ntide” comes from the same rich period in 1936 when Louis Armstrong was churning out masterpieces for the Decca label, this one written by Hoagy Carmichael, and rarely recorded since. This sunset stroll with that special someone now belongs to Catherine. The sensuous slow dance of “Romance In The Dark”, written by the great Lil Green, dazzles the senses.

The Ellington-Strayhorn spin on breaking up, “I’m Checkin’ Out Goom’bye”, becomes a hilarious conversation between our femme fatale and hard swinging’ trombonist John Allred, aided and abetted by a jet propelled Matt Munisteri arrangement. “No More” is serious soul cleansing, Catherine’s homage to the late Abbey Lincoln, found on Abbey’s very first studio album.

“Satchel Mouth Baby” is a fun and bouncy infatuation written by Mary Lou Williams (a nod to Louis Armstrong). Catherine first performed this at the Kennedy Center’s Women in Jazz Festival in 2010, and it’s highlighted her repertoire ever since; fitting, as Cat’s mom worked with Mary Lou Williams and her dad with Satchel Mouth.

Cat implores “Don’t Leave Me”, a tune written and first performed by blues singer/pianist Ivory Joe Hunter, whose signature style is expertly channeled by pianist Mark Shane. “I Haven’t Changed A Thing”, once recorded by the hit-maker Kay Starr for Capitol Records, and mysteriously unissued, allows Catherine to reassert loyalty and devotion, while unearthing another gem.

"He’s All I Need”, was written and originally recorded by Gospel- cum early rocker, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and her singing partner of many years, the late Sister Marie Knight. The duet is now reimagined by Catherine & her mother Carline Ray (who turned 86 years young just prior to this recording.)

And who better than Catherine Russell to jump start the spirit of Swing Era giants like Cab Calloway (“Wake Up and Live”), and Henry “Red” Allen (Whatchya Gonna Do When There Ain’t No Swing?”), and bring them into the 21st Century with utterly contemporary flair!

Catherine Russell -Strictly Romancin' Tracklist:
1. Under The Spell Of The Blues
2. I'm In The Mood For Love
3. Wake Up And Live
4. Ev'ntide
5. Romance In The Dark
6. I'm Checkin' Out, Goom'Bye
7. No More
8. Satchel Mouth Baby
9. Everything's Been Done Before
10. Don't Leave Me
11. I Haven't Changed A Thing
12. Everybody Loves My Baby
13. He's All I Need
14. Whatcha Gonna Do When There Ain't No Swing?

DEEP JAZZ – THE MEETING

Deep Jazz is the brainchild of acoustic bass player Jerker Kluge, and The Meeting is the amazing second album from Deep Jazz – and every bit as spiritual and soulful as the first. The arrangements, production, and execution here are wonderful – with no modern tricks or gimmicks to get in the way at all – and in addition to great warm acoustic bass from group leader Jerker Kluge, the set also features alto, tenor, flute, bass clarinet, and piano – plus some great Alice Coltrane-like harp, sweet percussion, and even female vocals on a few cuts.

The Meeting follows on from ther first effort, Heaven And Earth, and kicks off with Freddie Hubbard’s "Little Sunflower" – a song that needs little introduction and is given a sublime take. The Meeting has a  strong spiritual groove throughout, and Julia Fehenberger’s vocals are a featured and are are especially effective on the swinging "Don’t Get Drowned." You'll enjoy the peaceful "East And West" track as well. The Meeting flows, grooves and is essential for lovers of contemporary Jazz that owes a nod or two or three to the sixties. Other titles include the great originals "No Doubt", "The Meeting", "Movement", "Mystic Sky", "Invisible", and "East & West" – plus great versions of "Little Sunflower" and "Spirits Up Above".

Deep Jazz – The Meeting Tracklist:
1. Little Ssunflower
2. No Doubt
3. Movement
4. Mystic Sky
5. Don’t Get Drowned
6. Invisible
7. Coincidence Of Circumstance
8. East And West
9. Sprits Up Above
10.Autumn Sun

Deep Jazz line-up: Julia Fehenberger (Vocals), Andrea Hermenau (Piano, Vocals), Florian Riedl (Flöte, Alt-Saxophon), Till Martin (Tenor-Saxophon), Ulrich Wangenheim (Bassklarinette), Kathrin Pechlof (Harfe), Jerker Kluge (Kontrabass), Diony Varias (Percussion), Matthias Gmelin (Drums)

JASMINE KARA - BLUES AIN'T NOTHING BUT A GOOD WOMAN GONE BAD

Born in a small Swedish town to an Iranian father and a Swedish mother, Jasmine Kara knew as a little girl that music was her calling. Kara started performing at talent shows and took every chance she could get to get up on the stage. Singing and exploring new music was exciting and life ahead seemed beautiful for the young Kara. Then her life took a very dramatic turn. In her mid-teens she fell in love for the first time. But this love soon turned out to be everything but an innocent teenage love affair. Kara quickly found herself trapped in a most abusive and totally destructive relationship and she started sinking deeper and deeper. This very dark period almost took her life. When she was completely down and out, way down at the bottom a miracle happened. Someone gave her a guitar. And she remembered how good music used to make her feel. How music can heal. Shortly thereafter Kara decided to break up and leave. She left the town she grew up in, the relationship that almost killed her - and her old life, in search for a new. She started travelling the world, determined to find a way to make a living as a performing artist.

When Kara arrived in New York she immediately knew she had come home. The city’s music scene in general and it’s jazz, blues and R&B clubs in particular made her realize that this was where she belonged. She started performing all over town and took every chance she could get to sing to anyone who’d listen. Gradually she started noticing how her powerful voice could move her audience, making her even more certain that this was what she needed to do for the rest of her life. However, that dream of a recording contract kept eluding her, depsite promises and close calls.

Eventually she was picked up by new indepenent label Tri-Sound. One of it’s founders was legendary record man Marshall Chess, who ended up as Kara’s Executive Producer on her debut album Blues Ain’t Nothing But A Good Woman Gone Bad. A collection of classic old school blues and R&B-numbers, but with Kara's trade remarkable voice, the album was recorded during 48 hours in the well-renowned Cosmos Studio in Stockholm, Sweden for a 2010 summer release.

The album track list is heavy with adapations of traditional material and blues from the Willie Dixon and old school Chess school – though it's done in a moddish mid 60 style – heavy drums and bass lines, soulful guitars, horns and keys. The album was  was produced by Michel Zitron & Johan Wetterburg, and it includes "Fire", "Are You Doing Me Wrong", "Ain't No More Room", "Try My Love Again", "Must I Holler", "My Babe", "Ordinary Joe", "In The Basement" (Parts 1 & 2), "Grits Ain't Groceries", "Liberation Coversation" and more.

THE SOUL SESSION - ONE

They got the title One right on this one – as there's definitely a lot of soulful elements in the mix, of the sort we used to hear much more strongly from the European scene a decade or so ago! The set's a great reminder of the kind of imports that used to really drive us wild – those productions that are steeped in classic influences, yet filter things together to come up with a rich contemporary vibe – a new sort of magic that's only made in the studio, often with a lot of collaborative help! In the case of this session, core sounds from Ralph Kiefer – who plays Fender Rhodes and delivers lots of beats – are supported by great guest work from Bajka, Kay Fischer, Karl Frierson, Declaime, and others – who really bring some great elements to the tracks, particularly the sort of vocals that really help the whole album take shape.

“Struggles And Blessings” is the apt opener. Bajka, who has been busy with Bonobo, Dalindeo and Radio Citizen features her unmistakable vocal style and we discover that The Soul Session is all about diversity. This is where “Root Down” comes in. A heavy heavy monster of a groove with a hypnotic brass section, “Root Down” is irresistible. De-Phazz vocalist Karl Frierson then dives soul deep into a modern fusion track. “Soul Desire” builds a bridge from the spirituality of the 70s to the urgency of the present.

A few bars only into the mysterious opening of “The S.O.S. Suite”, clocking in at a mighty 17 minutes long, we know that this will be one serious trip into space. Think of the golden era of Hip-Hop circa A Tribe Called Quest or Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth connected to the London pioneers of genre bending grooves originated in Camden Dingwalls or That’s How It Is. Dudley Perkins aka Declaime, who already worked with Lootpack, Tha Alkaholiks and Madlib, drops his rhymes to the main theme and boards the funky mothership, before Kiefer catapults it into an enthralling Drum’n Bass excursion.

We take a deep breath while “YeahYeahYeah” puts us back into deep relaxation. Anaj, a highly respected Berlin artist in many disciplines from design to sculpture, is introduced  as vocalist on “Woman & Man”, while Karl Frierson returns for “Underneath” respectively. Here we see The Soul Session at their best: Beautifully crafted compositions, a tight rhythm section and cleverly worked out arrangements. “Hamjam” proves this point in full effect: Ralph Kiefer’s grooves are deeply rooted in the best of hang loose 70s fusion, the precise machinery of 80s funk and the crossover vibes of the 90s.

Then, of course, there is “Light My Fire”. Yes, it is the Doors tune and you may be tempted to think that there is no chance to put some fresh perspective to a classic like this. But wait until you have checked out this version with Kiefer himself on vocal duties. Sticking to the era and still breathing the freewheeling spirit of the late 60s and early 70s L.A. sound, One closes with the “Horse With No Name Suite”. Clocking in at around 11 minutes with the America classic, a bona fide three minute 70s pop tune in its original incarnation, turns into an up-to-date Jazz suite on One.

“Out Of The Rain” is the title of the suite’s closing part and that’s exactly the feeling you get after listening to this album. The Soul Session steps into the arena with a longplayer full of pleasant surprises: A profound sense of history, respect and deep understanding of jazz, soul, funk and electronic music, connected with a high-profile musicianship and amazing ongwriting skills. This is definitely “one” rare treat these days – and it’s all about Soul!

KINNY - CAN'T KILL A DAME WITH SOUL

An acutely talented vocalist, Kinny trained classically as an opera singer before the spontaneity and freedom of jazz, reggae and soul lured her into pursuing her true passion.

Kinny – aka Caitlin Simpson – was born and raised in Canada and has a mixture of Jamaican, Native Canadian Indian, French and Swedish heritage. Describing herself as a ‘freestyle improv vocalist’, she fuses a classical mezzo-soprano sound with the jazzy attitude-soul of the likes of Erykah Badu, and her voice sashays effortlessly between soaring melodies, steely staccato phrases and caramel-dipped dulcet tones.

The first band Kinny performed with after cutting loose from the musical theatre world was Third Eye Tribe, who became well known and highly regarded in Canada and beyond for their electrifying live shows in which Kinny laid spontaneous, improvised vocals over electronic, dub and hip hop beats. On tour with the band in 2001, Kinny visited Bergen in Norway and loved the city so much that she moved there. Comparing Bergen to a Scandinavian version of her native Vancouver, Kinny finds inspiration and intrigue in the vibrant music scene, the extreme seasons and the peace and closeness to nature that abounds in sparsely populated countries.

In Norway, Kinny met and collaborated with the multi-talented Espen Horne (a producer, designer and professional goalkeeper…) and the fruits of their labours fell into the hands of Quantic, who passed them on to Tru Thoughts A&R Robert Luis. This resulted in the release of Kinny And Horne’s album Forgetting To Remember on Tru Thoughts in 2005. The album gained rave reviews and brought Kinny’s talent to the attention of the world’s most respected musical minds and tastemakers – including Daddy G, who invited her to audition as a vocalist for Massive Attack; and Andy Smith (with whom she is currently working on a set of tracks for a potential collaborative project in the near future). Kinny became a regular visitor to the UK with gigs at The Big Chill, Cargo, Jazz Café, Native and across Europe. During this period she hooked up with a variety of producers, guesting on tracks by the likes of TM Juke, Diesler and Quantic. Her versatility and charisma, and her desire to embrace new ideas and ways of creating songs became a sign of things to come.

For her debut solo album, Idle Forest Of Chit Chat, Kinny has hand-picked a roster of seven different producers including Quantic, Nostalgia 77, TM Juke, Hint and Norwegian rising star Souldrop, to push the boundaries of her own exceptional talent and expose herself to various styles and ways of working. The first single (a double A side, “Enough Said” // “Desire”) came out on 8th December 2008 and showcased an original, up-to-the-minute brand of modern soul that mixes irresistible beats, incredible melodies and a pop sensibility with her own unmistakable force of personality and raw talent.

With Can’t Kill A Dame With Soul, her voice brings a depth of soul to every recording we've heard of her – be it spacey club grooves or jazzy modern electronics-flavored soul. Since the preceding Idle Forest Of Chit Chat album, she's doing her thing with a much more personal approach, and this one fully delivers on the increasing promise over the past few years. Modern soul with spacey touches and one of the best albums on Tru Thoughts in quite a while! Can't Kill A Dame With Soul Includes "Floating Zzzzzzz!", "Big Fat Liar", "Tick Can Tock" feat Son Of Light, "Up Side Down", "Suffocate", "Lost Baggage", a great little electro soul cover of The Cure's "The Love Cats", "You From This Sting", "One Fan Talking", "Shrinking Violet" and "Mmm Of My Hums".

ANGELA BOFILL - ANGIE (EXPANDED EDITION)

Released in 1978, Angie was the auspicious debut album by singer and songwriter Angela Bofill, marking the arrival of a distinctive and unique artist who has built a solid following among soul and jazz connoisseurs worldwide ever since. Angie is a mixture of jazzy soul and soulful jazz, all put together with a sound that's really a cut above most of her contemporaries. As with Jean Carne or Phyllis Hyman, there's a sophistication to Angela's sound here that indicates roots in much hipper territory that were still pulling strongly on her work for this mainstream set – a sound that runs deeper than you might expect for such a commercially successful record, and which has really kept it alive for years

The Bronx, New York-born artist worked in a variety of different artists including jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie and Cannonball Adderley and disco group Ecstasy, Passion & Pain as well as singing with The Dance Theater Of Harlem before landing her record deal with GRP Records, the label founded by key jazz producers Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen. Grusin & Rosen masterminded the production of Angie, pulling together an amazing group of star players for the sessions including drummers Buddy Williams and Steve Gadd, bassist Francisco Centeno, percussionist Ralph MacDonald, guitarist Eric Gale, Grusin himself on keyboards and GRP labelmate/flautist Dave Valentin (who facilitated Angela’s introduction to the label).

Angie received immediate acclaim for press, radio and public in the US, reaching No. 5 on Billboard’s jazz charts, No. 20 on the R&B charts and No. 47 on the Top 200 album charts. The single, "This Time I’ll Be Sweeter” (included here on this expanded edition reissue) was also a Top 30 R&B hit establishing Angela as a staple soul/jazz artist. Titles include "Children Of The World United", "Summer Days", "Rough Times", "This Time I'll Be Sweeter", and "The Only Thing I Would Wish For". Includes a bonus track – the Arista single mix of "This Time I'll Be Sweeter".

PAUL BROWN - THE FUNKY JOINT

Woodward Avenue Records is preparing for the release of The Funky Joint from double Grammy winner and guitarist, Paul Brown. The album is due to be released on Woodward on March 6, 2012. Paul Brown also serves as producer on his new album, which includes appearances by Boney James, Euge Groove, Bob James, Bob Baldwin, Marco Basci and “The Producers” tour-mate, Darren Rahn. “This album allows Paul to unleash his musical roots and just let it rip” says Mark Nordman, President and CEO of Woodward Avenue Records, “while at the same time being true to the sound that has earned him over 50 # 1 Hits.”

“Paul Brown sets the musical standard by which others are measured. The Funky Joint showcases Paul’s incredible guitar playing as well as his signature sound, as both an artist and a producer. We are extremely excited about this album and look forward to its release. Making really great music requires a commonality of vision and purpose between the artists and the label…….and we are confident that our association with Paul will be very positive and beneficial to all whom we work with. Woodward Avenue Records is trailblazing a new direction for Jazz, R&B and Soul by fusing music and artists from different genres into a fresh and unique sound…..the signature sound of Woodward Avenue Records and the great Paul Brown.”

The Funky Joint Track Listing:
1. The Funky Joint (3:32)
2. As Clear As Day (featuring Boney James) (3:44)
3. Montreux (4:18)
4. Say It Like It Is (3:34)
5. Love Don't Come EZ (3:48)
6. Tuff Times (featuring Jonathan Fritzen) (3:57)
7. Backstage Pass (featuring Bob James) (3:26)
8. Ya Dig (featuring Darren Rahn) (4:36)
9. From The Ground Up (featuring Euge Groove) (4:44)

CHICK COREA & GARY BURTON - HOT HOUSE

Pianist Chick Corea and vibraphonist Gary Burton became a collaborative team almost by accident. Their first musical encounter took place at a jazz festival in Germany in 1972, when they performed together in a spur-of-the-moment encore. The results were so satisfying – not only to the audience but to the artists themselves – that the two musicians reconvened in a recording studio a couple months later to record the intricate yet highly melodic Crystal Silence, their first of several collaborative studio projects.

The impromptu encounter in Germany marked the beginning of a musical partnership that has lasted for four decades – not only on the performance stage but also over the course of seven recordings. Despite the years that have come and gone since that fateful European gig, the duo of Corea and Burton have not lost their ability to generate their unique brand of what could best be described as cool heat.

This highly creative and prolific team celebrates forty years of great jazz with the September 4, 2012, release of Hot House on Concord Jazz, a division of Concord Music Group.

“Though we often go for months at a time between duet tours while we are playing music on our own,’ Burton says, “within about ten minutes of getting together again, the old communication snaps back into place. I can guess what Chick is going to play next from two blocks away, and he is the same with me. Certainly, the principal reason we have continued to work together all this time is because we have this natural reaction.”

That “natural reaction” is alive and well on Hot House, a collection of ten songs that draws from the work of some of their favorite composers from the 1940s through the 1960s. “After exploring several genres of jazz and standards, we eventually settled on eight composers, most from the jazz world,” says Burton. “But we chose songs that are generally not that well known; the composers’ names are probably more familiar than the songs to most listeners. The final result feels very fresh and different to us.”

Although the source material is indeed eclectic, the set as a whole is seamless and undeniably rich. It starts with the lighthearted “Can’t We Be Friends,” what Burton calls “a rather obscure standard first recorded by Art Tatum,” a piano hero to both Burton and Corea. The track intentionally maintains some of Tatum’s flourishes and stride swing feel. The duo then makes the unlikely shift from Tatum to Paul McCartney’s decidedly darker “Eleanor Rigby,” a cover that adds a sense of uptempo urgency to the original song’s poignancy.

The lush and melodic “Chega de Saudade” is the first of two Antonio Carlos Jobim tunes, and one that both artists learned during their respective stints with Stan Getz in the 1960s. They return to the Jobim catalog later in the set with the equally ornate “Once I Loved.”

Other noteworthy offerings include a mercurial rendition of Bill Evans’ “Time Remembered” and a playful reading of “Strange Meadow Lark,” a lesser known selection from Dave Brubeck’s iconic 1959 recording, Time Out.

The energetic title track is a tune by pianist Tadd Dameron, based on the harmony progression of Cole Porter’s “What Is This Thing Called Love?” Burton explains that he and Corea “got confused about who was going to solo first after the melody, and we both started soloing at the same time, but it seemed to work really well, so we kept it as part of the arrangement.”

Hot House also includes Thelonious Monk’s brief and little known “Light Blue,” to which Corea adds a second chorus that stays very much in the spirit of Monk.

The set closes with Corea’s own “Mozart Goes Dancing,” an intricate and engaging piece recorded with the Harlem String Quartet. The track was originally slated for the duo’s next project – a reprise of their touring and studio work in the ‘80s with string quartet and newly penned music from Corea – but “the result was so spectacular that we decided to add it to the CD,” says Burton, “as a preview of what we’ll be doing with our duo next year.”

After four decades of collaboration, the Corea-Burton team continues to look forward to the next big idea. “Throughout our 40 years of making music together, there has never been a downside with our duet,” says Corea. “Each concert and recording we have done has always been a great pleasure and a personal inspiration. This new set of duet music is no exception. Until this recording, we never focused on ‘standards’ with our duet, but it was natural to do as these songs are from the era we grew up in.”

Burton adds: “I used to think that someday we would run out of ideas and get bored with our duet. When we crossed the 20-year mark, I wondered if we might come to the end sometime soon. But at the 30-year mark, I began to think it might last, after all. And now after four decades, we are as excited as ever about the music we’re playing and how much fun we have on stage every night.”

TAB BENOIT - MEDICINE

Medicine, Benoit’s seventh solo release on Telarc International, a division of Concord Music Group, successfully joins two gifted guitarists/songwriters in a session that proves greater than the sum of its very talented parts. This 11-track recording features seven new Benoit originals co-written with ace songwriter Anders Osborne (his song “Watch the Wind Blow By” was recorded by Tim McGraw in 2002, hitting No. 1 on the country charts for two weeks and selling over three million albums, and Keb’ Mo’s 1999 GRAMMY-winning album Slow Down, featured two songs he had co-written).


“Anders and I have been friends for years, and we have a very comfortable relationship,” says Benoit, a GRAMMY®-nominated songwriter, as well as a guitarist and singer with a repertoire that ranges from swamp-pop classics to gritty blues and rootsy jams. “Songwriting needs to feel natural. It needs to flow easily. When he and I went out on the bayou, we came back with seven songs! Anders also played most of the rhythm parts on the album. He does a good job of not stepping on what I’m doing and making it fit the song.”

In an unusual twist, Osborne (who also co-produced the album) uses B.B. King’s famous guitar “Lucille” on Medicine. “He played half the album on that guitar, basically anything that’s not slide guitar,” Benoit says.

Medicine showcases a lean, energetic young band, and vibe-wise it’s hipper and groovier than anything Benoit has ever done before. The recording also spotlights the work of keyboardist Ivan Neville (son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of the Neville Brothers), drummer Brady Blade (Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Dave Matthews) and bassist Corey Duplechin (Chubby Carrier & Bayou Swamp Band). Fiddler/singer Michael Doucet of BeauSoleil makes a special appearance on three tracks.

Medicine was recorded at Louisiana’s legendary Dockside Studio (B.B. King, Dr. John, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal, Buckwheat Zydeco), located on a 12 acre estate in the heart of Cajun country on the banks of the Vermilion Bayou, and engineered by David Z (Prince, Jonny Lang, Buddy Guy, Gov’t Mule). The award-winning music producer/engineer worked with Benoit on three earlier releases (Fever for the Bayou, Power of the Pontchartrain and Night Train to Nashville). “When David’s in the booth, I don’t have to worry,” says Benoit. “He’s always comfortable with the way I work. We have a lot of fun and like to joke around.”

Benoit’s blazing guitar kicks off the title track of the recording. “‘Medicine’ captures what this album is all about,” he says. “Let music be the medicine. Like John Lee Hooker once said, ‘Blues is the healer.’”

“Sunrise” showcases Benoit’s keen sense of tasteful restraint when it comes to the slower blues numbers, and “A Whole Lotta Soul” spotlights Ivan Neville on B-3, alongside Benoit’s crunchy fretwork and vocals.

“Long Lonely Bayou” is a special highlight. This roots summit features two of Louisiana’s biggest and most popular artists: Michael Doucet and Tab Benoit. “Michael and I have played several gigs together over the years,” Benoit says. “When I wrote this song, I could practically hear him performing it. Most Cajun music is played in a major chord, but Michael approached it as crying, minor type of song.”

“In It To Win It” and “Next To Me” both spotlight Benoit’s unbelievably solid guitar chops, while “Nothing Takes The Place of You” is a deep, soulful ballad drenched in his whiskey-soaked vocals. Doucet returns to play fiddle and sing on “Can’t You See” and the album’s funky closer, “Mudboat Melissa.”

Tab Benoit is Louisiana’s No. 1 roots export. More than just an acclaimed bluesman, he is an indefatigable conservation advocate. Benoit is a driving force behind Voice of the Wetlands, an organization working to save Louisiana’s wetlands. In 2010, he received the Governor’s Award for Conservationist of the Year from the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. Benoit also starred in the iMax motion picture Hurricane on the Bayou, a documentary of Hurricane Katrina’s effects and a call to restore the wetlands.

In 2007, Benoit won the dual awards of B.B. King Entertainer of the Year and Best Contemporary Male Performer at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis (formerly the W.C. Handy Awards). In 2006, he received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album for Brother to the Blues, a collaboration with Louisiana's LeRoux. LeRoux joined Benoit on Power of the Pontchartrain in 2007 and the live Night Train to Nashville in 2008.

Medicine is more than another strong entry in Benoit’s increasingly impressive discography – it’s one of his most defining albums. “Magic happens when you least expect it,” says Benoit. “Most of the stuff here was played live – these are mostly first takes. When it came down to playing, we weren’t trying to structure things. We were open to the moment.”

TANIA MARIA - TEMPO

Tania Maria has had a long and passionate love affair with music. Born into a family of amateur musicians in São Luis, northwestern Brazil, she began studying the piano at the age of seven and was just 13 when she was the hands-down first-prize winner in a regional competition as the leader of a group started by her father.

At the time, bossa nova was all the rage from Rio to New York, adding a peppery touch to jazz like an exotic local spice. Just three years later, however, this talented young woman with a bright future tried to distance herself from music by studying law. Her fingers continued to yearn for the piano, however, and she finally gave in to its insistent call, committing herself to music with more fervour than ever. After shuttling between gigs in Rio and Sao Paulo, she recorded her first album at the age of 20, for Warner.

As early as 1969, her first musical performances clearly showed her potential and her predilections: an astounding mix of Brazilian rhythms and jazz harmonies, underpinning a remarkable natural gift for spinning sophisticated melodies.

Tania’s first album, Olha Quem Chega, was released in Brazil in 1971, but it was a move to France in the late 1970’s that enabled her to explode onto the international jazz scene. At a concert in Australia, her formidable musical precision and freewheeling spirit caught the attention of guitarist Charlie Byrd, who recommended her to Carl Jefferson, founder of Concord Records.

A move to New York followed, and in 1983, she released the album Come With Me on Concord Records. The title track became a huge international smash hit, and is still played on the radio and in clubs all over Europe, Japan, and America.

She has also done a lot of traveling in her time, from the Paris nightlife of the 1970s, where she met Claude Nougaro, to the New York fusion years in the 1980s; she has lived in both cities, and both continue to live in her. She's also taken part in virtually every major jazz festival in the world, from Montreux to New Orleans, Tokyo and Nice. Tania Maria is an accomplished musician who, though always attracted to swing and jazz, has never forgotten the fundamental beats of her native choro and samba

After 36 years and over 25 albums, and by way of such runaway hit songs such as "Piquant", "Come With Me" and "Made In New York", Tania Maria stands out as one of the truly great talents on the Brazilian music scene, where she is known for her unmistakable voice, whose sultry low tones can lay down a serious groove, and for her percussive touch at the piano, where things can suddenly take a more classical turn.

On her latest release entitled Tempo, she’s paired with bassist Eddie Gomez. Tempo feels like a terrific late set at a small jazz club in Rio, Paris, or New York. Tania and Eddie have recorded together before, and their intuitive interplay makes Tempo a special session. Tempo is being released on the French label Naïve,and it’s the work of a mature, talented artist who's been around long enough to know how to make everything she does sound near perfect.

CHRIS RIZIK: THE 2012 GRAMMY AWARDS WERE A STEP BACKWARD FOR SOUL MUSIC

The collective gasp you heard halfway through the Grammy Awards broadcast on Sunday night was from the soul music community, aghast over what they had just witnessed. People were already getting a little ticky on Facebook and Twitter as performance after performance came forward on Sunday night with very little nod to soul, gospel or even jazz music. Classic rock fans were in nirvana (no pun intended) as great bands like the Foo Fighters, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, a reunited Beach Boys and even the Beatles (through two performances by Paul McCartney) dominated the stage with fine performances. And the Grammys got it 100% right as Adele’s brilliant 21 received every award possible. Adele displays what is best in popular music and in 2011 she brilliantly culled elements of rock, country, folk and even some R&B into a cohesive whole that we'll be talking about for years. But on a night when soul music legend Diana Ross was to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, the current, vibrant form of her genre was completely ignored, with soul only receiving peripheral, historical half-nods in mini-tributes to Whitney Houston and Etta James.

Then, at that midway point of the show, insult was added to the perceived injury as the award for Best R&B Performance was presented. The category had an unusually strong group of nominees this year: Ledisi is a singular voice, and while nominated in prior years she hasn’t yet won a much deserved Grammy. Kelly Price swept the SoulTracks awards in December for good reason: Her self-titled album was simply glorious. Former teen star El DeBarge received a welcome Second Chance in the past year with the redemptive album of the same name. And R. Kelly threw his longtime critics (including me) a curve by showing he had the talent to make memorable music even on someone else’s turf. Oh yes, and there was also Chris Brown, whose nomination in the category was like the old Sesame Street song “One of these things is not like the others.” While a fine dancer, as a vocal artist he is not in the same league as Ledisi, Price or DeBarge, nor was his album in any way properly categorized with the others. But soul fans let the odd nomination grouping roll right off us, because, of course, there was no way Brown would win…until he did. The response in Twitterland was swift and furious. And while everyone has his or her own tastes, thousands of postings wondered aloud under what critical criteria could this result happen, except a simple adoption of the Soundscan sales numbers.

That Brown was nominated in the same category as Ledisi and Price - and that he won - appeared to support the “conspiracy theory” of some music fans who frequently complain that the Grammys just don’t understand the breadth of black music. And it didn’t help that on this same night Diana Ross received only fleeting recognition for her Lifetime award while Brown and Rihanna performed not once but multiple times.

Since the Milli Vanilli fiasco, an embarrassed Grammy committee has been careful to choose the Best New Artist each year based on real artistic merit, regardless of popularity. That’s how the talented Esperanza Spalding won last year and little known folkster Bon Iver took the award this year. But in the R&B category, year after year the awards simply play out like the Billboard charts – as if the voters never even listened to the nominated albums. And, when combined with the choice of performances for the evening, it would not be surprising if rock or country music fans left the Grammys with the impression that the state of black music today is epitomized by Chris Brown, Rihanna and the perplexing, insulting Nicki Minaj.

I’m not sure whether it is worse to be ignored or misrepresented, but the many talented artists we cover on SoulTracks would be justified in feeling both slaps from the Grammy Awards this year. On the sacred evening when the music industry celebrates its diversity, talent and character, and on a stage full of great rock and country performers whose styles were heavily influenced by jazz, the black church and rhythm & blues, it was frustrating to see the status of those varied styles in 2012 demonstrated in a minimalized, one-dimensional manner that doesn’t move much beyond hip-hop. But, sadly, that’s exactly what we received on Sunday. And once it all sank in, that collective gasp after the Best R&B award slowly turned to disappointment -- disappointment that on the same night that a beautiful woman with a once-in-a-generation voice was honored, the influential, seminal forms of American music that were the basis of her training now appear to have to prove themselves to the music establishment all over again.

By Chris Rizik (February 13, 2012) / Soultracks.com
Source: http://www.soultracks.com/cr-2012-grammy

GREGORY PORTER'S ‘REAL GOOD HANDS' SELECTED AS iTunes SINGLE OF THE WEEK

"Real Good Hands," a track from Be Good, internationally acclaimed vocalist Gregory Porter's sophomore release on Motema Music, has been selected by iTunes as its Single of the Week for the week of February 14. "Real Good Hands," will be available for free download on iTunes from February 14 through 20.

Porter's 2010 debut release, Water, racked up a continuing stream of accolades and awards around the globe, including a ‘Best Jazz Vocal ' Grammy® nomination (a rare feat for a debut recording), soaring to #1 on both iTunes and Amazon in the UK, and landing on an international array of year-end ‘Best Of' lists for 2010 in several genres.

On Be Good, Porter has crafted a work that not only meets, but is likely to surpass, the heightened expectations of the jazz, blues and soul audiences eagerly awaiting his follow up to Water. Featuring Porter's winning combination of "outstanding original songs, erudite lyrics and social comment, top drawer musicianship and improvisation, and a voice to die for" (Jazz Wise), Be Good is a musical compendium of groove-driven delights, ranging from quiet ballads to up-tempo burners, from romantic charmers to powerful, blues-tinged anthems.

Be Good finds Porter surrounded by the core of his powerhouse working band, with whom he recorded his Grammy- nominated debut, and who have performed with him for over three years: Chip Crawford on piano, Aaron James on bass, Emanuel Harrold on drums, and Yosuke Sato on alto sax.Under the sure hand of producer Brian Bacchus, Porter and the band rise to new heights on Be Good, which is further fueled by richly emotional horn arrangements by Kamau Kenyatta, who produced Water and who continues to play an important role in Porter's sound. Kenyatta also performs on one track ("Painted on Canvas") and guest instrumentalists Keyon Harrold on trumpet and Tivon Pennicott on tenor sax are also featured throughout.

Porter tapped the prodigious talents of veteran producer Brian Bacchus for Be Good. Bacchus, whose A&R successes have included Norah Jones' Grammy® -winning Come Away with Me, has produced projects for such acclaimed jazz artists as Randy Weston, Lizz Wright, Richie Havens, Ronny Jordan, and Patricia Barber.

A North American tour is currently underway, with Porter spending the week leading up the release of Be Good with a series of shows at Pizza Express in London - which earned him a four star review in The Guardian - and in Amsterdam. He'll return to the US for shows in March and April in Boston, New York, Detroit, Chicago and Pittsburgh, with appearances scheduled for summer festivals and west coast shows in the fall. Full tour information is available at http://www.gregoryporter.com/, and at http://www.motema.com/.

More Information: http://itunes.apple.com/us/preorder/be-good/id496959087