TESSA SOUTER - BEYOND THE BLUE

Since her 2004 recording debut, Tessa Souter has established herself as a fearless innovator in vocal jazz—“broadly imaginative” (New York Times), “expressive . . . full of passion” (Philadelphia Inquirer), “direct and soulful” (Village Voice). NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan places her “at the top of my list of great talent.” On Souter’s new Beyond the Blue, her fourth CD and second for Motéma Music, the London-born Anglo-Trinidadian New Yorker has raised the bar once again. Souter assembled a dozen classical melodies by composers such as Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Chopin. Three of the songs are familiar standards: “The Lamp Is Low” (Ravel), “My Reverie” (Debussy), “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” (Borodin). The others are new standards, with lyrics by Souter. All express the album’s leitmotif—exploring the shadows and light of love and intimacy.

The concept for the project came from Venus Records’ Tetsuo Hara, who co-produced the date with Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Todd Barkan and who suggested that Souter work with pianist Steve Kuhn and his trio (David Finck, bass, and Billy Drummond, drums). Augmenting the trio were tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm, vibist Joe Locke, and Gary Versace on accordion. It was Venus that originally released Beyond the Blue last year, in Japan only; now Motéma Music is releasing the CD to the rest of the world.

“Although this is a semi-classical project, it turned out to be the most impromptu recording I’ve ever done,” says Souter. “I was finalizing lyrics up to the very last minute, and the first time anyone—including me!—had laid eyes on the full program was when we all met in the studio. This meant everyone had to be super sensitive and creative, really listening and responding to each other in the moment, in the true spirit of jazz.”

The album’s title track is drawn from Chopin’s Prelude in E Minor (which in 1963 also inspired Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Insensatez”). The second movement of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, which was featured in the film The King’s Speech, opens the album as “Prelude to the Sun.” And closing the program is Fauré’s Elegy, or “Brand New Day.” “I wrote those lyrics for Japan,” says Souter, “which had just suffered the devastating tsunami of March 2011.”

“In the larger sense, the source of the melodies is unimportant,” writes critic and CD annotatorWill Friedwald. “What’s important to [Souter] is narrative and swing. She is a storyteller above all.”

Tessa Souter never planned for an eventual career in music. When she moved to San Francisco from London in 1992, with a background in journalism (including six months as Chief Copy Editor at Elle Decoration and a stint as interim Features Editor for British Elle magazine), her plan was to be a full-time writer. Over the next two years she gradually developed a successful freelance practice writing for major magazines and newspapers, and helped found the Writer’s Grotto, which has become the heart of San Francisco’s vibrant literary scene.

By the time she relocated to New York City in 1997, Souter was ready to take the plunge into what would become a new career as a singer, with the great Mark Murphy serving as her close mentor. Her self-produced 2004 debut album, Listen Love, led to acclaimed headline performances at major jazz venues in Los Angeles, New York, and London, as well as in Russia, where she now regularly performs to sold-out concert halls.

She followed with 2008’s award-winning Nights of Key Largo (Venus Records) and, in 2009, her stunning Motéma debut, Obsession, about which JazzTimes’s Christopher Loudon wrote: “Souter’s crystalline contralto and impeccable phrasing are mighty arrows in her quiver, but it is her ability to become one with a song . . . that enables her to score successive bull’s-eyes.”

Souter, incidentally, is also the author of Anything I Can Do, You Can Do Better (2006), whose subtitle is “How to Unlock Your Creative Dreams and Change Your Life.” She knows whereof she writes.
Tessa Souter is looking forward to taking the music of Beyond the Blue to clubs and festivals. She’ll be appearing 6/4 at the Blue Note, New York (Kenny Werner, p; Joel Frahm, ts; Will Holshouser, acc; Sean Smith, b; Billy Drummond, d); 6/22 at the Rochester (NY) Jazz Festival; and 7/21 at the Marblehead (MA) Jazz Concert Series, Unitarian-Universalist Church. Midwest and West Coast dates for late summer/early fall are in the works.

www.sonicbids.com/tessasouter
www.tessasouter.com
www.myspace.com/tessasouter

THE COOKERS - BELIEVE

In an interview, drum great Billy Hart summed up his attitude toward The Cookers succinctly but emphatically: "Believe in us," he insisted (tacking an expletive onto the end that served to press the point home). Over the course of two albums, The Cookers have given jazz audiences plenty of reason to believe, and their Motéma Music debut, bearing the simple but eloquent title Believe, finds the all-star septet continuing to keep the faith in swinging fashion - their third release, celebrating their fifth anniversary as a working ensemble.


The credentials of these seven musicians are beyond reproach, but simply gathering a group of legends and throwing them into a recording studio isn't necessarily a recipe for success, points out David Weiss, the band's founder, chief organizer, and trumpeter. "A lot of basketball teams throughout the years have signed a group of all-stars and assumed they would win it all because they had assembled the best group of players imaginable and in the end lost because they never really considered that the group would not gel and could not play together," Weiss points out by way of illustration. "You can't just put a bunch of names together and expect it to be great. These guys just turned out to be the perfect combination."

It's impossible to foresee how any ensemble will gel until the first notes are played, of course, but The Cookers had an inherent advantage in the fact that these legendary jazzmen had all proven themselves integral components in great bands of the past. Harper was a member of groups led by Lee Morgan and Max Roach and served a two-year stint with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers; trumpeter Eddie Henderson and drummer Billy Hart were both part of Herbie Hancock's electric Mwandishi ensemble; pianist George Cables played alongside Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper; and bassist Cecil McBee anchored Charles Lloyd's famed 1960s quartet with Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette.

"This is a band," Weiss says, emphasizing the fact that the unit has cohered into something that transcends its all-star status. "But it's a band of guys who have been in a lot of the most important bands in the history of this music. They know what it's like to be in a band and what makes bands great."

The line-up is completed by Weiss and altoist Craig Handy, players from a later generation who nevertheless follow in their bandmates' fiery footsteps. The name comes from the Freddie Hubbard's classic two-volume album Night of the Cookers, classics featuring Lee Morgan, Harold Mabern, James Spaulding, Pete LaRoca, Big Black, and Larry Ridley. These Cookers approach their material in the same sense of adventurous exploration as Hubbard and his ensemble did, generating brilliant music out of seemingly basic elements.

Like their previous two critically acclaimed releases, Cast The First Stone (Plus Loin, 2011) and Warriors (Jazz Legacy Productions, 2010), Believe consists almost entirely of music written by the band members themselves, culled by Weiss from throughout their storied careers. For those earlier albums, however, Weiss pulled primarily from his own fondly-remembered favorites. Having exhausted his personal wishlist, this time out he had to dig a little deeper, providing the enviable opportunity to unearth some undersung treasures from his colleagues' back catalogues.

The disc opens with the jagged-edged "Believe, For It Is True," from Harper's 1980 album The Believer, which is followed by the mysterious unfolding of McBee's previously-unrecorded "Temptation(s)." McBee also contributes the free-form "Tight Squeeze," from his 1996 Palmetto release Unspoken. Cables' simmering "Ebony Moonbeams" was originally recorded on Freddie Hubbard's 1974 session High Energy, while Hart's buoyant "Naaj" was premiered on the drummer's 1988 album Rah.

What Weiss discovered during the process was that not only did these men's playing mesh together fluidly, so did their compositional styles. "They all complement each other perfectly," he says. "It makes for a more interesting program. Billy Harper's tunes are amazing, but if he's coming on like a sledgehammer, a George Cables tune balances things. If there's too much beauty - if there is such a thing - in George's tune, we have Cecil McBee's tunes for something a little more ethereal or experimental. They all come essentially from the same era, so they all speak a common language."

A prime example is the way that the brash fanfares of Harper's "Quest" are tempered by Cables' tender, strolling "But He Knows," before McBee's fragmented "Tight Squeeze" raises the blood pressure again, an effect counteracted by the joyous, palette-cleansing "Naaj."

The final selection finds The Cookers truly living up to their name on a blistering run-through of Wayne Shorter's "Free For All." The piece is the title tune from Art Blakey's 1964 hard-bop blow-out that also yielded "The Core," the ferocious Freddie Hubbard tune that was a highlight of The Cookers' 2010 debut. Blakey's Free For All was a landmark album for these master instrumentalists, Weiss explains.

"It was like me hearing my first Mahavishnu Orchestra record when I was 12 years old. It was one of those records that spoke to you as a kid and got you in touch with your love for the music. For them, it was Free For All."

And for countless aspiring jazz musicians who came after them, that landmark listening moment came via a classic album that, chances are, featured at least one of these players. The Cookers' line-up serves as a lifeline to one of the music's golden eras, a rare conglomeration of true living legends still making vital, modern music.

"Once you get these guys together and really see what they can do," Weiss says, "you see that they're not truly being recognized. They have direct ties to all the music that everybody, even younger people, came to this music listening to. They were part of what made jazz what it is and the classic records that attract most people to jazz, the greatest era of this music. Let's not forget where this thing came from and why it was so good: it's exciting music played with compassion and conviction and intensity. That's what these guys are doing."

It's that urge, to recognize and celebrate these tremendous artists while they continue to create at the height of their powers, that inspired the band to distill Hart's directive down to that one single word: Believe.

"It's a simple word for a philosophy," Weiss says. "Just believe in something. Care about something. And since you have this record in your hand, believe in this."

THE COOKERS' UPCOMING PERFORMANCES:
June 14 - Scullers, Boston, MA
June 15 - Hartford Jazz Society, Hartford, CT
June 17 - Playboy Jazz Festival, Hollywood, CA
June 20 & 21 - Yoshi's, Oakland, CA
June 22 - TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Vancouver, BC
June 26 & 27 - Jazz Alley, Seattle, WA
June 28 - Mt. Vernon Country Club, Golden, CO
July 28 - Caramoor Jazz Festival, Katonah, NY

~ http://www.motema.com/

CURUMIN - ARROCHA

Born of Spanish and Japanese parents 35 years ago, Luciano Nakata Albuquerque adopted the persona Curumin (KOO-roo-mean) as a way of exploring the possibilities of Brazil’s many sonic heritages. Known globally as the land of bossa nova and samba, the youthful vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/producer is on his own personal mission to create an inviting, sensual tone while eschewing any lust for stardom through mainstream sounds. On the pioneering Arrocha (Six Degrees Records), he has built upon prior success in creating a melodically addicting and rhythmically potent exploration of modern Brazil.

Discovered by California hip-hop outfit Blackalicious on a 2005 South American tour, the duo helped Curumin gain international recognition by releasing his debut, Achados e Perdidos, in the United States. After successfully launching his presence in the States at CMJ that same year, he was quickly booked to perform at Chicago’s World Music Festival and the M3 Conference the following year. Natalie Portman included his track ‘Tudo Bern Malandro’ on a compilation; when ‘Guerreiro’ was used in a Nike ad during the FIFA World Cup, the fame he never sought was ensured. The irony was not lost: he gave up pursuing a career in soccer to play music.

It was Curumin’s second album, JapanPopShow, that really launched him in 2008. His unique fusing of samba, reggae, electronica, funk and hip-hop earned him gigs at Central Park Summerstage, Los Angeles’s Grand Performances, the Montreal Jazz Fest, and San Francisco’s Stern Grove. He’s performed alongside Femi Kuti, Jorge Ben, Money Mark, Blackalicious and Juana Molina, and earned glowing accolades from the NY Times, Spin, the Village Voice and Billboard.com.

Four years after JapanPopShow, Curumin has produced a record that’s certain to surpass previous praise. Introduced to Six Degrees Records via his friend (and now label mate) Cêu, he’s excited to be creating exactly the music that’s inside of his head, blending catchy tracks with an integrity and inventiveness unique unto himself. For him, this is all he could imagine himself doing.

~ sixdegreesrecords.com

TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND - EVERYBODY'S TALKIN'

Everybody's Talkin'—to be released on May 22, 2012 —is the title of the uplifting, energy-packed sophomore recording by Tedeschi Trucks Band, the 11-piece ensemble led by husband-wife team Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi that recently marked their first anniversary with a Grammy win for their debut album Revelator. TTB (as their fans know them) shows off a stunning rate of musical progress on Everybody's Talkin', eleven tracks selected from a year's worth of concerts from around the globe plus one new track ("Nobody's Free").

The performances—a hearty blend of originals and spirited covers of rock, R&B and even gospel classics—capture the group's roots-rich musical mix, laced with Truck's signature slide-guitar sound and fronted by Tedeschi's pliant, honey-to-husky voice (as well as her own gritty guitar-work). The collection also includes all of the joyful, spontaneous energy that has helped TTB build a growing circle of fans and earned them an unprecedented string of triumphs in just the past few months.

Besides the Grammy for Best Blues Album of the Year in February, Trucks himself, along with TTB bandmate Oteil Burbridge, were honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for their membership in The Allman Brothers Band. In March, Tedeschi and Trucks were invited to perform at the White House with B.B, King, Buddy Guy, and yes, President Barack Obama himself (who sang a verse of "Sweet Home Chicago"). A week later, they appeared at the Apollo Theater, joining Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and a host of guitar heavyweights in an all-star tribute to bluesman Hubert Sumlin. On April 30th Tedeschi and Trucks will perform at the United Nations General Assembly in New York at a concert to celebrate International Jazz Day. Other featured performers include: Herbie Hancock, Esperanza Spalding, Wynton Marsalis and others.

"I really never imagined it would have turned out quite like this, especially the last few months. The momentum picked up and it just really started rolling—everything kind of happened at once," says Trucks, who maintains that his focus, and that of TTB have remained steadfast on the music itself. "As over the top as a lot of that stuff is, the one thing I notice is, it doesn't really feel any different than being on the road and having successful shows. The way the band took shape musically around the time that we decided to record a live record was pretty exciting."

True to its intent, the tracks on Everybody's Talkin' flow one into the next with the collective spirit and lift of a typical TTB concert—raising the roof with a Saturday night sense of abandon, and gently concluding with a Sunday morning spiritual. Featured are versions of tunes from Revelator that are already crowd favorites—"Bound For Glory", "Love Has Something Else To Say"—some with added details, like the fresh horn part that pushes "Learn How To Love" a notch higher than the studio original, or the tasteful, quotes of "Swamp Raga" and "Little Martha" on slide-guitar that set the stage for "Midnight in Harlem". Other songs portray the group's abiding affection for a truly wide range of soulful and gritty forebears, including Stevie Wonder ("Uptight"), Elmore James ("Rollin' And Tumblin'"), Bill Withers ("Kissing My Love"), Joe Cocker ("Darling Be Home Soon"), Bobby Bland ("That Did It"), Harry Nilsson ("Everybody's Talkin'") and the traditional gospel ("Wade In The Water").

Beyond the song list, the most attention-grabbing aspect of Everybody's Talkin' is the marked progress of the group itself, as this past year has seen TTB develop at a jaw-dropping rate into a fully mature ensemble. What was at the outset a powerful lineup of players that drew its power from a rich brew of roots music—blues, gospel, soul, and rock— has matured like a fine wine. Tedeschi's vocals and Truck's guitar-work are front-and-center as in the beginning, yet have become more intuitively intertwined. Tedeschi's own guitar-playing is more strident and assured. TTB's ace rhythm section works together with a deeper sense of funk, and a more liberated jazz feel. As an ensemble, they build a song from a tender whisper to a soul-rending scream, and often extend the close of a well-chosen R&B number into a thrilling, open-ended jam. Onstage, they exhibit interplay on the level of a group with years of experience together, improvising with almost telepathic link between all the musicians.

As Everybody's Talkin' is assuredly a group album, so TTB stands as a true musical collective, as opposed to the standard lineup of bandleader-with-backup. It helps that the eleven-member ensemble is one overflowing with talent and musical familiarity: besides Tedeschi and Trucks who are married and have two children, Mike Mattison (former lead singer with the DTB) and Mark Rivers handle harmony vocals, while brothers Oteil Burbridge (longtime member of The Allman Brothers Band) and Kofi Burbridge (another DTB member) play bass, and keyboards and flute, respectively. The lineup also includes a pair of drummers—J. J. Johnson and Tyler Greenwell—and a horn-section with trumpeter Maurice Brown, tenor saxophonist Kebbi Williams, and trombonist Saunders Sermons (Sermons will also step forward for a vocal feature now and again, as he does on "Kissing My Love").

Trucks compares the rapid growth of TTB favorably with that of his first group, The Derek Trucks Band. "I remember the last five years with the DTB we started really feeling that the thousands of shows in front of 30 people in bars were finally starting to pay off, to the point that there was this wave of goodwill with people rooting for the band to make it. But I feel like this band went through that same thing in a smaller time scale."

According to Tedeschi, the group's accelerated progress owes much to the way that her husband leads the band—more like a jazz ensemble, allowing enough freedom for the group to find and nurture its own strengths. "Derek is a great leader in the way that he knows the potential of everyone in the band and has a really nice way of trying to show off all the talent in this group. Because it's such a big band, we only have so much time to play all the songs and make sure they're done right, but then you want to showcase people. I think he has a really good handle on how to make that work."

As evidence of this more democratic approach, Tedeschi points to the notion of TTB as a group that encompasses many possible lineups, depending on who's taking the spotlight or even onstage at any given moment. "There are times when I'll leave the stage or the horns might step away and it will just be a trio or a quartet out there, with Derek, Oteil and maybe J.J. doing their thing. Then slowly the others will start coming up and adding to the music. Every show is exciting but it's not always 11 pieces blaring at you. There's always a different mix and there's so much going on."

The mix Tedeschi speaks of is one that TTB shares with their audiences every time they hit the stage—gleefully delivering concerts that never fail to connect with their listeners. Everybody's Talkin' serves both as evidence of the smiles they leave behind as they continue to tour and develop, as well as a catalog of the group's first triumphant year, with a promise of more progress and adventures to come.

With a marked sense of pride, Trucks admits that at this point, "the only goals are to continue refining what we have, to keep the flame lit and keep rolling." "The great thing about this band," Tedeschi adds, "is that we realize we don't have to please anybody other than ourselves. And honestly if you can make this eclectic group happy, that's an accomplishment! It's moving fast in a really great direction."

Tracklisting:
Disc One:
1. Everybody's Talkin' (Live)
2. Midnight In Harlem (Swamp Raga intro with Little Martha) (Live)
3. Learn How to Love (Live)
4. Bound For Glory (Live)
5. Rollin' and Tumblin' (Live)
6. Nobody's Free (Live) *
7. Darling Be Home Soon (Live)
* New track

Disc Two:
1. That Did It (Live)
2. Uptight (Live)
3. Love Has Something Else To Say (with Kissing My Love) (Live)
4. Wade in the Water (Live)

TOUR DATES - 2012
5/27 - Summer Camp: Sunshine Main Stage, Three Sisters Park – Chillicothe, IL
5/30 - Murat Theatre – Indianapolis, IN
6/1 - Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA
6/2 - Appel Farm Arts & Music Ctr – Elmer, NJ
6/3 - Mountain Jam Festival: East Stage – Hunter, NY
6/15 - Paramount Theatre – Seattle, WA
6/16 - The Britt Festival – Jacksonville, FL
6/17 - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall – Portland, OR
6/19 - The Center For The Performing Arts – Vancouver, BC
6/21 - Jack Singer Concert Hall – Calgary, AB
6/22 - Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium – Edmonton, AB
6/24 & 6/25 - Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater – Apple Valley, MN
6/27 - Overture Center For The Arts – Madison, WI
6/29 - TD Toronto Jazz Festival: Main Stage Marquee, Toronto, OH
7/6 - Winnipeg Folk Festival: Main Stage – Winnipeg, MB
7/7 - Thunder Bay Blues Festival – Thunder Bay, ON
7/10 - RBC Royal Bank Ottawa Bluesfest 2012 – Ottawa, ON
7/11 - Quebec City International Summer Festival – Quebec City, QC
7/18 - Ravinia Festival – Highland Park, IL
8/5 - Newport Jazz Festival: Main Stage, Fort Adams State Park – Newport, RI
8/11 - Toyota Pavilion At Montage Mountain – Scranton, PA
8/28 - Verizon Theatre At Grand Prairie – Grand Prairie, TX
8/29 - Sandia Casino Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM
8/30 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
9/1 - Comerica Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
9/2 - The Joint – Las Vegas, NV
9/5 - Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA
9/7 - Bob Hope Theater – Stockton, CA
9/8 - The Mountain Winery – Saratoga, CA
9/9 - Harrah's Rincon - Open Sky – Valley Center, CA
9/14 - Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival – Fredericton, NB
9/20 - Beacon Theatre w/ special guest Leon Russell – New York, NY
9/21 - Beacon Theatre w/ special guest The Wood Brothers – New York, NY
10/27 - Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise – San Juan, PR

http://www.tedeschitrucksband.com/.

DAVID BOSWELL - WINDOWS

Windows is the title of David Boswell's latest release on My Quiet Moon Records®. This record features the amazing musicianship of Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets, Allan Holdsworth, Jeff Lorber) on bass, Dean Taba on bass, Rod MacDowell on bass, his brother John Boswell (Hearts of Space recording artist) on the piano, and M.B. Gordy III (Rita Coolidge, Doobie Brothers) on the drums and percussion with John Fumo on trumpet in a guest spot.

Jazz guitarist David Boswell was born in San Francisco, CA, and raised in Saratoga, CA. His family was musically inclined (his older brother, John Boswell, also became a professional musician), and he began taking guitar lessons in second grade. At 12, he formed a rock band that played school dances. At 16, he attended a Pat Metheny concert he likened to "a religious experience" and became immersed in jazz. He later was chosen to be part of a group of young musicians who traveled to Woodstock, NY, to study with Metheny, Dave Holland, and Jack Dejohnette for several weeks. He made a living, however, in playing in the rock genre rather than jazz, as a member of the Bay Area band the Metro Jets, which recorded an album, About to Surface and played extensively around the San Francisco bay area. Moving to Los Angeles, he played in another rock group, Model 2, while earning a degree in the guitar program at the Grove School of Music. He also studied film scoring at UCLA, which was where he learned the intricacies of writing for a full orchestra.

Boswell became a session musician in Los Angeles, notably appearing on albums by such Broadway musical performers as Stacy Sullivan, Joanne O'Brien, Kevin Koelbl, Cindy Benson, and Franc d'Ambrosio, David Burnham.... While doing studio work, he was also working in a jazz trio with renowned bassist Dean Taba and drummer John Mosser. It was at this time that Boswell became a prolific composer and in 2004, he released his first solo album, Hold Tight to Your Dreams, on My Quiet Moon Records label. He followed it in March 2006, with his second album, Bridge of Art which celebrated a hit on the Smooth Jazz charts with the tune "Simple Life" followed by "I Like That" featuring Nelson Rangell on the saxophone and Yellowjackets co-founder Jimmy Haslip on the bass as well as his brother John Boswell on the Piano and MB Gordy on drums and percussion. He came back with the same rhythm section line-up for "Windows" with the addition of Dean Taba and Rod MacDowell sitting in the bass chair for a few tracks and John Fumo on the trumpet as a special guest on one track.

David Boswell has a unique approach to his music with his use of synthesized guitars, acoustic guitars and the incorporation of his voice as a melodic instrument. David's music transports the listener on amazing and special journeys. The music is cinematic at times yet always leaves you with beautiful melodies to sing in your head even when the music stops.
 
http://www.davidboswell.com/

URBAN BLU - OUT OF THE BLU

Multi-instrumentalist, Fernandez "Urban Blu" Billingslea, fondly known as ‘Dez’ to his associates in the music industry, has lead a very exciting musical career. After numerous musical compositions and many stage performances a shocking experience occurred. Back in September 2009, “Dez” found himself at the brink of death, holding on to his strong faith through a very rough “out of the blue’ bout of pancreatitis. “I guess God had to get my attention”, explains Dez. “He has allowed me through all my trials, tribulations to continue to use the gift that he gave me”. This experience left him with a renewed spirit after going through a life-changing health scare of pancreatitis and given a second chance to be fully-expressed musically with a new perspective on his upcoming CD Awakening.


Garnering over 27 years of musical experience, Dez has launched his lifelong passion of playing jazz and owning his own recording company. To date Dez’ has shared the stage with national artist like Najee, Herbie Hancock, TS Monk, Eric Benet, Cassandra Wilson, Tuck & Pattie, Steve Turre & Sanctified Shells, Regina Carter, Claudia Villella, Cyrus Chestnut, Papo Vazquez, David S. Ware, Amel, Dr. Billy Taylor, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Currently Dez is the President/CEO of Urban Blue Entertainment Inc. and under this umbrella he utilizes his expertise as an accomplished producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist.

Being a musician and composer of music Billingslea noticed how quickly the music industry was changing with the explosion of the internet making the world a smaller place and technology allowing the world to be more accessible. “Social media is becoming an indispensable part of the marketing mix, not only for the music business, but also for many other types of businesses. It’s one of the best ways to reach fans, customers, or clients. It was important to me to launch my own social network, not only to share my musical expertise, but to use this platform for blogging, open forums to discuss the variables of life through my experiences, to the authentic leanings to health and wellness making sure that I use my personal experience as a conduit for someone elses life no matter what side of life they walk on” says Dez.

Out Of The Blu is Dez’s current CD in the marketplace as he is evolving and assembling his new self-produced and engineered musical endeavor entitled Awakening offering his new perspective on life, and its meaning. “Dez is a magical soul, he shares his story in such a way that gives you a sense of value upon your own life, his story is quite compelling and his music is the perfect backdrop for this understanding. We are excited to be the first to hear a sneak peek of his new project Awakening before its release in early 2013, shares Jaijai Jackson, the creator of The Jazz Network Worldwide social network.

To join ‘Dez’s’ bandwagon, be sure to swing by his new social network at
http://www.urbanblumusic.com/

"I’m so honored and blessed to have the opportunity to be featured on the Jazz Network Worldwiide. Jaijai Jackson is a seasoned jazz pioneer and artist, she is revolutionizing all genres of music from jazz to R&B. In addition to being featured on her Jazz Network, artists get a chance to be featured along aside some of the greatest musicians in the world . . . this is an honor within itself and it gives artists, musicians, and producers exposure that they would not normally get.


No matter what the labels and corporations are doing, musicians are taking it upon themselves to use social channels to connect with fans, offer value, and create relationship. This has ultimately led to new business models and revenue streams from sponsorships, touring and live appearances, custom products, and social monetization through advertising.


One of the best decisions I ever made in my life was to attend college and obtain a degree in Computer Science. This decision is directly related to my past and present success. Not only am I a seasoned IT Professional that excelled in the corporate arena, but this skill allowed me to fund my passion of music by allowing me to obtain all the tools of the musician trade".

http://www.thejazznetworkworldwide.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

ALLAN HARRIS / TAKANA MIYAMOTO- CONVERGENCE

Eloquence. Empathy. Interplay.

These are just some of the words that can be used to describe the mellifluous meeting of Tony Bennett and Bill Evans on their storied duo recordings from the 1970's. Few modern musicians have dared to tackle the venerable songbook that these Jazz giants made their own. That is until now.

With the release of Convergence, vocalist Allan Harris and pianist Takana Miyamoto forge a symbiotic sonic bond, saluting the spirit of Bennett and Evans, while coining their own musical vocabulary as well. It's an aural affair not to be missed.

"I remember hearing The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album back around 1979," Harris says. "It still knocks me out. I think that album should be required listening for anyone who wants to step into the arena as a vocalist. It truly is a textbook study on how to deliver a lyric."

"The combination of the two of them together is incredible," Miyamoto adds. "Everything about that album is beautiful - from Tony's voice, to the intros Bill played, to how the songs modulate into different keys. That album definitely gave me a great foundation for the work I do now with all kinds of vocalists."

On Convergence, Harris and Miyamoto channel the same sense of aural adventure found on Bennett and Evans' renegade recordings. Striking a delicate stance between deference and discovery, the duo tackles classic cuts like "Waltz For Debby," "Young and Foolish," and "The Touch of Your Lips." And much like the chance meeting that united Harris and Miyamoto in the first place, the album is a celebration of musical possibility.

"I was performing with a Bill Evans tribute trio," Miyamoto recalls. "My agent knew Allan and thought there might be musical chemistry between us. So we played a last-minute gig together at Churchill Grounds in Atlanta, and we ended up recording it. When we heard the tapes, we knew immediately that we had something special. But both of us being busy with other projects, we left the tapes for another time."

"I knew of Takana from her work with singers like Nnenna Freelon and Rene Marie," Harris says. "But from the very first time we played together, she did more than just play. She guided me, taking me to places I never expected to go musically. On this project, she doesn't just play like Bill Evans. She has her own style, and just like Bill did with Tony, she strikes a balance between supporting me as singer, and pushing me into places she wants me to go. She's much more than just an accompanist - she's a pathfinder."

Harris and Miyamoto would revisit the recordings from their Atlanta concert years later, eventually opting to re-record the songs properly in a New York studio for release. "I happened to come across the tapes one day, so I listened to them again," Miyamoto says. "Not only did they sound great, but the crowd really responded to the material. So I called Allan and he said 'Let's release the tapes!' But as we started getting deeper into the project, we both thought we could better serve the material by recording it again."

"I thought the tapes sounded great, " Harris says, "but I thought we should go into the studio and record the songs again. To be honest, we were both scared that we'd lose the magic we found on those live recordings. But I told Takana to trust me. We recorded the whole album in six hours, without any editing or overdubs whatsoever."

New York native Allan Harris has been a longtime fixture on the international music scene, with a seemingly non-stop string of acclaimed concert appearances and recordings. A singer, songwriter and guitarist of great musical gifts and stylistic flexibility, Harris effortlessly blends Jazz, Blues, and Broadway standards with elegance and ease.

Takana Miyamoto was born in Yuki, Japan, leaving at the age of nineteen to study at Boston's famed Berklee College of Music. "Funny enough, I had no idea Berklee was such a big Jazz school," Miyamoto says. "I went there to study film scoring and really knew no Jazz tunes before I got there. But soon after I arrived, I started liking it, and within a short time, I was gigging." Miyamoto would also garner acclaim for her musical compositions for film, theater and dance.

On Convergence, Harris and Miyamoto do far more than simply pay tribute to Bennett and Evans. They chart their own captivating course through some of the duo's most signature songs, with Miyamoto's crystalline piano touch playing the perfect foil to Harris' buoyant baritone. Rarely has a piano/vocal duo sounded this confident and complete. From Miyamoto's tender piano work on classics like "My Foolish Heart" and "Waltz For Debby," to Harris' glowing, unaccompanied intro on the "The Touch of Your Lips," the pair brim from album start to finish with guts, gumption and grace.

"We found a beautiful balance on Convergence," Harris says. "I brought the whole Americana component to the plate - of African American Blues, Jazz, Soul and the American Songbook. And Takana brought an Eastern sense of patience and perspective to the music. She showed me how to take my time."

Allan Harris / vocals
Takana Miyamoto / piano

TRACK LISTING:
1. My Foolish Heart (Victor Young, Ned Washington) - 5:13
2. Days of Wine and Roses (Johnny Mandel) - 3:26
3. But Beautiful (Johnny Burke, James Van Heusen) - 4:00
4. Waltz for Debby (Gene Lees, Bill Evans) - 4:00
5. You Don't Know What Love Is (Don Raye, Gene De Paul) - 4:53
6. Young and Foolish (Arnold Horwitt, Alberg Hague) - 4:22
7. The Touch of Your Lips (Ray Noble) - 3:57
8. You Must Believe in Spring (M.Bergman, A. Bergman) - 4:41
9. Some Other Time (Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne) - 5:27
10. We'll Be Together Again (Frankie Laine, Carl Fischer) - 4:37

http://www.allanharris.com/
http://www.takana.net/

FRANK GAMBALE - SOULMINE

When something emerges from the soul of an artist, it’s honest, personal and meaningful. It is more than a passion project. For Grammy winning guitar innovator Frank Gambale, Soulmine is a soul-realized endeavor that has ruminated in his consciousness for 30 years. The musician jazz giant Chick Corea called “one of the most incredible guitarists on the planet” found the missing piece when he met and married his soulmate, Boca. She provides the sultry vocals and together the pair wrote and produced the ten-song collection of jazzy adult pop tunes that was released today on his Wombat Records label.

Soulmine is garnering critical acclaim for the masterfully performed, well-crafted songs served in a fresh blend of contemporary jazz, sophisticated pop, soulful R&B and progressive rock. The sensual first single, “Forbidden Kiss,” a scorching Latin-tinged pop-rocker for which award winning director Nigel Dick (Sheryl Crow, Guns ‘n Roses, Britney Spears, Oasis, Cher) shot an enticing video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKd9npyctWM&feature=youtu.be), is one of the most added tracks at radio stations across the globe. The album boasts a gifted supporting cast that includes 5-time Grammy winning bassist Victor Wooten and organist Brian Auger.

In addition to promoting Soulmine, Gambale will be quite busy this summer. On June 19th, he along with his Return To Forever band mates - Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White and Jean-Luc Ponty – will release a new triple disc album entitled The Mothership Returns, a live recording and DVD from Eagle Rock Entertainment. His new Play Along Tracks website (http://www.frankgambaleplayalongtracks.com/) is certain to be a popular destination for guitarists yearning to learn from the artist that pioneered and popularized a revolutionary guitar playing technique, Sweep Picking Technique (Sweeping), and an inventive new tuning called Gambale Tuning.

This fall, Gambale will unveil a new interactive website devoted to Sweep Picking and other informative tutorials and webinars for guitarists seeking to study with the imaginative guitar master. A respected author, educator and clinician, Gambale is also putting the finishing touches on another instructional book that will premiere on his forthcoming website.

Recently named by the Herald Sun as one of the top 50 greatest Australian guitarists of all-time, features on Gambale in Vintage Guitar, Guitar Player and Recording magazines are hitting or will soon arrive on newsstands. Below are excerpts from some of the early reviews:

Critical Jazz: “Frank Gambale has found that musical happy place that so many musicians strive for but never seem to find. Gambale's six string pyrotechnics run from the cool vibe and funk fortification to the foot to the floor ability to touch your soul and set your hair on fire all at the same time Soulmine has more hooks than a fisherman's hat. A cool groove, shifting meter and a deceptively subtle harmonic development all designed to enhance the vocal/guitar musical exchanges that are predominant on this eloquent release. A recording of note and absolutely a 5 Star gem!”
The Entertainment Bank: “Grammy winning guitarist Frank Gambale delivers an outstanding new recording in Soulmine that reflects a career of innovative playing. The arrangements on Soulmine feature Gambale's beautiful wife Boca, an amazingly talented vocalist whose voice is soothing, seductive, and made for jazz. While her presence and artistry of expression clearly set the tone on the first tune, ‘Love Set Me Free,’ there's something on the album for all listeners. Boca's vocal style is engaging and there is a passion that clearly comes through in her performances.

Jazz fans who miss the days of the fresh, creative, and authentic music of Jazz-Rock and Fusion will appreciate uncompromising harmonies and influences ranging from Latin to Pop, and I'm smiling because I've missed Return to Forever, and Brand X. A big thank you to Frank Gambale for not forgetting to how to bring it! This album is sure to garner another Grammy nomination, and is a must have for any serious jazz collector and music lovers who enjoy good music in general.”

Smooth Jazz Therapy: “…they tastefully deliver ten jazzy, pop-orientated tunes that should play well to the adult contemporary market. One eye catcher is the zesty ‘Live Your Dream’ that includes a typically ‘off the chain’ organ solo from Brian Auger but the first song to be serviced to radio is ‘Forbidden Kiss’. With an easy grooving Latin vibe, which, in equal measure, shows off Gambale’s virtuosity and Boca’s ability to handle a tender tune, it’s a number that I predict will do well.”

Indie Rock Reviews: “…you won’t be able to deny that the soulful blend of guitar and vocals will put you in the mood, or perhaps at least broaden your musical appreciation.”

http://www.frankgambale.com/
http://www.frankgambalesoulmine.com/.

OTTMAR LIEBERT RELEASES "DUNE" AND ANNOUNCES TOUR DATES

Much like the changing weather, flamenco guitarist Ottmar Liebert embodies a shift in seasons with the new sounds heard on his recently released album titled Dune. Liebert and his band Luna Negra are bringing their famous contemporary southwest flamenco sounds on the road during their North American Summer 2012 tour.

Dune, Liebert's latest airy, rhythmic and funky contemporary flamenco album, takes listeners on a voyage through a global dreamscape. Experience the journey during Liebert's North American Summer 2012 tour. "The music projects the listener into a different space," said Gaynell Rogers of Press & Release Entertainment, promoters of the tour. "It creates room for each listener's personal Dune encounter."

The album's 15-tracks, bookended by brief mood locators that weave in and out of the mysterious world of night and shadow, are packed with texture, combining traditional acoustic guitar with modern electric instruments. Throughout the album, Liebert switches between scales, beats and melodies from across the globe, blending heart-pumping percussion with accordions, Memphis bass lines and trumpets.

"I wanted to play guitar melodies that sounded sung," said Liebert. "For some reason I kept thinking about old jazz and pop crooners, so I sang almost every melody first and then figured out how to play it on guitar."

The album, sometimes described as Flamenco noir, is a mysterious nocturnal narrative about a horse, the desert, the moon, swirling sand and spiraling smoke that leads to a place of power, the Dune. Rogers believes Dune is a testament to Liebert's brilliant and mysterious artistic nature, and is destined to join the five-time Grammy nominee's collection of Gold and Platinum Records.

Dune features Liebert on acoustic and electric guitars, Jon Gagan on acoustic upright bass, electric bass guitars and keyboards—including clavinet, Char Rothschild on accordion, and Robby Rothschild and Chris Steele on percussion instruments.

Upcoming tour dates:
Jul 24 - Spokane, WA @ Bing Crosby Theater
Jul 25 - Yakima, WA Season's @ Performance Hall
Jul 26 - Bend, OR @ Tower Theater
Jul 27 - Portland, OR @ Alberta Rose Theater
Jul 28 - Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door
Jul 29 - Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door
Jul 30 - Grants Pass, OR @ Rogue Theater
Aug 1 - Napa, CA @ Napa Valley Opera House
Aug 2 - San Francisco, CA @ Yoshi's
Aug 3 - San Francisco, CA @ Yoshi's
Aug 4 - San Francisco, CA @ Yoshi's
Aug 5 - Costa Mesa, CA @ Orange County Fair
Aug 6 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Soho
Aug 8 - Sacramento, CA @ Harlow's
Aug 9 - Livermore, CA @ Livermore PAC
Aug 11 - San Diego, CA @ Anthology
Aug 12 - San Diego, CA @ Anthology
Aug 18 - Denver, CO @ Soiled Dove
Aug 19 - Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
Aug 22 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
Aug 24 - Austin, TX @ One World Theater
Aug 25 - Houston, TX @ Dosey Doe
Aug 26 - Houston, TX @ Dosey Doe

http://www.ottmarliebert.com/

NEW RELEASES - RICK GERMANSON QUARTET, CHRIS GREENE QUARTET, BILLY MARTIN & WIL BLADES

RICK GERMANSON QUARTET WITH EDDIE HENDERSON - LIVE AT SMALLS

The rhythms are wonderful here – really old school hardbop sounds, set to rock-solid piano from Rick Germanson – and driven onwards by the bass of Paul Gill and drums of Lewis Nash! And if that's not enough, the album also features excellent work on trumpet from Eddie Henderson – stepping out here in a mix of sweet and hard styles that's mighty nice – almost more openly expressive on this record than we've heard him in years! The Smalls Live series is a perfect setting for Germanson's talents – and really helps the player come to the forefront not just as a soloist, but as a leader who can really shape the sound of his group. Titles include "Edge", "Lester Left Town", "Shorter Waltz", "Say It", "Interloper", and "The Single Petal Of A Rose". ~ Dusty Groove

CHRIS GREENE QUARTET - A GROUP EFFORT 

A cooking group effort from the Chris Greene Quartet – a great Chicago combo we've watched grow tremendously with each previous release – stepping out here in their first-ever live recording! Greene's got a soulfully sophisticated approach to his saxes that really belies his Windy City roots – with this great way of stretching out on the solos, yet still keeping things real – a bit like Eddie Harris at his best, with the depth of Eric Alexander on tenor,but with some deeper sounds too – which come through especially strong on the album's extended tracks. The rest of the group features electric piano, bass, and drums – and titles include the originals "Shore Up", "Future Emperor Of Evanston", "State", and "Three & Six" – plus a nice cover of "Blue Bossa". ~ Dusty Groove

BILLY MARTIN & WIL BLADES - SHIMMY 

A funky funky shimmy from Billy Martin and Wil Blades – a very spare, stripped-down set that's heavy on drums from Martin, and lots of great Hammond and clavinet from Blades! The groove is a lot more focuses, and decidedly more gritty than we've heard from either player of late – almost a return back to 60s soul jazz roots than inspired them both – but touched with some tight 70s funk on the rhythms as well! Tracks include "Deep In A Fried Pickle", "Les & Eddie", "Pick Pocket", "Mean Greens", "Brother Bru", "Toe Thumb", and "Little Shimmy". ~ Dusty Groove 

NEW RELEASES - LEON WARE FT. QUADRON, JESSE DAVIS, ANGELA JOHNSON

LEON WARE FT. QUADRON - ORCHIDS FOR THE SUN / HOLD TIGHT

Leon Ware teams up electronic pop soul duo Quadron! Leon is one of greatest artist-songwriter-composers and a living legend of American soul music – Quadron is a modern act whose genuine love for classic Motown and lesser-celebrated soul makes them a shining beacon as far as we're concerned – so we figured this would be a leftfield win of a joint effort, and it most certainly is! Ware's voice is holding up very well, thank you very much, and he contributes keys and synth bass on top of vocals. "Orchids For The Sun" has rich instrumentation, too – voila and violin, sax, clarinet, trumpet and flute over percolating beats. "Hold Tight" is just as strong, the electronics and live instrumentation working really well together! Really fresh, rewarding stuff! ~ Dusty Groove

JESSE DAVIS QUINTET- LIVE AT SMALLS

One of the best albums in years from altoist Jesse Davis – recorded in a relaxed, open-ended style that really unlocks some new magic in his horn! Davis' studio records are all quite nice, but this live date really takes him to places we've never heard before – a really old school exploration of alto modes that brings us back to Stitt or Criss, and shows a long-winded creativity we hardly knew that Jesse had. The rhythm section really helps the feel of the record, too – with a lot of humanity in the piano of Spike Wilner, mixed with the impeccable work of Peter Washington on bass and Billy Drummond on drums. Ryan Kisor's trumpet adds one more horn to the mix – and titles include "I'll Close My Eyes", "Piece Of The Apple", "Pray Thee/Beyond The Storm", "Journey From The Lighthouse", and "Body & Soul". ~ Dusty Groove

ANGELA JOHNSON - REVISED, EDITED
& FLIPPED

A joyous celebration of Angela Johnson's first decade in soul music – and a smoking little set that revisits some of her best tracks from the time, and sets them on fire all over again! The package is way more than just a batch of remixes – a lots of tracks here are re-thought from the ground up, and re-fitted with a set of new sounds and styles that really illustrate Angela's growth as an artist over time – and the broad, collaborative reach she's had in the contemporary underground! Titles include "Hurts Like Hell (Makoto rmx)", "All In Me (Yannis rmx)", "You're Here With Me (MasSheen rmx)", "Wait 4 U (Josh Milan rmx)", "Rescue Me (Blu-Swing rmx)", "All I Need (Crank Brothers rmx)", "Better (Micky More rmx)", "Be Myself (Kemit & Jalon rmx)", "They Don't Know (Angela Johnson rmx)", and the great new track "Don't Take It Out On Me". ~ Dusty Groove

ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL 2012

The heat will be on a day earlier at the ESSENCE Music Festival in New Orleans. Organizers announced today that the traditionally held three-day festival is now expanding to four days, kicking off Thursday, July 5th, with an all day youth empowerment experience at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, then culminating with the first ever youth empowerment concert on the New & Next stage that night at the Louisiana Superdome.

Featuring a roster of new millennium generation artists in the music scene, the performers will include recording artist and hip-hop royalty Diggy Simmons, R&B pop group The OMG Girlz and New Orleans' marching band The Roots of Music. These bright young stars will share the spotlight with some of the world's top performers in music and entertainment such as Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, D'Angelo, Charlie Wilson, Kevin Hart, Steve Harvey, Trey Songz and more during the 18th annual ESSENCE Music Festival that will now take place July 5-8. The New and Next stage is sponsored by Verizon, Wal-Mart and community partner Capital One. To get tickets for the New and Next Stage please visit essencemusicfestival.com.

"The ESSENCE music festival has always been more than just music. It's a forum to transform lives by the power of our voice to celebrate our community through music, entertainment and empowerment," states Michelle Ebanks, President, ESSENCE Communications Inc. "We are deepening our youth empowerment day to the festival to focus on the matters that are most critical to our next generation and we are celebrating their voice with our first ever youth empowerment concert at the Superdome. We heard consistent feedback from our audience that they wanted more and we're delivering in our Festival expansion."

Sponsored by Coca-Cola, My Black Is Beautiful, McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Verizon, Capital One and the Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation, the Youth Empowerment Experience will invite youth groups from the New Orleans area to participate in this year's two programs: the Saving our Sons mentoring initiative spearheaded by Mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu and the Girl Up NOLA initiative led by First Lady Cheryl Landrieu. Saving Our Sons is a call to action for the community to invest in the lives of young men to prevent violence and stop the murder epidemic and high crime rate in New Orleans as well as every city across the nation. The program recruits and trains mentors to help over 100 young males and their needs through partnerships with community organizations.

Girl Up NOLA furthers the personal growth of our young girls by generating inspiration, creating new experiences, building connections with positive role models and increasing access to resources available within their communities. Girl Up NOLA asks all female caregivers—mothers, aunts, grandmothers, sister, friends—to take care of their young girls and cultivate their aspirations. More activities, events and speakers will be announced soon.

Now in its 18th year, the ultimate destination for entertainment and inspiration hosted over 422,000 attendees last year. What began in 1995 as a one-time event to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of ESSENCE magazine has now grown into one of the country's "Top 10 Leading Brand Events" by Advertising Age. The ESSENCE Music Festival is the nation's largest annual gathering of African-American music and culture. Throughout its history, the Festival has featured an array of performers including Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, Al Green, Beyonce, Chaka Khan, Destiny's Child, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gladys Knight, LL Cool J, Jamie Foxx, John Legend, The Isley Brothers, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Maxwell, The O'Jays, Prince, Rihanna, Stevie Wonder, Toni Braxton, Patti LaBelle and Yolanda Adams, among others.

www.essence.com.
Source: Essence Communications, Inc.

THE HIDDEN TREASURES OF TAJ MAHAL 1969-1973

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, wishes the extraordinary blues innovator Taj Mahal a Happy 70th Birthday on May 17.

The label will celebrate the groundbreaking artist with a major catalog reissue project beginning with the release of the newly-curated The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal 1969-1973, an extraordinary two-disc collection of previously unreleased studio and live performances, available Tuesday August 21.

A two-disc sonic portrait chronicling the early stirrings of Taj Mahal's solo career, The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal 1969-1973 features two CDs comprised entirely of unreleased finished material. The first disc debuts studio recordings from 1967-1973, while the second disc premieres a full-length live concert, recorded April 18, 1970 at the Royal Albert Hall in London (on a bill that included Santana).

The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal 1969-1973 is the first release in an ongoing catalog project which includes plans to release definitive editions of the artist's entire Columbia Records catalog.
"Throughout my more than 40 years of recording, I have always been an outside-the-box composer/musician/performer and not always understood by the music industry, so it gives me a phenomenal amount of personal pleasure to have Sony/Legacy reissue my whole catalog of music!

This is fabulous news for the legions of fans who have always been unfailingly loyal to me and this music we've shared for the duration of a wonderful and (thank you very much) still on-going career of touring and playing live for fans around the world!," said Taj Mahal. "This excitement is amplified even more for everyone (me included) by the first-time release of an excellent live concert from Royal Albert Hall in London, England and an album of never before released studio musical gems!

I'm thrilled that this music is finally coming to the light of day! So go for it babies! Listen and dance your (bleep) off to the music we love so much and glad there's more where that came from! I made the music of my heart and y'all helped!!"

Born Henry St. Clair Fredericks, Jr. in Harlem, New York, on May 17, 1942, Taj Mahal has created an inimitable and enduring body of work, a bedrock blues flavored with strains of West Indian, Caribbean and African music with elements of jazz, rock and reggae flowing effortlessly through the mix. A two-time Grammy winner, Taj Mahal opened the untapped potential of the Delta Blues, felt the connection to African soul and island rhythms, and became one of world music's first proponents and champions.

The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal 1969-1973 track listing
CD 1 - Studio
1. CHAINEY DO
2. SWEET MAMA JANISSE (February 1970, Criteria Recording Studios)
3. YAN – NAH MAMA – LOO
4. TOMORROW MAY NOT BE YOUR DAY
5. I PITY THE POOR IMMIGRANT
6. JACOB'S LADDER
7. AIN'T GWINE WHISTLE DIXIE (ANY MO')
8. SWEET MAMA JANISSE (January 1971 Bearsville Recording Studios, Woodstock, NY)
9. YOU AIN'T NO STREETWALKER, HONEY BUT I DO LOVE THE WAY YOU STRUT YOUR STUFF
10. GOOD MORNING LITTLE SCHOOLGIRL
11. SHADY GROVE
12. BUTTER

CD 2 - Royal Albert Hall
1. RUNNIN BY THE RIVERSIDE
2. JOHN, AIN'T IT HARD
3. BAND INTRODUCTION
4. SWEET MAMA JANISSE
5. BIG FAT
6. DIVING DUCK BLUES
7. CHECKIN' UP ON MY BABY
8. OH SUSANNA
9. BACON FAT
10. TOMORROW MAY NOT BE YOUR DAY

Recorded April 18, 1970 at The Royal Albert Hall, London
Original live recording produced by David Rubinson
ALL songs are previously UNRELEASED

~  Legacy Recordings

VIVA BRASIL - THE NEW LIVE RECORDING FEATURING YO-YO MA, KATHRYN SCOTT AND ODAIR ASSAD & JOSEPH GRAMLEY

Sony Masterworks releases Viva Brazil, a six-song live digital EP from Yo-Yo Ma, Kathryn Stott, Sergio and Odair Assad and Joseph Gramley. Recorded live on April 30^th at the Palladium Center in Carmel, Indiana, the Viva Brazil Live EP is available now via all digital service providers.

The outstanding program spotlights cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Kathryn Stott plus classical guitarists Sergio and Odair Assad, all of whom played on both Soul of the Tango and Obrigado Brazil. They are joined by percussionist Joseph Gramley, who appeared on Ma's gold-certified Songs of Joy & Peace album.

"The Assad Brothers introduced Brazilian music to Kathy Stott and me over 15 years ago and we have been in love with it ever since," says Yo-Yo Ma. "These pieces are the result and a celebration of our joyful, fun and rewarding years of collaboration and friendship."

In addition to the previously recorded Heitor Villa-Lobos' Alma Brasileira (from Yo-Yo Ma's critically acclaimed Obrigado Brazil), Viva Brazil includes Antonio Carlos Jobim's Stone Flower and Amparo; Hope from the Back To Our Roots Suite by Sergio Assad and his daughter Clarice; and The Last Song written by Clarice and dedicated to the group.

The Viva Brazil Live EP arrives during a particularly exciting period for Yo-Yo Ma, as it follows his all-star "genre-proof" collaboration, The Goat Rodeo Sessions, with violinist Stuart Duncan, bassist Edgar Meyer and mandolinist Chris Thile. The quartet's January concert performance at the House of Blues in Boston will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on May 29^th.

Sony Masterworks USA comprises the Masterworks Broadway, Masterworks, Masterworks Jazz, RCA Red Seal and Sony Classical imprints.

~ sonymasterworks.com

DONNA SUMMER DEAD AFTER CANCER BATTLE

Donna Summer, the queen of disco, died Thursday morning after a battle with cancer, according to TMZ. She was 63.

TMZ reported she was in Florida at the time of her death. Sources told them she was trying to keep the extent of her illness under wraps, and was trying to finish up an album.

Summer was a five-time Grammy winner, who was best known for her 1970s and 1980s hits "Last Dance", "Hot Stuff", "Bad Girls", and "She Works Hard For The Money".

 Heres' the full post from TMZ:
We're told Summer was in Florida at the time of her death. She was 63 years old.

Sources close to Summer tell us ... the singer was trying to keep the extent of her illness under wraps. We spoke to someone who was with Summer a couple of weeks ago ... who says she didn't seem too bad.

In fact, we're told she was focused on trying to finish up an album she had been working on.

Summer was a 5-time Grammy winner who shot to superstardom in the '70s with iconic hits like "Last Dance," "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls."

She continued her dominance in the '80s with "She Works Hard for the Money" and "This Time I Know It's for Real."

Summer and her producer Giorgio Moroder defined the dance music era of the '70s and influenced acts like Duran Duran and David Bowie to enter the genre.

Summer married Brooklyn Dreams singer Bruce Sudano back in 1980. They had two daughters together.

REBECCA SULLIVAN & MIKE ALLEMANA - THIS WAY, THIS TIME

Rebecca Sullivan came into her own as a jazz vocalist in Chicago, where she's been based since 2006 and where she's frequently gigged with guitarist Mike Allemana. Their compelling musical chemistry is the main event on Sullivan's forthcoming debut recording, This Way, This Time, a duo session that will be released on Rhyme or Reason Records on June 12.  "Rebecca has a lovely, liquid instrument, often evocative of Billie Holiday yet completely personal and unpretentious," says saxophonist Geof Bradfield, who produced the album. "Her delivery is so intimate, and it really works seamlessly with Mike's inspired colors and textures."

On the new CD, Sullivan mixes affecting interpretations of infrequently heard standards by Johnny Mandel ("The Shining Sea"), Friedrich Hollaender ("Strange Enchantment"), and Hoagy Carmichael ("Ivy") with boldly personal versions of songs by the Beach Boys ("Wouldn't It Be Nice"), Nick Drake ("Blossom Friend"), and St. Vincent ("Human Racing"). She also contributes two originals (including the title track, co-written with Allemana), and closes the album with Dave Frishberg's poignant "You Are There."

"Rebecca really gets inside the lyric," says Allemana. "Unlike many young singers, she never manipulates the melody or takes it out of context. She knows the composer wrote it that way for a reason."

A native of York, Pennsylvania, Rebecca Sullivan grew up with several music traditions -- singing in her family's a cappella gospel group, studying classical piano (and winning competitions), steeping herself in American standards from the 1940s and '50s. As a student at Portland's Reed College, she performed folk music on open-mic nights, accompanying herself on guitar. But her first exposure to jazz came in the unlikely place of St. Petersburg, Russia, where in 2004 she spent a semester abroad studying Russian literature. There she had the opportunity to hear live jazz: "I had no idea songs could sound like that," she recalls of that epiphany.

While in Russia, Sullivan put in serious listening time to recordings by Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, and Carmen McRae, and once she returned home she was already on her way to pursuing a career as a jazz vocalist. She relocated to Chicago in 2006 to study at the Bloom School of Jazz, and also began attending tenor saxophone legend Von Freeman's weekly jam session at the New Apartment Lounge. She made a deep impression on Mike Allemana, Freeman's longtime guitarist. "It's so refreshing to find a young singer who knows these beautiful old songs," he says.

Before long Sullivan quit her day job (at the University of Chicago Press) to devote herself full-time to singing. "When I worked up the nerve to ask Mike if he would do a gig with me," she says, "I really felt like I was in over my head. But he said yes, it worked pretty well, and we ended up doing more gigs and eventually recording the album together."

Come fall, Sullivan, now 29, will be starting the next chapter in her musical journey in Boston, where she plans to pursue a master's degree at the New England Conservatory. "I'll be studying with Dominique Eade, and then I'll have a separate improvisation teacher," she says. "I decided to go there because I want to be immersed in the intense musical learning environment they offer, as well as to improve as a musician and songwriter. Also, some great jazz musicians whom I really admire studied at NEC: Roberta Gambarini, Luciana Souza, Bill McHenry. And I can't wait to be back on the East Coast!

Rebecca Sullivan will be performing with Mike Allemana at a CD release show on Sunday 6/24, 8:00 pm, at Szold Hall (Old Town School of Folk Music), 4544 N. Lincoln, Chicago. Tickets are $12 ($11 Old Town School members), and may be purchased online or by phone at 773-728-6000.

www.rebeccasullivanjazz.com

BRANDON WRIGHT - JOURNEYMAN

"The wisdom of the journeyman is to work one day at a time," begins the Cormac McCarthy quote that graces the inside cover of Brandon Wright's new album, Journeyman. On his second release as a leader, the 30-year-old tenor saxophonist offers the fruits of his own journeyman days, a personal sound and beyond-his-years hard bop feel forged gig by gig alongside greats like Chuck Mangione, Doc Severinsen, and Fred Wesley.

Wright himself defines a journeyman as "someone who has learned a craft, finished his apprenticeship, and is now out there refining his trade so that one day he, too, can become a jazz master."

It's a modest description, appreciative of the hard work necessary to hone one's musical identity, but an impressive list of supporters speak to Wright's rapid advancement along that path. Those include pianist David Kikoski, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Donald Edwards, the renowned veterans who make up Wright's quartet for this release. All three are colleagues in the Mingus Big Band, which Wright has collaborated with for the past five years.

Wright first encountered the Mingus Big Band during his senior year of high school and immediately determined that one day he would be a part of this "unstoppable powerhouse of raw energy and excitement." Seven years later, after making up his mind to stop pursuing his master's degree to focus full-time on a career in music, he crossed paths with saxophonist Abraham Burton, who invited him to sit in on an upcoming Mingus Band gig. That night at Iridium, he was introduced to Sue Mingus, who invited him to join the ensemble a few months later, where he soon found himself playing alongside Kikoski, Kozlov and Edwards. "When those three guys are together in the Mingus Big Band, I enjoy myself the most," Wright says. "They create the most excitement."

That knack of excitement is evident from the opening moments of Journeyman, which gets off to a blazing start with "Shapeshifter," which Wright penned over the chord changes of Cole Porter's classic "What Is This Thing Called Love" (and includes a brief nod to Tadd Dameron's similarly-composed "Hot House").

Wright is quick to profess his love of the classic Blue Note sound of the label's late '50s/early '60s hard-bop heyday, but is far from a mere throwback. He deftly bridges decades through his transformation of 1990s rock radio hits into the classic jazz idiom, taking Pearl Jam's "Better Man" at a mid-tempo simmer and making an argument for Brit-pop band Oasis' "Wonderwall" as a sinuous standard.

"I want to connect with my audience, especially people of my generation," Wright says. "I think a lot of people who grew up in the '80s weren't really exposed to jazz and don't know what it is. I'm trying to find a way to show them, 'I'm from your generation, I listen to the same music you do, and here's my interpretation of these songs which resonate with me and were a big part of my life as a teenager.'"

Wright evokes even younger days on the album's closer, "She'll Make Me Happy," which the sharp-eared will recognize as a song from The Muppets Take Manhattan - though Kermit and Miss Piggy never could swing quite like Wright and company do on their rendition.

He reaches in the opposite direction for Hoagy Carmichael's time-tested "The Nearness of You," bringing it up to date not through cosmetic alterations but by approaching it as generations of musicians before him have - with heartfelt, deeply personal expression. "As I've gotten older and matured some, I actually find the most satisfying part of a set is playing a ballad," Wright explains. "When I was younger, I felt the need to show everybody how much technique I had through speed and acrobatics. Now, I've discovered that playing relaxed, with a beautiful sound, allows me to get to my most vulnerable state and helps the audience ride that emotional journey with me."

Emotion is key to Wright's own compositions, which make up the remainder of the session and reflect his experiences and growth in the six years since he's moved to New York. The bluesy moan that leads into "Illusions of Light" communicate the pain of a break-up, in this case with a photographer who lends the title its double meaning, capturing both the art of still images and the pain of discovering one's own misconceptions. "Choices" was written following the loss of Wright's grandmother, while "Search for Truth" expresses the saxophonist's frustration with certain dashed career hopes - a loss assuaged somewhat by the tune garnering an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award.

Wright's journeyman days haven't all been painful ones, however - just witness the frenetic tenor showcase "Big Bully" and especially the fiercely funky "Walk of Shame," evidencing lessons learned alongside legendary James Brown trombonist Fred Wesley. The title comes from the tune's infectious groove, which inevitably inspires dancing and perhaps a bit beyond. As Wright slyly protests, "We're not responsible for what happens after the song is played."

It was perhaps inevitable that Wright would maintain an element of humor in his playing, given that his initial inspiration for picking up the sax was a certain animated second-grader. "I was in second grade when The Simpsons first aired," Wright recalls, "and there was an episode where Lisa sings the blues and says that she's in the second grade. I related to her being exactly the same age as me and I just thought it was so cool to play the saxophone."

Comedy has made a resurgence in Wright's approach of late, as the saxophonist has been taking improv classes from the training center of the famed comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade (alumni of which include former SNL cast members Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz). "Whether you're acting or playing music, it's drawn from a very similar emotional place within," says Wright, who took a stab at acting in high school before focusing on music full-time. "Improv studies have changed my life as a person and as a player. As an experiment, I applied the rules that make a successful improv scene to how I approach performing in a small group jazz setting as well as everyday life. The results were astounding. Putting on an improv show is the most terrifying thing I've done, so any musical situation that I used to think was stressful is now much easier for me to handle. I feel like I have a much clearer philosophy on how I want approach jazz improvisation and can't wait to explore this further."

Growing up in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, Wright began playing the sax in school bands and discovered jazz through the inaugural season of "Jazz for Teens," a workshop directed by bassist Rufus Reid. He went on to attend the University of Michigan and the University of Miami, earning four Downbeat student music awards along the way. Accepted into the Henry Mancini Institute in 2005, he connected with composer Maria Schneider and toured Japan with the Gregg Field Orchestra, after which opportunities began to mount and he made the move to New York.

Since that time he's played in stunningly diverse settings, including the Mingus Big Band, Chico O'Farrill's Latin Big Band, and John Fedchock's New York Big Band; toured with longtime Tonight Show bandleader Doc Severinsen; joined Chuck Mangione's working band; and has even taken a solo with Bruce Springsteen thanks to his work with E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg.

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NEW RELEASES - MIKE REED, FANNY FRANKLIN, CILLA BLACK

MIKE REED’S PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS - CLEAN ON THE CORNER

A great one from Mike Reed and his People Places & Things group – a clear, crisp statement of Chicago modernism at its best – not just modes from Reed's own generation, but from the 50s and 60s as well! Reed's an amazing player on his own – but we especially love the way that he's gone back into Windy City tradition, and found a way to re-introduce a special blend of Chicago jazz – that crucial pre-AACM, post-bop style that would often swing, but have really freewheeling solos too – a mode that really went onto influence American jazz in general once Chicagoans moved onto the New York scene in the 60s. The horns here are key to the approach – really deft work on alto from Greg Ward and tenor from Tim Haldeman – plus some great guest cornet from Josh Berman. Most tracks are piano-less, which allows for even freer reed work – but Craig Taborn guests on piano on two numbers – and the great bass of Jason Roebke holds the set together solidly throughout. Titles include versions of Roscoe Mitchell's "Old" and John Jenkins' "Sharon" – plus the tracks "Warming Down", "The Ephemeral Words Of Ruth", "House Of Three Smiles", and "The Lady Has A Bomb". ~ Dusty Groove

FANNY FRANKLIN - GET WET

The first solo set from funky soul songbird Fanny Franklin – and it's a great one! Fanny was the original singer for Orgone and she's been an in-demand voice for a few years now – collaborating with contemporary and legendary figures from Shawn Lee to Dennis Coffey – so it was about time she stepped out front, right? Right! The best part is that she's doing it on her own terms. Classic funk & soul-inspired songcraft, played with a youthful and modern spirit, by excellent musicians. We've loved her voice since we first heard her with Orgone, so to find out now that she also has the goods as a songwriter and primary creative engine, that feels like a total win! Tracks include "Rivers", "Get Wet", "Gasoline", "Good Stuff", "Pushin", "My World", "Open Your Eyes", "All The Pretty Girls", "Dug Up", "Yes You Do" and "Keep On Runnin". ~ Dusty Groove

CILLA BLACK - COMPLETELY CILLA

A smashing collection of work from one of our favorite British girl singers ever – the amazing Cilla Black, whose 60s recordings for EMI are the stuff of genius! The legendary George Martin produced these tracks – and while they don't exactly sound like his work with The Beatles, they are filled with some amazing arrangements, odd little twists and turns, and all these other cool little bits that really work perfectly with Black's enormous vocal range – a brilliant blend of all the right elements together in the studio, to make recordings that have held up beautifully over the years! This massive package brings together everything that Cilla recorded for EMI over the course of a decade – 139 tracks in all – from hits, to album tracks, to b-sides and other rarities – all wrapped up in a great box, with a hefty booklet too. Plus, you also get a bonus DVD – with BBC performances, interviews, and other TV appearances – a heck of a deal at this price! (DVD is NTSC format, but has no region information.) ~ Dusty Groove