2012 DETROIT JAZZ FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES STAR-STUDDED LINEUP

World's top jazz artists among the headliners for this year's festival

The 33rd annual Detroit Jazz Festival, the world's largest free jazz festival, will feature the most celebrated names in jazz including: Sonny Rollins; Wynton Marsalis Quintet; Pat Metheny Unity Band featuring Chris Potter, Antonio Sanchez, and Ben Williams; Chick Corea and Gary Burton with the Harlem String Quartet; and the Wayne Shorter Quartet featuring Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci and Brian Blade.

"This year, we wanted to focus on going back to traditional jazz roots. Bringing together these world-class jazz artists gives festival-goers the opportunity to experience jazz at its finest - a collaboration between artists with history, experience and a style all their own," said Chris Collins, artistic director of the Detroit Jazz Festival. "Many of the artists joining us at the festival have worked together before and we're reuniting them, as well as introducing unique first-time collaborations, to celebrate the culture of jazz and really show how jazz has made an impact in our region and across the nation."

Rollins and Marsalis return to the festival for the first time since 1987, and Metheny will make his festival debut with his new ensemble. Additionally, New Orleans-native and trumpeter Terence Blanchard will serve as the 2012 Artist-in-Residence, performing with his quartet as well as curating a special Art Blakey Tribute, featuring Peter Washington, Lewis Nash, Geoffrey Keezer and Curtis Fuller, among other appearances.

Other headliners include: Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas Quintet: Sound Prints featuring Lawrence Fields, Linda Oh and Joey Baron; Lew Tabackin Quartet featuring Randy Brecker; Jerry Bergonzi Quintet; Donny McCaslin Group featuring Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre and Mark Guiliana; David Binney Quartet; Brian Lynch and Unsung Heroes; Cécile McLorin Salvant; and Grégoire Maret Quartet, among others.

The festival will continue its longstanding tradition of presenting and recognizing Detroit's rich jazz legacy. Of note, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave will return home with a special all-star Homecoming Band, spotlighting fellow Michigan natives, Curtis Fuller, Kenny Garrett, Geri Allen, Marion Hayden and Louis Hayes. Garrett, Hayes, and tenor saxophonist Rick Margitza will also perform with their respective quartets. The Wayne State University Big Band will perform new works by distinguished pianist Michael Abene and feature guests Joe Lovano and vocalist Judi Silvano. Other homecoming performances include saxophonist Charles McPherson in a co-lead quintet with trumpeter Tom Harrell, multi-reedman Charlie Gabriel, who will celebrate his 80th birthday with special guests, and drummer Gerald Cleaver performing with his working band, Uncle June.

A wide array of special concept projects will also be showcased in the upcoming festival. Conductor David Berger will lead "The Sacred Music of Duke Ellington," a program focusing on music from Ellington's three landmark Sacred Concerts written during the last decade of his life. The program will feature a 100-voice Detroit choir and a big band, as well as vocal soloists. The Mack Avenue Records Super-Band will make its worldwide debut, featuring select artists from their roster: Kevin Eubanks, Sean Jones, Tia Fuller, and Alfredo Rodríguez, among others. Saxophonist Steve Wilson will be featured in a special "Bird with Strings Revisited" project, paying homage to the saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker's landmark album, Charlie Parker with Strings (Verve, 1955).

Festival-goers will be treated to an assortment of trios, ranging from organ-centric groups such as Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart; Bernard Purdie, Reuben Wilson, Grant Green Jr. (formerly known as The God Fathers of Groove); plus one with special guest Donald Harrison Jr., and Ellery Eskelin's trio (each lending its own unique organ trio sound, spanning post bop, jazz blues/soul, and free jazz respectively); to the pure acoustic sounds of piano virtuoso Fred Hersch's trio and Detroit-based Gary Schunk's Electric Fusion Trio. The groups collectively demonstrate the wide musical possibilities for the sacred configuration.

In addition to Terence Blanchard's presence, New Orleans' influence will be felt with the special program, "A Night in Treme (The Musical Majesty of New Orleans)" - based on the acclaimed HBO dramatic series, Treme. The show will feature the Preservation Hall Jazz Band with Charlie Gabriel, Christian Scott, Donald Harrison, Jr., and James "12" Andrews. Harrison will also appear with his quintet during the festival.

As is tradition, the festival will highlight some of the most engaging artists in Latin jazz, including: Quincy Jones protégé and Cuban piano sensation Alfredo Rodríguez, celebrated percussionist Poncho Sanchez's Chano y Dizzy (with Terence Blanchard), pianist/composer/educator Arturo O'Farrill's Afro-Cuban influenced Septet with special guest Donald Harrison Jr., storied trumpeter Jerry Gonzalez y Los Comandos de la Clave, and trombonist Papo Vazquez' Pirates Troubadours.

"My focus has always been on continually improving the festival," said Gretchen Valade, chair of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation board of directors. "Chris Collins has done a fantastic job securing this all-star lineup for the 2012 festival. All of these incredible performers coming together at the Detroit Jazz Festival means a lot, not only to our city, but to all jazz enthusiasts. It is a chance to see so many favorites in one arena. I could not be more thrilled with how this year's festival continues to develop and, as always, it's free to the public."

The Detroit Jazz Festival is largest free jazz festival in North America. Attendees, in addition to artists, come from all over the world, with 23 percent of the festival audience coming from outside of Michigan. The festival has an economic impact of tens of millions of dollars, contributing greatly to the city of Detroit. The festival also was recently voted the number two jazz festival in North America in a reader's poll by JazzTimes, the world's leading jazz publication.

Major corporate sponsors include JP Morgan Chase, Carhartt, DTE Energy Foundation and Mack Avenue Records. In addition, there is a growing base of individual support. Fans are encouraged to become Rhythm Section members by making donations of any size online in support of the festival's "KEEP IT FREE" campaign.

The Detroit Jazz Festival, now in its 33rd year, takes place over Labor Day weekend in Hart Plaza, downtown Detroit. This year's official poster, a sought after collector's piece, was created by artist Douglas Tocco, who has been designing since 1991 and has also created posters for the Detroit International Auto Show and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

The Detroit Jazz Festival is an independent, non-profit organization that presents jazz and educational workshops throughout the year. Recently voted number two in North America in a JazzTimes reader's poll, the Detroit Jazz Festival is the largest free jazz festival in the world and a major tourist attraction for the City of Detroit, with 23 percent of its audience coming from out of state.

The festival receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Erb Family Foundation, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Kresge Foundation. Major corporate partners include Carhartt, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Mack Avenue Records. Additional partners include Absopure Water Company, Amtech International, Budweiser, Charity Motors, Cliff Bells, Comcast, Compuware, Detroit Marriott, Dickinson Wright, Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, Fathead, Meridian, MGM Grand Detroit, Motor City Casino, Pepsi, Plante Moran, PNC Foundation, Quicken Loans, St. John Providence Health System, DownBeat, JazzTimes, MetroTimes and Fox 2. The festival's Greening Program, now entering Phase IV, is supported by a generous grant from the DTE Energy Foundation. For more information visit http://www.detroitjazzfest.com/.

~ dlmediamusic.com

ERIN BOHEME - WHAT A LIFE

When you’re young, five or six years can make all the difference in the world. Sometimes the road is rocky, sometimes it’s full of good fortune. Most times it’s a little of both. But no matter what the terrain, the traveler who keeps her eyes and ears – and her heart – open to the world will inevitably learn something along the way.

Every girl dreams. But, in the case of relationships – dreams don’t always work out in the way one might have imagined. More often than not, they don’t. Erin Boheme is every girl. For the first five years of her “dating” life, the right things just didn’t seem to materialize – but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Often times getting to the dance might be easy, but it never guarantees you a successful dance.

So – for five years her relationships never seemed to gel – the right paths never crossed. The waiting time was exasperating. “But, as I reflect and look forward,” Erin says. “I really appreciate it all – the loves, the losses, the heartaches, and the passion – most of all the dreams, whether they come true or not, they all have joined forces to help form the beginning of my adult life – and ‘What A Life’ this will be”.

What A Life is more than just “the next album.” It’s also the next chapter in the evolution of an artist who took her first steps in front of the entire world at a young age and continues to discover the richness and potential of her own voice and her own muse. What A Life is set for release on August 7, 2012, on Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group.

Erin Boheme was originally signed to Concord as a jazz singer at the young age of seventeen. When Michael Bublé heard her, he discovered something more – Erin’s incredible songwriting abilities and her individuality at expressing herself about relationships in music. He also uncovered her talent as a pop singer – portraying Erin in the same light as one of her all-time heroes: Carly Simon. Similarly, Erin can be and is a pop voice for her own generation.

“After hearing a few examples of the songs I wrote, Bublé and John Burk (Chief Creative Officer and label head for Concord) encouraged me to keep writing,” says Erin. “So the album developed into a more raw, very singer-songwriter type of project: a chronicle of my life so far.”

The album’s exploratory nature is propelled by Bublé’s touring band, which serves as her backup unit throughout the ten tracks. The roster includes pianist Alan Chang (who was also a co-producer on the project), guitarist Dino Meheghin, bassist Craig Polasko and drummer Robb Perkins. An added string section brings a stirring emotional layer to some of the more intimate songs in the set.

The chemistry between this talented young frontwoman and her supporting cast is compelling from start to finish, beginning with the swampy country backbeat of the opening track, Everyone But Me, which is very reminiscent of the great Chris Isaak’s sound. Perkins sets up a thumping pattern as Boheme’s sensual vocals ride alongside Meheghin’s crunchy fretwork.

"Everyone But Me was the story of my life. ‘nuf said!,” Erin writes in the liner notes. “I felt inspired to write I Missed You Today by love’s daunting partner: distance. Distance shines such a bright light on all of those things about the person you miss – their little quirks, habits, traits – all adding up to the one you loved. Coldplay’s great song In My Place, captures so brilliantly in five single words, what every lonely girl feels: ‘How long must you wait?’ I can’t tell you how much I’ve personally connected with this song.”

“Whenever romance gets stressful, doesn’t everyone think ‘well, why don’t you just try being me for a while?’ I wrote In My Shoes as an anthem for those moments, girls.”

“The Last Time is a David Foster song that makes me smile every time I sing it – because it is for the guy who I think is finally ‘the one.’”

“Sometimes the two most difficult words to say are ‘I Do’ – which is why I wrote these words over and over and over again…because when it finally happens, those two words are the easiest ones to say – and you just have sing them: I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do!”

“Who could ever measure up to that one guy who captured your heart, but let it go? The rebound guy never wins, cause He Isn’t You.”

“The very worst part about falling in love is falling out of love – and that is always a possibility. But I wanted to write this song for everyone, just to say that everything is not always lost – that we should try again, because perhaps, just perhaps – the second time will be even sweeter than the first. Never lose hope – give it One More Try.”

“One night I found myself sitting at the piano feeling melancholy. The magic of this piano is that it had belonged to the great Henry Mancini – and I imagined him sitting here, writing those brilliant melodies about Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Miraculously, within 20 minutes I had written a complete song- What A Life – which spoke of my love, my life, my hopes and my dreams – where I could clearly see that special someone ‘waitin’ round the bend’ for me.”

“I’d Love To Be Your Last is a song first sung by Miranda Lambert, that Michael felt would make a terrific duet – and a great ending to this CD. I think it was the perfect way to leave you – singing with the wonderful Spencer Day, and singing about the very moment that you look at someone, and you know in your heart that they’re the one you were always on your way to. To use an old phrase: ‘the past is only prologue’ – and I can’t wait to write the rest of the story.”

For Erin, What A Life has been five years in the making. But, like fine wine– special things can take a little extra time to reach their zenith. Michael Bublé found a rare gem in the talents of a girl named Boheme, and presents her here, for your consideration. This is her musical diary: a peek into the heart of a girl who is destined to live a most extraordinary life.

JOHN KLEMMER - FREE SOUL

John Klemmer - Free Soul
Listen to this "lost" discovery from 1969 off the Blowin' Gold LP from saxman John Klemmer.

NOAH STEWART - NOAH

Verve Music Group has just announced the debut album from Harlem-native Tenor, Noah Stewart, available via their Decca imprint on July 3.

It is hard to believe that only a few years ago Noah was a receptionist at New York's Carnegie Hall, working to pay for his singing lessons. He has of course, since then, performed on that stage and is now building a fine reputation as a fast-rising operatic tenor, equally accomplished in interpreting such core roles as Don Jose in Carmen or Rodolfo in La Boheme or pioneering new roles in contemporary opera. But Noah also knows that there was a time when being an operatic tenor didn't just mean performing at the opera house, but could encompass all kinds of popular and traditional songs too. From Enrico Caruso to Luciano Pavarotti, history's classic tenors all had the popular touch.

The upcoming album from Noah Stewart, Noah, includes fine renditions of the operatic arias Recondita Armonia, from Puccini's Tosca, and Pourquoi me reveiller, from Massenet's Werther, as well as the enduringly popular Bach/Gounod version of Ave Maria. But it casts its net much wider too. With inspirational input from producers and arrangers Steven Baker and Christian Seitz, the album also presents Noah's rich, resonant voice in the spiritual classic Deep River, and the traditional tunes Silent Night and Nearer My God To Thee.

Noah Stewart’s musical development started in Harlem where he studied classical music at The Harlem School of the Arts. At age 12, his choir teacher encouraged him to pursue a music career; he began doing voice-overs for Sesame Street and television school specials, and won first place in the New England Music Competition in Boston. Stewart attended Fiorello LaGuardia High School, where he performed his first opera (La Costanza in amor vince l’inganno). He also sang back-up vocals for pop artists such as Hootie and the Blowfish, Mariah Carey, and Coolio. During this time, Stewart developed a passion for opera, languages, art song, oratorio, and concert repertoire, and committed himself to pursuing an operatic career. He was recommended by his mentor, the great soprano Leontyne Price, to attend The Juilliard School, where he was awarded a full scholarship.

By the end of his senior year at Juilliard, Stewart was already receiving attention from the professional classical community and was Featured in the book Spirit of Harlem by Craig Marberry and Michael Cunningham . He was unable to attend his own graduation for the opportunity to perform the title role in Acis and Galatea on tour with The Bach Society of Columbia in Germany. Upon his return to the United States, Stewart was accepted into the San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Merola Program, where he was given his first taste of modern opera as The Wizard in Conrad Susa’s Transformations. He reprised the role at The Wexford Music Festival that same year. He was subsequently invited to become a San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow, and numerous important debuts soon followed including T. Morris Chester in the world premiere of Philip Glass’ Appomattox, Malcolm and Macduff in Macbeth, stepping into the main-stage role with only 15 minutes notice. After graduating from the Adler Fellowship, Stewart made his next modern opera debut as The Prince in the first fully staged production of John Adams’ A Flowering Tree with Chicago Opera Theater.

In 2008, Opera News gave Stewart rave reviews for his debuts in Philip Glass and John Adams’ productions. Stewart has also been awarded numerous prizes in The Palm Beach Opera, Leontyne Price, George London, Licia Albanese, Opera Index Competitions, and just recently first place in The Mario Lanza Competition for Tenors. He has been noted for the uniquely baritonal timbre of his ringing and sweet tenor instrument, as well as his innate musicality and commanding acting ability.

Recent Engagements include Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Boheme with Michigan Opera Theater and Wexford Festival Opera, along with Augustus Gloop in the european premiere of The Golden Ticket written by Peter Ash with librettist Donald Sturrock. Stewart also Reprised his role as The Prince in John Adams’ A Flowering Tree in Lisbon with The Gulbankian Symphony, as well as performed Luigi in Puccini’s Il Tabarro at the Castleton Music Festival under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel, his role dubut of Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca with Michigan Opera Theater, The Prince in John Adams’ A Flowering Tree with The Gulbankian Symphony in Paris, Rodolfo in La boheme with Opera Carolina, Narraboth in Salome with Arizona Opera, Ismaele in Nabucco with Michigan Opera Theater, Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas with The Yard Arts Festival, Tonio in the World Premiere of Louis Gioia’s I Tre Compagni with Encompass Opera, Mozart’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall under the baton of John Rutter and Don Jose in La Tragédie de Carmen with Chicago Opera Theater.

Since joining The Metropolitan Opera roster in the fall of 2008 to cover Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Stewart’s roles also included Azael in L’Enfant Prodigue with Metro Chamber Orchestra, Manrico in Il Trovatore with Festival Opera and Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana with The One World Symphony. Upcoming performances include his role debut of Don Jose in Carmen with Opera Africa, The Prince in John Adams’ A Flowering Tree with Cincinnati Opera and creating the role of Hassan in Judith Weir’s Achterbahn which will mark his forth world premiere by a modern composer at The Bregenzer Festspiel, A role he will further perform in his upcoming Covent Garden debut in 2012.
 
~ noahofficial.com

IVO PERLELMAN RELEASES TWO NEW ALBUMS: THE PASSION ACCORDING TO G.H. & THE FOREIGN LEGION

Deep into a period of startling creative output, tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman now releases not one but two recordings - both of which underscore his mastery of free improvisation and his command of his instrument's hidden resources; and each of which embroiders a thread from his voluminous past catalog.

On The Passion According To G.H., Perelman has recorded with the Sirius Quartet; this remarkable string ensemble comprises top-drawer classical musicians who also have the rare ability to improvise at the level demanded by Perelman's concept. In so doing, Perelman recapitulates his previous foray into string-quartet music (The Alexander Suite from 1998), but brings the potential of this collaboration to new heights of development. Despite the fact that sizable passages sound pre-composed, with the string quartet seeming to frame or echo the saxophone solos, the album is entirely improvised by all five musicians. As veteran jazz writer Neil Tesser says in the liner notes, ". . . Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this album is this: not one note of it was written in advance."

The uncannily cohesive nature of the music would seem to belie that claim, but, as Perelman explains, "Sometimes, I would start playing; or I would say to them, 'OK, you start'; or we would start together - or we would say, 'Well, the tape's rolling, we should play.' Not all musicians are born for this; some are born to interpret Mozart, and that's a wonderful gift, too. But these are highly skilled conservatory musicians who are also mad improvisers."

Meanwhile, the simultaneous release of Perelman's trio album The Foreign Legion spins a rich tapestry from another, more recent thread. On it, Perelman continues the invigorating and illuminating project in which he partners with various combinations drawn from his acclaimed working quartet (pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist Joe Morris, and drummer Gerald Cleaver). Like the previous Family Ties, this new album features two-thirds of that band's rhythm section - but not the same two-thirds. Cleaver remains on drums, but for The Foreign Legion, bassist Joe Morris takes a seat, with pianist Matthew Shipp taking his place in the trio.

The result is a wildly different sound and substance from the previous disc. As Perelman has explained, "I was so pleasantly surprised [with the quartet] ... I decided I want to explore my relationship with each member of the band. I realized that I was dealing with a quartet; but I was also dealing with a trio, and a duo, and another duo - it would become a different band each time one player would drop out for a while. Each occupies such a deep space that when he's missing, it opens everything up so much."

The greater surprise lies in how the inclusion of piano, contrary to conventional wisdom, seems to further propel the saxophonist's inspired quest for musical freedom. Explains Perelman: "Since the piano is a harmonic instrument, you would think that would limit the choices, but with Matthew it does not. He has this inherent rhythmic structure to his playing, but it's very free. It doesn't restrict my thinking; it expands and contracts." The result is a series of exquisitely detailed trio tracks, widely varied in content, but each similarly intense and satisfying.

As he has done on several previous discs, Perelman has consulted the bibliography of Brazilian novelist Clarice Lispector for the titles of these albums (and in the case of The Foreign Legion, the name of each individual track as well). Lispector, who died in 1977, is revered throughout Latin America, but especially in Brazil, for her use of the Portuguese language and for the philosophical implications of her fiction, which has left a major influence on Perelman's music.

Born in 1961 in São Paulo, Brazil, Perelman was a classical guitar prodigy who orbited a series of other instruments before finally gravitating to the tenor saxophone. His initial influences - cool jazz saxophonists Stan Getz and Paul Desmond - could hardly have presaged the galvanic, iconoclastic improvisations that have become Perelman's stock-in-trade. But those early influences helped shape the romantic warrior at the heart of his most heated musical adventures.

In 1981, Perelman entered Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he focused on the mainstream masters of the tenor sax, to the exclusion of such pioneering avant-gardists as Albert Ayler, Peter Brötzmann, and John Coltrane - all of whom would later be cited as precedents for Perelman's own work. He left Berklee in 1983 and moved as far from Boston as possible - to Los Angeles, where he studied with mainstream vibraphonist Charlie Shoemake, at whose monthly jam sessions Perelman discovered his penchant for post-structure improvisation. "I would go berserk, just playing my own thing," he explains now.

Emboldened by this approach, Perelman began to research the free-jazz saxists who had come before him. In the early 90s - shortly after recording the first of the nearly 40 albums now under his name - he moved to New York, a far more inviting environment for free-jazz experimentation, where he lives to this day.

Critics have lauded Perelman's no-holds-barred saxophone style, calling him "one of the great colorists of the tenor sax" (Ed Hazell in the Boston Globe); "tremendously lyrical" (Gary Giddins); and "a leather-lunged monster with an expressive rasp, who can rage and spit in violence, yet still leave you feeling heartbroken" (The Wire). The Passion According To G.H. and The Foreign Legion bring to 18 the total of albums Perelman has recorded for the Leo label.

Ivo Perelman w/ the Sirius Quartet
The Passion According to G.H. Track Listing:

Ivo Perelman / tenor saxophone
Gregor Huebner / violin
Fung Chern Hwei / violin
Ron Lawrence / viola
Jeremy Harman / cello

1. Part 1 (7:17)
2. Part 2 (7:53)
3. Part 3 (15:30)
4. Part 4 (6:14)
5. Part 5 (3:35)
6. Part 6 (8:45)

The Foreign Legion Track Listing:

Ivo Perelman / tenor saxophone
Matt Shipp / piano
Gerald Cleaver / drums

1. Mute Singing, Mute Dancing (5:35)
2. An Angel's Disquiet (13:53)
3. Paul Klee (7:57)
4. Sketch Of A Wardrobe (11:10)
5. An Abstract Door (7:35)

NEW DUB COMPILATIONS AVAILABLE STRAIGHT OUT OF JAMAICA...

TREASURE ISLE IN DUB – RARE DUBS 1970 TO 1978

A full chest of dubs from Treasure Isle – culled from the throughout the 70s – rare dubs of classic rhythms guided by the best players in the Jamaican scene! Classic backing tracks laced by top shelf dub vocals and Sound System DJ madness! Players include Sly & Robbie, Santa Davis, Ansel Collins, Vin Gordon, Tommy McCook and more. Includes "Everyday Is Dub Day", "This Old Dub Of Mine", "Carpenter Dub", "Why Dub In Spring", "Just A Dub", "Dub You Madly", "Let THE Dub Go", "Dubbing You", "I'm Your Dub" and more. 12 dubs on the vinyl version. ~ Dusty Groove

THE CONGOS –DUB FEAST

A dub companion to the Congos Feast album on Kingston Sounds – a later effort from the legendary Congos! While the architect of the dubs here goes unnamed, the vocals by Cedric Myton and one-time Melodians singer Brent Dowe are hazy, smoky and strong – plus rhythms by most of the greatest Jamaican players. Includes "A Fat Dub", "A Party", "Carry To The Well Dub", "Some A Dub", "Rasta Congo Dub", "Some A Dub", "Citizen Dub", "Take It To Dub", "Heaven Dub" and more. 12 on the LP. (Please note there is a small split on the top of the LP jacket spine, nothing major.) ~ Dusty Groove

BIRTH OF DANCEHALL – BLACK SOLIDARITY 1976 TO 1979

Early period dancehall from the mid-to-late 70s – slowed-down rhythms that paved the way for the dancehall stars to come – and earlier numbers from some of those very stars! Includes numbers by Tristan Palmer, Sugar Minott, Josey Wales, Tony Tuff, Robert French and others – great stuff from the years before drum machines and other more digital styles would fully take over. Includes "Spliff Tales" by Triston Palmer, "The Lord Is My Light" by Rod Taylor, "String Up The Sound System" by Michael Palmer, "Crime Act" by Ashanti Waugh, "Let Go The Rhythm" by Josey Wales, Crucial Corporal" by George Nooks, "Everybody Wants" by Sugar Minott and more. ~ Dusty Groove

SCIENTIST AT THE CONTROLS OF DUB – RARE DUBS FROM 1979 TO 1980

Dubs from the mighty Scientist – culled from the crucial period 1979-1980 period before the digital sound took over – dub workouts of reggae and soon-to-emerge dancehall heavies – great stuff recorded at Channel One, King Tubby's & Tuff Gong! Dub workouts of cuts Tony Tuff, Robert Trench, Tristan Palma, Robert French and many more. Includes "Mr Babylon Dub", "Never Trouble Dub", "Time And Place For Dub", "Stop Spreading Dub", "Bad Boy Dub", "Undying Dub", "Joker Dub", "Eveready Dub", "Heavenless Dub" and more. 14 on the vinyl version. ~ Dusty Groove

DJ JAMAICA INNA FINE DUB STYLE 1973 TO 1977

A sweet set of prime 70s dubs from the finest singers, players and DJs – this set with an extra layer of devotion to the latter! The set features classic and underrated dubs with the DJs bringing a bit more of their unique flavor to the dubs – toasting, sparring with and otherwise accompanying legendary vocals. I-Roy, Shorty The President, U Roy, Dillnger, Prince Jazzbo and others Inna Fine Dub Style! Includes "Rub-A-Dub Style" by Shorty The President, "Gorgon Style" by U-Roy, "Greedy Girl" by Jah Stich, "Stick By Dub" by Denis Alcapone, "3 Wisemen In Dub" by I Roy, Yu Nuh Here Dub" by U Brown, "Rebel Dub Skank" by Shorty The President, "Dub Challice" by Prince Jazzbo and more. 14 on the vinyl. ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES - THE BAMBOOS, BELLERUCHE, MATT ULERY

THE BAMBOOS – MEDICINE MEN

A great step forward for The Bamboos – still as funky as ever, but in a much greater range of styles than before! The core deep funk sound we've always loved is still burning away at the bottom – thanks to the ever-trusty grooves of Lance Ferguson and crew – but this time around, there's also a host of guests who really seem to shape the overall feel of the record – Aloe Blacc, Megan Washington, Klye Auldist, Daniel Merriweather, Bobby Flynn, and Ella Thompson – each bringing in their own great flavors, and creating a depth of sound that's mighty nice! Most of these guests are vocalists, but their shifting styles seems to spur the instrumentation onto new heights too – adapting to suit the mood, yet never in a way that's too frenetic to keep the album from being unified overall. Titles include "Where Does The Time Go", "What I Know", "I Got Burned", "Cut Me Down", "Midnight", "Medicine Man", "Window", and "Hello Stranger". ~ Dusty Groove

BELLERUCHE – ROLLERCHAIN

Much more focused work than before from Belleruche – a set that's still got the Tru Thoughts regulars working in an electronic, contemporary mode – but also hitting some more tuneful, song-structured sounds as well! The album's got plenty of catchy numbers that could actually cross over big – with a groove that's often midtempo, and never too over the top – yet with enough punch to avoid the too-sleepy cliches of the downtempo world too. Titles include "Afan", "Cloverleaf", "Underfire", "Passenger Side", "Reach For The Bottle", "16 Minutes", and "Stormbird". (LP comes with bonus CD version of the full album.) ~ Dusty Groove

MATT ULERY – BY A LITTLE LIGHT

A beautiful little record from Matt Ulery – double-length in size, and even more than double in terms of feeling and depth! Matt's a figure on the Chicago scene – and in a way, his music represents the return to arrangements in the city's recent avant jazz world – yet his music is also even more compellingly concise, and handled with a strong ear towards thoughtful, tuneful compositions that have fluid, expressive feel – hardly outside at all, although always with an edge – and handled with a soundtrack-like sense of color and scene. In a way, there's almost a Kip Hanrahan sort of vibe to the music – especially in the way it goes way past familiar jazz – especially on the few vocals numbers, which feature lyrics sung by the lovely Grazyna Agusick. Other musicians include Ulery on bass, Ben Lewis on piano, Zach Brock on violin, James Davis on trumpet, Matthew Duval on vibes, and Jon Deitmeyer on drums. Titles include "Dark Harvest", "Processional", "By A Little Light", "To Lose Your Mind", "Wilder Years", "Sow The Deep Seeds", and "To The Brim". ~ Dusty Groove

BÉLA FLECK & THE MARCUS ROBERTS TRIO FEATURING RODNEY JORDAN AND JASON MARSALIS - ACROSS THE IMAGINARY DIVIDE

When long time Marcus Roberts fan and banjo virtuoso, Béla Fleck stayed late at a Savannah Music Festival jam session just to hear Roberts play, the last thing he expected was to be up on stage performing with him and his band but “it seemed to work instantly. Marcus seemed to really like it. And the 20 or so people at the jam session seemed to think that something very special had just occurred.”

A year later they had agreed to perform together for the first time at the same festival in Savannah. “We threw together a set of music, and played it for a packed and intrigued crowd. The gig was honestly amazing. There was a natural rapport between Marcus and me from the first note, and Jason Marsalis (on drums) and Rodney Jordan (on bass) were just incredible. I loved their trio conception, and was thrilled to be able to find a way to exist within it,” said Fleck.

The Marcus Roberts Trio is known for its virtuosic style – a style that is strongly rhythmic, melodic, and filled with dynamic contrast. The group was founded in 1995, and they are known around the world for their signature trio style. Béla Fleck is often considered the premier banjo player in the world. He has virtually reinvented the image and the sound of the banjo through a remarkable performing and recording career that has taken him all over the musical map and on a range of solo projects and collaborations. “It was a lot of fun working with Béla on this project. He has a limitless imagination and, like our trio, he is willing to do whatever it takes to make a great record. The recording brings our two styles together in a way that I think will be really enjoyable for the listeners,” said Roberts.

Across The Imaginary Divide, out June 5 on Rounder, was produced by Béla Fleck and Marcus Roberts.
Track Listing:
1. Some Roads Lead Home
2. I'm Gonna Tell You This Story One More Time
3. Across the Imaginary Divide
4. Let Me Show You What to Do
5. Petunia
6. Topaika
7. One Blue Truth
8. Let's Go
9. Kalimba
10. The Sunshine And The Moonlight
11. That Old Thing
12. That Ragtime Feeling

Tour Dates:
5/23 Musikfest – Bethlehem, PA
5/25 Jacksonville Jazz Festival – Jacksonville, FL
5/27 Delfest – Cumberland, MD
5/28 Stone Mountain Arts Center – Brownfield, ME
5/30 World Guitar Festival – Quebec City, CAN
6/1 Discover Jazz Festival – Burlington, VT
6/2 Avalon Theater – Easton, MD
6/3 Infinity – Norfolk, CT
6/5 - 6/10 Blue Note – New York, NY
6/22 Telluride Bluegrass Festival - Telluride, CO
8/4 Caramoor Festival - Katonah, NY
8/29 -9/1 Yoshi's - San Francisco, CA
9/2 Music Festival - Moab, UT
9/4 Opera House - Napa, CA
9/6 - 9/9 Jazz Alley - Seattle, WA
9/20 One World Theater - Austin, TX
9/21 Kessler Theater - Dallas, TX
9/22 Dosey Doe - Houston, TX
9/23 Jazz Festival - San Antonio, TX
10/19 Royal Conservatory of Music - Toronto, CAN
10/20 Manchester Craftmen's Guild - Pittsburgh, PA
11/8 Carolina Theater - Durham, NC
11/9 University of Georgia -Athens, GA
11/10 Rialto Theater -Atlanta, GA
11/23 Center for the Arts -Scottsdale, AZ

~ thejazznetworkworldwide.com

FRANK UNZUETA - THOUGHTS REVEALED

Sunstone Records has released the debut full-length record from Southern California-based jazz pianist and composer Frank Unzueta. The nine-song album is entitled Thoughts Revelead. Influenced by Bill Evans, Chick Corea, and Oscar Peterson and reflective of his classical studies, Thoughts Revealed is the culmination of many years of composing and playing. From the beautiful ballad "The Me You Created" to the Scott Joplin-influenced "Happy Toes Rag" and the Latin rhythms of "Elisa's Dream," each track is infused with personal story and diverse style inspirations that cross both era and geographic boundaries.

Frank has advanced classical piano training, but is entirely self-taught when it comes to jazz. “I was a guitarist first, but jazz always interested me. It’s very natural to transfer those sounds to piano.” Frank has been a staple in the Southern California live music scene for several decades, including as founder of the world jazz outfit One World, which performed with Los Lobos, The Yellowjackets and Los Angeles Philharmonic. He lives in the San Pedro area, is active in the community he loves, and is working with the Music on Wheels program to bring music to people and institutions that do not have easy access to it.

The trio is rounded out by Larry Steen on bass, who has worked with artists including Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Torme, and drummer Gordon Peeke, whose credits include Stanley Clarke, Michael Jackson, and Bonnie Raitt. Also appearing on the record is saxophonist Eric Marienthal, who has worked with Chick Corea and David Benoit.

Thoughts Revealed was produced by Frank and Rafa Sardina, who has worked with Michael Jackson, Macy Gray, Michael Jackson, Shakira, Dr. Dre, Mariah Carey, and Angie Stone. He has won 11 Grammys and received 25 American and Latin Grammy nominations for his work with Stevie Wonder, Luis Miguel, and Alejandro Sanz.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frank-Unzueta-Jazz-Piano-Trio/208312855907277.

THOUGHTS REVEALED TRACK LIST
1. Angel Girl
2. Happy Toes Rag
3. The Me You Created
4. Elisa’s Dream
5. It Means Nothing…It Means Everything
6. Anything For You (For Cathy)
7. Madrid
8. The Apostle
9. Love Me When Winter Comes

MP3 “The Me You Created”
http://soundcloud.com/brosseaupr/the-me-you-created-from/s-Lvxtx

VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11135WwWP8w&feature=youtube_gdata_pl

LUCIANA SOUZA SET TO RELEASE TWO NEW ALBUMS

After a three-year hiatus from recording, consummate artist and Jazz Singer Luciana Souza returns to Sunnyside Records with two new albums produced by Grammy-winner Larry Klein and slated for August 28th, 2012 release – Duos III, and The Book of Chet. The simultaneous release of the two CD’s will be accompanied by tour dates throughout the Fall and Spring including Joe’s Pub in New York City on September 12th and an evening at Los Angeles’ Broad Theatre on September 1st.

“People think I’m crazy when I tell them I’ve been working on two new CD’s at the same time,” laughs Souza, “and even crazier when I let them know I’m releasing them at the same time as well. But in a strange way there are some very distinct parallels between the two projects and besides that it’s just something I wanted to do, to buck the trend and create the music that I want to make.”

Duos III celebrates the ten-year anniversary of the release of Luciana’s Grammy- nominated and much celebrated CD, Brazilian Duos. Her Duos II record also went on to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Record. The last volume of this trilogy brings back her long time collaborators - guitar phenomenon Romero Lubambo, and master guitarist Marco Pereira - and introduces Toninho Horta, one of Brazil’s most unique guitarists and composers. The repertoire is again as varied and beautiful as the Brazilian landscape – including works by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Cartola, Gilberto Gil and Toninho Horta.

“In the last 10 years I have had a lot of opportunity to perform in this format (duo),” added Souza, “traveling the world, and each time understanding more about the dialogue between voice and guitar, and the inevitable clarity and intimacy. Both projects come from the desire to peel away the layers of artifice and get to the core of each story, each sound.”

The Book of Chet is Luciana’s inspired interpretation of the music of trumpet player and singer Chet Baker. An iconoclastic musical figure, Chet had a unique and lyrical approach to singing – informed by his superb musicianship, his singing was heartfelt, yet detached. “It is a well known fact that musicians like João Gilberto were listening a lot to Chet Baker and the sounds coming out of the West Coast of the US. That kind of quiet, introspective singing was started by Chet while Miles’ playing, tone and sensibility ended up influencing many musicians in Brazil.”

On this recording (Luciana’s first exclusive recording of American standards), Luciana reveals why she has been considered one of the most important Jazz singers of her generation – able to unveil the drama of the lyric and allow for intimacy with the listener, all the while creating an inventive and deeply personal recording. Her collaborators on this collection are West Coast greats Larry Koonse on guitar, David Piltch on bass, and Jay Bellerose on drums. Included on the CD are such unforgettable Baker-associated tracks as “I Fall In Love Too Easily”, “The Thrill Is Gone”, “He Was Too Good To Me” and “Forgetful”.

The Grammy winning Souza is one of Jazz’s leading singers and interpreters. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, in the late sixties, she grew up in a family of Bossa Nova innovators - her father, a singer and songwriter, her mother, a poet and lyricist. Luciana’s work as a performer transcends traditional boundaries around musical styles, offering solid roots in jazz, sophisticated lineage in world music, and an enlightened approach to classical repertoire and new music.

As a leader, Luciana Souza has been releasing acclaimed recordings since 2002 - including her four Grammy-nominated records Brazilian Duos, North and South, Duos II, and Tide. Ms. Souza has performed and recorded with greats including Herbie Hancock (on his Grammy winning record, River – The Joni Letters), Paul Simon, James Taylor, Bobby McFerrin, Maria Schneider, Danilo Perez and many others. Her longstanding duo work with Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo has earned her accolades across the globe, and her complete discography contains more than 50 records as a side singer.

Luciana Souza has been a prominent soloist in two important works by composer Osvaldo Golijov – La Pasion According to St. Mark and Oceana. She has performed with the Bach Akademie Stuttgart, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Other orchestral appearances include performances with the New York Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Her work in chamber music includes a fruitful collaboration with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet.

Ms. Souza began her recording career at age three with a radio commercial, and recorded more than 200 jingles and soundtracks, becoming a first-call studio veteran at age sixteen. She spent four years on faculty at Berklee College of Music in Boston, whereshe received a Bachelor's in Jazz Composition. Ms. Souza earned a Master's degree in Jazz Studies from New England Conservatory of Music and taught for four years at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, in New York City. From 2005 to 2010, Luciana was the Jazz Artist in Residence with the prestigious San Francisco Performances.

AL JARREAU AND THE METROPOLE ORKEST - LIVE

Al Jarreau has little interest in boundaries or preconceived limitations. Since the mid-1970s, this versatile singer has applied his distinctive and instantly recognizable vocal style – a unique combination of lyrical swing and captivating vocalese – to a broad spectrum of musical genres. With this eclectic approach, he has earned much success along the way – enough to position him as the only vocalist in history to claim Grammy Awards in the three distinct genres of jazz, pop and R&B.

After nearly five decades of recording and performing, at an age when many artists are coasting if not retiring altogether, Jarreau continues to take his music to new and different places, literally and figuratively. The most recent chapter in this journey is Al Jarreau and the Metropole Orkest - Live, a collection of the best performances from a two-night engagement at the Theater aan de Parade, located in Den Bosch, Netherlands.

The recording finds Jarreau onstage with a 53-piece orchestra from northern Europe whose collective expertise encompasses the best elements of classical music, American jazz and all the nuanced places in between. Al Jarreau and the Metropole Orkest – Live is set for release on Concord Records on June 19, 2012.

Led by conductor and arranger Vince Mendoza (winner of numerous Grammys in his own right), the album makes its way through 11 songs from Jarreau’s vast body of work – but this time with full orchestral arrangements that force even the most die-hard Jarreau fan to hear them in a new way.

“A lot of people will have heard these songs before, but never in quite this way,” says Jarreau. “This orchestra places them in an entirely new setting. There are new phrases and interpretations here. There are solos that they didn’t hear on the original recordings. What comes through loud and clear is that you can reinvent and reinvigorate and restore existing music and make it into a completely contemporary experience.”

Making the old new again is what Jarreau has been doing with music since his childhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Born in 1940, he sang his first songs in his church choir (his father was a vicar). Although armed with a degree in psychology and some early career experience in social work, he made a dramatic career change when he moved to Los Angeles and began singing in small clubs along the West Coast.

Although he recorded an album in the mid ‘60s, he didn’t make his first significant mark on the music scene until the release of We Got By in 1975. Early praise from the critics translated to commercial success in 1981 with the release of Breakin’ Away, the 1981 album that generated the hit single, “We’re In This Love Together.” He made a huge and recurring splash in American living rooms a few years later when he recorded the theme music to Moonlighting, the hit TV series that ran through the latter half of the 1980s and continues in syndication to this day.

Jarreau enjoyed moderate success in the following decade with albums like Heaven and Earth (1992) and Tenderness (1994), then got a boost in 1998 when he reunited with producer Tommy LiPuma, with whom he’d recorded We Got By more than a decade earlier. The Jarreau/LiPuma partnership resulted in a string of successful albums, including Tomorrow Today (2000), All I Got (2002) and Accentuate the Positive (2004). Givin’ It Up, his 2006 collaboration with George Benson, resulted in two Grammy Awards.

For all of Jarreau’s studio successes over the decades, Al Jarreau and the Metropole Orkest - Live offers recorded proof that he’s still a master in front of a live audience as the frontman to a fully staffed orchestra. The set leads off with the lively and energetic “Cold Duck,” a song that Jarreau considers a favorite from early in his career. “I remember first hearing this piece of music by Eddie Harris in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, and I eventually created a lyric for it,” he says. “It’s become a very important piece of music for me over the years.”

The melodic followup track, “Jacaranda Bougainvillea,” was written in 2002 and inspired during one of Jarreau’s many trips to South Africa, at a time when apartheid had recently come to an end and a new era of equality was finally dawning. “I came upon this jacaranda tree with this bougainvillea vine wrapped all around it,” he recalls. “I saw poetry there. I thought, ‘My God, those things normally grow in their own space – one over here and one over there – but there they are, all intertwined in a sort of harmonic coexistence. That’s a sign.’ I was inspired to write about that and sing about that as a metaphor for the new South Africa.”

Further into the set, Jarreau’s rousing rendition of his most recognizable hit, “We’re In This Love Together,” is enhanced by a richly arranged string section and the solo work of tenor saxophonist Leo Janssen. “You would think that I’d get tired of singing that song, but I don’t,” says Jarreau. “When I look at any audience, I see two- or three-thousand reasons to sing it differently than I did the night before. If I look at any of those faces – or all of them – I’m compelled to sing it in some way that’s new for them and for me.”

“Midnight Sun,” a composition by Sonny Burke, Lionel Hampton and Johnny Mercer – and embellished here by a beautiful solo from trumpeter Ruud Breuls – is a gentle ballad that stretches back to some of Jarreau’s earliest musical memories. “I’ve been singing this composition since I was nine years old,” he recalls. “No nine-year-old should be able to sing that. It’s enough of a challenge for professional singers to sing those intervals. But I was singing it when I didn’t know any better. So my musical history is in that song.”

The playful and rhythmic “Scootcha-Booty” is a song that emerged from an informal songwriting session back in the 1980s with keyboardist and composer Russell Ferrante, founding member of the Yellowjackets. “We came up with this melody that we called ‘Scootcha Booty,’ which is a title I really love. The lyric didn’t get completed until I made Accentuate the Positive eight years ago. It appears for the first time on that record. So the song actually started taking shape thirty years ago, but wasn’t really finished until just few years ago. That kind of extended incubation period isn’t uncommon for me.”

The set closes with the exotic sounding “Spain (I Can Recall)” is a song based on a Latin melody and rhythms originally conjured by Chick Corea, Artie Maren and Joaquin Rodrigo. The song is propelled by Jarreau’s staccato lyric line and smoldering solo work by trombonist Bart van Lier and Janssen on tenor sax.

Whether he’s performing songs from his own body of work, taking the work of past masters and making it his own, or creating something from the gray area in between, Al Jarreau consistently and continuously approaches melody and harmony from a fresh perspective – one that dispenses with externally imposed boundaries and limitations – and creates something entirely new. This process unfolds in real time on Al Jarreau and Metropole Orkest – Live.

“That process is youthful, it’s restorative, it’s healing, it’s inspiring,” he says. “I walk offstage, and I know I’m healed in some kind of way. And I know there are people in the audience who will walk away from the show feeling the same way. I highly recommend finding something that you love to do, and would do for free, and if you can turn it into a way to make a living, do that. But if you can’t, still find an opportunity to do that thing that you love – that thing that gets you up in the morning and makes you feel excited about your day and about your life. It’s the thing that makes you fully human.”

MARCUS MILLER - RENAISSANCE

A generation is roughly defined as a period of about 30 years. 30 years ago – in the early ‘80s - America was rolling with Ronald Reagan at the wheel and his conservative “back to family values” tenets. A similar traditionalism was also being adopted by several prominent up-and-coming jazz musicians. While most of the then-young flock was looking back, Marcus Miller was looking ahead. By the middle of that decade in 1986, Marcus - the musician, composer and producer - was at the helm of one of the most impactful modern jazz masterpieces of the era with some futuristic roots music he composed for the legendary Miles Davis entitled Tutu.

Now with Renaissance in 2012, Marcus Miller surveys the landscape of not just music but society as a whole. In the same profound way that anointed gospel-soul singer Sam Cooke prophesized 50 years before in 1963, Miller feels that “a change is gonna come.” And just as with Tutu, he is ahead of the storm with Renaissance, for release on August 7, 2012 from Concord Jazz, a division of Concord Music Group. Fortified by a team of hungry young players that includes trumpeters Sean Jones and Maurice Brown, alto saxophonist Alex Han, drummer Louis Cato, guitarists Adam Agati and Adam Rogers, and keyboardist Kris Bowers along with veteran keys wizards Federico Gonzalez Peña and Bobby Sparks, Miller is creating the soundtrack for this musical, cultural and spiritual revolution.

“I feel like a page is turning,” Miller muses. “The last of our heroes are checking out and we are truly entering a new era. Politically, things have polarized and are coming to a head. Musically, we’ve got all these cool ways to play and share music - MP3 files, internet radio and satellite radio - but the music is not as revolutionary as the media. It’s time for a rebirth.”

Renaissance finds Miller offering up an especially emotive 13-song collection that includes eight richly inspired original compositions that swing from a tip of the porkpie to the CTI Records sound of the `70s (“CEE-TEE-EYE”) to an introspective and ultimately hope-filled rumination about the island off the coast of Dakar in Africa known as “Gorée (Go-ray).” Renaissance also includes five cover songs that canvas works by soul-jazz culture band WAR, new wave-soul starlet Janelle Monáe, New York jazz dignitary Weldon Irvine, Brazilian musical ambassador Ivan Lins and Christian composer Luther “Mano” Hanes. Though the CD primarily features Miller’s smokin’ new band, it also features special guest vocalists Dr. John, Rubén Blades and Gretchen Parlato.

Renaissance is a word that resonates on a lot of different levels for me,” Miller explains. “It’s about getting back to the essential aspects of art. I’m focusing less on production and more on composition, so this is a very clear album for me. People have often called me a ‘Renaissance Man.’ I always understood that to mean someone who’s got their creative hands in a lot of different things but not on a surface level. Like Leonardo da Vinci: he wasn’t just dabbling in things, he was going deep. I would really like to be that kind of guy. Over the past three decades of my career, I’ve been blessed to produce a wide variety of music that means something to people. I didn’t just do some clichés in different genres, like a guy who says he can speak 20 languages but all he’s saying is ‘how are you’ and ‘can I get something to eat.’ The real challenge is can you communicate something of substance to the people through these languages that you speak?”

Marcus Miller’s Renaissance opens strong with the slick funky bass feature “Detroit,” and there is plenty more where that came from, with varying levels of heat and spice. “CEE-TEE-EYE” pays homage to extended studio blowing jams by the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Grover Washington, Jr. and Bob James in the tradition of producer Creed Taylor’s 70’s contemporary jazz company CTI Records, and includes a blistering mid-song ensemble break followed by a virtuosic bass solo by Marcus. Covers of WAR’s 1971 classic “Slippin’ Into Darkness” (which adds Ramon Yslas on congas) and Janelle Monáe’s 2010 debut breakthrough “Tightrope” (destined to be Marcus’ new jazz festival party-starter featuring the soulfully jovial Dr. John) both explore the dark and light sides of the musical threads that New Orleans weaves throughout African American culture. Marcus reaches back and brilliantly rearranges a composition by early mentor Weldon Irvine titled “Mr. Clean,” throwin’ down a jam that will leave listeners in need of a neck brace by the mid-song bass break. Then there’s the two-headed cobra that is “Jekyll & Hyde.” Miller elaborates, “It starts off with that Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers type of horn melody…then all of a sudden it goes to Hendrix – the kind of rock the Black bands like Mother Night would play when I was coming up in New York - edgy but funky. We keep shiftin’ back and forth. In the middle I’d say, ‘Hyde’s wreaking havoc - better get back to Jekyll!’”

Beauty also abounds with Miller’s homage to Michael Jackson in a virtuosic cover of The Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There” (“one of the first melodies I learned on the bass”) on which he references parts of the original’s vocal, rhythm and string arrangements simultaneously AND solo. Then there’s his own haunting “February,” penned on and for piano. “That song was written quickly and recorded quickly. That’s when you know you’ve got something special. ‘Tutu’ was like that. When we got to the solo, Alex broke a piece of his soul off onto the song. I thought, ‘Where is this cat from…to understand this thing so quickly?’ It’s beautiful but not sentimental. You know how some cats always play beauty like a bouquet of flowers? Alex didn’t do that. He just played from his soul.” Then there’s Miller’s thoughtful arrangement of legendary Brazilian composer Ivan Lins’ “Setembro,” made world famous in a version on Quincy Jones’ 1989 CD Back on the Block. Marcus switches to fretless bass here, à la Jaco Pastorius, and trades breathtaking melodic lines with swiftly up-and-coming singer Gretchen Parlato – the first vocalist ever admitted into The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance program. “I added an Afro Cuban section with the bass line from Dizzy’s ‘Manteca.’ Then I asked Rubén Blades to add something that would pull it all together. I reminded him the piece is subtitled ‘Brazilian Wedding Song’ and that I wanted him to share something profound about love. He came back with ‘Con amor todo se puede’ – ‘With love all is possible.’”

Deeper still, Renaissance houses some of Marcus’ most inspired and emotionally penetrating writing to date – particularly “Gorée (Go-ray)” which was inspired by a visit Marcus and his impressionable young band paid to the African island historically remembered as a warehouse for human cargo before it was shipped from the motherland to places elsewhere for the people to become slaves. “When I first presented this song to the band, I didn’t say anything about my inspiration. What they were playing was good but not quite there. So I said, ‘Remember when we were on the island and we saw where the captives were held and the doorway where all you could see was the sea?” I didn’t have to say another word… We didn’t want to make the piece about pain and resentment but about hope and all the wonderful things that have happened despite it all.” Fittingly, “Gorée (Go-ray)” features Marcus on his second signature instrument, the bass clarinet.

“Revelation” is a richly cinematic sojourn that provides spine-chilling showcases for Alex Han on sax and Adam Agati on guitar. Its opening interlude is the Mano Hanes composition “Nocturnal Mist” for which Marcus originally played bass clarinet as a featured guest on Israel & New Breed’s album A Timeless Christmas. On Renaissance, he rearranged it as a melodic bass feature. Finally, there’s the Joe Zawinul-esque “Redemption.” Miller elucidates, “When you’re ready to go into this new phase we’re calling a renaissance, you need to understand what your redeeming qualities are so you can use them as your weapon. Never stop working on the things you need to improve but figure out what makes you a special human being. So this song has a searching quality to the melody – trying to find itself. Meanwhile the bass line is steady pushing…saying, ‘Don’t stop looking.’”

Marcus’ current touring band consists of trumpeter Maurice Brown (Tedeschi Trucks Band, Maya Azucena, Aretha Franklin), alto saxophonist Alex Han (Paquito D’Rivera, James Moody, Geri Allen), drummer Louis Cato (Beyoncé, Q-Tip, Sean Jones), guitarist Adam Agati (Lalah Hathaway, El Movimiento and Mary Mary), and 2011 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition Award winner keyboardist Kris Bowers (Louis Hayes, Jay-Z & Kanye West, José James).

“I’ve got these next generation musicians in their `20s with me now that aren’t afraid of breaking boundaries,” Marcus concludes. “They’re absorbing and admiring the whole picture – from Clifford Brown to J.Dilla - honestly feeling both sides which, to my Black Experience, is what it’s all about. This young band fears nothing so we are free to go anywhere. I’m finding that to be incredibly inspiring. I am writing music for us that encompasses the full landscape.”

NEW RELEASES - STACEY KENT, ETTA JAMES, APRIL STEVENS

STACY KENT - DREAMER IN CONCERT

After 8 studio albums, Dreamer In Concert is the first album that captures Stacey Kent's magical onstage persona. She delivers fresh interpretations of some of the most emblematic songs in her repertoire, including the standards of the Great American Songbook, “The Best Is Yet To Come,” “They Can't Take That Away From Me,” “It Might As Well Be Spring” and others. She also revisits the classic French songs “Ces Petits Riens,” “Samba Saravah” and “Jardin d’Hiver.”Upcoming tour dates in support of the album include: June 7 - Indianpolis, IN - Columbia Club; June 8 - Indianpolis, IN - Columbia Club; June 10 - Madison, NJ - Shanghai Jazz; June 11 - Hummels Wharf, PA - Susquehanna; Valley Country Club; and June 12-16 - New York, NY Birdland.

ETTA JAMES - QUEEN OF SOUL

Queen of Soul is right! Heck, on these early albums, Etta practically invented soul – or at least invented a deep soul style of singing that would be taken up by countless other female singers during the 60s, but rarely matched with this kind of brilliance. Straight up beatiful stuff! The arrangements are uncredited, but we think they're probably by Riley Hampton – who did so much of Etta's other wonderful work in the early 60s. The recordings for sure took place at points between '62 and '64, mostly in Chicago, with couple in New York and one in Nashville. One other thing that is crystal clear about the sessions is that she had access to the very best musicians and the best sound possible – all you need is a listen to know that! The album's an all-solid, all-soul record with loads of obscure tunes and not a bit of filler! Titles include "Flight 101", "Bobby Is His Name", "Breaking Point", "Mello Fellow", "Do Right", and "Somewhere Out There". This first ever proper CD release is loaded with excellent bonus material – recordings from the same early-to-mid 60s period – 13 of them "You Got Me Where You Want Me", "Only Time Will Tell", "Pushover". "You Can't Talk To A Fool", "Would It Make Any Difference To You", "Pay Back", "Tomorrow Night", "I Can't Hold It Any More" and more. 23 tracks in all! ~ Dusty Groove

APRIL STEVENS - TEACH ME TIGER (JAPANESE PAPER SLEEVE EDITION)

Breathy brilliance from April Stevens – the sexy west coast singer who made some really wonderful records in the 50s! At some level, April was a bit like Julie London – in that she sang in a laidback, seductive tone that was quite risque at times – but she was also a bit more pop than jazz, and was always up for a catchy arrangement or a slight production gimmick to really help send over a tune! The title track was a hit single, but the whole album's great – and titles include "I'm In Love Again", "Do It Again", "Teach Me Tiger", "That's My Name", "When My Baby Smiles At Me", "I Want A Lip", and "In Other Words". ~- Dusty Groove

RAVI COLTRANE - SPIRIT FICTION

Saxophonist and composer Ravi Coltrane is set to release Spirit Fiction, his debut recording for Blue Note Records, on June 19. The 11-track album features two different band lineups, each with a unique expressive urgency. Several tracks feature Coltrane’s long-term quartet with pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Drew Gress and drummer E.J. Strickland. Coltrane also enlisted a quintet featuring trumpeter Ralph Alessi, pianist Geri Allen, bassist James Genus and drummer Eric Harland - the personnel featured on his sophomore release From the Round Box.

Coltrane’s label mate and fellow saxophonist Joe Lovano served as co-producer of the album along with Coltrane. “I’ve always produced my own recordings except for the first one, Moving Pictures, which was produced by Steve Coleman,” says Coltrane. “Joe was a truly supportive producer on this project. He has been an important figure in my life for over 20 years." Lovano also plays alongside Coltrane and Allen in an intimate reading of Paul Motian’s “Fantasm” and joins the quintet for an explosive version of Ornette Coleman’s “Check Out Time,” from Coleman’s 1968 Blue Note album Love Call. Spirit Fiction also includes six original compositions by Coltrane and three by Alessi.

Spirit Fiction- Available 6/19/12

Tracklisting:
1. Roads Cross (Ravi Coltrane)
2. Klepto (Ralph Alessi)
3. Spirit Fiction (Coltrane)
4. the change, my girl (Coltrane)
5. Who Wants Ice Cream (Alessi)
6. Spring & Hudson (Coltrane)
7. Cross Roads (Coltrane)
8. Yellow Cat (Alessi)
9. Check Out Time (Ornette Coleman)
10. Fantasm (Paul Motian)

RAVI COLTRANE – TOUR DATES:
May 29-June 2 - Birdland - New York, NY
June 22-23 - Bohemian Caverns - Washington, DC
June 29 - Fort of Wolfisheim - Wolfiseim, France
June 30 - Festival Jazz de La Defense - Paris, France **with McCoy Tyner
July 2 - Jazz a Vienne - Vienne, France **with McCoy Tyner
July 4 - Centro Cultural de Belem - Lisbon, Portugal **with McCoy Tyner
July 6 - North Sea Jazz Festival - Rotterdam, Holland **with McCoy Tyner
July 7 - Comblain Jazz Festival - Comblain-la-Tour, Belguim **with McCoy
Tyner
July 21 - Black Sea Jazz Festival - Batumi/Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia
July 25-26 - New Mexico Jazz Festival - Albuquerque, NM
July 27-28 - Dazzle - Denver, CO
July 31-August 1 - Jazz Alley - Seattle, WA
August 2-5 - Catalina Jazz Club - Los Angeles, CA
August 6-7 - Yoshi's - Oakland CA
August 11 - Richmond Jazz Festival - Richmond, VA
September 27-30 - Jazz Showcase - Chicago, IL
October 2-7 - Village Vanguard - New York, NY
~ Blue Note Records

NORAH JONES - LITTLE BROKEN HEARTS

Norah Jones’ new album Little Broken Hearts-which was produced and co-written by Danger Mouse-has been receiving unanimous praise from critics across the board. SPIN magazine called it “the second essential record of Norah Jones’ career,” while a cover story in MAGNET magazine declared that “she just might have made the album of the year.” Jones has been the subject of profiles in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Associated Press, and on NPR Morning Edition. She has also made a series of TV appearances including performances on CBS Late Show With David Letterman and ABC Good Morning America.

Norah will be kicking off her 2012 North American tour on June 20 in Indianapolis. The tour will hit a mixture of festivals, amphitheatres and theatres including the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville (June 24), a hometown show at Central Park SummerStage in New York City (July 3), a return to the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles (August 10), and a run of October dates covering the Midwest, Texas, and New Orleans. Visit www.norahjones.com for a full list of international tour dates and ticketing details.

Blue Note has also marked the release of Jones’ new album by reissuing her entire catalog (Come Away With Me, Feels Like Home, Not Too Late, The Fall, and Little Broken Hearts) in an array of higher fidelity editions. All five of her albums have been Mastered for iTunes specifically with the iTunes and iOS platform in mind, ensuring increased audio fidelity. Blue Note and EMI will mark their new relationship with the high-definition digital specialist

HDTracks by issuing all five titles in multiple digital formats that deliver CD quality resolution or better. Audiophile specialist Analogue Productions will release all five titles in limited edition 200 gram vinyl and SACD editions and will bundle the entire catalog plus a bonus album of rare and unreleased covers in LP and SACD box sets.

~ Blue Note Records

AN EVENING WITH MAXWELL

There have been plenty of full-album tours and one-off shows in recent years, but never something quite like this: R&B star Maxwell will play not one, not two, but all four of his era defining albums across back-to-back nights with his eleven piece band at the Staples Center on July 20 and 21 in Los Angeles.

Mr. Rivera (his middle name is Maxwell) will first perform Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite (1996) and its 1998 follow-up Embrya on July 20, then the next night tackle Now (2001) and his Grammy-winning 2009 collection BLACKsummers’night.

The shows also will serve as a fund-raiser for President Obama, as custom Obama/Biden 2012 merchandise will be sold at Staples, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting Obama for America. The campaign also will be on hand at the gigs to sign up volunteers to help register voters in battleground states.

Maxwell will perform the following albums:

7/20 - Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (1996) and Embrya (1998)

7/21 - Now (2001) and BLACKsummers'night (2009)

His fourth studio album and first in eight years, BLACKsummers'night is the sound of an artist taking the commitment to his craft and the conversation with his audience that much further. Needless to say, it is a conversation that's been overdue; but as the soft-spoken, multi-platinum artist sees it, in order to come back it was necessary to step away. "I wanted to return to ‘what was the promise?'" Maxwell offers. "What did my music and creativity speak of to people? For me, coming back to that promise was kind of where my heart was really gravitating towards. I didn't intentionally step away from all of it, but I just wanted to...live my life a little bit, and then be able to make music with that pure experience again."

~ giantstep.net

BOBBY WOMACK – THE BRAVEST MAN IN THE UNVERSE

The Bravest Man In The Universe is Bobby Womack's first album of original material in eighteen years. It was co-produced by Damon Albarn and XL Recordings' Richard Russell and recorded in three main sessions between October and December 2011; two were in Damon's Studio 13 in West London, and the other was in New York's Manhattan Center, which is situated above the legendary Hammerstein Ballroom, with a few extra sessions in London at the XL Studio and Richard's own home studio. All eleven tracks are co-written by the three plus Bobby's longtime songwriting partner Harold Payne, except for radically rearranged spirituals "Deep River" and "Jubilee (Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around)." There are striking vocal guest spots from Lana Del Rey on "Dayglo Refelection" and Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara on "Nothin' Can Save You." ~ gianstep.com

G'S WAY - SEVENLY SEVEN

G's Way is a french project created and leaded by Gérald "GG" Bonnegrace, composer and musician. In this first album, GG has explored all his musical influences like Ray Baretto, Eumir Deodato, Fela Kuti, Grover Washington Jr and many others, to create an explosive cocktail of jazz, funk, and afro-latin music. Served by a massive rythme section and powerful brass, GG also invited some very talented french and international guests to complete that musical trip. More than an album, Sevenly Seven is sprinkled with guest appearances from an international sampling of artists and is a beautiful tribute to the seventies music, and a real gift for the vintage sounds lovers.

ISAAC HAYES & DIONNE WARWICK – A MAN AND A WOMAN

A wonderful duet set from Ike Hayes and Dionne Warwick – one that draws on the classiest side of the Hayes spectrum, and uses his groove to help Dionne find some great new energy! Even in performance, the music has that great rich quality that Isaac always brought to his solo recordings in the 70s – with strings, backup singers, and some tight undercurrents that help keep things soulful throughout – really cutting through the schmaltz of Ike's shiny tux on the cover! Dionne really sparkles in his company – and the record features duo numbers, solo spots, and even some nice medley tracks. The band behind the pair are electric, mellow, and very soulful – and titles include "Can't Hide Love", "Chocolate Chip", "Then Came You", "Come Live With Me", "Unity", and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" and "I Say A Little Prayer", done nicely in a medley together. ~ Dusty Groove