NEW RELEASES - RONNIE FOSTER, GENE HARRIS, MAXI ANDERSON

RONNIE FOSTER - ON THE AVENUE

Massive keyboard work from Ronnie Foster – one of his sweet funky 70s sets for Blue Note – and a killer all the way through! Ronnie plays a host of cool keys – Hammond, clavinet, and moog – and he's working here with tight production from George Benson, who really helps find a new soulful edge for Foster's music – plus great horns from Alfred Ellis, who helps bring a bit of his James Brown influence into the mix! Some of the best cuts feel like blacksploitation funk – with Foster taking long solos over some great instrumental grooves – often with the same offbeat twists and turns, and cool colors he brought to his Two Headed Freap album. Titles include "On The Avenue", "To See A Smile", "First Light", "Serenade To A Rock", and a nice version of Stevie Wonder's "Golden Lady". ~ Dusty Groove

GENE HARRIS - TONE TANTRUM

Sweet sweet keyboards from the amazing Gene Harris – one of his seminal electric sides for Blue Note in the 70s – recorded between his earliest fame in the Three Sounds, and his later return to acoustic styles in the 80s! The sound here is equal parts jazz and soul – as Gene's working with vocalist/arranger Jerry Peters, who brings in a good deal of his own groove to the tracks – giving them a strong focus that's sometimes missing from other solo Harris sets. Both Peters and Harris play Fender Rhodes and other keyboards on the album – alongside a variety of players that include Donald Byrd on trumpet, Harvey Mason on drums, and Chuck Rainey on bass. Tracks include the Peters tunes "If You Can't Find Love" and "A Minor", a two-part remake of Duke Pearson's "Christo Redentor", the sweet stepper "Peace Of Mind", and a strong vocal take on Stevie Wonder's "As".  ~ Dusty Groove

MAXI ANDERSON - MAXI

One of the only albums ever cut by Maxi Anderson – a hell of a soul singer who's lent her talents to a number of sessions over the years, but who sounds especially great here in the lead! Anderson's got a vibe that's almost like Minnie Riperton at the time – a warmly glowing approach to soul that's sophisticated, yet sweet and personal too – set up nicely here with some great Cali arrangements from Gene Page, who slides in an undercurrent of funky soul at the bottom – especially on some of the album's great Skip Scarborough cuts. Titles include "Dancin To Keep From Cryin", "Glory Glory", "Delta Road", "Lover To Lover", "Let Him In", "By Your Side", "Walk Softly", "The Perfect Day", and "Music On My Mind". ~ Dusty Groove 

THE UNITY SEXTET IS ABOUT RECOGNIZING THE PAST BUT STILL WALKING A STEP AHEAD...

The Unity Sextet is a special kind of band. Buddy Franco, Fats Young Jr., Cassius Farqhuar, Junior Oliver, Chuck Waldron and ‘Fat Thumbs’ Ronnie met in spring of 2011 whilst playing at different jazz festivals in different bands with different genres ranging from traditional to experimental jazz. Co-incidentally they noticed that they shared the same vision of an open-minded, eclectic jazz style, being upfront and modern whilst still keeping the respect for the past masters. They only later found out that they all hailed from the same region in south-west England. It was like it was meant to be …

Buddy Franco had an idea: being friends with renowned producer and Freestyle Records recording artist Lack of Afro, he asked him whether he would be up for an impromptu, spontaneous session and act as producer, arranger and engineer. Said and done: The Unity Sextet was formed a couple of weeks later, setting up shop in the former warehouse (now recording studio) known as The Playhouse. They lived and worked there through to the end of the summer before moving to Lack of Afro’s studio in a former factory just down the road near Exeter.

The result of the session is simply called “The Unity Sextet” and features thirteen original tracks. Think of Gilles Peterson’s legendary “That’s How It Is” nights at Bar Rumba, Pharoah Sanders’ spiritual, outerwordly excursions, the cool grooves of A Tribe Called Quest or the relaxed sounds of the Horace Silver band and you are getting there. Check out “Do Me A Fredo” or “Dance Of The Pharoahs” and you could imagine yourself in Paris Saint Germain sometime during the mid Sixties. Then nod along to “Black Pearl” or “Right Now” and it’s Soho, London circa late Eighties or early Nineties.

“The Unity Sextet” is about recognizing the past but stil walking a step ahead, and being on the spot without being in a rush. Theirs is a completely instrumental album but still has a lot to say.

www.lounge-records.de
~ grooveattack.com

NEW RELEASES - BOBBY HUTCHERSON, ALPHONSE MOUZON, CARMEN MCRAE

BOBBY HUTCHERSON - CIRRUS

Righteous Bobby Hutcherson from the 70s – one of his last albums recorded in the company of reedman Harold Land – and one of his greatest too! There's a wonderful mix of modes going on here – modal jazz meets California sun, blending a sense of spiritualism with some of the warmth that Hutcherson was increasingly discovering in his music – especially on the album's use of marimbas, which are surprisingly great next to Bobby's vibes! In addition to work from Land on tenor and flute, the set also has the great Woody Shaw on trumpet – plus Bill Henderson on Fender Rhodes, Emanuel Boyd on tenor, Ray Drummond on bass, Larry Hancock on drums, and Kenneth Nash on percussion – a rhythm player who really helps give the record some hip Strata East-like touches. Titles include a sublime reading of Shaw's "Rosewood" – plus "Zuri Dance", "Wrong Or Right", "Even Later", and "Cirrus". ~ Dusty Groove

ALPHONSE MOUZON - MIND TRANSPLANT

Drummer Alphonse Mouzon cut some of the hardest, heaviest fusion albums ever to hit the Blue Note label in the 70s – including this legendary powerhouse of a record! The set features Mouzon with one of his longtime partners – guitarist Tommy Bolin – hitting a hard-rocking, heavy fusion sound that really blows off the roof – more than enough influence from the younger generation to showcase the new energy hitting electric jazz – and a bit like some of the work that Alphonse would do with other artists in later years! Mouzon's drums explode like a case of dynamite hitting a nitroglycerine factory – and Bolin wails away on guitar like a buzzsaw out of control. There's some nice little licks on the set – making the record a good one for the sample crowd – and a really high octane album with loads of nice changes! Titles include "Nitroglycerin", "Mind Transplant", "Snow Bound", "Ascorbic Acid", and "Carbon Dioxide". ~ Dusty Groove

CARMEN MCRAE - I AM MUSIC

Carmen McRae really opens up on this sweet 70s set for Blue Note – expanding past the traditional jazz of her roots, and even some of the groovier work of her Atlantic years – into a sweeping, contemporary sound that's all adult, all the way! The vibe is great – in the same sophisticated, soulful territory as Marlena Shaw's recordings for Blue Note during the same stretch – yet also couched in those unmistakable McRae vocals – always with a crisp edge, even in the mellowest moments – a unique sound that no other singer can touch. The set was produced by Roger Kellaway – who also arranges, along with Dave Grusin and Byron Olson – all of whom give Carmen a set of sweeping larger backings that make for a fairly majestic album – on titles that include "I Am Music", "I Never Lied To You", "Like A Lover", "Who Gave You Permission", "A Letter For Anna Lee", "You Know Who You Are", and "I Ain't Here". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW SET OF LOST TRACKS BY LEGENDARY JAZZ SINGER GREETJE KAUFFELD

New set of lost tracks by one of the outstanding European jazz singers, recorded between 1969 and 1986. Compilation with eleven deeply emotional songs: Greetje Kauffeld performs sensitive ballads, with bands and orchestras arranged and conducted by such masters as Rob Pronk, Jerry Van Rooyen or Rogier Van Otterloo – including five previously unreleased recordings with the Metropole Orchestra. “What has always touched me is her emotional devotion to the song or the story it tells. She sings as she is: a warm and tender person” (Toots Thielemans). Mastered at 24bit/ 96 khz, comes as 6-page-digipak CD and limited vinyl LP with unknown photos and new liner notes.

As one of the outstanding and constantly active, European jazz ladies, Greetje Kauffeld looks back on an incredible, almost 60 year long, career. Long ago in 1960, she recorded her first jazz EP with English lyrics for the Dutch Decca label. Its last song “Who knows why”, performed in a uniquely emotional “Torch Song” style, was finally decisive for the discovery and unprecedented development of the artist Greetje Kauffeld. The Great American Songbook is the repertoire she knows best, and most of all she loves the ballads.

The Dutch girl wanted to be a singer since she was six years old. Aged nine she was listening to the songs of Louis Armstrong, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole or Frank Sinatra. Doris Day became her initial idol, as Greetje loved her way of singing, directly into the ear of the listener with the very personal warmth and shades of her voice. Then she won her first serious audition in 1956 and became the new singer of the well known Skymasters Big Band. From now on, the 17-year old was heard regularly on Dutch radio. Three years later she left the big band as a freelance singer to appear in a tv show entitled “Greetje Kauffeld sings”, accompanied by the band of sax player Tony Vos. At the same time she sang in the legendary jazz club “Sheherazade” in Amsterdam , together with the resident band “The Diamond Five” of pianist Cees Slinger. They performed the jazz repertoire made famous by singers like Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan.

Then Greetje should mainly succeed as a pop singer in Germany and Holland during the 1960s and appeared in numerous tv shows, magazines and radio programmes. She recorded over 20 singles for the Geman Polydor and Columbia labels and landed hit after hit with colleagues such as Paul Kuhn. “You have to hear this voice,” the German Polydor label campaigned in 1961 for her single “Nur eine schlechte Kopie” (“Just a bad copy”). Then came the new beat and rock bands and paved the way for a fundamental change in the music industry and the fashions of time. Around 1968 the “Flying Dutch Girl” had to realize that her career as an entertainer reached some sort of dead end.

Greetje moved to the US with the goal to gain fresh experiences and new artistic ideas. Overseas she performed with Johnny Mann and Herb Ellis in the Joey Bishop Show. Moreover she recorded a (sadly lost) bossa nova album with the band of Brazilian guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves in Los Angeles. In New York she stepped in the audience of a Harlem jazz club by coincidence, together with her future husband, producer and mentor Joop De Roo. The evening developped into their first encounter with the world elite of jazz. On the programme: The Miles Davis Group with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter – in front of an audience of six people only. A truely moving, almost spiritual experience, as Greetje recalls today.

Back in the Netherlands she married Joop in 1969 and had two children, Nathalie and Mark. Moving away more and more from the German entertainment industry and the corresponding pop image, she tested her abilities with the greats of jazz and developped her skills. From now on the artist Greetje kauffeld devoted her entire talents to jazz. Free from the laws of music industry, with the production of Joop including the best arrangers and musicians available, she recorded some highly sought after jazz albums during the 1970s: “And Let The Music Play” (1974), “He Was A King Uncrowned – a tribute to Clifford Brown” (1976) and “Some Other Spring” (1980).

Already in 1969, Greetje recorded the lost version of a song by Jimmy Woode Jr., “Dear Death”. She sang together with the orchestra of Bert Paige, produced by Tony Vos as the earliest recording on this compilation. Four years later the singer lent her wordless vocals to a special but lesser known ballad song by Antonio Carlos Jobim, called “Andorinha”. It features the trumpet of Rick Kiefer and the voices of Greetje and Rob Pronk organized into choirs by overdubbing. The recording was solely released on Rick Kiefer`s lost album “Lush Life”. His band also included the highly respected musicians Ack van Rooyen, Palle Mikkelborg, Rob Franken and Sabu Martinez.

In 1975 Greetje won the radio award at the Nordring Festival in Oslo as best soloist. Moreover she worked with American artists like Mark Murphy or Stan Getz and also appeared on the sought after Diamond Five album “Back Together” The first and last song of this compilation was recorded in 1976 for the small German library label “Colorit” of producer Werner Tautz. Her version of “The Way We Were”, made famous by Barbara Streisand and Doris Day. is often described as sheer bliss by fans and collectors, but is hard to find and has never been reissued. On this title track from the film of the same name, Greetje is accompanied by the musicians of Addy Flor, including Charly Antolini, Karl Drewo, Armin Rusch and the Munich String Section.

Besides Joop de Roo, the highly respected arrangers Rob Pronk and Jerry van Rooyen became Greetje’s biggest supporters. They knew each other for a lifetime and worked together since 1949. Both played trumpet aswell as piano and developped into some of the best arrangers Holland ever produced. Rob and Jerry toured Indonesia, the USA and Europe before settling in Germany. Their works could be heard regularly on Dutch radio and tv, played by the world reknowned Metropole Orchestra conducted by Dolf van der Linden.

In 1975 Joop De Roo organized various sessions for this big ensemble in Hilversum under the working title “the composers portraits”. Greetje and the orchestra, with soloists like Piet Noordijk, Ack van Rooyen and Ferdinand Povel, presented special versions of songs from the Great American Songbook. All five unreleased tracks on this compilation hail from these performances. Eleven years later Greetje performed two songs on a rare album entitled “my Romance”, this time with the Metropole string orchestra conducted by Dolf van der Linden. “You Must Believe In Spring” and “Vincent” belong to the own personal favourites out of her repertoire. For the production of this album, Joop received the “Edison”, the Dutch Grammy.

To this day, she has recorded many more CDs and has been heard live in many countries. Her catalogue has grown with more jazz album highlights like “The Real Thing” (1994), “Dreaming” (2000) or “My Shining Hour” (2005). With a jubilee concert in 2007, the venerated artist was honored for her fiftieth year on the stage. That evening Greetje performed with the Metropole Orchestra again, now conducted by Jörg-Achim Keller, featuring soloists Ack van Rooyen, Piet Noordijk and Ferdinand Povel. This is definitely not enough space to list all her great performances, awards or accomplishments for the jazz in Holland and Europe. Finally after all these years, besides the fabulous artistic level, her modesty and great human warmth must be emphasized. Keep going Greetje!

www.sonorama.de
~ grooveattack.com

STEVE LUKATHER - TRANSITION

Mascot Label Group will release the highly anticipated seventh solo album “Transition” by guitarist, vocalist, composer, producer, and arranger, Steve Lukather, on Monday 21st January 2013. The new single “Right The Wrong” is released on the same day. “Transition” will be released in three formats including limited deluxe edition CD, jewel case CD, and vinyl.Over the previous decade a series of trials including divorce, the death of his mother and business hassles had dampened his joy in music making — a passion that drove Lukather to excel since seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan as a seven-year-old growing up in San Fernando Valley. Today the guitar guru is happy, healthy and strongly reconnected to his muse, and the lushly expressive Transition, his second Mascot album, finds him at a creative peak.

Transition strikes a perfect balance of style, power and imagination as Lukather takes risks and faces challenges in ways most other players can’t fathom. “Transition is a turning point for the album and a turning point for me,” Lukather explains. “As we were writing the songs, I was thinking about everything I’ve seen — all the people I’ve lost in my life, the great and the difficult experiences I’ve had, and how ultimately it was time to get it together and embrace things for what they are.” One of the original founding members of the multi-million selling rock band TOTO, Lukather will showcase his innate feel for rock and jazz guitar music, along with his impeccable song writing talents. Transition showcases extraordinary guitar playing performed across some of the most heartfelt songs of Steve’s career.

In addition to his work with TOTO, Lukather is a 5-time Grammy winner who has played on 2000+ albums with some of the biggest stars and legends in music including Elton John, Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, Miles Davis, Alice Cooper, George Benson and Rod Stewart. He also played guitar on Michael Jackson’s multi-million selling milestone album ‘Thriller’, and is a member of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band (2012-2013), and has also toured with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and John Petrucci in G3 2012. Following the release of the new album, Lukather will embark on an extensive European tour that will take in two UK concerts at London’s Islington o2 Academy (March 29) and Bilston’s Robin 2 (March 30).

  ~ hardrocknights.com

NEW RELEASES - ANDREA BALDUCCI, TIMO LASSY, GAETANO PARTIPILO

ANDREA BALDUCCI - BLOOM

One of the most soulful albums we've heard from Schema in many years – a brilliant batch of jazzy tracks from singer Andrea Balducci – served up with backing by a great lineup of players from both the Ricky Tick and Schema worlds! The core approach is jazz, but many of the songs are done with a very soulful approach – a style that's a bit like Mario Biondi, especially given Balducci's use of English throughout, and his raspy vocals – yet more 60s soul in the end, with a unified aesthetic that really holds strong over the course of the album. Players include Jukka Eskola on trumpet, Timo Lassy on tenor, Gaetano Partipilo on alto, and Luca Mannuzta on Fender Rhodes and piano – and titles include "Hurt So Bad", "Spooky", "Within Myself", "Big City", "I Just Dropped In", "Time Will Come", and "The Meaning Of Love". CD features a bonus track – "Hurt So Bad (swing version)". ~ Dusty Groove

TIMO LASSY- IN WITH LASSY

The sound of Ricky Tick hits Schema Records – with a whole new groove in the process! Tenorist Timo Lassy has won our ears strongly with his previous records for Finnish label Ricky Tick – hardbop groovers that are filled with soul and life, and lots of spontaneous live jazz playing. This smoking Schema records set has all that same sort of energy – but shifts the groove slightly from hardbop to more of a mod sort of style – thanks to use of Wurlitzer electric piano in the combo, which helps bring along a jaunty approach to the rhythms! The vibe's a bit like an Atlantic Records soul jazz set from the late 60s – like work by David Newman or Hank Crawford – and Timo's tenor is in great company alongside the electric keys, acoustic bass, drums, and percussion. Titles include "Touch Red", "Teddy The Sweeper", "Creole Stew", "It Could Be Better", "Uncle Harry Came To Town", and "Shootin Dice". ~ Dusty Groove

GAETANO PARTIPILO - BESIDES: SONGS FROM THE SIXTIES

Just a few of the songs here are from the 60s, and many of the rest are written by Gaetano Partipilo himself – and mixed with a few Brazilian numbers as well – all to round out a wonderfully rich sounding album that really lives up to the best Schema tradition! Instrumentation is mostly live jazz – played by Gaetano on alto sax, as well as Nicola Conte on guitar, Pietro Lusso on Fender Rhodes, Pasquale Bardaro on vibes, and Fabrizio Bosso on trumpet – but maybe best of all are the vocals, which shift a bit over the course of the record, and include raspy soul lines from MR Natural, and warmer female vocals from Alice Ricciardi, Heidi Vogel, and Rosalia De Souza. Half the tracks are instrumentals, and the mix of modes really makes the album great – never settled too far into one comfortable corner, and really taking the listener on a great journey overall! Titles include "Essa Mulher", "Se Voce Pensa", "Beyond The Days", "Jive Samba", "Right Now", "13 Death March", "Wall & Water", "Atras Da Porta", "The Sticks", "Moon Flower", and "Ocean Dance". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES - ZIGGY MARLEY, STUDIO ONE IRONSIDES, SHAPES 12:01 COMPILED BY ROBERT LUIS

ZIGGY MARLEY-  LIVE IN CONCERT

Recorded live on Ziggy’s 2012 World Tour, Ziggy Marley In Concert captures the excitement of his shows and the connection to his audiences that has made Ziggy Marley one of the most beloved artists in the world. Filled with passionate performances, exceptional musicianship, and fan favorites like “Tomorrow People” and “Wild And Free,” Ziggy Marley In Concert is the next best thing to being there. His band includes legendary drummer Santa Davis (Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Carlos Santana), lead guitarist Takeshi Akimoto, guitarist and backing vocalist Beezy Coleman, bassist Pablo Stennet, keyboard players Michael Hyde and George Hughes, percussionist Angel Roche, and backing vocalist Tracy Hazzard. Recorded by the legendary Errol Brown and by Fabian Cooke – Errol Brown was also in charge for the final mix-down at Barefoot Studios! ~ grooveattack.com

STUDIO ONE IRONSIDES - ORIGINAL CLASSIC RECORDING 1963-1979 (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

A cool collection of cookers from the legendary Studio One Records – pulled together here in a collection that bears the Ironsides name of one of its sub-labels, as a great indication of some of the obscure tracks included within! The collection features loads of gems from the earliest years of Studio One – a mix of rocksteady and early reggae cuts that have that wonderfully rootsy feel that was the label's calling card – a way of laying down instrumentation and vocals with a bottom-heavy sound that filters everything together beautifully – and comes out with a wickedly seductive groove. The set's overflowing with cuts we'd never heard before – and titles include "Three Mile Skank" by Lone Ranger, "Rasta Don't Stop No One" by The Stingers, "Nanny's Corner" by Don Drummond, "Danger In Your Eyes" by The Paragons, "Mother & Child" by Fabian Cooke, "Mark My Word" by Marcia Griffiths, "Another Night" by The Soul Sister, "I'm still Waiting" by Cornel Campbell, and "Jamrec Dub" by Pablove Black.  ~ Dusty Groove

SHAPES 12:01 - COMPILED BY ROBERT LUIS (VARIOUS ARTISTS)  

 A shapely set of grooves from the Tru Thoughts label – and one that also features a fair bit of rare mixes and hard to find tracks! The package is a great way to dip into the richness of the label – one of the few leftfield imprints that are still going strong these days, and continuing to push boundaries with its fresh approach to a 21st Century groove. Creative production and soulful vocals abound – and titles include "Heroine" by Freddie Cruger & Anthony Mills Are Wildcookie, "Sleepwalker (Ambassadeurs rmx)" by Nostalgia 77, "Darkrum" by Anchorsong, "The Why" by Mark De Clive-Lowe, "Swing Samba" by Drumagick, "Big Fat Liar" by Kinny, "Fairplay (Zed Bias old skool mix)" by Zed Bias, "Sleepwalker (Lanu rmx)" by Nostalgia 77, and "Crash & Burn (Hint club mix)" by Hint. 2LP set features 12 tracks – and also includes a CD of the full album, with 29 tracks in all! (The 2LP version also includes the full 29 track album on 2CDs.)  ~ Dusty Groove

MENAGERIE - THEY SHALL INHERIT

The time is now for Lance Ferguson to use his experience and judgement to pass the information and extend the knowledge. And this time, we shall inherit. But not just us, for here comes the family. Lance’s reflections on fatherhood have shaped this album and his children’s names figure in the track titles. Songs from their father.

So who is this menagerie that Lance has assembled here, these angels and demons at play? Well first, this was not conceived of as a ‘Bamboos side-project’. Musically and sonically, philosophically, and in personnel, this is the articulation of other sounds. Jazz, yes, but it is also not ‘The Lance Ferguson Octet’ or some other vehicle for soloists to show off their individual chops. Where these pathways meet, the whole is indeed more than the sum of the parts. Lance sets the example of selflessness, soloing just once and sitting out completely on all but two tunes. Other than Fallon Williams’ performance on The Quietening, most of the vocals are part of the ensemble rather than out front.

However special mention must be made of Phillip Noy and Mark Fitzgibbon, two of the musicians featured heavily on “They Shall Inherit”. Phil is one of Melbourne’s top saxophone technicians and for this album reconfigured his horns to match Coltrane’s settings. Just don’t expect to be able to play anything like Phil if he repairs your sax. Mark Fitzgibbon’s background includes time soaking up London’s jazz dance scene in the late 80s, playing keys at the legendary Dingwalls sessions hosted by Gilles Peterson and Patrick Forge.

This View Street jazz experience was recorded with the assistance of Lance’s long-time engineer, John Castle. In recording and mixing the album, they have inherited the sound of some of the classic music of Harry Whitaker, Gary Bartz, McCoy Tyner, Weldon Irvine and the labels Tribe, Strata East and Black Jazz. Not forgetting special guest Roy Ayers, who should be credited for his vibes and vibrations. But this project is not simply a 1975 time capsule, with songs like The Chosen sounding like a live jazz take on some of the club music experiments of the 21st century producers inspired by Ayers, Mizell and the like. Back to the future.

It’s time to open the door to the cosmos and let Menagerie’s sweet songs take you sky high.

www.tru-thoughts.co.uk
~ grooveattack.com

BARNEY WILEN - MOSHI TOO

Another world premiere from the estate of French jazzman Barney Wilen. A deep journey into the world of his unknown tapes from psychedelic Africa. 80 minutes of previously unreleased recordings from 1969-70, not to be found on the tenor player’s regular “Moshi” album. Dark and trance-like amalgam of Afro blues, acid rock jams, polyphonic rhythms and spiritual jazz influences from the likes of Coltrane or Sanders, mixed with playbacks, noises, ambient sounds, ethnic music and documentary snippets from Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso and Senegal. Comes as a 6-Page Digipak CD with booklet and limited 2LP vinyl set in gatefold cover, including new sleeve notes and unseen photos from the collection of Caroline De Bendern, icon of May ’68 and Barney’s wife.

MOSHI: trance utterance by the Fullani Bororogi (Niger). “MOSHI is the Bororogi’s way to get rid of the blues, a trance-like state which involves possession by a special demon called MOSHI” (CdB).

In 1969 and 1970, French jazz saxophonist Barney Wilen (1937-1996) travels through Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Mali, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and Senegal to Dakar with a group of musicians and filmmakers. Once a celebrated bebopper in the Fifties, now, at the end of the Sixites, Barney decides to “drop out”. Aboard a brightly coloured Land Rover is his girlfriend and future wife, Caroline De Bendern, model and icon of the May ’68 Paris riots. Moreover, they packed instruments, amplifiers, tape recorders and camera equipment. The goal is to shoot a 35 mm road movie, financed by funds from the new production company “Zanzibar Productions”. After two years, Barney and Caroline return to Europe without a finished movie. However, there are over 50 tapes in their luggage, capturing music and sounds from different stations of their journey recorded on a Nagra tape recorder with people they met along the way.

Almost all of these “original African recordings” are unreleased until today and now see the light of day under the title MOSHI TOO. Infected by Pharaoh Sanders and John Coltrane, enthusiastic about jazz-rock and the spontaneous free jazz scene, Barney plays psychedelic desert blues and spiritual Afro Jazz – hypnotic sessions with deep tenor saxophone, funk guitar, bass and drums in a trance-like flow. Occasionally, he works with backing tracks and noise or ambient sounds. In addition, there are documentary recordings of African music and singing groups, of various single traditional instruments such as the balafon, oud or flute and the rhythms and chants of nomadic tribes to the sounds of nature, Muslim prayers or voodoo voices.

Producer Pierre Barouh later uses some brief excerpts from the tapes in a Parisian studio. Collage-like, they serve as the background of the recording sessions for “Barney Wilen – MOSHI”, a recognized landmark on the way to “World Jazz”, released in 1972 on the label Saravah. Short extracts are also included in Caroline and Barney’s film “A L’intention de Mademoiselle Issoufou à Bilma” (1971). “Spare parts of indeterminate origins,” as Jason Ankeney calls these obscure snippets correctly in the All Music Guide. After cancellation of the African project, the tapes have been largely forgotten but kept secure by Barney for future activities. Patrick Wilen finds them at last as he reviews the estate of his late father and, with a clear view on the coils, also remembers his words: “Do something with it!”.

In the course of 2012, over several months, the recordings are digitized in Berlin with Nagra and Telefunken tape recorders and compiled unchanged (technically restored and corrected only) for MOSHI TOO. In Order to really understand MOSHI, you can finally experience the music as intense as it was made. Barney’s African dream lives on. (Ekkehart Fleischhammer 2012)

www.sonorama.de
~ grooveattack.com

NEW RELEASES - QUANTIC & ALICE RUSELL, PATTI AUSTIN, JESSE JAMES

QUANTIC & ALICE RUSSELL - MAGDALENA

Soulful funk with Colombian touches – a real triple-header of talents that features Alice Russell on vocals, and Quantic leading his cool Combo Barbaro! "Magdalena" has a sound that's really wonderful – vocals from Russell that really surprise us – with a mix of soaring soul and warmth that's almost Stevie Wonder, somehow sounding perfect here with the cut's slight Latin jazz touches! "Look Around The Corner" is another great cut from the project – but given two more contemporary spins here in a gospel mix by Simbad and another by Behling & Simpson. ~ Dusty Groove

PATTI AUSTIN - END OF A RAINBOW: THE CTI MASTERS

CTI Masters, and then some – a collection that features one full album from Patti Austin, plus lots of bonus tracks too! The first 10 tracks on the album comprise the classic End Of The Rainbow debut for CTI – wonderfully warm soul from the great Patti Austin – a key artist in the late 70s, and one who really helped push the music forward with a new sense of sophistication! Patti's got a strongly jazzy vibe here – and works with David Matthews arrangements that are really well put-together – less funky than some of Dave's other work of the period, and filled with these mellow moments that really let Austin's energy flow! The overall feel is a bit like some of Jean Carn's work on Philly International – hip, sophisticated, and filled with plenty of jazz touches – although with an even stronger approach to ballads – and titles include the classic "This Side Of Heaven", plus "More Today Than Yesterday", "Say You Love Me", "In My Life", "Give It Time", and "What's At The End Of A Rainbow". CD then goes onto include 8 more tracks from other CTI albums from Patti – equally great numbers that include "Havana Candy", "I Just Want To Know", "We're In Love", "I Need Somebody", "Lost In The Stars", "Body Language", "Another Nail For My Heart", and "I Want You Tonight". ~ Dusty Groove
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JESSE JAMES - DO NOT DISTURB  

The great Jesse James – still going strong! We've loved Jesse for decades – from his great 60s album on 20th Century, through his important 70s underground singles, and even into his later bluesy years – a great place for James' talents in the later generation! This album's definitely got that feel – kind of a Malaco Records sort of sound, but arguably produced with a sweeter feel than Malaco's had on any of their sessions for many many years – southern soul that's contemporary, yet pretty darn timeless too – especially with vocals as great as James'. Millie Jackson adds in a few great guest appearances – and titles include "Let's Get A Room Somewhere", "Are You Gonna Leave Me", "I Can Do Bad By Myself", "Where Do Lonely Lovers Go", "A Change Is Gonna Come", "If He Can't Hold His Pants Up How Can He Hold You Up", and "It Just Don't Feel The Same". Also features a XXX live version of "Let's Get A Room" – and an interview with Jesse! ~ Dusty Groove

AARON NEVILLE'S BLUE NOTE RECORDS DEBUT "MY TRUE STORY" SET FOR RELEASE ON JANUARY 22, 2013

Iconic soul/R&B vocalist and multiple Grammy Award-winning artist Aaron Neville will celebrate the release of his latest album and Blue Note Records debut My True Story with a host of high-profile appearances. They include performances on The Today Show on January 23rd and The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on January 29th, a featured interview on NPR’s Morning Edition that will be broadcast on the album’s release date of January 22nd, a sit-down interview on PBS’ Tavis Smiley that will air in February (check local listings), a performance for the Yahoo! Music series “The Sessions” that will be posted on January 21st, and a performance for NPR’s “Free At Noon” concert series that will broadcast live from Philadelphia’s World Café on January 18th.

NPR All Things Considered has named My True Story one of the most anticipated releases of 2013, saying, “there is an enormous amount of passion put into it, he clearly loves and wants to embody this material…It’s quite lovely.” Listen to the story here. NPR will also host an exclusive “First Listen” of My True Story from January 14th through the album’s January 22nd.

In addition, PBS will air the special Aaron Neville: Doo Wop: My True Story — a concert filmed in November at New York’s Brooklyn Bowl — in March 2013. For the show, Neville was joined by incredible array of musicians and guests, including guitarist Greg Leisz, drummer George G. Receli, and bassist Tony Scherr (all of whom played on My True Story), Neville Brothers’ saxophonist Charles Neville, keyboardist Michael Goods, and backing vocalists Joel Katz, David Johnson, and Earl Smith, Jr. Neville was also joined by special guests Paul Simon, Joan Osborne, Eugene Pitt of the Jive Five (who co-wrote the album’s title song), and Dickie Harmon from the Del-Vikings. Watch a private preview here.

My True Story finds Neville revitalizing some of his favorite songs from the doo-wop era and beyond, including “Tears on My Pillow” and “Under the Boardwalk,” and performing them in his inimitable vocal style. The album was produced by Blue Note Records President Don Was and Keith Richards, who also contributes his signature guitar playing throughout the album. To Neville these songs weren’t just the soundtrack to his youth; they became the underpinning for all of the remarkable music he has created across five decades.

Last month Neville wrapped up his annual Christmas Celebration tour, during which he performed holiday songs, fan-favorite hits, and songs from My True Story to sold-out audiences across the country. The album is available for pre-order on iTunes here and Amazon here. Watch a video about the making of My True Story here. Neville will return to the road in support of his new album in the spring. Please see below for dates.

Aaron Neville Quintet – Spring 2013 Tour Dates:
April 13 Birmingham, AL Alys Robinson Stephens PAC
April 14 Nashville, TN War Memorial Auditorium
April 16 Skokie, IL North Shore PAC
April 18 Milwaukee, WI Northern Lights Theatre
April 19 Cleveland, OH Tri-C Jazz Fest – State Theatre
April 27 Shreveport, LA Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino
April 28 Houston, TX Houston International Festival
May 04 Biloxi, MS IP Casino
June 02 Augusta, NJ 24th Annual Crawfish Fest

NEW RELEASES - TRAVIS BRIDGES, MIKE MYERS, THE BOWTIES

TRAVIS BRIDGES - HORN OF PLENTY (HARVEST HARMONY)

In the words of Travis Bridges, this new CD, is designed to inspire listeners. Each title of every song, original and cover, has a special meaning that lends itself to Travis' recent life experiences. It particularly targets those who need inspiration in their "love life" or "life with loved ones". From one who is happily married, single and looking, hurting from a past relationship, missing someone who's crossed over or to those who may need to feel closer to God Himself. Of the total 14 songs- 7 originals & 7 covers, there is a song that nurtures each experience with an uplifting, happy vibe. Titles include; The title cut-Horn of Plenty, Share my life, Draw me close to you, When somebody loves you back, Fix Everything and Love on top to name a few. Although we all may need something different and not everyone is inspired the same, this project is sure to fulfill the deepest desire for inspiration and motivation so thanks to you in advance for considering this project in your "special" section as many will be moved, blessed and inspired by it. ~ CD Baby

MIKE MYERS - THE BIG PICTURE

Mike Myers is proud to present his newest solo album, The Big Picture, a diverse collection of creative instrumental music from the Denton, Texas based composer-drummer-keyboardist. This inventive, beautifully packaged set features nine performances of Myers' original instrumental jazz/rock compositions which rely heavily on classic analog synthesizer sounds which were first made popular in the 1970s. The Big Picture is an incredibly absorbing listen. Boasting confident musicianship and a dazzling variety of contrasting styles, The Big Picture is a highly accessible and very listenable creation. As on his two other solo albums, Sonic Frontiers, and Myriad, Mike Myers handles the duties of playing all instruments, recording, mixing and producing his original music. The Big Picture contains a mixture of diverse styles such as jazz fusion, reggae, symphonic rock, minimalism, classic rock, electronic and ambient music. It's a challenging collection that accords the listener a modicum of imagination and intelligence. ~ CD Universe  

THE BOWTIES - BLACK TIE OPTIONAL

The Bowties have been entertaining audiences in and around Rochester, NY since 1997 with their unique blend of jazz and pop a capella music, with a few oddities thrown in for good measure (e.g., medleys of movie theme songs, the slightly bizarre 'Easter Island Island Head', Frank Zappa's 'Planet of the Baritone Women'). Members of the Greater Rochester Choral Consortium, the Bowties regularly sing at bistros, community festivals, private parties, and special events at locations around Rochester from Syracuse to Niagara on the Lake in Canada. In addition, they donate a portion of their time each year to sing for various charities and civic events. ~ CD Universe

BONEY JAMES RE-SIGNS WITH CONCORD RECORDS AND PRESENTS NEW PROJECT "THE BEAT" DUE FOR RELEASE APRIL 2, 2013

Three-time GRAMMY nominee Boney James has returned to former label Concord Records with a dynamic, genre-busting album The Beat. One of the most successful instrumental artists of our time with sales totaling over 3 million records, James’ new project fuses his R&B/Jazz roots with Latin rhythm and percussion.

“This record was born of my love for both Latin and R&B music and became a mash-up of the two genres. The initial inspiration for the record was Sergio Mendes’ “Batucada (The Beat),” which I re-imagined as a funk tune.” “Batucada (The Beat)” reunites Boney with trumpet great Rick Braun. “Rick and I have a wonderful history. There is a certain edge and energy that comes out when we play together that creates a really cool vibe.”

Other special guests on the project include eclectic R&B soul singer Raheem DeVaughn and spoken word phenom The Floacist. The first Urban AC single, going for adds in mid-February, is “Maker of Love,” a sexy, soulful song featuring DeVaughn. “Raheem is an artist I’ve wanted to work with for a long time and we actually met by following each other on Twitter! I sent him the track and he came back with an incredible lyric and finished vocal,” says James.

UK poet and musician The Floacist (former partner of Marsha Ambrosius) brings a seductive flow to “The Midas (This is Why)” which adds to the World Music flavor of the album. James says, “This track is a real serious mash-up with the R&B groove, the shekere and conga percussion, coupled with the ‘Euro’ vibe from The Floacist!”

Other treasures on the album include James’ fresh take on Stevie Wonder’s R&B/Latin classic “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing,” along with originals by James that run the gamut from subtle and sophisticated with tracks like “Acalento (Lullaby)” and “Mari’s Song,” to high energy with “Sunset Boulevard,” and “Powerhouse.”

James produced the record and wrote (or co-wrote) eight songs. The album marks his return to Concord Records. Mark Wexler, General Manager/SVP, Concord-Telarc Label Group says, “Boney is one of those unique artists that truly understands his outstanding talent and knows how to blend his originality with what his fans love to hear. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have him back as part of our Concord family.” James is equally enthusiastic about re-joining the label, “Concord and I have had great successes, previously, and I couldn’t be more excited to be working with them on one of the best records I’ve ever done.”

In addition to his GRAMMY nominations, James is a Soul Train Award winner (Best Jazz Album) and has been honored with an NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Jazz Album. He has accumulated four RIAA Certified Gold Records. To date, nine of James' albums have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart and two have reached the top 10 on the R&B Albums Chart, a rare feat for an instrumental artist.

Complete Track Listing:
1. Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing (4:56)
2. Sunset Boulevard (4:07)
3. Missing You (3:37)
4. Batucada (The Beat) featuring Rick Braun (4:03)
5. Maker of Love featuring Raheem DeVaughn (3:48)
6. Mari’s Song (4:28)
7. Powerhouse (4:00)
8. The Midas (This Is Why) featuring The Floacist (4:03)
9. Acalento (Lullaby) (4:04)
10. You Can Count On Me (4:57)

Boney is also renowned for his compelling live performances. According to The Boston Globe: “Let’s make something perfectly clear: James is not a smooth jazz player. Yeah, he is often grouped with people like Kenny G and Najee, but his music is muscular and gritty….James swaggers across the stage like a blacktop hero draining trays on an overmatched opponent. He even weaves his way through the crowd, all but daring them not to have a good time.”

Boney will be on tour for all of 2013 following the release of The Beat.

Initial tour dates are:
3/30 Detroit MI – Fox Theater
4/6 Las Vegas NV- Boulder Station
4/18 Panama City Beach FL- Seabreeze Jazz Fest
4/20 Durham NC- Carolina Theatre
4/23 Bergen NJ- Bergen PAC
4/24 Glenside PA- Keswick Theatre
4/25 Cleveland OH- Ohio Theatre
4/26 Pittsburgh PA- Byham Theatre
4/27 Buffalo NY- Buffalo State PAC
4/28 Alexandria VA- The Birchmere
7/21 San Dimas CA- Jazz Fest West
10/12 San Diego- Smooth Jazz Cruise
10/25 Troy NY- Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
10/26 New Haven CT- Lyman Center
10/27 Boston MA- Wilbur Theater

LUKE CELENZA - BACK & FORTH

Pianist and composer Luke Celenza speaks about the music on his independently released debut album, Back & Forth, with a clarity and equanimity that defies his young age. He only recently turned 21-years-old, and it has already been almost ten years since he was accepted into the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) Pre-College Jazz Division. Additionally, GRAMMY® and two-time Latin GRAMMY® winner Dominican pianist and composer, Michel Camilo was a friend of the family and a key influence in his development.

Such credentials might spark a young musician to intently compose complex music. However on Back & Forth, the 12 original compositions, including two three-song suite-like pieces, often sound deceptively simple -- and for a good reason. "When I write a song," Celenza explains, "I'm thinking about a groove, what sounds good and feels good -- and I'm thinking about the form. I'm thinking about pop songs. I'm trying to be lyrical and melodic. And most of it is in 4/4 [time] whether that's 'River Rhodes' which has more of a backbeat thing or 'For Charles' (Charles Flores, bassist), which is straight ahead. The songs on the record are not trying to be math equations," he says. "There is nothing in 9/8 or 7/16. I'm not trying to make the listener crazy or make it so you have to be a musician to enjoy it."

The original concept of the title piece is a rhythmic dialogue between groove and swing. "It's a verse-chorus-verse-chorus form, taking pop music and taking swing and putting them together. And at the end, we have a release after a constant back and forth conversation." "Jupiter and Mars" is a sly, and personal, commentary on the "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" notion and plays with the idea of being both in a major and a minor key. "The idea is to be both at the same time, rather than choosing one or the other."

Celenza's diversity in writing comes from a wide spectrum of inspirations he has picked up along the way, artists such as Robert Glasper, Gerald Clayton, and Brad Mehldau, who joined his list of beloved old masters such as Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane and Sonny Clark. The discovery, he says, pushed him to "try to find a way of making them work together." After all, something that struck him was how artists such as Glasper and Clayton, "let their influences come through in their work and yet how they decided not to pick one or the other but have it all go into the mix."

Regardless of the conceptual notions or musical structures binding the music, Celenza's interest is to connect his band with his audience. In turn, much of the music was written with the idea of having Joshua Crumbly on bass, Jimmy Macbride on drums and Lucas Pino on saxophones. "I've been friends with Jimmy and Josh since the Brubeck Colony in 2008," recalls Celenza. "It was so clear even then that Jimmy was the drummer I wanted to play with, we have such a great musical connection that when I write a song, I write it with him in mind; or for example on '131' Josh and I built on a bass line without ever saying or writing anything. He knew. He recognized what the music called for, played it and I joined in without saying anything."

At the Manhattan School of Music, Celenza studied under professor Jeremy Manasia, who directed the big band, the top ensemble and taught piano. "He introduced me to Sonny Clark, then McCoy, Herbie, Barry Harris, Bud Powell. It set the foundation." In fact, Celenza says, "I've always had great teachers, from Elizabeth Porter back then to Kenny Barron now, I've been very lucky." The MSM band, directed by Manasia and featuring Celenza, won the Charles Mingus Competition in both 2009 and 2010, and in both years he also picked up the Outstanding Piano Soloist Award. Celenza grew up in a family of music enthusiasts. His father, a dentist, is an amateur drummer and jazz fan, and his older brother, Frank, plays guitar and drums. The support was crucial for Celenza to win his shelf full of prizes; including several DownBeat Student Music Awards for Outstanding Performance, the Silver Award from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts and the honor of being a Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

Meanwhile, family friend Michel Camilo remained close throughout, offering advice and passing on to Celenza his own experiences as an artist and professional musician. "Michel was my dad's patient for 20 years. They knew each other even before me, since the early 80's," he recalls. "My dad has been a fan of Michel forever, Michel and Sandra (Camilo's wife) are great family friends, we would have dinner parties and he would play and I'd sit right next to him on the piano bench. That was my introduction to jazz."

"It has been so inspiring and refreshing to see how a promising young talent like Luke thrives and succeeds by seriously committing to develop his improvisational and composing skills while studying and researching the jazz tradition," Camilo says. So while he was never formally Celenza's teacher, "over the years we had sessions where we discussed subjects like texture, nuance, touch, groove, timing, piano technique, correct posture, telling your story and structural compositional writing," Camilo recalls. "Luke brings to the table a fresh sound and an uncommon restrained maturity in his music."

"People want to hear something familiar from the pop music they love and bridge the gap over to jazz," reflects Celenza. "We have the grooves underneath with the swing and the improvisatory elements of jazz all within a form that is relatable, catchy and whistle-able. That's basically the inspiration for the tunes on this record: taking melodies that are simple and memorable and putting them in a form in which we have the freedom to explore and improvise." For Celenza, the secret is hidden in plain sight. "Jazz was once the pop music of the day," he says. "If the pop music of today is in no way improvisatory, then that's the missing element and something I want to bring back. Good music is good music, I have no qualms about doing something simple and repeating it. If it sounds good and feels good, then it is good."

Back & Forth Personnel & Track Listing:
Luke Celenza / Piano
Joshua Crumbly / Bass
Jimmy Macbride / Drums
Lucas Pino / Saxophones

1. Three Point Five - 5:08
2. River Rhodes - 6:09
3. Back and Forth Prelude - 2:03
4. For Charles - 5:23
5. Jupiter Interlude - 0:52
6. Blues - 4:52
7. Jupiter and Mars - 6:16
8. 131 - 1:44
9. Back and Forth - 3:56
10. Mudslide - 7:45
11. Mars - 0:37
12. Back and Forth Reprise - 2:35

www.LukeCelenza.com

FLAMING STAR - NOTHING SWEETA

Not only Café Del Mar-Legend José Padilla is among his fans, but also colleagues like Ralf and Foh from Mo´Horizons with whom he not only shares his Hometown (Hannover), but also an affectation for danceable music with substance: Latin meets Disco, exotic beats meet vintage funk and soul vibes, jazz hits the dancefloor and this is just the beginning…
It is for a reason that his fellow campaigners and fans know him by the name of Matthias “Hit” Becker, because the multiinstrumentalist and composer behind the Band/ Project FLAMINGO STAR has a unmistakable feeling for Hooks and Grooves – his music makes you tap your feet just as elegantly as it sneaks into your ears.

After his celebrated debut-longplayer I Wouldn’t Wait No Longer (peal 017, 2007) and dozens of very prominent compilation-placements (for example on José Padilla’s Bella Musica Series as well as several Brazilelectro, Brazilution and Bar Lounge Classics), the man from a different (Flamingo) star went AWOL for a while, traveling – as it turned out – in outer space. Although out of range of our tracking devices he was by no means inactive, but rather phoned home (like E.T.) every once in a while to play us some new great melodies. And so it happens that just about five years after his first, FLAMINGO STAR’s 2nd longplayer Nothing Sweeta is to finally see the light of day under our earthly autumn sun.

For the title track, Matthias’s old friends Ralf and Foh aka Mo’Horizons created an excellent “Hippie remix”. The vocals belong to Jazz Diva Alison Degbe, formerly based in Cologne and now living in Munich. She and Matthias met over two years ago in the course of a peacelounge Label Event. Apparently they hit it off well, musically, because Miss Degbe ended up performing not just one, but four (and a ‘half’) Songs on the album as a featured artist: Apart from “Nothing Sweeta”,Alison lends her trademark voice to the ballad “There’s A Place” and also sings the Blues-inspired “Leave Me Alone” as well as the midtempo jazz number “No More Trouble” and last, but not least – backing vocals for Rafael Wilke’s happy summer song “Won’t You Come Into My Life”. Rafael sings another potential FS hit, namely “Cosmic Plan”. This one takes off as a BlueEyed Soul-Pop-Ballad and – while airborne – the track evolves into a heavy grooving Vintage Funk-number. Another ‘old’ musical companion and vocalist for Flamingo Star is Marco Hauburg, whose strong, soulful and versatile voice can be heard on “The Messengers”, a massive space-funk downtempo track also featuring Matthias himself working the vocoder.

Instead of going into greater detail on each and every one of the sixteen tracks of NOTHING SWEETA, we want to direct your attention to one of the few pieces where the master’s voice can be heard (again, filtered through some space age technical device): “Saw A UFO Today” best described album’s secret theme song. This Retro-Disco-Boogie Track with a classic ‘Roswell’-feeling can be watched on video (Youtube) as well as on various Web TV and other music channels.

Tracklisting:
01. Nothing Sweeta (feat. Alison Degbe) 03:31
02. Saw A UFO today 03:43
03. Sooner Or Later 03:58
04. There’s A Place (feat. Alison Degbe) 04:00
05. The Messengers (feat. Marko Hauburg) 04:31
06. Lovely Dream 04:02
07. Won’t You Come Into My Life (feat. Rafael Wilke) 03:51
08. Un Poema Con Amor 04:13
09. Leave Me Alone (feat. Alison Degbe) 03:34
10. You Don’t Know 04:32
11. No More Trouble (feat. Alison Degbe) 04:52
12. Syncrostar 06:11
13. Cosmic Plan (feat. Rafael Wilke) 05:35
14. Cornelita 03:58
15. Old Pictures 05:04
16. Nothing Sweeta mo’horizons hippie remix 04:25

~ LoungeMotion.com

ETHAN FARMER - WINE & STRINGS

Ethan Farmer aka E-Bassman is a celebrated bass player and is no stranger to the music scene playing and touring with the likes of Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Darius Rucker, Lionel Richie. Ethan was introduced to his instrument of choice... the bass at the age of five and then became the youngest member of the family group The Amazing Farmer Singers at the age of eight. From that early introduction, it has been a relationship that has only grown and evolved.

Ethan Farmer is truly changing the way we hear music today. He has crafted and honed his talent to make the listening experience a journey. Farmer has blurred the lines and taken in the influences of jazz, funk, soul, and rock & roll to create his eclectic sound. E-Bassman shares, “I want people to walk away from my show feeling like they did during Woodstock. Just a good feeling that people remember for generations and it was all about the music.”

Now, E-Bassman is focused on his solo career with the re-release of his debut solo EP Wine & Strings featuring his top 30 single “Watch”. This re-release is to prepare you for the upcoming full-length album due out in the spring.

Ethan has just returned from touring Europe with the legendary Lionel Richie and will be performing in Bass Bash at NAMM this January. After the back to back tours with NKOTB and Richie, he is finally able to focus full-time on his solo efforts and promotions for his upcoming full length release courtesy of Good People Club Music Group.

For upcoming announcements, tour dates and more, check out Ethan Farmer at:
ethan-farmer.com/ /> www.facebook.com/EbassmanFarmer /> http://www.youtube.com/ebassman1

~ theurbanmusicscene.com

MOLLY HOLM - PERMISSION

Molly Holm has been a visionary presence on the Bay Area music scene -- as an original member of Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra, as a featured singer with Terry Riley and Zakir Hussain, as a Mills College adjunct faculty member -- for more than three decades. Her far-ranging artistic pursuits, however, have not included recording an album of her own -- until now. Holm's overdue and highly anticipated debut, Permission, showcases her unique, fully-formed jazz vocal artistry. The CD will be released February 19 on her Rinny Zin imprint.

"It is a debut in the sense that it is her first official offering under her name," writes CD annotator Tarabu Betserai Kirkland, "but given her long and extensive career as a jazz vocalist, improviser, composer, ensemble director, arranger, and educator, Permission is more of a continuum than a prologue."

Permission combines classic songs by Chick Corea ("Sea Journey"), Joe Zawinul ("Go There Now" aka "74 Miles Away"), Charles Mingus ("Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," with Rahsaan Roland Kirk's lyrics), Mongo Santamaria ("Afro Blue"), and Thelonious Monk ("Straight No Chaser") with six original compositions, some sporting her richly poetic lyrics. Holm's "The Bear" is a gorgeously harmonized a cappella piece performed by ten Bay Area singers, including Linda Tillery, Rhiannon, Raz Kennedy, and Nicolas Bearde, and was inspired by her former Mills instructors Pandit Pran Nath and Terry Riley. On the disc's opener, "Improvised Raga," Holm sings non-word syllables in the Kirana tradition of North Indian raga derived from Pran Nath, one of her major mentors.

"Instead of waking from a dream, I feel like a dream has awakened me!" says Holm. "I've had such wonderful opportunities throughout my performance career -- working with, and learning from, diverse and highly-acclaimed artists who know how to push the envelope. And now, to finally bring together my own musical ideas into a single recording, I have to say it does my soul good."

Besides members of Holm's own band -- pianist (and CD producer/arranger) Frank Martin, bassist Jeff Chambers, drummer Deszon Claiborne, and trombonist Wayne Wallace -- the participants include drummer Famoudou Don Moye, soprano and tenor saxophonist Larry Schneider, vocal percussionist Antonia Minnecola, pianist Bill Bell, bassist Mark van Wageningen, percussionist David Frazier, the late drummers Paul van Wageningen and Eddie Marshall, and some of the key singers who, like Molly, sang in the original Voicestra. All, with the exception of Art Ensemble of Chicago member Moye, are based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Born in Salem, Oregon in 1954, Molly Holm grew up hearing Mingus, Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan around the house and impromptu singing with her jazz-fan mother and four siblings. Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro were important early vocal influences. "In high school," Holm recalls, "I learned to sing by listening to them. I didn't take voice lessons till I was 23."

Holm moved to the Bay Area at 18 to study at Mills, but followed a circuitous path of singing and study elsewhere before returning to complete her bachelor's degree in 1979 and a master's in composition in 1982. Her classes at Mills with Pandit Pran Nath, Terry Riley, and W.A. Mathieu had a lasting impact on her own music.

"One of the most important things I learned from Terry is that he's not afraid to just try anything," says Holm. "He doesn't seem to have any self-consciousness if he makes a mistake. I try to emulate that freedom, that lack of worry about making mistakes."

Bobby McFerrin first encountered Holm when she was directing a 14-member choir called Jazzmouth. He tapped her to run the yearlong auditions for an a cappella vocal ensemble he was putting together, and in 1986 she was one of ten singers handpicked to join him in that innovative new vocal orchestra, Voicestra.
"Bobby came up with the idea to use a group of singers by leading the improvising himself," she says. "He'd do the improvising and give the singers a repetitive part-circle singing or what we used to call 'add a part, change a part.' It was a huge thing to learn from him."

Holm subsequently used these lessons in various singing groups she's led, including her new women's group, Molly Holm and The Impermanent Ensemble; in classes she's taught at Folsom Prison, the California Medical Facility in Vacaville; and for the past 14 years as an adjunct faculty member at Mills.

In addition to her work with ensemble singing, Holm has self-produced concerts as a solo vocalist with rhythm-section support in years past, one of which led writer Fred Setterberg to describe her voice as "a fluid, birdsong alto, winding and lilting, with barely a hint of vibrato; a voice like the woody middle register of a clarinet." Her new CD gives her, well, permission to explore more deeply this aspect of her music.

Molly Holm will be performing a CD release show with her band (Frank Martin, Jeff Chambers, Deszon Claiborne, Wayne Wallace, Melecio Magdaluyo, Antonia Minnecola) on Sunday 4/21 at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley.

www.mollyholm.com

NEW RELEASES - AZYMUTH, RAF VILAR, SEXY FI

AZYMUTH - LIGHT AS A FEATHER

Full length remixed and remastered version of this classic LP featuring 'Jazz Carnival' now available with bonus tracks, new mixes and remixes by Theo Parrish, Ashley Beedle, Mark E and more. In 1979 the band’s first Milestone Records release, ‘Light As A Feather’ quickly became one of the best-selling LPs of the year. Featuring the worldwide disco/fusion hit single ‘Jazz Carnival’ and going on to sell more than half a million copies internationally, the album stayed in the UK Top 20 for eight straight weeks. An incredibly well thought out album both in pace, song selection and musicality, ‘Light As A Feather’ marked a maturing of the band as they began to rightfully utilise the studio as an instrument itself, embracing numerous mixing and recording techniques not yet common for the time as well as pioneering the use of the Big Muff and Dolby System to great effect. The end result is an album that endures to this day as a samba/jazz-funk masterpiece. Sadly with this re-release album well into production at the untimely recent passing of Jose Roberto Bertrami, ‘Light as a feather’ stands as a solemn reminder of our dearly departed friend and the effortless musical genius of Azymuth in their ascendancy

RAF VILAR - STUDIES IN BOSSA

Raf Vilar's Studies In Bossa deluxe digital edition (digital release) will be out on January 28 with extra tracks live at Maida Vale Studios for the BBC. “Fabulous new album...very beautiful...his debut album is classic bossa brushed with modern electronica flourishes. I absolutely love it.“ Jamie Cullum, BBC Radio 2; “Proof of a precocious talent enough to reach well beyond (a) niche market“  Songlines; “Carries bossa nova masterfully...reminiscent of a young Caetano Veloso“ Jungle Drums; “Stunning…gorgeous…so beautiful” Lucy Duran (BBC Radio 3); “This young Brazilian’s debut album avoids all the sun-kissed clichés with effortless aplomb. The production and arrangements are delightful. It’s as if we are hearing the very soul of these sometimes bouncily euphoric songs. The best bossa nova album I’ve heard in a while.” Howard Male (Independent/Arts Desk/Propaganda).

SEXY FI - NUNCA TE VI DI BOA

Alongside Brazil’s musical traditions exists a vibrant and contemporary musical landscape personified by the sultry yet captivating sound of Sexy Fi. Equal parts indie rock, blues pop and Brazilian soul, ‘Nunca Te Vi De Boa’ mirrors Brazil’s burgeoning role on the world stage. A metropolitan soundtrack to global living. From the sweet yet melancholic album’s opener ‘Bermas’ to the soaring horn-infused swankiness of ‘Loro Con Loro’ this album glides between moments of discordant angst reminiscent of Sonic youth and haunting muses of vocal-led pop sensibilities echoing Portishead. Including the stand out track “Keep Cooler” together with a remix by the very talented Born Ruffians (Warp Records), this body of work is a remarkable sophomoric effort defining the indie movement of Latin America. "Unlike anything on the Brazilian scene today" - MTV IGGY

~ faroutrecordings.com

COLIN STETSON / MATS GUSTAFFSON - STONES

Recorded live at the Vancouver Jazz Festival in 2011, Stones is the debut collaboration between groundbreaking saxophonists Mats Gustafsson and Colin Stetson. Both men are well documented as soloists and collaborators. For Gustafsson (tenor and baritone horns here) the list includes his own bands the Thing and Fire!, as well as Sonic Youth, Boredoms, Ken Vandermark, Joe McPhee, and Peter Brötzmann. Stetson (alto and bass saxes), a member of Arcade Fire's touring ensemble, has played with everyone from David Byrne and Laurie Anderson to Tom Waits, Feist, and LCD Soundsystem.

Comprised of four on-the-spot improvisations, these titles were inspired by the late poet Gunnar Ekelöf (the father of modern Swedish poetry). This is not a skronkfest in which two saxophonists go head on. Instead, these improvisations express a deep, wide-ranging communication that employs rhythm, dissonance, an unconventional yet clearly present lyricism, tonal and harmonic explorations, and various mechanical techniques. The technical prowess on display is considerable, but it is secondary to Gustafsson and Stetson making music together.

While the album begins slowly and purposefully, finding tonal commonalities in lower-end expression, it moves far and wide. A language is discovered very early, and what these two carve out in "Stones That Rest Heavily" and establish in "Stones That Can Only Be," are codes of speech: utterances, dynamics, spaces, exclamations, and textures. They are the building blocks of a mysterious, even beguiling conversation. But that speech is not limited; they don't stay in one place long enough to be weighted by their discoveries; they push at them until they give; going underneath them into their core, which in turn becomes the articulation of music's own multifaceted expressive poetics.

Though immediately drawn in by the proceedings, by the time we encounter "Stones That Need Not," and closer "Stones That Only Have," even the human voice is utilized in a string of fluid inventions and exchanges that are startling in their complexity, intuition, and emotion. The listener is not excluded from this conversation. Instead, it is extended to her via the duo's adherence to close listening and the economy of their individual and collective expressions. With Stones, Gustafsson and Stetson have encountered not only one another in a magical way, but they communicate the power of beauty itself. ~ Thom Jurek

JOSHUA KWASSMAN - SONGS OF THE BROTHER SPIRIT

The journey from adolescence to adulthood can be a harrowing one. For composer and saxophonist Joshua Kwassman, that was true in a very literal sense, as a three-day bike trip, in August 2010, with an idolized childhood friend collapsed into chaos and shattered his youthful illusions. While that trek itself found Kwassman growing up in a hurry, his musical recounting of the experience marks the debut of a remarkably mature young composer. Songs of the Brother Spirit, which will be released March 12 on Truth Revolution Records, spins the tale of that friendship into a moving, richly-hued collection of music influenced by composers from Ravel and Rachmaninoff to Maria Schneider and Vince Mendoza.

The disc climaxes in the three-part suite "The Nowhere Trail," which follows Kwassman and his friend Justin through that ill-fated bike trip. "I learned to be an adult through that experience," Kwassman says of the journey. "The essence of this album is about going through our relationship and how that has translated to my life."

Kwassman conveys this autobiographical account through lush, modernist arrangements that suggest an ensemble much larger and more varied than its six pieces. The group assembled for the project includes the composer himself on a variety of woodwinds, the ground-breaking guitarist Gilad Hekselman; guitarist Jeff Miles on "The Nowhere Trail Part I"; and the wordless vocals of Arielle Feinman, a classmate at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.

"She has this insane bel canto operatic training and an almost unlimited range," Kwassman says of Feinman. "There's a lot of depth in the kind of textures she can create with her voice. I think vocals bring a human quality to the music that no other instrument can."

Feinman's voice combines with Kwassman's melodica to create the intoxicating melody of the opening track, "Our Land," which examines the composer's friendship with Justin at a more idyllic time. The piece is driven by the pulsing piano of Adam Kromelow (who shares keyboard duties on the album with Angelo Di Loreto) and the shimmering guitar tones of Hekselman.

The piece is set at a time when Kwassman still looked up to his friend, when the two bonded over listening to jazz records for hours at a time. "We grew up together through music, listening to Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter and Coltrane," Kwassman recalls. "I bonded to him deeply through this music. So when I was writing the first piece on the album I was excited about sharing with him, thinking we'd be able to bond over something I had created in the same way we had with Miles."

Those early listening experiences decided Kwassman on a path to jazz composition. He studied at NYU, where he earned his Masters in the jazz program. He has since received two ASCAP Young Jazz Composer awards and performed with artists like Badal Roy, Ingrid Jensen, Mark Turner, and Geoffrey Keezer. But his main focus is on his own music, which reflects a wide range of influences from the innovative big band work of Maria Schneider and Darcy James Argue to forward-thinking composers like Pat Metheny and Brian Blade. Songs of the Brother Spirit evidences a gift for vivid communication and transporting emotional colors. As Kwassman succinctly says, "My goal is always to tell a story."

Kwassman's story began in Newington, Connecticut, a small suburban town outside of Hartford. He revisits that quiet childhood on "We Were Kids," which begins on a note of wistful nostalgia before an extended Hekselman solo carries it into a more intense space as the responsibilities of adulthood begin to interfere, before resolving back into the same tenderness.

Another key aspect of growing up is the loss of a loved one, an experience encapsulated on "In Light There Is Song." The piece is dedicated to George Stevens, a teacher of Kwassman's in high school who became a mentor and hero and who succumbed to leukemia during the composer's freshman year in college. "I'm not very religious," Kwassman says, "but this piece represents his soul moving from the earth and the imprint his memory has left on my mind." Bassist Craig Akin and drummer Rodrigo Recabarren buoy the fragile, weightless atmosphere of the piece.

"2/22" showcases the flip side of death, named for the birthdate of Kwassman's niece, his first experience with a new life born into his small family. The piece captures the delicate reverence that greets a newborn baby. It's followed by "Meditation," a rumination on mortality inspired by Kwassman's realization, which struck him during a family vacation, that he would one day lose his parents.

"I remember sitting on the beach, looking at the water, and thinking about the fact that my parents won't be there one day," he recalls. "That hit me so hard; I really grappled with the idea. 'Meditation' takes you through that thought process, the surprise and the anticipation of sadness and the weirdness that you feel imaging life without your parents."

The album closes with the aforementioned "The Nowhere Trail," each of its three pieces corresponding to a day on his disastrous bike trek with Justin. The suite illustrates the chaotic, poorly planned sojourn like the soundtrack to an imaginary film of the events. It depicts their uncertainty and exhaustion, the unraveling of their friendship and the eventual relief of coming home. In the end, it becomes cathartic as the experience was in life, renewing their friendship on a more even ground.

"It ultimately was a positive thing," Kwassman says, "because I could look at Justin on equal footing as opposed to someone I looked up to. I think it was really important for me to grow up and see the world through my own eyes as opposed to looking at it through somebody else's."

Songs of the Brother Spirit is the product of that experience, the document of an assured composer confidently allowing listeners to view the world through his own unique perspective.

Songs of the Brother Spirit Personnel & Track Listing:
Joshua Kwassman / Alto and Soprano Saxophone,
Clarinet, Flute, Melodica, Piano (4)
Arielle Feinman / Voice, Glockenspiel
Gilad Hekselman / Guitar (1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8)
Jeff Miles / Guitar (6)
Angelo Di Loreto / Piano (5, 6, 7, 8)
Adam Kromelow / Piano (1, 2, 3)
Craig Akin / Bass
Rodrigo Recabarren / Drums, Percussion

1. Our Land - 9:34
2. We Were Kids - 6:31
3. In Light There Is Song - 12:26
4. Interlude - 5:15
5. Meditation - 4:49
6. The Nowhere Trail Part I - 11:50
7. The Nowhere Trail Part II - 6:37
8. The Nowhere Trail Part III - 8:54

Upcoming U.S. Performances
March 16 / Buttonwood Tree / Middletown, CT
March 23 / Vermont Jazz Center / Brattleboro, VT
March 26 / Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 / New York, NY
June 11 / Catalina's Jazz Club / Hollywood, CA
June 12 / Dizzy's / San Diego, CA

www.JoshuaKwassman.com