TERENCE BLANCHARD - MAGNETIC

Magnetic, Terence Blanchard’s stunning new album is set for release May 28 on Blue Note Records. The album features ten original songs written by Blanchard or a member of his quintet: saxophonist Brice Winston, pianist Fabian Almazon, bassist Joshua Crumbly, and drummer Kendrick Scott. Magnetic also showcases special guest appearances from bass legend Ron Carter, as well as label-mates saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and guitarist Lionel Loueke. Magnetic is yet another genre-defying chapter in this innovative musician and film composer's life - only to be followed June 15 by the World Premiere of Champion, an “Opera in Jazz.” The release of Magnetic will be accompanied by tour dates worldwide including the Newport Jazz Festival in August.

Magnetic is Blanchard’s first album since the critically-acclaimed 2009 album, Choices, and marks Blanchard’s return to Blue Note, which last released A Tale of God’s Will, his Grammy-winning triumphant 2007 requiem for his home city, New Orleans, in the wake of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Magnetic was produced by Blanchard, Robin Burgess and Frank Wolf and recorded at Avatar Studios in New York City. The vast array of approaches undertaken by the ensemble throughout the album is striking, from the blistering bop of “Don’t Run” to the fragile ballad “Jacob’s Ladder”; the psychedelic electronic haze of “Hallucinations” to the urgent edginess of “Another Step.” As Blanchard says, “It’s a wide range of musical ideas that come together through the efforts of the guys in the band.”

On June 15th, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Jazz St. Louis will combine forces to premiere Blanchard’s first opera, Champion, an “Opera in Jazz” based on the story of the boxing champion Emile Griffith. Continuing their individual traditions of commissioning music that showcases the talents of the world’s best contemporary composers, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Jazz St. Louis have joined forces in the development of Champion, featuring a powerhouse team of writers and performers. With music by Blanchard and libretto by the Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright Michael Cristofer, Champion blends the uniquely American tradition of jazz with the dramatic power of opera. The opera will star Denyce Graves, Arthur Woodley, Robert Orth, Aubrey Allicock, and Meredith Arwady. Directed by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Artistic Director James Robinson and conducted by George Manahan, Champion will receive its world premiere June 15-30 as part of Opera Theatre’s 2013 Festival Season. Champion follows his recent score for Emily Mann’s Broadway production of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire.

The track listing for Magnetic is as follows:
1. Magnetic (Terence Blanchard)
2. Jacob’s Ladder (Joshua Crumbly)
3. Don’t Run (Blanchard)
4. Pet Step Sitter’s Theme Song (Fabian Almazan)
5. Hallucinations (Blanchard)
6. No Borders Just Horizons (Kendrick Scott)
7. Comet (Almazan)
8. Central Focus (Blanchard)
9. Another Step (Almazan)
10. Time To Spare (Brice Winston)

www.terenceblanchard.com

WILL CALHOUN - LIFE IN THIS WORLD

Before he became famous as a member of the groundbreaking hard rock group Living Colour, Will Calhoun was an aspiring jazz drummer raised on a steady diet of his father's bebop records. Calhoun goes back to his roots on his latest album, Life In This World - but to get there he takes a circuitous route through a wealth of musical experience around the globe. From studies with master musicians in Africa to experiments with electronic music in his home studio, Calhoun's adventurous sonic imagination couldn't help but expand the horizons of a stellar jazz recording which pairs the drummer with greats including Wallace Roney, Donald Harrison, Charnett Moffett, Marc Cary, Doug Wimbish, John Benitez and legendary bassist Ron Carter.

"Life In This World is a spiritual title," Calhoun says, "which to me just means the sonic world of my experiences. It's Will Calhoun in the sense of what influences me and what inspires me, but aimed more towards a jazz audience."

Jazz was the first music that Calhoun heard while growing up - "Before rock, before hip-hop, before funk," he recalls. "In my family, African-American history was very important, whether it was Muhammad Ali or Jim Brown, Coltrane, Miles, Duke Ellington - It wasn't just listening to the music in my house, the life styles of these men and other women were laid down as history lessons on the music and culture."

Living in the Bronx, however, it wasn't long before Calhoun was exposed to myriad styles and cultures, from rock and funk to the burgeoning style of hip-hop. It actually came as a shock to the young drummer when he discovered that for most people genres were defined by hard boundaries - a lesson he learned first at Berklee College of Music and later while on the road with Living Colour.

That band's success afforded Calhoun the opportunity to begin traveling to Africa in the mid-1990s for stays that could last as long as six or eight months at a time. He's continued those treks for nearly twenty years, studying mainly in Mali but also in Morocco and Senegal. "I felt like I didn't know the history of my instrument," Calhoun says. "I began to ask myself what's the narrative of the rhythms and patterns we play in the U.S. and Europe? I went over there and felt out of place. It was a culture shock in the best way. Little children would walk by and clap out the patterns to show me what I was doing wrong."

In 2005, Calhoun created Native Lands, a multi-media fusion of jazz and world music with ambient electronica and another passion, photography. Life In This World is Calhoun's most jazz-oriented recording since his GRAMMY® nominated 2000 release, Live at the Blue Note, but those diverse interests remain evident.

Jazz aficionados will recognize Calhoun's deft swing on his arrangement of Cole Porter's "Love for Sale," inspired by the Miles Davis/Gil Evans recording of the familiar standard, or the explosive take on "Spectrum," originally performed by one of Calhoun's idols, Tony Williams. Wayne Shorter's "Etcetera" is one of two tracks on the album featuring bass legend Ron Carter, renowned as a member of Miles Davis' landmark second quintet. "Ron is the King," Calhoun raves. "He was always a strong supporter of Living Colour. He graciously offered to work with me, and it was shocking and intimidating at first, however while listening to play backs during the session, Ron gave me an amazing compliment, and Spiritual approval."

But his deft ability to blend rhythmic traditions becomes clear on Thelonious Monk's "Evidence," which finds a stunning balance between the composer's angular bop eccentricities and the rhythmic traditions which Calhoun encountered during his extensive travels in Mali; or on John Coltrane's classic "Naima," where Calhoun steps away from his drum set to weave enticing Brazilian rhythms on cajon and water drum, inspired by an impromptu encounter with a Senegalese musician who sang him the melody.

"Afrique Kan'e" draws even more heavily on Calhoun's travels, featuring the drummer and trumpet great Wallace Roney performing with master Malian musicians Cheick Tidiane Seck (piano), Alioune Wade (bass), and Brehima Diakite (kamelan n'goni). The group assembled in a Paris studio during a day off from touring with Malian singer Oumou Sangaré. "Abu Bakr II," meanwhile, finds Calhoun and company venturing into the electronic realm, with help from Living Colour and Jungle Funk bassist Doug Wimbish as well as Roney, exploring terrain pioneered by his mentor, Miles Davis, on landmark recordings like Bitches Brew and On the Corner.

Calhoun found a kindred spirit in pianist Marc Cary, who plays on most of the record and penned the lively duet "He Who Hops." Both are fervent gear-heads, obsessively collecting the latest musical and recording technologies, as well as musical omnivores. The latter also applies to Charnett Moffett, who Calhoun first met when the bassist was 16 years old and playing with Wynton Marsalis. "He was frightening," Calhoun recalls. "To this day I've never seen anyone play the acoustic bass like Charnett. During our early tour encounters we had a running joke about switching careers because I always wanted to play jazz and the success of Living Colour pulled me more into the rock field, and he was trying to get more into the rock thing."

The rock and pop influences on Calhoun's composing emerge most clearly on the album's closing tracks. "Dorita" has a tender, memorable melody that saxophonist Donald Harrison plays with the supple charms of an R&B crooner. Calhoun actually takes the microphone to sing his own lyric for "Love's Parody," a mysterious ballad he originally recorded with Dr. John. This represents a rare vocal recording for Calhoun, and hopefully a sign of more to come as he has quite a singular voice.

The brilliant sound of Life In This World was engineered by master producer Ron St. Germain, whose credits include Living Colour, Soundgarden, Whitney Houston and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but who has also recorded the likes of Betty Carter and Ornette Coleman. "Ron is a genius at capturing the sound of the instruments and getting the vibe to come across in an organic way," Calhoun says. "I've made a few recordings in my time and I'm frustrated that the same types of nuance and detail are excluded from the recording and mixing of many modern jazz records as typically goes into a pop or rock recordings. I feel the attention to production values in jazz would upgrade the music while simultaneously reaching younger audiences. However many earlier Blue Note, Columbia, and Prestige recordings still stand the test of time."

Calhoun, who like many artists have been urged by industry members to focus on one particular area, has found a happy home in the maverick Motéma imprint, (also home to Marc Cary and Charnett Moffett and now celebrating it's 10th year) because the label especially focuses on virtuosic creative music that crosses genres and international borders. Calhoun compares playing so many different styles of music to speaking several languages, stressing that "to keep a language sharp, you have to speak it with people." There's no doubt from Life In This World and his entire body of work that Calhoun is a fluent and soulful communicator in many diverse tongues.

Upcoming Will Calhoun Performances:
Will Calhoun Trio:
May 17 - 19 / The Blue Note / New York, NY
June 17 - 23 / Gnawa Festival / Essaouira, Morroco
Sept. 27 - 29 / International Percussion Festival / Opole, Poland

Will Calhoun with Living Colour:
March 13 / New Morning / Paris
March 15 / Z7 / Pratteln (Switz.)
March 18 / Lucerna Music Bar / Prague
March 19 / Atelier Babylon / Bratislava
March 20 / Huxleys Neue Welt / Berlin
March 27 / Filmore / San Francisco, CA
March 29 / Belly Up Tavern / Solana Beach, CA
March 30 / El Rey Theater / Los Angeles, CA
April 4 / Keswick Theater / Glenside, PA
April 5 / Paradise Rock Club / Boston, MA
April 6 / Irving Plaza / New York, NY
April 11 / Park West / Chicago, IL
April 12 / The Magic Bag / Ferndale, MI
April 13 / The Opera House / Toronto

Life In This World Track Listing:
1. Brother Will (Charnett Moffett) // 2. Spectrum (A. Hall) // 3. King Tut Strut (Hotep Galeta) // 4. Love For Sale (Cole Porter) // 5. Naima (John Coltrane) // 6. Evidence (Thelonious Monk) // 7. Afrique Kan'e (Cheick Tidiane Seck & Will Calhoun) // 8. He Who Hops (Marc Cary) // 9. Etcetera (Wayne Shorter) //
10. Dorita (Will Calhoun) // 11. Love's Parody (Will Calhoun)

Will Calhoun · Life In This World // Motéma Music · Release Date: May 14, 2013
www.willcalhoun.com

CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE & INSIDE STRAIGHT - PEOPLE MUSIC

It's not simply his abundant virtuosity that has made Christian McBride the most in-demand bassistof his generation. McBride consistently combines his deft musicianship with an innate ability to communicate his enthusiasm to an audience-a warm showmanship that transforms his own passion into infectious joy. It comes across whether he's leading his own bands; sharing the stage with jazz legends like Sonny Rollins, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock or Pat Metheny; accompanying pop giants like James Brown, Sting or The Roots; or collaborating with classical masters like Kathleen Battle, Edgar Meyer or the Shanghai Quartet.

Any time that McBride steps into the studio or onto a stage he plays what could be called "people music," but it's a particularly apt title for the second release by his hard-swinging acoustic quintet Inside Straight. Four years after Kind of Brown, the band's acclaimed debut album, People Music delivers a more road-tested, "lived-in" Inside Straight, able to dig deep while projecting that ebullient vigor that has become McBride's trademark.

"People Music is my personal mantra as a musician," McBride says of the title. "Sometimes jazz musicians can get too caught up in their own heads; they get so serious and so caught up in their creativity that they're not bringing the people in. So I figure the best way to communicate is to let the people navigate where you should go."

For Inside Straight, that inclusiveness extends to the name of the band itself, famously the result of a contest that generated more than 3,000 submissions from fans. But more importantly, as is evident throughout the 8 original tunes on People Music, that means balancing intense interplay with an exuberant personal expression that speaks directly to the listener.

"When you pull the people in, you can go anywhere as long as they feel like they're a part of the ride," McBride continues. That's why Cannonball Adderley was always my hero-he always exemplified high artistry, but no matter how esoteric or abstract it could get, he still related to people. And I've always felt that this band plays 'people music'."

Make no mistake-there is a major difference between "people music" and "popular music" (though the two can overlap). McBride makes the distinction clear on the new album's opening track, "Listen to the Heroes Cry." The tune's melody, evoking a modern spiritual, was inspired by the parade of vapid performances on a music awards show McBride watched one night, all garish spectacle and absolutely no substance. "It bothered me that the show was more about the image and less about the music," he says. "It made me wonder what Duke Ellington or John Coltrane or Billie Holiday or Sarah Vaughan would think if they could see this. I think they would be crying."

Those icons would be cheered by People Music, however, which features two slightly different incarnations of Inside Straight. Six of the album's eight tracks feature the core lineup of McBride, saxophonist Steve Wilson, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, pianist Peter Martin and drummer Carl Allen. The other two tracks substitute pianist Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr., who have performed extensively with the band when Martin's touring schedule with Dianne Reeves or Allen's duties as Artistic Director of Jazz Studies at Juilliard keep them away from the bandstand. Sands and Owens also comprise McBride's new trio, which will make its recording debut later this year.

McBride contributes half of the repertoire for the album, but felt it was important to also feature pieces written by the other band members, all of whom are accomplished composers in their own rights. Wolf provides "Gang Gang," the name that a dancer (like Wolf's wife) would use in place of a musician's "Afro-Cuban" or "12/8" to refer to the song's surging rhythm. Sands brings the bright-hued "Dream Train," while Martin offers the stealth funk of "Unusual Suspects" which recalls the groove of "Used 'Ta Could" from Kind of Brown.

Wilson's entrancing ballad "Ms. Angelou" draws inspiration from the words and rhythms of the great poet while also exemplifying the saxophonist's own unique approach. "I think Steve did a very good job of capturing the feeling and soul of Maya Angelou's words," McBride says. "And it's such a wonderfully unusual song. Just when you think you know where the chords or the melody are going, they don't go there. It's actually a microcosm of Steve's improvising concept, because he's always playing these incredibly different ideas. I think that's why people love Steve Wilson so much-he's very new school and very old school at the same time."

Something similar could be said for soul diva Whitney Houston, whose tragic passing last year inspired McBride to pen "New Hope's Angel." As he explains, "There have been some untimely deaths in the music world over the last few years, but Houston's death really shook me up. As far as I'm concerned, she was one of the last great titans, somebody whose voice transcends genre. She had one of those voices where opera singers loved her, jazz singers loved her, pop singers loved her, country singers loved her. They knew that unmistakable sound, and it's a shame that it had to be extinguished at such a young age."

The bassist's other compositions for People Music demonstrate the breadth of his activities. "Fair Hope Theme" is an expansion of McBride's main theme for the soundtrack of The Contradictions of Fair Hope, a documentary film directed by actress S. Epatha Merkerson. "The Movement Revisited" is drawn from his large-scale suite for choir and jazz ensemble dedicated to four icons of the Civil Rights movement-Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Even more important than the ideas behind the compositions is the thrilling music that Inside Straight makes from them. McBride bemoans the "unwritten contention that somehow swinging and imagination are mutually exclusive. I find this band very imaginative and very swinging. I like coming off the stage having broken a sweat. Inside Straight is something of a release for all of the members, because we get to come together and really play some swinging music. It's become a classic car-a '69 Lincoln Continental."

Upcoming Christian McBride Appearances:
Christian McBride + Inside Straight:
May 3 & 4 / Scullers Jazz Center / Boston, MA
June 20 / The International Festival of Arts & Ideas - Elm Street Stage / New Haven, CT
October 1 - 6 / Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola / New York, NY

Christian McBride Big Band:
March 16 / 92nd Street Y / New York, NY
August 31 / Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival- Celia WTC /Netherlands Antilles
November 9 / 2nd Annual James Moody Democracy for Jazz Festival / Newark, NJ
January 22, 2014 / University of Texas - Austin Bass Concert Hall / Austin, TX

Christian McBride Trio:
May 23 & 24 / 92nd Street Y - Kauffmann Concert Hall / New York, NY
May 30 / Venue 505 / Sydney, Australia
June 1 - 3 / Melbourne International Jazz Festival / Melbourne, Australia
March 5 & 6, 2014 / Fort Lewis College - Community Concert Hall / Durango, CO
March 7 & 8, 2014 / Dazzle Restaurant & Lounge / Denver, CO

People Music - Track Listing
1. Listen to the Heroes Cry (McBride) // 2. Fair Hope Theme (McBride) // 3. Gang Gang (Warren Wolf) //
4. Ms. Angelou (Steve Wilson) // 5. The Movement, Revisited (McBride) // 6. Unusual Suspects (Peter Martin) // 7. Dream Train (Christian Sands) // 8. New Hope's Angel (McBride)
Christian McBride + Inside Straight · People Music // Mack Avenue Records · Release Date: May 14, 2013

NEW RELEASES - THE DELFONICS, PHIL PERRY, FAMILY ATLANTICA

ADRIAN YOUNG WITH THE DELFONICS - ADRAIN YOUNG PRESENTS THE DELFONICS

A really stunning little record – way more than we expected – and our expectations were already pretty darn high! The album's contemporary – and features legendary Delfonics lead singer William Hart working with younger studio whiz Adrian Younge – who gives the whole thing the feel of some lost Delfonics tapes from the early 70s! Younge really unlocks the darkness that was always present in the group's music, but didn't always show up this well – that great sound they were hitting after the initial three LPs, when the themes got even stranger, and the trio moved way past simple love songs and pop hits. Hart's vocals are tremendous – instantly recognizable, and often supported by harmonies that keep them in just the right sort of old school focus – a sound that leaves us breathless throughout, and which makes for a really incredible album. Titles include "True Love", "To Be Your One", "Stand Up", "Party's Over", "Lover's Melody", "Life Never Ends", "Just Love", "So In Love With You", "Silently", and "Enemies". ~ Dusty Groove

PHIL PERRY- SAY YES

Sublime vocals from the legendary Phil Perry – still sounding wonderful after all these many years, and getting some great contemporary help from producer Chris "Big Dog" Davis! The album's got a sweet-stepping vibe that really lets Perry shine – a warm sound that reminds us that his mellowest moments are still some of his finest – although Phil's also one to never let things slow down too much to get sleepy! The gentle groove holds strongly throughout – an equal Big Dog contribution that shows he's a great partner for Perry – and titles include "Peel The Veil", "Just A Little Bit", "Can't Hide Love", "Say Yes", "You Belong To Me", "Tonight Just Me & You", "Where Is The Love", and "You Send Me". ~ Dusty Groove

FAMILY ATLANTICA - FAMILY ATLANTICA

A brilliant criss-crossing of group from this cool trans-global group – a set recorded in London, but with roots in Venezuela, LA, and Ghana – served up with a sound that's even greater than the sum of its parts! Malcolm Catto recorded the record – and really helps bring a funky energy to the record, by working alongside lead studio help from Jack Yglesias of The Heliocentrics – pushing here into a space that's even more offbeat than the grooves of that group! There's loads of rich acoustic instrumentation – especially percussion – and Mulatu joins the record at one spot, furthering the exotic appeal of the set. Some tracks have an almost ethnographic vibes, while others are a bit more contemporary – although the overall sound is more than worthy of placement on the Soundway label. Titles incude "Arena", "Cumbacutiri", "Fly Through The Lightning To Speak With The Sun", "El Negrero", "Escape To The Palenque", "Manicero", "La Familia", and "Speak To The Spirit Of The Sea". ~ Dusty Groove

LORRAINE KLAASEN - A TRIBUTE TO MIRIAM MAKEBA

As a follow-up to the triumphant Africa Calling, her previous release on Justin Time Records, singer Lorraine Klaasen pays homage to a South African cultural icon and close family friend on A Tribute to Miriam Makeba. "I used to call her auntie Miriam because she and my mother were such close friends and she knew me since I was a little girl," says Klaasen. "I just wish I could have done this while she was still alive."

Released in her adopted country of Canada last year, A Tribute to Miriam Makeba was nominated for a prestigious Juno Award (the country's equivalent of a GRAMMY®) in the world music category. The album receives its Stateside release in March, just prior to the April 19 Juno Awards ceremony.

Klaasen's musical career started at an early age in the 1970's when she would accompany her mother, renowned jazz singer Thandi Klaasen, to live performances all over Southern Africa including the neighbouring states of Mozambique and Swaziland. It wasn't long after that she branched out on her own and got into musical theatre which took her across Europe and eventually ended up in Montréal, Canada where she has been living for over two decades.

The vocalist grew up with cherished childhood memories of Makeba, who passed away on November 9, 2008. And though Makeba, affectionately known by her fans as 'Mama Africa,' was exiled from South Africa in 1961 when Klaasen was just a little girl, they would have a reunion two decades later at a concert they performed together in Holland in 1987. "I remember she said to me at the time, 'Oh my goodness! You look exactly like your mum. You're a photocopy of your mum,' Klaasen recalls. "Then years later when I told Miriam that I wanted to record some of her songs one day, she gave me her blessing and said, 'You know, baby, just do it your way. Don't try to do it my way, do it your way.' So in this homage to her, I'm keeping my word and doing it my way."

The Soweto-born singer has been one of the foremost exponents of the classic sound of Township music, which continues to be the most distinctive sound to come out of South Africa. She mines the motherlode of that infectious upbeat music in her moving tribute to 'Mama Africa,' who remains a revered figure to the people of South Africa. In a stripped-down setting, accompanied only by Senagalese guitarist Assane Seck (in his very first recording session), Benin-born percussionist Moise Yawo Matey and her longtime bassist Sebastian Andrew Whiteman, Klaasen's voice rings out with joyous power on six classic Makeba numbers -- the popular "Click Song," which incorporates the Zulu technique of 'click singing,' the driving dance number "Jolinkomo" a buoyant medley of "Jikele Maweni" and "Intoyam," the lilting "Iphindlela" and the 1967 international hit "Pata Pata." A prolific songwriter herself, Klaasen also contributes three Mbaqanga flavored originals in the brisk romp "Kudala Ndikulindie," the infectious "Mina Nawe" and the dramatic "Imbizo." There's also covers of the tender ballad "Lakutshon Ilanga" and the grooving "Unomeva."

"My last album featured a larger ensemble backing me," says the longtime Montreal resident. "But this time we decided to go with just a trio, and the songs stand out that way because the arrangements are not so cluttered." She adds that she hit on an immediate chemistry with the musicians as soon as they gathered in the studio. "You have to have the right combination of musicians to make the music work in a small setting like that because it's so revealing. They're all great musicians and they came in with no preconceived ideas other than to serve the song. And that ultimately was the key to this album -- emphasizing the song rather than the arrangement."

One poignant offering, the autobiographical "Lorraine," is a song that Klaasen wrote incorporating some of the content from letters that her mother had written to her when she was in her early 20s. It is also the only song on the collection that she sings in English. "It's in English because those letters that she wrote to me were in English," says Lorraine. "My mother had a great passion for what she did and I always remember my mum telling me, 'You got to enjoy what you do. You got to have passion... respect your work, it's your art.'" Klaasen, who speaks 17 languages, sings in Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa and Lingala throughout the rest of the album.

While Miriam Makeba was well-known to U.S. audiences during the '60s and '70s for her concerts and recordings with Harry Belafonte and her TV appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, it was her participation in Paul Simon's groundbreaking Graceland album in 1987 that introduced her to a new generation of Stateside audiences. To mark the 25th anniversary of that world music landmark, the Joe Berlinger film Under African Skies was released, which documented the making of Graceland and subsequent world tour with Makeba as a featured special guest. The tour culminated in a historic show in South Africa before a mixed race audience, which fueled further resistance to the apartheid regime of South Africa.

Now, 25 years later, Klaasen does 'auntie Miriam' proud on her spirited homage, A Tribute to Miriam Makeba.

A Tribute to Miriam Makeba - Personnel/Track Listing
Lorraine Klaasen, vocals
Assane Seck, acoustic guitar, back vocals
Sebastian Andre Whiteman, bass, back vocals
Moise Yawo Matey, percussion, conga, back vocals

1. Click Song (Miriam Makeba, Jerry Ragovoy) - 3:47
2. Jolinkomo (Gibson Mtutuzeli Kente, Letta Semenya Mbulu) - 4:25
3. Medley: Jikele Maweni & Intoyam (Miriam Makeba) - 3:34
4. Kudala Ndikulindie (Lorraine Klaasen) - 3:24
5. Lakutshon Ilanga (Mackay Davashe) - 4:07
6. Lorraine (Lorraine Klaasen, Thandi Klaasen, Stef Bos) - 3:33
7. Mina Nawe (Mongezi Ntaka, Lorraine Klaasen) - 3:57
8. Pata Pata (Miriam Makeba, Jerry Ragovoy) - 3:42
9. Imbizo (Mongezi Ntaka, Lorraine Klaasen) - 4:06
10. Unomeva (Welcome Lulama Duru) - 3:53
11. Iphindlela (Miriam Makeba) - 4:22

Lorraine Klaasen · A Tribute to Miriam Makeba // Justin Time Records · Release Date: March 12, 2013

PARIS COMBO - 5

Love is a universal language and Paris Combo confirms that music is as well. The five-piece French band that has garnered global acclaim and an immense following for its unique mélange of colorful cabaret, elegant jazz, multicultural world music and sassy alterna-pop will release their fifth studio album, the appropriately titled “5,” on March 12th on DRG Records. To support the diverse dozen songs in every shade of love written by the band and produced by Bénédicte Schmitt and Dominique Blanc-Francard, Paris Combo will embark on a 12-city U.S. concert trek launching April 19th in Cleveland, OH.

It has been since 2004 that Paris Combo released a new album, “Motifs,” which was supported with a concert tour that visited the iconic Hollywood Bowl where they were accompanied by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. The troupe consisting of chanteuse Belle du Berry, Potzi (guitar), François Jeannin (drums, percussion, vocals), and David Lewis (trumpet, flugelhorn, piano) reunited in 2010 after a four-year hiatus and spent a year writing, rehearsing and rediscovering their hallmark sound. After adding new bassist Emmanuel Chabbey to the lineup at the end of 2011, they returned to extensive touring where they performed new material that evolved into “5” and delivered another memorable show at Hollywood Bowl.

"In 2006, we gave ourselves the luxury of taking a break from touring and recording so each of us could return to his or her individual musical sources - a breathing space to allow inspiration to happen. Four years later, we reunited in a rehearsal studio - in Paris of course - and without even playing our previous repertoire, together we started composing new songs. The group's chemistry was magic straightaway. Right from the first notes, the chords, the melodies, and the grooves sounded spontaneous and naturally like ‘Paris Combo.’ It was like a reunion with an old friend. The tone was set and we knew we would have fun co-writing our new material and exploring all the different aspects of the group's identity - the ‘Paris Combo style,’” said du Berry, whose lyrical muse remains love.

On “5,” du Berry ruminates on the crazy extremes of amour sung in her native French: love at first sight, love lost, broken love, the dream of love, the brilliance of love, “volcanic anger” produced by love, love’s persistence and love’s enduring immortality. Behind her alternately aching, playful, graceful, tantalizing, and always alluring vocals, the band, with the assistance of a three-piece string section, sets captivating backdrops and intriguing sound collages constructed from artsy Europop, rambunctious riffs, smoky jazz, charismatic cabaret, swinging grooves, exotic Latin, African and rumba rhythms, and mystical Middle Eastern and gypsy nuances.

Lewis said, “We are thrilled to be releasing ‘5’ in the U.S. We have always felt very much appreciated by audiences there and we are thoroughly looking forward to touring there again. After 15 or so tours, the States are an important part of the group's story.”

Paris Combo’s story began in the early ‘90s when du Berry, Potzi and Jeannin first performed together in Paris as members of a quirky retro revue before going on to collaborate at the closing ceremony of the Albertville Winter Olympic Games in 1992. Lewis joined the fold in 1994 and the outfit honed their sound playing in cafes and on barges along the Seine. Their self-titled 1997 debut disc arrived as the swing revival was in full bloom and instantly appealed to fans internationally while generating critical praise yet the band’s wide-ranging mix set them apart. The movement multiplied with the release of their sophomore outing, “Living Room,” which went gold in France in 2000. Their third set, “Attraction,” attracted more followers the following year and was followed by a live album in conjunction with extensive concert tours in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia.

To get a taste of the fun, free-spirited musical dish served by Paris Combo, behind the scenes video clips were shot for two tracks from “5”:

“Je Te Vois Partout” http://youtu.be/TXUlmKI3mIU
“Lux” http://youtu.be/_Iqf0X8xVwI

The songs that comprise Paris Combo’s “5” are:
“Je Te Vois Partout”
“Lux”
“Goodbye Pinocchio”
“Tout Excusé"”
“Comptez Sur Moi”
“Les Cailloux Blancs”
“Chaque Fois”
“Le Magasin de Porcelaine”
“Morphée”
“Mediumisons”
“Ce Que J'aime C'est Le Début”
“Fantôme Adoré”

Catch Paris Combo live at the following U.S. concert dates (additional dates may be added):
April 19 Cleveland, OH Museum of Art
April 20 Bloomington, IN Buskirk-Chumley Theater
April 21 Chicago, IL City Winery
April 23 Indianapolis, IN The Cabaret at the Columbia Club
April 24 Livermore, CA Bankhead Theater
April 26 San Francisco, CA California Institute of Integral Studies
April 27 Santa Monica, CA The Broad Stage
April 28 Irvine, CA Soka Performing Arts Center
April 30 New York, NY Joe’s Pub
May 1 Reston, VA Center Stage at Reston Community Center
May 2 Brooklyn, NY Littlefield
May 3 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Center

www.pariscombo.com

PEGGY DUQUESNEL - SEEMS LIKE I KNOW YOU

Transitioning from straight-ahead jazz and inspirational music to showcase her skillset as a contemporary singer-songwriter, classically trained pianist Peggy Duquesnel got to know jazz fusion keyboard pioneer Jeff Lorber and bassist Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets) in order to co-produce Seems Like I Know You, a five-song EP that will be released April 16th by Joyspring Music. Duquesnel wrote or co-wrote four songs for the collection, including the first radio single, “When I Think of You,” a soulfully sophisticated R&B groove that gets tasty horn-powered highlights from Rick Braun’s trumpet and flugelhorn.

Gifted with a voice as cozy and as comfortable as Sunday morning, which perfectly matches her girl-next-door demeanor, Duquesnel’s piano pop songs fortified with jazz intonations provide snippets of real-life experiences embellished and enhanced by sterling instrumentation. A joyous love song of immediate familiarity, “Seems Like I Know You” opens the EP with a celestial call and response chorus. Duquesnel and Lorber co-wrote the music for “When I Think of You,” a song of patience, longing and hope with lyrics and melodies that the pianist hatched while on a nature hike. On “That’s How It Always Goes,” Haslip’s somber bass seems to symbolize fleeing love amidst an enchanting sea of sunny optimism in the search for lasting love with Michael Thompson providing a fiery final word on electric guitar. Clouds and heartache don’t stand a chance of lingering on a soothing rendition of the Carpenters’ “Rainy Days and Mondays.” Backing vocalist Dee Dee McNeil penned the lyrics to “Bird on a Leash” for which Duquesnel composed the music for the elegant track about the loneliness and isolation that results when a romantic partner is smothered and taken for granted.

“Songwriting has been a natural gift and form of expression for me that I have enjoyed doing since I was 12 years old. I had already recorded several albums of jazz and gospel standards as well as many of my straight-ahead originals, but I wanted this project to showcase my songwriting placed in a more contemporary setting. Many of my songs have been born out of life experiences and it is my hope that the music will touch and inspire others,” said Duquesnel, who went on to explain about her accomplished collaborators that will perform with her at a pair of hometown album release concerts on March 11th in Seal Beach (Spaghettini) and April 22nd in Irvine (Concordia University). “I met Jimmy (Haslip) a few years ago in the recording studio while we both worked on a project for another artist. When he and I first connected to discuss my new direction, he suggested that Jeff (Lorber) would be a good fit as a co-producer. I had been a fan of Jeff’s since high school so the thought of collaborating with both Jeff Lorber and Jimmy Haslip on this project was very exciting for me. Both of them have become mentors and friends.”

Born in Bethpage, NY and reared primarily in Orange County, CA, Duquesnel discovered the piano when she was three years old and grew up singing, playing and writing songs. After earning her degree in classical piano at California State University, Northridge and mentoring by esteemed jazz pianists Alan Broadbent and Terry Trotter, Duquesnel performed and recorded with Dionne Warwick, Henry Mancini, John Pattitucci, Jeff Hamilton, Grant Geissman and Grammy-winner Broadbent. Her first foray as a featured artist came in 1995 as a member of jazz crossover combo Pocket Change (“Higher Altitude”) while her debut disc as a solo artist, “Where is Love?,” was released in 1999 and spotlighted Duquesnel in a trio setting with orchestral accompaniment arranged by Broadbent and engineered by Grammy-winner Al Schmitt. Her five subsequent releases spanned the jazz spectrum along with a couple of inspirational recordings. A passionate proponent of music education, Duquesnel shares her vast knowledge while serving as the Director of Jazz Studies at Concordia University. Additional information is available at www.joyspringmusic.com.

The songs contained on Duquesnel’s “Seems Like I Know You” EP are:
“Seems Like I Know You”
"When I Think of You”
“That’s How It Always Goes”
“Rainy Days and Mondays”
“Bird on a Leash”

AMBIENT JAZZ ENSEMBLE - HERE & NOW

Ambient Jazz Ensemble is the new project from Colin Baldry, a TV, film and advert-music composer for over 20 years. Colin is a gifted producer - his work seamlessly fuses traditional and electronic music, making it come to life. He has written and recorded an album of beautiful, yet edgy, orchestral electronic jazz for Here And Now Recordings featuring such greats as; Neil Cowley on piano and Finn Peters on saxophone. Neil Cowley was the keyboardist in the Brand New Heavies before forming the legendary Neil Cowley Trio. Finn Peters has worked with many greats from DJ Spinna to Bill Frisell, Sa Ra to Sam Rivers, Joyce and many more.

This four-track introduction to Ambient Jazz Ensemble includes a remix by Kirk Degiorgio, plus two from Simbad.

Legendary composer, producer, DJ and label boss Kirk Degiorgio set up his label Applied Rhythmic Technology (ART) in the early 90s, releasing music from Carl Craig, Aphex Twin, Black Dog and Stasis. He himself has released music on many labels including Planet E, R&S, Versatile and Mo Wax. Kirk Degiorgio also founded The Beauty Room, an epic production inspired by such greats as Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell and Charles Stepney. Their second long player has just been released by Far Out Recordings.

Multi-instrumentalist, DJ and producer Simbad is very well respected amongst his peers in the world of good music. His incredible range as a producer spans from big band jazz to heavy Jamaican dancehall reggae, bouncy hip-hop, to sick broken-beat & techno. Having worked and played with the likes of Tony Allen, Marque Gilmore, Keziah Jones, Julien Lourau, Ron Trent, Talvin Singh, Bugz in the Attic, Jimpster, and Robert Owens, he's releasing music as Simbad plus other projects; Heal, Twitch, Beatkeepers, Dreadpoet, Loose Ensemble, Marathon Men, Mowgly, Les Barons, Soul Fever, Izmabad (with Karizma) and Mala In Cuba.

ANTHONY BRANKER & WORD PLAY - UPPITY

On the provocatively titled Uppity, Anthony Branker's second CD with his all-star sextet Word Play, the prolific composer and bandleader harnesses his vibrant jazz originals and his band's dynamic interplay to deliver a bracing social and spiritual message. Uppity will be released by Origin Records March 19.

His "Ballad for Trayvon Martin," one of the album's emotional centerpieces, honors not only the 17-year-old who was slain in 2012 because of "what he looked like," but victims of racial violence who came before.

"While the music on Uppity addresses, out of necessity, such themes as intolerance, hate, and prejudice," writes Branker in his booklet notes, "it also serves to remind us of the power and resiliency of the human spirit when we keep the notions of 'hope' and 'healing' at the center of our lives."

Branker, the founder and director of the Program in Jazz Studies and associate director of the Program in Musical Performance, both at Princeton University, has in recent years been composing for and recording with two different although similar handpicked ensembles. With Ascent, he's recorded four albums, most recently Together (Origin, 2012). Prior to Uppity, he made the 2011 Origin CD Dialogic with Word Play.

Tenor saxophonist Ralph Bowen and bassist Kenny Davis, whom Branker first heard when they were with OTB (Out of the Blue) in the late 1980s, are members of both groups. Completing the Word Play lineup are trumpeter and flugelhornist Eli Asher (of the Respect Sextet); trombonist and keyboardist Andy Hunter, who also performs with Germany's WDR Big Band; "monster pianist" Jim Ridl; and Mingus big band drummer Donald Edwards, who "plays with such incredible commitment to groove."

Branker gets a remarkably fat sound from the six Word Play musicians through the way he voices the three horns and his use of layered repetition. "I'm always trying to give the impression that it is a bigger ensemble than the normal-sounding sextet," he says. "I like to give each voice a sense of independence, but there is still a real connection between each line."

Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1958 of then-recent immigrants from Trinidad, Anthony Branker grew up listening to records by calypso greats such as the Mighty Sparrow and Lord Kitchener as well as pop and R&B on the radio and "a little jazz." Hearing a concert by trumpeter Maynard Ferguson's big band at age 14 turned his head around. "They were swinging back then," he recalls. "Their power and precision and spirit and hearing the soloists made me really want to pursue music."

Branker's own credits as a trumpet player include five years alongside Ted Curson, Eddie Henderson, and Valery Ponomarev in the trumpet section of the Spirit of Life Ensemble every Monday night at Sweet Basil in New York City's Greenwich Village. In 1999 he put the horn down after suffering a seizure and two brain aneurysms due to an Arteriovenous Malformation. After undergoing brain surgery in 2000, he now takes medication to control his condition.

"The three things I value more than anything else as a writer have to do with rhythm, a sense of lyricism, and trying to make a connection with the listener on some level," Branker states. "Sometimes we get into playing and writing all this complex stuff and things that we feel are hip and are gonna impress other musicians, but I don't necessarily think that that's the direction we should be thinking, especially if we want to have an audience and expand the audience. What's really important to me is trying to make a connection with the listener on an emotional level."

And on Uppity, the professor's philosophy is put brilliantly into practice.

www.anthonybranker.com

PAUL ANKA - DUETS

A new 14 song collection by pop music legend Paul Anka, Duets, is set for release April 9 2013 through Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. The release coincides with the in-store date for Anka’s long awaited life story, “My Way: An Autobiography”, co-written with David Dalton and published by St. Martins Press.

In his 55th year as a performer, Paul Anka is a national treasure writing all his own hits which include “Diana,” “You Are My Destiny,” “Lonely Boy,” “Put Your Head On My Shoulder,” “Puppy Love”, and taking control of his business career (producing, buying and owning his master recordings, a practice he still employs today). Anka wrote the all-time classic “My Way” (recorded by everyone from Sinatra to Sid Vicious), and co-wrote Michael Jackson’s posthumous single, “This Is It.” Anka also penned “She’s A Lady” for Tom Jones and the instrumental theme song for The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. He is among Billboard magazine’s Top 25 most successful recording artists, putting him alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

Duets presents collaborations with a ‘Who’s Who’ of entertainment royalty, including brand new vocal recordings with Michael Bublé (“Pennies From Heaven”) and Leon Russell (“I Really Miss You”). Other duet partners include “Do I Love You (Yes, In Every Way)” with Dolly Parton, “This Is It” with Michael Jackson, “Think I’m In Love Again” with Gloria Estefan, “Crazy” with Willie Nelson, “You Are My Destiny” with Patti LaBelle, “Les Filles de Paris” with jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, “It’s Hard To Say Goodbye” with Celine Dion, “She’s A Lady” with Tom Jones, “Hold Me ‘Til The Morning Comes” with Peter Cetera, and “My Way” with Frank Sinatra.

One track actually features a trio vocal performance, Anka singing “Walk A Fine Line” with George Benson and Michael McDonald. Finally, there is “Find My Way Back To Your Heart,” a new composition sung by Anka with background vocals contributed by singer Tita Hutchison, and produced by Michael Thompson and Paul Anka.

As Anka addresses the listener in his liner notes: “I am proud of what you are about to hear, and I am grateful to those of you out there who continue to show an interest in every body of work that I create. I have always said that success has many fathers and I thank everyone who has made this venture possible; it is always a team effort.”

Duets by Paul Anka
1. Walk A Fine Line – with George Benson and Michael McDonald (B)
2. Find My Way Back To Your Heart – sung by Paul Anka, background vocal by Tita Hutchison (A)
3. Do I Love You (Yes, In Every Way) – with Dolly Parton (B)
4. This Is It – with Michael Jackson (B)
5. I Really Miss You – with Leon Russell (A)
6. Think I’m In Love Again – with Gloria Estefan (B)
7. Pennies From Heaven – with Michael Bublé (A)
8. Crazy – with Willie Nelson (B)
9. You Are My Destiny – with Patti LaBelle (C)
10. Les Filles de Paris – with Chris Botti (B)
11. It’s Hard To Say Goodbye – with Celine Dion (C)
12. She’s A Lady – with Tom Jones (C)
13. Hold Me ‘Til the Morning Comes – with Peter Cetera (C)
14. My Way – with Frank Sinatra (B)

(A) Brand new recording.
(B) New version. Features either new vocals or new musical instrumentation.
(C) Previously appeared on the 1998 album A Body Of Work.

~ paulanka.com

NEW RELEASES - DAVE FEUSI & FRIENDS, KRIS BROWNLEE, RONDI CHARLESTON

DAVE FEUSI & FRIENDS - SWISS MOVEMENT: NEXT GENERATION

A legendary live performance of Eddie Harris, Les McCann, Benny Bailey, Leroy Vinegar und Donald Dean in 1969 became famous as the "Swiss Movement," and was soon recognized as a milestone in Jazz history. The lack of rehearsal and the resulting improvisational approach of the musicians turned out to be the magic of the concert. Inspired by this unique event at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Dave Feusi produced his first album under his own name in March 2010. He brought together a group of well-known musicians from the U.S., Switzerland, and Canada to New York City and recorded a batch of compositions, specifically written for this purpose, in the same spirit and similar concert surroundings. Since the spontaneous open-ended nature is a core feature of this project and Feusi commands an impressive global network of great musicians, potential change of personnel from concert to concert isn't avoided but welcome. By evoking every players improvisational skills to the highest degree, these conditions create that thrilling state of heightened awareness in both musicians and audiences, in order to create an exceptional moment of musical enthusiasm. The sound might be compared to Soulive, Snarky Puppy, Michael Kiwanula, The New Mastersounds, Guru Jazzmatazz and Lettuce to name a few.

KRIS BROWNLEE - SINCERELY YOURS

Saxophonist Kris Brownlee releases his latest entitled Sincerely Yours. On this outing, Brownlee collaborates with legendary guitarist Freddie Fox and Grammy Award-winning producer Michael Broening on this his third album. Brownlee's accent-filled grooves are being described as "uplifting," "deep," and "smooth like butter." Tracks include Rebound; Closer; Solstice; Sincerely Yours; Lake Shore Dr.; Under The Pale Moon; Up Front; Island Nights; Vinyl; Halo; Waiting For You (Love); Your Love Is (featuring Gabriela Anders); and 2 AM.


RONDI CHARLESTON - SIGNS OF LIFE

Emmy® and Peabody Award®-winning singer/songwriter Rondi Charleston s impeccably produced second release on Motéma brilliantly furthers her reputation as an emotionally effective singer. Charleston serves up original story-songs and delightful jazz cover arrangements that emerge straight from the heartfelt headlines of her life. NPR specialists Missing Piece have generated significant interest in features for this release. Noted jazz guitarist Dave Stryker, who serves as music director and co-writer on several tunes, brings a polished jazz aesthetic to this engaging and unusual program. Will be co-promoted with the film No Place On Earth, which features the song The Cave Knows co-written with Fred Hersch. The song appears as a bonus on this CD. ~ Amazon.com

NEW RELEASES - THE SONGS OF BARRY MANN & CYNTHIA WEIL, GEORGE JACKSON, JOANIE SOMMERS

BORN TO BE TOGETHER: THE SONGS OF BARRY MANN & CYNTHIA WEIL (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

One of the greatest songwriting partnerships of the 60s – featured here in a great mix of soul, rock, and vocal numbers from the time – including a fair number of unusual versions of hits from the team of Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil! Weil's got a style that's sometimes a bit deeper than her contemporaries – and when mixed with Barry's strong sense of punch in a tune, has a way of bringing some surprising sophistication to pop music – little emotive moments that peek out from more hook-heavy numbers – but all without ever sounding lachrymose or overblown. As part of that quality, lots of these tunes have some great New York-styled production – that uptown balance of emotion and class – and as with other titles in Ace's excellent songwriter series, the notes alone are almost worth the price of admission – given all the historical detail, cultural commentary, and cool images. Titles include "New World Coming" by Mama Cass, "Love Is Only Sleeping" by The Monkees, "Angelica" by Scott Walker, "Looking Through The Eyes Of Love" by Gene Pitney, "Love Him" by Doris Day, "Good Good Lovin" by Bobby Hebb, "You Baby" by Len Barry, "Born To Be Together" by The Ronettes, "This Is A Love Song" by Bill Medley, "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" by The Happenings, "Shape Of Things To Come" by Slade, and "Proud" by Johnny Crawford. ~ Dusty Groove

GEORGE JACKSON - FAME SESSIONS

What the what?!? Soul sides so great they'll blow your mind – even though none of them have ever been issued before! George Jackson is one of the great lost talents of southern soul – an artist who often stayed in the background, lending his talents to others in the studio, or as a writer – but a hell of a strong artist on his own – as you'll hear in this package of 24 recordings done at the legendary Fame Studios! Jackson's vocals are great – nice and gritty, plain and honest, and with just the right sort of focus to perfectly serve up the poetry of his lyrics. And the backings are wonderful, too – that simple, soulful groove that Fame did so well – often slow-burning on the rhythm tip, with production that lets George shine right out front in the mix. Why these cuts were never issued at the time is a mystery to us – as they could have made George and a few other folks a nice little fortune and a good deal of fame. But as with most discoveries like this, the obscurity of the tracks also makes for a freshness that we love too – as if we've taken a time machine back to a period we love, and found a way to hear the "real deal" right up close! Special LP version – featuring a dozen tracks from the Fame CDs – including "Greedy Over You", "Double Lovin", "Don't Count Me Out", "Save Me", "That From The Heart", "Add A Little Sunshine", "Let The Best Man Win", "I Bit Off More Than I Can Chew", and "Bite The Hand That Feeds You". ~ Dusty Groove

JOANIE SOMMERS - POSITIVELY THE MOST

A great little record that's way more jazz than some of Joanie Sommers' other albums – thanks to arrangements from Marty Paich and Tommy Oliver – both of whom help things stay lively, even when sweet – and almost give the album a similar feel to some of the best Bethlehem or Mode label jazz vocal sides of the 50s! Joanie's got none of her pop trappings here – and her vocals are nicely deep and mature – really feeling out the songs with a deeply personal vibe, and way more grown-up than we might have expected. The album's a real standout from Sommers' too-short career – and titles include "What's New", "My Heart Belongs To Daddy", "Something I Dreamed Last Night", "Oh But I Do", "That Old Devil Moon", and "So In Love".  ~ Dusty Groove

KURT ELLING, ESPERANZA SPALDING, GERALD ALBRIGHT / NORMAN BROWN, MAYSA ADDED TO BERKS JAZZ FEST LINE-UP

The 23rd annual Boscov's Berks Jazz Fest features a diverse lineup of musical styles that features the best contemporary and traditional jazz, and blues artists. This year the line-up is a who's who of jazz and blues musicians featuring Brian Hughes, Babatunde Lea, John Scofield, Keiko Matsui, Dianne Reeves, Najee, Alex Bugon, Lee Ritenour, Gerald Veasley's Sounds of Philly featuring Phil Perry, Nick Colionne, Carol Riddick and special guest Kindred The Family Soul, Brian Bromberg, Incognito featuring Maysa, Kurt Elling, Eric Calpton Retrospective, Kim Waters featuring Chante Moore, Elan Trotman & Friends and many more. 

Kurt Elling plus the Kutztown University Jazz Ensemble I / Saturday, April 6, 7:30 p.m./ Miller Center for the Arts   

Grammy winner Kurt Elling is among the world's foremost jazz vocalists. Elling has won every DownBeat Critics Poll for the last 12 years and has been named "Male Singer of the Year" by the Jazz Journalists Association eight times in that same span. Every one of Elling's nine albums has been nominated for at least one Grammy. In recent months, Elling has been presented several international Grammy equivalents, including Germany's ECHO Award, The Edison Prize from the Netherlands, and the Scottish Jazz Award (International) and was named Ambassador Jazzu to the City of Katowice, Poland.

Elling's rich baritone spans four octaves and features both astonishing technical mastery and emotional depth. His command of rhythm, texture, phrasing, and dynamics is more like a virtuoso jazz instrumentalist than a vocalist. The New York Times declared: "Elling is the standout male vocalist of our time."

The Washington Post said: "Since the mid-1990s, no singer in jazz has been as daring, dynamic or interesting as Kurt Elling. With his soaring vocal flights, his edgy lyrics and sense of being on a musical mission, he has come to embody the creative spirit in jazz." He has been featured in profiles for CBS Sunday Morning, CNN, on Ramsey Lewis' Legends of Jazz, and in hundreds of publications.

With his new album -- 1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project -- Elling celebrates a legendary legacy from outside the jazz world. The CD project honors a locale that the London Telegraph called "the most important generator of popular songs in the Western world." The Kutztown University Jazz Ensemble I, under the direction of Dr. Kevin Kjos, will open the concert and feature several of Elling's big band arrangements.
 

Esperanza Spalding / Radio Music Society / Tuesday, April 9, 7:30 p.m. / Scottish Rite Cathedral  

It has not taken Esperanza Spalding long to emerge as one of the brightest lights in the musical world. Listeners familiar with her stunning 2008 Heads Up International debut -- Esperanza -- and her best-selling 2010 release Chamber Music Society, were well aware that the young bassist, vocalist and composer was the real deal, with a unique and style-spanning presence, deeply rooted in jazz yet destined to make her mark far beyond the jazz realm.

That judgment was confirmed on February 13, 2011, when Spalding became the first jazz musician to receive the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. In early 2012, Spalding released -- Radio Music Society -- her most diverse, ambitious and masterful recital yet. Each of the 12 songs are accompanied by conceptual music videos, which further express Esperanza’s inspiration and story behind each track.

Radio Music Society has earned her three Grammy Award nominations: Best Jazz Vocal Album, Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists for the song “City of Roses,” and Best Long Form Video. “Art doesn’t thrive with too much analyzing and explaining,” Esperanza Spalding notes. “The idea of ‘radio music’ is very broad.” Radio Music Society is destined to expand the concept even further, not to mention the horizons of the music world’s most exceptional young artist.

Gerald Albright & Norman Brown / Friday, April 12, 10 p.m. / Crowne Plaza Reading Ballroom  

Who could forget the great jazz collaborations between Miles Davis and Gil Evans or Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie? The tradition lives on with the pairing of contemporary jazz icons Gerald Albright and Norman Brown -- two longtim Berks Jazz Fest favorites. Albright-Brown is a match made in jazz heaven: saxophonist Albright and guitarist Brown. They recently released their first collaborative CD Project -- 24/7 -- which features unny melodies, surefire R&B grooves, dovetailing exchanges between two genre stars.

The duo first met in the 1980s while performing at a jazz club in Redlands, California. Albright, who is 14 years older than Brown, got a head start on his solo recording career, releasing his debut album in 1987. In addition to mastering soprano, alto and baritone saxophones, he is equally skilled on keyboards, flutes, percussion and bass guitar. According to Albright, the title 24/7 springs from their dedication to making music.“Even when we sleep we’re thinking about melodies, recordings, concerts and whatever we’re going to do next,” he confides.

It's the 20th anniversary of Brown’s debut album, Just Between Us. In 2003, he won a Grammy Award in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category for Just Chillin’. Brown currently hosts his own weekend radio show on the Smooth Jazz Network. He credits guitarists Jimi Hendrix and George Benson as his two most important musical influences.

Maysa & Her Jazz Funk Soul Symphony / Sunday, April 14, 2 p.m. /Crowne Plaza Reading Ballroom

Maysa Leak has been performing at the Berks Jazz Fest for many years, but this year's performance marks the first time she will headline with her own band. And Maysa is going all out, bring her dynamic, 11-piece Jazz, Soul, Funk Symphony ensemble to back her up. The Crowne Plaza Reading Ballroom definitely will be rocking. The band features Angela Phillips and Sol Edler, background vocals; Carl Cox, saxophone; Leon Jordan Jr., trumpet; Paul Aborgast, trombone; Richard Tucker, guitar; Charles Baldwin, bass guitar; Will Brock and Damon Bennett, keyboards; Kevin Prince, percussions; and Timothy Hutson, drums.

Unlike many R&B singers, Maysa was not raised in the church, so her musical style was not shaped from the choir loft. Her early influences were her mother’s favorite soul records. When she was about 14, Maysa’s uncle took her aside and turned her on to jazz. Maysa studied music at Morgan State University before heading to California to sing back-up for music icon Stevie Wonder.

During a break from the Wonderlove Tour, she auditioned for Scottish drummer, Steve Harvey, who was best friends with Jean-Paul “Bluey” Manunick of Incognito fame. Bluey was looking for an American singer to front his band and asked Harvey to compile a list of prospects. He put Maysa on that list. Bluey asked her to sing Stevie Wonder’s tune “Don’t Worry About A Thing” over the phone. He told her the official audition would be the next day. The following day, however, Bluey’s manager called her and said she did not need to audition. Bluey had hired her and was not considering anyone else for the spot.The next few years were a whirlwind as Incognito reached new levels of fame with Maysa at the forefront. Motions Of Love, Maysa's latest CD release, received great reviews and has been called the pinnacle of her recording career.

~ Berks Jazz Fest

SAINT LUCIA JAZZ & ARTS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LINE-UP

R. Kelly, The Jacksons, the Ojays, Tito Puente, Jr. , and Akon will share the stage with renowned international and Saint Lucian artists during the newly renamed Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival, April 30 to May 12, 2013. The Caribbean's premier cultural event is expected to attract thousands to the iconic Pigeon Island National Landmark for the 13 day festival, which will also be held at scenic vistas across the island showcasing a new infusion of arts, scores of artisans and entertainers.
Director of Tourism Louis Lewis remarked that the redefined festival boasts an impressive roster of performers designed to satisfy the most discerning music aficionados. "While the festival has evolved over time, it has more than two decades of history attracting some of the most recognizable and sought after names in the music business," says Lewis.

The Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival will be comprised of more than 50 artists performing at scenic locales such as Pigeon Island National Landmark, quaint and rustic village settings like Fond d'Or Heritage Park in Dennery. The 2013 Jazz and Arts Festival will also see the much awaited return of the popular "Jazz on the Square" in the heart of the capital city Castries and a return to the picturesque open-air venue of Balenbouche Estate in the South.

"Several of our traditional community celebrations like the Friday night street parties, culturally rich Fish-Fries, our Creole music and the like will be woven in the fabric of the redefined Jazz and Arts Festival and showcased in a fresh and exciting way," said Deputy Director of Tourism Tracey Warner Arnold .

Performances at the Gaiety on Rodney Bay on May 8 and 9 will feature Trinidadian born Trumpet player Etienne Charles ; Cuban jazz pianist Roberto Fonseca ; contemporary jazz bands from the French Antilles Fal Frett and electric guitarist The John Scofield Uberjam Band. Main stage activities at the Pigeon Island National Landmark will begin on Friday May 10, with performances from R&B multi-platinum American singer, songwriter, dancer and actor Ginuwine; Saint Lucian songwriter and producer ACE and the iconic American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana The Jacksons.

Headlining May 10 and 11, the new Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival will feature multiple Grammy-winner R&B mega star singer-songwriter, and record producer Robert Sylvester Kelly , more popularly known as R Kelly. Kelly has established his name on the music scene as the King of R&B with dozens of chart topping hits. Other musical hard-hitters include the legendary Ojays; acclaimed Caribbean maestro David Rudder , bandleader and mambo musician Tito Puente Jr .; celebrated guitarist and singer Ronald 'Boo' Hinkson and accomplished Senegalese-American hip-hop recording artist, songwriter and record producer Akon.

For more information on the full lineup for Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival 2013 along with show dates, venues and ticket sales, log onto www.stluciajazz.org.

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE HONORED AS ARTIST OF THE MONTH BY LEGACY RECORDINGS

On the occasion of Sly Stone's 70th birthday on March 15th, his life and the music of Sly & the Family Stone will be commemorated as the Artist of the Month for March 2013 by Legacy Recordings. Legacy's celebration of Sly & the Family Stone will continue throughout the year. The Artist of the Month program was launched by Legacy this year, with a commemoration of Janis Joplin in January, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of her birth on January 19, 1943; and a commemoration of Nina Simone in February, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of her birth on February 21, 1933.

In every case, the Artist of the Month program provides fresh perspectives on musical legends whose sounds continue to affect people's lives. The program enables new fans and deep aficionados the opportunity to focus on an essential figure in pop music history, whose principal catalog is a cornerstone of the Sony Music archives.

As a tribute to the far-reaching horizons of Sly & the Family Stone, the first hit-making interracial, mixed-gender band, a deluxe retrospective multi-disc box set is in production for release later this year on Epic/Legacy. Full details of the box will be announced in the months ahead, but it has been revealed that nearly one-fourth of the contents will be previously unissued material.

A visionary musician, composer and bandleader whose work transformed the 1960s and '70s in ways that are still influencing generations of musicians in America and around the world, Sly Stone brought the funk into the mainstream by pushing aside every preconceived boundary of pop music. Sly & the Family Stone's repertoire of hits kept the Pop and R&B charts jumping for seven glorious years from 1968 to 1975, starting with their three career-defining RIAA gold Billboard #1 Pop/ #1 R&B hits, "Everyday People," "Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Again)" and "Family Affair," and their string of Top 40 hits that began with "Dance To the Music" and included "Life," "Stand!," "I Want To Take You Higher," "Hot Fun In the Summer­time," "Runnin' Away," "If You Want Me To Stay," "Time For Livin'," and more. Their top-charted RIAA gold, platinum and multi-platinum albums include Stand! (1969), Greatest Hits (1970), There's A Riot Goin' On (1971), and Fresh (1973), every one a classic.

Sly & the Family Stone laid down a template that was (and continues to be) picked up by a diverse population of artists. From Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock , to the halls of Motown and George Clinton 's P-Funk, from Michael Jackson and Curtis Mayfield , down the line to Bob Marley , the Isley Brothers, Prince, Public Enemy, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Arrested Development, the Black Eyed Peas, the Roots, OutKast, and on and on, Sly's DNA is traceable to every cell of the musical stratosphere. To his credit, Sly and the Family Stone have been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and the Grammy Hall Of Fame, and have received the R&B Foundation Pioneer Award, among many other recognitions of their importance and enduring influence.

Born in Denton, Texas on March 15, 1943, Sylvester Stewart moved with his family to Vallejo, California, a northwest suburb of San Francisco in the 1950s. Identified quite early as a musical prodigy, young Sylvester was adept at keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums by age eleven. He became known as 'Sly' in early grade school, after a friend misspelled 'Sylvester.' Sly played and recorded with several high school bands (usually with younger brother Freddie) and studied composition and theory at Vallejo Junior College. He was a wildly popular fast-talking disc jockey at R&B radio station KSOL in 1964 (and later KDIA), when legendary fellow DJ Tom Donahue hired him as a producer for his San Francisco-based label, Autumn Records . There Sly had a hand in successes with first generation Bay Area rock bands the Beau Brummels, the Charlatans, the Great Society, and the Mojo Men, and produced Bobby Freeman 's 1964 #5 Pop hit, "C'mon And Swim."

By 1966, Sly was leading a band called Sly And the Stoners, featuring African-American trumpeter Cynthia Robinson . His brother's band, Freddie And the Stone Souls, featured white drummer Gregg Errico . White saxophonist Jerry Martini urged Sly and Freddie to combine the best of both bands, leading to the birth of Sly & the Family Stone in March 1967. Freddie took over on guitar, as Sly quickly mastered the organ. Their sister Rose joined on keyboards and vocals, and bassist/vocalist Larry Graham completed the lineup. After a gig at the Winchester Cathedral club in Redwood City was witnessed by a CBS Records exec, Sly & the Family Stone were quickly signed to Epic Records.

Their debut LP, A Whole New Thing was released at the very end of 1967, but pushed too many boundaries to find a place at AM or FM radio. Advised to simplify his approach, Sly presented Epic with the tapes of the next album, named for its first single, "Dance To The Music," a solid Top 10 hit on both the Pop and R&B charts. Sly & the Family Stone were almost there. The third LP arrived in late 1968, Life, but it barely dented the charts, overshadowed by the events of that fateful year: the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy , the escalation of the war in Southeast Asia, and the election of Richard Nixon .

All the pieces finally came together for Sly & the Family Stone in early 1969, as "Everyday People" finally gave them the RIAA gold Billboard #1 Pop/ #1 R&B hit they were destined for all along. Over the next five years, there was not a moment that Sly & the Family Stone were not being played on AM and FM radio, and appearing everywhere from Woodstock to Yankee Stadium to the grand stages of Europe, and on every television show from squaresville to ultra-hip.

Ultimately, the highs and lows of it all took their toll and the group disbanded in 1975, going their separate ways. But in the four decades that followed, the legend of Sly & the Family Stone has survived and thrived. As Legacy's Artist of the Month for March 2013, the spotlight continues to shine on Sly & the Family Stone.

www.slystonemusic.com
www.legacyrecordings.com

GERALD CLAYTON - LIFE FORUM

Pianist Gerald Clayton will release his debut recording with Concord Jazz, Life Forum, on April 2, 2013 (international release dates may vary). This 12-song set combines Clayton’s highly skilled trio members, bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Justin Brown with saxophonists Logan Richardson and Dayna Stephens and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. Vocalists Gretchen Parlato and Sachal Vasandani and poet Carl Hancock Rux complete the ensemble.

Clayton is an artist who does not work in a vacuum. Clayton is recognized by peers and public alike to hungrily seek opportunities which allow for creative musical exchanges with other artists. And he understands that any successful artistic venture requires listening as much as expressing, open-mindedness as well as respect for the input of others. It requires leadership and, most importantly, demands a shared love for the art form and each other. Clayton understands that these are the conditions that create a forum for something truly magical to emerge.

Clayton’s recording, Life Forum, testifies to these values.

As Clayton states, “From everyone’s high level of musicality, open ears, creativity and love for one another has emerged a product that is so much more than the sum of its parts.” He adds, “This record is about gathering my favorite musicians and giving them the best platform to explore and openly express themselves. I take the same concepts and values that lead to creative expression as a credo to live by, hence Life Forum.”

Clayton considers Life Forum possibly his most ambitious album to date, which is no small claim considering the artistic and commercial success of Two Shade, his Grammy-nominated 2009 debut album, followed by the equally acclaimed 2011 - also Grammy-nominated - Bond: The Paris Sessions (he received a third nomination in 2012 for his composition, Battle Circle, written for The Clayton Brothers). “I am writing more now than I have ever done before,” he says. “Working with a larger ensemble for this album meant a great deal of preparation. Ben Wendel, who produced the record, was extremely helpful. I really admire his playing and his writing, so I knew I would value his musical feedback. He and I got together prior to the sessions to talk in detail about the music and map out exactly what needed to happen and at what time during the recording session. Organizationally, and in terms of the writing involved, creating this album was much more demanding than my previous records.”

And yet, Life Forum seems so effortless, from the very first title track that leads off the setː supported by the powerful musical undercurrent provided by the musicians, Carl Hancock Rux’s spoken word performance describes Life Forum as, “This is the map, old paths to new dangers, a place for passion reserved, for brief touches, for remembering love diminished, for freedom…”

The subsequent track “Future Reflection” rides a wave that is slightly more up-tempo and intense, with Parlato and Vasandani delivering an ephemeral chant above the persistent interplay between Clayton’s trio and the three horn players.

In the impressionistic “Sir Third,” the spaces between the notes seem to matter as much as the notes themselves. Demonstrating the trio’s now famous chemistry and cohesiveness, we witness them working as if taking a collective solo while still maintaining the groove.

“Dusk Baby” starts off as a gentle solo piano ballad with atmospheric lyrics delivered expertly by Vasandani’s light-as-a-feather vocal style. Midway through, Brown and saxophonist Dayna Stephens conjure up an energetic interlude, then step back to allow piano and vocal to finish out the track.

“Mao Nas Massa” combines a lighthearted piano melody with a persistent drum pattern. Conjuring up the feeling of a Brazilian samba, this song demonstrates the beauty of casual interplay between the two musicians.

“Some Always” packs enough brass and rhythmic punch to classify as an “anthem.” Clayton comments: “I worked on that for a while, just coming up with different voicings for that melody,” he says. “There is a recurring melody throughout the whole song, with solos being played on top. I also wrote a solo section where Ambrose and I play a single-note solo together. That was a new approach for me.” This is definitely a track which stands out.

“When an Angel Sheds a Feather,” a vocal duet with Parlato and Vasandani, is everything the title suggests – otherworldly and lighter than air. Clayton’s accompaniment provides a musical cushion for the voices, supporting their melodies with lush colors and tantalizing lines. Vasandani’s lyric is appropriately tender and beautiful.

“All of my projects are personal,” says Clayton and Life Forum is his most recent and arguably most revealing to date. “All of the tunes in this collection are my originals and are inspired by events in my life, especially by love and life transitions. It was my intention that these very personally inspired compositions would provide a forum for a group of amazingly creative artists to express themselves in a spirit of freedom, open mindedness and harmony. All life experiences and interactions offer us the chance for the development of tolerance, love, honesty, compassion and acceptance. Personally, the creation of this album has been an extraordinary opportunity for growth.”