NEW RELEASES - EARL KLUGH, TOOTS & THE MAYTALS, LUIS BACALOV

EARL KLUGH - LATE NIGHT GUITAR / TWO OF A KIND (WITH BOB JAMES) / NIGHTSONGS

A trio of albums from guitarist Earl Klugh – presented here in a single set! First up is Late Night Guitar – a beautiful set that really lives up to its title – a record that matches Earl's wonderful work on guitar with some sublime orchestral charts from Dave Matthews! The approach is definitely different than some of Klugh's previous work, and makes the album a very unique one – a set that's got a really personal, expressive vibe – but in ways that are never too cheesy or sentimental – a balance that, we think, really comes from Dave's handling of the backings. Titles include "Nice To Be Around", "Like A Lover", "Tenderly", "Mona Lisa", "Triste", and "A Time For Love". Two Of A Kind is a classic pairing of the guitar of Earl Klugh and the keyboards of Bob James – and a set that really makes some great steps forward out of a blend of the acoustic and electric sounds from each player! Earl's strings sound especially nice over James' Fender Rhodes – but even cuts with acoustic piano or other keyboards come off sounding great – with a warm Tappan Zee vibe that's mighty nice throughout! Titles include "The Falcon", "Whiplash", "Ingenue", "Wes", and "Sandstorm". On Nightsongs, Earl Klugh's guitar gets plenty of rich colors to work with – some deeper backdrops from arrangers Don Sebesky and Dave Matthews – each of whom bring a different mood to the set! Sebesky's got those lush, full charts that we love so much from his classic orchestral charts of the 60s and 70s – while Matthews is a bit tighter and more swinging, but still farther from his funky work of the 70s than you might expect. Klugh's guitar hits loads of those classic colorful tones throughout – and titles include "Theme From The Pawnbroker", "The Look Of Love", "Nature Boy", "A Certain Smile", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", and "Stay Gold".~ Dusty Groove

TOOTS & THE MAYTALS - FUNKY KINGSTON

Masterful early 70s reggae from Toots & The Maytals – released first in 1971, and first reissued with this killer tracklist a few years later into the 70s – and flat out classic! The reggae rhythms are steeped in raw soul and R&B for truly distinctive vibe. Breezy Caribbean sounds that meld with heavy soul for an overall vibe that paved the way for most massively popular reggae music of all time. It does get much more wonderful than this, folks! The Island version essentially pairs up material from the original Funky Kingston release with alternate numbers from the In The Dark LP – and titles include the incredible "Time Tough", "Pomp And Pride", "Funky Kingston" and "Pressure Drop", cool covers of "Louie Louie" and Country Roads", ""Sailin' On" and more.  ~ Dusty Groove

LUIS BACALOV - IN LOUNGE: ROMA BENE LA PERCORA NERA / ROSAMOR / SOFT & SMOOTH 

Four very cool groovers from Italian maestro Armando Trovajoli – pressed up here on a limited edition 7" EP, with two tracks that have never been issued before! "Roma Bene" is represented by a rare "shake" version that has some fuzzy guitar that trips out nicely over upbeat grooves – and "La Pecora Nera" gets a cool vocal take from Rocky Roberts, who sings soulfully over the mod rhythms! Side two features a new edit of "Rosamor", sung by Juca Chavez – and the sublime "Soft & Smooth" too.~ Dusty Groove

JAZZ CONNECT CONFERENCE AT APAP/NYC, JANUARY 9-10, 2014

The Jazz Connect Conference at APAP|NYC 2014, organized by JazzTimes in conjunction with the Jazz Forward Coalition, announced the tentative schedule of events for one of the largest gatherings of the professional jazz community. The conference will be held January 9-10, 2014 at the Hilton New York Hotel in New York City and will feed into the annual APAP (Association of Performing Arts Presenters) Conference as well as Winter Jazzfest. Continuing the momentum from the January 2013 event which tripled to over 1,000 registrants, the Jazz Connect Conference in 2014-based on feedback from attendees-will feature a series of essential workshops, panels and events held over the course of two days. Early Bird Registration is only $75 until October 31, with additional discounts offered to members of various organizations. Registration is free for APAP members, although they must pre-register.

With a theme of "The Road Ahead" the conference will again bring together a wide cross-section of the jazz community for 12 workshops and 5 plenary sessions, on topics such as: "Navigating Social Media"; "The Role of Education in Presenting Jazz"; "The New Paradigm for Record Labels"; "Cutting Through the Clutter"; "Jazz Grantmaking"; "Expanding the Language of Jazz"; "Getting to the Gatekeepers in the Jazz Media"; "Give to Get: Growing Your Fan Base with Online Content" and other timely and engaging subjects. Moderators and panelists include an impressive cross-section of artists and professionals. The keynote speaker will be announced soon. New this year will be a networking session enabling emerging artists and professionals to connect and get informed input on their own careers and operations. "We noticed that attendees appreciated the opportunity that Jazz Connect offered to network with each other and meet colleagues face-to-face and so we decided to program a session that facilitates that interaction," says Lee Mergner, publisher of JazzTimes and one of the conference's organizers. "It seems that social media can only take you so far in establishing relationships in the community."

The schedule reflects the input from and collaboration with numerous organizations such as JazzWeek (radio programmers), Jazz Education Network, All About Jazz and the Jazz Journalists Association, each of whom will host workshops or panels during the conference. In addition to incorporating the involvement of various organizations, the sessions also include a wide range of voices in and out of the jazz community.

Peter Gordon, co-founder of Jazz Forward Coalition says that the new theme for the Jazz Connect Conference is all about the jazz community looking forward. "There has been a vibrant re-emergence in the sense of community for jazz," says Gordon. "By providing a forum for this shared passion coupled with top professionals guiding us with their deep knowledge base, we hope to arm everyone with tools and strategies to thrive in the coming year. Working together we have a collective intelligence that is unstoppable for the road ahead."

By popular demand, Jazz Connect will again include a session topic suggested by the jazz community at large. Interested parties can submit their ideas for a panel or workshop via e-mail to jazzconnectnyc@gmail.com.

The Jazz Connect conference is organized by Peter Gordon of the Jazz Forward Coalition and Lee Mergner of JazzTimes, with assistance and input from over a dozen industry professionals. The conference has received the support of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters organization, which hosts the world's leading forum for the performing arts every year in New York City. JazzTimes is the official publication for the event.

For more information about the Jazz Connect conference, you can e-mail jazzconnectnyc@gmail.com or visit www.jazz-connect.com. To pre-register for the conference, go to the website. To reserve a table-top display or to advertise in the Conference edition of JazzTimes, contact Miene Smith at 617-706-9092 or msmith@madavor.com.

Attendees can get a special discount at the host hotels for the APAP|NYC conference, but must go through the APAP|NYC website.

About the Association of Performing Arts Presenters

The Association of Performing Arts Presenters, based in Washington, DC, is the national service and advocacy organization dedicated to developing and supporting a robust performing arts presenting field and the professionals who work within it. As a leader in the field, APAP works to effect change through advocacy, professional development, resource sharing and civic engagement. APAP is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization governed by a volunteer board of directors and led by President & CEO Mario Garcia Durham. In addition to presenting the annual APAP|NYC conference-the world's leading forum and marketplace for the performing arts (Jan. 11-15, 2013)-APAP continues to be the industry's leading resource, knowledge and networking destination for the advancement of performing arts presenting.

About the Jazz Forward Coalition

The Jazz Forward Coalition (JFC) is a consortium of industry leaders focused on enhancing jazz's vitality and cultural relevance for audience development. JFC is focused on developing programs and platforms to support its two central themes of advocacy and infrastructure. By providing a global voice, JFC will cultivate opportunities to motivate growth for current and future generations to expand jazz's cultural footprint. On the web at www.jazzforwardcoalition.com.

About JazzTimes

JazzTimes is America's preeminent jazz magazine providing irreverent, uncompromising and often provocative coverage of the American jazz scene. Relying on an award-winning editorial staff, JazzTimes encompasses special themes, directories, comprehensive news reports and an extensive music review section. JazzTimes is a must-read for the jazz enthusiast. On the web at www.jazztimes.com.

NEW RELEASES - RAY BRYANT TRIO, BOBBY CALDWELL, MOREIRA DA SILVA

RAY BRYANT TRIO - CON ALMA

Pure genius from Ray Bryant – the kind of a record that few other players could ever hope to cut, and a fantastic demonstration of Ray's extremely soulful approach to the trio format! Bryant's working here with Bill Lee on bass and Mickey Roker on drums – in a triple-burning setting that has all players contributing equally to the groove – and often working strongly to create a great sense of counterpoint in the rhythms. Roker's drums are magically playful throughout – snapping and skipping along the top of the snare in a way that only furthers the rhythmic agenda of Bryant's piano. And Lee's bass has a laidback and mellow delight – one that rings out alongside the keys of the piano, and fleshes them out with some additional depth and color. The title track is a brilliant reading of "Con Alma", and the set also features Bryant's famous tune "Cubano Chant" – as well as the titles "Autumn Leaves", "Milestones", "Ill Wind", and "C Jam Blues". (Blue Spec CD.) ~ Dusty Groove

BOBBY CALDWELL - LIGHT MELLOW

The title certainly gets it right – and the set's way more than a "greatest hits" collection of work by Bobby Caldwell – and a massive batch of some of his best numbers of the 70s and 80s, all flowing together beautifully with a sweet little Free Soul vibe! The 20 track package features a few familiar Caldwell numbers, but also includes some really wonderful gems pulled from the deeper catalog of his albums over the years – tracks that are often eclipsed next to the hits, and which show the depth of his talents in a blue-eyed soul mode, and how strongly his work kept on going well into the 80s! There's a warmly compressed sound to most numbers that perfectly fuses jazz and soul – and titles include "Come To Me", "All Or Nothing At All", "Mazatlan", "In The Name Of Love", "Don't Ask My Neighbor", "Never Loved Before", "Open Your Eyes", "Coming Down From Love", "Sherry", "Love Won't Wait", "Words", and "Jamaica". ~ Dusty Groove

MOREIRA DA SILVA - ANOS 50

A great collection of vintage work from Brazilian singer Moreira Da Silva – including a fair bit of tracks originally only issued as 78rpm singles! The collection features two CDs' worth of material from 78s, plus the full album O Tal from later in the decade – but even that is presented with a whole heck of a lot of bonus tracks too! The package is an excellent counterpart to the 60s box of Moreira's music – and shows an even more charming, more compelling version of the singer – working in lively samba arrangements that are heavy on percussion, and really illustrate the raw energy of Brazilian music in the pre-bossa years. The set features 48 tracks in – remastered with a sound that's as colorful as the image on the cover! ~ Dusty Groove 

NEW RELEASES - ROSS MCHENRY, DJALMA FERREIRA, THE MARGOTS

ROSS MCHENRY - FIRST OCEANS

Ross McHenry's debut solo album - Distant Oceans - features twelve mighty tracks that dance and weave along the styles of jazz, hip-hop and many more experimental sounds. Ross is an ARIA (Australian Record Industry Association award) nominated composer, producer and bass player whose diverse body of work carefully walks the line somewhere between instrumental jazz and the current wave of post-Dilla producers. His previous projects (including The Shaolin Afronauts) have seen him tour worldwide and led to him taking part in 2010's Red Bull Music Academy (where he met label-mate kidkanevil amongst others). Ross McHenry's debut album Distant Oceans brings together six of the world's foremost musical innovators for the first time on record. The ensemble features one of the most exciting and in demand producers and keyboardists in the world today, Mark de Clive Lowe, the rhythmic foundation of renowned NZ ensemble Electric Wire Hustle, Myele Manzanza, multi-instrumentalist and composer Adam Page and leading Australian instrumentalists Dylan Marshall, Jon Hunt and Luca Spiler.

DJALMA FERREIRA - DRINK EM SAO PAULO ERTC ANOS 60

Totally cool, totally wonderful – and a massive set of hardly-heard work from Brazilian keyboardist Djalma Ferreira! Djalma's a name that's not nearly as well-known in the states as Walter Wanderley – but he got his start well before Walter, working in some 50s modes that were mighty darn cool – before exploding even more strongly here on a sublime set of albums from the 60s! Djalma's got a sense of playfulness about his keyboard work – always changing up not just his phrasing of the notes, but also the settings of the organ as well – creating these cool sounds and groovy notes that explode out differently on each new tune – in ways that go far past the usual bossa organ modes, and bring in a host of other Brazilian styles too. The range of sounds in the set is breathtaking – and the package begins the decade with albums cut with the Milionarios Do Ritmo – including the albums Convite Ao Drink (1960) and Drink Em Sao Paolo (1961) – then moves onto some with larger arrangements – the records Combinacao Insuperavel (1962) and Baile De Formatura (1962). Things then swing into the groovy Week End In Rio (1964), the sublime Brazilliance Of Djalma (1965), and the rare US album Help Yourself To The Brazilliance Of Djalma (1969). All albums come with original artwork and great sound – all on CD for the first time ever! ~ Dusty Groove

THE MARGOTS - PESCADA

A really unique blend of jazz and vocals – and a great start for this really unique group! The Margots is a collaboration between vocalist Adrienne Pierluissi and jazz musicians Ken Vandermark – who co-wrote the music on the set, and handles all the arrangements too! Pierluissi hails from Milwaukee, but has this amazing style that reminds us of some of our favorite Brazilian or European singers in recent years – an approach that's as artful as it is swinging, and graced with this sense of phrasing that really makes her lyrics stand out – quite a statement, given that the group also features reeds from Ken Vandermark, guitars from John Dereszynski, and drums from Tim Daisy! There's definitely an echo of the best recent Brazilian modes on some of the best tracks – and the record also features some cool string backing on a few numbers too. Titles include "Mr Altruistic", "Grey", "No La Sabia", "Husbands", "Echoes Of Memory", "Anda", and "Pescado". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES - SOUL TOGETHERNESS 2013, THE JAZZ INVADERS FT. DR. LONNIE SMITH, TARUN BALANI COLLECTIVE

SOUL TOGETHERNESS 2013: 15 MODERN SOUL GEMS

Soaring contemporary grooves – and a great installment in this excellent series of modern soul! This time around, the tracks are even more modern than before – almost all numbers from recent recordings, but pulled together in a way that really highlights some gems that we would have missed otherwise – including a few key cuts that haven't been in strong circulation otherwise! Think of the groove as Neo Soul for the dancefloor – with great vocals and lots of warm rhythms – and dig the track selection that includes "Gimme Dat" by Kenya Henry, "Can We Talk About It" by Vesta, "Into My Life" by Raffia, "Bein In Love With You" by Sheree Brown, "The Party After (Reel People rmx)" by Muzart, "Got To Let My Feelings Show" by Bluey, "Classic Lady" by Personal Life, "Runnin Around" by The Chi-Lites, "Sweet Heaven (12 Shades summer shuffle)" by Tom Glide with Timmy Thomas, "I Still Have You (Soulpersona rmx)" by Charlie Wilson, and "Something" by 76 Degrees West Band with Raheem DeVaughn.~ Dusty Groove

THE JAZZ INVADERS FEATURING DR. LONNIE SMITH - THAT'S WHAT YOU SAY!

The Jazz Invaders here are tighter than ever – and not just because they've got some heavy Hammond help from the legendary Lonnie Smith! Smith's definitely a key part of what makes this album so great – and his organ lines have a sharpness and depth that really stands out from the rest of the group – kind of an extra level of sound that really makes the whole thing sparkle! Yet the group themselves are pretty wonderful too – much more righteous than ever before, going past just a combo who can copy the best jazz modes, into the realm of one that's more than capable of making some mighty fresh sounds of their own. Linda Bloemhard sings on a few cuts, with this raspy edge that's pretty cool – but the instrumental push is what really makes the record shine. Titles include "Square Blues", "Little Sunflower", "Buzzin", "Song For Lonnie", "Tastich", "Nelson", "Mellow Mood", and "Tie Am". ~ Dusty Groove

TARUN BALANI COLLECTIVE - SACRED WORLD 

Sacred World, the debut recording from Tarun Balani, showcases the New Delhi-based drummer's far-reaching vision as a composer and bandleader. Featuring a quintet that unites Balani and fellow Indian musicians Aditya Balani (guitars), Sharik Hasan (piano) and Suhail Yusuf Khan (vocals and sarangi), with bassist Bruno Raberg, a Swedish expatriate who now lives near Boston, Balani creates a sound palette that peers across musical borders to unite Indian idioms and inventive American jazz. Recorded in August 2012, in Mumbai, India, Sacred World is set for American release on October 22nd. Balani makes a bold statement through his compositional maturity and ingenious use of diverse instrumentation, confidently mixing Eastern and Western traditions, the old and the new. While such performances as "Belief" and "The Other Side" feature Hasan's prodigious piano improvisations, and "Sacred World" showcases Raberg's serenely intoned bass, tunes including "Azaan" and "Arjuna" make arresting use of Aditya Balani's fretless guitar and Suhail Yusuf Khan's vocals and sarangi. Balani's expansive musical conception allows for different traditions to converse with one another on their own terms, and to allow the in-between space that they share to emerge organically. This inclusiveness reflects Balani's restless desire to envision himself a holistic artist, inspired by his Indian roots as synthesized into his jazz work.In India, Balani was a member of such bands as Incognito, Advaita and Artistes Unlimited. When he was 18 years old he attended Drummers Collective in New York City, an experience that drew him more closely to jazz and inspired him to continue studies at the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston. There he focused on performance and composition; his important percussion instructors included Ralph Peterson Jr. and Jamey Haddad. Balani was also the school's first Indian student to be selected for the Berklee Global Jazz Institute where he was mentored by Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, Joe Lovano and George Garzone.Balani is also a leading music educator and teacher in India where he is the co-founder and Artistic Director at the Global Music Institute in New Delhi. The first of its kind in India, the Institute aims to promote musical diversity, with an emphasis on national and international collaboration.

MARTY ERLICH LARGE ENSEMBLE - A TRUMPET IN THE MORNING

New World Records proudly announces the release of A Trumpet in the Morning, the new recording from saxophonist/composer Marty Ehrlich, and the first documentation devoted to the stalwart NYC artist's large ensemble compositions. A Trumpet in the Morning (named for a poem by Arthur Brown, 1948-1982) is a tour-de-force, showcasing the best of Ehrlich's many metieres that have marked his success as an instrumentalist, composer and bandleader for more than three decades. Strong melodic invention prevails alongside a keen ear for instrumental color, a multi-genre, multi-disciplinary approach, and, "an unblinking yet ultimately affirmative insistence on connecting his music with realities both historic and contemporary", said noted writer Bob Blumenthal (from the album's liner notes).

Marty Ehrlich, born in St. Paul, Minnesota on May 31, 1955, raised in Louisville, Kentucky and St. Louis, Missouri, and residing in New York City since 1978, is in the midst of celebrating thirty-five years of distinguished work at the epicenter of creative and improvised music. In many ways, these years of cultivating his creativity and individuality has led Mr. Ehrlich to the creation of A Trumpet in the Morning. Bob Blumenthal explains, "His family moved to University City, Missouri, a suburb in the process of becoming St. Louis' first multi-racial community, rich with artists and progressive political thought. The environment was ideal for nurturing Ehrlich's creative talents, and as a teenager he began writing poetry and continued clarinet studies with members of the St. Louis Symphony. A weekend arts program brought him into contact with the musicians, painters and poets who formed the Black Artists Group (BAG), an interdisciplinary collective similar in intent to Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Music (AACM). The influence of BAG members Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake and J.D. Parran led Ehrlich to begin focusing on studying the saxophone and to immerse himself in both the traditions and the innovations of improvised music."

"One of the great things about meeting the BAG guys was being urged to learn the history of the music," Ehrlich emphasizes. "It made me much more of a polyglot." The encounter also instilled a philosophy that has informed all of his work. "I call myself a pan-stylist who doesn't believe in musical styles," he explains. "My inspirations are often conceptual rather than `styles' I'm trying to write in. I reject the notion, especially in jazz, that there is only one language to use, and my music is not a comment on style. I like the resonance of contrasting sections, and will use musical style for contrast, but from the inside."

Ehrlich graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music and hit the NYC scene running in the late seventies, with many bandleaders seaking him out for the uncommon range and consistency of his work on various clarinets, saxophones and flutes. He quickly became a valued member of ensembles led by AACM luminaries Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, Roscoe Mitchell and Wadada Leo Smith as well as his former teachers from The NEC, Jaki Byard and George Russell. Ehrlich found himself shoulder to shoulder with some of the period's most innovative figures, gaining valuable experience that provided insights into leading a large ensemble, which later influenced his approach to the music on A Trumpet in the Morning. Ehrlich has also composed extensively for his many small ensembles, such as Traveler's Tales, the Dark Woods Ensemble, Relativity (with Michael Formanek & Peter Erskine), C/D/E (with Mark Dresser & drummer Andrew Cyrille), Rites Quartet and The Marty Erhlich Sextet.

"A real difference between this recording and my previous albums is that I'm conducting and producing rather than playing," Ehrlich said. "This was partly practical, since there was a lot to get through in the studio, but it also seemed right for this music. On my first European tour, with Anthony Braxton in 1978, he just conducted, because he said the music needed someone outside of it to give it shape. George Russell and Muhal Richard Abrams are other great composers who also took this approach. Another thing that impressed me about Anthony on that first tour was how hard he listened to everybody else. I saw a similar role here: to listen and bring out certain things, to maximize the creativity in the room."

"Ehrlich has written pieces for larger ensembles including the New York Composers Orchestra, his most ambitious documented opus prior to the present collection was The Long View, created in 2000 in collaboration with painter Oliver Jackson. The various movements of that work were scored for between two and 14 musicians. Here, in contrast, the canvas remains large, though again it is mutable. Most of the twenty-four musicians involved have extensive histories with Ehrlich, who emphasizes that such personnel choices as the use of two rhythm sections were made, 'to enlist their individual approaches in giving the recording an even wider palette.' He also says that the recording realizes 'an inner compulsion to reveal the relationships among the pieces, the majority of which were written in the past decade and are long-form and multi-sectional. They share an intention, and are really my own music.' (from the album's liner notes by Bob Blumenthal)

About the music on A Trumpet in the Morning:

"Agbekor Translations" (2012) was written for collaboration between the Hampshire College Jazz Improvisers Orchestra, which Ehrlich directs, and the Mt. Holyoke College West African Drumming Ensemble. Ehrlich based the piece upon six interlocking rhythms from the agbekor dance performed by the Ewe people of Ghana. Each rhythm provided a basis for a melody, which Ehrlich then spread throughout the orchestra.

"A Trumpet in the Morning", commissioned by the Sound Vision Orchestra in 2004, is a setting of a poem by Arthur Brown (1947-1982) whose work was a seminal voice in the creative renaissance centered around the Black Artist Group of St. Louis, MO, where Ehrlich began his musical journey.  "This musical work is written as a concerto for my long-time colleague J.D. Parran, who takes on the role of narrator and primary improviser (featured on soprano and bass saxophones). The music aims to refract the celebratory imagery of the poem, and to create a range of sound worlds for the poem to be read in," said Ehrlich. "Writing poetry made me want to be an artist even before I decided to pursue music," the artist emphasizes, "and I've been aware of this poem since I was quite young. I didn't know Arthur Brown-he wasn't a joiner, and never became part of the BAG-but I heard him read the poem once, and he was a good friend of J.D.'s. Some of my earliest musical experiences were playing to accompany poetry, roots I share with J.D. "

"Blues for Peace" is a Jazz Orchestra work that asks just that. It moves from a riff driven funk-rock, to an extended blues form in 9/8 rhythm, before returning to its opening feel, and a reflective conclusion. "Like several of my pieces, this is in the long tradition of taking the basic blues sensibility and stretching out the form in one way or another," Ehrlich says. "It didn't really work as part of the original `Rundowns,' but orchestrating it made all of the difference. The nine beats are counted 'Taki-Taki-Taki-Gamela' to use the helpful phrases Karl Berger teaches. "

"Rundowns and Turnbacks" takes a phrase used to describe Robert Johnson's guitar artistry, as a metaphor to look at possibilities in American life through a multi-stylistic musical prism. Each movement has a different orchestration, and each evokes themes both political and personal for Ehrlich.

"M Variations (Melody for Madeleine)" was originally composed for The New York Composer's Orchestra, and is the only piece on the recording not written in the last decade. It is in many ways a piano concerto, with composed sections for piano in the beginning, middle, and end of the piece. It reimagines a theme I wrote for my Traveler's Tales group, for my then young daughter. In this version, the melody is passed between the voices of the orchestra. Before the solo piano conclusion, the piece collages the melodic material over a circular bass line.  Uri Caine is the dynamic interpreter and piano soloist here", said Ehrlich.

www.MartyEhrlich.com

FRANK SINATRA: SINATRA DUETS - TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY

What was referred to as “The Recording Event of the Decade,” Frank Sinatra’s groundbreaking and highly successful album ‘Duets’ was originally released in November 1993, bringing together an array of global superstars, including Charles Aznavour, Anita Baker, Tony Bennett, Bono,   Natalie Cole, Gloria Estefan, Aretha Franklin, Kenny G, Julio Iglesias, Liza Minnelli, Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand, and Luther Vandross for an album of standards that included many songs instantly associated with the Chairman of the Board.

To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the groundbreaking, multi-platinum selling album, Capitol/UMe will release ‘Frank Sinatra: Sinatra Duets - Twentieth Anniversary’, on November 19, 2013, bringing together the original ‘Duets’ and the follow-up ‘Duets II’, together in one deluxe package. ‘Frank Sinatra: Sinatra Duets - Twentieth Anniversary’ will be available in three editions:

Super Deluxe Box Set featuring ‘Duets’ and ‘Duets II’ 180-gram vinyl records in a gatefold LP jacket, two CDs including ‘Duets’ and ‘Duets II’ with bonus and unreleased tracks, a standard DVD featuring interviews, the official EPK and a promo video of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” duet with Bono, plus a 20-page LP sized booklet with rare photos and new liner notes, an embossed lithograph with envelope, all housed in an elegant 12”x12” box complete with a gold foil-stamped title.

Two-CD Deluxe Edition with bonus and unreleased tracks and a 32-page booklet with rare photos and new liner notes.

Two-LP vinyl version of the original ‘Duets’ and ‘Duets II’ releases on 180-gram vinyl, gatefold jacket.

The Super Deluxe Edition and 2-CD Deluxe Edition releases will include two never-before-released recordings, “One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)” featuring Tom Scott and “Embraceable You” with Tanya Tucker, plus the rare bonus tracks “Fly Me to the Moon” with   George Strait, and two versions of “My Way,” one recorded with Luciano Pavarotti and the other with Willie Nelson.

In addition to these three anniversary editions, Capitol/Ume will also release Best Of Duets, a 14-song, single-disc collection featuring key tracks from both ‘Duets’ and ‘Duets II’ and the bonus track “My Way” featuring Luciano Pavarotti.

Sinatra recorded his tracks “live” with a 54-piece orchestra at the Capitol studios, the way he originally recorded his classic Capitol albums. In a pioneering move for the recording industry, at various locations using digital technology, Sinatra’s ‘duet’ partners recorded their own vocal tracks to his recordings, allowing them to virtually ‘duet’ with one of the greatest entertainers of all time. ‘Duets’ made history, not only for its cutting edge recording techniques, and having a renowned contemporary artist, LeRoy Neiman, specially commissioned for album artwork, but for being one of the most successful selling albums of the year, with the album shipping more than 1.3 million units and putting the 77-year-old Sinatra at the No. 2 spot on the Billboard charts, between Pearl Jam’s Vs. and Meatloaf’s Bat Out Of Hell II.

The highly successful follow-up, ‘Duets II’, was released the following year and included Jimmy Buffett, Neil Diamond, Lena Horne, Chrissie Hynde, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Patti LaBelle, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, Luis Miguel, Lorrie Morgan, Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, Jon Secada, Frank Sinatra Jr.,   Stevie Wonder & Gladys Knight. Once again, Sinatra enjoyed a multiplatinum Top 10 record on the charts with ‘Duets II’ at No. 9 on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart.

Even after 50 years of recording, Sinatra continued to blaze a trail for artists and once again cut across all musical genres. These unique recordings are tributes to his legacy and to the immeasurable impact and influence he continues to have on music today.

CONFIGURATIONS:

2-LP VINYL

2-CD DELUXE EDITION

2-LP, 2-CD, DVD SUPER DELUXE

1 CD BEST OF JEWEL CASE

2-LP TRACKLISTING:

 LP 1 (DUETS)

1. The Lady Is A Tramp - duet with Luther Vandross

2. What Now My Love - duet with Aretha Franklin

3. I’ve Got A Crush On You - duet with Barbra Streisand

4. Summer Wind - duet with Julio Iglesias

5. Come Rain Or Come Shine - duet with Gloria Estefan

6. New York, New York - duet with Tony Bennett

7. They Can’t Take That Away From Me - duet with Natalie Cole

8. You Make Me Feel So Young - duet with Charles Aznavour

9. Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry/In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning - duet with Carly Simon

10. I’ve Got The World On A String - duet with Liza Minnelli

11. Witchcraft - duet with Anita Baker

12. I’ve Got You Under My Skin - duet with Bono

13. All The Way / One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) - duet with Kenny G

LP 2 (DUETS II)

1. For Once In My Life - duet with Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder

2. Come Fly With Me - duet with Luis Miguel

3. Bewitched - duet with Patti LaBelle

4. The Best Is Yet To Come - duet with Jon Secada

5. Moonlight In Vermont - duet with Linda Ronstadt

6. Fly Me To The Moon - duet with Antonio Carlos Jobim

7. Luck Be A Lady - duet with Chrissie Hynde

8. A Foggy Day - duet with Willie Nelson

9. Where Or When - duet with Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme

10. Embraceable You - duet with Lena Horne

11. Mack The Knife - duet with Jimmy Buffett

12. How Do You Keep The Music Playing? / My Funny Valentine - duet with Lorrie Morgan

13. My Kind Of Town - duet with Frank Sinatra, Jr.

14. The House I Live In (That’s America To Me) - duet with Neil Diamond

 2-CD TRACKLISTING:

 DISC 1 (DUETS)

1. The Lady Is A Tramp - duet with Luther Vandross

2. What Now My Love - duet with Aretha Franklin

3. I’ve Got A Crush On You - duet with Barbra Streisand

4. Summer Wind - duet with Julio Iglesias

5. Come Rain Or Come Shine - duet with Gloria Estefan

6. New York, New York - duet with Tony Bennett

7. They Can’t Take That Away From Me - duet with Natalie Cole

8. You Make Me Feel So Young - duet with Charles Aznavour

9. Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry / In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning - duet with Carly Simon

10. I’ve Got The World On A String - duet with Liza Minnelli

11. Witchcraft - duet with Anita Baker

12. I’ve Got You Under My Skin - duet with Bono

13. All The Way / One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) - duet with Kenny G

BONUS TRACKS

14. My Way - duet with Luciano Pavarotti

15. *One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) - duet with Tom Scott

*previously unreleased

DISC 2 (DUETS II)

1. For Once In My Life - duet with Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder

2. Come Fly With Me - duet with Luis Miguel

3. Bewitched - duet with Patti LaBelle

4. The Best Is Yet To Come - duet with Jon Secada

5. Moonlight In Vermont - duet with Linda Ronstadt

6. Fly Me To The Moon - duet with Antonio Carlos Jobim

7. Luck Be A Lady - duet with Chrissie Hynde

8. A Foggy Day - duet with Willie Nelson

9. Where Or When - duet with Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme

10. Embraceable You - duet with Lena Horne

11. Mack The Knife - duet with Jimmy Buffett

12. How Do You Keep The Music Playing? / My Funny Valentine - duet with Lorrie Morgan

13. My Kind Of Town - duet with Frank Sinatra, Jr.

14. The House I Live In (That’s America To Me) - duet with Neil Diamond

BONUS TRACKS

15. My Way - duet with Willie Nelson

16. *Embraceable You - duet with Tanya Tucker

17. Fly Me To The Moon - duet with George Strait

*previously unreleased

DVD TRACKLISTING:

 DUETS DVD – 51:08

1. Sinatra: Duets (Electronic Press Kit, 1993)

2. I've Got You Under My Skin -duet with Bono (Music Video)

3. Bonus Interviews

~ sinatrafamily.com

TONY BENNETT CELEBRATES THE RELEASE OF TONY BENNETT LIVE AT THE SAHARA: LAS VEGAS 1964 & COMPLETE COLUMBIA RECORD ALBUM CATALOG ON iTUNES

Tony Bennett invites his fans to join him online for an all-day series of interactive events celebrating the long-awaited release of Tony Bennett Live At The Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964 on Tuesday, October 8.

With his entire Columbia Records catalog--including Tony Bennett Live At The Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964--available digitally for the first time, Tony will video chat with fans in real-time on HuffPost Live, participate in an open forum Q&A on Twitter, answer Facebook questions and more during an epic day in the online world.

The kick off begins at 11:45am ET with a live interview on The Huffington Post's live-streaming network, HuffPost Live (www.HuffPostLive.com), where fans from around the world can engage with Tony in real-time via Google+Hangout or Skype, or leave text or video comments on the HuffPost Live platform that will be incorporated into the live conversation. Follow the event of the day and live stream of comments and questions on Digital.TonyBennett.com.

The 17-time Grammy winner is asking fans to submit their questions now through Facebook and Twitter using hashtag #AskTony and #TonyDigitalDay.

Tony Bennett's online celebration coincides with the long-awaited first-time stand-alone release of Tony Bennett Live At The Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964, an era-defining concert recording, on Tuesday, October 8, 2013. Tony will also be performing on The Today Show and Rachael Ray in support of the album and iTunes catalog launch.

Tony Bennett's fabled Tony Bennett Live At The Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964 performance was originally recorded on April 8, 1964, by Tony's longtime recording engineer Frank Laico, for a Columbia Records concert album.  Shelved for decades, Bennett's epochal '64 Vegas concert recording first materialized as part of the monumental Tony Bennett - The Complete Collection released in celebration of the artist's 85th birthday in 2011 and has never been available on its own.   The New York Times recently commented on Bennett's illustrious career stating, "We aren't likely to see a recording career like this again."

Tony Bennett Live At The Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964 puts the listener ringside for an extraordinary concert at the Sahara's legendary Congo Room in Vegas during the swinging 1960s, where a master performer is laying down an epic set for both the room and the ages.  "Tony was in a dark suit and black bow tie, standing before a shimmering gold curtain with backing by his forever pianist and arranger, Ralph Sharon; Ralph's bassist Hal Gaylord; Ralph's drummer Billy Exiner; and the Louis Basil orchestra," wrote Bob Sullivan in new liner notes for Tony Bennett Live At The Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964. "If you were anywhere else in Las Vegas that night, you were missing it."

The Sahara marquee promised "The Moment of Truth" and Bennett bookended his concert with performances of a song by that name, but it's the show itself that delivers electrifying non-stop entertainment across the album's 24 tracks, which include the classics "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)," "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)," "Ain't Misbehavin'," "Lullaby Of Broadway," "From This Moment On," "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big" and, an emotional interpretation of Tony's signature "I Left My Heart In San Francisco."

Tony Bennett returns to Radio City Music Hall on Friday, October 11 for his first concert at the fabled New York venue since 2007.                                            

Tony Bennett - Live at the Sahara - Las Vegas 1964

1.Overture: The Moment of Truth

2.This Could Be The Start of Something Big

3.It's a Sin to Tell a Lie

4.Ain't Misbehavin'

5.Parody: Rags to Riches

6.Keep Smiling At Trouble (Trouble's A Bubble)

7.Time After Time

8.Sing You Sinners

9.One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)

10.The Rules of the Road

11.One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) (reprise)

12.Mam'selle

13. From This Moment On

14.Interlude

15.I'm Way Ahead of the Game

16.Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)

17.Firefly

18.Once Upon a Time

19.Lullaby of Broadway

20.Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)

21.I Left My Heart In San Francisco

22.I Wanna Be Around

23.I Left My Heart In San Francisco (reprise)

24.Finale: The Moment Of Truth (reprise)

HAITI DIRECT: BIG BAND, MINI JAZZ & TWOUBADOU SOUNDS, 1960-1978

Strut Records is in the process of putting together a new project due in 2014, which is an essential guide to Haitian music of the 1960s and '70s, compiled by Hugo Mendez of Sofrito. Hugo has previously included Haitian nuggets on Sofrito's International Soundclash and Tropical Discotheque collections - on Haiti Direct , he documents original Compas, Mini Jazz and Twoubadou styles on a definitive compilation for the first time. The package features detailed historical information on the selections, artist interviews and plenty of rare photos and album covers.

In a press release, Strut explain that Haiti Direct celebrates the overlooked musical legacy of Haiti, going beyond Ra-ra and voodoo stereotypes to trace the development of a unique sound that echoed across the Caribbean. The exploratory package also includes in-depth liner notes and interviews with some of the musicians of the era, with part of the release’s profits donated to the Partners In Health charity.

For fans of Caribbean music, it's an absolute must. Here is the complete tracklisting

CD1

1. Ibo Combo – Ti Garçon

2. Les Vikings – Choc Vikings

3. Les Animateurs – Ti Machine

4. Les Loups Noirs – Pile Ou Face

5. Rodrigue Milien Et Son Groupe Combite Creole – 6ème Leçon

6. Zotobre Feat. Webert Sicot – Lagen

7. Les Fantaisistes De Carrefour – Panno Caye Nan Bwa D’chenn

8. Bossa Combo – Line

9. Les Pachas Du Canapé Vert – Désordre Musical

10. Ti Paris Et Sa Guitare – Cochon St. Antoine

11. Groupe Les Chleu-chleu – Compas X

12. Ra Ra De Léogane – Gade Moune Yo

13. Tabou Combo – Ce Pas

14. Les Difficiles De Pétion-ville – An Septième

15. Les Frères Dejean – Packard

16. Trio Select – Ensemble Select En Action

CD2

1. Raoul Guillaume – Mal Élevé

2. Super Jazz Des Jeunes – Cote Moune Yo

3. Pierre Blain Et Orchestre Murat Pierre – Jouc Li Jou

4. Ensemble Meridional Des Cayes – Calma Pèlerin

5. Ensemble Etoile Du Soir – Messe Quatre Heures

6. Nemours Jean-baptiste – Ti Carole

7. Orchestre Septentrional – Baptême Ratt

8. Les Ambassadeurs – Homenaje A Los Ambajadores

9. Caribbean Sextet – Suspan’n

10. Djet-x – Jive Turkey

11. Les Shleu Shleu – Crapaud

12. Scorpio Universel – Ti Lu Lu Pe

13. Orchestre Tropicana D’haiti – Pran Pasyans

Haiti Direct will be available on 2XCD, 2XLP and digital formats.

THE JOSHUA SHNEIDER LOVE SPEAKS ORCHESTRA FEATURING LUCY WOODWARD AND DAVE STRYKER

Music has always been the main attraction in Shneider's life. Born in Stamford, CT in 1954, raised in the greater Boston area, and residing in New York since 1974, Shneider is the product of a childhood spent falling in love with his parent's records (sides by Al Hibbler, Cozy Cole, Count Basie, and a record his dad played everyday, A Jazz Salute to Freedom, which featured Bird, Dizzy, Miles, Stan Getz, Ellington, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn and many others), and AM radio, where he heard an incredible variety of music. Shneider elaborated, "Just on 'Hit' radio you could hear Louis Armstrong, Sly Stone, Hugh Masekela, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, The Beatles, Motown, John Coltrane, James Brown, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Cannonball Adderley, Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery and more; just on one station in the space of a couple of hours - it seems crazy now. The music grabbed me and shaped me before I had a reason to think about it; before I even knew about style or influence."

Shneider went on to enjoy a career that has included writing for and playing with some of the most inspiring artists of our time. His compositions and arrangements have been performed and/or recorded by the likes of Donald Brown, James Williams, Bill Pierce, John Abercrombie, George Bohanon, Howard Johnson, John McNeil, Mark Feldman, Christian Howes, Lucy Woodward, The Bill Mobley Jazz Orchestra, The BMI Jazz Orchestra and many others. He has also collaborated on music for the theater with playwrights Eve Ensler and Rosemary Moore, and is a founding member of Pulse, a chamber ensemble of composers and performers dedicated to presenting contemporary music without boundaries. As a saxophonist Shneider has enjoyed associations with a variety of artists from across the musical spectrum, such as Felix Cavaliere, John Sebastian, Geoff Muldaur, Tom Rush, Robbie Dupree, John Hall, Matt Guitar Murphy and The Mighty Sparrow among others. He has also been featured with an array of theater and film artists, which include director Lee Breuer and composer Bob Telson (The Gospel at Colonus, The Warrior Ant, and the recording "Calling You"), and filmmaker Percy Adlon ("Bagdad Cafe", "Hawaiian Gardens"). He has been quoted extensively in the book "Thinking in Jazz-The Infinite Art of Improvisation", by Paul F. Berliner (pub. 1994, Univ. of Chicago Press).

Shneider's extensive experience, which includes early studies with George Coleman, and the influence of his esteemed friend and neighbor, the late, legendary jazz pianist, James Williams ("I was already familiar with James' playing, but hearing him practice through the floor was a whole other story-thrilling and disconcerting as well. Being exposed to that level of musicianship every day inspired me to go back to school and get my writing together), has led him to the release of his first recording under his own name, The Joshua Shneider Love Speaks Orchestra. The artist explains, "I have been working in an acoustic, large ensemble setting for the pieces that I have been writing for quite a few years now. This setting is based on a combination of the traditional big band and studio orchestra instrumentations. Rather than 'bigger and louder', I am drawn to the rich harmonic possibilities as well as the available tonal colors of this ensemble. I also prize the 'chance' and 'human elements' of the ensemble; from the improvised solo to the interactions of the various personalities that shape the music and combine to create a unique hybrid of it's parts.

The Joshua Shneider Love Speaks Orchestra, Shneider's working band for the past five years, features an array of some of the New York scene's finest musicians, including Dave Stryker, John O'Gallagher, David Smith, Alex Norris, Dan Pratt, Lucy Woodward and others. "I am continually grateful for the caliber of the players that choose to play my music; it is not easy to play and I am proud and more than satisfied with the recorded result! This project represents the culmination of years of work written specifically for the individual members of the ensemble", said Shneider.

The album tracks:

"Big Whup" - Shneider wrote this composition after listening to the soundtrack of the film, "Black Orpheus". He explains, "There is a wonderful tune by Jobim called 'Frevo' performed by a marching band, which was the inspiration. I tried to invoke the Samba School vibe and get my own thing in there as well. Dig the way John O'Gallagher dialogues with the band before he boldly sets out for parts unknown."

"Dark Energy" - Shneider envisioned for this tune a kind of stretched out, floating melody juxtaposed on top of a background that would feel like it was sinking. Seems like some Herbie Hancock and Al Jackson snuck in there somehow, as well.

"When Love Speaks" - This tune was inspired by the title. Shneider explains, "I had gone to hear the incredible Jeveeta Steele sing one night in NYC-I had worked with her and The J.D. Steele Singers doing "The Gospel at Colonus". We were chatting after the show and Jeveeta's sister said something along the lines of, "that's love talkin' to ya". A light went off in my head and that stuck with me. I wrote the tune and handed it off to Finian McKean who wove his own evocative narrative through it. In fact, I liked his lyric so much I named the band after it. I was hearing Lucy's voice in my head as I wrote the melody.

"Blue To You" - "I think of this as a blues in sheep's clothing, as it were. The high point for me is Dan Pratt's intrepid tenor solo, he has an amazing sound, and it helps that he also plays all the right notes!"

"Lover's Leap" - "This is one of the only tunes I've written over the chord changes of a standard, namely 'Lover' (get it?) by Rogers and Hart. I wore out Sonny Rollins' beyond-breakneck version of it, titled 'B Swift'. I set the melody in an Afro-Cuban groove as a feature for David Smith on trumpet and Frank Basile on baritone saxophone."

"Lost In The Stars" - David Berger, the bandleader and Ellington scholar, and a teacher of Shneider's suggested he write a small group version of this tune when he was in school. Alex Norris spins out a beautiful personal solo.

"Twinsville" - "This tune made itself known to me as a melody first. The counter lines I was hearing dictated the harmonic direction of the piece. That's a real Wurlitzer that Bennett Paster is so ably playing. The title refers to the town I live in; if only in my mind."

"The Hurting Kind" - An unabashed homage to Shneider's favorite pop divas of the 1960s, particularly Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield, as well as great songwriters like Burt Bacharach and Hal David. "I wrote this after one of my frequent periods of listening to 'Anyone Who Had a Heart' about 20 times in a row."

"One Flight Down" - The title refers to pianist James Williams who lived in the apartment below Shneider and his family for many years and, in particular, "his laugh, which was formidable", said Shneider. "When James was home he spent a lot of time on the phone keeping in touch with his legions of friends, and every so often a laugh would erupt through the floorboards that would shake the house. When I put the piece together I was thinking of the groove that Elvin Jones plays on Gil Evans' 'Time of the Barracudas'. I love the way John O'Gallagher builds his solo, from his wry comments at the beginning to the blazing fireworks at the end".

"Cute Little Nightmare" - "The origin of the title to this tune was an off-the-cuff quip my wife made a while back. Someone had remarked that one of our kids was 'so cute', to which she replied, 'yeah, a cute little nightmare. Must have been the sleep deprivation talking . . . When I started putting together this recording I knew I had to include guitarist Dave Stryker. Dave was one of the first musicians I met and played with when I came to NYC, and I immediately knew he was a very special player.

"Friction" - "The genesis of this tune was an idea I had to write an ostinato bass figure and then vary the harmonic structure above it. I also wanted to keep the feeling of the tune a bit unsettled, so I wrote the melody in a different tonality from the bass line. The way Stryker develops his solo reminds me of a hang glider stepping off into the void and catching an updraft into the clouds. We also hear from Justin Mullens on trumpet, a wonderful soloist with a very individual sound and conception; he takes the road less traveled."

"Completing this project has been a milestone and an incredible experience for me. Although I have been a working musician for many years, this is the first recording I'll have out under my own name. I feel that I've been able to draw on my various experiences as a sideman, writer and arranger, and fly on the wall to present a musical snapshot of where I've been and an inkling of where I hope to continue to go. For the future, I hope to expand on the areas that I feel are bearing fruit for me now and to explore new directions and concepts that are important to me as an artist", Joshua Shneider.

www.JoshuaShneider.com

www.BJURecords.com