JON IRABAGON TRIO WITH MARK HELIAS / BARRY ALTSCHUL - IT TAKES ALL KINDS

Jon Irabagon and Barry Altschul continue their musical partnership, this time behind eight of Irabagon's brand new originals, featuring Altschul's longtime rhythm teammate and bass virtuoso Mark Helias. It Takes All Kinds was recorded live at the Peitz Festival in Germany in June 2013 and will be released via a partnership between Irabagon's new Irabbagast Records and Germany's Jazzwerkstatt label.

Irabagon and Altschul's recorded work started with one of 2010's most celebrated recordings, Foxy (Hot Cup), and recently continued with Altschul's TUM Records release The 3Dom Factor. Altschul states, "The Foxy project was about keeping up an constant energy flow, in and out of defined time. With this new project, I'm freer and able to be more conceptual, catapulted by the directions of the compositions. I feel I use the entirety of my musical vocabulary, as do Jon and Mark. It's very liberating."

"Barry has been an inspiration to me ever since I bought Dave Holland's Conference of the Birds back in high school," Irabagon says. "His complete integration of the drum set and percussion instruments was a revelation, and for this record I wanted to make sure that some of his percussion options were available." The quicksilver interaction between that percussion and saxophone is on full display on tunes like Wherewithal and Vestiges, while the trio's ability to move like-mindedly and shift gears between uptempo swing and open, free time can be found on songs like Quintessential Kitten and Cutting Corners. All of these new compositions were written with Altschul and Helias in mind and provide open-ended jumping off points for group improvisation. Both the opener, Wherewithal, and the closer, Pause and Flip, feature compositional sections that blend seamlessly into open improvisations. Wherewithal draws from 20th century minimalism-the main improvisation section features an open Altschul solo over minutely shifting repeated lines from sax and bass.

This marriage of composition and improvisation is a top priority in this trio. "If Conference of the Birds was a catalyst for the open-minded music I would gravitate towards starting in high school, Mark Helias' record New School really keyed me in on the level of subtle interaction a consistently working trio can achieve. Seeing this growth in my own music on gigs and tours has been incredible."  The group's empathetic interaction is evident in the opening solo of Vestiges, where Irabagon and Altschul dovetail in and out of short solo phrases.  On Quintessential Kitten, bass wizard Helias and Irabagon trade open-ended phrases before Irabagon takes off on a stunning, spur-of-the-moment circular-breathing sixteenth note barrage.

Altschul and Helias have been a solid rhythm team since the late '70s, when they released several records as part of the Barry Altschul Trio. "Though I came to their music separately, I knew Barry and Mark have played together a lot, and I wanted to be in the middle of that interaction," Irabagon says. Altschul adds, "Playing with Mark is easy for me. We are able to move and change directions easily due to Mark being very flexible with a very large musical vocabulary and musical taste, as well as having the technique to play whatever he hears. Most importantly, whatever style of music is being played, Mark swings." This swagger is found in the Arabic-fueled Unconditional (where Altschul takes an open drum intro that references the entire history of the drums' role in jazz and improvised music), the medium bounce of Cutting Corners, the odd-metered Elusive and the understated, wide interval and chord extension-utilizing accompaniment of Sunrise.

Helias has plenty of room to showcase his diverse array of expression-various articulations, wide range slides, high and low extended techniques, masterful bow work and in-depth 20th century classical music and counterpoint knowledge-throughout the record, but nowhere more than on his two features, Elusive and Sunrise. On Cutting Corners, Helias gracefully pulls the kinetic energy that Irabagon leaves at the end of his solo down, while he prods both Irabagon and Altschul on the program closer Pause and Flip during the extended solo sections, drawing unique group improvisations from them. Irabagon states, "Many of the magical moments here were completely unplanned and have never happened before or since." The impromptu jump swing section in Wherewithal, the simultaneous high harmonics in the bass and melodic sax multiphonics in Elusive and the use of almost four octaves on sax on Cutting Corners are all unique moments from this concert from an 800 year old castle in rural Germany.

On this record, the third release on Irabbagast Records and the first collaboration with Jazzwerkstatt, Irabagon continues his search for all-inclusive, boundary-stretching improvisation, bringing together this coveted rhythm team for the first time on record in over twenty years.

Winner of the Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition and recently named Rising Star Tenor Saxophonist in DownBeat Magazine, Jon Irabagon launched his own record label, Irabbagast Records, in November 2012, releasing Outright! Unhinged and I Don't Hear Nothin' but the Blues Volume 2 simultaneously to rave reviews.  He was recently named one of New York City's 25 Jazz Icons by Time Out NY, and has recently been touring with the Dave Douglas Quintet, the Mary Halvorson Quintet and Mostly Other People Do the Killing.

Mark Helias is a renowned bassist and composer who has performed throughout the world for more than three decades. A prolific composer, Helias has written music for two feature films as well as chamber pieces and works for large ensemble and big band. He has over 12 albums as a leader to his credit. His trio, Open Loose with Tony Malaby and Tom Rainey, has become an archetypal improvising ensemble on the New York scene. He continues performing and recording with BassDrumBone, a three-decade-long collaboration with Gerry Hemingway and Ray Anderson. Mr. Helias performs solo bass concerts and can also be heard in the innovative bass duo, "The Marks Brothers," with fellow bassist Mark Dresser.

Barry Altschul has been a force in the creative music scene for over five decades. His initial work with the Paul Bley Trio led to his involvement with Chick Corea, Anthony Braxton and Dave Holland in the legendary group Circle, which released several albums on ECM. Also a part of the ARC trio, the Dave Holland Quartet, Anthony Braxton Quartet and the Sam Rivers Trio, Altschul effortlessly draws from all genres of the creative music spectrum, calling to mind Beaver Harris' phrase "from ragtime to no time." Altschul released his first album as a leader last year on TUM Records, with two more on the way.

http://www.jonirabagon.com 

http://www.jazzwerkstatt.eu

FUNK AND GROOVE FROM CRAIG HANDY & 2ND LINE SMITH

On Craig Handy's OKeh Records debut, Craig Handy & 2nd Line Smith, funk and groove supply the motive and the motivation. The album, available now on OKeh Records, is the saxophonist's first recording as a leader in more than a decade. The repertoire consists of 10 numbers from the songbook of Jimmy Smith - the founder of modern jazz organ expression, a creative inspiration that evolved from Handy's realization several years ago that his distinguished resume included no opportunities "to cut my teeth with any of the great organ players." As an added---and surprising---turn, Handy's reinterpretation of Smith's work includes rhythm and grooves derived from the tight second-line funk of New Orleans.

  

For his band Handy recruited soul jazz specialists Kyle Koehler on Hammond B-3 and Matt Chertkoff on guitar (both New Jersey neighbors and members of his working band), sousaphone virtuoso Clark Gayton, and well known New Orleans drummers Jason Marsalis, Herlin Riley and Ali Jackson. Trumpet virtuoso Wynton Marsalis, singer Dee Dee Bridgewater and blues singer-guitarist Clarence Spady make their trademark appearances on the record as well.

  

In approaching the session, Handy recalls, "I realized that two of Jimmy's hits-'The Cat' and 'High Heel Sneakers'-used modified second-line rhythms. A light bulb went off in my head. I said, 'That's it-we'll do a Jimmy Smith record in the second-line vein.' New Orleans is one of the furnaces that jazz comes from, and I saw no need to change my stripes to suit the style."

Nor do Handy's colleagues. Koehler, a Philadelphian, is intimate not only with Smith's entire corpus, but also with the vocabularies of Philly contemporaries Don Patterson, Shirley Scott, and Charles Earland. Handy observes that Chertkoff effectively channels "the mood and vibe of Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, and Quentin Warren," who are among the most eminent of the guitarists who served as Smith's foils during his years with Blue Note and Verve. There is no busier low-end brass player in New York than Gayton, Handy's band mate in the Mingus Big Band since the mid '90s. "Matt and Kyle serve as the jazz element, keeping us honest as a modern jazz quintet," Handy says. "Clark and the drummers add the second line element, and I straddle both."

In a sense, Craig Handy & 2nd Line Smith marks the first time that Handy has coalesced all of these influences into a unified statement. In part, he credits Bridgewater, a frequent employer since 2010, who sings "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" in her inimitably saucy manner: "Playing with Dee Dee, watching her assume a different role for every song, has rubbed off on me," Handy says. "A singer has to sell the song, and Dee Dee becomes that song every time. Ten years ago, I wouldn't have had the chutzpah to pull off this project. I would have been too self-conscious, concerned about how people perceive me. I wasn't musically ready to handle this kind of project, though I've been heading here for 25 years. Now this seems like the hippest thing I've ever done. As long as I stay in the groove of the beat, I can play anything I hear, be it angular or abstract, and it will sound cool over the bands foundation. Just talking about it is making me excited-I can't wait to get to the next gig-we have so much fun on the bandstand!"

Craig Handy ·  Craig Handy & 2nd Line Smith  ·  Release Date: January 21, 2014

BRIAN CULBERTSONS' ANOTHER LONG NIGHT FEATURES A WHO'S WHO LIST OF TOP NOTCH MUSICIANS

Twenty years in the making, the album multi-instrumentalist hitmaker Brian Culbertson wanted to record ever since he was a 20-year-old music student at DePaul University recording demos in the bedroom of the crowded Chicago apartment on Fullerton Avenue above a costume shop that he shared with three roommates is finally ready for release. Joined by some of the most accomplished musicians in contemporary jazz, Culbertson completely reimagined the eleven songs he wrote and produced for his debut disc, “Long Night Out.” “Another Long Night Out” will be available in stores and online February 25th with Amazon and iTunes now accepting pre-orders. Culbertson will autograph albums pre-ordered through his website (www.BrianCulbertson.me).

The low-budget demos on which Culbertson played most of the instruments himself resulted in his first record deal and became his debut album. It is fitting that the entirely re-envisioned production serves as the first release from his BCM Entertainment label.  

Culbertson’s 14th collection, “Another Long Night Out” is prefaced with the release of “Fullerton Ave.,” which will be the highest new single to debut on next week’s Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart. A video of the sprawling jazz jam led by Culbertson on piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, keyboards, slap bass, trombone and tambourine and a towering inferno of lead guitar from Chuck Loeb premiered yesterday on Culbertson’s YouTube page (www.youtube.com/brianculbertsonmusic). The clip showcases an all-star ensemble - Paul Jackson Jr., Michael “Patches” Stewart, Eric Marienthal, Jimmy Haslip and Will Kennedy – recording the cut in the studio along with a montage of shots of the Chicago skyline and the city’s locales frequented by Culbertson, including his college apartment.  

“‘Another Long Night Out’ is a return to my creative roots and reflects my love of instrumental contemporary jazz. To help realize my vision, I gathered many of the legendary musicians that inspired me to make this kind of music in the first place. People like Lee Ritenour, Chuck Loeb, Nathan East, Russ Freeman, Jonathan Butler, Candy Dulfer, Jimmy Haslip, Rick Braun, Eric Marienthal, Larry Dunn, Steve Lukather, Ricky Lawson, David Benoit and many, many more joined me in the studio. This is the project that I’ve wanted to do for many years and I’ve finally done it,” said Culbertson, an award-winning radio favorite and concert headliner who has amassed 26 No. 1 hits as an artist, producer and songwriter.

“Another Long Night Out” will be supported by record release events, in-store appearances and concert dates.

Culbertson is also a lifestyle curator who created the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway, a star-studded wine and jazz festival that will take place for the third time June 11-15, 2014 drawing thousands of music and wine lovers from around the world to Napa, Calif. He will soon unveil his own wine, a Pinot Noir blended in partnership with Reata Wines and Jamieson Ranch Vineyards. For more information, please visit www.BrianCulbertson.me.

The songs that comprise Culbertson’s “Another Long Night Out” are:

“City Lights” featuring Lee Ritenour

“Fullerton Ave.” featuring Chuck Loeb

“Beyond The Frontier”

“Heroes Of The Dawn” featuring Eric Marienthal & Rick Braun

“Beautiful Liar” featuring Steve Lukather

“Double Exposure” featuring Russ Freeman

“Twilight” featuring Eric Marienthal

“Horizon” featuring Michael “Patches” Stewart

“Alone With You”

“Long Night Out” featuring Candy Dulfer

“Changing Tides” featuring Jonathan Butler

NEW RELEASES: BOSSACUCANOVA - OUR KIND OF BOSSA; ACE LIVINGSTON - MY METAMORPHOSIS; KONSTANTIN IONENKO QUINTET - DEEP IMMERSION

BOSSACUCANOVA - OUR KIND OF BOSSA

As the world is getting ready to put all eyes on Brazil for this year's World Cup, one of the country's own musical treasures, BossaCucaNova will set the stage with their brand new release of Our Kind Of Bossa on February 18 (Six Degrees Records). The eleven tracks are an irresistible fusion of the electro-bossa nova that the group is known and loved for, as well as a heavy dose of danceable, sexy samba, synonymous with the country's culture. This year also marks the band's fifteenth anniversary of founding members, Marcio Menescal (son of bossa nova pioneer Roberto Menescal), DJ Marcelinho DaLua and producer/sound engineer Alex Moreira.  In its various forms, BossaCucaNova rotates from three to five to seven members. "After 15 years on the road, we are more than a big band- we are a large family!" says Menescal. The current line-up has been together for over a decade now: DJ DaLua, Moreira on keyboards, and Menescal on bass, along with percussionist Dado Brother and vocalist Cris Delanno. The band also rotates in other great musicians and partners on guitars, vocals, sax and flute. ~ six degrees

ACE LIVINGSTON - MY METAMORPHOSIS

"Ace Livingston's dynamic and infectious My Metamorphosis is a rich invitation into his musical life and emotional frame of mind as he makes some powerful transitions. Vibing brilliantly with the old school keyboard vibes of his producer, Chris "Big Dog" Davis, and other veteran musicians like guitarist Jonathan Dubose, Jr., the melodic, super grooving bassist offers an exciting versatility, drawing from R&B, jazz, gospel and world music to create a masterful journey about his life. Sidemen as successful as he is can easily just cruise through their careers saving their magic in the service of other people, but we urban jazz fans are blessed that he has stepped outside the box and opened up his world." ~cduniverse

KONSTANTIN IONENKO QUINTET - DEEP IMMERSION

Konstantin Ionenko Quintet – is an excellent example of modern European jazz sound performed by some of the best Ukrainian musicians, who create an original mood and atmosphere of a fascinating mixture of modern creative, post bop and contemporary jazz.  Musicians: Dmitri Shlelein: alto saxophone; Dennis Adu: trumpet, flugelhorn; Pavel Litvinenko: piano; Konstantin Ionenko: bass; andPavel Galitsky: drums. Songs: Yellow Greenwich; Barracuda; Devoted; Deep Dive; Sect; Invisible; and Megapolis Distress (CFS).

MILES DAVIS AT THE FILLMORE - MILES DAVIS 1970: THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 3 TO BE RELEASED MARCH 25, 2014

Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3" to be released March 25, 2014. Miles Davis' historic four-night stand at promoter Bill Graham's legendary Fillmore East in New York City, June 17-20, 1970, is presented in its entire full-length unedited form for the first time as MILES AT THE FILLMORE – Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3. The four-CD box set will be available everywhere on March 25th through Columbia/Legacy.

At one of the most crucial moments in jazz and rock history, two months after the release of Miles' groundbreaking double-LP Bitches Brew in April 1970, he was beginning to discover – and be discovered by – the burgeoning rock audience that came of age in the late 1960s.  Miles, inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006, the only jazz artist and only solely instrumental artist ever inducted, had started listening to the funk of James Brown, Sly & the Family Stone, the Chambers Brothers, and Jimi Hendrix, not to mention the Beatles. Bitches Brew was a turning point for jazz and rock.  Bill Graham had a long history of presenting jazz artists at the Fillmores (Charles Lloyd, John Handy, and Roland Kirk among them) but it was Miles who carried rock audiences to a new plateau.

In October 1970, Columbia Records released the 2-LP set Miles Davis At Fillmore, which consisted of performances culled from the four nights of shows at the Fillmore East (where Miles opened for fellow Columbia artist Laura Nyro).  At that time the shows were edited to fit the LP format.  The full unedited shows are now presented for the first time yielding 100-plus minutes of previously unreleased music. 

The three additional bonus tracks add another 35 minutes of music, released here for the first time, recorded in April 1970, at the Fillmore West in San Francisco (where Graham put Miles and band on a bill with the Grateful Dead and Stone The Crows).  MILES AT THE FILLMORE – Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3 now contains 135 minutes of previously unreleased music.

The extensively researched 36-page booklet that accompanies the box set contains a number of specially written pieces.  These provide a context for Miles' musical transformations in the turbulence of the Fillmore rock epoch, as the psychedelic era of the late-1960s segued into the politically-charged intersection of the anti-war movement, Black Power, and the rise of funk:

•An eloquent and authoritative 2,200-word first-hand account by Carlos Santana (as told to author Ashley Kahn), examining Miles' complex place in the pantheon of jazz, funk and rock, and his intriguing relationship with Bill Graham during the near two-year span that Miles played shows at the Fillmores;

•An introductory Producers' Note written by reissue producers Richard Seidel and Michael Cuscuna, providing a concise overview of Miles' Fillmore period and the project itself, its correlation with the original Columbia double-LP, especially the additional 100 minutes of unreleased music from the shows, and 35 minutes of unreleased music on the bonus tracks;

•An illuminating 2,500-word chronologic essay by Cuscuna, who was also a first-hand witness (as a disc jockey on New York's influential WPLJ-FM) to Miles' development at the time, further underscoring progressive underground FM radio and the late-'60s rock generation's discovery of Miles at this crucial turn of his career.

With the release of his groundbreaking double-LP Bitches Brew on Columbia just two months earlier in April 1970, Miles was front-page news around the world.  He was leading a quintet lineup that included Chick Corea on electric piano, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Jack DeJohnette (all of whom had been at the core of the Bitches Brew sessions recorded in August 1969), plus two members who had played on studio sessions since November, 1969 and then joined the touring band in February and April of 1970 respectively – tenor and soprano saxophonist Steve Grossman, and percussionist, flutist and vocalist Airto Moreira.

At the Fillmore East, they were joined by none other than Keith Jarrett on organ and tambourine, during the historic three month period when both Jarrett and Corea manned the keyboards for Miles.  Jarrett had just played on some key Miles studio sessions in the weeks before the Fillmore East shows, and would continue to be a member of the band until late 1971, also performing on Miles' remaining two Fillmore stints – at Fillmore West in October 1970, and May 1971.

The four-CD box set devotes one disc to each of the four nights that Miles and his group performed at the Fillmore East.  As issued on the original Columbia double-LP in 1970 (Miles Davis At Fillmore, currently available on double-CD as C2K 65139) the music, whose original set lengths ranged from 46 minutes to nearly one hour, was edited by producer Teo Macero to accommodate a seamless sampling of music from each night on each of the four LP sides.  Furthermore, no song titles were listed, and the LP sides were simply labeled "Wednes­day Miles," "Thursday Miles," "Friday Miles," and "Saturday Miles."  To paraphrase a review of the double-LP in Variety at the time, "the only label that can be placed on this program is that it's Miles Davis music."

In a rare, in-depth 1970 interview for rock magazine Zygote, it was reported that Miles, while listening to the concert playback, was "so excited about the music that he wanted every set, every note made available to the public..."  Back in April, Rolling Stone critic Vince Aletti praised Miles' [March] debut at the Fillmore East: "He came out looking and sounding tight and steely-hard, knees bent and horn raised, like a heavy spring under tension."

For 2014's MILES AT THE FILLMORE – Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3, the producers returned to the original remote live recording tapes, produced by Macero and engineered by Stan Tonkel.  On each of the four nights, Miles and his group shook the rafters with high-volume performances of four staples (and the half-minute closer, "The Theme"):

•"Directions" (which he first recorded in the studio in November 1968, and played every night from 1969 to '71, but  was not issued on record until 1980);

•"The Mask" (described by Santana, "[it] made you feel like you were in an Alfred Hitchcock movie and something's about to happen and you can't get out of the way," it was a new tune that Miles recorded two weeks before these Fillmore East shows, at the tail end of the four-month long Jack Johnson sessions);

•"It's About That Time" (from the In A Silent Way album of early 1969); and

•"Bitches Brew" (lean and muscular versions in the 10 to 14-minute range, that did not sacrifice any of the 

funk power of the original 27-minute album version, probably the first Miles record purchased by most of the Fillmore rock fans).

As Miles and the Fillmore East audiences warmed up to each other, and the sets grew to nearly an hour in length, additional tunes were heard.  On the second night, Miles played an encore (an extremely rare occurrence), "Spanish Key" from Bitches Brew. On both the third and fourth nights, Miles followed up "It's 

About That Time" with the same two songs: the World War II evergreen "I Fall In Love Too Easily" (associated with Frank Sinatra, recorded by Miles on 1963's Seven Steps To Heaven) and the Wayne Shorter composition "Sanctuary" (from Bitches Brew).  On the fourth night, Miles added "Willie Nelson," which he had recorded in February at the start of the Jack Johnson sessions.

For the bonus tracks, the producers judiciously chose three songs from the April 1970 Fillmore West shows that were in the band's repertoire, but were not performed at the Fillmore East in June.  On disc one, "Wayne Shorter's 'Paraphernalia' and 'Footprints'," the producers note, "are from the earlier acoustic repertoire and Miles was to soon stop per­forming them."  (In fact, "Paraphernalia" dates from 1968's Miles In the Sky, and "Footprints" dates from 1966's Miles Smiles.)  On disc three, a 13-minute live version of the Jimi Hendrix-influenced "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down" rivals the 14-minute original on Bitches Brew.

MILES AT THE FILLMORE – Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3 is the third entry in the Miles Davis Bootleg Series of previously unreleased (or only bootlegged) live performances.  Each volume is produced for release by multiple Grammy Award® winners Richard Seidel and Michael Cuscuna, and co-produced by multiple Grammy Award® winner Steve Berkowitz.  MILES AT THE FILLMORE was mixed by Grammy Award® winner Dave Darlington.  Executive Producers for the Miles Davis Estate are Erin Davis, Cheryl Davis and Vince Wilburn, Jr.  Restorations are mastered by multiple Grammy Award® winner Mark Wilder at Battery Studios in New York City with Maria Triana. The first two titles in the series comprised:

•Miles Davis Quintet - Live In Europe 1967:  The Bootleg Series Vol. 1 (released September 2011), a 3-CD + DVD package spanning five northern European festival performances over nine days in October-November 1967, by Miles' "second great Quintet" that included Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass), and Tony Williams (drums), the most acclaimed historic jazz box set of 2011, recipient of a "5-star" review from Down Beat magazine, voted Historical Album of the Year in the Down Beat Readers and Critics Poll, #1 reissue in both the Critics and Readers polls of JazzTimes magazine, and voted Best Historical or Boxed Set by the Jazz Journalists Association; and

•Miles Davis Quintet – Live In Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2 (released January 2013), a 3-CD + DVD package capturing Miles' short-lived "third great quintet" with Wayne Shorter (tenor and soprano saxophone), Chick Corea (piano and electric piano), Dave Holland (acoustic bass and electric bass), and Jack DeJohnette (drums), in performances at the Antibes Jazz Festival in France, then Stockholm and Berlin, also voted Historical Album of the Year in the Down Beat Readers and Critics Poll, and #1 reissue in both the Critics and Readers polls of JazzTimes magazine.

"The sound of Miles at the Fillmore," Carlos Santana told Ashley Kahn of those seriously tripped-out times, "was the sound of the Black Panthers.  It was the sound of Vietnam.  It was the sound of the protesting and the beatings and the shootings.  It was the sound of the hippies and fighting in the streets and consciousness revolution… You can hear that anger and darkness and the craziness of everything that was still in the air from the '60s when this music was made.  The '60s were over and they also weren't, you know?

"If ever there was a time when a rock audience was willing to open their ears and hear some great modern jazz like the kind Miles was creating, it was at the Fillmore… [Bill Graham] created that environment consciously and honestly and brutally, and got a new generation to hear the beauty in this music.  That was the deal: if you want to hear Steve Miller or Neil Young or Santana, you've got to hear Miles Davis."

MILES AT THE FILLMORE – Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3

Disc One (Fillmore East, Wednesday, June 17, 1970) – Selections: 1. Introduction by Bill Graham * 2. Directions * 3. The Mask * 4. It's About That Time * 5. Bitches Brew * 6. The Theme * Bonus tracks (Fillmore West, April 11, 1970): 7. Paraphernalia * 8. Footprints.

Disc Two (Fillmore East, Thursday, June 18, 1970) – Selections: 1. Directions * 2. The Mask * 3. It's About That Time * 4. Bitches Brew * 5. The Theme * 6. Spanish Key (Encore) * 7. The Theme.

Disc Three (Fillmore East, Friday, June 19, 1970) – Selections: 1. Directions * 2. The Mask * 3. It's About That Time * 4. I Fall In Love Too Easily * 5. Sanctuary * 6. Bitches Brew * 7. The Theme * Bonus track (Fillmore West, April 11, 1970): 8. Miles Runs The Voodoo Down.

Disc Four (Fillmore East, Saturday, June 20, 1970) – Selections: 1. Directions * 2. The Mask * 3. It's About That Time * 4. I Fall In Love Too Easily * 5. Sanctuary * 6. Bitches Brew * 7. Willie Nelson * 8. The Theme.

All selections are previously unissued.

Note: All Fillmore East selections originally issued in edited form on the double-LP, Miles Davis: At Fillmore (Columbia 30038, released October 28, 1970).

legacyrecordings.com

JAZZ AND THE PHILHARMONIC FEATURING BOBBY MCFERRIN, CHICK COREA, DAVE GRUSIN, TERENCE BLANCHARD

JAZZ AND THE PHILHARMONIC is a one-of-a-kind concert project conceived by music producer and impresario Larry Rosen featuring a star-studded roster of award-winning jazz and classical artists performing iconic compositions by legendary composers. This historic event is a collaboration of four major national arts organizations--the National YoungArts Foundation, which identifies and mentors the nation's most outstanding young artists; the University of Miami's Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music, home of the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra; the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, one of the country's leading performing arts presenters; and JAZZ ROOTS: A Larry Rosen Jazz Series. The all-star concert event was presented and filmed at the 2,000-seat John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center on January 11, 2013. 

The JAZZ AND THE PHILHARMONIC recorded program produced by Rosen, and executive produced by the National YoungArts Foundation, will be broadcast nationally on PBS TV stations premiering on February 28, 2014, and will be released internationally on CD/DVD and digitally by SONY Masterworks' OKeh Records on February 25, 2014.

 

 The program features 10-time GRAMMY® Award-winning vocalist and YoungArts Master Teacher Bobby McFerrin; 20-time GRAMMY® award-winning virtuoso pianist Chick Corea; 12-time GRAMMY® and Oscar-winning pianist/composer Dave Grusin; five-time GRAMMY® Award-winning and YoungArts alumnus trumpeter Terence Blanchard who is also the artistic director for the Henry Mancini Institute. In addition, the program features two-time GRAMMY® award winning violinist Mark O'Connor, whose career has been based on the intersection of classical music and American folk music; Met opera star and YoungArts alumnus Eric Owens; classical pianist and YoungArts alumna Elizabeth Joy Roe; choreographer, dancer and YoungArts alumnus Desmond Richardson; three-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated Frost School of Music Dean, Music Director, pianist, arranger and YoungArts Master Teacher Shelly Berg; and the Frost School of Music's acclaimed Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, conducted by resident conductor Scott Flavin.

  

Two years in the making from concept to broadcast, the project harkens back to seventy years ago when producer and impresario Norman Granz expanded the scope of the jazz audience from clubs to classical concert halls, staging an all-star jazz concert at the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles. The July 1944 show marked the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concert that grew into an institution with Granz assembling internationally touring ensembles for the next four decades. In February 2014 this project will expand on the concept by bringing together world-class artists, composers, arrangers, and a full size philharmonic orchestra to audiences around the planet.

  

The CD/DVD and PBS Network special was shot in HD and mixed in Dolby 5.1 surround sound. Audio recording was supervised by 15-time GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer/producer the late Phil Ramone who passed away shortly after the recording of this project. The program is dedicated to the memory of Phil Ramone.

 

QUOTES:

Larry Rosen - Producer: "This project was the culmination of our JAZZ ROOTS' 5th anniversary of presenting major concerts and education programs to music fans across the nation. Having iconic award winning artists, world class emerging artists, and the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra on the stage together in one of the best acoustic halls in the world is a reason for celebration... and then documenting this one-of-a-kind event for a PBS primetime broadcast and a major CD/DVD, iTunes release on SONY Masterworks, OKeh Records, is the culmination of a night to be remembered!"

Terence Blanchard - Trumpet virtuoso, YoungArts Alumnus and Artistic Director of the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra: "I was part of YoungArts when it first started. To have such a formal organization acknowledge you as a young artist, saying that you have talent, and you can be here if you do this, was a great motivating factor for me."

Paul T. Lehr - President & CEO, National YoungArts Foundation: "We are thrilled to partner with such esteemed institutions and world class artists, some of whom are YoungArts Master Teachers, and who alongside our talented YoungArts alumni created a rare and inspiring performance. We've collaborated on JAZZ ROOTS concerts in the past and we look forward to continuing this relationship in the future."

John Richard - CEO, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts: "Jazz and the Philharmonic was a truly historic moment in American music history that was only possible with the incredibly enthusiastic cooperation of four musical institutions. The concert represents Miami's growing status as a music destination and is a testament to the power of music to unite us all. The Arsht Center marks this concert among the highlights of our five-year history presenting Jazz Roots."

Shelly Berg - Dean of the Frost School of Music, award-winning pianist and arranger: "Jazz and the Philharmonic is an example of what can happen when great organizations collaborate. The combined resources of the National YoungArts Foundation, Larry Rosen's Jazz Roots, The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, and the Frost School of Music's Henry Mancini Institute resulted in a thrilling, one-of-a-kind evening that would be hard to replicate anywhere. Jazz and classical artists melded their talents together... and it worked! Genre labels and stereotypes disappeared and all that remained was great music, in the moment and full of surprises. You would be hard-pressed to find another orchestra to so seamlessly and convincingly turn 'on a dime' from one genre and style to another."

Chuck Mitchell - Senior Vice-President, Sony Music Masterworks U.S.: "We're delighted to release the CD and DVD of this singular event which brings together such wonderful musicians in a unique expression of collaborative art. Congratulations to everyone who made it happen."

Disc 1 (CD)

1. Autumn Leaves - Bobby McFerrin, Chick Corea, Dave Grusin

2. Fugue in C Minor - Eric Owens, Terence Blanchard *

3. Spanish Suite - Chick Corea, Eric Owens, Terence Blanchard *

4. Simple Gifts - Dave Grusin, Mark O'Connor

5. Mountain Dance - Dave Grusin, Mark O'Connor *

6. Soloings 1 - Bobby McFerrin

7. The Man I Love - Elizabeth Joy Roe, Shelly Berg

8. Solfeggietto - Elizabeth Joy Roe, Terence Blanchard *

9. Charade - Terence Blanchard *

Disc 2 (DVD)

1. Autumn Leaves - Bobby McFerrin, Chick Corea, Dave Grusin

2. Fugue in C Minor - Eric Owens, Terence Blanchard *

3. Spanish Suite - Chick Corea, Eric Owens, Terence Blanchard *

4. Soloings 1 - Bobby McFerrin

5. Incandescent, Iridescent, Effervescent - Elizabeth Joy Roe, Shelly Berg *

6. Simple Gifts - Dave Grusin, Mark O'Connor

7. Mountain Dance - Dave Grusin, Mark O'Connor *

8. Soloings 2 - Bobby McFerrin

9. Armando's Rhumba - Bobby McFerrin, Chick Corea

10. Charade - Terence Blanchard *

11. Solfeggietto - Elizabeth Joy Roe, Terence Blanchard *

12. The Man I Love - Elizabeth Joy Roe, Shelly Berg

13. 2001: Space Odyssey - Bobby McFerrin, Eric Owens, Chick Corea, Dave Grusin, Shelly Berg, Elizabeth Joy Roe, Mark O'Connor *

* = performance w/ the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra

IAN CAREY / BEN STOLOROW - DUOCRACY

In the musical realm of Duocracy, the new CD by trumpeter Ian Carey and pianist Ben Stolorow, "two" rules. Mainstays on the Bay Area jazz scene, Carey and Stolorow have released highly regarded albums as leaders but found their way to the duo format after several satisfying gigs together last year. They chose to capture their singular improvisational ensemble on record, and Carey's Kabocha label will release the inventive results as Duocracy on February 25.

"It's super-naked and that was intimidating at first, especially once the tape started rolling, but it's also really freeing. On my last album I felt like I was trying to build something perfect," Carey says referring to Roads & Codes, an album selected by many critics as one of 2013's best releases. "This was about going in and enjoying playing with each other, about playing jazz and seeing what we could come up with, and letting these tunes shine."

Carey credits a satellite radio station focusing on recordings from the 1940s with reigniting his love for vintage pop tunes. Struck by the effortless swing that was the era's rhythmic default, he and Stolorow decided to keep the duo loose and limber, unencumbered by involved arrangements.

Ian Carey Ben Stolorow Opening with Walter Donaldson's lilting "Little White Lies," the pair also includes Rodgers and Hart's "You Took Advantage of Me," a piece that showcases Stolorow's gift for melodic invention, and Henry Mancini's "Two for the Road," a standout Latin-tinged ballad performance that highlights Carey's gorgeous tone. They co-wrote the album's sole original, "Comin' Along," an abstract tune built upon the chord changes of Benny Golson's standard "Along Came Betty." Closing with a pair of enduring standards, the Gershwins' jaunty "How Long Has This Been Going On," and Kern's masterpiece "All the Things You Are," the duo departs in a blaze of beauty, refreshing the ubiquitous songs with unfussy eloquence.

"We're drawn to a lot of the same repertoire, lovely mid-century well-crafted pop tunes," Carey says. "What makes working with Ben so satisfying he is very into the idea of breaking out of traditional duo roles. There's a lot left to discover."

Duocracy is the fourth album for Ian Carey, 39, who previously has written for and recorded his audacious, highly cohesive working quintet on Sink/Swim (2005), Contextualizin' (2010), and Roads & Codes (2013). The Binghamton, New York native earned a New School degree in Jazz and Contemporary Music and spent five post-grad years in New York City before relocating to San Francisco, where he has performed with top-notch ensembles like the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, multi-instrumentalist Adam Theis's Realistic Orchestra, accordionist Rob Reich's Circus Bella, and vocalist Betty Fu, which is how he started playing with Stolorow.

Ben Stolorow, 37, was born in New York City but had settled in Los Angeles by the age of 12. In 1994 he moved to the Bay Area to attend UC Berkeley, studying piano with Bill Bell, Susan Muscarella, and Dick Hindman and before long joining the Jazzschool faculty. His 2008 debut album I'll Be Over Here, is a highly interactive trio session focusing on his lustrous originals with bassist Ravi Abcarian and drummer Greg German. On his 2011 followup with bassist Dan Feiszli and drummer Jon Arkin, Almost There, Stolorow deals more explicitly with song forms. The partnership with Carey grew out of their accompanying Betty Fu, and was fed by their camaraderie on and off the bandstand.

When Carey moved to the East Bay, just a few miles north of Stolorow, proximity allowed them to start playing together informally, which led to several gigs at an art space in Berkeley. "It was really successful," says Stolorow. "I had this idea to record to see what happens, and Ian felt, if not now, when?"

The duo will celebrate the release of Duocracy with concerts at the Jazzschool in Berkeley on Friday 2/21 and at St. Hilary's in Tiburon on Friday 3/7.

iancareyjazz.com

benstolorow.com

 

NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL LINEUP INCLUDES BOBBY MCFERRIN, TROMBONE SHORTY, GREGORY PORTER, DAVID SANBORN, ROBERT GLASPER AND MANY OTHERS

Bobby McFerrin

Fulfilling the mission of the Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc.™, the 60th anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival®, now presented by Natixis Global Asset Management, will present three full days of music - with an entire day dedicated to emerging artists - that give an exciting look at the future of jazz, including more than 40 performances by some of the world's greatest established and emerging jazz artists, it was announced George Wein.

Set for August 1 - 3, 2014, the Festival will feature the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin spirityouall, Trombone Shorty, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Robert Glasper, Dr. John, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Gary Burton, Gregory Porter, Jon Batiste, Dave Holland, John Zorn, Miguel Zenón, The Cookers, Snarky Puppy and more. 

"We are thrilled to open the Festival on Friday with an entire day of musicians who have emerged on the scene with distinctive stories to tell through their music," said Wein, who has produced the Festival since its beginning in 1954. "We're not just selling these artists, we might be selling the future of jazz. In fact, the only reason for me to be in the Festival business at this point in my life is because these musicians and others must be heard," added Wein, now 88.

  

In addition, the Newport Jazz Festival will present a symposium at Fort Adams State Park. Curated by New York Times critic Nate Chinen, the symposium will discuss how jazz relates to popular culture in today's society, compared to when the festival began in 1954. It will feature internationally-known jazz aficionados and historians, including Henry Louis Gates.

  

Wynton Marsalis

Also, the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino will host the annual Friday evening concert, this year featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and Dee Dee Bridgewater with a salute to Billie Holiday. Festival-goers can play an additional role in helping to secure the future of jazz by supporting Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc.™ at its annual fundraising gala at the famed Vanderbilt summer cottage, The Breakers, including an appearance by Marsalis and other Festival artists.

 The Newport Festivals Foundation is also proud to introduce THE Jazz Club, a special experience offered on Saturday and Sunday at Fort Adams. The option includes special seating, reserved parking, tented lounge access, upgraded restroom facilities and a 60th anniversary poster.

  

The complete line-up for the Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Global Asset Management is as follows:

Friday, August 1, 2014

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Dee Dee Bridgewater - To Billie with Love

Jon Batiste & Stay Human

John Zorn's Masada Marathon: Dave Douglas, Marc Ribot, Cyro Baptista, Mark Feldman,  Erik Friedlander, Ikue Mori, Greg Cohen, Joey Baron, Kenny Wollesen & many others

Miguel Zenón Big Band

Darcy James Argue's Secret Society

Snarky Puppy

Cécile McLorin Salvant

Rudresh Mahanthappa - Charlie Parker Project, A World Premier

Amir ElSaffar Quintet with Ole Mathisen, John Escreet, Francois Moutin & Dan Weiss

Mostly Other People Do The Killing: Steve Bernstein, Jon Irabagon, Dave Taylor,

Brandon Seabrook, Ron Stabinsky, Moppa Elliott & Kevin Shea

Berklee Global Jazz Ambassadors

University of Rhode Island Newport Jazz Big Band

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

Dave Holland Prism with Kevin Eubanks, Craig Taborn & Eric Harland

Gregory Porter

Robert Glasper Experiment

SF Jazz Collective: Miguel Zenón, Avishai Cohen, David Sanchez, Robin Eubanks, Warren Wolf, Edward Simon, Matt Penman & Obed Calvaire

Cécile McLorin Salvant

Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band with Jon Cowherd, Chris Thomas,

Melvin Butler & Myron Walden

Pedrito Martinez Group featuring Ariacne Trujillo with Alvaro Benavides & Jhaire Sala

Dick Hyman, Howard Alden & Jay Leonhart

Kurt Rosenwinkel New Quartet

Newport Now 60 Band: Anat Cohen, Karrin Allyson, Randy Brecker, Mark Whitfield, Peter Martin, Larry Grenadier & Clarence Penn

Umbria Jazz presents Stefano Bollani & Hamilton de Holanda

Symposium on Jazz

And More ...

Sunday, August 3, 2014 

Bobby McFerrin spirityouall

David Sanborn & Joey DeFrancesco with Billy Hart & Warren Wolf

Dr. John & The Nite Trippers

Gary Burton New Quartet with Julian Lage, Scott Colley & Marcus Gilmore

Vijay Iyer Sextet with Graham Haynes, Mark Shim, Steve Lehman,

Stephan Crump & Marcus Gilmore

Danilo Perez Panama 500 with Ben Street, Adam Cruz & Roman Diaz

Django Festival All-Stars featuring Samson Schmitt, Ludovic Beier,

Pierre Blanchard, DouDou Cuillerier & Brian Torff

Ron Carter Trio with Russell Malone & Donald Vega

Lee Konitz Quartet with special guest Grace Kelly

Ravi Coltrane

The Cookers: Gary Bartz, Billy Harper, Eddie Henderson, David Weiss, George Cables,

Cecil McBee & Billy Hart

Mingus Big Band

The Brubeck Brothers

George Wein & Newport All-Stars with Anat Cohen, Howard Alden, Randy Brecker, Lew Tabackin, Jay Leonhart & Lewis Nash

And More ...

 

DHAFER YOUSSEF - BIRDS REQUIEM

The oud-the 11-string, fretless, acoustic relative of the lute so central to the culture of the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean-is inextricably tied to tradition, more than 5,000 years of it. But in the hands of Dhafer Youssef, one of the most highly respected and influential virtuosi of the instrument in the world, the oud takes a giant leap into the future. For more than two decades, Youssef has paid his respects to the ancient legacy of the oud while integrating its melodious, robust and resonant-but simultaneously delicate tones-with modern sounds and sensibilities, transcending genre and defying the expected. On his new album Birds Requiem (available now on OKeh Records) Youssef has created his most breathtakingly powerful work to date, a suite of 11 interconnected compositions that, he says, were "constructed as music for an imagined movie."

 Recorded primarily in Gothenburg, Sweden, with additional recording in Istanbul, Birds Requiem features Youssef on oud and vocals, clarinetist Hüsnü Senlendirici, trumpeter Nils-Petter Molvaer, Aytaç Dogan on the zither-like kanun, Eivind Aarset handling electric guitar parts and electronics, pianist Kristjan Randalu, double bassist Phil Donkin and drummer Chander Sardjoe.

Youssef envisions the entirety of Birds Requiem as a score for a film that exists only in his creative mind. "I imagine the movie being about two entities," he says, "myself and my permanent search for a wandering soul. It symbolizes the idea of the disappearance of the body and the wandering of the soul. This idea is also reflected in the image of the birds depicted in the songs and in the album's pictures."

For Youssef, Birds Requiem marks the continuation of a journey into the possibilities of the oud that began during his childhood in Tunisia, where he was born in 1967. He discovered jazz as a youth and knew as he explored his instrument and composition that his lot in life would be the fusion of Eastern and Western styles into something wholly exhilarating and new. He relocated to Europe in the '90s and his reputation as an artist who blurred the lines between world music, jazz, classical and even contemporary genres such as funk grew exponentially with each new release. Albums such as 2002's Electric Sufi and 2006's Divine Shadows redefined the role of the oud in modern music, and Youssef's compositions, which also often featured his impassioned vocals, have been hailed as cutting-edge. He has received many honors for his work including a nomination for the BBC Music Awards For World Music in 2006. "I've always been in a permanent search for new sonorities," he says. "Even at the age of 6, I was curious. I discovered the echo of my voice and its resonances. Later, I experienced the undulations and the resonances of sounds that we find in Electric Sufi."

Birds Requiem is a culmination of all that he's accomplished previously, taking Dhafer Youssef's music to the next level. But he prefers not to overanalyze it all. "I sincerely think it is hard to succeed in describing the mood in this album or the others," he says. "I am convinced that its essence can only be felt while listening. It solicits the participation of the listener and the audience. Each one can feel it according to his own background or experience. Birds Requiem continues my search."

DhaferYoussef.com

IRMA THOMAS - FULL TIME WOMAN (THE LOST COTILLION ALBUM)

“Soul Queen Of New Orleans” Irma Thomas enjoyed a run of national success in the U.S. in the mid-’60s with classics like “Wish Someone Would Care,” “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)” along with the original vocal version of  “Time Is on My Side” (later a massive hit for the Rolling Stones), recorded for Imperial Records. Following a short stint at Chess Records, Irma recorded for Canyon before being signed to Atlantic Records by the label’s much renowned executive, Jerry Wexler.  A first session in 1971 yielded one single, “Full Time Woman” (produced by noted New Orleans music legend Wardell Quezergue), which failed to chart but was singled out by Wexler in a 2007 interview as one of his all-time favorite recordings.

Undaunted, Atlantic arranged further sessions for Irma in Detroit, Miami and Philadelphia throughout 1972 – yet none of the material was ever issued.  Noted soul music historian and SoulMusic Records founder David Nathan uncovered all the tapes of this treasure trove of previously unreleased material during vault research in 2005; now, more than 40 years after they were originally recorded, Full Time Woman: The Lost Cotillion Album brings all of Irma’s recordings for Atlantic (under its Cotillion imprint) to light for the first time! Irma puts her own distinctive, ever-soulful stamp on such tunes as the standard “Time After Time,” Bobbie Gentry’s 1969 hit, “Fancy,” and Billy Walker’s country hit, “Tell Me Again,” alongside the funky “She’s Taken My Part,” (the flipside of “Full Time Woman”), and R&B-flavored original material including the highlights “Waiting For Someone,” “Our Love Don’t Come Easy” and two early ‘70s Philly soul cuts, “No Name” and “Adam And Eve.” With remastering by Alan Wilson at Western Star Studio in the U.K. and liner notes by David Nathan that recount his personal odyssey in search of these tapes, Irma Thomas: Full Time Woman—The Lost Cotillion Album features a full 13 unreleased tracks and represents a major addition to the Irma Thomas discography. Brought to you by Real Gone Music and SoulMusic Records!

Songs: Full Time Woman // All I Wanna Do Is Save You // She’s Taken My Part // Shadow of the Sun // Waiting for Someone // Fancy // Time After Time // Our Love Don’t Come That Easy // Turn Around and Love You // Tell Me Again // Try to Be Thankful // It’s Eleven O’Clock // Could It Be Differently // No Name // Adam and Eve

DR. JOHN, THE NIGHT TRIPPER: GRIS-GRIS

“Gris gris” is the New Orleans term for voodoo, and one could be forgiven for thinking this album was recorded in the dead of night in one of the city’s famed graveyards. Well, it was recorded in the dead of night—at Los Angeles’ famed Gold Star Studios, where Phil Spector recorded many of his classics. Long-time New Orleans session man Mac Rebennack wangled some free, after-hours studio time originally intended for Sonny & Cher, gathered the Los Angeles diaspora of New Orleans musicians—including Jessie Hill (known for “Ooh Poo Pah Doo”), Shirley Goodman (of Shirley and Lee), saxman Plas Johnson and percussionist Richard “Didimus” Washington—and adopted a new persona of Dr. John the Night Tripper, he of the feathered headdresses and name taken from an 1840s New Orleans root doctor. The result was probably the spookiest and most hypnotic album ever made—“voodoo psychedelia” is about as close as you can come, but doesn’t quite capture the otherworldly vibe. One thing is for sure—if you don’t get goosebumps when listening to “Croker Courtbullion” or “Walk on Guilded Splinters,” you probably are already dead and the subject of a voodoo ritual yourself! Our Real Gone reissue features notes by Richie Unterberger and added photos, with new remastering by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios in NYC. Absolutely indispensable in this life or the next. Songs: Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya; Danse Kalinda Ba Doom; Mama Roux; Danse Fambeaux; Croker Courtbullion; Jump Sturdy; and I Walk on Guilded Splinters.

4 CLASSIC DAVID RUFFIN ALBUMS REISSUED ON 2 CDS

DAVID RUFFIN - MY WHOLE WORLD ENDED / FEELIN' GOOD

The incandescent talent of David Ruffin was too big for even the Temptations to hold. As Smokey Robinson observed, “The only way David could survive at Motown was as a solo artist.” And so Ruffin left the Temptations in 1969 to strike out on his own with a series of releases that further established him as one of Motown’s great voices. These two albums from 1969 have only come out on CD in the U.S. as a part of a long out of print, limited edition box set, and only overseas on high-priced Japanese reissues; each of them rank among the greatest soul albums of the late ‘60s. 1969’s My Whole World Ended went to #1 on the R&B album charts on the strength of its hit title cut and “I’ve Lost Everything I’ve Ever Loved,” while Feelin’ Good went to #9 on the R&B album charts and sported the hit “I’m So Glad I Fell for You.” Liner notes by Gene Sculatti…sheer soul genius. Songs include: My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me); Pieces of a Man; Somebody Stole My Dream; I’ve Lost Everything I’ve Ever Loved; Everlasting Love; I’ve Got to Find Myself a Brand New Baby; The Double Cross; Message from Maria; World of Darkness; We’ll Have a Good Thing Going On; My Love Is Growing Stronger; Flower Child; Loving You (Is Hurting Me); Put a Little Love in Your Heart; I’m So Glad I Fell for You; Feeling Alright; I Could Never Be Presidentl; I Pray Everyday You Won’t Regret Leaving Me; What You Gave Me; One More Hurt; I Let Love Slip Away; I Don’t Know Why I Love You; The Forgotten Man; and The Letter.

DAVID RUFFIN: DAVID RUFFIN / ME 'N' ROCK 'N ROLL ARE HER TO STAY

The incandescent talent of David Ruffin was too big for even the Temptations to hold. As Smokey Robinson observed, “The only way David could survive at Motown was as a solo artist.” And so Ruffin left the Temptations in 1969 to strike out on his own with a series of releases that further established him as one of Motown’s great voices. These two records, released in 1973 and 1974, respectively, did not spawn any hit singles but instead reflected Ruffin’s growth as an artist away from the Motown formula and towards a life spent in the fast lane. David Ruffin, produced by Bobby Miller, whose writing credit appears on eight out of the 10 tracks, is a psychedelic soul masterpiece, and features the definitive version of Gamble and Huff’s “I Miss You (Part 1).” Me ‘N Rock ‘N Roll Are Here to Stay, meanwhile, marked the fiery collision of Ruffin with the brilliant producer Norman Whitfield, with the creative sparks to prove it. Both records appear here on CD for the first time outside of a long out of print, limited edition set, with notes by Gene Sculatti. Songs include: The Rovin’ Kind; Common Man; I’m Just a Mortal Man; (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right; There Will Always Be Another Song to Sing; I Miss You (Part 1); Blood Donors Needed (Give All You Can); A Little More Trust; Go On with Your Bad Self; A Day in the Life, of a Working Man; I Saw You When You Met Her; Take Me Clear from Here; Smiling Faces Sometimes; Me ‘n Rock ‘n Roll Are Here to Stay; Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are); No Matter Where; City Stars; and I Just Want to Celebrate.

CHRIS READ FEATURING MYLES SANKO AND THE SO MUCH SOUL PLAYERS - THE MAGIC IS GONE

Chris Read returns on Breakin Bread with a slice of uptempo vocal funk dancefloor magic.This is Chris’s fifth 7inch single for the label. Ever exploring new territory and showing his versatility, Chris follows his 2013 throwback rap smash 'Rap Tradition' with a pacey Hammond funk number aimed squarely at the dancefloor. The latest offering taken from Chris's forthcoming long player 'Small Steps', we expect big things from 'Magic is Gone'.

Side A's The Magic Is Gone is a gritty funk number full of live energy, this track showcases the growth of Chris Read as more than just a producer. Featuring Speedometer vocalist Myles Sanko, 'Magic Is Gone' delivers a soulful vocal over an energetic drum break underpinned with a funky b-line and topped with catchy horns, memorable guitar licks and a killer Hammond solo courtesy of collaborators The So Much Soul Players (named after Chris's London contemporary Funk & Soul night)*.

On Side B is The Magic Is Gone (Hammond Reprise). In what is now becoming a Breakin Bread tradition and a nod to many classic 7”s of yesteryear, the flipside features an instrumental edit. The 'Hammond Reprise' follows in the footsteps of the A-Side, replacing Myle's soulful vocal with the throaty Hammond which dominates the second half of the original version to create a full pace Hammond work out, topped with crowd rousing vocal ad-libs.

*The So Much Soul Players are a collection of musicians with whom Chris has collaborated on other recording projects brought together for this release and include Rob Barron on Keys, Giles Barratt on guitar and Joe Egan on horns

The digital version also features an instrumental mix and a great remix from Germany's 'Renegades of Jazz'.

Chris Read, a collector of Hip Hop, Funk, Soul, Boogie and related Jazz based music since the late 80s, came to prominence in the mid 90s as a result of a high profile 10 year residency at Midlands Hip Hop and Funk institution 'Substance' (one of the largest nights of its kind in the UK). Launching his production career a little over a decade ago, Chris has released music for the cream of Europe's independent labels including Different Drummer, Push the Fader, Bastard Jazz and BBE. Recent remixes and collaborations include DJ Spinna, Oddisee, Lizzy Parks and many others. He’s also a prominent DJ on the UK and European scene spinning highly crafted sets honed over years of DJing and producing mix CDs.

Never one to rest, Chris's 2014 release schedule is already packed with two BBE albums in the pipeline, a multitude of high profile remixes and of course Chris's debut Long Player for Breakin Bread 'Small Steps' from which this single is taken due for release in the Spring.