SLAKAH THE BEATCHILD - SOUL MOVEMENT 2-

Returning to the scene of a rhyme, Soul Movement 2 is the sequel to Slakah The Beatchild’s critically acclaimed 2010 debut.

“For the original Soul Movement album, the whole purpose was to make music that I love, with no boundaries and no restrictions. And the music that I love, I mean REALLY love, is soul and hip hop.” Says Slakah aka Byram Joseph (the name he wrote in felt tip on his first ever vinyl purchase Chubby Checker & the Fatboy’s The Twist) who released his debut, also on BBE Records, when his profile as a hitmaking producer was already in its ascendancy.

Arriving hot on the heels of a 2009 Juno Award (think Canadian Grammy’s) via Divine Brown’s global hit Sunglasses, Soul Movement Vol. 1 chimed like a harmonic siren outta Hogtown. With both the r&b and hip hop genres on their knees in 2010, established black music acts, in an effort to get heard above the herd, had reverted to sixties duplication or 808’s and heartbreaks. Soul Movement, against this background music, was the art & beats that contemporary r&b had abandoned.

“The original was collaboration of like-minded people who were doing the same thing and I wanted them to be there with me, as part of that movement, but with number 2 I eased that back a little - I’m looking forward to setting out and touring this album on my own.”

Alá Quincy Jones, a fellow Performing Producer, Slakah’s debut album was choc full of features and collaborations; with a whole host of T.Dot locals including superstar rap king Drake. Indeed Soul Movement 2 still benefits from additional expert talent; however the list – including Glenn Lewis, Ayah, Spek Won & Tanika Charles this time – has become more select. This time the movement Slakah needed was already on his shoulders.

From the first cut and buzz single - the largely instrumental, mod funk bitches-brew of Cut A Rug (Byram’s Groove) – Slakah’s virtuosity and expertise is evident. “I’m not sure where the influences for Cut A Rug came from.” He wonders, though he has no such trouble with Where’s Yesterday, a lament on the dearth of quality new songs blaring outta North American radio stations. Says Slakah: “Commercial broadcasting forces us to listen to things we don’t always want to but it’s really developing music in a weird way. So I let that out in song – but I wanted to shout a few my heroes at the same time.”

The spirit of two of those, J. Dilla & D’Angelo, can be heard channelled on the brilliant Us Theory, a song Slakah counts as one of the most personal on the album: “When I record the music I sing nonsensicals over it to begin with, just melodies, but the word “always” just kept coming back. It paved the way. The groove, whilst it was recorded on acoustic drums, has that push/pull unquantized feel of a Dilla or D’Angelo track.”

It’s not his girlfriend’s pick though. Intriguingly, that would be the cool jazz thing titled Miscommunication a song originated by rapper Spek Won.

“I get the best feedback from my girl,” Says Slakah. “Because she’s not your typical hip hop or soulhead, and I like getting viewpoints from people whose taste in music differs to my own – it means a song can translate across genres.”

Despite the title there’s no lingering issue between them, especially after Slakah let his girlfriend get a few right hand shots in when she played the duck (yes Duck!) in the recent video teaser he directed promoting this new set. There are songs for the lovers too you see, and you can hear how The Beatchild’s vocal chops have developed since his last EP Something Beautiful on the sultry Adventure For Two. “Basically, I was feeling real frisky when I wrote that song, and sometimes - not necessarily sexually - you gotta do crazy, scary things together. I’m the adventurous one; I’ll walk towards the explosions when everyone’s running away. I can be heard asking ‘wow, what’s blowing up?’”

Blowing up? Could be the collaboration with major label star Glenn Lewis or the cut with newbie Tanika Charles, who appears on the short sojourn to Slakadeliqa (a Slakah side project) via the cool sixties soul stomp Love Fool. In Tanika, Slakah has discovered a gem of a voice, one of those tortured early classic soul vocalists who sound like they’re man has been sleeping around with Barbara Mason (From His Woman To You).

Slakah The Beatchild’s T. Dot Soul Movement continues to march on …

Track listing:

1. Byram's Groove (Cut A Rug)

2. Stompthatflo feat. Spek Won

3. Adventure for 2

4. Number 1 feat. Glenn Lewis

5. Where's Yesterday

6. Keep Up feat. Ayah

7. Something About Her

8. Miscommunication feat. Spek Won & Ian Kamau

9. Endurance

10. Wanna Do

11. Us Theory

12. Someone Like That

13. Love Fool feat. Tanika Charles

14. Overtime

~ bbemusic

MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL ADDS DIANA ROSS, BOBBY MCFERIN, DIANNE REEVES, GINGER BAKER JAZZ CONFUSION AND OTHERS TO ROSTER

As the 35th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, presented by TD in collaboration with Rio Tinto Alcan fast approaches, fans can already warm themselves with the notion of what summer will hold in store for them. From grand premieres to shows on the leading edge of dance or film, here's a heart-pounding glimpse of what will happen from June 26 to July 6. Tickets for these concerts go on sale this Friday, March 7 at noonŠ although Infolettre Spectra subscribers (free subscription at Montrealjazzfest.com) can take advantage of an exclusive pre-sale running from tomorrow, 9 a.m., to Thursday, March 6, 6 p.m.!

Diana Ross - July 3, 7:30 p.m., Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, PdA - Événements spéciaux TD series - A true Diva if ever there was one, a showbiz icon and living legend, Diana Ross couldn't have offered fans a better gift than this very first visit to the Festival. The personification of glamour right down to her fingertips, holder of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Diana's repertoire is a musical odyssey spanning 50 years, from such Motown classics as Love Child to disco smash Love Hangover to the jazz of Lady Sings the Blues. Love it is!

Keith Jarrett solo - June 28, 8 p.m. Maison symphonique de Montréal - Le Festival à la Maison symphonique series - The brilliant pianist, daring composer and peerless improviserŠ in a solo concert? For those who rank The Köln Concert among the crown jewels of the music world, a tête-à-tête with Keith Jarrett is like winning the lottery, even more so when we remember it's been almost 25 years since the virtuoso has treated us to such a proposition. It's a signature evening in the company of a living legend of the Festival, considered by many to be one of the most important musicians of the past half-century.

Bobby McFerrin - June 30, 7 p.m. Maison symphonique de Montréal - Le Festival à la Maison symphonique series - A vocal virtuoso, a hypnotic performer and an artist of peerlessly contagious joyŠ a Bobby McFerrin concert is an experience as dizzying as it is unforgettable. The utterly deserving winner of the 2003 Ella Fitzgerald Award, a musical adventurer who takes jazz vocal to new lands, McFerrin returns to a Festival that loves him with his latest album, Spirityouall, featuring the musical legacy of his father, a renowned performer of Negro spirituals and the first Afro-American singer in the Metropolitan Opera. A jubilant musical pilgrimage.

Zappa Plays Zappa - July 2, 8:30 p.m., Métropolis - Les Rythmes series - Zappa Plays Zappa is the fabulous, inspired and slightly mad project conceived by Dweezil Zappa, eldest son of the late, lamented and heroic Frank: to revive his father's wildly eclectic and ambitious repertoire, which he's done over 500 times on the world's stages since 2006, winning a Grammy along the way. Accompanied by his group, he'll take us on an epic journey through musical time with the Roxy & Elsewhere tour, playing that legendary Zappa/Mothers album in its entirety.

Dianne Reeves - June 27, 8 p.m. Théâtre Maisonneuve, PdA - Les Grands Concerts Rio Tinto Alcan series - Recipient of the 2002 Ella Fitzgerald Award and 4 Grammys besides, Dianne Reeves has long since won her place in the pantheon of jazz singers. A flamboyant onstage performer, loved by critics and audiences alike, she's here to present her new album, Beautiful Life, a lovely marriage of R&B, Latin music, pop and jazz in both new compositions and covers of Bob Marley, Fleetwood Mac and Marvin Gaye. Produced by Terri Lyne Carrington, the album also features the talents of Esperanza Spalding, Gregory Porter and the late George Duke.

Ginger Baker Jazz Confusion with Pee Wee Ellis, Alec Dankworth and Abass Dodoo - June 30, 8 p.m. Théâtre Maisonneuve, PdA - Les Grands Concerts Rio Tinto Alcan series - In his very first visit to the Festival, legendary British drummer Ginger Baker, former member of Cream with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, father of the drum solo and rock titan, arrives at the head of a quartet filled out by Pee Wee Ellis (saxophone), Alec Dankworth (bass) and Abass Dodoo (percussion). The menu will feature top-flight high-energy jazz that crosses swords with African rhythms reminiscent of the great Fela Kuti, with whom qui Baker previously collaborated.

Farruquito - Improvisao - July 2, 8 p.m., Théâtre Maisonneuve, PdA - Les Grands Concerts Rio Tinto Alcan series - Hailed as one of the greatest male flamenco dancers of the century by The New York Times, Juan Manuel Fernandez Montoya "Farruquito" built his reputation on a perfect mastery of authentic and visceral flamenco, melded to his innate talent for improvisation and a passionate and flawless balance. Vocals, guitar and dance are fused in a spectacle of complete freedom, creating an utterly unique performance every night.

Piazzolla Plays Piazzolla by Escalandrum - July 3, 9:30 p.m., Théâtre Jean-Duceppe, PdA - Jazz Beat Hyatt Regency Montréal series - Under the baton of Daniel "Pipi" Piazzolla, grandson of illustrious bandoneonist and composer Astor Piazzolla, Escalandrum returns after the smash success of MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE 2013, back to vigorously and respectfully reinvent the late maestro's songbook. Sailing between the tango legacy and an interpretation steeped in jazz, Daniel Piazzolla (drums), Nicolás Guerschberg (piano), Mariano Sívori (double bass), Damián Fogiel (saxophone), Martín Pantyrer (clarinet and saxophone) and Gustavo Musso (saxophone) pull off their daring gambit: bringing together the best of two musical worlds.

Tom Harrell Colors of a Dream with Esperanza Spalding, Jaleel Shaw, Johnathan Blake, Ugonne Okegwo, Wayne Escoffery - July 6, 9:30 p.m., Théâtre Jean-Duceppe, PdA - Jazz Beat Hyatt Regency Montréal series - Uniting the talents of legendary trumpeter and bugle player Tom Harrell and the most fascinating bassist on the music scene, Esperanza Spalding, Colors of a Dream promises nothing less than great art. Add in a handful of other musicians blessed with similar talent and creativity, including the flamboyant Jaleel Shaw on alto saxophone, and you have a high-voltage summit with today's jazz elite. It's like a dream come trueŠ

For the Record: Tarantino in Concert - June 25 to 30, 7 p.m., and June 28 and 29, 2 p.m., Cinquième Salle, PdA - Culte ! series - Somewhere between film, music and theatre, you'll find the electrifying spectacle of this mad cavalcade. Expect a killer show from this troupe of 28 dancers, musicians and performers, serving up the 360º musical version of cult scenes from the modern master of American cinema, Quentin Tarantino. From Reservoir Dogs to Django Unchained, it's the perfect opportunity to relive the diabolical twists and supercharged turns twists of the films. Son of a Preacher Man, Hooked On A Feeling, Bang BangŠ So what do you think, will you lend anŠ ear?

Rufus Wainwright solo - June 27, 28 and 29, 8 p.m., Théâtre du Nouveau Monde - Nouveau Monde series - Back from a tour that took him all the way to Turkey, Rufus Wainwright unveils gems from his latest release, Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright, an overview of a career that counts 7 albums and one international reputation as a peerless singer and songwriter. And two years after thrilling the Place des Festivals, Montréal's beloved native son promises a very special treat this time around: a series of solo shows in the intimate confines of TNM.

Trixie Whitley - June 27, 7 p.m. Club Soda - Just a few months after unveiling a debut full-length album, Fourth Corner, that immediately made her a female artist to watch, the daughter of late-lamented soul-bluesman Chris Whitley once again enfolds us in her incandescent blues-soul universe. Gifted with stage presence as magnetic as her voice, the young artist is well on her way to major successŠ starting with her Female Artist of the Year Award from the Music Industries Association, and the new album on the way.

Bombino - July 1, 7 p.m., Club Soda - Last summer, rising young guitar star Omar "Bombino" Moctar, a Tuareg from northern Niger, blew away a FrancoFolies audience with his Tamashek desert blues-rock, music literally born of rebellion. Since then, he's toured the world with his second album, Nomad, produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, from Australia to Holland and from California to Poland, winning instant international success; and we're grateful to be hosting him here in Montreal once again!

montrealjazzfest.com

SEAN WAYLAND RELEASES 23RD ALBUM - BARRENJOEY

Australian-born pianist, composer and keyboardist Sean Wayland has released the 23rd studio album of his prolific career, a magnificent and stylized take on jazz and funk with roots in Australian rock. In fact, this album, 'Barrenjoey', takes its name from Wayland’s homeland in Australia (not, as those familiar with the New York jazz scene might think, from famous local drummer Joey Baron). This album tells a different story, and one that’s highly personal to Wayland.

“I was inspired by surfing in Australia, New South Wales Coast, and Australian rock circa 1980,” says Wayland. “The title track is about a tombolo, or tied island, attached to palm Beach, the most northerly point of the Sydney region.” It’s not difficult to hear these inspirations shine through, particularly on the title track. With drumbeats that crash like waves, the landscape and the lighthouse the lyrics speak of come to life through the song. The passionate musicality and life of this album will transport listeners to the Australia of Wayland’s youth.

As a composer, Wayland is deeply rooted in the jazz piano tradition, and this is highly evident in all his work. He is a graduate of Sydney’s Conservatorium of Music, where he won the Jack Chrostowski Piano Award. He established himself as a creative star of the Sydney jazz scene before relocating to the States and making himself a fixture of New York City’s jazz scene. After moving to the city 14 years ago, Wayland has been recording at a staggering pace. Now, with Barrenjoey, he explores broadened stylistic territory in jazz and funk, while simultaneously harkening back to his roots.

“Better Down South” is a memory, an autobiographical piece about surfing in the Ulladulla and Jervis Bay regions of Australia when Wayland was young. Stories like these, told through his carefully constructed musical harmonies and rhythms, are close to the artist’s heart. “It’s a stylized, personalized take on various musical traditions including Australian rock, jazz and funk,” Wayland says. “There is a musical message that is hard to put into words.” Listeners to this album will certainly find the message easy to hear: a personal journey drawing from the music and recollections of Wayland’s past.

'Barrenjoey' features a number of other talented musicians and performers, including Keith Carlock on drums, James Muller and Nate Wood on guitar, and Jeff Harley on bass. Virna Sanzone lends her beautiful vocals to complement Wayland’s singing throughout the album.

~ SeanWayland.com

ORAN ETKIN - GATHERING LIGHT

Inspired by tours in Indonesia, China, Japan, Israel and Europe, Oran Etkin's brilliant new album, Gathering Light,to be released on Motema Music on April 8, 2014, and featuring Oran Etkin-bass clarinet, Ben Allison-bass, Nasheet Waits-drums, Lionel Loueke-guitar/vocals and Curtis Fowlkes-trombone, interweaves melodies and rhythms from these regions with Etkin's fresh compositions. Etkin's

music emanates from an openness to discovery in the world, in himself and within his music. On Gathering Light Etkin digs deep, taking inspiration from the depths of the jazz tradition that he grew up with, the New Orleans roots that inspired him to play, and ancient sources from around the world, to create venturesome music that pushes the art form in new directions.

From the opening bass clarinet notes of "Gambang Suling" (Etkin's homage to Indonesian musicians who taught him this folk song), to the tender closing notes of "When It's Sleep Time Down South" ("played in thanks for the man who first sparked my love of music, Louis Armstrong," said Etkin), this adventurous, intrepid artist reveals a depth of musicianship, character, and gratitude that is massively appealing. 

Two years ago, Oran Etkin's music took him back to his birthplace of Israel. He wanted to share the beauty of the country with the Malian balafonist in his band at the time, Balla Kouyate, just as he was shown the beauty of Mali when he toured there, so on a day off they headed to Jerusalem. Etkin explains, "there I heard a story, first told 500 years ago, that has stuck with me since. It tells of vessels filled with divine light that were said to have emanated from the eyes of the first primordial man, long before humans existed. The light was so strong that the vessels broke. Their shards scattered remnants of this soulful light into the darkest corners of our material world. The story poses this challenge to anyone who listens: in order to mend the world, it says we must gather these scattered points of light and bring them together. Etkin was drawn to this story as a focal point for his brilliant new album, Gathering Light, because it puts the fixing of the world in the hands of people, not in an external savior, and it says that the way to make the world better is to have the light of each culture come together and make something beautiful. "This resonates with my feeling of not staying within my own cultural surroundings, but bringing who I am, and the culture I grew up with, into new situations with people who are different than me and finding something beautiful together," explained Etkin. This idea is also in harmony with lessons that Etkin learned from his mentors Yusef Lateef, Anthony "Tuba Fats" Lacen, Dave Liebman, George Garzone (and others), that the blues is not just a musical form, but an approach to life, and that this was a music that grew out of the human instinct to find and gather light in our darkest moments.

Etkin elaborated, "I didn't know quite what to make of this story when I first heard it. I continued on with my tour, and in the following months I was fortunate enough to be invited to perform in beautiful places like Indonesia, Japan, China, Belgium, Germany and France. In my travels, I saw the darkness of poverty, injustice and hate, but I also saw many sparks of light. I collaborated with local musicians whenever I could, learning some of their musical traditions and sharing my own music. This openness and interaction made me discover things within myself as well, affecting the music I created for my New York based trio and for my new album, Gathering Light."

"My music is always simply an expression of who I am at my core, and if I play and write music honestly, all of my experiences and my influences come out through the music, I do not need to try to evoke certain influences or intentionally mix them together, they are simply there every time I pick up my horn or my pencil. As my mentor, the late Yusef Lateef would say, it is Autophisiopsychic music," said Etkin. "Well having said that, I suppose there is just one thing I like better than honest autobiographical music, and that is music that is co-biographical. I am really very honored and blessed to have each one of these wonderful musicians in my life and to be able to tell our story together in real time through improvisation or spontaneous co-composition."

Etkin first played with bassist Ben Allison when Allison subbed in Etkin's Kelenia project (a band he has had for ten years with West African musicians with whom he recorded his debut CD for Motema). "We found ourselves in constant musical dialogue, finding a lot of playfulness in the space between the beats. We did a few duo and trio concerts after that, and we eventually decided to invite Nasheet Waits to fill out the trio. Nasheet is someone I have known for a long time, and his sense of groove and openness fits right into this common language that Ben and I had found together," said Etkin. The two guests on the album are both long-time collaborators and have appeared on previous albums of Etkin's (Lionel plays on Kelenia and Curtis on Wake Up, Clarinet!). Etkin's elaborates, "Lionel Loueke and I have played together since I moved to the city back in 2002. I had already been playing a lot in the West African scene for five years at that point, and I was excited to find a partner who has deep roots in that scene but also appreciates a very open approach to making music. Curtis Fowlkes was also one of the first people I played with when I moved to NYC as sidemen in a project called Antilles Connection, and I have always continued to love playing with him. His sound is so guttural and raw and always hits me and pushes me to put my all into every note.

The recording sessions for Gathering Light began with "Gratitude". Etkin explains, "we try to start every performance with this tune to ground ourselves in this feeling of gratitude, out of which all other feelings can spring forth. In this song I hear the joy of reuniting with two of my longtime friends and collaborators, Lionel Loueke and Curtis Fowlkes, together with my trio of Ben Allison and Nasheet Waits. As the bass clarinet rubs with Curtis' raw trombone and Lionel's distinct African-tinged guitar, the sound reminds me of the sweet polyphony of the New Orleans music I grew up listening to, reimagined in a very different context."

Gathering Light opens with "Gambang Suling", a song from Indonesia. "I toured there twice recently and got to work with some traditional musicians. The first time I went, I had a day off and I went two hours out of Jakarta to a town called Bandung, where they have a center called Sang Udjo Anklung. There they have about 500 students from toddlers up to adults studying and building instruments just out of bamboo, including the Anklung, the Gambang and the Suling. The next time I came to Indonesia, they invited me to do a concert at their beautiful outdoor theater as part of my tour. The Gambang is a bamboo percussion instrument like a xylophone, and the Suling is a bamboo flute. The song is about their sounds and how beautiful they are, but it is said that the hidden spiritual meaning is that the Gambang is like the heart and the Suling is like the voice and if we tune our voice to our heart so they play together, then that is the ideal way to live", explained Etkin.

"Taxi Dance" is about the many crazy taxi rides Etkin and his cohorts have had touring the world, and how in a short cab ride, in just a few quick turns, you can find yourself in a whole other world. This song is also part of the "Tony" story, expressing Tony's character (see "Tony's Dance"). "Guangzhou Taxi" explores the same theme, with a bit more intensity, expressing the craziness of the city.

"Shirim Ad Kan" is a beautiful song from Israel that Etkin has heard his entire life. It is based on a poem by a father who lost his son in a war and "shirim ad kan" means all the songs until here and now . . . the singing of the beauty of life that they had shared until that point. "The words I always remembered were 'people more beautiful than me and you, the earth has taken'. It is one of the saddest things when a father must bury his son, and it is all too often the result of unnecessary wars. It is important to experience the love and positivity of love while we are together, and hopefully, let that be stronger than the fear and hatred that too often lead to wars.

"Takeda" (Homesick Blues) is based on an eight-bar traditional melody that Etkin learned while on tour in Japan. He explains, "I was invited to play a special concert with a band that the producer formed with Keiko Matsui on piano, a shamisen player and a Taiko drummer! Very interesting instrumentation and we hadn't met until two days before the concert. They taught me this traditional Japanese song that dates back to a time when there was a caste system of sorts. Sometimes parents in the lower caste had to sell off their daughters to work for the upper caste. This song is sung by a girl from the lower caste taking care of a baby in the upper caste, and singing to her so that she will fall asleep, but at the same time, she is singing about how much she misses her own home and her parents. It is a deeply sorrowful blues, a work song of sorts, and I created an arrangement that draws on the blues and work songs that I know from American music. Amazingly, when I toured China, the country was not on friendly terms with Japan, and I was told to not even mention Japan on the radio. I then knew I would not be able to play this song . . . but I wondered . . . I whistled the melody in the presence of the festival volunteers and they said, 'oh, that's a Chinese song!'. Then, when we got to this traditional theme in the concert, we played 'Takeda' and the whole audience started singing along in Chinese! Nothing like music and food to connect two people who think they are at odds with each other."

"All I Really Want To Do Is Dance" - Etkin commented, "it's true . . . that is all I really want to do. This song was actually also recorded on my 'Wake Up, Clarinet!' CD for children, which is based on the Timbalooloo method I developed. Part of the method is that all the instruments are actually talking, so that the kids make their instruments talk instead of playing the 'right notes'. In this song my clarinet is saying 'All I Really Want To Do Is Dance' and 'Dance really silly, dance willy nilly, dance like uncle Billy' . . . but it's based on a nine-tone row, one of the concepts that the late, great Dr. Yusef Lateef shared with me in our time together."

Other highlights on Gathering Light include "Tony's Dance", is based on the original name of this project, as it existed in Etkin's head during the conceptualizing process, and "Tony" became a kind of alter-ego for Etkin while he was on tour in China, Japan, Indonesia, Israel and Europe. "I carried Tony around in my head. In the early stages of forming ideas for this album he did not have much of a character yet, but as I went on, his character began to grow and to reveal itself to me. Turns out Tony is great, very helpful, carrying my horns through the airport, etc, but once we get to our destination, he has a tendency to get in trouble, always running into the street market, trying all the foods. And, Tony is absolutely undiplomatic and honest. That is the character of the music that we play - we express what we can't express with words with our music, uncompromising and honest and direct, and also daring and unafraid and playful", said Etkin.

"When It's Sleepy Time Down South" - "I added this song to our repertoire when I was in the South of China, but it is about a different kind of South, the one that was home for Louis Armstrong, who was my main inspiration to explore and love music. I first heard Louis when I was nine years old and for the next five years, I immersed myself in his music and that of his contemporaries. I went down to New Orleans a few times and got to listen to the music and play a bit with the great Tuba Fats during that time. The combination of his lyricism and soaring sense of melody together with his deep sense of swing and groove is something I humbly try to strive for in every situation I'm in, no matter how modern. This song is one of his favorites - and the one he would start each concert off with for many years. For me, it felt like a fitting way to close off this album, coming back home after a long and inspiring tour. The track starts off with a solo intro that recalls the flavor of "Gambang Suling from the beginning of the journey.

Highlights of the Gathering Light CD Release Tour!:

April 13 - The Lily Pad, Cambridge, MA

April 19 - Duende, Oakland, CA

April 26 - Simon-Petrus Church - Jazz Ahead!, Bremen, Germany

May 12 - Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, NY, NY

~ www.OranEtkin.com    

JAZZ AND R&B STARS SET TO GROOVE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IN SAN DIEGO

With much of the nation presently suffering through the worst winter in decades, perhaps planning to party in luxury Memorial Day Weekend with a stellar slate of jazz and R&B favorites will help make the snow, ice and frigid temperatures a bit more bearable. The second edition of the Payne Pest Management San Diego Jazz Festival returns to the posh Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in sun-soaked Carlsbad, North San Diego County May 23-25, 2014 for a memorable three-day weekend of live music, dancing and warm weather fun with thousands of festival goers from all over the U.S. 

Grammy-winning soul balladeer Maxwell headlines opening night crooning a seductive set from his hit-filled R&B-pop songbook, a favorite mood-setter for the ladies and Lotharios. Energetic contemporary jazz-R&B multi-instrumentalist hitmaker Brian Culbertson bodes to make it “Another Long Night Out” when he performs cuts culled from his similarly titled new album. Emerging saxophonist Dominic Amato warms up the crowd.

Day two gets underway with jazz, R&B and hip hop mixologist Robert Glasper who is touring in support of “Black Radio 2,” the follow-up to his Grammy-winning disc. Up next, Mint Condition serves a refreshing taste of Saint Paul, Minnesota that incorporates the best of old school and new school R&B, funk and soul with tinges of jazz, Latin and Jamaican rhythms dynamically performed by a skintight band. Out promoting her forthcoming album, “The Truth,” 8-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Ledisi offers a smooth blend of sophisticated soul seasoned with jazz nuances. “Uncle” Charlie Wilson will show them how it’s done old school-style when the 2013 BET Lifetime Achievement Award winner and 7-time Grammy nominee turns it out during his headline set featuring a dazzling cast of musicians and dancers along with nearly as many costume changes as Beyoncé.

The Sunday program begins with a riveting show from R&B-soul singer-songwriter Leela James, a force of nature new school performer cut from the same cloth as such classic vocalists as Aretha, Stevie, Chaka and Marvin. After, soul-jazz saxman Boney James will set “The Beat,” his Grammy-nominated disc that spent seven weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart. Grammy-winning gritty-voiced R&B-soul singer Anthony Hamilton is the festival’s closer.

  

Phoenix, Arizona-based festival producer BTWconcerts.com will soon announce additional artists 

LACK OF AFRO - MUSIC FOR ADVERTS

A Wide ranging, eclectic and progressive musical outlook has always been the Lack of Afro approach. His latest material follows suit as he harnesses disparate musical styles ranging from funk, soul and hip-hop to create a contemporary yet vintage musical escapade of superb songs.

On his 4th studio album for Freestyle Records, the influences, sounds and musical textures are more eclectic than ever. Below, Adam talks us through some of the his favourite moments on 'Music For Adverts'.

First out of the box is the steaming funk killer Freedom: This time around I knew I didn't want an intro or a skit to start the album - I needed a strong, heavy opener - I had the melody for the chorus floating around in my head. It was then just a case of working with Jack Tyson - Charles on the rest of it and getting the vibe that the song required.

Long time Lack Of Afro collaborator Herbal T features on Brown Sugar: I had an idea of doing a disco track with an emcee on it, which you don't really hear often. This is actually the first time I've sung on a Lack of Afro track, adding my backing vocal warblings on the choruses! Special shout to George Cooper for the howlin' Hammond solo at the end too.

Of the gritty instrumental No Guts, No Glory Adam explains: I wanted to include 3 instrumentals as I always have a soft spot for them & it's what people know me for. The 'choir' was recorded by layering up my own voice in different octaves, nothing is auto-tuned, its all real. The studio allows me to do stuff like that but I could never sing live - I'll leave that to the proper vocalists.

'Proper vocalist' Jack Tyson - Charles again features on The Gypsy, which as Adam explains uses the classic song format to great effect: One of my favourite LOA tunes to date, Its in keeping with the album mission statement of wanting to write 'proper songs' instead of just grooves.

Another supremely radio friendly & catchy composition is the track which introduces Juliette Ashby; Making It Right, of which Adam informs us; the initial idea came from my good friend Flevans. George Cooper & I added the changes, Rory Simmons arranged the strings & Juliette Ashby came up with a really great vocal. It's most definitely different than a lot of LOA material, but that is no bad thing - sometimes you just have to get outside of your comfort zone and try new stuff.

The truth is that Music For Adverts is stuffed with beautiful audio gems of all varieties - from those 'proper songs', though tough nut, hard hip hop jams, deeply grooving funk - Lack Of Afro has mastery of many genres, production & various instruments, which is why this album is a fully formed tour de force through contemporary soul.

BLUEY FROM INCOGNITO - GOT TO LET MY FEELINGS SHOW (VIDEO)

CHRIS STANDRING - SNEAKIN' OUT THE FRONT DOOR (VIDEO)

NATHAN EAST - DAFT FUNK (VIDEO)

BLUE NOTE RECORDS CONTINUES 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

The 75th Anniversary of Blue Note Records, the most-respected and longest-running Jazz label in the world, is being commemorated throughout 2014 and beyond with a broad range of special releases and events. Blue Note is pleased to announce a new vinyl reissue series of 100 essential remastered Jazz albums spanning both the classic and modern eras of the label. The series will launch on March 25 with five iconic LPs: Art Blakey Free For All, John Coltrane Blue Train, Eric Dolphy Out To Lunch, Wayne Shorter Speak No Evil, and Larry Young Unity. On the same date, the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles will launch Blue Note Records: The Finest In Jazz, a one-of-a-kind exhibit offering visitors an in-depth look at the legendary record label. On the evening of March 25, the museum will host a special public event, “An Evening With Blue Note Records,” featuring a Q&A with Blue Note Records President Don Was.

“any particular style of playing which represents an authentic way of musical feeling is genuine expression.”

Blue Note Records was founded on January 6, 1939, when a German immigrant and passionate Jazz fan named Alfred Lion produced his first recording session in New York City. Blue Note has gone on to represent The Finest In Jazz, tracing the entire history of the music from Hot Jazz, Boogie Woogie, and Swing, through Bebop, Hard Bop, Post Bop, Soul Jazz, Avant-Garde, and Fusion, and into Jazz’s numerous modern day incarnations under the leadership of Bruce Lundvall, who revived Blue Note in 1984, and the label’s current President, Don Was, who took the helm in 2012.

GRAMMY MUSEUM EXHIBITION AND LAUNCH EVENT DETAILS

On March 25, The GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles will unveil Blue Note Records: The Finest In Jazz. Located in the Mike Curb Gallery on the Museum’s fourth floor, this one-of-a-kind exhibit will offer visitors an in-depth look at the legendary record label through music, album artwork, photographs, artifacts, interviews and more.

On the evening of March 25, the museum will launch the exhibit with a special public event, “An Evening With Blue Note Records,” a Q&A with Blue Note President Don Was, hosted by the museum’s executive director, Bob Santelli, and the curator of the exhibit, Nwaka Onwusa, in the museum’s Clive Davis Theater. Tickets for the event are available for purchase on the GRAMMY Museum website: www.grammymuseum.org.

BLUE NOTE RECORDS 75TH ANNIVERSARY VINYL INITIATIVE

Blue Note will commence an extensive 100-album vinyl reissue initiative on March 25 with the release of five classic titles (Art Blakey Free For All, John Coltrane Blue Train, Eric Dolphy Out To Lunch, Wayne Shorter Speak No Evil, and Larry Young Unity). The vinyl releases are set to continue monthly and will also include modern classics from Blue Note’s recent catalog such as Joe Lovano Quartets: Live At The Village Vanguard, Jason Moran Soundtrack To Human Motion, Terence Blanchard Flow, Medeski Martin & Wood Combustication, and Cassandra Wilson Traveling Miles. Click here for the full list of vinyl releases.

Blue Note President Don Was says, “Two years ago, we began remastering the jewels of the Blue Note catalog in hi-def resolutions of 96k and 192k. In order to develop a guiding artistic philosophy for this delicate endeavor, we donned our lab coats, ran dozens of sonic experiments and carefully referenced every generation of our reissues. Ultimately, we decided that our goal would be to protect the original intentions of the artists, producers and engineers who made these records and that, in the case of pre-digital-era albums, these intentions were best represented by the sound and feel of their first-edition vinyl releases. Working with a team of dedicated and groovy engineers, we found a sound that both captured the feel of the original records while maintaining the depth and transparency of the master tapes... the new remasters are really cool!

“While these new versions will become available in digital hi-def, CD and Mastered for iTunes formats, the allure of vinyl records is WAY too potent to ignore. This year, Blue Note - along with our friends at Universal Music Enterprises - is launching a major 75th Anniversary vinyl Initiative that is dedicated to the proposition that our catalog should be readily available at a low cost, featuring high quality pressings and authentic reproductions of Blue Note’s iconic packaging. Although this program begins in celebration of Blue Note’s 75th Anniversary, our catalog runs so deep that we will faithfully be reissuing five albums a month for many years to come!”

On March 11, Blue Note/UMe will release a new 2CD collection of 22 stellar tracks spanning the label’s history, Best of Blue Note ICON, including Sidney Bechet Quintet/“Summertime,” Thelonious Monk/“’Round About Midnight,” John Coltrane/“Blue Train,” Sonny Clark/“Cool Struttin’,” Lee Morgan/“Sidewinder,” Wayne Shorter/“Speak No Evil,” Norah Jones/“Cold Cold Heart,” and more.

For Record Store Day in April, Blue Note will also reissue the label’s first two releases as limited edition 12” vinyl: Meade “Lux” Lewis “Melancholy”/”Solitude” (BN1) and Albert Ammons “Boogie Woogie Stomp”/”Boogie Woogie Blues” (BN2). Other catalog releases, including a 75-track digital bundle spanning Blue Note’s entire history, will be announced shortly.

NEW RELEASES

Blue Note continues to maintain an incomparable roster of current talent, and 2014 brings new releases from Takuya Kuroda (Rising Son, February 18), Ambrose Akinmusire (the imagined savior is far easier to paint, March 11), Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band (Landmarks, April 29), as well as artists beyond Jazz such as Rosanne Cash (The River & The Thread, January 14) and Benmont Tench (You Should Be So Lucky, February 18). Additional new releases will soon be announced from Jason Moran, José James, Joe Lovano/Dave Douglas Soundprints Quintet, and two Blue Note legends: Bobby Hutcherson in a quartet with David Sanborn, Joey DeFrancesco and Billy Hart, and Wayne Shorter whose return to Blue Note, Without A Net, figured prominently in several Best of 2013 lists.

UPCOMING LIVE EVENTS

May 11 – Jason Moran, who also serves as the Artistic Advisor for Jazz at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC will present Blue Note At 75, The Concert. As the culminating event of a celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Blue Note Records, artists from the label’s present and past roster perform including Moran, Norah Jones, Wayne Shorter, and surprise special guests. Additional live events will be announced throughout the year.

BRUCE LUNDVALL’S BIOGRAPHY

Blue Note’s former President and current Chairman Emeritus Bruce Lundvall — who re-launched Blue Note in 1984 and presided over the label’s flourishing for over 25 years — recently released his biography Playing By Ear (written with author Dan Ouellette) through ArtistShare.

BLUE NOTE APPS

Blue Note has proved itself to be an innovator not only musically but also technologically, most notably with the 2012 release of our much-heralded Blue Note Spotify App which created a space within the popular streaming service to explore and discover music spanning the entire history of the label, as well as the Blue Note by Groovebug App which is available for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users. Now Blue Note has introduced a fun Facebook App that allows fans to insert their own face into classic Blue Note covers. Choose between six cover artwork designs by influential designer Reid Miles and see how you would look on the cover of your own Blue Note record!

It took the joining of many natural forces to create and define one of the greatest Jazz labels there has ever been: Jazz-loving German immigrants on the run from Nazism (Alfred Lion & Francis Wolff), a New Jersey optometrist moonlighting as a recording engineer (Rudy Van Gelder), a classical music-loving commercial designer (Reid Miles), and slews of the most incredible musicians that have ever walked the earth (too many to name them all here). The elements that each brought to the table — impeccable A&R instincts, elegant and insightful photography, sterling sound quality, strikingly original cover artwork, and consistently transcendent music—were all essential to the label’s early success. Together they created a vivid Blue Note identity. The whole could not have existed without each of the parts.

Blue Note’s legendary catalog traces the entire history of the music from Hot Jazz, Boogie Woogie, and Swing, through Bebop, Hard Bop, Post Bop, Soul Jazz, Avant-Garde, Fusion, and on. The label’s stars from the early years form a true Who’s Who: Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Jimmy Smith, Grant Green, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Donald Byrd, Andrew Hill, Ornette Coleman.

After a brief dormancy from 1981-1984 during which producer/historian Michael Cuscuna kept the label’s legacy alive with a series of reissues on EMI, Blue Note returned reinvigorated by the leadership of Bruce Lundvall and has since established itself as the most respected Jazz label in the world. Blue Note is still home to some of the most prominent stars and cutting-edge innovators in Jazz today, and at the same time has broadened its horizons to include quality music in many genres.

Under Lundvall’s stewardship, Blue Note had its share of commercial successes from Bobby McFerrin, Dianne Reeves, Cassandra Wilson, Us3, Medeski Martin & Wood, Norah Jones, Al Green, Anita Baker, Amos Lee, Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis. The label also remained a haven for the most creative voices in Jazz including Ambrose Akinmusire, Patricia Barber, Brian Blade, Terence Blanchard, Don Byron, Kurt Elling, Robert Glasper, Stefon Harris, Charlie Hunter, Lionel Loueke, Joe Lovano, Jason Moran, Greg Osby, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, John Scofield, Jacky Terrasson, Chucho Valdes, and many more.

In 2011, veteran record producer and musician Don Was joined Blue Note as Chief Creative Officer and soon became President of the label with Lundvall continuing to provide guidance as Chairman Emeritus. With Was at the helm, Blue Note has renewed its dedication to Lion’s original vision that “any particular style of playing which represents an authentic way of musical feeling is genuine expression.” In the 21st century Lion’s words still ring true and provide a blueprint that includes Robert Glasper Experiment’s visionary melding of Jazz, R&B, and Hip-Hop and Elvis Costello’s funky collaboration with The Roots, as well as bringing the legendary saxophonist Wayne Shorter back to the label where he made his early classic albums, and continuing to sign singular voices in Jazz such as saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and vocalist Gregory Porter. Blue Note Records is one of the flagship labels of the Capitol Music Group.

~ Blue Note

NEW RELEASES: ROBIN MCKELLE & THE FLYTONES - HEART OF MEMPHIS; DONALD EDWARDS - EVOLUTION OF AN INFLUENCED MIND; BRUCE BARTH - DAYBREAK

ROBIN MCKELLE & THE FLYTONES - HEART OF MEMPHIS

For her new album Heart of Memphis Robin McKelle immersed herself in the spirit of Memphis. The City is like a place of pilgrimage for any soul, blues, or rhythm and blues fan. Despite the time that has gone by and the museums being built in place of the legendary recording studios, the spirit of the city that, in its heyday, represented one of the best eras of American popular music has not disappeared. “I wanted to capture the Memphis sound in the recording process and the goal was to write the music and arrangements with that sound in mind.” says Robin McKelle.  Except of “Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and “Forgetting you”, Robin McKelle wrote eleven of the thirteen titles of Heart Of Memphis. “I really love writing,” she says. “It’s important to continue to create new sounds and push ourselves into unknown places. That’s what artists are put on this earth for, taking risks and chances. Memphis soul is different from the Motown sound because has more raw emotion and being in the south it’s also influenced by country music. It’s more ‘in your face’ than the Motown. I have a natural gritty sound or rasp in my voice so this sound suits me well.”  Together with her loyal Flytones and helped by her bass player and musical partner Derek Nievergelt, Robin McKelle created amazing and authentic soul music songs. ~ Okeh Records

DONALD EDWARDS - EVOLUTION OF AN INFLUENCED MIND

The title's a bit obtuse, but it also really gets at the vibe of the record, too – a great progression of individualistic jazz – inspired by previous generations, but voiced in a really fresh way by this combo led by drummer Donald Edwards! The approach is more open and varied than usual for a session on the Criss Cross label – from the initial spiritual passage of "American Drum Call To Mama", to David Gilmore's guitar atmospherics on "Niecee", to the richness of the album's original compositions. Gilmore's sense of color and phrasing really balance wonderfully with the tenor of Walter Smith – and Orrin Evans' piano is at its most melodically complex as well. The record opens up in so many ways, but still also finds plenty of room to swing, too – on titles that include "The Dream", "Dock's House", "The Essential Passion", "Nightmare Of Fun", and "Culmination For Now". ~ Dusty Groove

BRUCE BARTH - DAYBREAK

Sparkling piano from Bruce Barth – set up nicely in a group that also features Steve Nelson on vibes and Terell Stafford on trumpet and flugelhorn! Both players bring in some darker edges that round out the sound nicely – mixing with Barth's lyrical lines on keys, which dance magically to rhythmic accompaniment from Vincente Archer on bass and Montez Coleman on drums. Nelson's especially expressive here – and although he drops out for three of the album's ten tracks, he still really helps shape the overall vibe of the record. Titles include "Vamonos", "Moon Shadows", "Brasilia", "Daybreak", "Triste", "Tuesday's Blues", and "In The Still Of The Night". ~ Dusty Groove

WHAT DO "CULBERTSON" PINOT NOIRE AND THE NAPA JAZZ GETAWAY HAVE IN COMMON?

Chart-topping musician, producer, songwriter, wine and jazz festival founder and artistic director Brian Culbertson can add vintner to his burgeoning resume. The recording artist behind 26 No. 1 hits and the star-studded Napa Valley Jazz Getaway is now pouring his new custom-crafted wine, “Culbertson” Pinot Noir by Reata Wines, which he personally blended with Jamieson Ranch Vineyards’ winemaker Nori Nakamura.  

Adorned with his name and signature piano keys on the label, Culbertson describes the wine that is available at Jamieson Ranch, on their website and at all the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway events this June as “a light, smooth and vibrant wine that will pair extremely well with lots of different types of food. This was the second time that I’ve blended a wine, but only the first to be released. Working with Nori from Jamieson Ranch Vineyards was very reassuring since he is such a seasoned winemaker. It was a lot of fun and I hope to continue this new ‘Culbertson’ label for years to come.”

“Culbertson” Pinot Noir will be flowing freely tonight at Jamieson Ranch at an exclusive tasting and performance by Culbertson to be attended by Napa Valley VIPs to launch the wine conceived as part of the long-term partnership between the winemaker and Culbertson’s Napa Valley Jazz Getaway that will take place for the third time June 11-15, 2014. The stellar marquee for this year’s Getaway boasts performances by Culbertson along with contemporary jazz, R&B and funk giants Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, Ohio Players, Morris Day & The Time, Earl Klugh, Eric Benét, Mavis Staples, Average White Band, comedian Keenen Ivory Wayans and many more. Jamieson Ranch will host thousands of passionate wine and jazz aficionados that travel from all over the world for the festival when the June 14 & 15 concerts take place outdoors on their sprawling grounds.

“Working with Brian Culbertson and Napa Valley Jazz Getaway helps fulfill one cornerstone of the core vision of the Jamieson Ranch experience: to bring light into people's lives through music, art and film. Brian's music truly fills one's soul with light!” said Jamieson Ranch Vineyards President Bill Leigon.

Nakamura elaborated, “A few months back, we had the opportunity to host celebrated jazz musician and Napa Valley Jazz Getaway founder Brian Culbertson for a private blending session. I provided him with Pinot lots from different vineyards featuring various clones, and assisted him as he custom-crafted his own wine. The result is a beautiful 2012 Reata ‘Culbertson’ Pinot Noir, sourced from select Sonoma Coast vineyards. It was interesting to participate in this process with a musician, who approached the blending process much as I do as a winemaker: seeking harmony and balance with the selection of different ‘notes’ -blending components, in this case.”

“Culbertson” Pinot Noir is available by bottle, case and packaged with an autographed copy of Culbertson’s new CD, “Another Long Night Out,” and a pair of Riedel wine glasses decorated with the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway logo. To purchase the wine or for more information, please visit www.JamiesonRanch.com, www.BrianCulbertson.me or www.NapaValleyJazzGetaway.me.  

MICHAEL LINGTON - SOUL APPEAL

Forget what you think you know about Michael Lington. Now that he’s gone mainstream with his career and consciousness shifting new album Soul Appeal, he’s full steam ahead like no one’s ever heard him before, blazing a fresh, innovative road for himself with a freewheeling immersion into the heart of the 60’s and 70’s Memphis Soul vibe. From his 1997 self-titled breakthrough album through 2012’s star-studded Pure, the charismatic saxophonist has wowed and surprised his fans before. But he’s never had more fun, played more loose, solo’d more intensely or improvised this expansively.

All of the beloved saxophonist’s seven previous acclaimed albums, countless hit radio singles and hundreds of awe inspiring live performances over the past 15 years are now simply prelude to the fresh energy and live in the studio excitement he created at Los Angeles’ legendary Sunset Sound with veteran R&B/pop producer Barry Eastmond (Anita Baker, George Benson, Billy Ocean, Yolanda Adams), Engineer Ray Bardani (Luther Vandross, Beyonce, David Sanborn) and a handpicked group of his favorite musicians. These include a core pocket of Freddie Washington (bass) and Teddy Campbell (drums), organist Shedrick Mitchell, guitarists Paul Jackson, Jr., Ray Parker, Jr., Phil Hamilton and percussionist Lenny Castro. Eastmond contributes to the retro sound with Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer and piano.

Soul Appeal features nine vibrant, hip and contemporary yet drenched-in-retro-cool originals (all co-written with Eastmond) and imaginative re-workings of the King Curtis classics “In The Pocket” and a blazing, horn section infused “Memphis Soul Stew.” The latter includes a playful rap by Campbell that approximates the way Curtis introduced each instrument into the mix on the original recording. Soul Appeal also includes two fresh vocal ballads with renowned Grammy nominated vocalists that take everyone back to the days when Sam Cooke and Wilson Pickett reigned: “Gonna Love You Tonight” (featuring Kenny Lattimore) and “Leave Me You” (co-written and sung by Ryan Shaw).

The Eastmond/Lington instrumentals on Soul Appeal begin with the jamming and funky, classic Stax-flavored opening title track, whose swirl of vibrant sax melody, brooding organ and sizzling brass sets the stage for what Lington proudly calls “a different kind of ride.” He calls the infectious and bluesy, easy rolling “Taking Off” “the centerpiece of what we were trying to achieve, the twang of the Memphis vibe,” while as its title promises, “Uptown Groove” finds Lington soaring over organ and Rhodes in a brass fired landscape James Brown could groove in.

The silky and romantic “Manhattan Nights” blends Lington’s torchy sax lead with a weepy lead guitar line and solo by Phil Hamilton that’s reminiscent of the great Steve Cropper’s work. After another emotional and bluesy ballad, “Going Home,” Lington and company swing back up for the jaunty funk-shuffle “Double Down.” Soul Appeal wraps in a gorgeous stripped down, heart on the sleeve place, with the beautiful Eastmond-Lington piano-sax duet “Follow Your Heart.” This was recorded almost as a bonus track after the sessions wrapped and everyone else had gone home.

Many instrumental contemporary jazz artists tout their latest recording as “different” or “something unique” when it’s more or less a variation on their trademark thing. In the case of

Soul Appeal, Lington will let two legendary musical voices verify the reality that these sessions don’t just rattle that cage but joyfully transcend it. Lenny Castro, whose thousands of recording credits include Sanborn, The Jacksons, Eric Clapton, George Benson and Elton John, thanked the saxman after the sessions with the words, “My soul is so musically satisfied.”

The other legend paying Lington the ultimate compliment was Steve Perry of Journey, a friend of Eastmond who came to the studio to check out the first session and kept returning because he was so inspired by the recording as it unfolded. He became friends with Lington and regaled the musicians on their lunch breaks, singing Sam Cooke tunes. At one point Perry told the saxophonist, “Thanks for letting me hang out, You helped me get back my emotional compass.”

That’s the perfect term to describe the way Lington’s musical life was changed as a teenager, when his interest in the soul-influenced contemporary jazz by David Sanborn and Grover Washington, Jr. led him down a delightful rabbit hole of discovery into the heart of American soul music. He loved it all, from Jr. Walker and King Curtis to Sam Cooke and Wilson Pickett. Up till that time, he was a straight arrow classical clarinet player playing in the Tivoli Boys Guard, a miniature queens guard and marching band comprised of kids 8-16.

“This was the music that made me want to play the sax, all of that American R&B and instrumental funk becoming part of my soul in my mid-teens,” he says. “I’m not trying to discount any of my other records because I like them all, but my approach here was fresh and very different than anything I had done before. When you enter a space like this, where you’re by design tracking with a live band for the first time instead of building tracks layer by layer, you don’t know what’s going to happen. What made this so magical was that I was there in the trenches with the band for the entire process, working out arrangements and parts as we went along. I wanted to just completely let go and let it flow all the way – which opened me up and liberated me as a player. The result might not be perfect in the conventional sense, but it’s not supposed to be. This record is all about feel and vibe.”

Lington, who became a U.S. citizen in 2008, has performed numerous times for the Danish royal family, including the wedding reception of Crown Prince Frederik, the country’s future king. In addition, the saxophonist have done extended stints as a special guest with many other musical superstars, including Barry Manilow, Bobby Caldwell, Randy Crawford and Michael Bolton. On Bolton’s tour, he played more than 300 shows in over 50 countries. One of its many highlights was performing in London’s famed Royal Albert Hall and also performing and meeting former President Bill Clinton at a special show at the Kuwait embassy.

Lington also manages his own cigar company, Michael Lington Cigars (www.michaellingtoncigars.com), and he recently launched Lington Wines (www.lingtonwine.com), his own boutique line of red and white wines out of Paso Robles on California’s Central Coast. 

www.michaellington.com

LIBBY YORK - MEMOIR

Libby York, like the very best of interpretive singers, has the gift of transforming a song into a personal anthem. On her new album, Memoir  (March 24, 2014, Libby York Music), she probes the lyrical content of a work to uncover inner connections to her own experience and state of being, finding individual relevance in a wide swath of standards she first heard on her parents' '78's from iconic composers including Cole Porter and George Gershwin to present day songsmith Donald Fagen. Her "memoir " may be fashioned from the pens of others, but the expressive fervor and creative brio is York's alone.

Applying this uncanny ability to bond with a song to celebrated vocal skills highlighted by a honeyed tone, light-as-a cloud swing and insightful phrasing, York delivers a masterwork that renews the life of familiar classics ("Thanks for the Memory," "Slow Boat To China," "I Was Doing Alright" and "How Long Has This Been Going On" and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," among them) and alerts us to lesser known gems ("My Little Boat," "Put It There, Pal," "When In Rome" and Fagen's "Walk Between the Raindrops"). What Memoir may best display is the intimacy that can be palpably felt when a singer becomes one with a song. "You have to believe the lyric, " York states, "You have to be present in the story of the song."

While York's vocal skills are emphatically the main event, Memoir takes a page from the celebrated late period projects of Rosemary Clooney by placing York at the helm of a tight small jazz band stocked with A-list players. With cornetist Warren Vache (an integral Clooney collaborator, also featured on York's 2008 album, Here with You), pianist John DiMartino, guitarist Russell Malone, bassist Martin Wind and drummer Greg Sergo, York is among guaranteed purveyors of swing, musicians who virtually read her mind as she artfully navigates a tune. "I think of myself as a member of the band," Yorks says," I love listening to them play; the caliber of their musicianship is staggering."

York's further respect for her collaborators is evident in the spacious solo statements and featured roles that she offers. Vache's full-throated yet eminently lyrical horn lines enliven the majority of the songs, while DiMartino consistently cloaks York's vocals in just-right chords like a musical second shadow. Wind and Sergo meld, as the most buoyant of rhythm teams must; featured on three tracks, Malone (who wisely suggested "When In Rome" to York) offers the tasty guitar work that York fans, familiar with Malone's fine playing on Here with You, have come to expect of his contributions.

For sheer mirth though, nothing tops the vocal duets between York and Vache on "Put It There, Pal," the old Bob Hope and Bing Crosby zing fest, and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," the witty display of verbal disparity by the brothers Gershwin. York says "Put It There, Pal," on which she and Vache toss some good-natured low blows at each other, as "the most fun I've ever had in a recording studio" and you believe her. Performances such as these remind us that a sense of humor - along with the complimentary ability to infuse a lyric with cheer and to never oversell a witticism -- is among the most highly prized of gifts that a superior vocalist can possess.

Memoir also refers to York's wistful, but emphatically non-nostalgic, reflections on the music she grew up with, songs that she has now artfully rejuvenated. Although York has been performing jazz since 1980, her recording career did not come about overnight. She left Chicago in the early 70s to major in political science at American University in Washington, DC and opened a restaurant in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware in 1974. She spent most of the 80s and early 90s in New York where she was coached by, among others, Abbey Lincoln, who "taught me about the truth and soul of a song," and collaborated with pianist Renee Rosnes.  She currently spends her time in Chicago, New York, Paris and Key West.

1998 saw the release of York's debut album, Blue Gardenia, followed, in 2004, by her breakthrough recording, Sunday in New York, which featured Renee Rosnes on piano and Count Basie alumni Frank Wess on tenor sax.  The album received an abundance of rave reviews including 4 stars in DownBeat magazine. York's third CD, 2008's Here With You -- with Russell Malone, Howard Alden, Warren Vache, Jon Burr and Vanderlei Pereira -- earned further acclaim, including praise from New York Times critic Nate Chinen who wrote: "Ms. York is a jazz singer of cool composure and artful subtlety, as she demonstrates on her fine new album, Here With You.

http://www.libbyyork.com/

ZAN STEWART - THE STREET IS MAKING MUSIC

In the course of his prolific career as a jazz journalist, writing for the Los Angeles Times, the Newark Star-Ledger, and Down Beat magazine, among many other publications, Zan Stewart established himself as one of the best in the business. He won a prestigious ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for his notes to an Eric Dolphy boxed set, and kept up a busy pace over a span of 35 years profiling major jazz musicians and annotating over two hundred albums.

On the side, however, Stewart pursued his own musical muse, playing tenor saxophone in jam session situations and as the leader of his own groups. By 2011 he had relocated from New Jersey to the Bay Area with the intention of becoming a full-time jazz musician. The release on March 25 of his first CD, "The Street Is Making Music," is the culmination of that goal, and it happens to coincide with Stewart’s 70th birthday.

“I had done my part as a jazz advocate, and I really didn’t want to write about other people anymore,” explains Stewart, who is now based in Richmond, near Berkeley. “So I decided to leave journalism, which can be so demanding. You can’t really think about anything else while you’re doing that. I enjoyed it, but after a while I just wanted to find out who I was as a musician.”

Featuring Stewart with his working band of pianist Keith Saunders, bassist Adam Gay, and drummer Ron Marabuto, the album contains uncompromising performances of three popular standards, one tune by Bud Powell, two by Charlie Parker, and five of Stewart’s own, including two different takes of his “Gals ’Round the ’Hood.” The whimsical CD title comes courtesy of a young former neighbor of Stewart’s in West Orange, New Jersey, for whom Zan’s practice sessions sounded like “the street is making music.”

Stewart’s impressive “Daddy’s Blue Song,” “Zansky,” and “Mobes’ Symphony”—in honor of his Boxer, namesake of his Mobo Dog label—take their place alongside “Love Letters,” “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” and Charlie Parker’s “Laird Baird” on the new disc. “I feel very grateful to be able to put tunes together that I like and other people like as well,” the saxophonist says of his compelling originals. “It’s a gift I didn’t really know I had until the last few years.”

Born in Los Angeles in 1944, Alexander “Zan” Stewart studied classical clarinet between the ages of 6 and 10 with Ola Ebinger, who had once been Eric Dolphy’s teacher. Stewart took up alto saxophone after seeing Count Basie’s orchestra in 1960 and switched to tenor six years later while hanging out with musicians like Mike Morris, Steve Wolfe, and Tom Harrell in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district.

In 1975, a year after graduating from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Film Studies, he began writing about jazz for the Santa Barbara News & Review and moved to the L.A. Weekly four years later. His work at the Weekly attracted the attention of veteran Los Angeles Times jazz critic Leonard Feather, who persuaded the paper to employ his talents in 1980.

After two decades at the Times, Stewart moved East to work as the staff jazz writer at the Newark Star-Ledger. He continued to play his horn, participating in jam sessions and leading his own groups in New Jersey and occasionally in New York City, including two appearances at Smalls Jazz Club. He also studied formally with altoist Jim Snidero and informally with trumpeter Joe Magnarelli and saxophonist Grant Stewart. In 2010, he decided to devote his energies to music rather than writing, and planned his move back to his native California.

The saxophonist, jazz critic Andrew Gilbert wrote on the Berkeleyside web site, “possesses a fat, rounded tone that owes more to Don Byas and Coleman Hawkins than latter day tenor icons like John Coltrane and Michael Brecker.” Stewart himself cites Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker, Hank Mobley, Clifford Jordan, Noel Jewkes, Yusef Lateef, Harold Land, David “Fathead” Newman, and early Coltrane as primary influences.

With "The Street Is Making Music," Zan Stewart offers a document of his improbable and inspiring musical journey to date. “It is indeed gratifying to have finally fulfilled a longtime dream by recording this album, and revealing who I am as a musician,” he says. “And I am very excited to discover where this action leads and what comes next.”