New Releases: Sheila E - Icon; Nicola Conte - Free Souls; The Omar Hakim Experience - We Are One

SHEILA E - ICON

World-class drummer and percussionist Sheila Escovedo is scheduled to release her first solo album in twelve years, "Icon," on March 25 as part of the celebration of her 40th anniversary in the music business. According to her Manager Gilbert Davison. "We are excited about the release, particularly of the multi-genre format that reflects Sheila E.'s broad artistry and experience," Davison expresses. All songs on the album were written and composed by  Sheila E., unless otherwise noted, while "Leader of the Band" was co-written by Prince. "I can't believe it's been 40 years since I began my career in the music business. I have been blessed to make music with some of the most incredible artists in the world," stated Sheila. "The past year has been very introspective for me. I have a book coming out in September, 'The Beat Of My Own Drum' and while writing it I was inspired to begin work on what has become 'Icon.' This album represents my musical journey and the different paths I have been blessed to travel. I'm excited and proud of this music." Tracklist: Butterfly (Interlude); Mona Lisa ft. Gisa Vatcky and Lucia Parker; Lovely Day; I'll Give You That; Rockstar ft. Bobby G.; Samba (Interlude); Nasty Thang ft. MC Lyte; Leader of The Band ft. The E. Family, Prince; Turn It Around (Interlude); Girl Like Me ft. Ledisi; Who Am I?; Old Skool ft. Eddie M, J.A.i.’ Tha Profit; and Now Is The Hour (Interlude) ft. Moms Escovedo. 

NICOLA CONTE - FREE SOULS

A brilliantly soulful set from Nicola Conte – a record that's got all the tight jazzy instrumentation we love in his other records, but one that's also got some wonderful vocal work as well! Singers are a perfectly-chosen batch of the best of the underground – and include Jose James, Marvin Parks, Bridgette Amofa, Melanie Charles, Tasha's World, and others – all of whom really help give the record a sense of variety and voice that goes way beyond any of Conte's other records! And the vocals are hardly a commercializing element, either – as the whole thing's got that full, rich, stone classic sound that we can always trust from Conte – a deeply jazzy approach that's rooted in older modal and spiritual jazz styles. Till Bronner plays guest trumpet on one track – and titles include "Shades Of Joy", "Ahmad's Blues", "Soul Revelation", "Baltimore Oriole", "Astral Rivers", "Uhuru", "Sunrise", "A Prayer For Yusef", and "Goddess Of The Sea". (SHM CD pressing.)  ~  Dusty Groove

THE OMAR HAKIM EXPERIENCE - WE ARE ONE

Produced, Arranged and Engineered by Omar in his OZmosis recording studios, each song is meticulously crafted and engineered to create deep sonic landscapes that lend a panoramic and cinematic quality to the listening experience. All the while, this musical journey through Hakim's mind and heart, soothes the soul while rocking your body with exploratory funk, rock and jazz, world and odd time rhythms...Textural & Colorful…"We Are One" is on the cusp of innovations in electronic music sound design and mixing possibilities. Omar's self-engineered CD is aurally infused with the entire musical color wheel! Hakim successfully travels through a pastel palette of sonic landscapes and sing-able pastoral and expressive melodies, which create cascading 3D sonic ear candy. This innocently prepares the listener for the inevitable hi energy outbursts of fiery fuchsia infused burning jams! 8 years in the making, the album features passionate performances by a supportive cast of long time friends and musical collaborators... Jerry Brooks, Scott Tibbs, Chieli Minucci, Abdul Zuhri, Bobby Francheschini, Gregoire Maret, Angel Rogers, Jimi Tunnell and Rachel Z. "With Omar composing all the tunes as well as arranging and playing on every track, and also engineering a bulk of the album, We Are One stands as the great drummer’s magnum opus in a long and illustrious career." ~ Bill Milkowski

VINCENT HERRING - THE UPTOWN SHUFFLE FEAT. CYRUS CHESTNUT / BRANDI DISTERHEFT / JOE FARNSWORTH

Vincent Herring's M.O. is well known-he means business. Not that you can tell from the pure joy that emanates from his horn, but like Bird, Cannonball, and Stitt, there is purpose, meaning, and, yes, a little gravity in every note he plays. Herring describes his time spent studying with bebop master Phil Woods as a pivotal moment in his development. It instilled in him a sense of responsibility to assume the mantle of a vital artistic tradition, which, for the past quarter century, is exactly what he's done. With his no-holds-barred solos and unerring aesthetic compass, he's made more than a few great records during that time, but his latest release on Smoke Sessions, The Uptown Shuffle might just be the best one yet.

Like so many classic jazz records, The Uptown Shuffle arrives with a rousing opener, Herring's aptly titled "Elation." He explains that he wrote this theme over 20 years ago to express a feeling of just pure joy. It was never exactly how he wanted it though, until just recently. It might also be the perfect introduction to his quartet. Soulful pianist Cyrus Chestnut, Canadian bass newcomer Brandi Disterheft and the reliably swinging drummer Joe Farnsworth have real chemistry from start to finish. Even when this band slows things down, as they do on timeless favorites like "Love Walked In" and "Tenderly," their intensity and passion never waver. Herring frequently talks about choosing personnel and material based "on a feeling" and that he used that approach to put together this date. He said he knew going in that he had the band he wanted and that when they ran down tunes in rehearsal, the ones included here were the ones that "just clicked."

The Uptown Shuffle was recorded live "uptown" at Smoke Jazz Club in front of a packed house of admirers. There is certainly energy and elation present in these performances and they do capture the spirit and excitement of a night out in New York.

VincentHerring.com

BLUE NOTE JAZZ FESTIVAL 2014: OVER 150 PERFORMANCE AT MORE THAN 15 VENUES THROUGHOUT NEW YORK CITY

With over 150 performances at more than 15 venues throughout New York City, the 2014 Blue Note Jazz Festival will be held Sun., June 1 through Monday, June 30. Ticket information and a current schedule of events/locations is available on the official website, www.BlueNoteJazzFestival.com. Additional performances and venues for the Fourth Annual festival will be announced in the coming weeks.

  

Highlights for the city's largest jazz festival include a special appearance by cultural icon Aretha Franklin; rare collaborations between Bobby McFerrin & Questlove (following their recent performance together on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"), Ramsey Lewis with Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey, André Previn & Christian McBride, Monty Alexander's 70th Birthday (with various reggae and jazz guests, to be announced), and the "Children Of The Light Trio" featuring Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci, and Brian Blade (all whom are current members of the Wayne Shorter Quartet, making their official U.S. debut as a trio); crossover vocalists Michael McDonald, Michael Bolton, and Dee Dee Bridgewater, as well as album release performances by José James and Sérgio Mendes respectively; multi-faceted entertainer Reggie Watts; renowned bassist/producer Marcus Miller; and tenor saxophone legend Gato Barbieri, among others. Please visit www.BlueNoteJazzFestival.com for dates and venue information.

In addition to Blue Note Jazz Club, festival venues include B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, Highline Ballroom, The Town Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Central Park SummerStage, Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, Rockwood Music Hall, Smalls Jazz Club, The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, IFC Center, Brooklyn Bowl, and Lucille's Bar & Grill at B.B. King Blues Club, among others. Festival co-presenters include Jill Newman Productions, MSG Entertainment, Bowery Presents, CEG/Nolafunk, Jazz Forum Arts, Jazz Journalists Association, and JazzReach.

"This year's festival puts a prime focus on distinctive collaborations," says Steven Bensusan, President of Blue Note Entertainment Group. "Shows such as Bobby McFerrin teaming up with Questlove and André Previn working with Christian McBride are rare opportunities for fans to hear world class artists perform together in unique musical settings."

Other jazz headliners include a rare U.S. performance by renowned bassist Avishai Cohen (his first New York City appearance in over two years, as leader or sideman); The Dizzy Gillespie™ Afro Cuban Experience featuring Machito Jr; tenor saxophone titans Joe Lovano and Eric Alexander as well up-and-comer Marcus Strickland; vocal masters Diane Schuur, Allan Harris, and Curtis Stigers; versatile pianists Michel Camilo, Hiromi, and Harold Mabern; as well as fusion-centric performances by keyboardist Jeff Lorber and Australian guitarist Albare; among others.

"We also continue to emphasize styles that are more broadly connected to jazz, to include everything from R&B, soul, and hip-hop to reggae, rock and Americana," adds Bensusan.

B.B. King Blues Club & Grill and Highline Ballroom will present a wide range of performances, including R&B/soul-centric artists such as Lalah Hathaway & Ruben Studdard, and Oleta Adams; reggae shows by Sly & Robbie and Tarrus Riley (in addition to Monty Alexander's birthday celebration); Americana/singer-songwriter artists Brandy Clark and the Beth Hart Band; eclectic global-centric acts Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Los Lobos and Yemen Blues (in addition to the legendary Sérgio Mendes); guitarists Tommy Emmanuel and Eric Gales; and jazz/rock drummer Ginger Baker's Jazz Confusion; among others. Additionally, Blue Note Jazz Club will showcase several nu-jazz centric projects, including a special one-night collaboration featuring Beka & DJ Logic with Victor Bailey (and late night shows featuring crossover soul/funk saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, as well as BIGYUKI).

Other special partner events include the 2014 Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards on June 11 at Blue Note Jazz Club; the New York City premiere of The Case of the Three Sided Dream, a documentary on jazz legend Rahsaan Roland Kirk, on June 11 at IFC Center; the National Jazz Museum in Harlem Benefit Concert on June 9 at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College; and Jazz Forum @ 35! on June 28 at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts; among others.

SARA SERPA & ANDRE MATOS - PRIMAVERA

Warmth, freshness, color, growth, new beginnings - these aspects of spring inspired and resonate in Primavera, the first duo album from vocalist Sara Serpa and guitarist André Matos. It's an album they started last spring and are releasing this spring, with the arc of its making also following the gestation and birth of their first child. To be released April 25, 2014 via Inner Circle Music, Primavera is a creation of verve and atmosphere, melody and poetry. The album also sees Serpa and Matos take a different, multi-layered tack from their usual jazz-honed method; they play multiple acoustic and electric instruments and use the studio as an instrument. Several musical friends help enrich Primavera, including Greg Osby, who adds soprano saxophone to a track. 

The material ranges from the duo's artfully inventive originals to a classic tune by pianist Ran Blake & vocalist Jeanne Lee ("Vanguard") and a song by Argentine composer-pianist Guillermo Klein ("Se Me La Va Voz"). Along with Serpa's signature wordless vocalese and her lyrics in Portuguese and English, there are songs that use words by two great poets: the American e.e. cummings and Portuguese Fernando Pessoa (via his heteronym Alberto Caeiro). Inventive and inviting throughout, Primavera is as irresistible as the season for which it's named.

JazzTimes has called Serpa "a rising star," while All About Jazz has said: "Her unique style of vocalese allows her to utilize the full range of her exquisite and clear voice with the agility of an instrumentalist, standing out of the crowd as a sublime interpreter and a bold improviser." The New York Times has described Matos as a guitarist who "advances a pointedly contemporary air." Both born and bred in Portugal but based in New York City for half a decade-plus, Serpa and Matos met through music in Boston, where they both studied at the Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory. Primavera is an album of connections, musical and personal. The song "Vanguard" reflects the close relationship Serpa has had with Ran Blake since she studied with the iconic pianist at NEC. She and Blake have recorded two albums together, 2010's Camera Obscura (which also included a version of "Vanguard") and 2012's Aurora. "We wanted to pay tribute to Ran, who is a dear friend," Serpa says. "I love the melody of that song and Jeanne Lee's lyrics, which were inspired by Dostoevsky's Dream of a Ridiculous Man." Composer Guillermo Klein is another friend and influence to the duo - his "Se Me La Va Voz" got "stuck in my mind after I heard him playing it at the Village Vanguard," Serpa recalls. "It's sad and deep."

The appearance of Osby on Primavera reflects the fruitful association Serpa and Matos have with the sax star, who has "been very important to us since we've been in New York," says the guitarist. Serpa joined Osby's band right out of school in 2008, performing with the group at such hallowed venues as the Village Vanguard and contributing to his album 9 Levels. Osby's Inner Circle Music label released Serpa's debut album as a leader, Praia (2008), and her quintet album Mobile (2011), along with Camera Obscura. Inner Circle also released Matos's third album, Quare (2010). On Primavera, Osby's serpentine saxophone darts between Serpa's vocalese and Matos' six-string on the guitarist's tune "Choro." Matos has known Leo Genovese - a pianist who plays everything from piano and melodica to exotic percussion and toy guitar on the album - since their Berklee days together. "He adds color and spontaneity to the mix," Matos says. Pete Rende, who contributes keyboard atmosphere to the background of Matos' "Caminho" is a "special voice in music, a piano player we admire a lot," the guitarist says. "He did a great job mixing the album for us and sitting in on Prophet for 'Caminho.'"

The original compositions by Serpa and Matos glow with a kind of magical lyricism. On an album full of highlights, the joyous title song and reflective "Tempo" stand out, as does "Caminho" with its luminous ambience and quietly dramatic guitar solo. The stately, lovely "A Realidade das Coisas" is one of the album's two settings of verses by the great poet of Lisbon, Fernando Pessoa, writing as Alberto Caeiro, one of his many literary alter egos. These are part of a larger cycle of Pessoa/Caeiro settings by Matos. Then there is the impossibly catchy "Kubana," rhythmically demonstrative and melodically sighing by turns.

"This album came out very different from what we initially expected - we had planned a straightforward acoustic duo record at first," Serpa says. "But as we became more and more involved in the music, we experimented and got excited about the process and what we were creating, with new songs being born in that process of discovery." Any listener can hear that the final result, Primavera, radiates with that excitement of experimentation and the joy of creative communion.

Sara Serpa & André Matos: Primavera

1. "Primavera" (Serpa)

2. "Tempo" (Matos)

3. "Rios" (Matos)

4. "Choro" (Matos)

5. "Kubana" (Matos/Serpa)

6. "Song for a Sister" (Serpa)

7. "Caminho" (Matos)

8. "O Guardador de Rebanhos" (Matos/Caeiro)

9. "A Realidade das Coisas" (Matos/Caeiro)

10. "Nuvem" (Serpa)

11. "Vanguard" (Ran Blake/Jeanne Lee)

12. "Gardening" (Matos)

13. "Se Me Va La Voz" (Guillermo Klein)

14. "Earth" (Serpa/Cummings)

www.saraserpa.com

www.andrematosmusic.com

www.innercirclemusic.com

HAROLD MABERN - RIGHT ON TIME FEATURING JOHN WEBBER / JOE FARNSWORTH

"He blends the soul of Memphis with the madness of Manhattan and a life experience as

one of the music's outstanding pianists to create musical muscle that immediately

draws you in and a sensitivity that keeps you there. Anytime is the right time for Harold Mabern!" - WBGO

The label's first title, Right On Time, is by the jazz piano eminence Harold Mabern. It's a fitting debut for Smoke Sessions as Mabern's frequent presence at Smoke over the years was instrumental in making it a major jazz destination. While most people his age are enjoying retirement, Mabern is still happily in the trenches in the sixth decade of his illustrious career. Clearly, he still has a lot to say.

Recorded over the weekend of his 77th birthday celebration in March 2013, Right on Time--which he dedicates to his idol, and fellow Memphis piano giant, Phineas Newborn, Jr.--captures all of the highlights of his two nights at Smoke with bassist John Webber and drummer Joe Farnsworth, one of his two working trios. Mabern knows a thing or two about putting together a balanced musical program and he draws on an extensive repertoire for this title including classic blues, swinging standards, moving ballads, and modal tempests.

Always on the lookout for material from outside the jazz box, Mabern opens Right on Time with Peter Brown's disco hit "Dance with Me." He finds another surprising gem in plain sight with the well-known Theme to Laverne and Shirley "Making our Dreams Come True." He also includes some of his favorite composers-Richard Rodgers, Thad Jones, Henry Mancini, and Hoagy Carmichael-and delivers an unusually melancholy and particularly beautiful rendition of "Don't Get Around Much Anymore." There is a blistering, bebop reading of "Cherokee," as well as "Seven Steps to Heaven" conceived during his time with Miles in the '60s and his own beloved original, "Edward Lee" dedicated to trumpeter Lee Morgan. Finally, he builds the ebulliently swinging "Blues for Frank 'n' Paul 'n' All" from another unlikely source-the outgoing message on his answering machine. It was a melodic fragment that proved so popular with fellow musicians that he "finished it" with an ending and now dedicates it to the entire Smoke family.

Many consider Mabern the very definition of a "jazz master," and Right On Time is just the most recent evidence that it's high time that the National Endowment for the Arts officially makes him a Jazz Master, too.

 

JOSE JAMES READYING NEW ALBUM "WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING" SET FOR JUNE RELEASE

José James has announced a June 10 release date for his new album, While You Were Sleeping, his fifth studio album and his second album for Blue Note Records. While You Were Sleeping is the follow-up to his widely acclaimed R&B and jazz steeped No Beginning No End, and signals a new creative direction for the versatile singer-songwriter. The album was recorded in Brooklyn, NY, and was produced by José and Brian Bender.

That creative shift is heard in the rock edge of tracks like “EveryLittleThing” and “Anywhere U Go” and is evidenced in a change in José’s band which adds guitarist Brad Allen Williams to the stellar line-up of keyboardist Kris Bowers, bassist Solomon Dorsey and drummer Richard Spaven. The influence of Jimi Hendrix can be heard throughout the album as much as R&B forefathers like Al Green. Special guests on While You Were Sleeping include vocalist Becca Stevens who duets with James on her song “Dragon,” as well as trumpeter Takuya Kuroda who is featured on the cover of Green’s classic “Simply Beautiful” that closes the album.

"This album is a synthesis of everything I love about music,” says José, “from contemporary artists like Frank Ocean, James Blake, and Junip to groundbreaking artists I grew up with like Nirvana, Radiohead, and Madlib. It's also a love letter to many late nights spent in East London clubs like Plastic People and Cargo, watching new movements unfold in electronic music. I want people to feel the joy of discovery that I experience night after night onstage, reaching for something new."

NPR Music raved about No Beginning No End, proclaiming “James makes utterly contemporary music,” adding that he “skirts categories with ease, fitting in with current R&B innovators like Frank Ocean or Miguel, yet maintaining a strong awareness of a lineage that stretches from Ray Charles to Marvin Gaye to Lou Rawls to Maxwell.”

Pitchfork noted that “While he’s always been one to try stuff out – he successfully collaborated with Flying Lotus on Blackmagic – on No Beginning No End he finds a way to make an eclectic approach feel unified and whole. With previous releases, he's earned his heroic acclaim in the tough, tried-and-trusted lanes of contemporary jazz. With No Beginning No End, he's built his own road out.”

José has also announced a short run of April U.S. tour dates to preview songs from While You Were Sleeping. The tour kicks off April 15 in Philadelphia and makes stops in Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. He has also announced album release shows in New York (Highline Ballroom, June 12) and Los Angeles (Playboy Jazz Festival, June 15). More dates will be announced shortly. See a full list of currently confirmed tour dates below.

The tracklisting for While You Were Sleeping is as follows:

1. Angel (José James)

2. U r the 1 (J. James/T. Billig/K. Bowers/B. Williams)

3. While You Were Sleeping (J. James)

4. Anywhere U Go (J. James/S. Dorsey)

5. Bodhisattva (J. James/S. Dorsey)

6. 4 Noble Truths (J. James)

7. Dragon feat. Becca Stevens (Becca Stevens)

8. Salaam (K. Bowers/B. Williams/S. Dorsey/R. Spaven)

9. Without U (J. James/T. Billig/B. Williams)

10. EveryLittleThing (J. James/K. Bowers)

11. xx (J. James)

12. Simply Beautiful feat. Takuya Kuroda (Al Green)

JOSÉ JAMES – U.S. TOUR DATES

April 15 – World Café Life – Philadelphia, PA

April 17-18 – Scullers – Boston, MA

April 20 – Evanston SPACE – Chicago, IL

April 21 – Cedar Cultural Center – Minneapolis, MN

April 22-23 – Dazzle – Denver, CO

April 24 – The Triple Door – Seattle, WA

April 25 – Alberta Rose Theatre – Portland, OR

April 26 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA

June 12 – Highline Ballroom – New York, NY

June 15 – Playboy Jazz Festival @ Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA

June 20 – Magoffin Auditorium – El Paso, TX

June 21 – Charline McCombs Empire Theatre – San Antonio, TX

June 22 – Empire Control Room – Austin, TX

June 26 – The Pour House – Raleigh, NC

June 28 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA

~ Blue Note

KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD - GOIN’ HOME

"This is a homecoming in more ways than one," Kenny Wayne Shepherd says of Goin’ Home, The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band’s May 20, 2014 debut on Concord Records. (International release dates may vary) "I felt like I was retracing my steps and reliving all the good times that I've had in my life because of this music.  And hopefully, that amount of happiness comes through on the album."

In a 20-year recording career that began when he was just 16, Shepherd has established himself as an immensely popular recording artist, a consistently in-demand live act and an influential force in a worldwide resurgence of interest in the blues. Now, the five-time GRAMMY® nominee delivers one of his most personal projects to date with Goin' Home, his eighth album and his first to be recorded in his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana.

Recorded in a mere 11 days, Goin' Home finds Shepherd revisiting a dozen of the vintage blues classics that first ignited his love of the blues and inspired him to play guitar. The artist's sharp interpretive skills and sublime guitar work shine on his renditions of tunes originally popularized by such blues icons as B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, Muddy Waters, Magic Sam, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells.

Goin' Home—which continues in the spirit of Shepherd's widely acclaimed 2007 album/film project 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads—came together when Shepherd decided to take advantage of an 11-day gap in his touring schedule. "Everybody was originally gonna fly home and have a break," he recalls, "but I saw it as an opportunity to make some music. I had been looking for songs and preparing to make a record like this, so I asked the guys in the band for some more song suggestions and we rerouted the tour bus down to Louisiana."

The process of choosing material for the project allowed Shepherd to relive some of his earliest musical epiphanies. "I dug through tons and tons of songs and artists' catalogues, trying to find songs that I thought would be right for this record," he explains. "That brought back all these distinct memories of sitting in the living room in front of the record player and cassette deck as a kid and learning how to play this material."

The fact that the album was recorded in Shreveport, where Shepherd had come of age musically but had never actually recorded, raised the project's emotional intensity. "Being in Shreveport really brought me back, and being surrounded by my family and the music that I cut my teeth on brought up a lot of vivid memories."

Although Shreveport didn't have a world class recording studio when Shepherd was growing up, the city is now home to Blade Studios, the celebrated facility run by respected drummer/producer Brady Blade, who's renowned for his work with the likes of Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and Dave Matthews. Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of American Blues, Shepherd and his band—singer Noah Hunt, ex-Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton, former Firm bassist Tony Franklin and keyboardist Riley Osbourn—cut 22 songs, with no studio trickery and minimal overdubbing.

"We did it the way records used to be recorded," Shepherd explains. "Everything, including the vocals, was basically cut live in the studio with everybody in the same room, with the instruments all bleeding together onto two-inch tape. I wanted to record these songs in the same spirit in which they were originally recorded, so the 11-day time frame was self-imposed. That put pressure on everybody to get it right the first time, and I had the utmost confidence in everyone's abilities and knowledge."

Also lending a hand on the project are several talented friends who shared Shepherd's enthusiasm for Goin' Home's back-to-basics concept. Those include fellow guitar icons Joe Walsh, Warren Haynes, Keb' Mo' and Robert Randolph, longtime friend Ringo Starr, Fabulous Thunderbirds frontman Kim Wilson, the Rebirth Brass Band and co-producer Blade's father, Pastor Brady Blade Sr., who lends a bracing dose of preaching to Shepherd's version of Bo Diddley's "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover."

"Everybody who performed on the record shared my passion, appreciation and respect for this music, but they're also all good friends of mine," Shepherd notes. "It was all pretty casual; I'd just run into people and ask if they wanted to be a part of it, and every one of them contributed something significant to the record.

"I feel like I've matured a lot as a musician," Shepherd concludes. "My purpose for making music is the same as it ever was, but I've also learned a lot over the years. Less can be more. The great blues musicians who originally moved me didn't always have to burn up the neck of the guitar by playing a bunch of notes. They knew how to play the right note at the right time, in a way that just pierces you right to your heart. That was an important lesson, and it's my goal to move people in that same way that my role models moved me."

 

BEN & ELLEN HARPER REFLECT ON CHILDHOOD HOME - COLLABORATIVE ALBUM DUE MAY 6 VIA PRESTIGE FOLKLORE

Ben Harper and his mother Ellen have collaborated to create Childhood Home (Prestige Folklore), an absorbing, deeply personal collection of original songs set for release on May 6, 2014.  Landing the week before Mother’s Day, the ten songs on Childhood Home, six written by Ben and four written by Ellen, explore the intricacies of family life with honesty and generous intimacy.

The album’s source can be directly traced to the pair’s highly unusual, musical heritage.  In 1958, Ben Harper’s maternal grandparents established The Folk Music Center and Museum in Claremont, California.  It was there, amid guitars, banjos, tablas, ukuleles and all manner of instruments from around the world, that a distinctively musical family took shape.  Ellen Harper, a talented multi-instrumentalist in her own right, encouraged her family to use the store (which she still operates) as a musical laboratory. The center was a magnet for up-and-comers such as Ry Cooder, David Lindley and Taj Mahal, who became extended family members, providing master classes in creativity and philosophy, all of which the young Ben Harper soaked up like a sponge.

“I was a single mom, so he would come to the music store pretty much everyday after school, and help out while I was working. I think he just absorbed a lot of it,” Ellen told a local paper. “It was in his environment, everywhere, because I used to play in bands, and he used to hang out with us all the time.”  “Without that upbringing, I don’t think I’d be doing what I do,” Ben told the LA Times upon his grandfather’s passing in 2004. 

The tender, artfully crafted story sketches on Childhood Home are laced with an undercurrent of love, wistfulness and, sometimes, pain. “A house is a home even when there’s ghosts / Even when you gotta run from the ones who love you most,” Ben sings on the album opener “A House Is A Home.”   On “Memories of Gold,” truthfulness cuts through sweet nostalgia: “In the winter she wants to be dancer / In springtime she wants to be a scribe /In summer she wants to be a painter / Come autumn the mother of a child.” Likewise, the sacrifice and despair of domestic life is devotedly delivered on Ellen Harper’s “Altar of Love”: “He always works late, determines his own fate / He’s found his true match; he’s found his soul mate / Sorry he says, sorry he feels / Can’t help himself, he fell head over heels / And now she’s another wife and a mother / Sacrificed on the alter of love.”

Ben Harper produced Childhood Home "like early Elvis," he told Rolling Stone, after he and Charlie Musselwhite won the "Best Blues Album" GRAMMY Award for last year’s critically acclaimed Get Up! (Stax/Concord). "Not one thing is plugged in. It's all acoustic. I think they’re going to call it ‘Americana,’ but it’s soul, California, folk rock, American."

Addressing a hometown audience, Ben recently affirmed: “I’ve always figured home is where you run from, and then run to.” Ben and Ellen Harper find the circle unbroken on Childhood Home.

Childhood Home Tracklist:

1. A House Is a Home

2. City of Dreams

3. Born to Love You

4. Heavyhearted World

5. Farmer's Daughter

6. Memories of Gold

7. Altar of Love

8. Break Your Heat

9. Learn It All Again Tomorrow

10. How Could We Not Believe

http://www.benharper.com

https://twitter.com/benharper

http://www.facebook.com/benharper

WAR SET TO RELEASE FIRST NEW ALBUM IN 20 YEARS - EVOLUTIONARY FT. TOWER OF POWER AND OTHERS

On May 13, the legendary and groundbreaking group, WAR, will release their first new studio album in 20 years, titled Evolutionary, on Far Out Records/UMe. Available on 2CD and digitally, the package includes the new Evolutionary album and WAR’s digitally remastered, multi-Platinum Greatest Hits collection, originally released in 1976 and never before released digitally or on CD. Featuring special guest collaborations with Cheech & Chong, Tower of Power, Joe Walsh, Malik Yusef, and the USC Marching Band, Evolutionary showcases WAR’s multi-ethnic lineup and genre-defying style, combining jazz, rock, funk, soul, R&B and Latin. The band also announced U.S. tour dates starting March 20, including co-headlining performances with Cheech & Chong at The Joint at Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on May 16 and at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre on May 24 (see confirmed dates below).

Produced by Jerry Goldstein and Lonnie Jordan, the new set touches on WAR’s L.A. roots, while also updating the band’s classic sound for a new generation of fans. Evolutionary was recorded at Total Access Studios in Redondo Beach, California by WAR founding member/vocalist Lonnie Jordan, percussionist Marcos Reyes, guitarist Stuart Ziff, bassist Francisco “Pancho” Tomaselli, drummer Sal Rodriguez, saxophonist/flautist David Urquidi, and harmonica player Stanley Behrens.

Evolutionary includes the autobiographical first single, “That L.A. Sunshine,” featuring Cheech & Chong, who memorably used WAR’s “Low Rider” in their movie debut, Up in Smoke. Cheech & Chong and WAR are co-headlining the ongoing “Up In Smoke Tour.”

The album also includes “Mamacita,” which revisits the band’s Latin heritage and the Hollywood streets that inspired them -- accompanied by special guest Joe Walsh on guitar and the Tower of Power horns. “Inspiration,” a song set to a Lonnie Jordan-penned poem, celebrates the band’s unique relationship with its fervent fan base. Additionally, five-time GRAMMY® winner and member of Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. posse, Malik Yusef brings his hip-hop pedigree to the smooth R&B ballad, “Outer Space,” the “Low Rider” sample of “Bounce,” and the gospel choir on “Everything.” Yusef also contributes the rap to Motown writers Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong’s “War” (a hit for Edwin Starr), which also features the famed USC Trojan Marching Band.

WAR is the quintessential Los Angeles street band, first discovered by producer/writer Jerry Goldstein in a North Hollywood club. Eric Burdon and WAR burst onto the charts with the classic worldwide hit “Spill The Wine.” Burdon and WAR toured extensively across the United States and Europe, until Burdon departed the band during the tour. The tour continued and the band returned to Los Angeles to record their first album as WAR. The rest is history.

WAR has achieved 31 Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum RIAA sales honors, 11 Top 10 pop hits, and 15 Top 10 R&B hits, including “Low Rider,” “Spill The Wine,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” “The Cisco Kid,” “The World is a Ghetto,” “Gypsy Man,” and “Summer.”

Over the years, WAR’s songs have been sampled by a broad range of artists, including the Beastie Boys, George Clinton, The Geto Boys, Ice Cube, Ice-T, Janet Jackson, Method Man, Redman, Smash Mouth, Tupac Shakur, Barry White, ZZ Top, Portishead, Korn, and many more.

Songs from the group’s legendary catalog have been featured on the soundtracks for several hit movies, including Lethal Weapon, Boogie Nights, and Gone in 60 Seconds, popular TV shows “Beverly Hills 90210,” “My Name Is Earl,” and “The Simpsons,” and best-selling video games “Grand Theft Auto IV” and “Skate 2.”

WAR: Evolutionary / Greatest Hits [2CD; digital]

CD 1: Evolutionary

1.     That L.A. Sunshine 

2.   Mamacita 

3.   It's Our Right / Funky Tonk 

4.   Just Like Us 

5.   Inspiration 

6.   Scream Stream 

7.   This Funky Music 

8.   Outer Space 

9.   War / War After War (A Soldier's Story) 

10.   Bounce 

11.   Everything 

12.   It’s My Life 

  

CD 2: Greatest Hits (remastered)

1.   All Day Music 

2.   Slippin' Into Darkness 

3.   The World Is A Ghetto 

4.   The Cisco Kid 

5.   Gypsy Man 

6.   Me And Baby Brother 

7.   Southern Part Of Texas 

8.   Why Can't We Be Friends? 

9.   Low Rider 

10.   Summer 

    

WAR: U.S. Tour Dates

March 20 / Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI

March 21 / Mystic Lake Casino, Prior Lake, MN

March 22 / 1stBank Center, Broomfield, CO

March 29 / Peoria Civic Center Arena. Peoria, IL 

April 5 / American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, TX

April 6 / Majestic Theatre, San Antonio, TX

April 17 /  Enmore Theater, Sydney, AUS 

April 18 / Hamer Hall, Melbourne, AUS 

April 19-21 / Byron Bay Blues Festival, Byron Bay, AUS 

April 27 / Stockton Asparagus Festival, Stockton, CA 

May 2 / Chandler Pass, Phoenix, AZ 

May 16 / Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - The Joint, Las Vegas, NV

May 17 / Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino, Lemoore, CA 

May 24 / Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

May 29 / San Bernardino County Fair, Victorville, CA 

June 12 / San Mateo County Fair, San Mateo, CA 

June 13 / Merced County Fair Outdoor Theatre, Merced, CA 

June 21 / Genessee Theatre, Waukegan, IL 

June 28 / Wonderland of the Americas Outdoor, San Antonio, TX 

July 5 / Nugget Rose Ballroom, Reno NV

July 18 / TBA, Boise, ID

July 19 / Marrymore, Seattle, WA

July 26 / Lock 3 Live, Akron, OH 

August 2 / Tags, Big Falls, NY

August 7 / Northwest Ohio Rib-Off, Maumee, OH 

August 17 / Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest, Ft. Collins, CO 

August 28 / Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort , Jackson, CA

August 29 / Monterey County Fair, Monterey, CA 

September 5 / LA County Fair, Los Angeles, CA 

October 19-20 / Capitol Jazz Cruise, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 

October 24 / Casino Baltimore, Baltimore, MD 

October 31 / Twin River Casino, Lincoln, RI

November 21 / Magic City Casino, Miami, FL 

www.WAR.com

NATHAN EAST TO APPEAR ON THE TONIGHT SHOW; SINGLE "DAFT FUNK" REACHES #3 ON BILLBOARD SMOOTH JAZZ CHART

Nathan East, America's preeminent bassist, is readying his eponymous solo debut and will be sharing music from the album on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Tavis Smiley. The album features appearances by many of Nathan's friends and past collaborators including Sara Bareilles, Eric Clapton, Michael McDonald, and Stevie Wonder.  The album epitomizes Nathan's time as a go-to player in the funk, soul and jazz world. 'Nathan East' is available March 25 on Yamaha Entertainment Group.

"Daft Funk," Nathan's ode to the Grammy-winning album he helped record with Daft Punk, is the album's first single and has reached #3 on the Billboard smooth jazz charts. The song features legendary session guitarist Ray Parker Jr., and uses a talk box to channel the French funk auteurs. Bass Musician Magazine called the song a "groove-heavy Daft Punk-meets-Michael Jackson 'Off the Wall' original."

The album already has more than 4,500 pre-orders and release week will see Nathan performing several times on the late night circuit. Nathan sits in with The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (March 26), in addition to an interview and performance on Tavis Smiley (airing the week of March 24).

President of Yamaha Entertainment Group Chris Gero, who co-produced the album with Nathan and co-wrote the song "Madiba" said: "It's been a privilege to work with Nathan on this album. We at Yamaha Entertainment Group are all honored to be able to work with Nathan on this labor of love, the release of his debut solo album."

Advance reviews of the album have praised "an absolutely unparalleled performance of Van Morrison's 'Moondance'" (Music Connection), and Bass Player's Chris Jisi concluded, "This album is packed with blinding brilliance!"

Following the release, Nathan East will kick off a national Guitar Center tour, offering bass clinics and meet and greet opportunities in select cities.

Nathan East Guitar Center Tour

Tues., April 1: Rockville, MD

Wed., April 2: Towson, MD

Thurs., April 17: Seattle, WA

Tues., May 6: San Diego, CA

Thurs., May 8: San Marcos, CA

Tues., May 13: Charlotte, NC

Thurs., May 15: Dallas, TX

~ Yamaha Entertainment Group

NEW RELEASES: CITRUS SUN - PEOPLE OF TOMORROW; KENNY GRAHAM - THE WORLD OF SAMMY LEE; NIELS VINCENTZ / CAMERON BROWN / BILLY HART / TOM HARRELL - IS THAT SO?

CITRUS SUN - PEOPLE OF TOMORROW

A really sweet set from this Incognito side project – a group who are even jazzier than usual work from Bluey and crew! The album's mostly instrumental – save for some great guest vocals from Valerie Etienne – and the focus is on longer solos on keyboards, guitar, and trumpet – all spun out over the kind of classic grooves you'd expect from Incognito! Think of the record as a jazz fusion project from the late 70s, with some R&B undercurrents – just the kind of set that only a rare few like Bluey could do so well. Valerie sings on a great cover of Terry Callier's "What Color Is Love", and the album also features an instrumental take on "What's Going On", plus the tracks "Yesterday Detroit", "Cooking With Walter", "Tonight We Dance", "Mais Uma Vez", and "People Of Tomorrow". ~ Dusty Groove

KENNY GRAHAM - THE WORLD OF SAMMY LEE

A wonderful jazz soundtrack from the legendary Kenny Graham – the important postwar Brit bandleader who was known for his seminal Afro-Cubists group – heard here in a much different context! Kenny's still got all that great sense of tone and color he brought to some of his more powerful music – but he uses it here with a sensitivity that's really breathtaking – careful use of woodwind passages, percussion, and other light instrumentation – all used to illustrate the seamier underbelly of London in the early 60s! The tapes were thought lost for years, but have been marvelously reclaimed by the folks at Trunk Records – and although there's no historical record of the musicians on the date, we're guessing that they're the same top-shelf jazzmen who graced Kenny's other groups. Titles include "Patsy Asleep In The Flat", "Salt Beef", "Dash To Bellman's", "Four O'Clock Hop", "Thoughts At Home", "Peepshow Bins", and "Soho At Dawn". ~ Dusty Groove

NIELS VINCENTZ / CAMERON BROWN / BILLY HART / TOM HARRELL - IS THAT SO?

A wonderful follow-up to the previous trio album that tenorist Niels Vincentz cut with bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Billy Hart – and a record that also adds in the wonderful voice of Tom Harrell on trumpet! The quartet have this cool, compressed vibe that's right up there with Harrell's best work under his own name – that impeccable trumpet style really shaping the top end of the tunes, and balanced by some of the deeper, more soulful lines coming from Vincentz's trumpet – as Brown does some amazing work on the bottom end, with these round, warm tones that leave us breathless throughout. Hart's drum work is more than able to shift and match all the right patterns needed throughout – and titles include "Baby Suite", "Modal Dancer", "Haiku", "Cecile", and "Raison D'Etre". ~ Dusty Groove

DAVID WHITE JAZZ ORCHESTRA - THE CHASE

Trombonist and composer David White formed his powerhouse 17-piece ensemble, the David White Jazz Orchestra, in 2007 and introduced them to the jazz world four years later with his well-received debut, Flashpoint. "White clearly knows his jazz history," wrote one reviewer, "and strikes a perfect balance by incorporating his musical influences while defining his own progressive style."

White now returns with a follow-up disc, The Chase, containing six new originals performed by his New York City-based orchestra, many of whose members have been associated with him musically since their high school days in Buffalo, New York two decades ago. The ensemble, while steeped in big-band traditions, takes the music in exciting new directions rife with vibrant voicings and rhythmic variety. White's Mister Shepherd imprint will release the disc on April 8.

  

"There's a whole palette of orchestral colors within the big band that are not always tapped into," explains the 35-year-old leader. "When you take all the various colors and color combinations that are possible, it's like having a giant box of Crayolas where you can color and draw anything that you can imagine. Contrary to popular opinion, the big band has a rich palette for orchestration. A symphony orchestra has a standard instrumentation, but you wouldn't expect a symphony orchestra to sound a particular way. It's really up to the composer and the orchestrator use those colors in a unique way, and I don't want people to know what to expect when they hear my music."

David White On the new disc, White's robust trombone gets the solo spotlight on "Persistence," a song he says was inspired by minimalist composer Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians. Other highlights include the fast-burning "Mister Shepherd's Misadventures," with solos by tenor saxophonist Sam Dillon and trumpeter Miki Hirose; "The Shakedown," a funky 24-bar composition featuring alto saxophonist Andrew Gould (who's also worked with the Jon Faddis and Wallace Roney big bands); and "Blues for Sally Draper," a medium-tempo 12-bar blues named for the precocious character on Mad Men, White's favorite television show.

Growing up in Buffalo, David White played recorder and trumpet before settling on trombone. He played in both the jazz band and concert band in junior high school and was playing professionally by the time he was 14 with a big band at Buffalo's historic Colored Musicians Club led by baritone saxophonist Macy Favor.

"Macy was an important father figure since I had a single mother and my grandfather had passed," White says. "Music was always something that added discipline in my life. There's the discipline of practicing. There's the discipline of being in bands, which is more responsibility than a lot of 14-year-olds would have had. It let me get a lot of my trial and error out of the way at an early age. It was tuning my ear to blending with other musicians to playing in a trombone section to balancing the trombone section with the rest of the band."

After high school, White spent a year at the University of Buffalo, where he studied with noted classical trombonist Richard Myers, before transferring to the Purchase College Conservatory of Music, from which he would earn Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music. At Purchase he studied with onetime Woody Herman trombonist Jim Pugh and played in the school's big band, small jazz groups, Latin jazz band, trombone choir, symphony orchestra, brass band, and wind ensemble.

White moved to the New York City area in 2003 and currently resides in Queens. He led his own quintet for seven years and has also played with Charli Persip's big band and currently with Valery Ponomarev's big band. Since its inception in 2007, the David White Jazz Orchestra has performed at such New York venues as Symphony Space, Garage Restaurant and Café, Tea Lounge, Somethin' Jazz Club, Saint Peter's Church, and the Full Gospel Assembly of Queens. The orchestra's membership has been, the leader says, "way more stable than I ever anticipated" over the past seven years.

The trombonist cites J.J. Johnson ("the father of us all"), Ray Anderson ("the anti-J.J."), Slide Hampton, Curtis Fuller, and Grachan Moncur III as influences on his playing and Maria Schneider, Steve Reich, Gerald Wilson, and Thad Jones as being among the composer-arrangers who have most inspired him.

As evidenced by 2011's Flashpoint and now The Chase, David White has become a jazz force to be reckoned with. He's a wonderfully innovative composer, the leader of a dynamic orchestra filled with brilliant soloists and section players, and a darn good trombone blower to boot. 

The David White Jazz Orchestra will celebrate the release of The Chase with performances at Saint Peter's Church, 619 Lexington Ave. at 54th Street, NYC, Wed. 7/9 at 1:00 pm; and at Harlem School of the Arts, 645 St. Nicholas Ave., NYC, Fri. 7/18, 6:30 pm. 

www.davidwhitejazz.com

ESTHER PHILLIPS - BABY, I'M FOR REAL!: 4 CLASSIC ALBUMS 1971-1974

A huge chapter in the career of Esther Phillips – four albums for the legendary Kudu label, plus bonus tracks too! First up is From A Whisper To A Scream – one of our favorite-ever albums from Esther Phillips – an album that really helped her transform her sound for the 70s! The approach is a lot more jazzy than before – served up with a good dose of funk, thanks to arrangements from Pee Wee Ellis – fresh from his work with James Brown, but even more electrically-oriented here! Titles include an incredible cover of Gil Scott Heron's "Home Is Where The Hatred Is", plus "From A Whisper To A Scream", "Till My Back Ain't Got No Bone", "Your Love Is So Doggone Good", Scarred Knees", and "Baby, I'm For Real". 

Alone Again is one of the deepest soul sets from Esther Phillips' 70s years on Kudu Records – a set with some nicely gritty grooves and a surprisingly earthy feel at times – especially when compared to some of her other albums of the time! Backings are by James Brown's old reedman, Pee Wee Ellis – and although there's some of the usual Kudu electric funk in the mix, there's also some deeper soul elements too – a vibe that's often a bit laidback and open, almost more Atlantic Records at points – which is a mighty good fit for Esther's wonderful voice! The album's got a great version of Bill Withers' "Use Me" that features a tasty break in the intro – and other titles include a great version of "Alone Again (Naturally)", plus the cuts "Let's Move & Groove", "Cherry Red", "Let Me In Your Life", and "You & Me Together". 

Black Eyed Blues is next, and Pee Wee Ellis arranged the album, and gave Esther a nice little dose of funk that really helped her groove – getting out of the sad bag of her Atlantic recordings, and sounding hipper than anyone would have expected! The record features the great slow funk groover "Black Eyed Blues" – and other tracks include "I've Only Known A Stranger", "You Could Have Had Me, Baby", and "Too Many Roads". 

Performance has a nicely dark undercurrent at times – a sound that's not as smooth as some of Esther's other Kudu albums from the 70s, with bits of R&B bubbling underneath the more contemporary arrangements. Backings are penned by Pee Wee Ellis and Gary King – and titles include the classic funky number "Disposable Society" – one of those great little groovers that never did anything for Esther at the time of its release, but which has really gotten rediscovered in recent years! Other tracks include "Doing Our Thing", "Living Alone", "Can't Trust Your Neighbor With Your Baby", and "I Feel The Same". CD features bonus tracks – "Brother Brother", "I Can Stand The Rain", and "What A Difference A Day Makes (single edit)".  ~ Dusty Groove 

NEW RELEASES: OHIO PLAYERS - BACK; THE EMINENT STARS - SITTIN' IN WITH THE EMINENT STARS; EURO CINEMA - FUNKSTAMATIC

OHIO PLAYERS - BACK

Ohio Players bounce back for this late 80s album – coming across with a leaner groove than before, and a style that's right up there with the best mainstream funk of the time! Most instrumentation is electric – plenty of beats and keyboards here – but the group still seem to hang onto the looser, freakier style they brought to their Mercury work of the 70s – a mode that's definitely updated here with more 80s aesthetics that run through the vocals and production, but still in a way that doesn't have the Players straying far from their roots! Titles include "Get 2 The Good Part", "Show Off", "I'm Madd", "Vibe Alive", "Just A Minute", and "Try". ~ Dusty Groove

THE EMINENT STARS - SITTIN' IN WITH THE EMINENT STARS

Stardom seems eminent with this fierce funky combo – a quintet of players with a deep love of southern sounds from the 60s – particularly the best grooves coming out of Memphis or New Orleans! The mix of instrumentation features tight trumpet, tenor, and guitar – and although the group's core jamming is the main appeal of the record, the set also features guest vocals on a number of tracks – different soul-styled vocalists who collaborate with the group, and create a nice sense of spontaneity and variety throughout. Titles include "The Club", "Hearts Are Jumping", "Ben's Dungeon", "Dead Cat", "Tune In", and "Smokey One".  Dusty Groove

EURO CINEMA - FUNKSTAMATIC

One of the coolest funk combos we've heard in years – a group who are partly in the tight funky 45 mode of so many other groups, but who also have the chops to hit a bigger blacksploitation groove when they want! The core instrumentation is very heavy on drums that kick each tune off with a pretty powerful start – paving the way for riffing guitars, tight tenor and flute, and just the right kind of grooves to balance things out in a range of funky modes! These guys crackle with the best energy of all the young talents on labels like Record Kicks and Freestyle – and although most of the set's instrumental, there's also a few tracks with vocals too. Titles include "Enter The Mack", "The French Confusion", "Funkstamatic", "Going Up", "One Kind Of Coffee", and "Ducktape". ~ Dusty Groove