NEW RELEASES: WES MONTGOMERY - THE CLASSIC RECORDINGS 1960-1962; CARMELL JONES QUARTET WITH FORREST WESTBROOK - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED LOS ANGELES SESSION; OTIS TAYLOR - HEY JOE OPUS RED MEAT

WES MONTGOMERY - THE CLASSIC RECORDINGS 1960-1962

In 1959 Montgomery was signed to the Riverside Records label, and remained there until late 1963, just before the company went bankrupt. The recordings made during this period are widely considered by fans and jazz historians to be Montgomery's best and most influential. Two sessions in January 1960 yielded the record, The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, which was recorded as a quartet with pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Tootie Heath. The album featured two of Montgomery's best known compositions, Four on Six and West Coast Blues. This album is included on the first volume of this two x four CD series, The Complete Recordings 1958 - 1960. Was Montgomery received many awards and accolades throughout his career; he was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Bumpin' in 1965 and received a Grammy for Goin' Out of My Head as Best Instrumental Jazz Performance by Large Group or Soloist with Large Group, in 1966. He was nominated again for his version of The Beatles' Eleanor Rigby and the LP Down Here on the Ground in 1968, and posthumously for Willow, Weep for Me in '69. His second album, The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, earned him Down Beat magazine's 'New Star' award in 1960. In addition, he won the Down Beat Critic's Poll award for best Jazz guitarist in 1960, '61, '62,'63, '66, and '67. Jazz purists relish Montgomery's recordings up through 1965, and sometimes complain that he abandoned hard-bop for pop jazz toward the end of his career, although it is arguable that he gained a wider audience for his earlier work with his soft jazz from 1965-1968. During this late period he would occasionally turn out original material alongside jazzy orchestral arrangements of pop songs. In sum, this late period earned him considerable wealth and created a platform for a new audience to hear his earlier recordings. ~ Amazon

CARMELL JONES QUARTET WITH FORREST WESTBROOK - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED LOS ANGELES SESSION

In August 1960, 24-year old trumpet player Carmell Jones left his Kansas City home-town and hopped a bus to Los Angeles, intent on hitting the West Coast jazz scene. There, his impact was immediate and would prove to be memorable. He was quickly part of a quartet with pianist Forrest Westbrook, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Bill Schwemmer. They rehearsed at Westbrook s apartment at 2021 Sta. Monica Blvd, Hollywood, where this unreleased material was recorded at the end of that month. It was an amazing session, in which Carmell, oozing confi- dence and assertiveness, demonstrated a fresh, virile and imaginative style, with a warm ballad tone and an authoritatively implacable swing at up tempo. The highly responsive rhythm section locked right on him all the way, and also revealed Forrest Westbrook as a highly talented and sensi- tive pianist, with an advanced concept of improvisation, and a built-in propensity for swinging hard. Along with the pungently powerful Peacock and the driving Schwemmer, they provided an ideally vigor- ous support for Carmell Jones, who, unbelievably soon, would come to be regarded as among the finest trumpeters on the West Coast. These never-before- released recordings, his first on the Coast, show why. ~ Amazon

OTIS TAYLOR - HEY JOE OPUS RED MEAT

With Otis Taylor, it's best to expect the unexpected. While his music, an amalgamation of roots styles in their rawest form, discusses heavyweight issues like murder, homelessness, tyranny, and injustice, his personal style is lighthearted. "I'm good at dark, but I'm not a particularly unhappy person," he says. "I'd just like to make enough money to buy a Porsche." -- -- Part of Taylor's appeal is his contrasting character traits. But it is precisely this element of surprise that makes him one of the most compelling artists to emerge in recent years. Whether it's his unique instrumentation (he fancies banjo and cello), or it's the sudden sound of a female vocal, or a seemingly upbeat opti remains consistent is poignant storytelling based in truth and history. -- -- Otis Mark Taylor was born in Chicago in "My dad worked for the railroad and knew a lot of jazz people. He was a socialist and real bebopper." His mother, Sarah, a tough as nails woman with liberal leanings, had a penchant for Etta James and Pat Boone. Young Otis spent time at the Denver Folklore Center where he bought his first instrument, a banjo. He used to play it while riding his unicycle to high school. The Folklore Center was also the place where he first heard Mississippi John Hurt and country blues. He learned to play guitar and harmonica and by his mid-teens, he formed his first groups' the Butterscotch Fire Department Blues Band and later the Otis Taylor Blues Band. -- (Source: artist website) -- UPC 725543191526 -- The Amazon ASIN for the mp3 version of this CD is B00X5BRSZG -- Another listing by Zip ~ Amazon

NEW RELEASES: NAJEE – YOU, ME & FOREVER; ALTON ELLIS – SOUL TRAIN IS COMING; JASON PALMER – WONDALAND: JASON PALMER PLAYS JANELLE MONAE

NAJEE – YOU, ME & FOREVER

Multi-Platinum seller, recipient of multi-Grammy nominations, the NAACP Image Award and the Soul Train Award, Smooth Jazz icon Najee has shared the stage with such greats as Prince, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Lionel Richie, and his beloved mentor, George Duke. You, Me & Forever is the highly anticipated follow up to Najee s much loved The Morning After which was #1 both on the Billboard chart and at Smooth Jazz Radio. As the title implies, the album represents Najee s exploration into the world of sensuality and romance, interspersed with some fantastic spirited grooves that have made Najee a favorite the world over. Featuring keyboard great Alex Bugnon and Kenny G s longtime collaborator and music director Robert Damper, Najee explores such classics as Antonio Carlos Jobim s Wave , Ambrosia s The Biggest Part of Me plus some great Najee originals. ~ Amazon

ALTON ELLIS – SOUL TRAIN IS COMING

One of the more obscure sides of work from the legendary Alton Ellis – but one of the best as well! The set features some cuts issued by Alton on his own Ellis label – and many of the numbers here feature the singer acting as a producer too – a surprisingly strong side of his talents, as he's able to craft just the right sort of laidback rocksteady grooves for his wonderfully soulful voice! Alton never broke as big on an international scale as artists like Peter Tosh or Jimmy Cliff – but hearing these tracks, you'll definitely feel the way in which the paths Ellis took were clearly roads that allowed much bigger reggae grown in years to come! Titles include "My Time Is The Right Time", "I Love You Girl", "Again". "Dedication", "Baby Talk", "Past Time", "Soul Train Is Coming", "Bam Bye", "If I Had The Right", and "Big News".  ~ Dusty Groove

JASON PALMER – WONDALAND: JASON PALMER PLAYS JANELLE MONAE

The music of Janelle Monae gets some really wonderful treatment here – served up in an instrumental mode by trumpeter Jason Palmer – with a similar spirit to his previous project based around the music of Minnie Riperton! The approach is definitely jazz, but it's wonderful to hear Palmer and the group work some new magic with these familiar vocal tunes – with a mode that relies heavily on Fender Rhodes from Luke Marantz, whose spacey lines really help capture some of Monae's energy, but redirected towards a jazz basis that's quickly picked up by Palmer on trumpet, Godwin Louis on alto, Greg Duncan on guitar, Dan Carpel on bass, and Lee Fish on drums. The whole thing's completely charming – not gimmicky at all – and titles include "57821", "Sir Greendown", "Neon Valley Street", "Wondaland", "Say You'll Go", and "Oh Maker".  ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES: THE GREG FOAT GROUP - THE DANCERS AT THE EDGE OF TIME; SPEEDOMETER FEATURING JAMES JUNIOR – NO TURNING BACK; LAURA TATE - I MUST BE DREAMING

THE GREG FOAT GROUP - THE DANCERS AT THE EDGE OF TIME

This major new release from the Greg Foat Group sees celebrated jazz quintet making the most of the acoustics of an ancient church, accompanied by a full ensemble of supporting musicians. The fourth album from the celebrated jazz combo will further delight Foat fans who have been consistently enthralled by the taste and finesse with which they execute their beguiling arrangements and instrumentation. Last year, during the long, hot summer of 2014, a couple of tons of vintage studio gear were bundled into an ancient church on the charming and picturesque village of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. There the centuries-old church organ was the centerpiece and the Group was accompanied a string quartet and woodwinds to create a musical style like no other. The resulting hauntingly sublime sounds need not only fill vaulted chapel ceilings, but our hearts and ears as well. Recorded across three of the hottest days in summer, direct onto 1" tape and with all the rich, live analogue sound and the hallowed magnificence that church acoustics can bring, The Dancers at the End of Time features the classic Foat group with guesting local musicians and friends, and celebrates the summertime and beach ambience of living on the island.

SPEEDOMETER FEATURING JAMES JUNIOR – NO TURNING BACK

Having been one of the bands that has spearheaded the resurgence in deep, gritty funk and soul for over 10 years, and having collaborated with luminaries like Eddie Bo, Marva Whitney, Sharon Jones, Billy Wooten, Sir Joe Quarterman and most recently ex James Brown vocalist Martha High, Speedometer enjoy a worldwide reputation as a class act. And now in 2015, the group bring a welcome spotlight to a fresh vocal talent - James Junior, who has already been likened to a young Donny Hathaway or Stevie Wonder, James has all the perquisite tone, phrasing and soul and is garaunteed to make a big impact in 2015. This brand new single kicks off with No Turning Back (taken from the forthcoming album of the same name) which is a storming latin soul and boss nova uptempo groover- but with lyrics directly addressing the 21st century issue of immigration. In distinctly good time mode - Orisha's Party is a disco-funk workout with Afrobeat touches - no message or agenda on this track, other than let your hair down and have a ball! The Reflex (aka London-based French native Nicolas Laugier) is an in demand producer/remixer who has revisioned music by the likes of Chic, Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, The Clash and Cody Chestnut and has won plaudits from DJ's Gilles Peterson, Rob Da Bank, Craig Charles and Greg Wilson. Using his 'less is more' approach he has taken his revision of No Turning Back in a club jazz direction, a four to the floor beat sits underneath guitar, vocals and percussion - and leaves the groove plenty of room to breath. For the digital download version of this release we have included the full length club version as well as the radio edit for your maximum listening pleasure!

LAURA TATE - I MUST BE DREAMING

Singer & Actress Laura Tate pays tribute to songwriter Mel Harker in this fantastic collection of Jazz, Country and Rock-n-Roll songs. There is simply no one else like her. With a heart the size of Texas, a mesmerizing voice and a zest for living that is irresistible, Laura Tate inspires; through her music, her words and her deeds.  There is a spark behind those violet blue eyes that seems to say, “I’m living my life on my own terms… with love and laughter and passion.  Want to come along?”  And, yes, we do… and with the new CD release, “I Must Be Dreaming,” we most certainly do. Whether she is singing Broadway hits or ballads, pop favorites or original compositions, Laura brings heart and soul to her performance and recordings. The versatile singer, actor, producer, and community advocate continues to mesmerize audiences in both intimate cafes and huge concert halls, reaching each listener with her smooth sultry torch singer voice and warm stage presence.

Pianist KAIT DUNTON Debuts New Band, trioKAIT, with Eponymous Electro-Acoustic Album

Eagerly defying genre boundaries with a fresh, inventive electro-acoustic sound, trioKAIT is a piano trio for a random-access generation. On their self-titled debut, (available on July 31), the funky and eclectic Los Angeles-based trio - pianist Kait Dunton, electric bassist Cooper Appelt, and drummer Jake Reed - shuffles wide-ranging influences and Dunton's unconventional compositions into a refreshingly modern take on instrumental music that is as uncategorizable as it is infectious. 

On their first recording together, trioKAIT shows off a cohesive group sound and an electrifying camaraderie that takes most bands years to develop. A former member of the extended clan of Brooklyn-based fusionistas Snarky Puppy, Dunton refers to trioKAIT as a "family band," a spirit that shines through in their playful and spontaneous interactions. Knowing her bandmates as well as she does - Appelt was a classmate of the pianist in the renowned jazz program at the University of North Texas; Reed was a classmate at USC - Dunton composes music that takes full advantage of their individual strengths and collective identity to forge an utterly singular sound. 

Though Dunton's fingers never stray from the keyboard of her acoustic piano, there are echoes of electronic music throughout her writing for trioKAIT. EDM, classic R&B, various transmutations of electronica, and modern rock music all intermingle with jazz and classical influences on the album, reflective of Dunton's out-of-the-box tastes and interests. Her compositional focus is on storytelling rather than soloing, the emotional rather than the cerebral. 

"I remember when there were real record stores, I would go hang out at the listening stations and pick up CDs, even though I didn't know who anybody was," Dunton recalls. Over the years those excursions nurtured a collection stocked with artists as varied and influential as Vince Guaraldi and J Dilla, Cannonball Adderley and Erykah Badu, Roy Hargrove and Deadmau5. At the same time she was spending hours per day at the piano, poring over sheet music by classical and jazz composers. 

All of that input bleeds together on trioKAIT. Opener "Prelude" marries fusion chops with an urgent, angular electric groove that recalls the arena-jazz sound of Sweden's lamented Esbjörn Svensson Trio. It's immediately followed by the brief, elegant, etude-like "Channels," which segues into the album's most buoyant, pop-inspired tune, "Chrysocolla," almost a radio-friendly pop song without words.

In another form, "Ria" does have words - Dunton originally penned the song as a soul ballad with lyrics under the title "Risk It All," but it's here distilled into a slinky, expressive slow-burn instrumental piece. The composer's love of Brazilian music emerges subtly in Reed's surging rhythms on "Summer Solstice," and "Noraa" shines a brief spotlight on both Reed's and Appelt's improvisational abilities. "Time Travel" then harkens back to the heyday of Dave Brubeck with its ability to merge shifting, complex time signatures with joyous, deceptively accessible songcraft. 

The seductive groove of "Yes," driven by Appelt's robust, elastic bass, has a neo-soul vibe in the vein of Robert Glasper's stylistic cross-overs, while the frantic "50 Freeways" pays homage to the infamous traffic snarls of L.A., which nonetheless feel like home to a native Angeleno like Dunton. The title of "Outlook Good" perfectly captures the tune's breezy, optimistic feel, with Dunton conjuring the laid-back melodicism of a singer like James Taylor on the keys. "Love Lost" is equally lyrical while coming from a more melancholy place, while the jaunty "Wil's Theme" tips its hat to the album's engineer, Wil Anspach. The hip hop-inflected "Custom" closes the album with its finest example of the trio's ability to evoke electronic production through live acoustic performance.

Growing up in Los Angeles, Dunton was obsessed with the piano, she says, "from the time I was old enough to reach the keys." But with no models for a career in music, she thought of her passion as a hobby until she was encouraged to pursue it further by teachers at the University of Virginia, where she was majoring in Spanish. They helped her to put together a last-minute tape to apply to the University of North Texas.

Immediately upon arriving in the Lone Star state, Dunton made two life-changing encounters. Among the first musicians she played with were Ross Pederson, now an in-demand drummer with a stunning variety of artists, and Michael League, founder of Snarky Puppy. "I'd never played with people like that," Dunton says. "It completely blew my mind. I learned a lot really fast." 

In 2009, Dunton released her debut album, Real & Imagined, which featured Pederson on drums and Daniel Foose on bass. She returned home to earn her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, where she studied under pianist Alan Pasqua and composer Vince Mendoza. While there, she recorded her second release, Mountain Suite, with heavy-hitters from the USC faculty, including Peter Erskine on drums, Bob Mintzer on tenor sax, John Daversa on trumpet and Darek Oles on bass.

In Appelt and Reed, Dunton has found collaborators who are as open-eared and adventurous as she is. Both instrumentalists are active in a variety of scenes in L.A., playing big band jazz, rock, R&B, and funk music. As trioKAIT, they've made three tours of Germany and presented a preview of the new album at the USC Women's Conference last March. The trio's growing success is proving writer Don Heckman's assessment of Dunton as "an extraordinary talent on the rise" as well as her recognition by Jazz.com as one of "10 Future Female Jazz Stars."

NEW RELEASES: SIMPLY RED - BIG LOVE; CHARENEE WADE - OFFERING; TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON - THE ACT YEARS

SIMPLY RED - BIG LOVE

Simply Red release their first new studio album in eight years with Big Love out June 1st on East West Records. When the band announced a massive world tour to celebrate their 30th anniversary last autumn, main man Mick Hucknall started thinking about recording again. “Once I began wondering how Simply Red were going to sound, I started writing songs,” says Mick. And once he started, he couldn’t stop. Big Love is the first Simply Red album to feature only original compositions since 1995’s ‘Life’. All twelve tracks are written by Mick Hucknall and produced by Andy Wright. Highlights include the celebratory first single ‘Shine On’ driven by their trademark blue-eyed soul sound and ‘The Ghost Of Love’, a big soul song punctuated by wah-wah guitar and the kind of bold orchestral strokes that once powered Barry White and his Love Unlimited. The break has done Mick Hucknall a power of good, newly refreshed he now has a much clearer appreciation of Simply Red’s considerable legacy. He admits that the band’s last studio album in 2007, ‘Stay’, was an attempt to pull away from their sound. “With ‘Stay’ I was running away from Simply Red,” Mick admits. “But now I’m comfortable with the notion of us as a blue-eyed soul group. I had to stop myself fighting that idea. Our sound is original too. I honestly don’t know of another band that has pulled so many musical strands together.” Quite simply, Big Love is Simply Red at their best, 12 tracks to cherish. With a 16 date UK tour this winter, including 3 shows at London’s 02 Arena, Simply Red are once again a band in their prime. Simply Red are: Mick Hucknall (vocals), Ian Kirkham (sax), Steve Lewinson (bass), Kenji Suuki (guitar), Kevin Robinson (trumpet and flute), Dave Clayton (keyboards) and new drummer Ronnie Roth. ~ Amazon

CHARENEE WADE - OFFERING

“Gil makes you think about what you can do as an artist,” comments Motéma recording artist Charenee Wade. “Most artists today don’t use their platform to shift consciousness like Gil and artists of his day used to do. He inspires me to do my own thing, to not be afraid to say what I want to say.” In tribute to the late artist, Wade dropped her version of GSH’s classic “Ain’t No Such Thing As Superman” from her upcoming Offering: The Music of Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson LP. Wade’s forthcoming Motéma release will be dropping on June 23rd and will feature a host of luminaries including Christian McBride, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Lakecia Benjamin, Stefon Harris, Marcus Miller, and many more. Scroll down to listen to “Ain’t No Such Thing as Superman.” Stay tuned for more on Charenee Wade and Offering. -DanMichael, Revive-Music.com

TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON - THE ACT YEARS

Terri Lyne Carrington is one of the world s most-sought after drummers and one of jazz s leading female media figures. Her recording and touring with Herbie Hancock and Dianne Reeves have elicited rave reviews internationally. In addition to her recording and international performing, she is renowned for her role as a producer and jazz educator. She has won Grammy Awards both for Best Jazz Vocal Album (2011) and Best Jazz Instrumental Album (2013). This compilation includes tracks from Carrington's two ACT albums as a leader, and from Nguyen Le's Jimi Hendrix tribute album Purple, on which she played in Le's quartet. Musicians featuring on the repertoire include Wallace Roney, Greg Osby, Meshell Ndegeocello, Terence Blanchard, Herbie Hancock, Gary Thomas, Kevin Eubanks and many more. ~ Amazon

The Brian Landrus Trio's first album - to be released June 16 - features probing originals alongside "Giant Steps," "Sentimental Lady" and "I'm a Fool to Want You"

Low woodwind ace Brian Landrus - "someone to watch, an exciting voice" (JazzTimes) - presents The Deep Below, his sixth album as a leader and the debut recording of his trio with bassist Lonnie Plaxico and drummer Billy Hart. To be released on June 16 by BlueLand/Palmetto, The Deep Below finds Landrus playing baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, bass flute and bass sax with lithe virtuosity; he breathes life into his own characteristically probing originals, two co-writes with Plaxico and fresh interpretations of classics by Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, as well as an intimately affecting treatment of the Sinatra ballad "I'm a Fool to Want You." The rapport between the leader and the two rhythm veterans is ideal, with Plaxico and Hart having already paired on Landrus' highly praised 2011 quartet album, Traverse, where they made sure the tunes "swing with passion" (All About Jazz). In its four-star review of that album, DownBeat encapsulated the leader's talents on his various instruments: "Landrus plays with gentle authority, his pliable, distinctive tone built on expressive devices like vibrato, multiphonics and pitch blends. He has a way of connecting notes with subtle slides and graceful glisses, embellishing melodies with turns and trills that build momentum and scream good taste." Landrus has been voted a Rising Star multiple years running in the DownBeat Critics Poll, and along with his work as a bandleader and composer, he has toured the world as part of star bassist-vocalist Esperanza Spalding's band and contributes to such ensembles as the Grammy-winning Gil Evans Project.

For Landrus - who is working on a PhD in classical composition at Rutgers University and finishing a concerto for baritone sax and another for bass clarinet - the trio album with Plaxico and Hart was a chance to explore "something more intimate for awhile, music that's sparer and freer," he says. "I wrote the tunes right on my various instruments, just trying to create melodies that felt good on the bari sax or bass clarinet or bass flute or bass sax. I even wrote lyrics to most of my pieces and tried to sing them through my horn with the goal of making each note really significant." The big horns came natural to Landrus, as he points out: "I'm 6'7" - so physically the instruments fit me. But I was also drawn to these instruments because there are fewer preconceptions on them. Everyone knows what the good tenor saxophone sounds like - the great examples are endless. Although there have been some wonderful players of the low instruments over the decades, there's still more room to express yourself, the options feel open to me."

There's an extraordinary range of sonic character across The Deep Below. The weight of sound in Landrus' baritone sax - whether in tune-rich opener "Fly" or even the quickstep solo version of "Giant Steps" - is something you can feel as well as hear, reflecting the album's title. The same goes for his dusky tone on bass clarinet in "Fields of Zava" or the solo excursion "A Fading Memory." His quiet lyricism on bass flute aptly evokes the title of "Ancient," while he evinces a brawny beauty on the rarely heard bass sax in "The Beginning." For Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady,"

Landrus was influenced by Harry Carney's "gorgeous" baritone interpretation - "one of my favorite songs by one of - over -

my favorite players." The interpretation of "I'm a Fool to Want You" was inspired less by the Sinatra original than by late-period Billie Holiday. Landrus says: "You can hear the pain in her Lady in Satin recording - it's raw feeling. I was aiming for emotional intimacy, really thinking about the lyrics. We learned it right there in the studio and got it in the first take. Lonnie and Billy love the song, and it shows."

About his august rhythm partners for The Deep Below, Landrus says: "With Lonnie and Billy, it's never just a job - they're too honest and organic as musicians. They've played together for decades, but my album Traverse was their first recording together, surprisingly. Billy is an amazing interpreter - he has power but also romance. He likes to keep it loose, but he's more about playing the music than soloing. He keeps it classy. Lonnie has this precise articulation that I've always loved, and he grooves so deeply. He's in my Kaleidoscope band, too, and he is a wise, collaborative help in the studio. I always like working with players who are way above me - it raises me up."

Born in 1978 and raised in Nevada, Landrus began playing saxophone at 12 and was performing professionally by 15. He earned his bachelor's degree in saxophone performance at the University of Nevada-Reno and two master's degrees at New England Conservatory, one in jazz composition and the other in jazz saxophone. Currently, he is a PhD candidate in classical composition at Rutgers. Based in Brooklyn, Landrus founded his own label, BlueLand Records, in 2011. His first releases of all original music via BlueLand were Traverse (a quartet date with Plaxico, Hart and pianist Michael Cain) and Capsule (by the Brian Landrus Kaleidoscope, with Cain, guitarist Nir Felder, bassist Matthew Paris, drummer Rudy Royston). In 2013, Landrus released a second Kaleidoscope album, Mirage, featuring himself on baritone sax, bass sax, bass clarinet, contra alto clarinet and bass flute alongside Felder, Royston, Plaxico on acoustic and electric bass, Frank Carlberg on Rhodes/piano and a string quartet led by violinist Mark Feldman, with Ryan Truesdell conducting/co-producing. The New York Times praised Landrus and Mirage at length, pointing out that "the tenderness in his playing feels as warm and accessible as his writing."

Along with touring the world in superstar Esperanza Spalding's band (on baritone/tenor saxophones and bass clarinet) and playing in Truesdell's prize-winning Gil Evans Project, Landrus has played with some of the world's great musicians: Bob Brookmeyer, Jerry Bergonzi, Rufus Reid, Danilo Perez, Frank Kimbrough, Gary Smulyan, Ronnie Cuber, Maria Schneider, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, The Coasters, The Drifters, George Garzone, Jason Palmer, Rakalam Bob Moses, Louis Nash, Peter Epstein, Nicholas Urie, Darryl Harper, David Ake, Allan Chase, Francis Vanek, John Lockwood, Ayn Inserto, Alan Ferber, Omar Thomas, Scott Robinson and Ralph Alessi, among others. Landrus teaches at the 92Y School of Music in New York City and The Lagond Music School in Westchester, New York.

  

BrianLandrus.com

        

Dan Karlsberg’s ‘The ‘Nati 6’ Inspired by Cincinnati’s Jazz Heritage

When music lovers think of Jazz, places like New York, Chicago, New Orleans and Kansas City most likely come to mind. But pianist and composer Dan Karlsberg points out that many artists who made those cities famous came from elsewhere, including Cincinnati, Ohio. To that end, he pays tribute to his hometown’s Jazz heritage with his new album, “The ‘Nati 6.”

"Sometimes, it feels like Cincinnati is the musical underdog, but you won't find another city this size with the Jazz scene we currently have, and the rich history and traditions," Karlsberg said.

“The ‘Nati 6” is not just the title of the album; it is the name of the group of extraordinary musicians Karlsberg recruited for the project, all veteran performers who have recorded and toured with some of the world’s best-known contemporary Jazz artists, while still calling Cincinnati home. They include:

• Bassist Jim Anderson, who has worked with the notable Art Blakely, Ernestine Anderson, Hank Crawford and Nat Adderly.
• Drummer Art Gore, who has performed with George Benson, Teru Nakamura and Herbie Hancock.
• Pianist and trumpeter Kim Pensyl, who has twice been named one of  Billboard’s Top -20 Contemporary Jazz Artists of the Year, and has had four Top-10 albums on  Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart.
• Saxophonist Brent Gallaher, who has toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.
• Trombonist Marc Fields, who toured with the Ray Charles Orchestra, six times.

And then, there is Karlsberg himself, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), who now teaches there as well as at the acclaimed Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan. A lifelong resident of Cincinnati, Karlsberg has spent years performing with the area’s top Jazz musicians, leading him to select five of his favorites to join him on “The ‘Nati 6.”

Comprised of 10 tracks, “The ‘Nati 6” defies easy classification. Though unequivocally Jazz, the album has hints of classical, folk and pop music scattered throughout. It is a style Karlsberg loosely describes as “Vince Guaraldi and Cecil Taylor meet Mozart.”

"It definitely has some avant garde aspects, but the album's focus is mainly on beautiful melodies," he said. “Some of the tracks are really complex. Each one is different, but most were inspired by something personal.”

Three of the tunes are dedicated to people Karlsberg knew who passed away—his grandparents (“Ballade No. 2”), a young woman who worked at the Riddle Rd. Market, a corner store in his neighborhood (“Ballade No. 1”), and a boyhood friend (“Mr. Shands Jr.”)

“Roger Shands and I were in Jazz band and symphonic band together in high school, and we played basketball together,” Karlsberg said. “He was a great friend. The song ‘Mr. Shands Jr.’ is my tribute to him.”

Five tracks on “The ‘Nati 6” were inspired by other composers. “Tchaikovsky 1” and “Tchaikovsky 2” are Karlsberg’s arrangements of the opening theme to the Russian composer’s first string quartet. “Freddie Freeloader,” meanwhile, is Karlsberg’s arrangement of the more contemporary classic by Miles Davis.

“Most jazz musician are very familiar with ‘Freddie Freeloader,’ especially jazz pianists,” Karlsberg said. “I wanted to take the tune and show it in a new light. My arrangement was very influenced by the music of Eddie Harris, Andrew Hill, the ‘Blues’ ala Cincinnati style, along with the original recording of the tune on ‘Kind of Blue.’”

Track 5, “Oh! Susanna,” is based on the Stephen Foster classic, which also happens to be one of Karlsberg’s favorite songs, melodically. Though another song with the same title is on Karlsberg’s debut album, released in 2007, the new version is substantially different. Another classically inspired tune is “Pavane of Sleeping Beauty,” which is Karlsberg’s interpretation of a piano piece by Maurice Ravel.

“The ‘Nati 6” is Karlsberg’s third album, and while it is stylistically similar to his first two, astute listeners will notice less emphasis on piano and more emphasis on the ensemble as a whole.

“It’s not about me; I wanted it to be about the group, equally,” Karlsberg said. “My presence is felt through the whole album, whether I am in the background or in the forefront, but this project is more about my composing than my playing. I am excited about the music, and it was such an honor to work with such amazing artists.”

Dan Karlsberg and The ‘Nati 6 will perform an album release concert in the Listening Lounge at Urban Artifact Brewing, 1662 Blue Rock Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45223, on Saturday, June 27, 8:00 p.m.-midnight. No cover charge. For information, call Urban Artifact Brewing at 513-620-4729 or visit www.ArtifactBeer.com.

“The ‘Nati 6” track list

1. Ballade No. 2

2. Freddie Freeloader

3. Ballade No. 1

4. Prelude

5. Oh! Susanna

6. Tchaikovsky 1

7. Pavanne of Sleeping Beauty

8. Mr. Shands Jr.

9. Tchaikovsky 2

10. Modest Minor Melody

Internationally Renowned Saxophonist Miguel Zenón and his Quartet Perform Music From Recent CD Identities Are Changeable

Internationally acclaimed saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenón performs thirteen dates in eleven European cities from July 3 – July 17, 2015. Joined by his quartet featuring drummer Henry Cole, pianist Luis Perdomo and bassist Hans Glawischnig, Zenón performs music from his groundbreaking recording Identities are Changeable, a project focusing on the cultural identity of the Puerto Rican community in NYC. They appear:

Friday, July 3: Funchal Jazz Festival, Madeira, Portugal

Saturday, July 4 – Sunday, July 5: Hot Club, Lisbon, Portugal

Monday, July 6: Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark

Wednesday, July 8: Unterfahrt, Munich, Germany

Thursday, July 9: Sunside, Paris, France

Friday, July 10: Ezcaray Jazz Festival, Ezcaray, Spain

Saturday, July 11 – Sunday, July 12:  Bogui Jazz, Madrid, Spain

Tuesday, July 14: Umbria Jazz Festival, Umbria, Italy

Wednesday, July 15: Jimmy Glass, Valencia, Spain

Thursday, July 16: Festival des Hauts de Garonnes, Bordeaux, France

Friday, July 17: Pori Jazz Festival, Pori, Finland

Multiple Grammy® nominee and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Zenón is one of a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often-contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation, he has also developed a unique voice as a composer and as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between Latin American folkloric music and jazz. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón has recorded and toured with a wide variety of musicians including Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, Bobby Hutcherson and Steve Coleman and is a founding member of the SFJAZZ Collective. 

He has earned wide critical acclaim for Identities are Changeable.  For this project the alto saxophonist and composer asked his friends the question he had been asking himself:

What does it mean to be Puerto Rican in 21st-century New York City?

That was the point of departure for Identities Are Changeable, the startlingly original album by Zenón, who grew up in the island’s main city of San Juan and came to New York in 1998 to pursue a career in music.

Zenón’s experience of moving via the air bridge from the small Antillean island to the landing strip 1600 miles north is something he shares with hundreds of thousands of other “Puerto Rican-New Yorkers.” Puerto Ricans are not immigrants in the United States: for nearly a century – since 1917 – Puerto Ricans have, unlike other natives of Latin America, been US citizens, able to come and go as they please between the island of Puerto Rico and the mainland. When they come north, overwhelmingly they go to New York City. After different waves of migration over the decades – most numerously in the 1950s – about 1.2 million “Puerto Rican-Americans” were living in the greater New York area as of 2012.

Zenón did his own fieldwork for the project, interviewing New Yorkers of Puerto Rican descent, focusing on their experience as second-generation Puerto Ricans. The conversations centered on a single question: what makes a Puerto Rican a Puerto Rican. As Zenón notes: “There is, of course, no correct answer, but the many answers and impressions that came from these conversations eventually served as the main source of inspiration for the music on this piece. Video images and audio clips from these interviews interact with the music and make a case for the fact that national identity can be multiple and changeable—that in many cases our nationality can be within us, no matter where we’re from or the language we speak.”

Zenón has expanded his musical and theatrical boundaries with this ambitious big band project built around his longtime quartet and accompanying video. Identities Are Changeable is a thrilling counterpoint of music, language, and images. Cross-cutting between Puerto Rico and New York, it’s all about living contrapuntally, exploring the split focus of Puerto Rican cultural identity, by unpacking foundational forces such as family, language, ritual, neighborhood, and memory. Zenón investigates this dichotomy in composition and arrangements, coupled with his sensuous and soulful mastery of the saxophone. In Identities Are Changeable, he scales new heights as cultural guide.

The resultant work is a song cycle for large ensemble, with his longtime quartet (Luis Perdomo, piano; Hans Glawischnig, bass; Henry Cole, drums) at the center, incorporating recorded voices from a series of interviews conducted by Zenón. Commissioned as a multi-media work by Montclair State University’s Peak Performances series, it has a multi-media element with audio and video footage from the interviews, complemented by a video installation created by artist David Dempewolf. It’s been performed at such prestigious venues as the New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall in Boston, The SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco, and Zankel Hall in the Carnegie Hall complex in New York City.

Zenón explains: “all of the compositions explore the idea of multiple rhythmic structures coexisting with each other (e.g., 5 against 7, 3 against 2, 5 against 3).” Drummer Henry Cole has his hands (and feet) full holding down the simultaneous time streams, as does Zenón when he conducts the group live. The players are a selected elite team – hear John Ellis’s tenor solo on “Same Fight,” or Tim Albright’s trombone feature on “First Language.” There’s no way to convey in words the impact of the orchestral effects, but reviewing the Zankel Hall performance for The New York Times, Ben Ratliff writes:

“[The] sound and language didn’t directly suggest traditional Puerto Rican music or traditional jazz. Its rhythm was phrased almost completely in stacked or odd meter, with parts of the band shifting into double or half time, and Mr. Zenón’s saxophone darting around the chord changes or resting on top, in long tones.

There was drama and momentum in the music’s developing harmonic movement; at times a shift to a new chord felt like an event. All the music was deeply hybridized and original, complex but clear.”

It’s all at the service of Zenón’s relentless curiosity, as he writes in the album’s liner notes:

When I first came into contact with Puerto Rican communities in this country, I was shocked to meet second and third generation Puerto Ricans who were as connected to the traditions of their parents/grandparents and as proud to be Puerto Rican as the people I knew back home. Where was this sense of pride coming from? What did they consider their first language? Their home? What did it mean to them to be Puerto Rican? What are the elements that help us shape our national identity?

If the music doesn’t directly answer these questions, it provides a way into thinking about them. Like Zenón’s other music, it’s about an entire society, but it’s deeply personal.

Identities are Changeable was released November 4, 2014 on Zenon’s Miel Music.

http://miguelzenon.com

Featured This Week On The Jazz Network Worldwide: Contemporary Jazz and R&B band E-Life7 debut CD “Miked Up” featuring Michael Pennick

E-Life 7 has united some of the finest musicians for their debut CD project entitled “Miked Up”, released on Three 2 Go Music Records.

E-Life7 is the brainchild of Ron Walker and Mike Pennick, who are long standing members of Buffalo Music Hall of Fame’s recording artists ‘The Exoutics’. Both decided it was time to explore their ‘jazz alter egos’ and discover what was hidden underneath the style of music they were so familiar composing throughout the years. 

E-Life7 (short for “Enjoy Life 7 days a week) is a sophisticated combination of musicians spanning many musical genres. “Miked Up” is a unique compilation of collaborations of funk-pop-bass driven grooves embellished with rhythm and blues stitched with soulful dance grooves that is ideal for getting their audiences on their feet. Mike Pennick (for whom the project is named) exudes his artistry with grace as he walks up and down his bass guitar with his natural flow of spirited-musicianship. 

Also shining brilliantly on “Miked Up” are local legends Rodney Spears, Charlie Crymes, Jr., Walter Kemp III and Van Taylor (keys), Ron Walker (guitar), Tim Webb (drums and percussion), Ken Whitman (tenor sax), Joey Diggs, and Dee Osbourne (vocals). Each player’s performance is a thing of great beauty, art and skill, magnificently laudable, perfect in pitch, timing, and taste. In short, E-Life7 makes fusing genres with contemporary jazz flavors seem effortless. 

“Music lovers around the globe will appreciate the sheer musical expertise of E-Life7. Not only do they tap into the genres of music that we all know and love but its the way that they execute its fusion of the arrangements, it truly is ‘feel good’ music” says Jaijai Jackson of The Jazz Network Worldwide social network. 

Mike Pennick and Ron Walker not only have a great band that is looking to be booked for festivals and special events worldwide for 2015/2016 calendar, they have been on the lookout for aspiring musical talent seeking to conquer the music business and its live stages. As partners with Three 2 Go Music label, they have embarked upon two rising stars who they will be showcasing at the upcoming Midem conference this coming June. 

"Three 2 Go Music Alliance has a mission of “delivering musical excellenence with independence”. As a partner I’m very much anticipating the global introduction of Omeri’s debut CD 'Day Dream’n' in July. With the Midem conference happening in June this year the timing could not be better. Melissa Kate and Omeri are enthusiastically looking forward to performing live, entertaining fans and making new friends while having a great Midem conference. ~ Ron Walker, E-Life7 & Three 2 Go Music Alliance, RW Music Video Production 

Three 2 Go Music Alliance will present Buffalo, NY recording artists Omeri Monroe (pop/indie artist) and Melissa Kate(international jazz and blues singer), performance in Cannes France. We are pleased that our 2015 featured artists will attend the MIDEM music conference. Monroe and Kate will each deliver 30 minute performances at Plaga La Mandala on Saturday June 6th.

  

In addition to delivering outstanding musical performances, E-Life7 lends its philanthropic arm and charitable support to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Sickle Cell Disease Association and Western NY Food Bank.

Be sure to come by and check out their feature on The Jazz Network Worldwide at www.thejazznetworkworldwide.com. To purchase and learn more, go to http://www.elife7.com.

NEW RELEASES: ROB MAZUREK EXPLODING STAR ORCHESTRA - GALACTIC PARABLES VOL. 1; KENNY BARRON / MARK SHERMAN - INTERPLAY; PAQUITO D’RIVERA & QUINTETO CIMARRON – AIRES TROPICALES

ROB MAZUREK EXPLODING STAR ORCHESTRA - GALACTIC PARABLES VOL. 1

The most cosmically expansive and exciting work yet from composer/coronet player Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra – dedicated to Amiri Baraka, and infused with the righteous, poetic spirit of Baraka's work with Sun Ra! The Exploding Star players include some Chicago underground heroes and heroines of longstanding brilliance, including flautist Nicole Mitchell, guitarist Jeff Parker, drummers John Herndon and Chad Taylor, bassist Matthew Lux, and Damon Locks on electronics and with some subtly righteous spoken word – along with Mazurek's Sao Paolo Underground cohorts Mauricio Takara and Guilherme Grandando, and last but not least, pianist Angelica Sanchez – all of whom have ample space to shine. Galactic Parables Vol 1 is a 2 disc set, one featuring the compositions as performed in Sardinia, and a second CD of their performances at the Chicago Cultural Center, which is a smart approach, given the improvisational nature of the material. There's plenty of space for the players to explore, and the differing performances are no doubt colored and shaded in different ways by different environments. Amazing stuff! Titles include "Free Agents Of Sound", "Make Way To The City", "The Arc Of Slavery #72", "Helmets Of Our Poisonous Thoughts #16", "Collections Of Time" and "Awaken The World #41". ~ Dusty Groove

KENNY BARRON / MARK SHERMAN - INTERPLAY

A great meeting between jazz piano legend Kenny Barron and the younger, brillant vibes player Mark Sherman – Barron being a veteran of top notch duo settings, and Sherman newer to it – but Sherman succeeds here mightily! Interplay couldn't be a more fitting title, as the pair are perfectly simpatico – working together on a range of material and a lone Barron original, it's wonderful from track-to-track – feeling like one of the coziest, strongest latenight jazz club sessions you'd ever be lucky enough to see. Includes nice takes on the tried-and-true "Afternoon In Paris", "Dear Old Stockholm" and "Indian Summer", the Barron composed waltz "Venture Within", Dexter Gordon's "Cheese Cake", the Charles Mingus gem "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress, Then Blue Silk", "Polka Dots And Moonbeams", "Without A Song" and more.  ~ Dusty Groove

PAQUITO D’RIVERA & QUINTETO CIMARRON – AIRES TROPICALES

One of the most creatively adventurous efforts in years from Paquito D'Rivera – which is saying something, as he's never lacking in ambition – and it finds the style-straddling clarinetist joined by the Cimarron string quintet! Quinteto Cimarron is a Cuban combo that leans more towards contemporary small combo classical, with a pair of violins, viola, cello and contrabass – and Paquito's clarinet and occasional saxophone feels right at home in the mix. There's no additional accompaniment, nor is it needed, it works brilliantly as is, with arrangements by Eduardo Cana Flores, and titles that include "Alborada Y Son", "Wapango", "Habanera", "Afro", "Contradanza", "Martica", "Longina", "Notas De La Habana", "La Rity", "Dna Vainilla", "Zumolanida", "Isora Club", "La Rity" and more. 17 in all!  ~ Dusty Groove

New compilation showcasing some great early works by the outstanding Dutch jazz singer Greetje Kauffeld

This new compilation “Young Girl Sunday Jazz” makes Greetje Kauffeld’s lost jazz songs from the 1960s available on CD and vinyl LP. Mainly included are recordings from the private vaults of the singer or from musicians’ and collectors’ archives, with music performed between 1960 and 1969 at concerts, in the studio or at sessions for radio and tv. Greetje in top form, accompanied by some of the most excellent Dutch and German jazz musicians! Moreover, all four tracks of her first and only jazz EP from 1960, entitled “Makin’ Whoopee”, are reissued here for the first time.

The 16 remastered songs fill a major gap in her discography. Not even one jazz record by Greetje Kauffeld was released during the course of the 60s, although she regularly performed on stage as a truly gifted jazz singer. Her story of a recorded but never released Bossa Nova album, produced 1967 with Oscar Castro Neves in Los Angeles, and its corresponding master tape that somehow landed in the trash bin, fits well into the picture: Until today, she remains one of the great European jazz voices of the 1960s, but without accompanying releases from that period.

Already as a little girl Greetje sang while listening to jazz recordings on the radio or on records. She gained a broad knowledge of the song repertoire, by listening only and without the need to memorize the English lyrics. Greetje had music in her heart and knew exactly: “I want to be a singer”. In the school band “The Raindrops” she had her first practical experience. Then in 1957 the artist began to work in a professional environment. The German magazine “Jazz Podium” reported: “The 17-year-old Greetje Kauffeld is the new singer of the Dutch big band The Skymasters. Greetje made her debut in Cologne, where her predecessor Annie Plevier found a new home. Annie has left the Skymasters because she got married in Cologne”.

This is something of a leap in the dark for the young and self-confident lady from Rotterdam, who responded to a newspaper advertisement placed by the popular Radio Orchestra under the direction of Bep Rowold. Greetje made her first appearance as the new vocalist of the band at Guerzenich Cologne, also sang at the Tanzbrunnen and then went on a four-week tour with the musicians through the Ruhr area. A little later her first shellac record with the Skymasters was released on the Dutch Decca label, but “Kindje” appeared to be a naive pop song and a foolish idea by her record company. Her other Dutch pop records of the time largely flew under the radar and commercially failed.

However, in the same year the song “Who Knows Why”, with which the singer won the first prize at the Song Festival in Venice, incorporated an intense jazz feeling. Erwin Lehn sat in the audience and invited the young artist to work with his Big Band of the South German Radio. As late as 1960 a recording of the song was included in her first and only Dutch jazz EP, produced with the quartet of saxophonist Tony Vos. This Decca 7inch record contains three more songs and remains Greetje’s only jazz release from the 60s: “Almost Like Being In Love”, “Makin’ Whoopee” and “Orange Coloured Sky”.

A year later she moved to Stuttgart and topped the German charts with Schlager songs for Polydor and Columbia. Her record bosses were happy and helped to establish the pretty girl as a successful German pop singer. Nevertheless, in the background she continued to focus on her jazz career, clearly audible in these recordings with top-notch musicians, both from the Netherlands and Germany. But then, after the beginning of the 70s and a long stay in Los Angeles, Greetje finally left the entertainment industry and decided to devote herself entirely to her passion for jazz, especially to the songs from the Great American Songbook.

From 1974 on, her husband Joop De Roo produced the vocal jazz albums “And Let The Music Play” (arranged by Jerry Van Rooyen and Rob Pronk), “He Was A King Uncrowned” and “Some Other Spring”. Most of the included songs were already re-released on Sonorama Records and have been sold in many countries. During those times, Greetje performed with the who’s who of the European jazz elite and with American stars such as Phil Woods, Stan Getz, Mark Murphy or Herb Geller. In the 1980s and 90s she also released outstanding jazz records as a freelance singer, including the marvelous album “The Real Thing” with Humphrey Campbell.

In addition, Greetje became a singing teacher, first at the conservatories in Hilversum and Zwolle. Later she also worked as a vocal coach for artists like Roger Cicero or Ulita Knaus. Her album “My Shining Hour”, released in 2005 and recorded with the Paul Kuhn Trio featuring Paulo Morello and Kim Barth, was highly praised by critics and audiences alike. These days, she perfoms up to 80 concerts a year, with small and large ensembles between Trio and big band – in small clubs and at major festivals in Germany and Holland, e.g. over twenty times at the famous “North Sea Jazz Festival”. Thank you for the music, Greetje. Your modesty is one of your greatest charms!

  

Tracklisting:

01. Almost Like Being In Love

02. Saturday Night

03. Fever

04. Handful Of Soul

05. Orange Coloured Sky

06. Love For Sale

07. Shiny Stockings

08. Deed I Do

09. My Kinda World

10. My Blue Heaven

11. Day In Day Out

12. Makin’ Whoopee

13. You And I (Você E Eu)

14. It’s Alright With Me

15. Who Knows Why

16. Almost Like Being In Love

~ grooveattack.com

NEW RELEASES: JIMMY DALE – DEAR MR. BENSON; JACK PACK; VINICIUS CANTUARIA – VINICIUS CANTA ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM

JIMMY DALE – DEAR MR. BENSON

Jazz guitarist Jimmy Dale is turning heads with his new original single “Dear Mr. Benson”. This week Dale hits SmoothJazz.com’s Radar chart at #61. Right now his single is getting spins on numerous terrestrial and online radio stations such as CJazzChannel.com, KSHK 103.3 in Hawaii, Phase-Radio Show 90.5 FM, Smooth Jazz Florida, SmoothJazz.com, WFSS 91.9 in North Carolina, WOWE 98.9 in Michigan, and WTCC 90.7 in Massachusetts. His musical journey started at the age of 12 when he first learned how to play the guitar. When he first saw the movie A Hard Days Night from The Beatles, he claimed “I was lost in the life of music forever.” Jimmy also attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and UC Santa Cruz. He studied music with guitarists: Ted Greene, Carl Verheyen and Davis Ramey, trumpet/composition with Randy Masters and Tony Horowitz, mathematical composition with Joe Sekon, bass with Ray Drummond, and music arranging with Don Schamber.

JACK PACK

Jack Pack is a uniquely contemporary swing pop group is made up of four distinct vocalists Andrew Bourn, Alfie Palmer, Martin McCafferty and Sean Ryder Wolf, who channel an elegance reminiscent of the last days of true Hollywood glamour with a quintessentially British twist. After signing to Simon Cowell’s Syco Music roster following Britain’s Got Talent 2014, Jack Pack release their self-titled debut album. Jack Pack has been recorded with a 72-piece orchestra, hearing the group put a contemporary stamp on much-loved classics like “Light My Fire”, “I Put A Spell On You” and “My Way”. The album also features brand new original recordings including a previously un-released track penned by Grammy and Academy Award-winning singer/songwriter Randy Newman titled “Forever”. ~ Amazon

VINICIUS CANTUARIA – VINICIUS CANTA ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM

A truly beautiful tribute to the classic songcraft of Antonio Carlos Jobim – done with warmth, reverence and soul-stirring voice and guitar by Vinicius Cantuaria! The Tom Jobim songbook is timeless, of course, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that one of the finer Brazilian voices of a later generation could handle it, but this set is exceptionally strong! Some of the best numbers are on the spare side, with Cantuaria's voice up front in the mix, giving it an intimate quality that we love – but it also includes some wonderful musicians from both Rio and Tokyo – where the tracks were recorded – plus some nice guest guitar work by Bill Frisell on a couple tunes and a lovely duet with Joyce. Includes "Ligua", "Caminhos Cruzados" featuring Joyce, "Vivo Sonhando", "So Danco Samba", "Este Seu Ohlar", "Retrato Em Branco E Preto", "Felicade", "Insensatez", "Inutil Paisagem", "Voce Vai Ver", "Por Causa De Voce" and more. 13 in all. ~ Dusty Groove

"Padme" Marks the Recording Debut of Pianist/Composer Caili O'Doherty

Pianist and composer Caili O'Doherty steps into the top tier of promising young jazz artists with the release on July 7 of her sparkling debut album, Padme, on her ODO Records imprint. O'Doherty's prowess on acoustic and electric keys, her proclivity for writing airy, flowing melodies, and her clear vision as a leader are much in evidence on the new CD.

The album title means "lotus flower," which "begins growing at the bottom of a muddy pool, emerges and blooms on the surface of the water during daylight, and then closes and sinks below the surface each night, to bloom clean the next day," she says. "To me, it embodies the idea that each person, despite the conditions they start from, can hope to realize their dreams." 

For Caili (pronounced "KAY-lee"), jazz is an extension of the lotus flower, imbued with qualities that resonate in people living through difficult circumstances -- helping them to recognize and connect with their dreams. Nourished by her experiences in Africa, Central and South America, and Europe, as well as in New York, Washington, DC, and her hometown of Portland, Oregon, O'Doherty's interest in the unifying impact of music across different cultures finds a stirring voice in her beautifully varied compositions.

The recipient of two DownBeat awards and an ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award in 2009, Caili has an unusual approach to composing. She writes lyrics to her songs to imbue in them the stories of her journeys and discards the words when the pieces are completed. This gives her melodies a natural rhythm of language. 

All of the songs on Padme have an engagingly light quality, even when probing dark themes. Her lyrical touch on piano opens the way for fetching arrangements involving violin and trombone, wordless vocals, the guitar of guest artist Mike Bono on the title track, and the earthy drumming by the stellar Adam Cruz on the gorgeously harmonized "Prayer Song."

Padme captures a terrific group of young artists with whom O'Doherty enjoys strong ties. They include bassist Zach Brown, violinist Alex Hargreaves, and guitarist Mike Bono, who were all at Berklee with Caili; drummer Cory Cox and tenor saxophonist Ben Flocks, who were at the Stanford Jazz Workshop with her; and alto saxophonist Caroline Davis and trombonist Eric Miller, whom she met after moving to New York.

The 23-year-old O'Doherty started classical piano lessons at five and began playing jazz at 11, studying under celebrated educator Thara Memory. After being selected for the Berklee Summer Jazz Workshop band, led by drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, Caili was awarded a full scholarship to the Boston school. Since she had only completed her sophomore year of high school when she received the offer, she took extra courses and graduated a year early in order to attend Berklee. As a member of Berklee's Global Jazz Institute, directed by Danilo Perez, she got to perform with him and other greats including Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, and John Patitucci. 

In 2010, O'Doherty was one of five pianists invited to participate in the inaugural season of the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Emerging Artists Workshop at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. After graduating from Berklee with a degree in jazz piano performance, she moved to New York. 

As witness her voluntary teaching and performing, as well as her efforts at WeBop, an early-childhood jazz education program at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, where she has been a member of the faculty since 2012, Caili retains her commitment to music education and outreach even as she devotes herself to performing jazz. 

"When you're very clear what you're doing it all for, it gives everything a bigger purpose," she said. "I've seen how music can be a vehicle for social change and healing. I strive to incorporate those ideas in my daily life." 

Caili O'Doherty on Tour:

• 6/25 Christo's Pizzeria & Lounge, Salem, OR 
• 6/26 The Royal Room, Seattle 
• 6/27 Arrivederci Wine Bar, Portland 
• 7/1 Jimmy Mak's, Portland 
• 7/2 The Jazz Station, Eugene, OR 
• 7/3 POPS Performing Arts & Cultural Center, Dunsmuir, CA 
• 7/4 Fillmore Jazz Festival, California Street Stage, San Francisco 
• 7/4 Jupiter Brewhouse, Berkeley 
• 7/5 Café Stritch, San Jose
• 7/6 SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, Santa Barbara 
• 7/8 The Blue Whale, Los Angeles 
• 7/9 Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz 
• 7/10 San Jose Jazz Presents Music at the Market, San Jose
• 7/11-7/25 Teaching at Stanford Jazz Workshop
• 7/21 Stanford Jazz Festival, Palo Alto, CA