Jazz vocalist Anne Walsh’s “Brand New” blends Brazilian jazz and 60s classic pop

The sultriness inherent in Brazilian jazz rhythms enhances the fresh and vibrant pop melodies on soprano song siren Anne Walsh’s “Brand New,” which bodes to cast a bewitching spell of beauty and romance this spring upon its March 18 release from A To Z Music. The timing is serendipitous for the twelve-tracker - thoughtfully produced and arranged by Walsh and GRAMMY®-nominated arranger-pianist Tom Zink - that has lyrical themes about rebirth, restoration and rejuvenation as well as juxtaposing the splendor of nature and romantic love. The set list is a mix of new songs and standards that offer hope and continues Walsh’s tradition of writing lyrics for a pair of classic instrumentals.    

Sharing a mutual passion for the elegance and sensuality of Brazilian jazz, Walsh and Zink - married both creatively and in real life – showcase their affinity for recordings bolstered by the spontaneity and improvisational spark between first-call musicians. The duo also put considerable care into their meticulous arrangements.   

“There was a time when thoughtful writers dominated the pop world. We’re nostalgic for the days when albums were defined by imagination and a musicality that involved the interplay between scores of musicians and complex arrangements. These songs rely heavily on the interaction between first-class jazz and studio players like Brian Bromberg, Chris Wabich, Gary Meek, Gannin Arnold, Tiki Pasillas and Ebinho Cardoso, highly-accomplished musicians who bring their own special personalities to the arrangements,” said Zink, who received a GRAMMY® nomination for his clever arrangements on Walsh’s “Pretty World” (2009). 

Many of the tracks on “Brand New” are enriched by elaborately-orchestrated string, horn and woodwind sections while a few cuts stir a poignant swoon as sparsely-rendered piano and voice sketches. Whether her accompaniment is grandiose or spare, Walsh’s balletic voice is constant throughout, leaping with poise and grace across a lush backdrop of enchanting harmonies. 

“Renewal and redemption are the key themes of this project and the common link for all of the music. Even within the structures and orchestration of the songs themselves, the layering and complexity of the arrangements are meant to provide a treasure trove of melodies to discover and re-discover. The draw to classic songs by our favorite composers is an act of renewal for us - taking what is already beautiful and showing a new way of experiencing the familiar,” said Walsh, who will celebrate the album release with a performance at Spaghettini’s in Seal Beach, Calif. on March 20. 

On “Brand New,” Zink and Walsh’s unique approach to recording covers by songwriting giants such as John Lennon & Paul McCartney (“Here, There and Everywhere”), Burt Bacharach & Hal David (“I Say A Little Prayer”), Alan & Marilyn Bergman and Michel Legrand (“Windmills Of Your Mind”) and Sergio Mendes & Lani Hall (“Salt Sea”) means completely dismantling the composition and reimagining its time, arrangement and harmonies while frequently keeping only the melody intact. The lyrics Walsh poetically penned for Dori Caymmi’s “Amazon River” equate nature and amorous beauty while she adopts a storyteller mindset on “The Writings On The Wall” to chronicle the career accomplishments and challenges faced by Astrud Gilberto. She duets with bassist Cardoso in Portuguese on “Coisas Do Amor,” an original number by the proficient bassist who is equally blessed with a satiny voice. Other standouts include a dramatic reading of “Nature Boy,” the starry-eyed “To Sir With Love,” an ethereal treatment of “My Prayer,” and a couple of new Walsh-Zink compositions – the breezy and quixotic title track and a throwback energizer, “Batuque (The Beat).”        

A Worcester, Mass. native who has long resided in Long Beach, Calif., Walsh is a classically-trained vocalist possessing operatic and theatrical qualities although the style she favors on her recordings organically straddles the jazz and pop worlds. “Brand New” is her first release since her 2011’s outing, “Go.” She has cultivated a fan base domestically and abroad through radio play and repeated tour stops in Southern California, Boston, New York City and Brazil, and at the venerable Newport Music Festival in Rhode Island. For more information, please visit www.AnneWalsh.com.

The songs contained on Walsh’s “Brand New” album are:

“Amazon River”

“Brand New”

“Here, There and Everywhere”

“Batuque (The Beat)”

“I Say A Little Prayer”

“Coisas Do Amor”

“My Prayer”

“The Writings On The Wall”

“Windmills Of Your Mind”

“To Sir With Love”

“Salt Sea”

“Nature Boy”

Grammy® Award-Winning Pianist Laurence Hobgood Steps Releases Honor Thy Fathers, Features John Patitucci and Kendrick Scott

With Honor Thy Fathers, Laurence Hobgood embarks on a striking new chapter in what has already been a storied career. Hobgood's 18-year tenure as musical director for singer Kurt Elling drew to a close in late 2013, leading to a long-overdue step into the spotlight for the renowned virtuoso pianist, composer and arranger. He seizes that opportunity with a bold and original trio outing that pays homage to a selection of personal mentors, influences and father figures.

Hobgood's incredibly fruitful collaboration with Elling garnered Grammy® nominations for each of the ten albums on which they collaborated, two for Hobgood's arrangements, and a win for Hobgood as producer of 2009's Dedicated To You: Kurt Elling Sings The Music Of Coltrane and Hartman. The same qualities that earned such high praise are brilliantly displayed here: finely crafted compositions, inventive arrangements, and deeply soulful expression.

There may be no greater testament to the esteem in which Hobgood is held among his peers than his collaborators on Honor Thy Fathers: bassist John Patitucci and drummer Kendrick Scott. The pianist isn't exaggerating when he refers to the pair as "two of the world's greatest musicians," but only modesty would exclude him from the same estimation. Hobgood originally worked with both under Elling's auspices - Patitucci on The Gate (2011) and Scott on its follow-up, 1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project (2012) - but this recording session marked the first time all three had played together. Their sensitivity and profoundly intuitive interplay belies that fact, however, sounding more cohesive and empathetic than many a long-established trio.

While Hobgood has released several albums in the past, both solo and with jazz greats like Charlie Haden, Honor Thy Fathers marks a new beginning for the pianist, one in which he finally plays the lead role. "I'm in a unique position because I'm well known in the jazz world but I'm not known as a leader," he admits. "I've toured all over the world, played in the best situations alongside top acts, and worked with some of the greatest people in the record business. In the course of having those kinds of experiences you learn a lot about what goes into making a great record." 

Honor Thy Fathers­ begins with its most obvious honoree: Burnet Hobgood, the pianist's father, who passed away in December 2000. "Sanctuary" movingly projects the sense of "quiet strength" that Hobgood always associated with his father, a theater artist and devoted family man. "He was very loving and brilliant but quietly so," Hobgood remembers. "For me, the ideal of manhood is a quiet, giving, loving strength and support. And that's who he was. Hence the statement about how he was my sanctuary for 41 years."

Another integral figure in Hobgood's early development was his teacher at the University of Illinois, the Sicilian-born classical composer Salvatore Martirano. He's memorialized with the elegant sweep of "Triptych;" intricate yet melodically lyrical, this piece exemplifies the "left turn," Martirano's cherished concept of the unexpected moment that makes harmonious sense. "It's the perfect thing to come right now, but the last thing you would have expected," Hobgood explains. "Sal and I both liked risk. I like to hear people painting themselves into corners and I want to find out how they'll get themselves out. Sal embodied what I think of as the big lessons of music."

Most of the tributes on Honor Thy Fathers pay respect to musical rather than personal influences. That begins with "Straighten Up and Fly Right," a cannily harmonized reinvention of Nat King Cole's signature tune. Buoyed by a sleek groove--and a smartly re-cast in 7/4 times--the piece is a raucous and rollicking take on the classic song, maintaining the sly humor of the original lyrics. Hobgood sums up the legendary pianist's legacy succinctly in the liner notes, writing, "Nat Cole is one of the most underrated jazz pianists who ever lived. Period."

"Give Me the Simple Life" and "The Waltz" celebrate Hobgood's two earliest piano heroes: the former is the first track on the first jazz record that young Hobgood ever owned, Oscar Peterson's "Tracks;" while the latter is an original penned in tribute to Bill Evans. Hobgood's own approach to the keyboard may show the more obvious influence of Evans' hushed genius, but the traces of what he calls Peterson's "ebullient, virtuosic artistry" remain as well. The album's closer, "Shirákumo No Michi (White Cloud Way)," salutes Wayne Shorter by drawing on The Way of the White Clouds, an inspirational book about a German-born man who became a Lama in Tibet - an apt parallel for the mystically-minded Shorter, who Hobgood calls "the paramount Bodhisattva of modern jazz music."

Stevie Wonder's "If It's Magic," from the classic Songs in the Key of Life shows off Hobgood's deft ability to both interpret popular song and to wholly re-imagine his material. Originally a wistful ballad, which Wonder sang to the accompaniment of a classical harp, Hobgood's rendition is a spry, up-tempo burner. Finally, with "The Road Home" Hobgood memorializes Charlie Haden, the influential bassist who passed away last year. The two played together on Hobgood's 2013 release When the Heart Dances, which proved to be a momentous occasion for the pianist.

"With 'The Road Home,' I set out to capture the combination of Charlie's soulfulness with his incredible intelligence, something that Charlie and I had in common," reflects Hobgood. "We both had family-based roots in southern traditional music - in his case, the folk music of the Ozark mountains, for me my parents' ties to Kentucky and the Appalachian traditional music of the Pine Mountain region. Getting to make a duet recording with Charlie was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. His sound was so huge because his spirit was so huge."

On Honor Thy Fathers, Hobgood's tips of the hat to these mentors come across not only through the pieces' literal dedications and choice of material. Perhaps the most important tribute he pays is by playing in the expressive, distinctive voice that each of them has played a part in forging.

Amy Winehouse's First Album "Frank" Remastered And Available On Vinyl

Amy Winehouse's career, though meteoric, was unfortunately cut short by tragedy, but the multi-GRAMMY® Award winner's musical legacy can now be appreciated anew with Island Records/Universal Music Enterprises' remastered and vinyl debut of her first album, Frank on 180-gram, 2-LP black vinyl with a printed gatefold sleeve that includes lyrics. The Frank album was previously only available on vinyl in the U.S. in a limited edition 8 disc boxed set released in December 2015.

                       

The sultry jazz-and-soul-tinged 2003 debut Frank, is a testament to her love of singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and Nina Simone. This album led to her commercial breakthrough, Back To Black, issued in 2006, which earned her a Best new Artist award at the GRAMMY® Awards the following years, as well as Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and the ultimate prizes, Record and Song of the Year for "Rehab." With five GRAMMY® Awards she was the first British female performer ever to win that many.

                       

Amy's immense popularity continues with critics and fans worldwide with their response to the documentary, Amy, which has received 33 nominations and has won a total of 23 film awards, including Best European Documentary at the 2015 European Film Award, two BAFTA's & upcoming nominations for Best Music Film at the 2016 GRAMMY® Awards and Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. Amy Winehouse has also received a posthumous nomination at the 2016 BRIT Awards for "Best British Female Solo Artist."

                       

Born in North London, Winehouse's vocal abilities were apparent from an early age, and she began writing after picking up a guitar at 14. After writing for the World Entertainment News Network as a music journalist and singing for a local group, Amy was the featured vocalist with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra when she was 16 in 2000. By 2003, she was signed to Simon Fuller's 19 Management, which developed her while she sang jazz standards at clubs in and around London.

                       

Frank was named after her father Mitch's favorite singer – Sinatra, the Chairman of the Board – as well as the honest nature of the lyrics. Produced mainly by Salaam Remi, Frank featured songs co-written by Amy as well as three covers, one of them a "hidden" track, "Mr. Magic (Through The Smoke)," a masterful reinterpretation of the Grover Washington Jr. hit "Mister Magic." Amy's composition "Stronger Than Me" received the U.K.'s prestigious Ivor Novello Prize for Best Contemporary Song, while the album earned her two BRIT Awards nominations and was short-listed for the Mercury Prize; it went on to sell more than one million albums in the U.K. The Washington Post noted, "Her attitude and command were already there… and then some."

                       

Track listing for the 2-LP set:

                       

Side 1

1. Intro/Stronger Than Me

2. You Sent Me Flying/Cherry

3. Know You Now

4. F*** Me Pumps

                       

Side 2

1. I Heard Love Is Blind

2. Moody's Mood For Love/Teo Licks

3. (There Is) No Greater Love

4. In My Bed

                       

Side 3

1. Take the Box

2. October Song

3. What Is It About Men?

                       

Side 4

1. Amy Amy Amy / Outro

2. Brother

3. Mr. Magic (Through the Smoke)

                       

                       

Janis Joplin: Little Girl Blue (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), brings together 17 essential live and studio performances

Columbia/Legacy Recordings is releasing Janis: Little Girl Blue (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), the official album companion to the highly acclaimed documentary written, directed and coproduced by Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Amy J. Berg ("Deliver Us From Evil," "West of Memphis").      

   

A remarkable career-spanning anthology, Janis: Little Girl Blue (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), brings together 17 essential Janis Joplin live and studio performances, including classic solo and Big Brother & the Holding Company tracks. The album debuts a previously unreleased version of "Piece of My Heart" (featured in the documentary and recorded live at the Generation Club in New York City in April 1968 during the Wake for Martin Luther King concert, this performance was included in the 1991 D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hagedus short film, "Comin' Home," and has been never been available on a commercial audio release).            

Janis: Little Girl Blue (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) includes an early recording of Janis Joplin singing Lead Belly's "Careless Love"; live performances with Big Brother & The Holding Company (from San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom, the Monterey Pop Festival, the Generation Club in New York City and Detroit's mythic Grande Ballroom); the Kozmic Blues Band (Frankfurt, West Germany, April 12, 1969); Janis live at the Woodstock Music & Art Fair (August 17, 1969) and the legendary Festival Express Tour (July 4, 1970). Rounding out Janis: Little Girl Blue (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) are definitive studio performances from the classic four original albums--Big Brother & The Holding Company, Cheap Thrills, I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! and Pearl--recorded during Joplin's lifetime. All of the recordings on the Janis: Little Girl Blue (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) can be heard in the film.

The Janis: Little Girl Blue (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) package includes new liner notes penned by Amy J. Berg, seldom-seen vintage photographs and reproductions of letters written by Janis, as detailed throughout the documentary.      

                  

In "Janis: Little Girl Blue," Academy Award®-nominated documentarian Amy Berg examines the meteoric rise and untimely fall of one of the most revered and iconic rock 'n' roll singers of all time: Janis Joplin. Joplin's life story is revealed for the first time on film through electrifying archival footage, revealing interviews with friends and family and rare personal letters, presenting an intimate and insightful portrait of a bright, complicated artist who changed music forever.       

       

Joplin's own words tell much of the film's story through a series of letters she wrote to her parents over the years, many of them made public for the first time (and read by Southern-born indie rock star/actor Chan Marshall, also known as Cat Power). This correspondence is only one element of the stunning, previously unseen material Berg discovered during the seven years she spent working on "Janis: Little Girl Blue." New audio and video of Joplin in concert and in the studio (some shot by legendary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker), and even footage from her emotional return to Texas for her tenth high school reunion, add depth and texture to this remarkable documentary.         

             

"Janis: Little Girl Blue" is a Content Media Corporation presentation of a Disarming Films and THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC's American Masters production in association with Jigsaw Productions, Sony Music Entertainment and Union Entertainment Group. Narrated by Chan Marshall, edited by Billy McMillin, Garrett Price, and Joe Beshenkovsky with music by Joel Shearer. Francesco Carrozzini served as cinematographer. The film is produced by Alex Gibney, Amy Berg, Jeff Jampol, and Katherine LeBlond with Michael Kantor, Susan Lacy, Noah C Haeussner, Stacey Offman and Michael Raimondi as executive producers. The film is directed by Amy Berg.           

         

"Amy Berg brings an intimate voice to her absorbing documentary portrait of late blues-rock goddess Janis Joplin," wrote Guy Lodge in Variety.         

      

David Rooney, writing in the Hollywood Reporter called "Janis: Little Girl Blue": "Essential viewing...Berg's film presents a well-rounded, deeply admiring picture of a maverick talent who paved the way for countless female rockers…tells the legendary singer's story with vitality and heart."          

   

"Janis: Little Girl Blue" premiered at the 2015 Venice Film Festival on September 6, 2015 and played successfully at a number of international festivals including the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, the 2015 Deauville American Film Festival, the 2015 BFI London Film Festival, the Loft Film Festival in Tucson, Arizona, the Houston Cinema Arts Festival, The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, the Key West Film Festival and others.     
       

The film opened in New York City on November 27, 2015 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the IFC Center, where it played to sold-out audiences for an incredible eight-week run. Beginning December 4, "Janis: Little Girl Blue" opened in more than 100 theaters nationwide including movie houses in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Hollywood, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Neptune (NJ), Binghamton (NY), Pelham (NY), Phoenix, Tucson, Denver, Orlando, Miami, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, McKees Rock (PA), Washington DC, Cleveland Heights (OH), Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and others.   

           

In 2016, "Janis: Little Girl Blue" is already enjoying an amazing international reception, selling out multiple locations in France, Germany, Chile, Colombia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (where the film is scheduled to open on additional screens throughout February and March).

                       

"Janis: Little Girl Blue" will have its exclusive U.S. broadcast premiere Tuesday, May 3 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) on the "American Masters" series. The broadcast will feature a never-before-seen extended film cut with additional archival performance footage and new interviews.  
               

Janis Joplin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 by Melissa Etheridge, who performed a tribute set to Janis at the ceremony. "She took a flag and made a place in rock and roll for women," Etheridge says. "She was the first." Janis was posthumously given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 4, 2013. In December 2015, Janis Joplin's 1964 Porsche 356 was sold at RM Sotheby's for $1.76 million, the highest price ever paid for a Porsche 356 at auction. Janis bought the car in 1968 and had it painted, bumper to bumper and door to door, in an exotic psychedelic landscape. Fans would often tuck notes to the singer under the Porsche's windshield wipers. January 11, 2016 marked the 45th anniversary of the posthumous release of Pearl, Janis Joplin's final studio album. "A Night With Janis Joplin," the critically-acclaimed Broadway musical, is currently on tour in the United States and 

Canada.               

Janis Joplin / Janis: Little Girl Blue (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack):

 

1.Careless Love – Janis Joplin (from: Janis – Early Performances)

2.Down On Me – Big Brother & The Holding Company (from: Big Brother & The Holding Company)

3.Women Is Losers – Big Brother & The Holding Company (from: Janis Boxset)

4.Ball And Chain – Big Brother & The Holding Company (recorded live at the Monterey Pop Festival – June 17, 1967)

5.Piece of My Heart – Big Brother & The Holding Company (Live at the Generation Club – April 1968, previously unreleased as audio only)

6.Catch Me Daddy – Big Brother & The Holding Company (recorded live at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit – March 2, 1968; from: Cheap Thrills Expanded Edition)

7.Magic Of Love – Big Brother & The Holding Company (recorded live at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit – March 2, 1968; from: Cheap Thrills Expanded Edition)

8.Summertime – Big Brother & The Holding Company (from: Cheap Thrills)

9.Raise Your Hand – Janis Joplin with the Kozmic Blues Band (recorded live in Frankfort, West Germany – April 12, 1969; from: Farewell Song)

10.Maybe – Janis Joplin (from: I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!)

11.Work Me, Lord – Janis Joplin (recorded live at the Woodstock Music & Art Fair – August 17, 1969)

12.Trust Me – Janis Joplin & The Full Tilt Boogie Band (from: Pearl)

13.Cry Baby – Janis Joplin (recorded live in Calgary during the Festival Express Tour – July 4, 1970; from: Pearl Expanded Edition)

14.Tell Mama – Janis Joplin (recorded live in Calgary during the Festival Express Tour – July 4, 1970; from: Pearl Expanded Edition)

15.Get It While You Can – Janis Joplin & The Full Tilt Boogie Band (from: Pearl)

16.Me And Bobby McGee – Janis Joplin & The Full Tilt Boogie Band (from: Pearl)

17.Little Girl Blue – Janis Joplin (from: I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!)

                       

www.janisjoplin.com

 

Angelique Kidjo Wins 3rd World Music Grammy For "Sings"

Angelique Kidjo, the Benin born singer/songwriter is celebrating the win of her third "Best World Music Album" Grammy Award for her 429 Records album Sings.  It's the artist's second consecutive win in that category as her 2014 album Eve won last year.  Produced by Kidjo and long-time production partner Jean Hebrail, Sings showcases Kidjo's collaboration with the 110 piece Orchestre Philharmonique Du Luxembourg, led by renowned conductor and composer Gast Waltzing.  Kidjo reimagines nine classic songs from her 24 year repertoire and two new songs ("Otishe" and "Mamae" from the Eve sessions), blending European classical traditions with the powerful rhythmic sounds of her native West Africa. Along with the orchestra, Kidjo's additional players include Christian McBride and Massimo Biolcati on upright basses; Lionel Loueke, Dominic James and David Laborier on guitars; Magatte Sow, Crespin Tpikiti and Benoit Avihoue on percussion; Tuelo Kgobokoe Tsholofetso and Mokubung, background vocals; and Gast Waltzing, flugelhorn solo on "Samba Pa Ti."  Angelique Kidjo's Sings was released on 429 Records.                  

Kidjo's accolades includes a more than 20 year discography, three Grammy Awards, thousands of concerts around the world and being named "Africa's premier diva" (Time Magazine) and "the undisputed Queen of African Music" (Daily Telegraph). In addition to winning the Grammy for Sings, Kidjo's 2014 recording for Eve and her 2008 recording Djin Djin won Grammys for Best Contemporary World Music Album. Her studio recording Oyo was nominated in the same category. She has enjoyed a long history of notable collaborations with greats from the jazz and pop worlds—including Carlos Santana, Bono, John Legend, Josh Groban, Peter Gabriel, Branford Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, Roy Hargrove and Alicia Keys. In an expansive career marked as much by extraordinary musical achievement as passionate advocacy and philanthropy for her homeland of Africa, Angelique Kidjo has found many ways to celebrate the rich, enlightening truth about the continent's women beyond the media spotlight.        

Says Kidjo: "The orchestra brings different textures to my life and music. Unlike in pop music, the orchestra doesn't follow you, it leads and dares you to follow it. If you don't do this successfully, the songs suffer and the communication is lost. But I love the challenge of doing new things. I never want to get too comfortable with what I'm doing, and I love my work too much to repeat myself."

NEW RELEASES: SNARKY PUPPY – FAMILY DINNER: VOLUME TWO; CHARLES BRADLEY & THE MENAHAN STREET BAND – LIVE FROM THE HOUSE OF SOUL; MICHAEL FORMANEK AND ENSEMBLE KOLOSSUS - THE DISTANCE

SNARKY PUPPY – FAMILY DINNER: VOLUME TWO (CD/DVD)

This is the second in the Family Dinner series which began with 2014’s Grammy Award-winning album, Family Dinner: Volume One. To give you a little background on the “series,” the band sees this album - while it is technically a Snarky Puppy album by the fact that they are the backing band and arrangers of all of the material - as more of a compilation; an album of all original songs written and performed by the guest vocalists, with just a little musical help from Snarky Puppy. Tracklisting: I Asked (Featuring Becca Stevens & Väsen); Molino Molero (Featuring Susana Baca & Charlie Hunter); Liquid Love (Featuring Chris Turner); Soro (Afriki) (Featuring Salif Keita, Carlos Malta, & Bernardo Aguiar); Sing To The Moon (Featuring Laura Mvula & Michelle Willis); Don't You Know (Featuring Jacob Collier & Big Ed Lee); I Remember (Featuring Knower & Jeff Coffin); Somebody Home (Featuring David Crosby); Bonus Tracks (on DVD only): Fuego y Agua (Featuring Susana Baca); Be Still (Featuring Becca Stevens & Väsen); Shapons Vindaloo (Featuring Väsen); One Hope (Featuring Knower); and Brother, I'm Hungry (Featuring NOLA International).

CHARLES BRADLEY & THE MENAHAN STREET BAND – LIVE FROM THE HOUSE OF SOUL (DVD)

The first installment of Daptone Records' new video series, Live From The House Of Soul. Directed by Poull Brien and shot in the backyard of Daptone's House of Soul in Bushwick, Brooklyn, it features Charles Bradley at his best with the Menahan Street Band. In his distinctively rough-hewn timbre one hears the unmistakable voice of experience - each note and gruff inflection a reflection of his extended, sometimes rocky, personal path. It's only fitting that producer, Brenneck (also a member of the Dap-Kings and the Budos Band), would recognize in Bradley a kindred musical spirit - a singer whose performances exude both raw power and poignant beauty. Includes: Love Bug; Where Do We Go From Here?; Victim Of Love; Confusion; The World (Is Going Up In Flames); Crying In The Chapel; Strictly Reserved For You; Bonus Music Videos: Where Do We Go From Here?; Strictly Reserved for You; The World (Is Going Up In Flames); and Heartaches & Pain.

MICHAEL FORMANEK AND ENSEMBLE KOLOSSUS - THE DISTANCE

Bassist Michael Formanek works here with his Ensemble Kolossus – a group that's maybe not as big as their name, but who manage to bring a very full sound to the album overall! The lineup features trumpets from Ralph Alessi and Dave Ballou, cornet from Kirk Knuffke, baritone from Tim Berne, piano from Kris Davis, tenor from Chris Speed and Brian Settles, trombone from Alan Ferber and Ben Gerstein, and alto from Loren Stillman and Oscar Noriega – a large group of like-minded players who often fuse together in this wave of sound that's deep in darker colors and moody tones – all of which allow Formanek a surprisingly strong space up front, thanks to the careful direction of Mark Helias. Titles include "The Distance", and the long "Exoskeleton" suite of tracks. ~ Dusty Groove

The Hollywood Bowl 2016 Summer Concert Series Features Top Notch Performers

The Hollywood Bowl 2016 summer concert series has been announced:

JUNE

June 11, 12 - Playboy Jazz Festival with Fourplay (with Nathan East, Bob James, Chuck Loeb & Harvey Mason), Cécile Mclorin Salvant, Seth Macfarlane Big Band, Janelle Monáe, John Batiste & Stay Human, host George Lopez, more to be announced

June 18 - Steely Dan (Opening Night at the Bowl with fireworks) with Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conductor Thomas Wilkins

June 24 - Sing-a-Long Sound of Music with host Melissa Peterman

June 26 - Reggae Night XIV with Burning Spear; Cocoa Tea; Etana

JULY

July 1 - A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor and special guests Christine DiGiallonardo, Sarah Jarosz, Heather Masse, Aoife O'Donovan, Sara Watkins

July 2, 3, 4 - Chicago (fireworks spectacular) with Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conductor Thomas Wilkins; Air Force Band of the Golden West

July 8, 9 - Star Trek in Concert with Los Angeles Philharmonic, conductor David Newman

July 10 - Pet Sounds With Brian Wilson, Al Jardine & Blondie Chaplin; M. Ward

July 12 - Conductor Gustavo Dudamel, piano Lang Lang (Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1, Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade)

July 14 - West Side Story with Los Angeles Philharmonic, conductor Gustavo Dudamel, cast to be announced

July 15, 16 - Diana Ross

July 19 - West Side Story with Los Angeles Philharmonic, conductor Gustavo Dudamel, cast to be announced

July 20 - Yes We Can Can: An Allen Toussaint Salute with Dr. John & The Nite Trippers, The Allen Toussaint Band, special guests to be announced; Galactic

July 21 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Gustavo Dudamel, piano Yuja Wang (Gershwin: Symphonic Suite From Porgy and Bess, Ravel: Piano Concerto in G, Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue, Ravel: Bolero)

July 22, 23 - "Weird Al" Yankovic with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conductor Thomas Wilkins; additional artist to be announced

July 24 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Gustavo Dudamel performing Puccini's Tosca (Julianna Di Giacomo, Tosca; Fabio Sartori, Cavaradossi; Falk Struckmann, Scarpia; John Del Carlo, Sacristan; Andrew Craig Brown, Angelotti)

July 26 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, piano Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Los Angeles Master Chorale, artistic director Grant Gershon (Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3, Beethoven: Choral Fantasy, Ravel: Mother Goose Suite, Ravel: Daphnis And Chloé Suite No. 2)

July 28 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Cristian Măcelaru, violin Nicola Benedetti (Copland: An Outdoor Overture, Wynton Marsalis: Violin Concerto [West Coast premiere, LA Phil commission], Copland: Symphony No. 3)

July 29, 30, 31 - A Chorus Line, cast and creative team to be announced

AUGUST

Aug. 2 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Gustavo Dudamel, guitar Angel Romero (Piazzolla: Tangazo, Lalo Schifrin: Concierto de la Amistad [world premiere], Villa-Lobos: Bachianas brasileiras No. 2, Piazzolla: Selection Of Tangos)

Aug. 3 - Gladys Knight; Tower of Power

Aug. 4 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Ben Gernon, choreography Janni Younge of Handspring Puppet Company (Debussy: La mer, Britten: Four Sea Interludes, Stravinsky: The Firebird)

Aug. 5, 6 - Tchaikovsky Spectacular (with fireworks) with Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Gustavo Dudamel, American Ballet Theatre, USC Trojan Marching Band (Tchaikovsky: Selections From Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture)

Aug. 7 - Kurt Vile and the Violators; additional artists to be announced

Aug. 9 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Andrew Manze, violin Arabella Steinbacher (Mozart: Don Giovanni Overture, Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 5, Mozart: Symphony No. 41, "Jupiter")

Aug. 10 - 50 Years of Jeff Beck with special guest Beth Hart and more to be announced; Buddy Guy

Aug. 11 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Andrew Manze, piano Francesco Piemontesi (Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4,

Schubert: Symphony No. 9, "Great C-Major")

Aug. 12, 13 - An Olympic Carnival with Sergio Mendes & Brasil 2016 with special guests Dianne Reeves and Romero Lubambo, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra with conductor Thomas Wilkins, Viver Brasil

Aug. 14 - Rodrigo y Gabriela with Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conductor Thomas Wilkins

Aug. 16 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Nicholas Mcgegan, mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, Los Angeles Master Chorale, artistic director Grant Gershon (All-Handel program to include: Coronation Anthem No. 1, Zadok The Priest, "The Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba" from Solomon, "Awake The Trumpet's Lofty Sound" from Samson, Ariodante: "Scherza infida," Ariodante: "Dopo Notte," Xerxes: "Ombra Mai Fu," Xerxes: "Se Bramate" "Hallelujah" From Messiah, Water Music Suite No. 2 In D, Royal Fireworks Music)

Aug. 17 - The Ultimate Tribute to Ray Charles starring Maceo Parker, featuring a tribute to the Ray Charles Orchestra, also featuring a tribute to the Raelettes; Christian Mcbride Big Band; special guest Philip Bailey

Aug. 18 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Nicholas Mcgegan, piano Garrick Ohlsson (Weber: Overture to Oberon, Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 In D Minor, K. 466, Schumann: Symphony No. 3, "Rhenish")

Aug. 19 - Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conductor Thomas Wilkins

Aug. 20 - Brandi Carlile; Old Crow Medicine Show

Aug. 21 - The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma

Aug. 23 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Joana Carneiro, violin Gil Shaham (Korngold: Violin Concerto, Beethoven: Symphony No. 5)

Aug. 24 - Mega Nova featuring Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Cindy Blackman Santana, Marcus Miller and Carlos Santana

Aug. 25 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Bramwell Tovey, violin Mari Samuelsen, cello Håkon Samuelsen (Herrmann: Vertigo Scène d’Amour, Horner: Pas de Deux, Bernstein: On the Waterfront (Symphonic Suite from the film), Gershwin: Shall We Dance Finale and Coda)

Aug. 26, 27 - Culture Club with the Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Bramwell Tovey

Aug. 28 - Smooth Summer Jazz with George Benson, Average White Band, Jeff Lorber Fusion, To Grover, With Love, featuring Jason Miles

Aug. 30 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Bramwell Tovey, Shakespeare's Globe (Korngold: Much Ado About Nothing Suite, Schmitt: Antoine et Cleopatre Suite No. 1. Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette: "Queen Mab"z Scherzo, Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet)

Aug. 31 - The Academy Celebrates the Black Movie Soundtrack II with Marcus Miller, special guests to be announced, host Craig Robinson, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conductor Vince Mendoza

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 1 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Bramwell Tovey, The Globe Theatre (Korngold: Much Ado About Nothing Suite, Schmitt: Antoine Et Cleopatre Suite No. 1, Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette: "Queen Mab" Scherzo, Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet)

Sept. 2, 3, 4 - John Williams: Maestro Of The Movies with Los Angeles Philharmonic, conductor John Williams, conductor David Newman

Sept. 6 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya, violin Martin Chalifour (J. Strauss: Emperor Waltz, J. Strauss: Thunder and Lightning Polka, Kreisler: Selections for violin and orchestra, R. Strauss: Ein Heldenleben)

Sept. 7 - Carlos Vives

Sept. 8 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Ludovic Morlot, Ate9, Bodytraffic, La Dance Project (Adam Schoenberg: Bounce, Daniel Wohl - Replicate Part 2 [world premiere, LA Phil commission], Esa-Pekka Salonen: Helix, Stravinsky: The Rite Of Spring)

Sept. 9, 10, 11 - Jeff Lynne's ELO (with fireworks finale) with Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conductor Thomas Wilkins

Sept. 13 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Ludovic Morlot, cello Gautier Capuçon (Fauré: Masques et bergamasques, Op. 112, Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1, Ravel: Rapsodie Espagnole, Ravel: La valse)

Sept. 14 - Jazz at the Bowl, artists to be announced

Sept. 15 - Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor André De Ridder, mandolin Avi Avital (Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Brahms: Serenade No. 1)

Sept. 18 - Kraftwerk 3-D

Sept. 24 - Sigur Rós

Sept. 25 - Bloc Party; Ms Mr; additional artist to be announced

Program, dates and artists subject to change.

Grace Jones, Burt Bacharach, Average White Band, Kamasi Washington and more announced for Love Supreme 2016

NEW RELEASES: MALIJA - THE DAY I HAD EVERYTHING; GERARD PRESENCER - GROOVE TRAVELS; ANDRE FERNANDES – DREAM KEEPER

MALIJA - THE DAY I HAD EVERYTHING

As Mark Lockheart explains: ‘The Day I Had Everything is about many musical things, often styles and influences that have come from our many diverse musical experiences working and developing in London’s vibrant jazz scene. The melting pot of London’s multi-faceted music scene is reflected in the compositions, to me this is London jazz music, distinct and different from the American sound”. Their first collaboration was back in 2009, when the three musicians recorded and toured with Mark  Lockheart’s acclaimed album ‘In Deep’, a record that not only bought these three musicians together as part of a quintet but initiated a long term collaboration between Edition and Jasper Høiby’s Phronesis. Since then, each of them has developed so great a mutual respect and friendship that to form a trio seemed the most logical and natural next step. ‘The Day I Had Everything’ magnifies what is beautiful about great jazz. The subtleties and sophisticated group interaction offers countless rewards. The original material by all three members has many diverse influences including bluegrass, tango, a 1930’s jungle feel and even references to English classical music. Jasper describes the music as “simple, weird, complicated, free, tight, beautiful, ugly and heartfelt depending on your mood”. ’The Day I Had Everything’ is a reference to the sheer excitement one has as a child getting up in the morning and not being able to decide what to do first – everything seems so shiny and new . The coming together of Malija was like this – the three of us bringing in our compositions and developing them into something tangible, then the sheer fun of exploring the music in the recording studio

GERARD PRESENCER - GROOVE TRAVELS

Groove Travels is the highly anticipated new album from British trumpeter, arranger and composer Gerard Presencer, featuring the Danish Radio Big Band. Groove Travels is set to be a defining album both for Gerard and for new Big Band conceptions. This new release is without doubt his most ambitious and well-executed solo recording to date and will happily stand alongside the leading voices in contemporary big band music. The idea for this album first took root when Gerard moved to Copenhagen to take a trumpet seat in the band. As Gerard explains: ‘It’s taken five or six years for me to get this album together which is great for a project like this, because I got to know everybody, we play together all the time, so the tunes that I’ve chosen are specifically chosen for the musicians that are playing them’. Over the past 25 years Gerard Presencer has carved out a formidable reputation as one of the most respected trumpeters on the European scene. He exploded onto the international scene, aged 18, when US3 asked him to play the solo part on Blue Note’s Cantaloupe Island (re-imagined as Cantaloup Flip-Fantasia), that became one of the biggest selling jazz records of the 1990s. Since then, he has performed with a who’s who of international jazz artists, and has developed a career as an educator, arranger and composer. Gerard has also been an essential member of Charlie Watts’ various jazz groups over the last 25 years, touring the world and releasing several albums in various groups with the jazz-loving Stone! Gerard continues to push himself and his instrument, moving outside his comfort zone in order to develop as a player and writer.

ANDRE FERNANDES – DREAM KEEPER

‘Dream Keeper’ is a high-class and innovative set of originals that marks the first major international release from Portuguese guitarist and composer Andre Fernandes. Since 2002 Lisbon-born Fernandes has generated a wave of glowing reviews for appearances with some of the finest international musicians. As a beacon of inspirational energy and determined spirit in his native Portugal, Fernandes has been described by Portuguese music critic, Rui Eduardo Paes, as ‘one of the most important Portuguese jazz musicians today, with credits that largely surpass the field of jazz and a continuous ability to surprise us’. ‘Dream Keeper’ is a career defining album that draws together Andre’s strengths as composer, player and bandleader, with the help of a stellar cast of musicians, into one coherent and well-executed album. ‘Dream Keeper’ confirms Andre’s promise and offers him an opportunity to approach a global audience and ignite a glowing international career. Born in Lisbon in 1976, Andre Fernandes is a natural leader with an entrepreneurial spirit. In 2002, he formed T.O.A.P. (Tone of A Pitch), his own imprint, as a way to take control of his own destiny and as a vehicle for his talented cohorts. Driven by the desire to collaborate and an empathy and respect for his band mates, Andre has plenty to give. Compositionally, the music is bold with a determined spirit drawing on a wide array of influences and colors. As a player, Andre has a commanding sound with inventive use of pedals, tones and color. As a bandleader, he leaves space for others to shine and is able to bring the best performances from his musicians. There’s obvious mutual respect and friendship on offer and the music is the better for it. If ‘Dream Keeper’ is a sign of what is to come for this young, incredibly talented guitarist, then the next few years look very exciting.

 

NEW RELEASES: BARRY WHITE & THE LOVE UNLIMITED ORCHESTRA – TOGETHER BROTHERS; GEORGE SMALLWOOD – LOSER; AMANAR DE KIDAL – TUMASTIN

BARRY WHITE & THE LOVE UNLIMITED ORCHESTRA – TOGETHER BROTHERS

Barry White's entry into the blacksploitation soundtrack genre – and it's a doozy! The record's filled with lots of tight little instrumental grooves, produced in the hard edged Love Unlimited Orchestra way – with tight funky drums at the bottom, snapping snare in the middle, and sharp sweeping strings over the top. Love Unlimited sing on a few tracks, but the cuts are mostly instrumentals with a very hard groove. Titles include "Somebody's Gonna Off The Man", "Alive and Well", "Theme From Together Brothers", "Do Drop In", and "Here Comes The Man".  ~ Dusty Groove

GEORGE SMALLWOOD – LOSER

Unissued material from Maryland soul legend George Smallwood – an artist most folks know only from his few late 70s tracks that were issued, but clearly a singer who's kept on going strong over the years! These tracks were all recorded by George on a government-issued tape recorder he received as part of a library service for the blind – and that recording quality gives all the tracks a cool, compressed sort of sound – one that instantly condenses the space between the late 70s and 21st Century recordings in the set! There's no exact dates on the album, but to us, most of the material feels like late 70s or 80s indie vintage – mostly with George sliding out on these slinky, soulful vocals – with just a bit of keyboards and rhythm to back him up – mostly in grooves that have a mellow or midtempo mode, and almost make him feel like an 80s version of Larry Saunders. Titles include "Blues Man", "Do You Baby", "Into Your Love", "Not Gonna Give You Up", "Loser", "Touching Is My Thing", and a version of "Family Affair".  ~ Dusty Groove

AMANAR DE KIDAL – TUMASTIN

Great work from one of the darkest groups working on the current Tuareg scene – an ensemble who can vary their tone nicely, and produce a range of emotions and compelling sounds that really make this set stand out from the pack! Sure, there's plenty of offbeat guitar work with lots of snakey vibes – but there's also some pretty excellent work on the rhythm tip, too – including these dipping, turning lines that are more than compelling enough without the guitar or vocals – served up with excellent bass and spare percussion too. Titles include "Tumastin", "Tarha", "Dounia Tade", "Sin Orane", and "Tafouck". ~ Dusty Groove