Seabreeze Jazz Festival features Boney James, Peabo Bryson, Mindi Abiar, Michael McDonald, Brian Culbertson & more

Boney James

Platinum-selling and multi-Grammy winning Michael McDonald, top-charting saxophonist Boney James, vocalist Peabo Bryson, and guitarist Peter White are just some top-notched talent set to perform at the "Ultimate Weekend of Smooth Jazz". The 18th Annual Seabreeze Jazz Festival® returns to Panama City Beach with over 20 stellar performances of top national contemporary jazz artists set for April 20-24th.

The event has become an annual celebration for jazz-minded adults where the allure of great beaches, exciting shopping, world-class restaurants along with a plethora of activities like golf and fishing, all combine for a true vacation getaway! Panama City Beach provides the perfect backdrop for the “ultimate” jazz beach weekend with the festival attracting attendees from 42 U.S. states and over seven countries, plus also being named “Top 10 Jazz Festival in the USA” by JazzIZ Magazine. Smooth jazz blowing gently in the coastal breezes is just one unique feature at one of the nation’s fastest growing “destination music festivals” on the Gulf Coast.

Alex Bugnon

Artists to perform in 2016 include Boney James, Brian Culbertson, Michael McDonald, Gerald Albright, Jonathan Butler, Mindi Abair, Peter White, Peabo Bryson, Marc Antoine, Josh Vietti, Najee, The Family Stone, Nick Colionne, Euge Groove, Jazz In Pink-- featuring Cindy Bradley, Gail Jhonson, Jazmin Ghent, Mareia Antoinette, and others –Jesse Cook, Peet Project, Paul Taylor, Ben Tankard, Malina Moye, Vincent Ingala, Brian Simpson, Jackeim Joyner, Alex Bugnon, The JT Project (Seabreeze Rising Star), Selena Albright, Marcus Anderson, Oli Silk, Will Donato, JJ Sanserverino, Kim Scott, Elan Trotman, David Sides, Kyshona Armstrong, and Chris Godber (Panama City saxophonist).

And just added, jazz vocalist Lindsey Webster will perform on the Sunday lineup. Her vocal “Fool Me Once” recently became the #1 smooth jazz single on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Charts.

Mindi Abair

Main performances will take place at the Aaron Beasant Park Amphitheater adjacent to Pier Park, with nightly After-Party All-Star Jam Shows at Pompano Joe’s Seafood House at adjacent Pier Park.

To further showcase the beauty of Panama City Beach, a Dinner and Lunch Smooth Jazz Cruise aboard “The Solaris” dinner yacht is set departing the Lighthouse Marina cruising picturesque St. Andrews Bay—each with a live jazz performance on board. Guitarist Nick Colionne will host the Dinner Cruise on Wednesday, April 20th with saxophonist Mindi Abair hosting the Jazz Lunch Cruise on Thursday, April 21st.

Michael McDonald

Smooth Jazz fans have a unique and intimate connection to the festival’s music and core artists base. The “smooth jazz lifestyle” is the secret to the success of The Seabreeze Jazz Festival® – where the R & B based smooth contemporary jazz literally creates a synergy for the whole weekend. The licks of the funky bass lines and pop-friendly musical hooks keep the crowds moving to the beat….almost like the tempo of the swaying palm trees around beautiful Aaron Beasant Park Amphitheater at Pier Park, on the west end of Panama City Beach.

Smooth jazz is the epitome of “The Good Life” – laid back yet upscale at the same time, relaxing and familiar as a pair of your most comfortable beach sandals. It’s this uniqueness that appeals to a upscale college-educated professional adult demographic, primarily a 35-55 year old audience with high amounts of discretionary income. Many economist call this very desirable demographic group “Alpha Baby Boomers” –attributing to the $14.2 million impact the Seabreeze Jazz Festival® besieges on the Northwest Florida economy.

The event hosts close to 28,000 for the weekend, with a large percentage of fans traveling hundreds if not thousands of miles away to attend. 60% of the festival’s tickets are sold outside the State of Florida, making it a true destination festival.    The alluring appeal of Pier Park and the new resort-style architecture along with west end of Panama City Beach beckons even the most cosmopolitan city-dweller to join in on the fun, and get their toes in the sands.

Peabo Bryson

The successful melding appeal of Pier Park with the Seabreeze Jazz Festival® on site is all about complimenting distractions. Pier Park (a Simon Mall property) sports over 160 retail stores, a 16-screen stadium-seating cinema, numerous eateries, nightclubs, even a small amusement park to pacify all of the family’s pastimes, while the parents enjoy the live smooth jazz entertainment from the nation’s top jazz artists. The newly completed City Pier across the street from the festival stage and miles of white-sand beaches and emerald-green waters also provides a nearby escape from the live entertainment. That is if you muster up enough to pull away from the star-studded contemporary jazz lineup.

The Seabreeze Jazz Festival® will again utilize a new innovative RFID armband system from Intellitix® for both entry and all festival purchases, essentially making the entire event both “ticketless” and “cashless”. Called “JazzBands”, the RFID wristband system includes a fabric wristband with an imbedded RFID chip inside – doubling as not only be the patron’s ticket for entry into the event through an electronic portal, but also their wallet for all purchases inside the venue. Attendees can either “load” funds via their credit card in advance of the event online, or on site with credit or cash at several jazz festival “Top Up” stations throughout the event. All it takes is a quick swipe for any purchase in front of a tablet-size screen, and fans are back to the music and smooth jazz fun, with easy access to their “JazzBand” account via their smartphone. No need to worry about losing cash or credit cards with Intellitix’s exciting system for fast entry and quick purchasing, dramatically reducing time spent at entry gates and in queue lines for merchandise, food, and beverages. Any unspent funds on the wristbands are refunded back to the user’s credit card immediately following the event, and the “JazzBand” simply becomes an event souvenir.

Tickets are available for single and multi-day admission. Thursday only tickets are $90 each, Friday only tickets are $100 each, Saturday only tickets are $120 each, and Sunday only tickets are $100 each. Patrons save money on multi-day tickets with a Weekend Pass good for Friday-Sunday priced at $200, and the all-inclusive Four Day Pass $250 each for all performances Thursday through Sunday at the main stage.

Pianist Peter Horvath's Second Album as a Leader, "Absolute Reality," Collaborators Include Randy Brecker, Bob Mintzer, Victor Bailey, & Lenny White

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area since the mid-1980s, keyboardist and composer Peter Horvath has thrived in the region's highly diverse environment, where various music scenes often overlap. He's played post-bop with Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson, Eddie Henderson, and Charles McPherson, and funk fusion with the Victor Bailey Group, Marcus Miller, Bennie Maupin, and Lenny White. He's played Latin jazz with Arturo Sandoval, Ray Obiedo, and Pete Escovedo, and funk and R&B with Pee Wee Ellis, Lalah Hathaway, Melba Moore, Ledisi, and Rosie Gaines.

But his in-demand status left him little time for his own music. Now, picking up where he left off in 1995, when Lake Street Records released his critically hailed chart-topping debut Foreign Matter, Horvath is following up with Absolute Reality, his second album as a leader. The CD, which will be released by his Foreign Matter Records on March 25, showcases some of most potent improvisers in jazz and Latin music including trumpeter Randy Brecker, saxophonist Bob Mintzer, drummer Lenny White, bassist Victor Bailey, and guitarist Ray Obiedo.

"It's kind of crazy it's been 20 years since my last album," says the Hungarian-born musician. "During that time I was on the road constantly, both nationally and internationally, with artists like Victor Bailey and Lalah Hathaway. When my touring schedule slowed down a bit in 2012, I decided it was time to focus on my own music and get it out there."

Absolute Reality is a highly personal and supremely engaging album by an artist eager to celebrate the musical riches he's experienced in the Bay Area. The opener and title track is both a manifesto and a statement of purpose co-written by saxophonist Norbert Stachel, who provides consistently smart horn arrangements throughout the album. "Carla," featuring a gently insinuating groove from Lenny White and a soulful, lyrical performance by Bob Mintzer, showcases Horvath's gift for crafting yearning melodies.

No tune better captures the singular mélange of styles that came together in the Bay Area than "Fake Out," a funk-driven tune that sounds like a theme for a 1970s street-wise detective show by way of Steely Dan. "Escape from Oakland" marks the first encounter between Victor Bailey and Ricky Lawson, who together "create this ferocious groove," says Horvath.

For pure straight-ahead blowing, Horvath digs in with "Foreign Matter," a treacherous post-bop workout that features Randy Brecker's witty and casually virtuosic trumpet. The album closes with Horvath's tune for his son, "Braden's Song," a striking, ebb-and-flow solo piano piece that provides a tantalizing glimpse at another side of the artist.

Born in Budapest, Peter Horvath grew up behind the Iron Curtain at a time when availability of American jazz recordings was very limited. But as the son of Hungarian pop star Mátrai Zsuzsa, he had access to recordings she brought back from touring outside the country. He also credits his maternal grandfather with introducing him to the infinite possibilities of the piano.

"My mom was the Barbra Streisand of Hungary, but I wanted a normal mom," Horvath recalls. "In hindsight it was a wonderful thing. Through her I got exposed to jazz. She still lives in Budapest and still performs."

Already passionate about the piano, Horvath experienced a jazz epiphany as a young teen when he heard the music of Oscar Peterson. While pursuing his love of jazz, he continued to immerse himself in the European classical tradition, studying at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music. At 17, he won the National Jazz Combo Competition in Gyor, Hungary and a year later he chose to leave his homeland behind.

Horvath went on to study at the Vienna Conservatory of Music, a move that also led to steady jazz work on the Austrian scene. A scholarship to Berklee brought him to the United States in 1983, when he was 22, and by the end of the year he had left Boston to settle in the Bay Area. He arrived in California as a straight-ahead jazz player, but working with funk vocalist Rosie Gaines introduced him to the jazz-steeped Bay Area R&B scene, where he flourished.

All of those influences are readily apparent on his 1995 album Foreign Matter, a highly successful project featuring regular compatriots such as John Pena, Steve Smith, Ray Obiedo, Walfredo Reyes Jr., Benny Rietveld, Santana's Tony Lindsay, and David Garibaldi (with whom he collaborated on a series of widely influential instructive videos for Warner Bros.). He draws on some of the same cast on Absolute Reality, in addition to the great Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker, Victor Bailey, Lenny White, Dean Brown, and others. It took some time, but Horvath's second album marks the return of a bandleader with a singular and expansive musical vision "that encompasses all the things I've been exposed to," he says. "I wanted to do something that represented all this musical and cultural diversity."

NEW RELEASES: WILL BERNARD – OUT AND ABOUT; GOLDEN DAWN ARKESTRA – STARGAZER; UNITED VIBRATIONS – MYTH OF THE GOLDEN RATIO

WILL BERNARD – OUT AND ABOUT

A mighty impressive set from guitarist Will Bernard – our hands down favorite of his work as a leader to to date – and an all originals session with a remarkable stylistic range! Our ears perked up from the opening seconds, thanks to the elegant take on jazz funk of the opener "Happy Belated" – which has this perfect balance of insistent groove and spontaneous energy – facets that hold true throughout! As stated, there's a stylistic breadth here that keeps the vibe fresh from track-to-track – it's not all funk-steeped – with some laidback and melodic moments, along with faster, more energetic material. Each player has ample space to shine, including the excellent Brian Charette on organ, John Ellis on sax, Ben Allison on bass, and Allison Miller on drums. Titles include "Not Too Fancy", "Next Guest", "Habenera", "Homeward Bound", "Suggested Reading", "Full Sweep", "Out And About", "Redwood (Business Casual)", "Homebody" and "Pan Seared". ~ Dusty Groove

GOLDEN DAWN ARKESTRA – STARGAZER

The Golden Dawn Arkestra really take things over the top with this expanded full length set – a record that really lets us see what the group can do when given a lot of room to work with! All the elements you'd expect from the group's name are firmly in place here – the heady spiritual currents that "golden dawn" might evoke, and the collaborative energy that comes from an "arkestra" – which almost seems like some sort of mystical pact forged by the group than a larger sort of compositional enterprise. The tunes here work cosmic currents through a range of jazz-based instrumentation, but also open up to funkier elements too – some keyboards and basslines that help forge the journey to the stars – on titles that include "Space Waves", "Shabuki", "Osaka", "Disko", "All Is Light", and "Sama Chaka". ~ Dusty Groove

UNITED VIBRATIONS – MYTH OF THE GOLDEN RATIO

A nice one from the appropriately named United Vibrations – a London group that draws from a diverse well of global influences and brings it all to a great, unified groove overall! Stylistically, they work with strains Afrobeat in the rhythm and percussion, spiritual jazz in the moodier, more spacious moments, and an all around cosmic sound that confounds easy categorization – often with consciously soulful lyricism. Ambitious, distinctive stuff on Ubiquity Records – among the more far-reaching and diverse new music we've heard on the legendary label in years! Includes "Sophia", "Scion", "Grow", the 3-part suite "Far Far Away", "I Am We", "Twister", "Cave" and "Golden". ~ Dusty Groove

Bassist Christian McBride Appointed Artistic Director of Newport Jazz Festival®

For the first time in its 62-year history, the world-renowned Newport Jazz Festival® will have a musician other than pianist/producer George Wein as its artistic director. Multiple Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride has been named artistic director to work alongside, and eventually succeed, Wein as the festival's music curator, it was announced today by Wein, chairman of Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc.™ and producer of the Newport Jazz Festival since its inception in 1954, and Jay Sweet, the Foundation's executive producer.  

Rounding out the production dream team is Danny Melnick, 25-year veteran of Wein's organization, who will move up to producer from associate producer.

"I am very pleased that Christian McBride is available to join forces with the Festival and Foundation," said George Wein, "I'm looking forward to working with him as the beacon of the future of Newport Jazz Festivals and continuing to collaborate with Danny to produce some of the world's finest music events. When I first met and heard a teenage Christian McBride in 1989, I knew that he was someone special. Little did I know that nearly 30 years later, he would become the special someone to continue my legacy. The Foundation's Board and I feel that the festival is in good hands and these two music mavericks are more than capable to sustain the festival for decades to come."

McBride will begin festival strategic planning with Wein and Melnick immediately, and will take the reins for the 2017 Newport Jazz Festival. He has been a regular at Newport since his days as a young jazz lion and will again take the stage this year with Chick Corea Trilogy on Friday and Saturday.

"I am deeply humbled by my appointment as artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival - the most storied and legendary jazz festival in history. To be able to work with a legend like George Wein, not only as a musician, but now as an understudy, is a task I will cherish and approach with openness and excitement.  I'm also looking forward to working with consummate producers Danny Melnick and Jay Sweet as well as with the entire festival team," said McBride.

Three decades after he arrived in New York in 1989 as a Juilliard classical music student, Philadelphia-born Christian McBride reigns supreme as the most accomplished, influential and ubiquitous bassist of his generation. Soon after he enrolled in Juilliard, McBride hit the road as a member of Bobby Watson's Horizon and the rest is jazz history. He has performed on more than 300 recordings as a sideman with everybody from Pat Metheny, Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis, and Sting to The Roots, Bruce Hornsby and Paul McCartney. He's also recorded 12 critically-acclaimed CDs as a leader with his quintet, Inside Straight, his big band and his trio.  Live at the Village Vanguard earned him a 2015 Grammy Award (his fifth) for Best Improvised Jazz Solo for his rendition of the jazz standard, "Cherokee."

"We're thrilled that Christian McBride has joined the Newport Festivals Foundation family," said Jay Sweet, the Foundation's Executive Producer. "He is not only a champion of jazz, but also a champion for jazz. In addition to  the awards, performances at the White House, world-wide concert tours and radio shows, Christian's dedication to music education, his knowledge of our festivals' history and his passion to help the music live on are why I'm excited to have him as part of our team."

In addition to his accomplishments as a sideman and bandleader, McBride is also an influential educator and media host. He hosts and produces "The Lowdown: Conversations with Christian," on SiriusXM satellite radio and National Public Radio's weekly show, "Jazz Night in America." In 1997, McBride spoke on former President Bill Clinton's town hall meeting "Racism in the Performing Arts." He served as artistic director of the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions (2000), co-director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem (2005), and the second creative chair for Jazz of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association (2005). He also serves as artistic advisor for Jazz Programming at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), and he works with Jazz House Kids, a nationally recognized community arts organization founded by his wife, vocalist Melissa Walker, dedicated to educating children through jazz.

"The opportunity to carry on the legacy of the Newport Jazz Festival is not only a privilege but also an important responsibility," said Danny Melnick. "The influence of this great festival on American life, and throughout the world, is profound, and I am honored to uphold its deep tradition and meet the standards that George Wein has set. I also look forward to collaborating with Christian McBride.  There's a reason why he's among the most respected figures in all of modern music - his taste is impeccable. Most of all, we share one goal: to keep the festival flourishing for many years to come."

The 2016 Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Global Asset Management takes place July 29-31 at historic Fort Adams State Park and the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino. Artists include Chick Corea Trilogy with Christian McBride and Brian Blade; Norah Jones; Gregory Porter; Angélique Kidjo; Kamasi Washington; John Scofield/Joe Lovano Quartet; Darcy James Argue's Secret Society; Charles Lloyd New Quartet; Robert Glasper Experiment; Nels Cline; Lizz Wright; Tierney Sutton; Django Festival All Stars; Kenny Barron Trio; Donny McCaslin; Yosvany Terry Quintet; Toshiko Akiyoshi; Steve Coleman and Five Elements; Galactic; Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah; José James; Kneebody; The Hot Sardines; Anat Cohen and many others. For more information and tickets, visit www.newportjazzfest.org.

Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc.™ was founded by George Wein in 2010 to build and continue the legacies of the famed Newport Jazz Festival® and Newport Folk Festival®. Under the auspices of the Foundation, the Festivals present performers who respect and honor jazz and folk music traditions, and at the same time reflect the changes in today's musical trends. In addition, the Foundation presents programs to educate young people about jazz and folk music as presented at the annual festivals. For more information, please visit www.newportfestivalsfoundation.org.

Phronesis captured to perfection on this, the Anglo-Scandinavian trio’s sixth CD and their fourth for Edition Records

Extraordinary communication between the players is often the foundation of extraordinary music making – as Phronesis prove every time they play. Years of performing, touring and recording have given the three members of the trio a matchless rapport. That inspires an ever-flowing fountain of new music, captured to perfection on this, the Anglo-Scandinavian trio’s sixth CD and their fourth for Edition Records.

Recorded in a single day at London’s fabled Abbey Road studios, Parallax is a brilliantly realised piece of music-making. It has all the standout features of the trio’s work. Rhythmic drive. Constant shifts in mood and texture. Drama heightened by dazzlingly fast reactions. All leavened by a melodic sense all three draw on as much when improvising as composing.

There are new elements to enjoy, too. Pianist Ivo Neame’s Manioc Maniac displays a stronger spicing of humour. Jasper Høiby’s Stillness, featuring the composer’s bowed bass, explores a contemplative mood less prominent in their earlier work. Fans of their more up tempo excursions also have plenty to enjoy, though – witness percussionist Anton Eger’s opener, 67,000mph, named for the earth´s speed around the sun.

All are enhanced by the endless rewarding details the three together offer as each piece unfolds. It’s an indispensible feature of their live shows which is captured here to perfection in a studio recording. This is truly collective music-making, in composition – with each of the trio contributing three of the nine titles – and in supremely interactive performances that display a brand of musical wit that captivates audiences.

All three players have remarkable facility, giving the unadorned, purely acoustic trio some of the strongest bass playing, fleetest piano, and most orchestral percussion you have ever heard. The music they make is lithe and supple, with the added spark that takes such fluid mobility beyond mere gymnastics on to balletic heights.

Each player writes for the trio knowing that their work will be taken somewhere different each time it is performed. They negotiate sometimes complex arrangements while retaining a spontaneity of suggestion and response that keeps the listener on the edge of their seat every time. The nine versions of new pieces captured here achieve a rare thing that only jazz at its very best can offer – music, created in the moment, that lasts.

TIM GARLAND "ONE" FEATURING ASAF SIRKIS, JASON REBELLO & ANT LAW

One is the new, highly energetic and unifying studio album from Tim Garland. Working with his regular collaborators Jason Rebello, Asaf Sirkis and Ant Law, the sax maestro has dug back into his past and re-examined his early interest in jazz-rock styles.

With One Tim explores many of the influences that have guided him from the beginning, such as jazz-rock (his Canterbury roots); saxophone players from both sides of the Atlantic; the Celtic guitar music from long running project Lammas; the Latin and Spanish inflections that are so deeply a part of Chick Corea’s music; and a variety of rhythmic patterns learned from drum maestros Bill Bruford and Asaf Sirkis.

Asaf taught Tim the ten beat, Middle Eastern Sama’i. On ‘Sama’i For Peace’, Hossam Ramzy adds Egyptian percussion. He’s also on ‘Colours Of Night’, and ‘Foretold’ where the groove he sets up on the karkabu (giant metallic finger cymbals) and doholla (deep darbouka drum) is mesmeric.

One is a studio album and Tim’s taken the opportunity to add occasional keyboard colours with Asaf layering Udu and Darbouka, and vocals, over his own drumming. One theme features six layered saxophones rather than just one, and, as this is his most percussively driven album to date, a little percussion of Tim’s own (as he does on stage).

Jason Rebello and Tim have worked together for 25 years, and his always unforced, honest improvisation extends to keyboards as well as to piano; the Rhodes is quite a feature in this project, providing a wonderful fat bass end, a register Jason shares skillfully with the lower end of Ant Law’s mighty eight string guitar. Ant Law is a relative newcomer to the group, but plays all four types of guitar on this disc with balanced beauty, accuracy and youthful passion and like the (slightly) older ones, he is drawn to different meters and rhythms that have their origins around the globe.

London is home to a fairly frequent arms fair and in 2015, among the countless reports of refugees and bombed out cities in the news, there was scant mention of this huge and lethal profiteering opportunity going on at the very same time. ‘Pity The Poor Arms Dealer’ was written in a state of almost breathless disbelief as the media busied itself distracting the population from the connections that are most certainly there, well nurtured by our governments. Dionne Bennett’s powerful, unique vocal illuminates this song in a singular, colourful way: part campfire protest song, part soapbox lament.

British Pianist JASON REBELLO to release 'Held' on April 29, 2016

British pianist Jason Rebello is regarded as one of the most talented, inventive and intuitive pianists to emerge in the UK since he burst onto the scene in the early 90’s with a string of critically acclaimed albums for the BMG label.

Marked with an emotional depth unusual in one so young, these albums elevated Jason to the peak of jazz celebrity at a time when the music was undergoing an unheralded period of popularity.

It came as no surprise that Jason caught the attention of Weather Report’s Wayne Shorter (Herbie Hancock, also from Miles Davis’ famous 1960s quintet was a personal hero) and he toured internationally with his band before replacing another hero, Kenny Kirkland, in Sting’s band.

Jason had primarily worked with electronic keyboards in his own groups (as well as with Sting and Jeff Beck); but now he has decided it’s time to say something on the instrument he loves. In early 2016 Jason will release his debut solo piano album, featuring mostly original compositions inspired by the people and places that have been important in his career.

In this solo format the intensely lyrical quality always evident in Jason’s music comes to the fore and, allied to his formidable technique and maturity as an artist and musician, ensures that on Held, he is creating some of the most compelling and beautiful music of his career.

As Jason explains: ‘throughout my career I’ve had the opportunity to play in wide-ranging and diverse scenarios, but never had an opportunity to immerse myself fully in the piano. I’ve reached a point now where I feel there is something to say with just a piano and I’m relishing this opportunity to consolidate all my musical experiences on this record’.

Tracklisting:

Tracklisting:

1. Pearl  

2. Salad Days  

3. Tokyo Dream  

4. Held   

5. Blackbird  

6. As the Dust Settles  

7. Thanks John  

8. Happy But For How Long   

9. Polzeath  

10. Purple Sunflower  

11. Dissolve

All music by Jason Rebello except ‘Blackbird’ by Lennon / McCartney

Journeying beyond jazz: Matt Von Roderick's "Hero's Journey"‏

Listening to trumpeter-rapper-visionary Matt Von Roderick’s “Hero’s Journey” is like entering into an entirely different world, a colorful sonic adventure unlike any other. Bopping through experimental jazz grooves, traversing imaginatively-textured EDM tracks and bouncing to vivid lyrical wordplay via deftly delivered raps and vibrant vocal harmonies, Von Roderick guides you to the precipice of pop music before brazenly pushing you over the edge, Cheshire grin upon his countenance, knowing full well that if you surrender to the sensual beats and electronic rhythms, and believe that the possibilities of musical alchemy are limitless, you will land safely after encountering soaring tales of love, hope, heartache, empowerment, spiritual thirst, revolution, raw ambition, desire and longing.

To take the genre-bursting journey, one previously taken by artists labeled “jazz” decades ago for their bravura, improvisational and independent spirit, is a heroic undertaking – one without the benefit of commercial airplay and Billboard charts let alone a corporate-presented concert tour. Von Roderick took the leap anyway. Making the twelve-song album that he wrote (except for an ambient take on Louis Armstrong’s classic “What A Wonderful World”), the award-winning artist used a series of videos to pave the way for the record release, clips that have generated over 4.5 million YouTube views. With the dream of mounting a national tour in the offing, Von Roderick has one big show planned for Thursday, March 17 in Hollywood at The Sayers Club where he will bring “Hero’s Journey” to life with an elaborate staging of music, dancers, costumes, choreography and visual effects in creative collaboration with Creating Arts Studios. 

Prior to relocating from New York City to Los Angeles where he changed his name and completely reinvented his sound, the New York Times, DownBeat and Huffington Post sung the praises of earlier works by Von Roderick who was then known as Matt Shulman. “Hero’s Journey” is the debut disc under his new name. 

JUSTIN MULLENS PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF THE FRENCH HORN & OFFERS NEW COMPOSITIONS ON THE CORNUCOPIAD

Through his innovative and intrepid approach, French hornist, composer, and bandleader Justin Mullens is pushing the boundaries of the French horn as an improvising instrument in jazz. On his new album, The Cornucopiad, due out on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records on March 11, 2016, Mullens offers new through-composed pieces alongside well-known standards (such as "Hub-Tones", "You Stepped Out of A Dream" and "Naima") that highlight his imposing flair as an improviser and composer.  Mullens celebrates the release at Smalls Jazz this Monday, March 11!

The Cornucopiad is a big departure from a typical jazz album that features the French horn, mainly due to the striking artistry of Mullens. One of the main features on The Cornucopiad are Mullens' solos on the French horn, rooted deeply in the jazz lexicon, guiding the listener through a myriad of harmonically rich passages that are accentuated by the mellifluous sound of this instrument. To say that Mullens has raised the bar considerably, in terms of what can be achieved as an improviser on the French horn, is an understatement.

The theme and structure of The Cornucopiad is almost a kind of twofold "concept" album. A trilogy of originals by Mullens based on the Greek myths of the metamorphosis of the Cornucopia are intertwined with a trilogy of standards that compliment the mood of their counterparts. The glue that binds the two trilogies takes the form of five "shorts" composed by Mullens for French horn and guitar. The album features The Justin Mullens Octet: Justin Mullens (French Horn), Chris Cheek (Alto Sax & Clarinet), Peter Hess (Bass Clarinet), Ohad Talmor (Tenor Sax), Peter Thompson (Guitar), Desmond White (Bass), Matt Ray (Piano), Marko Djordjevic (Drums). Mullens said of this incredible band, "It is the deep musical insight of the musicians on this recording that bring life to these compositions."

Through his work as an improviser Mullens has been at the forefront of the development of the French horn as a vehicle of expression in the jazz idiom. Mullens has borrowed the technique and phrasing that is more in line with what one would hear from a tenor saxophonist or trumpeter, yet retaining the unique richness and mellifluousness of the French horn.

Over the span of his vibrant career, Mullens has had the opportunity to play with many amazing artists such as, Wallace Roney, David Sanborn, Bernie Worrell, Bootsy Collins, Steve Turre, Dizzy Gillespie, Chris Cheek, Ohad Talmor, Robby Ameen, and Tootie Heath. As well as recording and performing with many groups as a sideman, Mullens has also led, and composed for, his own projects, including The Delphian Jazz Orchestra, The Justin Mullens Quintet, and more recently, The Justin Mullens Octet. Mullens has recorded two albums of his own with The Delphian Jazz Orchestra and his newest creation, with his Octet.

Mullens has been featured often as a composer and has had his pieces performed in a wide spectrum of settings, including commissions for film, dance, big bands, and chamber ensembles. As a composer, he is perseverant in his endeavor to break the formal confines of traditional jazz composition, bringing an arresting mix of sounds, textures, and images to his audience. The mercurial innovations of this original music are brought to life by some of NYC's most illustrious musicians on his new album, The Cornucopiad.

GREGORY PORTER - TAKE ME TO THE ALLEY, THE NEW ALBUM OUT MAY 6TH 2016

An artist whose music is at once timeless yet utterly of its time, Gregory Porter solidifies his standing as his generation’s most soulful jazz singer-songwriter with the May 6 release of Take Me to the Alley, the much-anticipated follow-up to his million-selling Grammy-winning 2013 Blue Note debut Liquid Spirit. The coolest guy in music, the album features a reworked version of ‘Holding On’, the track Gregory co-wrote with electronic act Disclosure, as well as autobiographical songs including ‘Don’t Lose Your Steam’ and title track ‘Take Me To The Alley’, both written with his family in mind.

"Holding On” finds Porter presenting his decidedly different version of the Disclosure single that he was the featured vocalist on and co-wrote for their album Caracal. “I decided to do the song the way that I would have recorded it on my record,” Porter says. “It’s a way of saying that a song is a song is a song. The lyrics and the intention of the song come through no matter what kind of bells and whistles are going on.” The rousing, bluesy stomp “Don’t Lose Your Steam” is dedicated to Porter’s three-year-old son with encouraging lyrics about staying committed one’s goals regardless of hardship. Watch Porter perform “Don’t Lose Your Steam” live at Capitol Studios.

Porter has also announced extensive tour dates throughout North America and Europe this Spring and Summer. See below for a list of U.S. tour dates including appearances at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Newport Jazz Festival.

The tracklist includes: Holding On; Don’t Lose Your Steam; Take Me To The Alley; Day Dream; Consequence Of Love; In Fashion; More Than A Woman; In Heaven; Insanity; Don’t Be A Fool; Fan The Flames; and French African Queen.

Grammy Award-Winning Multi-Instrumentalist Nicholas Payton Balances Studio Work As Bandleader

Nicholas Payton Grammy award-winning Nicholas Payton -- one of the era's definitive artists -- has been quite busy this winter blowing with the all-star Monterey Jazz Festival on a nationwide tour, putting the finishing touches on Textures, his fifth release for his very own label, Paytone Records, as well as producing and arranging Jane Monheit's latest project, The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald.

As a multi-instrumentalist, improviser, composer, bandleader, producer, arranger, and essayist, the New Orleans-born and -bred Payton will debut his Afro-Caribbean Mixtape, a blazing new quintet featuring bassist Vicente Archer, pianist Kevin Hays, percussionist Daniel Sadownick, and rising New Orleans drummer Joe Dyson, at the 2016 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Set to record this spring, the rhythmically encompassing ensemble explores "how rhythms came from Africa and transmigrated throughout the Caribbean to New Orleans, and affected popular music all over the world," Payton says.

 Nicholas Payton Letters His latest album, 2015's Letters on Paytone Records, features his trio with bassist Vicente Archer (an essential Payton collaborator for more than a decade) and veteran drummer Bill Stewart. The two-disc album features 26 original Payton compositions that run from "A" to "Z," a series of distilled motifs on which he moves gracefully from trumpet to piano, Fender Rhodes, organ, and even vocals.

"It's largely uncharted territory and the landscape is wide open," Payton says, referring to the unorthodox method of playing both keyboards and trumpet simultaneously. "When I'm playing keys I'm functioning more in the rhythm section and thinking of orchestration. These pieces are springboards to get the creative energy flowing."

Payton's creative universe keeps expanding, and with each new ensemble, project, and endeavor, the visionary artist redefines the parameters of #BAM (Black American Music). A whirlwind of activity, he's in the midst of a banner year marked by extraordinary new ensembles, new music, and exquisite new collaborations.

In the process of mixing Textures, the latest in a series of conceptual albums geared towards defining a neological lexicon of #BAM, Payton has been composing using the Apple sequencing software Logic while collaborating with New Orleans visual artist Anastasia Pelias. "We both went into the studio not knowing what to expect, her with a blank canvas, and me with a MIDI keyboard controller and a laptop," Payton says. "We played off of each other and that first day I walked away from the studio with a new composition and she with a new painting."

  

 Nicholas Payton Payton is also applying his expertise and creative vision in service of other artists. He produced vocalist Jane Monheit's new album The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald (Emerald City Records), a project that revels in her glorious sound while revealing unexpected facets of her musical personality.

"I love to hear the creative process, to bear witness to how that manifests and unfolds from artist to artist," Payton says. "For The Songbook Sessions I wanted to make a quintessential Jane Monheit album, to find the timeless DNA of these melodies and lyrics while taking free rein with rhythms and chord changes. I feel my job as producer is to make the artist comfortable, but also uncomfortable, to push them into spaces they might not go."

Payton's influence extends far beyond the studio and stage. Payton, the polymath, is the creator of the #BAM movement. The conversation he's leading extends far beyond terminology. Payton's #BAM is a statement about social justice, self-definition, and refusing to allow one's creativity to be bounded by other's rules, language, and expectations.

"I'm not the first person to talk about Black music," Payton says. "The information has been there: Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Sidney Bechet said it. So did Charlie Parker, Ahmad Jamal, and the AACM [Association for the Advancement for Creative Musicians, Inc.]. I'm just here to deliver the message at this time. I've evolved and embrace the fact that I do more than one thing. I'd expect the artistic community to be open to that, but it's not always the case."

Born September 26, 1973 in New Orleans, Nicholas Payton is the son of the late bassist and sousaphonist Walter Payton and former operatic singer and pianist Maria Payton. A professional musician before reaching his teens, he joined his first band at age 11 with the All Star Brass Band under the leadership of James Andrews (Trombone Shorty's eldest brother), and landed his first regular gig with legendary New Orleans guitarist/banjoist Danny Barker at The Famous Door on Bourbon Street. Since his debut as a leader on 1994's From This Moment (Verve), Payton has released more than a dozen albums under his own name, including the Grammy Award-winning Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton (Verve).

Payton has toured and collaborated with many of the greatest artists in music, including Roy Haynes, Joe Henderson, Dr. John, Elvin Jones, Hank Jones, Stanley Jordan, Daniel Lanois, Zigaboo Modeliste, Marcus Roberts, Jill Scott, Clark Terry, Allen Toussaint, Cassandra Wilson, and Dr. Michael White.

Payton continues to maintain a busy touring schedule, with the following dates booked through the summer:

March 11: College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL

March 12: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

March 13: City Winery, Chicago

April 7-10: Jazz Showcase, Chicago

April 28: One Eye Jack, New Orleans

April 29: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

April 30: Prime Example, New Orleans

May 1: New Orleans Jazz Festival

May 6: Motorco Music Hall Art of Cool Festival, Durham, NC

June 19: Miner Auditorium, SFJAZZ, San Francisco

June 22: Clifford Brown Festival, Wilmington, DE (special guest)

June 23-24: Blues Alley, Washington, DC

June 27: Rochester (NY) International Festival

NEW RELEASES: THINGS GONNA GET BETTER: STREET FUNK AND JAZZ GROOVES 1970-1977; ANENON – PETROL; MAYA – JAZZ A GO GO

THINGS GONNA GET BETTER: STREET FUNK AND JAZZ GROOVES 1970-1977

Plenty of street funk and just a bit of jazz here – all served up in the kind of killer funky collection we've always loved from the BGP label! As with some of their other gems, this set goes way beyond the obvious – and digs deep to not just feature rare singles and album tracks, but also include some never-issued recordings from the same period – which makes the set every bit as important for collectors of vintage 45s as it is for newcomers just looking to get a funky taste! There's a hard, deep vibe to most of these tracks – definitely some of the righteous message promised by the cover and title, but also just some plain old funky elements too – served up with lots of sinister guitar lines, heavy drums, and a mix of instrumental riffing and hard soul vocals. Titles include a special instrumental DJ edit of "A Joyful Process" by Funkadelic – plus "Dose Of Soul" by Chet Ivey & His Fabulous Avengers, "Do It" by Billy Sha Rae, "Music For The Brothers" by The Solicitors, "What's The Matter With The World" by Dave Hamilton, "Chains" by Blacks & blues, "Things Gonna Get Better" by Clarence Coulter, "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" by Pretty Purdie & The Playboys, "One Man's Loss" by Vernon Garrett, "125th Street & 7th Ave" by Richard Groove Holmes, "Mucho Macho" by Macho, "Push On Jesse Jackson" by The Pace Setters, "Shorty The Pimp" by Don Julian, and "Payin Dues" by Ruby Delicious. ~ Dusty Groove

ANENON - PETROL

The cover's got a fuzzy picture of a tenor on the front, and the sound here has some nicely fuzzy currents to match – a compelling blend of jazz music with almost a larger sense of sonic space – a bit like a small combo trying to perform their version of Disintegration Loops! The core sound comes from Brian Allen Simon – who plays the tenor on the front, but also adds in Fender Rhodes, Polysix, and a bit of laptop work too – alongside additional violin from Yvette Holzwarth, bass clarinet from Max Kaplan, and drums from Jon Kyle Mohr – musicians who seem more of the larger soundscape of Simon's electronics than core members of the quartet. The approach is quite unique – almost jazz electronica, although without all the lameness that term might invoke – and titles include "Body", "Lumina", "CXP", "Mouth", "Hinoki", "Machines", and "Petrol". ~ Dusty Groove

MAYA – JAZZ A GO GO

Jazz a go go, and Paris a go go too – as singer Maya served up a wonderful tribute to female French pop of the late 60s – done at a level that's mostly jazz-based at the core, but which often hits all the right groovy rhythms to fit the tunes! Most of the lyrics here are in French – although there are a few English language tunes too – and the cool combo in the back uses a cool mix of piano, organ, guitar, flute, tenor, and accordion in shifting ways – all to illuminate the tunes with the right sort of rhythms and instrumental touches, as Maya steps back for modes that recall older work by singers like France Gall, Christiane Legrand, Nicole Croisille, and Francoise Hardy. Titles include "Jazz A Gogo", "Comment T Dire Adieu", "I Will Wait For You", "Paroles Paroles", "L'Amour C'Est Pour Rien", and "Les Champs Elysees". (HQ Hi Quality CD pressing.)  ~ Dusty Groove

SARAH VAUGHAN: LIVE AT ROSY'S, Previously Unreleased Deluxe 2-CD Set

Resonance Records with the cooperation of National Public Radio (NPR) is proud to announce the release of Sarah Vaughan – Live At Rosy's, New Orleans on March 25th, 2016th. The deluxe 2-CD set is comprised exclusively of newly discovered recordings by "Sassy" capturing the legendary jazz singer's live performance at Rosy's Jazz Club on May 31, 1978.

Just after the release of the album, The U.S. Postal Service will honor Sarah Vaughan's legacy, by issuing a "Commemorative Forever Stamp". The ceremony will take place at the Sarah Vaughan Concert Hall at Newark Symphony Hall, 1020 Broad Street, Newark, N.J., @ 11:00am, March 29th, 2016th. 

Confirmed participants include: Tony Bennett, Rhonda Hamilton, Host of WBGO Radio's Midday Jazz, Mayor Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark, Dr. Gloria White, Pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church, Ronald Stroman, Deputy Postmaster General and Melba Moore, Grammy Award winning Jazz Vocalist and Tony Award Winning Actress & Singer.

Confirmed Performances to include: Mount Zion Baptist Church Choir, Carrie Jackson (A Tribute to Sarah Vaughan, Newark's Own), NJPAC Jazz for Teen Ensemble (educational program), Jazzmeia Horn, Winner 2013 Sarah Vaughan Jazz Vocalist Competition and Melba Moore. In February 2011, Resonance producer Zev Feldman connected with Tim Owens, the former producer of NPR's weekly syndicated radio program, Jazz Alive!

Owens mentioned to Feldman that he had Sarah Vaughan tapes of her stellar live 1978 concert performances at Rosy's. Having performed together hundreds of times with Sassy around the world, her rhythm section — or as she referred to them, "my trio" — of pianist Carl Schroeder, bassist Walter Booker and legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb was an extremely cohesive unit by the time they got to Rosy's in May of 1978. As the recordings in this set demonstrate, they were hand-in-glove with each other and with the great Sarah Vaughan.

Over the course of nearly four years, Feldman took on the role of Indiana Jones in tracking down all of the appropriate parties to ensure that this release would be fully endorsed and cleared by the Sarah Vaughan estate, plus by Walter Booker's widow Bertha Hope, as well as the living band members Carl Schroeder and Jimmy Cobb and NPR Music in Washington, D.C. Reflecting on the importance of this release in his introductory essay from the liner notes, Feldman notes: "My goal was to tell the whole story of this magical engagement that fortunately has been preserved for future generations to enjoy. These recordings celebrate the genius that was Sarah Vaughan. I hope we'll all take the time to revisit the legacy of this historic and pivotal figure in the history of jazz. These recordings demonstrate for us why she was much more than just a singer; she was a true artist."

Sarah Vaughan, along with Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, was a member of a triumvirate – one of the three greatest female jazz singers in jazz history. She first attracted attention at 18 years of age in 1942, when she appeared at the Apollo Theater's amateur night, first as a pianist accompanying another singer and then a few weeks later in her own right as a singer, when she won the contest. During her weeklong Apollo engagement, which was one of the prizes she earned for her victory, Billy Eckstine, who was then the featured singer with the Earl Hines big band, spotted her. Eckstine recommended her to Hines, who asked her to join his band. Other members of the Hines band were Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker; it was widely regarded as one of the early breeding grounds for bebop. The musical ferment of that grouping of musical geniuses had an enormous influence on Vaughan.

Vaughan had an exceptionally broad vocal range; it extended from a coloratura soprano down to a low alto — some might even say she sometimes made her way into the baritone range. Her tone was rich and lush. Vocalist Helen Merrill told Zev Feldman in his interview with her conducted for this release: "When Sarah sang, she might just as well have been a trumpet player playing. Her musical ability, her jazz phrasing . . . it was perfect." She was a musicians' singer, yet despite her extraordinary gifts, she was down to earth; she was always accepted by the musicians whom she worked with as one of them — "she was like one of the fellas," says Jimmy Cobb.

When these live recordings at Rosy's Jazz Club were made in May of 1978, Sarah Vaughan was at her artistic peak (at age 54). That year, a kind of renaissance year for her, set her on a meteoric course during which she would win an Emmy and a Grammy and tour the world several times. Each time she released an album, Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin showcased her proudly on TV. For all the grand orchestras that backed her, Sarah Vaughan seemed happiest with her trio; they gave her the space to spread her wings and explore. I get ideas from all three of them while I'm singing," she said. "We have a ball together, all of us, and wherever I go to work, they're going with me." In 1978, Vaughan and her band — pianist Carl Schroeder, bassist Walter Booker, and drummer Jimmy Cobb — performed at Rosy's Jazz Club in New Orleans.

The founder/owner of Rosy's, Rosalie Wilson, describes her impetus for opening a jazz club in New Orleans in the 1970s: "I was puzzled as to why one seldom experienced these musicians in club settings. Roland Kirk explained this phenomenon during an interview…citing the continued reticence of many black artists to play clubs or smaller venues in the South for reasons of safety, treatment by club owners and the general negative conditions. I knew he was being truthful and I found this to be perverse, given the fact that New Orleans had long been anointed the birthplace of jazz. This angered me and provided the cause this rebel had long been seeking: to create a music club or venue in which the safety, respect and needs of the musicians were the first priority. One in which a "zero tolerance" policy would exist regarding any form of prejudice."

James Gavin writes in his essay "Romance, Family & Heartbreak: The Divine One" within the liner notes of the package: "By the time of Vaughan's performances at Rosy's captured in this set, her dark-chocolate voice had more than survived 36 years of professional singing; her art had only grown in splendor. She took dusky plunges and glided up to fluty soprano highs; she colored the three octaves in between with a wealth of textures, from gravel to velvet. Vaughan controlled her famous vibrato like a concert violinist; she could make it swagger, pulse, or vanish entirely."

Behind the vocal riches was a boundless musical mind. "As soon as I hear an arrangement I get ideas," she said, "kind of like blowing a horn." So many came to her that Vaughan was like a child let loose in a candy store. "She had tremendous harmonic conception," says Carl Schroeder. "Most singers have none." Her breath control enabled her to skitter tirelessly over daredevil bebop changes and to sing ballads at a luxurious crawl. All this came naturally to her. "I don't know what I'm doin'!" she said. "I just get onstage and sing. I don't think about how I'm going to do it—it's too complicated."

Journalist and critic Will Friedwald takes us through Live at Rosy's track-by-track: Gershwin, as always, is a major staple of Vaughan's repertoire, from her classic Gershwin double songbook in 1957 to her epic symphonic jazz concerts (and album) of 25 years later. "The Man I Love" was the Divine One's signature ballad. As with Fitzgerald, there were some songs and some lyrics that meant to more to her than others, and this song always occupied an extra special place in her heart. You'll often hear Vaughan take a serious ballad and completely jazz it up (as she does with "April" here), but when she does this particular song, you can tell she's only thinking about the man she loves.

In 1978, "Send in the Clowns" was gradually evolving into her climactic, show-stopping number. The Sondheim song kept getting longer and longer, growing bigger and bigger as well as slower and slower, and being pushed farther and farther back in the program. Still, it would be hard to say that Vaughan ever sang it better than she did in New Orleans: She absolutely nails it, and makes it clear why, of all the songs and shows that Sondheim has written over almost 60 years, this is easily his most beloved piece of music.

When the request comes through for "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" which was, famously, her colleague Ella Fitzgerald's first and biggest hit, Vaughan says, with mock exasperation, "Well, I'll be damned!" Clearly, it was one thing for Vaughan to make a joke about being mistaken for another singer (earlier she had joked that she was Carmen McRae), and quite another for someone in the crowd to confuse her with Ella Fitzgerald. Yet not to be outdone, she takes it a step further, "[he] thinks I'm Lena Horne, huh?"— thereby compounding the joke by dropping the name of yet a third iconic African-American vocal headliner. "Then I'll tell you who I am when I finish," she declares, "We got to do this," and then flies into a whole chorus of the 1938 song.

Resonance Records – a multi-GRAMMY® Award winning label (most recently for John Coltrane's Offering: Live at Temple University for "Best Album Notes") – prides itself in creating beautifully designed, informative packaging to accompany previously unreleased recordings by the jazz icons who grace Resonance's catalog. Such is the case with Sarah Vaughan – Live At Rosy's. Released as a deluxe 2-CD set on March 25, 2016, this release includes nearly 90 minutes of music from National Public Radio's series then dedicated to showcasing live jazz performances by elite jazz stars, Jazz Alive!, some of which has never been previously broadcast, along with a 36-page book, and is presented in a 6-panel digi-pak beautifully designed by Burton Yount.

Elaborate album books replete with rare photos, and newly commissioned essays and interviews have become a trademark of Resonance Records' historic releases. 2015's Wes Montgomery – In the Beginning included a 56-page book, and 2016's Larry Young – In Paris: The ORTF Recordings and Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra – All My Yesterdays: The Debut 1966 Recordings at The Village Vanguard come in at 68 and 92 pages respectively.

The Live at Rosy's book will also serve as new reference material for Sarah Vaughan fans providing historic essays, interviews and memoirs by producer Zev Feldman, author and journalist James Gavin (author of iconic biographies of Peggy Lee, Chet Baker and Lena Horne, among others), journalist, author, critic and expert on jazz and popular singers Will Friedwald (Jazz Singing: America's Great Voices from Bessie Smith to Bebop and Beyond; Sinatra! and many others; jazz critic regularly featured in The Wall Street Journal), Sarah Vaughan's music director and pianist, Carl Schroeder, Rosy's Jazz Club impresario, Rosalie Wilson and interviewees, the legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb (Miles Davis Kind of Blue) and Sarah Vaughan's esteemed colleague and early Emarcy Records stablemate, Helen Merrill. The album book also features a collection of rare photos by Herman Leonard, Ray Avery, Chuck Stewart, Riccardo Schwamenthal and Tom Copi, as well as ephemera from Rosy's Jazz Club at the time these recordings were made. 

Disc One:

I'll Remember April (3:45)

I Fall In Love Too Easily (3:43)

Band Intro (1:30)

East of The Sun (3:09)

I've Got A Lot of Living To Do (2:14)

Time After Time (3:46)

Somebody Loves Me (2:06)

Poor Butterfly (4:58)

A Tisket, A Tasket (1:47)

Send In The Clowns (6:00)

Sarah's Blues (7:47)

Disc Two:

The Man I Love (4:45)

I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) (5:07)

Watch What Happens (2:44)

If You Went Away (5:40)

I Could Write A Book (3:01)

I Remember You (5:02)

Fascinating Rhythm (4:01)

Everything Must Change (6:47)

Like Someone In Love (2:41)

My Funny Valentine (5:17)

Ending Theme (1:08)

Yellowjackets Celebrate 35 Years with Cohearence - Album Serves as Debut for Virtuoso Australian Bassist Dane Alderson

An outgrowth of L.A. Express guitarist Robben Ford's band founded in 1977, the Yellowjackets came to full buzzing flight four years later with its debut eponymous jazz-funk album, a salient introduction to a new-styled electric fusion of jazz and R&B--a modern take on Weather Report, if you will--for the post Return to Forever/Headhunters decade. The band was an immediate and controversial hit at the time when the jazz pendulum was beginning to swing back in the acoustic direction.

Some skeptics didn't give the Yellowjackets a chance to survive, but here it is 35 years later--hardly trailing the segmented 40-year longevity of MJQ--and the group stretches its impressive longevity by continuing to evolve artistically with its third Mack Avenue Records recording, Cohearence. With two founding members--pianist/keyboardist Russell Ferrante and drummer Will Kennedy--and its longtime reeds player Bob Mintzer (a Jacket since 1990) and a brand-new virtuoso electric bassist, Australia-born Dane Alderson, the Yellowjackets cover a range of jazz flavors, including a rousing Weather Report jazz fusion vibe, a swinging switch-up on John Coltrane's "Giant Steps," a moving rendition of a folk song classic, a funky soul-jazz excursion and a chamber jazz-like grace in the album end-song, "Cohearence."

With its pockets of halcyon, buoyance, mystery, tumult and whimsy, Cohearence plays out as a multifaceted documentation of how far the once fusion band has come.

"There's a lot of gratitude," Ferrante says of the band's 35th birthday. "It's never been a given to us that we'd continue to be able to have the opportunity to write and record for that length of time. But you couldn't have that in place unless you had a band of generous, giving musicians, none of whom have ever been ego'ed out."

Based on the music of Cohearence, there's a wealth of variety. There's no sameness in hearing range. "We write music that reflects what fascinates us; music that's worth exploring," says Ferrante, who contributes five of the album's ten songs. "I compose to work though ideas and workshop a piece, bring it into the laboratory to work on the compositional elements and make the piece a vehicle for improvisation."

Mintzer composed three of the tunes and Kennedy one. Once an initial set list was conceived, the Jackets road-tested the music for five months, including dates in London in the late spring/early summer of 2015. "We spent a lot more time with the music than we usually do before we record," Ferrante says. "We rehearsed the songs by playing them live, so that when we went into the studio we weren't just playing our first impressions of the music. Then, we recorded totally live in less than two days."

Opening the album is one of Ferrante's songs, the catchy and upbeat "Golden State" about the Interstate 5 north-south freeway that runs though California, that has a bustling harmonic connect of piano and sax, and a relentless left-hand piano triplet rhythm. "I wanted to capture the energy and activity of the I-5," he says. This is followed by Mintzer's charged "Guarded Optimism" that is not only vibrant but also has a touch of dark mystery to it. "It's a fast piece with a syncopated melody that reminds me of Weather Report," Ferrante says. "For my piano solo, I used it as a challenge to see if I could keep my bass motif going with my left hand while independently playing with my right."

Ferrante's gentle "Anticipation" with folk-like influences starts slowly then builds in anticipation thanks to Alderson's bass solo and Kennedy's drum roll. It's followed by Mintzer's 6/8-grooved, synth-flavored "Inevitable Outcome," featuring the composer's EWI's tonal colors. "'Trane Changing' is a re-harmonization of 'Giant Steps' that Felix Pastorius had started during his time in the group," Ferrante says. "I was intrigued with the tune and helped to solidify the arrangement and the countermelody, which gave Bob a great opportunity to play bass clarinet counterpoint."

The playful part of the album starts with Ferrante's funky "Eddie's In The House," his tip-of-the-hat to the late saxophonist Eddie Harris who first turned him on to jazz through his collaboration with pianist Les McCann on their Swiss Movement album. That's followed by Kennedy's "Fran's Scene," a play on his wife's name (Francyne) that he masterminded, including the synth orchestration; while Mintzer's skipping, carefree "Child's Play" is a simple melody that has a depth to it with the band members' support.

A highlight is the Yellowjackets' lyrical, tenor sax-led cover of the traditional American folk song "Shenandoah." "That was Bob's idea," says Ferrante. "He heard it in the last episode of that TV series The Newsroom and wanted to write a rearrangement for us to play."

Ferrante's "Coherence" ends the album with a chamber jazz feel of intertwining parts and the piano playing counterpoint to the melody. "It does have a classical music feeling with the fixed rhythm underneath," says Ferrante. "Again this piece also connects to folk music. It's a challenging piece to play and was one of the more difficult pieces to record. But we pulled it off."

Speaking of "Cohearence" the song, why is the album title Cohearence? Ferrante laughs and says it's pun, with the word "hear" emphasized. But, if there is a theme at work on the recording, it is that sense of coherence.

When the Jackets were playing in London, Ferrante and Mintzer went to the Tate Modern where they were struck by the six-frame cycle of abstract paintings by Gerhard Richter, Cage-Six Paintings. "I decided to read further about it," says Ferrante. "I was impressed by the fact that they were inspired by the music of John Cage and then I read that the paintings were described as a coherent group. So I started looking into that word."

What Ferrante found was that the synonyms for coherent included balance, harmony, symmetry and unity. Given the music they were playing for the new album and the camaraderie of the band members, he had a profound realization that the triumph of Cohearence reveals the true nature of the group. "It means we're all connected to what we're doing as a band," he says. "We're making harmonious statements."

www.Yellowjackets.com

Original Santana Band at the House of Blues Las Vegas for One Night Only

On stage together for the first time since 1973, the Original Santana Band featuring: Carlos Santana (guitar, vocals), Gregg Rolie (keyboards, lead vocals), Neal Schon (guitar, vocals), Michael Carabello (percussion), and Michael Shrieve (drums), will reunite on March 21 in Las Vegas at the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino for a very special live performance that will be filmed for television and DVD release.

Fans are invited to come be a part of television history as the super group takes them on a musical journey, touching upon the first three Santana albums, and introducing fans to songs from the forthcoming release of their new studio album, Santana IV.

Tickets for this special event go on sale tomorrow, Saturday, March 5 at 10 a.m. All tickets are $29.50 plus tax and fees and are general admission, standing room only tickets. Doors are at 6:30 p.m., filming begins at 8 p.m. Fans won’t want to miss this historic filming and live concert event. All guests must be 18 years of age or older with a valid photo ID to enter the venue.

With the same heralded lineup that exploded onto the scene at Woodstock, with Neal Schon added soon afterward, Santana IV radiates the same unparalleled energy and superlative musicianship that made Santana a pioneering force in world music and a household name across the globe. In April of 2016, they will release their first studio album together since 1971’s Santana III. Appropriately named Santana IV, the album picks up where they left off with 16 all-new tracks written and produced by the band, explosive guitar work, incredible percussion, and a collection of songs that easily stands side-by-side with the group’s treasured early work. Joining the core Santana IV band in the studio are current Santana members Karl Perazzo (percussion) and Benny Rietveld (bass), with the legendary vocalist Ronald Isley guesting on two cuts.

“There are very few bands from the ’60s and ’70s that can come back with this kind of energy,” Carlos Santana raves, “So I think we achieved something very rare. This music was screaming to come out of us. It wasn’t about nostalgia. It was about passion.”

To date, this is the only full show scheduled that will feature this incredible lineup which will highlight the amazing guitar interplay of Carlos Santana and Journey’s Neal Schon, mixed with Gregg Rolie’s distinctive soulful voice and Hammond B3, complimented by the percussive ferocity of Michael Shrieve and Michael Carabello.

“Carlos and I feel more connected than ever,” adds Schon. “We get super-aggressive when we play, but also melodic and poetic. We have a dialog with each other on our guitars, and that allows us to do one-take solos and just blow each other away.”