NEW MUSIC: MELODY GARDOT – LIVE AT THE OLYMPIA PARIS; ALLEN TOUSSAINT - LIVE IN PHILADELPHIA 1975; VLADIMIR KOSTADINOVIC – LEFT SIDE OF LIFE

MELODY GARDOT – LIVE AT THE OLYMPIA PARIS

Filmed in October 2015, Live At The Olympia Paris captures Melody Gardot in concert at the legendary Belle Époque era venue in the French capital. The show focuses primarily on songs from her most recent album Currency Of Man and 2009’s My One And Only Thrill with a couple of surprise tracks thrown in for good measure. Melody Gardot’s performance is both intimate and emotional and her bands are at the top of their form. There couldn’t be a finer concert to present on her first ever DVD release. 

ALLEN TOUSSAINT - LIVE IN PHILADELPHIA 1975

A rare live performance from the late, great Allen Toussaint – served up here on vinyl for the first time ever! The record captures Toussaint in Philly – working in front of a very lively crowd, during a time when his star was shining especially bright, thanks to a series of recordings for Warner Brothers. The spirit here follows those classic sides, but with a slightly looser feel – and the record also features a bit of patter from Allen, and a cool medley, done with help from New Orleans saxophonist Gary Brown. Titles include "Last Train", "Freedom For The Stallion", "Backyard Blues", "What Is Success", "Shoo Ra", "Touch Of Love", "High Life", and "Southern Nights". (Limited pressing!)  ~ Dusty Groove

VLADIMIR KOSTADINOVIC – LEFT SIDE OF LIFE

Tenorist Seamus Blake makes a great appearance on this quartet session from drummer Vladimir Kostandinovic – able to soar with the urgency that Vladimir can bring to his more uptempo numbers, then cool things down with long, drawn-out soulful solos at the mellower moments – creating a perfect frontline voice for the record! Yet the whole group is great, too – really well tied-together, with the bass of Joe Sanders rolling out in strong sympathy with the drums – as pianist Marko Churnchetz has these ways of stating things simply and with just the right amount of force – never overdoing it, but working with Kostandinovic in these building blocks of sound and rhythm. Titles include "Face To Face", "Balkan Flood", "In Parents Arms", "Comfort Zone", "Frauenfeld", "One For Monk", and "The Left Side Of Life".  ~ Dusty Groove

VIEW THE FULL CONCERT HERE - INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY 2016 AT THE WHITE HOUSE

Featuring performances by: Al Jarreau, Aretha Franklin, Ben Williams, Brian Blade, Buddy Guy, Chick Corea, Christian McBride, Danilo Perez, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Diana Krall, Dianne Reeves, Esperanza Spalding, Herbie Hancock, Hugh Masekela, Jamie Cullum, Joey Alexander, John McClaughlin, Kendrick Scott, Kurt Elling, Lee Ritenour, Lionel Loueke, Marcus Miller, Paquito D’Rivera, Pat Metheny, Robert Glasper, Sadao Watanabe, Sting, Terence Martin, Terence Blanchard, Terri Lynn Carrington, Till Bronner, Trombone Shorty, Wayne Shorter, and others.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/see-aretha-franklin-sing-princes-purple-rain-at-white-house-20160501

NEW MUSIC: GILLES PETERSON – MAGIC PETERSON SUNSHINE; ELOISE LAWS – CAN’T LET MYSELF; ANDERSON PAAK - MALIBU

GILLES PETERSON – MAGIC PETERSON SUNSHINE

The magic sunshine here is all from the legendary catalog of MPS Records – unusually groovy jazz tracks from the 60s and 70s, all hand-picked by the equally legendary DJ Gilles Peterson! Peterson first turned many ears onto MPS back a few decades ago – with his excellent Talkin Jazz series – and this set follows strongly in that legacy, but also really shows both the deeper knowledge of the label's catalog we've acquired over the years, and the further development of Gilles' incredible ear for finding an unusual tune! The music here isn't just funky jazz, it's a huge range of sounds at once – some modal and spiritual elements, some global jazz experiments, a few vocal tracks, and even some very cool space-age styles – served up in a package that seems to make each new track burst forward with fresh feeling in the company of the others – that rare quality that can make a compilation like this so great. Titles include "Lillemor" by Francy Boland, "Out Of The Sorcellery" by Eddie Louiss, "Big P" by Modern Jazz Group Freiburg, "Stone Ground Seven" by Singers Unlimited, "Harp Revolution" by Johnny Teupen, "Service" by Orchester Roland Kovac, "Love Train" by Third Wave, "Dew" by Don Ellis, "Our Chant" by Gunter Hampel, "Denn Liebe Ist Stark Wie Der Tod" by Wolfgang Lauth, "Why & How" by Mark Murphy, and "Cancion Del Fuego Fatuo" by Pedro Iturralde with Paco DeLucia.  ~ Dusty Groove

ELOISE LAWS – CAN’T LET MYSELF

Eloise Laws has announced a new song "Can't Let Myself" to be released May, 15th 2016. Feeling Ms. Laws' soothing voice and deep lyrics, the new single is jazzy, soulful, and very heart-touching all at the same time. Music lovers will fall in love with this single as Eloise did not fall short in setting the bar with this new song. The song has a sultry melody, smooth jazz feeling with a unique R&B flow that immediately hooks you in. The lyrics speak for themselves and are reflective, personal, uplifting and liberating. It is an Anthem for Women not to allow anyone to take your happiness or joy away and to maintain one's self worth... no matter the outcome. This song encourages any woman who has lost herself to press the reset button and demand respect for herself. Her message is in this song is simply... move forward and leave what causes hurt behind. As an added treat, the single is accompanied by Hubert Laws on flute. Anyone listening to the harmony and collaboration on this single will agree that it has "Hit the Mark" and is "On Point".

ANDERSON PAAK - MALIBU 

A brilliant creative leap for singer,rhymer, and producer Anderson. Paak as a solo star – release months after his standout, near show-stealing moments on Dr. Dre's Compton record! Paak's proved himself a stellar collaborator many times over by the Malibu dropped, and here he proves a stellar host – but make no mistake, Malibu is his show, and a REALLY strong one. Contemporary hip hop soul with grit and heart – with appearances by BJ The Chicago Kid, Robert Glasper, Rapsody, The Game, Talib Kweli and more on the mic, plus guest production by Madlib, Hi-Tek and others. Includes "The Bird", "Heart Don't Stand A Chance", "The Waters" with BJ The Chicago Kid, "Put Me Thru", "Without You" feat Rapsody, "Room In Here" feat The Game & Sonyae Elise, "Celebrate", "Come Down", "Your Prime", "The Dreamer" with Talib Kweli & Timan Family Choir and more. ~ Dusty Groove

Visionary Pianist Cameron Graves Debuts Genre-Blurring Album Planetary Prince - Album Features Kamasi Washington, Thundercat and Ronald Bruner Jr.

The release of Kamasi Washington's The Epic last year marked a seismic shift in the jazz landscape and the game-changing arrival of the genre-blurring Los Angeles collective West Coast Get Down. That evolution continues with the release of Planetary Prince, the debut album by visionary pianist, keyboardist, composer and WCGD founding member Cameron Graves.

The four ambitious, progressive pieces on Planetary Prince were recorded during a marathon 11-hour studio session (a second volume is due later this year), the pressure-cooker intensity of which is reflected in its fiery, transcendent playing. The core of the band is made up of fellow West Coast Get Down members, whose musical and personal relationships with Graves stretch back to their high school days: tenor saxophonist Kamasi Washington, trombonist Ryan Porter, bassist Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner, and drummer Ronald Bruner Jr. To their ranks are added trumpeter Philip Dizack and bassist Hadrien Feraud, both key members of the groundbreaking modern L.A. jazz scene.

The title of Planetary Prince, which also serves as Graves' occasional pseudonym, comes from The Urantia Book, a spiritual tome that emerged from Chicago in the first half of the 20th century and that purports to reveal the truth of humanity through a combination of spiritual and cosmological ideas, including radical retellings of familiar stories from the Bible.

"That's a really deep book," says Graves, whose interest in Urantia grew out of a lifelong fascination with astronomy, astrology, spiritualism and meditation reflected in both his music and his study of the ancient Chinese martial art Xing Yi Chuan. "A lot of people might think it's sacrilegious, but it makes so much sense about the breakdown of the universe and deities and Earth and man."

The way that The Urantia Book refracts religious traditions through the lens of science and speculative philosophy has parallels with the ways in which Graves and his West Coast Get Down compatriots have reimagined the jazz lineage with hip-hop and prog rock inflections as well as interstellar ambitions. Graves makes a direct connection between his music and the book with pieces like "Adam and Eve" and the title track.

The other two pieces - "Andromeda" and "Isle of Love" - aren't directly inspired by Urantia but are no less cosmic in their inspiration. The former was sparked by striking images of the Andromeda Galaxy, sister galaxy to the Milky Way as our closest neighbor in the universe; while the latter is an imagined destination populated by a race of pure love.

While those mind-expanding concepts are key to the sprawling imagination of Graves' tunes, they aren't responsible for the fervent, impassioned playing of Graves and his ensemble. That comes from the members' nearly two decades of musical history together. "I don't communicate the Urantia ideas to the band," Graves says. "They just know that my song titles are kind of weird but the music is really cool. I like to write a lot in odd rhythms, especially in seven, which takes the music somewhere else and lets the cats build off of that."

Graves initially met Washington, Porter and the Bruner brothers in his freshman year at Locke High School in Los Angeles, when they'd rehearse together in school band and spend recess listening to John Coltrane together. At only 16-years-old, Graves, along with Washington and the Bruners, made his recorded debut with their collective group, the Young Jazz Giants. The group started playing regularly at a local poetry spot called Doboy's Dozens, eventually shifting to Fifth St. Dicks where they started experimenting with a ten piece band.

"That's when we started getting into our groove," Graves recalls. "We were finding grooves, writing different songs, and learning from each other, creating that chemistry that we have today."

In 2007, bassist and WCGD founding member Miles Mosley discovered the Piano Bar, which led to the now-legendary West Coast Get Down weekly series at the venue where they further honed their collective sound and notorious energy, which they channeled into the recording of

The Epic and now Planetary Prince. "We've been playing this material with that kind of intensity for a long time now," Graves says. "We all grew up listening together to hip-hop and rock and metal and jazz, so we all know where we're going and how to complement it. It's just intuition."

Graves has also carved out a notable career apart from the WCGD. With his brother Taylor he formed the R&B/fusion duo The Graves Brothers, releasing their debut, Look to the Stars, in 2013. That project grew out of a British/American pop group called The Score with which the brothers found enormous success in England.

Graves was also a key member of actress/musician Jada Pinkett Smith's nu-metal band Wicked Wisdom, providing entrée into the world of film and television scoring through the Pinkett Smith-directed film The Human Contract and TV series Hawthorne. Through his soundtrack work Graves connected with Stanley Clarke, and is now a member of the great bassist/composer's latest band.

  

Cameron Graves · Planetary Prince

Release Date: June 10, 2016

www.CameronGravesMusic.com

Pianist Fred Hersch receives 2016 Doris Duke Artist Award & releases new album Sunday Night at the Vanguard with The Fred Hersch Trio

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) today announced that pianist, composer, bandleader, and theatrical conceptualist Fred Hersch has been named a 2016 Doris Duke Artist. Appointed in recognition of their creative vitality and ongoing contributions to the fields of dance, jazz and theater, the twenty-one awardees will each receive $275,000 in flexible, multi-year funding as well as financial and legal counseling, professional development activities and peer-to-peer learning opportunities provided by Creative Capital, DDCF’s primary partner in the awards. With the 2016 class, DDCF will have awarded approximately $27.7 million to 101 noteworthy artists through the Doris Duke Artist Awards.

"I'm just blown away. I know people who have won this award, and I have so much respect for them; it feels so special to be in their company," said Fred Hersch, a recipient of this year's award in the jazz category. "Given the health struggles that I've experienced over the years, it's remarkable that I'm alive: I never expected to be 40, and now I'm 60. I feel like I'm still getting better at what I do, and that keeps me going. At heart, the thing I love to do is play–that's never, ever going to change–but I know that this award is going to open some doors, personally and professionally, in ways I can't even begin to predict."

Hersch, who turned 60 in October 2015, continues to create music that inspires, stimulates and illuminates. His 2016 schedule includes the 10th Anniversary of The Fred Hersch Duo Invitation Series at NYC’s Jazz Standard May 10–15 with guests Avishai Cohen, trumpet; Cécile McLorin Salvant, vocals; Julian Lage, guitar; Anat Cohen, clarinet; Kate McGarry, vocals; and Yosvany Terry; saxophones and shekere.  

Hersch’s new recording, Sunday Night at the Vanguard will be released by Palmetto Records on August 12, 2016.  It’s the most profound and enthralling trio statement yet by an improviser whose bands have for three decades embodied the enduring relevance of the piano-bass-and-drums format. Featuring the exquisitely interactive bassist John Hébert and extraordinarily sensitive drummer Eric McPherson, the ensemble has recorded a series of critically hailed albums over the past seven years, including 2012’s Fred Hersch Trio - Alive at the Vanguard, a double album that earned France’s top jazz award, the Grand Prix du Disque, and 2014’s lavishly praised Floating, a double Grammy®-nominee (both on Palmetto). With Sunday, Hersch’s trio gracefully leapfrogs past its already daunting accomplishments.

His essential contributions in jazz and beyond have not gone unnoticed in the academic world. Grinnell College in Iowa is bestowing an Honorary Doctor of Human Arts on May 22. His previous Honorary Doctorate–of Musical Arts–was awarded last year by Northern Kentucky University.

A feature length film, The Ballad of Fred Hersch, recently premiered to rapturous reviews at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and Hersch is busy at work on a memoir (working title: Good Things Happen Slowly) for Crown/Random House due in stores Spring 2017.

This will be the final group of Doris Duke Artists to receive these awards under the umbrella of the foundation’s Doris Duke Performing Artists Initiative, a larger $50 million allocation by DDCF above its existing funding to the performing arts. However, having witnessed the tremendous value of the program over the past five years, DDCF is pleased to announce plans to extend the life of the Doris Duke Artist Awards by incorporating the program into its annual grant-making budget at a more sustainable scale for the long term. In the future, the foundation will continue to yearly give Doris Duke Artist Awards to three artists. These awards will be managed internally by DDCF staff. DDCF expresses deep gratitude to Creative Capital for their successful administration of the first five classes of Doris Duke Artists and for their part in making the awards program a success.

“The Doris Duke Performing Artist Awards has been a truly visionary program, setting a standard for comprehensive artist support,” said Ruby Lerner, founding president and executive director at Creative Capital. “We at Creative Capital have been so proud to be a part of the powerful partnership that has supported the 101 artists who have received awards to date.”

About the Doris Duke Artist Awards

Each recipient of a Doris Duke Artist Award receives $275,000—including an unrestricted, multi-year cash grant of $225,000, plus as much as $25,000 more in targeted support for audience development and as much as $25,000 more for personal reserves or creative exploration during what are usually retirement years for most Americans. Artists will be able to access their awards over a period of three years under a schedule set by each recipient. Creative Capital, DDCF’s primary partner in the Doris Duke Performing Artist Awards, will also offer the awardees the opportunity to participate in professional development activities, regional gatherings, and financial and legal counseling—all designed to help them personalize and maximize the use of their grants.

To qualify for consideration by the review panels, all the Doris Duke Artists must have won grants, prizes or awards on a national level for at least three different projects over the past 10 years, with at least one project having received support from a DDCF-funded program. The panel chose the artists based on demonstrated evidence of exceptional creativity, ongoing self-challenge and the continuing potential to make significant contributions to the fields of contemporary dance, jazz and theater in the future.

About Fred Hersch

Praised in a New York Times Sunday Magazine feature as "singular among the trailblazers of their art, a largely unsung innovator of this borderless, individualistic jazz—a jazz for the 21st century," pianist Fred Hersch balances his internationally recognized instrumental and composing skills with significant achievements as a bandleader, collaborator and theatrical conceptualist.

Hersch – an 8-time Grammy® nominee who as leader or co-leader has over three dozen albums to his name – has featured himself as either a solo performer or at the helm of varied small ensembles, which in addition to his celebrated trio, include a quintet and his unconventional Pocket Orchestra.

He has also collaborated with an astonishing range of instrumentalists and vocalists throughout worlds of jazz (Joe Henderson, Charlie Haden, Art Farmer, Stan Getz and Bill Frisell); classical (Renée Fleming, Dawn Upshaw, Christopher O'Riley); and Broadway (Audra McDonald). Long admired for his sympathetic work with singers, Hersch has joined with such notable jazz vocalists as Nancy King, Norma Winstone and Kurt Elling.

In 2006 Hersch became the first artist in the 75-year history of New York's legendary Village Vanguard to play a weeklong engagement as a solo pianist. His 2011 release, Alone at the Vanguard received Grammy Award nominations for Best Jazz Album and Best Improvised Jazz Solo. In 2014, Hersch garnered his sixth Grammy nomination for his solo on "Duet" from Free Flying, a duo album with guitarist Julian Lage that received a rare 5-star rating from DownBeat. His most recent CD, Fred Hersch: SOLO, earned critical acclaim from DownBeat for “a program so rich you will want to savor it in increments, enjoying its bittersweetness and poignancy.”

In 2003 Hersch created Leaves of Grass (Palmetto Records), a large-scale setting of Walt Whitman's poetry for voices (Kurt Elling and Kate McGarry) and an instrumental octet; the work was presented to a sold-out Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall in 2005. His acclaimed 2010 theatrical project, My Coma Dreams (based on imaginings Hersch had during a two-month coma), is a full-evening work for an actor/singer, 11 instrumentalists and animation/multimedia; it is available on DVD on Palmetto Records. A disc of his through-composed works, Fred Hersch: Concert Music 2001-2006, has been released by Naxos Records. He was the recipient of a 2003 Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship in Music Composition among his many awards and honors.

For two decades Hersch has been a passionate spokesman and fund-raiser for AIDS services and education agencies. He has produced and performed on benefit recordings and in numerous concerts for charities, including Classical Action: Performing Arts Against AIDS and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. He has also been a keynote speaker and performer at international medical conferences in the U.S. and Europe. 
He is currently a member of the Jazz Studies faculty of Rutgers University. And Hersch's influence has been widely felt on a new generation of jazz pianists, from former students Brad Mehldau and Ethan Iverson to his colleague Jason Moran, who has said, "Fred at the piano is like LeBron James on the basketball court. He's perfection."


www.fredhersh.com

www.ddpaa.org

NEW MUSIC: MILES DAVIS / JOHN COLTRANE – COPENHAGEN, MARCH 24, 1960; CUONG VU TRIO MEETS PAT METHENY; JOE BAER MAGNANT GROUP – LIMINAL SPACES

MILES DAVIS / JOHN COLTRANE – COPENHAGEN, MARCH 24, 1960

Great live material from one of the most important pairings in modern jazz – recorded during the last months that John Coltrane was working with the Miles Davis Quintet! Davis and Coltrane are working here on a live date from Copenhagen in March of 1960 – playing on 3 long tunes that really let both players open up and unfold in their own unique solo explorations. Titles are all familiar ones from the Davis book – "So What", "All Blues", and "On Green Dolphin Street" – but the extended renditions offer more than a few surprises that make them well worth having. (Limited numbered edition and 180 gramn clear vinyl  pressing)  ~ Dusty Groove

CUONG VUTRIO / PAT METHENY - CUONG VU TRIO MEETS PAT METHENY

Cuong Vu joins guitarist, composer, and bandleader Pat Metheny with a trio led by longtime Pat Metheny Group trumpeter Cuong Vu. The album comprises five tunes written by Vu plus one by Metheny and one by Andrew D'Angelo. The Cuong Vu Trio includes Stomu Takeishi on bass and Ted Poor on drums. Metheny says of his record with the Trio, "This project is something that Cuong and I have talked about doing for years. For as much as I loved what Cuong has brought to my bands along the way, I always wondered what it would be like to join his group for a project, to see what I might be able to offer those guys. Cuong came up with a great set of tunes for the project, and we all met in NYC for a few days and recorded this music quite quickly and spontaneously." Vu, who first heard a cassette of Metheny's Travels as a teenager and credits it for leading him into a career in music, adds: "Pat came to the session and killed it, taking us to different territories. We (the Trio) assimilated his sound into ours and made music that still felt uniquely ours." The trumpeter has played with a wide range of artists, including Laurie Anderson, David Bowie, Dave Douglas, Myra Melford, Cibo Matto, and Mitchell Froom. 

JOE BAER MAGNANT GROUP – LIMINAL SPACES

There's nothing liminal about the sound of the Joe Baer Magnant Group – as these guys have found a very special space of their own – which they occupy beautifully in a haunting blend of guitar and Fender Rhodes! The two instruments are used spatially, and chromatically – in ways that are different than any sort of funky combination of the two – instead with this really strong sense of tone that takes us back to the important Gary Burton albums on RCA – even though there's no vibes at all on these sides. Instead, Magnant's guitar opens with these wonderful harmonic lines, which are echoed by the Fender Rhodes of Tony Capriccio – and given subtle rhythmic support by Chris Lujan on bass and Michael Reed on drums – as they allow the songs to unfold with both soul and grace. The record features a great reworking of Stanley Cowell's "Equipoise", which seems especially well-suited to the approach – as does their take on Satie's "Trois Gnoissiennes" – and other titles include a version of Mulatu's "Tezeta", plus "Coagulate", "Liminal Spaces", and "Poinciana".  ~ Dusty Groove

Saxophonist Kenny Garrett Celebrates Global Perspectives of Individuality on Do Your Dance!

More than any other artist in traditional jazz today, saxophonist, composer, and arranger Kenny Garrett and his band are known to entice audiences to want to get up and groove. Be it in Spain where a man from Cameroon leaped up and broke out some African moves then was joined by a young break-dancer, or in Germany where a clearly classically trained ballet dancer was brought to his feet; in Poland where a fan literally jumped from the balcony onto the stage to dance, or at a festival in Barbados where music lovers got on up and grooved in the rain to "Happy People," the spectacle is always the same: the spirit takes over and the movements come naturally. It is this spirit that Garrett has instigated and witnessed from stages around the world that fills Do Your Dance!--the saxophonist's fourth for Mack Avenue Records.

"I look out and see people waiting for the songs that they can party to and express themselves," confirms Garrett, the nine-time winner of DownBeat's Reader's Poll for Alto Saxophonist of the Year. "Do Your Dance! was inspired by audiences moved to rise from their seats and 'lift a foot!' Some are reluctant to participate because they think that others are better than they are. I tell them, 'Do your dance.' That means even if you have to 'stay pocket,' do the Funky Four Corners or the Nae-Nae, don't worry about what the other person is doing. Let it all hang out and 'do your dance!' On the title track we combine the spirit of a `70s-style beach get down with just a touch of hip-hop-ever in search of the link between the two. I had it playing while I was talking to my daughter on FaceTime. When it got to the end with that new vibe, she smiled and I thought, 'Uh huh--gotcha!'"

Do Your Dance! is a travelogue of rhythm from the melodic lilt of "Calypso Chant" and the soothing, Brazil-inspired "Bossa" to the summer barbecue spirit of "Backyard Groove" and "Philly." Garrett elaborates, "'Philly' was inspired by people at an outdoor festival we played down the street from Temple University. That older generation was going in--dancing to hard bop, funkafied fire and calypso...anything we threw at them! That's how people used to dance to jazz."

It was inspiration in liquefied form that resulted in the novel "Wheatgrass Shot (Straight to the Head)," one of two tracks featuring rapper Mista Enz (Donald Brown, Jr.) of Knoxville, Tennessee. Recalling the tune's circuitous origin, Garrett explains, "A nurse friend told me about the health benefits of wheatgrass. You can cut it with honey or fruit juice but I took it straight to the head, and the bitterness sent my body into contortions (another form of dance). Later, I was at the piano messing with this minor 2nd interval. I recognized it as a musical metaphor for that wheatgrass going upside my head! As the music took shape, I felt it needed a rap." Garrett reached out to several sources, then co-producer Donald Brown gently intervened, offering, "My son raps." Enter Mista Enz.

"The first track Kenny emailed me sounded like they turned on a tape recorder mid-session," Enz confesses. "I thought it was gonna be impossible to write to, but it was an honor for Kenny to consider me, so I had to make it work. I didn't have time to try the wheatgrass, so I typed it in on the Internet. Kenny told me the effect it had on him was like a 'shot to the brain.' I equated that to euphoria...the way a woman makes you feel. I did part of it freestyle and part of it written to stay on subject. Kenny called back and said it was exactly what he was looking for."

Rounding out Do Your Dance! are "Persian Steps" (built from the ground up with just Ronald Bruner, Jr. on drums and Garrett on piano, later adding flute, a chant and shruti box-an Indian accordion he discovered in Germany) and "Chasing the Wind" (Garrett composing a piece at top speed in the tradition of bop standards that jazz musicians challenge themselves with by playing at triple time). Garrett dedicated "Waltz (3 Sisters)" to his fairer siblings. "My sisters have always been my support system in every way. Wherever I show up, they're the first ones there. Sometimes you take it for granted because that's family...but it doesn't have to be that way. So I wrote one for them."

Aside from Bruner--who, since gigging with Garrett, has played with artists from Stevie Wonder to Kamasi Washington--the saxophonist is joined by another drummer, McClenty Hunter, who was first documented with Garrett on his last album, Pushing the World Away. Also returning from the previous album is bassist Corcoran Holt whom Garrett first encountered four years ago at Blues Alley in DC.

Percussionist Rudy Bird goes back with Garrett to a 1983 tour of Sophisticated Ladies, and has since played with Michael Jackson and Lauryn Hill. Then there's notoriously obtuse pianist Vernell Brown, Jr. who has played with the saxophonist since 2002's Happy People and its follow-up Standard of Language. Finally, there is Garrett's longtime co-producer Donald Brown, an old friend from days when, as a pianist, he shared the bandstand in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and his right-hand man on sessions off and on since Garrett's highest Billboard Jazz chart-topper to date, African Exchange Student, in 1990.

Detroit-born Kenny Garrett is a five-time GRAMMY® Award-nominee and 2010 GRAMMY® Award-winner (as a member of Chick Corea's and John McLaughlin's co-led Five Peace Band), and the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 2011. His distinguished credits extend from starting with the Duke Ellington Orchestra (under son Mercer Ellington) to Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Donald Byrd and Miles Davis (with whom he ascended to international stardom); to contemporary stars Marcus Miller, Sting, Meshell Ndegeocello, Q-Tip and funkateers Cameo.

"It's been a whirlwind," Garrett concludes. "Records and concerts are about me taking people on the ride I want to take them on. It can be pretty ballads, some intensity, and then we can party! When they leave, I hope they feel like we took them on a journey. And when they come back to see us or put that CD in the player years later, I hope people have a deeper perspective on the music than the first time."

  

Kenny Garrett · Do Your Dance! / Mack Avenue Records /· Release Date: July 8, 2016

www.KennyGarrett.com

Parliament/Funkadelic Co-Founder Bernie Worrell, among others, named recipients of NEC 2016 Honorary Degree

New England Conservatory will bestow honorary Doctor of Music (hon. D.M.) degrees on five distinguished musicians at its 145th annual Commencement Exercises, Sunday, May 22, 2016 at 3 p.m. in NEC’s Jordan Hall. The recipients are Parliament/Funkadelic co-founder Bernie Worrell, conductor Leonard Slatkin, composer and multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton, soprano Martina Arroyo, and composer Malcolm Peyton.

In addition, approximately 275 graduating students in the class of 2016 will be awarded degrees and diplomas including the Bachelor of Music, Graduate Diploma, Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts, and Artist Diploma. Leonard Slatkin will give the commencement address; additional speakers will include NEC leaders and a student speaker. The public is welcomed to this event, based on available seats.

At 7:30pm on May 21, 2016, the evening before NEC’s 145th Commencement Exercises, a grand concert in Jordan Hall will take place. This event will put the Conservatory’s graduating students on display before they go off to take their place on the world's stages. The performance includes student composers, jazz and Contemporary Improvisation, vocal and instrumental soloists, chamber music, and large-scale works.

NEC conducting student Earl Lee will lead an orchestra made up almost entirely of graduating students in Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture, "Fingal’s Cave." They will also play “Larger than Life,” written by graduating composition major Jeremiah Klarman '10 Prep, '16 B.M. and other works.

Honoree Biographies

Bernie Worrell

Keyboardist, composer, and producer Bernie Worrell is one of the most prolific funk and R&B artists to date. As a founding member of the ‘70s & ‘80s funk band Parliament/Funkadelic, Worrell’s work with the synthesizer was what gave the band its futuristic sound, and made the band a highly influential player in the world of R&B. In the 1980s, Worrell frequently played with the rock band Talking Heads, both on the road and in the studio. After leaving Talking Heads, he was a studio musician for countless celebrated artists and groups, such as Keith Richards, the Pretenders, Jack Bruce, and Bootsy’s New Rubber Band. Worrell has also released numerous critically acclaimed solo albums, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. He is currently a member of both the Bernie Worrell Orchestra and Colonel Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains. Worrell is a classically trained pianist, having taken private lessons at Juilliard and pursued college studies at NEC through 1967.

Leonard Slatkin

Internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin is the Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre National de Lyon. He has conducted most of the world’s leading orchestras, as well as numerous opera companies, such as the Metropolitan Opera. His more than 100 recordings have earned him a collection of seven Grammy Awards and sixty-four nominations. Slatkin is also a music educator, as he is the founder and director of the St. Louis Youth Symphony Orchestra and the National Conducting Institute of Washington D.C. In addition, he has taught and conducted at some of the world’s leading music schools. His tireless efforts in arts advocacy worldwide have won him the National Medal of Arts, France’s Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, and Austria’s Declaration of Honor. Slatkin hails from a musical family, as his parents are the founding members of the Hollywood String Quartet. He first began his musical studies on the violin and studied conducting with his father, Felix Slatkin, Walter Susskind at Aspen, and Jean Morel at Juilliard.

Anthony Braxton

American composer and multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton is a seminal figure in the music of the late twentieth century. He is known for his experimental methods of composition that combine jazz with serialism, multi-media usage, and graphic notation methods. He has released over 100 albums since the 1960s and has written hundreds of compositions. In 2010, he founded the Tri-Centric Foundation – a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the next generation of creative artists. In 2014, Braxton was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master. Previous awards and honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1981, a MacArthur Fellowship in 1994, and a New Music USA Letter of Distinction in 2013. Before becoming a music professor and an emeritus music faculty member at Wesleyan College, he taught at Mills College in California. Braxton studied music at the Chicago School of Music, and philosophy and composition at Roosevelt University.

Martina Arroyo

American soprano Martina Arroyo has been a renowned member of the Metropolitan Opera since 1958. She had her major-role debut in Carnegie Hall in 1965 when, at the last minute, she was asked to fill in for Birgit Nilsson as Aïda. Landing herself major roles in operas by Mozart, Puccini, Wagner, Barber, and Stockhausen among others, she has proven herself to have an impressively broad repertoire. She has collaborated with some of the world’s most celebrated conductors on the stages of the world’s most renowned concert halls. Arroyo was appointed by President Ford as a member of the NEA’s National Council of the Arts, and won the NEA Opera Honors Award in 2010. In 2013, she was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor. She is also a lifetime Honorary Trustee of Carnegie Hall. In 2003, Arroyo established the Martina Arroyo Foundation, which provides aspiring young opera singers with the tools they need to succeed in a career in opera.

Malcom Peyton

Malcolm Peyton joined the New England Conservatory faculty in 1965 and was the chair of NEC’s Composition Department for 36 years. He is an active and distinguished figure in the world of new music. He has directed, conducted, and concertized many new music concerts in Boston and New York, and his music has been played throughout the U.S. and in Europe. The same year he joined NEC’s faculty, he began conducting Evenings of New Music with Lyle Davidson. More recently, he’s directed The NEC Composers Series. Some of his celebrated and well-known works are Songs from Walt Whitman, Fantasies Concertantes for orchestra, and The Blessed Virgin Compared to the Air We Breathe. His compositions have been premiered with artists such as Bethany Beardslee, Borromeo String Quartet, and Gunther Schuller.  He has received a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship and awards from the NEA, Norlin Foundation, and American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.

Trumpeter, composer, musical visionary Wadada Leo Smith receives 2016 Doris Duke Artist Award

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) today announced that the boldly original composer, trumpeter and Pulitzer Finalist Wadada Leo Smith has been named a 2016 Doris Duke Artist. Smith is one of twenty-one awardees appointed in recognition of their creative vitality and ongoing contributions to the fields of dance, jazz and theater.  The awardees will each receive $275,000 in flexible, multi-year funding as well as financial and legal counseling, professional development activities and peer-to-peer learning opportunities provided by Creative Capital, DDCF’s primary partner in the awards. With the 2016 class, DDCF will have awarded approximately $27.7 million to 101 noteworthy artists through the Doris Duke Artist Awards.

“To receive the prestigious Doris Duke Artist Award is the highest honor," said Smith. "It celebrates my achievements as a creative composer and performer in an art form that transcends boundaries. With the support of the Doris Duke Foundation, I now have the unique opportunity to develop a fresh connection to my art and to my community.”

Smith, who turns 75 in December 2016, maintains an active touring and recording schedule.  Most recently, he’s been touring widely with pianist/composer Vijay Iyer to support their March 2016 duo recording a cosmic rhythm with each stroke on ECM. 

Upcoming recordings scheduled for fall 2016, include Wadada Leo Smith: Nagwa (TUM) featuring Smith with guitarists Michael Gregory Jackson, Henry Kaiser, Brandon Ross and Lamar Smith, plus Bill Laswell on electric bass, Pheeroan akLaff on drums and Adam Rudolph on percussion. Also on TUM will be a solo recording of Monk’s music.  Cuneiform will release Wadada Leo Smith: The National Parks featuring Smith’s Golden Quintet plus cellist Ashley Walters.

Smith’s 2016 schedule includes performances at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Berlin Jazz Festival, Molde Jazz Festival, Pittsburgh International LiveJazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Vision Festival, Festival Suoni Per il Pipolo, Summer Stage, NYC and the premiere of his opera/cantata Rosa Parks at the FONT Festival, among others (see full schedule at end of this release.)  He will also be honored as Faculty Emeritus and receive an honorary doctorate from CalArts.

This will be the final group of Doris Duke Artists to receive these awards under the umbrella of the foundation’s Doris Duke Performing Artists Initiative, a larger $50 million allocation by DDCF above its existing funding to the performing arts. However, having witnessed the tremendous value of the program over the past five years, DDCF is pleased to announce plans to extend the life of the Doris Duke Artist Awards by incorporating the program into its annual grant-making budget at a more sustainable scale for the long term. In the future, the foundation will continue to yearly give Doris Duke Artist Awards to three artists. These awards will be managed internally by DDCF staff. DDCF expresses deep gratitude to Creative Capital for their successful administration of the first five classes of Doris Duke Artists and for their part in making the awards program a success.

“The Doris Duke Performing Artist Awards has been a truly visionary program, setting a standard for comprehensive artist support,” said Ruby Lerner, founding president and executive director at Creative Capital. “We at Creative Capital have been so proud to be a part of the powerful partnership that has supported the 101 artists who have received awards to date.”

Each recipient of a Doris Duke Artist Award receives $275,000—including an unrestricted, multi-year cash grant of $225,000, plus as much as $25,000 more in targeted support for audience development and as much as $25,000 more for personal reserves or creative exploration during what are usually retirement years for most Americans. Artists will be able to access their awards over a period of three years under a schedule set by each recipient. Creative Capital, DDCF’s primary partner in the Doris Duke Performing Artist Awards, will also offer the awardees the opportunity to participate in professional development activities, regional gatherings, and financial and legal counseling—all designed to help them personalize and maximize the use of their grants.

To qualify for consideration by the review panels, all the Doris Duke Artists must have won grants, prizes or awards on a national level for at least three different projects over the past 10 years, with at least one project having received support from a DDCF-funded program. The panel chose the artists based on demonstrated evidence of exceptional creativity, ongoing self-challenge and the continuing potential to make significant contributions to the fields of contemporary dance, jazz and theater in the future.

Wadada Leo Smith, whose roots are in the Delta blues, is one of the most boldly original figures in American jazz and creative contemporary music and one of the great trumpet players of our time.  As a composer, improviser, performer, music theorist/writer and educator, Smith has devoted a lifetime to navigating the emotional heart, spiritual soul, social significance and physical structure of jazz to create new music of infinite possibility and nuance.

A 2016 Doris Duke Artist and 2013 Pulitzer finalist, Smith was DownBeat Magazine’s 2013 “Composer of the Year” and the Jazz Journalist Association’s 2013 Musician of the Year and Trumpeter of the Year. In 2014 DownBeat magazine named him “One of the 80 Coolest Things in Jazz Today,” citing his “magisterial instrumental voice, his inspirational leadership, and his command of classical, jazz and blues forms to remind us of what’s gone down and what’s still happening.” The Jazz Journalists Association named Smith Composer of the Year in 2015. Early in his career, Smith developed Ankhrasmation, a radically original musical language that uses visual directions and remains the philosophical foundation of his oeuvre. In October 2015, The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago presented the first comprehensive exhibition of his Ankhrasmation scores.

Smith has released more than 50 albums as a leader. His landmark 2012 civil rights opus Ten Freedom Summers was called “A staggering achievement… It merits comparison to Coltrane’s A Love Supreme in sobriety and reach,” (Francis Davis, Rhapsody Jazz Critics Poll). Recent recordings include The Great Lakes Suites, which earned second place in NPR Music’s 2014 Jazz Critics Poll and Celestial Weather, which garnered extensive praise as “a perfectly suited twosome…4.5 stars” (DownBeat).  In March 2016 ECM released a cosmic rhythm with each stroke featuring pianist Vijay Iyer and Smith, whom Iyer calls his “hero, friend and mentor.” The recording has earned wide critical acclaim and the duo is touring internationally in 2016 and 2017.

Born December 18, 1941 in Leland, Mississippi, Smith began performing at age thirteen with his stepfather, bluesman Alex Wallace and went on to play in his high school bands. He received his formal musical education from the U.S. Military band program (1963), the Sherwood School of Music (1967-69), and Wesleyan University (1975-76). Part of the first generation of musicians to come out of Chicago’s AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Music), Smith collaborated with a dazzling cast of fellow visionaries. He has received commissions to write music for numerous groups including the Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra, and was invited to perform and speak on human rights at the Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens. 

Smith has been awarded grants and fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University, Chamber Music America with support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Meet the Composer/Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Commissioning Program, the MAP Fund and the National Endowment for the Arts, among many others.

www.wadadaleosmith.com

www.ddpaa.org

Wadada Leo Smith Upcoming Events

• May 10 – Smith honored as Faculty Emeritus by CalArts

• May 13 – Smith receives honorary doctorate from CalArts   

• June 2 – Smith’s Golden Quartet – Festival Suoni Per il Pipolo – Montreal QC

• June 11 – Smith and viola quartet – Vision Festival, NYC

• June 23 – Smith, John Lindberg and Jesse Gilbert – Hammer Museum, LA 

• June 25 – Smith and Iyer – Pittsburgh International LiveJazz Festival 

• July 7 – Smith and Vijay Iyer – Montreal International Jazz Festival 

• July 18 – Smith and John Lindberg – Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC

• July 21 – Smith’s Golden Quartet – Molde Jazz Festival, Norway

• August 10 – Smith with Nublu Orchestra/ DarkMatterHalo – Summer Stage, NYC

• September 24 – Premiere of Smith’s opera/cantata Rosa Parks – FONT Festival, NYC

• September 28 – Smith and Iyer – Amherst, MA

• October 23 – Smith & John Lindberg duo Celestial Weather – Grand Rapids, MI

• October 26 – Smith & John Lindberg duo Celestial Weather – Ann Arbor, MI

• October 28 and 29 – Smith & John Lindberg duo Celestial Weather – Constellation, Chicago, IL

• October 30 – Smith & John Lindberg duo Celestial Weather – Milwaukee, WI

• November 3 – Smith’s Great Lakes Quartet performing The Great Lakes Suites – Berlin Jazz Festival

• November 6    Wadada with pianist Alexander Hopkins duet – Berlin Jazz Festival

Van Morrison's ..IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW...VOLUMES II, III, IV & DVD, A Monumental Collection of Previously Unavailable Live Performances from Historic 1973 Concert Tour with the 11-Piece Caledonia Soul Orchestra

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, in association with Exile Productions, Ltd., have announced the release of Van Morrison's ..IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW...VOLUMES II, III, IV & DVD on Friday, June 10.

A 3CD/1DVD collection of previously unreleased live concert recordings from Morrison's mythic 1973 tour with the Caledonia Soul Orchestra, ..IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW...VOLUMES II, III, IV & DVD collates peak performances originally recorded at three venues: The Troubadour in Los Angeles, the Santa Monica Civic Center, and The Rainbow Theatre in London. The set's DVD features professionally-lensed live footage from the Rainbow Theatre, which originally aired on the BBC in the UK and is now available for the first time as a commercial home video release.

Often cited as one of the best live albums ever made, Van Morrison's original ..IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW... has been remastered in 24-bit high resolution sound and will be available in both 2CD and 2LP configurations, creating the first vinyl pressing of the album in more than 25 years plus availability of the album to hi-res partners (Mastered for iTunes, HD Tracks, Pono).

Morrison's highly acclaimed 1973 concert album was compiled from eight sets of live performances--recorded at The Troubadour, the Santa Monica Civic Center and The Rainbow Theatre--and was notably free of any post-performance overdubs or studios "fixes". ..IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW...VOLUMES II, III, IV & DVD returns to those original performances, first captured on two-inch 16-track analog tapes, and, through the mastery of noted engineer Guy Massey, puts the contemporary listener in the enviable position of being sonically present at each venue. All of the recordings on the new collection have been previously unavailable and none of them overlap with the performances on "Volume I" of ..IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW....

"I am getting more into performing," said Van Morrison in 1973, during his tour with his newly-formed Caledonia Soul Orchestra. "It's incredible…. All of a sudden I felt like 'you're back into performing' and it just happened like that…. A lot of times in the past I've done gigs and it was rough to get through them. But now the combination seems to be right and it's been clicking a lot."

Morrison's 1973 tour found the Irish soul singer at the peak of his powers, returning to the stage to deliver scorching definitive renditions of the signature material comprising his catalog at the time, from the R&B/rock roots of THEM to the haunting folk soul of Astral Weeks and Moondance in songs like "Gloria," "Into The Mystic," "Warm Love," "Domino" and more. Accompanied by the 11-piece Caledonia Soul Orchestra, featuring two horn players and a four-piece string section, Van Morrison set a new standard for live performance while ..IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW... raised the bar on what was possible on a concert recording.

Each disc on ..IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW...VOLUMES II, III, IV & DVD features previously unreleased performances, newly remixed from the original multitrack recordings by Guy Massey (the acclaimed engineer behind the remasters of The Beatles and Paul McCartney). Massey's new mixes recreate the sonic atmosphere of each venue, from the standing-room-only intimacy of The Troubadour to the expansive excitement filling the 3,000-seat Rainbow Theatre.

Van Morrison

..IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW...VOLUMES II, III, IV & DVD

VOLUME II (Recorded live at The Troubadour, Los Angeles, May 23, 1973)

1.Come Running (Van Morrison)

2.These Dreams Of You (Van Morrison)

3.The Way Young Lovers Do (Van Morrison)

4.Snow In San Anselmo (Van Morrison)

5.I Just Want To Make Love To You (Willie Dixon)

6.Bring It On Home To Me (Sam Cooke)

7.Purple Heather (Van Morrison)

8.Hey, Good Lookin' (Hank Williams)

9.Bein' Green (Joseph G. Raposo)

10.Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)

11.Listen To The Lion (Van Morrison)

12.Hard Nose The Highway (Van Morrison)

13.Moondance (Van Morrison)

14.Cyprus Avenue (Van Morrison)

15.Caravan (Van Morrison)

VOLUME III (Recorded live at the Santa Monica Civic, California, June 29. 1973)

1.I've Been Working (Van Morrison)

2.There There Child (Van Morrison, John Platania)

3.No Way (Jeff Labes)

4.Since I Fell For You (Woodrow Buddy Johnson)

5.Wild Night (Van Morrison)

6.I Paid The Price (Van Morrison, John Platania)

7.Domino (Van Morrison)

8.Gloria (Van Morrison)

9.Buona Sera (Carl Sigman, Peter De Rose)

10.Moonshine Whiskey (Van Morrison)

11.Ain't Nothing You Can Do (Don D. Robey, Joseph Wade Scott)

12.Take Your Hand Out Of My Pocket (Sonny Boy Williamson)

13.Sweet Thing (Van Morrison)

14.Into The Mystic (Van Morrison)

15.I Believe To My Soul (Ray Charles)

VOLUME IV (Recorded live at The Rainbow, London, July 23 & 24, 1973)

1.Listen To The Lion (Van Morrison)

2.I Paid The Price (Van Morrison, John Platania)

3.Bein' Green (Joseph G. Raposo)

4.Since I Fell For You(Woodrow Buddy Johnson)

5.Into The Mystic (Van Morrison)

6.Everyone (Van Morrison)

7.I Believe To My Soul (Ray Charles)

8.Sweet Thing (Van Morrison)

9.I Just Want To Make Love To You (Willie Dixon)

10.Wild Children (Van Morrison)

11.Here Comes The Night (Bert Berns)

12.Buona Sera (Carl Sigman, Peter De Rose)

13.Domino (Van Morrison)

14.Caravan (Van Morrison)

15.Cyprus Avenue (Van Morrison)

DVD (Recorded live at The Rainbow, London, July 24, 1973)

1.Here Comes The Night (Bert Berns)

2.I Just Want To Make Love To You (Willie Dixon)

3.Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)

4.Moonshine Whiskey (Van Morrison)

5.Moondance (Van Morrison)

6.Help Me (Ralph Bass, Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson)

7.Domino (Van Morrison)

8.Caravan (Van Morrison)

9.Cyprus Avenue (Van Morrison)

  

THE CALEDONIA SOUL ORCHESTRA:

Jeff Labes – piano & organ

Dave Shaw – drums

John Platania – guitar

David Hayes – bass guitar

Jack Schroer – alto, tenor, baritone saxophones

Bill Atwood – trumpet

Nathan Rubin, Tim Kovatch & Tom Halpin – violin

Nancy Ellis – viola

Terry Adams – cello

www.vanmorrison.com

NEW MUSIC: THE EMOTIONS – BLESSED: THE EMOTIONS ANTHOLOGY 1969-1985; ROSE ROYCE – STRONGER THAN EVER ; MAINSTREAM MODERN SOUL 1969-1976

THE EMOTIONS – BLESSED: THE EMOTIONS ANTHOLOGY 1969-1985

One of the greatest female soul groups of all time – served up here in a career-spanning anthology that finally gets at the full range of their talents! The tracks here start in the trio's early years on Stax Records, move through their sublime 70s hitmaking years at Columbia, with lots of help from Maurice White and Earth Wind & Fire – and also move onto include some rare Motown and Red Label recordings too! The vocals are sublime throughout – that rich style of coming together that the girls first forged in their gospel work, then unleashed to the soul world in work that was far more sophisticated and meaningful than the usual girl trio mode – which could sometimes be a throwaway approach to hide the weakness in each others vocals. 2CD set features a big 24 page booklet of notes – and includes 40 tracks in all – including "I Should Be Dancing", "Smile", "Turn It Out", "Blessed", "Are You Through With My Heart", "Now That I Know", "Changes", "You're The One", "Miss Your Love", "All Night Alright", "The Best Part Of A Love Affair", "Blind Alley", "So I Can Love You", "Flowers", "Baby I'm Through", "From Toys To Boys", "You're The Best", "Don't Ask My Neighbors", "Love Vibes", "We Go Through Changes", "Key To My Heart", "Stealing Love", "How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away", "Walking The Line", "Special Part", and "Boogie Wonderland". ~ Dusty Groove

ROSE ROYCE - STRONGER THAN EVER (BONUS TRACKS)

Rose Royce are certainly plenty strong at this point in their career – working with a tight modern soul groove on Epic Records – away from their previous placement on the Whitfield label, even though Norman Whitfield's still very actively handling production here! The album does a great job of bringing out some of the group's warmer elements, and also refits their rhythms a bit for the 80s generation – using some jazzier flourishes on the keyboards, which class things up nicely, and push their sound a bit towards some of the best Columbia/Epic soul acts of the time. Keyboards dominate a bit more than before, but in a good way – and titles include "Best Love", "Sometimesy Lady", "Still In Love", "You Blew It", "Talk To Me", "Fire In The Funk" and "Somehow We Made It Through The Rain". This remastered edition from Big Break UK includes 4 bonus versions: "Best Love (12" Version)", "Still In Love (Single Version)"< "Fire In The Funk (Single Version)" and "Dance With Me (12" Version)". ~ Dusty Groove

MAINSTREAM MODERN SOUL 1969-1976 (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

A huge array of soul tracks from the Mainstream label – an imprint that was probably best known for its jazz work of the early 70s, and as the launching pad for a few key rock groups – but one who also cut some killer soul tracks in the best New York and Philly styles of the period! Mainstream only ever issued most of its soul material as singles – 45s issued on their own label, and under the IX Chains, Brown Dog, and New Moon imprints too – spread out in an array of under-circulated, poorly-distributed releases that never fully got their due at the time – partly because much of the music was years ahead of its time! There's a groove here that reminds us of the hippest sounds from bigger labels – including Philly International or All-Platinum – with a similar blend of sweetness, honest vocal performances, and some top-shelf studio work that gives the lyrics a hell of an instrumental push, but all without ever sounding slick or commercial. The package is a much-needed look at this scattered legacy – and brings together 24 rare cuts that include "These Memories" by Almeta Lattimore, "I'm The One Who Loves You" by JG Lewis, "Come Back (part 1)" by The Fantastic Puzzles, "I Can't Give You Up" by Linda Perry, "It Ain't Like It Used To Be" by Randolph Brown & Company, "No Rebate On Love" by The Dramatics, "You're A Friend Of Mine" by Words Of Wisdom, "Satisfy My Woman" by Calvin Arnold, "Plain Out Of Luck" by Nia Johnson, "We're Not Too Young To Fall In Love" by Jackey Beavers Show, "Let The People Talk" by The Steptones, "To Whom It May Concern" by Ellerine Harding, "It's So Real" by McArthur, "Stop & Think A Minute" by Charles Beverly, and "That's The Way She Is" by Bobby Earl Williams.  ~ Dusty Groove