NEW RELEASES: KASHIF – HELP YOURSELF TO MY LOVE: THE ARISTA ANTHOLOGY; TANIKA CHARLES – SOUL RUN; MTUME – PRIME TIME: THE EPIC ANTHOLOGY

KASHIF – HELP YOURSELF TO MY LOVE: THE ARISTA ANTHOLOGY

A huge legacy in soul music from Kashif – one of the greatest rising stars of the 80s scene, and an artist who really helped the music find a new direction at the time! By the time of these tracks, Kashif had already had a lot of experience writing for others – but on his own, he soars even further into the skies – as a mature, sophisticated artist who's able to get past straighter funk and club modes, but also avoid some of the more commercial soul music cliches of the time – with a timeless approach that's ensured that work like this has found a growing audience in the decades since it was recorded! Make no mistake, there's plenty of catchy tunes here – but there's also something special, too – as Kashif was never one to just make throwaway tracks, and instead always seemed to be working towards a greater role. The 2CD set brings together 30 of his best moments from the 80s – including some 12" mixes – and titles include "Stone Love", "I Just Gotta Have You", "Ooh Love", "Moving Song", "Condition Of The Heart (extended)", "Love Me All Over (extended)", "Love Changes (with Meli'sa Morgan)", "Step Into My World", "Love Letter Out Loud", "Kathryn (inst)", "Dancing In The Dark", "Movie Song", "Edgartown Groove", "The Mood", "All", "Ain't No Woman Like The One I Got (extended)", "I've Been Missing You", "Loving You Only (extended – with Doug E Fresh rap)", and "Reservations For Two (with Dionne Warwick)".  ~ Dusty Groove

TANIKA CHARLES – SOUL RUN

The first full-length from Tanika Charles – a deep funk singer with a difference! Tanika definitely works in some of the old school soul modes that you'll know from other artists on the Record Kicks label – but there's also a bit more of a contemporary crackle to her music, too – thanks to production work from Slakah The Beatchild, which brings in some hip hop elements to the rhythms! Tanika still sings like she's making a record from the 60s and 70s, and most of the other instrumentation falls in the same way too – but the added production really gives things a crisp vibe that gets past some of the more overdone retro soul cliches in recent years. Titles include "Soul Run", "More Than A Man", "Money", "Love Fool", "Endless Chain", "Darkness & The Dawn", and "Waiting".  ~ Dusty Groove

MTUME – PRIME TIME: THE EPIC ANTHOLOGY

James Mtume is an artist with deep roots in jazz – including some excellent spiritual jazz material in the early 70s – but here, he's hitting superstardom in the soul music world – by pairing up with Reggie Lucas for a great run of music from the Mtume group! Lucas also hails from jazz – Mtume met him when they were both working with Miles Davis – and both artists bring something really special to their sound that moves it away from simple commercial soul – a bit like the depth that lays behind Earth Wind & Fire, who have similar righteous roots, but are able to fuse a wonderfully smooth, groovy sound – and there's also a similarity to the late 70s material of Norman Connors, another artist who followed a similar path. This set spans the full run of excellent recordings Mtume did for the Epic label – almost a decade's worth of music, including some other mixes, and a few side projects with singer Tawatha. Titles include "Just Funnin", "Anticipatin", "Mrs Sippi", "Love Lock", "Closer To The End", "Funky Constellation", "The After 6 Mix (Juicy Fruit part 2)", "You Me & He (polygamy mix)", "COD", "Prime Time", "We're Gonna Make It This Time", "The Closer I Get To You", "Kiss This World Goodbye", "It's Non-Functional", "Body & Soul", "Breathless (A&G mix)", "Did I Dream You", and "Would You Like To Fool Around". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES: QUANTIC & NIDIA GONGORA - CURAO; DELIA DERBYSHIRE APPRECIATION SOCIETY – ST TROPEZ 1966 REMIXES; JUKKA ESKOLO - SOUL TRIO

QUANTIC & NIDIA GONGORA - CURAO

Will "Quantic" Holland has really turned out to be a hell of a fellow – a guy we first fell in love with as a beatmaker, then as a funk artist – and now as one of the few people who can ever mix grooves with global elements and make the whole thing come out sounding right! Quantic's working here with Colombian singer Nidia Gongora – whose voice really gives a strong focus to the kind of territory that he's explored on other records – at a level that really elevates the music past any sort of underground expression, and may well allow Quantic a bigger bridge into a the world of contemporary Latin music! Yet the set's hardly Latin pop, either – as all the rich textures and complicated elements we love from Quantic's production are still very firmly in place – providing a rootsy vibe and funky currents alongside the fantastic lead vocals. Titles include "Ojos Vicheros", "Amor En Francia", "Se Lo Vi", "E Ye Ye", "Que Me Duele", "Dub Del Pacifico (version)", "Dios Promete", and "Un Canto A Mi Tierra (version)".  ~ Dusty Groove

DELIA DERBYSHIRE APPRECIATION SOCIETY – ST TROPEZ 1966 REMIXES

Garry Hughes and Harvey Jones are two pioneering electronic music composers who individually have collaborated with artists as diverse as Bjork, Sly & Robbie, Killing Joke, The Art Of Noise, the Orchestral Pink Floyd project, Julian Cope, Carla Bley & Chris Boti among many others. In addition Garry is the co-founder of popular Six Degrees act, Bombay Dub Orchestra. The duo’s collaborative debut album as Delia Derbyshire Appreciation Society has captured the imaginations of listeners around the world, with pioneering ambient artists like Killing Joke’s, Youth declaring it an “ambient masterpiece” & Banco De Gaia’s Toby Marks praising its "gorgeous electronic ambience” and “retro yet timeless feel.” One of the album’s stand out tracks “St Tropez 1966” has now been remixed in a variety of styles and moods by artists as diverse as “electro-swing” mastermind The Real Tuesday Weld & Garry Hughes' other project Bombay Dub Orchestra. In addition Axel Toben brings some minimal tech flavors to the track while Faltso Mortale & Harvey Jones (with his Brigitte Bardot Remix) embrace the warm, ambient sounds that Delia Derbyshire Appreciation Society are becoming so well known for.

JUKKA ESKOLO - SOUL TRIO

A fantastic full length set from trumpeter Jukka Eskola and his Soul Trio – a combo with a strange sort of name! The group here is actually a sextet – as the core combo gets guest help from Timo Lassy on saxes, Magnus Lindgren on flute, and Ville Herrala on bass – who really expand the trio's wonderful groove – a mode that's partly soul jazz, but with very rich flavors of its own – hardly any sort of easy copycat of old American modes! Teppo Makynen – aka Teddy Rok – plays drums, alongside Mikko Helava on organ – and while the album shows all the respect for soulful jazz traditions that we've heard in previous music from Rok, Eskola, and Lassy – the sound is also very different, fresh, and quite original! Titles include "Hong Thong", "Railyard Boogie", "Subterranean Variations", "For Anne Lee", "Sweet Honey Bee", "Introducing The Trio", "Soft Drop", and "Jumpin Punkins". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES: THEO HILL – PROMETHEAN; MATTHEW SHIPP – INVISIBLE TOUCH AT TAKTLOS ZURICH; ART HIRAHARA – CENTRAL LINE

THEO HILL – PROMETHEAN

Wonderfully romping piano from Theo Hill – a musician who's clearly got some earlier soul jazz inspiration in his style, but who also knows how to warm things up with a bit of lyricism too – in a manner that reminds us of the direction that Cedar Walton took from the 60s into the 70s! Theo has a way of making complex ideas come across with a very natural pulse – and he gets great help here from trio members Yasushi Nakamura on bass and Mark Whitfield on drums – both players who share the same rolling spirit that Theo brings to his piano. Titles include the original track "The Phoenix", plus great takes on "Hey It's Me Your Talking To", "Finger Painting", "Blasphemy", "This Here", "Litha", and "Is That So". ~ Dusty Groove

MATTHEW SHIPP – INVISIBLE TOUCH AT TAKTLOS ZURICH

Matthew Shipp's been an amazing pianist for quite sometime – but occasionally, we'll forget how great he can be – and it takes a record like this to jog our memory! The set is all solo, with Shipp exhibiting an amazing command of the keyboard – really reaching out to shape sound in special ways, and often create these progressions that hint towards melody, but often step sideways into their own sonic territory – free, but never too loose – showing the confidence of Shipp in the direction he's taking the music! And while sometimes such a setting can make us think that the pianist is just winding us up, there's a real sense of cohesion here – maybe almost in the territory of some of the Keith Jarrett live solo improvisations, although each selection here is relatively short. Titles include "Blue In Orion", "Monk's Nightmare", "Intro Z", "Pocket", "Gamma Ray", "Piece Within Piece", and "Fairplay".  ~ Dusty Groove

ART HIRAHARA – CENTRAL LINE

Art Hirahara is a beautifully fluid pianist – one who really won us over with his last album on Posi-tone, and who seems to soar even more here – working in a fantastic trio that includes Linda Oh on bass and Rudy Royston on drums – plus some occasional tenor from Donny McCaslin! Oh and Royston have this round presence that really resonates strongly with Art's piano – creating this wave of soulful energy from the ground up, even on the mellower moments – with a tonal depth that's sophisticated, yet never forced at all. When McCaslin comes into the mix, his sound is a bit more separate from the three – yet in a way that only underscores their cohesion and beautiful sensitivity together. Titles include "Little Giant", "Sensitive Animal", "Central Line", "Kuroda Bushi", "Astray", and a version of the Chico Buarque tune "As Minhas Meninas".  ~ Dusty Groove

Soul-jazz saxman Elan Trotman will host his fourth annual Barbados Jazz Excursion with a festival lineup featuring Will Downing, Norman Brown, Brian Simpson and others

Bigger but simpler. That’s the mandate soul-jazz saxophonist Elan Trotman adopted for his flourishing music festival and benefit golf tournament in his native Barbados. Festivalgoers that flock to the fourth annual Barbados Jazz Excursion this Columbus Day Weekend (October 6-8, 2017) will be treated to the biggest and best lineup of contemporary jazz and R&B artists yet assembled at the fest along with a simplified schedule that allows more time to discover the alluring tropical beauty of the Caribbean island. For the second year, Trotman’s Charity Golf Outing will benefit the Never Lose Your Drive Foundation and the Headstart Music Program in Barbados. 

Top-lining the Barbados Jazz Excursion’s opening night marquee is Grammy-winning guitarist Norman Brown, who will share the bill with urban-jazz saxplayer Jeanette Harris and rising star bassist Julian Vaughn. Trotman & Friends, including Barbadian Alison Hinds - known as the Queen of Soca - will be presented in an outdoor setting on the afternoon of day two, concluding pre-sundown to give excursioners the entire evening to discover Barbados’ many dining and nightlife options. Sunday morning, the golfers will hit the wondrous and challenging greens of the Apes Hill Club. The Sunday evening bill will feature Grammy-nominated soul vocalist Will Downing, R&B-jazz saxophonist Marion Meadows and contemporary jazz keyboardist Brian Simpson. The weekend shall conclude with a late night all-star jam session.         

“Each year that we have produced the Barbados Jazz Excursion has been a learning experience. We want to ensure that our guests’ experience is better and better by presenting a topnotch lineup, amazing entertainment and first-class luxury accommodations. What gives the weekend more meaning and significance is that we have a nonprofit golf tournament attached thus the events are not just an opportunity to share my country, my culture and my story, but also an opportunity to introduce people to the charity I support that provides music education for elementary school students in Barbados,” said Trotman, who recently released his seventh album, “Electro Sax,” a collection that continues his commitment to incorporate authentic Caribbean sounds into a mix of contemporary jazz and R&B grooves. 

Introducing guests to Barbados has always been at the fore of Trotman’s festival weekend. With that in mind, this fall’s schedule and menu of excursions has been simplified to allow festivalgoers the flexibility to build their own itinerary along with the option to spend more time enjoying the array of amenities and plush accommodations at one of the three host resorts: The Crane, Hilton Barbados Resort and O2: Ocean Two. New for this year is that the Island Adventure Tour visiting scenic and historic locales is now included with the purchase of any festival package. Other exciting excursions on offer are the award-winning Atlantis Submarines Undersea Adventure; the Jolly Roger Lunch Party Cruise that serves up a sumptuous feast and world-famous Jolly Roger Rum Punch while observing sea creatures and sailing past sunken ships; exploring the natural wonders of Harrison’s Cave; and a chance to literally taste Barbados history at the Mount Gay Rum Distillery.     

The beneficiary of the golf tournament that is expected to include several music and sports celebrity participants, Trotman’s Never Lose Your Drive Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that generates funds to support the Headstart Music Program in Barbados, which provides lessons and instruments to students at the beginner’s level. 

AVERY SUNSHINE RELEASES TWENTY SIX FOUR

Some people have a calling that is undeniable. Avery*Sunshine is that force of nature. Yet the former church pianist/musical director, who scored a #1 Billboard chart hit, was at once a reluctant warrior. "I had no idea that my work in the church would prepare me to do what I do." Bringing people together through her riveting stage performances, candid and often humorous stage banter and optimistic anthems about love and life is what Avery*Sunshine does best. In fact she does it so well, that she has garnered praise from iconic musical figures like The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who raves, "I love Avery*Sunshine!"The Atlanta based singer's no holds barred signature soul/R&B sound has also made believers of such luminaries as Patti LaBelle, Berry Gordy and Boy George who proclaimed on twitter "@averysunshine love this woman's voice."

Twenty Sixty Four (released April 21st via Shanachie Entertainment), is Avery*Sunshine's sophomore CD for Shanachie, features organic soulful in-the- pocket grooves, sublime ballads, exquisite arrangements/orchestrations and exuberant life affirming tracks.  The vocals shine throughout, the production is tight and the songwriting hits home. Twenty Sixty Four marks the first time that Avery*Sunshine has had numerous collaborations on an album and expanded the instrumentation. "This is something that I have always wanted to do," she states. "I really wanted to have live strings on the record so we got to do that this time. We collaborated with Grammy award winning pianist and arranger, Ruslan Sirota. We also have a couple of writing collaborations with Eric Roberson, Carvin Haggins and Jamie Portee." Twenty Sixty Four also features a few guest appearances, including Mr. Talkbox (Bruno Mars, NSYNC, Erica Campbell), Frank McComb (Prince, Branford Marsalis, Lalah Hathaway) and recent Grammy winning trumpeter Keyon Harrold (Maxwell, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Common, Gregory Porter). "These are some big milestones that I am really excited about," shares Avery*Sunshine. Twenty Sixty Four further asserts the consummate artist as one of the best things to happen in R&B in the past decade.

With the release of Twenty Sixty Four, Avery*Sunshine concludes, "I am always striving to fill the space that I was created to fill. Everybody has their own fingerprint and we are all here for a reason. I believe the reason that I am here is to share the music that God has given me."

CAMERON GRAVES - Visionary Pianist & West Coast Get Down Founding Member Announces 2-LP 120-gram Vinyl Release of Critically Acclaimed Debut Album Planetary Prince

Planetary Prince, the debut album from West Coast Get Down founding member and cosmic pianist Cameron Graves, is to be released as a 2-LP 120-gram vinyl set on May 26 via Mack Avenue Records. The album, originally released via CD and online formats on February 24, received widespread critical acclaim from the media including The New York Times, LA Weekly, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, VICE Noisey, and many others.

Upon signing with Mack Avenue Records at the end of 2016, Graves' nearly released four-song EP of the same name was expanded to an eight track full length album, all packed with the same mind-expanding invention that marked all of the work previously generated by the WCGD -- including Kamasi Washington's universally acclaimed debut The Epic (which prominently featured Graves throughout its three discs). These releases have marked a seismic shift in the jazz landscape and the game-changing arrival of the genre-blurring Los Angeles collective West Coast Get Down blending elements of Jazz, Classical, Rock and Hip-Hop.

Planetary Prince continues that evolution, with the scope and ambition of Graves' vision only more evident on this release. "Cameron Graves' music is vigorous and refreshing. There is an infectious raw energy on Planetary Prince that is coupled with these terrific melodies and blistering solo work, the whole album is energizing," reflects Mack Avenue Records' President Denny Stilwell, speaking on the new signing. In its full realization, the album only furthers that pulse-quickening, consciousness-broadening energy and maintains it over the course of nearly 80 illuminating minutes.

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' 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. "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."

While those heady 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 7, which takes the music somewhere else and lets the cats build off of that."

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 and 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 legendary bassist and fellow Mack Avenue Records recording artist Stanley Clarke, and is now a member of his latest band, touring internationally.

  

Upcoming Cameron Graves Appearances

(w/ Miles Mosley and the West Coast Get Down):

May 17 / 7th Street Entry / Minneapolis, MN

May 18 / The Back Room / Milwaukee, WI

May 19 / The Frequency / Madison, WI

May 20 / Schubas / Chicago, IL

May 22 / Adelaide Hall / Toronto, ON

May 25 / Great Scott / Boston, MA

May 26 / Rough Trade / Brooklyn, NY

May 27 / Songbyrd / Washington, DC

May 28 / World Cafe Live / Philadelphia, PA

June 11 / Playboy Jazz Fest / Los Angeles, CA

On June 30, 2017 Eden River Records will release a new album for jazz piano trio and symphony orchestra “Developing Story” by Alan Broadbent

Alan Broadbent is considered one of the best pianists, composers, arrangers and conductors in the world. "The gossamer orchestrations by two heavyweights - Johnny Mandel and Alan Broadbent - float like milkweed behind Mr. McCartney's voice." -Review for Sir Paul McCartney's CD -Kisses on the Bottom (Stephen Holden, The New York Times, February 6, 2012).

Alan has received 8 Grammy Award nominations and won 2 Grammy Awards for “Best Orchestral Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal", one for Natalie Cole and one for Shirley Horn and nominated in the same category for Kristin Chenoweth last year (2016). Recently, he was nominated for "Best Improvised Jazz Solo" alongside Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.

Alan has also arranged and conducted for Sir Paul McCartney, Diana Krall, Pat Metheny, Linda Ronstadt and Michael Bublé.

This time Alan was able to write his own story by recording his original compositions for jazz piano trio and symphony orchestra, and jazz standards like John Coltrane’s “Naima“ and “Milestones“ by Miles Davis in a symphonic orchestra setting.

Peter Erskine and Harvie S made sure that there was enough room for Alan’s rhapsodic style of piano playing as the LA Times has called Alan “…one of the greatest living jazz pianists.”

Alan, in his liner notes:

“Sometime in the late 70s the initial idea for “Developing Story” came to me in a complete phrase for woodwind soli, counterpoint and all. My problem was not quite knowing what to do with it. It wrote itself in response to a moment I’d had with the music of Mahler, but to imitate such a master would be the height of hubris (and impossible, anyway). Things slowly took shape when I realized that rather than getting an orchestra to play with jazz feeling (it’ll never happen, I’m afraid), I could present it with a jazz trio version of the idea and perhaps the orchestra could help me out with some nice chords. Then at some point the orchestra would seem to say, “Yes, we get it. Now let us show you how we might express our thoughts on the matter;” opposite sides of the same music, developing together, creating the story.“

The London Metropolitan Orchestra is one of the best symphonic orchestras in London and is regularly booked by major Hollywood studios and record companies, including live performances with artists such as Paul McCartney, U2, Eric Clapton, Annie Lennox, Sting, Bryan Adams, Quincy Jones, Pink Floyd, Jon Bon Jovi, Vangelis, Simply Red, Pet Shop Boys etc.

The recording engineer for the production was Jonathan Allen. In 2013 Jonathan won the BAFTA Sound Award for the recording and mixing of the movie "Les Misérables". Further movie projects of his are e.g. Return of the Jedi - Special Edition and Michael Jackson’s “This is It”. He recently also recorded for Gregory Porter and Eliane Elias.

The producer, Ralf Kemper, is himself a Grammy Prize winner in 2010 for Best Instrumental Record and Best Producer Of The Year at the Latin Grammys for Arturo Sandoval’s “A Time For Love". His film “Jimmy Scott: I Go Back Home“ was premiered at the prestigious SXSW festival, was introduced by Quincy Jones at the 50th Montreux Jazz Festival and has won several awards at international film festivals.

EPK Video short version: https://vimeo.com/198092811

EPK Video extended version: https://vimeo.com/198072130

Homepage: www.alanbroadbent.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/alan.broadbent.739/

BRITISH REGGAE TORCHBEARERS THE SKINTS ANNOUNCE 2017 U.S. SUMMER TOUR RELEASE NEW VIDEO COVERING AL GREEN’S CLASSIC “LET’S STAY TOGETHER”

UK-based The Skints have announced their upcoming 2017 U.S. summer tour! Having garnered critical acclaim and fan driven success in North America, The Skints are excited to be returning stateside supporting 311 as well as headlining slots on select dates. Their live sets continue to energize fans with their unique London mix of reggae and dub with the spirit of grime, punk, soul, and sound system culture.

Ahead of their tour, the band has released a cover of the Reverend Al Green’s classic  “Let’s Stay Together” as a dubbed-out duet. The single’s video is a bootlegged vintage animation cartoon mash-up edited to match the love song. The video premiered on Large Up, who called the song, “smooth, dubbed-out lover’s rock featuring dueting male/female vocals from the group’s Marcia Richards and Jamie Kyriakides.” The band has started working on a new album, the follow up to the well-received release FM (Easy Star Records), and plan to perform fresh new tracks alongside their catalog cuts.

The Wall Street Journal has called the band’s music “deep hypnotic dub” and Large Up stating that “The Skints represent the present and future of the genre [reggae].”

Guitarist/vocalist Josh Waters Rudge and the rest of the band are eager to return stateside, as it was always their goal as a budding band touring in Europe. When asked what fans can expect at the upcoming shows, Josh replies, “Never expect! I can tell you that our show and our style is different from anything and anyone out there. You won't see a punk rock show with everyone bopping in a hazy groove and you won't see a reggae show where you're being told to ‘move yourself’ in a lot of other environments.” He expands, “Raw and ruggedness and smooth and sweetness at the same time. Calm angst and raging chill. Our expression in the moment and doing our thing. The Skints Fun Club welcomes all.”

The summer tour will kick off late May at Virginia Beach, ending in Boston mid July. The Skints will sync up with 311’s Unity Tour in Detroit for a 15-date run, mid-tour. They will also appear at a few great festivals including Supernova Ska Festival in Frederickburg, VA, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in California, and Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Check out the tour dates below.

Tour Dates:

May 26th @ Virginia Beach, VA - Chicho's Strawbridge 

May 27th @ Richmond, VA - The Broadberry 

May 28th @ Fredericksburg, VA - Supernova International Ska Festival

June 16th @ Boonville, CA - Sierra Nevada World Music Festival

June 17th @ Victoria, BC - Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival 

June 18th @ Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre

June 19th @ Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre Lounge

June 20th @ Seattle, WA - Nectar Lounge

June 23th @ Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall

June 24th @ Akron, OH - Musica

June 25th @ Detroit, MI - The Filmore w/ 311

June 26th @ Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern

June 27th @ Waterloo, ON - Starlight

June 28th @ Columbus, OH - Express Live Outdoor w/ 311

June 29th @ St. Louis, MO - Pageant w/ 311

June 30th @ Lincoln, NE - Street Fair at Bourbon Theater Outdoors 

July 2nd @ Chicago, IL - Northerly Island w/ 311

July 3rd @ Kansas City, MO - Crossroads w/ 311

July 4th @ Indianapolis, IN - Pavillion at Pan Am Plaza w/ 311

July 6th @ Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE Outdoor w/ 311

July 7th @ Hampton, NH - Hampton Beach Casino w/ 311

July 8th @ Maine - Maine State Pier w/ 311

July 9th @ Wakefield, RI - Ocean Mist

July 10th @ Buffalo, NY - Artpark w/ 311

July 11th @ New York City - Hammerstein w/ 311

July 12th @ Philadelphia, PA - Coda

July 13th @ Washington DC - DC9

July 14th @ Long Island, NY - Great South Bay Music Festival w/ 311

July 15th @ Asbury, NJ - Stone Pony Outdoors w/ 311

July 16th @ Boston, MA - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion w/ 311

Online:

http://www.facebook.com/theskints

http://twitter.com/theskints

http://soundcloud.com/the_skints

http://www.theskints.co.uk

Keyboardist-Composer Roy Powell Leads Mumpbeak on Tooth, New Prog-Rock-Jazz Power Trio's Sophomore Outing

On their followup to their formidable self-titled debut on RareNoiseRecords in 2013, Mumpbeak again conjures up memories of vintage King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Gentle Giant and other prog-rock pioneers on Tooth. Led by the innovative keyboardist-composer and Oslo-based UK expatriate Roy Powell, whose other RareNoise output includes releases by Interstatic and Naked Truth, and featuring bassist and longtime collaborator Lorenzo Feliciati (Powell's bandmate in Naked Truth who has also released the solo albums Frequent Flyer and KOI on RareNoise), this new edition of the prog-rock-jazz power trio showcases the remarkable Norwegian drummer Torstein Lofthus, who is also a member of the avant garde group Shining and the psychedelic prog-rock-jazz trio Elephant 9.

Together this like-minded triumvirate travels from slamming, intricately executed vehicles like "Boot," "Cot" and "Brick" to more atmospheric soundscapes like "Slip" and "Caboose" to the explosive free jazz jam on "Stone." Says the leader of the group's blend of discipline and highly interactive playing on display throughout Tooth: "It´s just a case of having three like-minded musicians in the studio playing loose, off-the-cuff stuff over some semi-composed material."

As he did on Mumpbeak, Powell again explores the sounds of his heavily-effected, guitar-sounding clavinet throughout Tooth. "I play a stock Hohner E7 clavinet into a series of guitar effects pedals going into a Fender valve amp," explains the keyboardist, whose debut as a leader was 1994's A Big Sky.

"Over the years I have become less interested in stock electric piano or Hammond organ or acoustic piano sounds. So one day when I was playing my clav at home I thought I would max the guitar aspect of the instrument and see where it would take me."

Those ambitious experiments led to Mumpbeak and now Tooth, which prominently features Powell's souped-up clavinet while also utilizing a few of his other trusty keyboards in the mix. "The use of Hammond organ and Moog synth are just to add a little variation in color," he explains.

Powell's signature clavinet sound is in full effect on the odd-metered opener "Boot," which introduces the powerhouse drumming of Lofthus, whose muscular, whirlwind approach to the kit sets the pace on this intricate, stop-time vehicle. "Brick" brings an element of swing into the Zappaesque proceedings while the thunderous "Saw," fueled by Lofthus' power-precision playing, has Powell dialing up some nasty distortion, wah-wah and whammy bar articulations on his clav.

The keyboardist takes a more gentle approach with a clean clavinet sound on the more serene "Slip," which serves as a kind of palette cleanser after the tumultuous grunge jam of "Saw." "Cot," with its interlocking arpeggios and muscular drumming underneath, is very Crimsonesque in its finely-executed latticework patterns. "Caboose" opens with a full four minutes of ambient washes and soundscapes executed by Powell and Feliciati, both generating mesmerizing loops, before segueing to a swinging section paced by Felicity's insistent walking baselines and Lofthus' loose swing factor on the kit. This nine-minute suite features Lofthus' most explosive solo of the session.

Tooth concludes with the wah-wah fueled jam "Stone," a provocative piece clearly influenced by Miles Davis' landmark Bitches Brew that builds from a delicate koto-like intro to a funk section to a wild free jazz blowout underscored by Lofthus' rampaging approach to the kit.

Says Powell of his ongoing hookup with Italian bassist Feliciati, "I first met Lorenzo at a Bass Day event in Manchester in 2007. We immediately had a connection both as people and as musicians, being the same age and sharing a common musical heritage and shared references such as Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, and Allan Holdsworth. We kept in touch and started to play together whenever possible. This led to the formation of the Naked Truth quartet with Cuong Vu and Pat Mastelotto. When I realized that I was going to have a European-based working Mumpbeak trio, it was obvious to ask Lorenzo to join."

Powell discovered drummer Lofthus while performing a series of educational concerts in Norwegian schools. "Torstein´s name came up and I jumped at the chance to work with him, having see him with Elephant 9 and Shining. He has great technical skills together with  a hard hitting style that defines the music."

"I am aware that I am making a kind of niche music," says Powell of his adventurous approach with Mumpbeak. "It´s handmade artisan crafted music for the educated listener, available on vinyl! You can´t get more niche than that! But it suits me down to the ground because of my predilections. I really like musical material with a relatively high complexity and difficulty level. I think that when you present this kind of music to an audience it can almost be like a magical experience, as long as the complexity is coupled with some aspects of simplicity to balance it. And we have played a lot of concerts together so the difficulty level of some of the material gets a lot easier with repetition."

Watch for this music to develop to another level when Mumpbeak tours Europe this summer. Until then, dig their volatile prog-rock-jazz jams on Tooth, their potent sophomore outing on RareNoiseRecords.

TRACKS

1. Boot

2. Brick

3. Saw

4. Slip

5. Cot

6. Caboose

7. Stone

Jamie Saft Joined By Bobby Previte, Steve Swallow and Iggy Pop on Loneliness Road

Over a career now spanning nearly thirty years, Jamie Saft has established himself as one of the visionaries of contemporary American music. As a composer, pianist and keyboard innovator, and collaborator of music icons such as Bad Brains, Beastie Boys, the B-52s, Donovan, John Adams and John Zorn, he has been fearless in his pursuit of spiritual elevation through music that both seeks to embrace the whole American canon, and also transcend it, by seamlessly assimilating genres, traditions, idioms and timelines.

His collaboration with London based progressive label RareNoise, now dating back to 2012, reflects this polymathic approach, as can be gleaned from listening to the array of path-breaking, irreducible recordings he released with them: among these, one of the most successful was a piano trio collaboration with jazz giants Steve Swallow and Bobby Previte, The New Standard.

On Loneliness Road, the follow-up album to that acclaimed 2014 release, the trio of Saft, Swallow and Previte are joined on three tracks by singer Iggy Pop (who just turned 70).

Saft is quick to point out that Loneliness Road is not simply a jazz piano trio with Iggy Pop added to three tunes. "It's a deeper concept of original improvised music that transcends genre," he explained. "I constructed this music on my initial notions of what music I'd like to improvise on with these particular musicians. There was no sense of 'genre' in the conception of that music."

All the elements for Loneliness Road came together in serendipitous fashion. While the intention of including Iggy Pop in the album had been discussed very early by Jamie Saft and RareNoise producer Giacomo Bruzzo. Both understood it was by no means an easy objective to accomplish, and that it was all down to the music.

Thus Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow and Bobby Previte proceeded to record the album as a trio June 2016 at Saft's Potterville International Sound Studio in the Hudson Valley of Upstate New York. Knowing that they would be recording to tape and cutting lacquer, Previte even brought his 1965 Rogers Holiday drums to the session, to match the burnished sound of Steve Swallow and Jamie Saft's deep touch. In his own words: "We obsessed, as we always do, over the sound of the record, but never over the music itself. How music occurs always needs to remain a glorious mystery - an unknowable, unreachable, indefinable and most importantly, unrepeatable, mystery."

Saft adds that "Rather than try to anticipate what Iggy might add to our tracks and just give him a 'backing track', we instead chose three fully-realized instrumental tracks from our session that we thought Iggy might actually enjoy. Through colleague Bill Laswell, whose label M.O.D. Technologies Giacomo is also involved in and who has produced records for Iggy in the past, we reached out: fortunately Iggy expressed interest and wanted to hear the music, which we sent him. Iggy's reaction was swift and decisive - he quickly said he loved the music and was definitely going to do this project. What an enormous honor this message was for me!"

Early January 2017, Iggy Pop recorded his three contributions ('Don't Lose Yourself', 'Loneliness Road' and 'Everyday') in Miami: "He sent us his very first take of each tune," says Saft. "He told me he used no music stand or lyric sheet as he was so ready to record these that the words just spilled out. Iggy said though he did many takes of each track, the first takes just 'had the juice.' Of course this perfectly aligned with the first take idea we'd used in producing the album both musically and sonically. In Previte's own words: "And Iggy - he took it so seriously. He really heard us."

While The New Standard was recorded as direct-to-2-track analog by renowned engineer Joe Ferla, Saft enlisted his friend and Grammy winning producer Christian Castagno to record and co-produce Loneliness Road. Once again a fully analog path was chosen, and all tracks committed to tape were first takes.

 When asked about the songwriting process underlying Loneliness Road, Saft says that "Many of the pieces I wrote for this album show allegiance to the great American song forms of writers such as Bob Dylan, The Band, Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Jimi Hendrix, Charles Ives, Bill Evans, & Miles Davis. Both Steve Swallow and Bobby Previte are brilliant orchestrators - each gesture is in the service of the larger whole. A simple two chord structure such as 'Ten Nights' turns into a forward lurching swing epic in Bobby's hands. He channels Tony Williams through massive cymbal techniques. This same brilliance shines through in 'Henbane' with Steve Swallow's deep attention to detail within the classic swing feel. A rhythm section at this level allows me total freedom as the primary harmonic voice. I'm always afforded vast open spaces with Steve & Bobby. This is a rarified situation and I feel extremely fortunate for this opportunity each time we play."

Loneliness Road is indeed the result of a truly collaborative effort: "While I did compose all the music for this album, Steve and Bobby and ultimately Iggy were all able to realize this music with me at the very highest level. Iggy's lyrics and vocal approach are essential to each of the three tunes he contributed to. It's as if they were always there."

TRACKS

1. Ten Nights

2. Little Harbor

3. Bookmaking

4. Don't Lose Yourself (w. Iggy Pop)

5. Henbane

6. Pinkus

7. The Barrier

8. Nainsook

9. Loneliness Road (w. Iggy Pop)

10. Unclouded Moon

11. Gates

12. Everyday (w. Iggy Pop)

Indo-Fusion Guitarist Rahul Mukerji To Release Debut Album “Ma De Re Sha”

Rahul is a guitarist/musician based in Maryland, USA. Born in India, he has been performing live for over fifteen years. From dive bars and weddings, to crowds of thousands opening for the B-52s, he has had a varied performing career that has included gigs in Chicago, Boston, Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., and India.

Rahul has been featured on a wide array of recordings. His original pieces were featured in the short indie film “Tokyo Confidential”. His music was also featured on DC local tri-state radio and his compositions have been featured in various fractal and traditional animations videos and used in the official score for the Fractal Forums web episodes.

Rahul was featured in the Guitar Player Magazine Editors' Picks in 2008. He is also a guest Guitar Instructor on the Shred Academy website. In addition to music, Rahul is also an accomplished visual artist and regularly exhibits his work in the Washington metropolitan area. From the traditional to the digital domain, Rahul utilizes a wide array of mediums such as wood engraving, spray painting, pencil sketching, and computer fractal renderings.

“Rahul employs a shimmering acoustic and a bell-like clean tone to craft a light and airy piece that sits ever so nicely in the 'feel good' pocket. There are no guitar histrionics or crafty arrangements, here - just breezy melodies kissed by empathetic tones. Its a very pleasurable seduction.” - Michael Molenda, Editor, Guitar Player Magazine

From the source inspiration, to the concept, writing, arrangement, and its actual making, this project is truly a reflection of unity in diversity. This world fusion rock guitar album brings together flavors of Indian music, Middle Eastern percussion, jazz, ambient, rock, and metal. The compositions and the arrangements were inspired by interactions with people from different cultural backgrounds and walks of life, all filtered through the prism of Rahul's own multicultural upbringing between East and West. The actual making of the music involved coordination with musicians and mixing/mastering engineers living in the US, Germany, Spain, and France.

Says Rahul, “The name for the album, as well as the title song, is derived from a word that a friend's daughter used to exclaim at every occasion she could find. No one quite knows what it means, but she made it up herself and she just loved clamoring it with conviction and glee. This project is similar, as it's a deeply personal statement, and the continuing journey to bring it to fruition has been a labor of love. The title song is dedicated to this little girl and the album name is a tribute to the spirit that the word represents.”

The guitars range from crisp acoustic tones and ethereal tapping soundscapes, to Indian Carnatic music inflected leads, heavy riffs, jazz chord progressions and blazing legato runs. Indian tablas and Middle Eastern percussion augment the rhythm section where Ruben Rubio's superb bass lines go from anchoring the grooves to adding delightful counterpoints. The album's wide stylistic palette is a reflection of the Rahul's multicultural background and influences coming together as something new and distinctly unique.

Says Rahul, “Over the years, I have accumulated a large collection of songs and have posted them on different platforms (Myspace, Reverbnation, Soundcloud, etc.). There were also compositions that my band Iritis could not use because of the variance in style. I had always wanted to release a solo album from all this material, and in 2011, I had the opportunity to start working on this project. My former Iritis bandmate and drummer, Bruce Ng, who is currently in Germany, was enthusiastic about being a part of this undertaking. He became an integral and inseparable part of the journey as the co-producer of the album. In addition to programming drums he also reviewed all aspects of the project: from individual tracks, to the artwork, and any written materials. I can't imagine this album without his help and am extremely grateful for all he has done and continues to do.

“From a writing perspective, the idea initially was to pick the 'best of the litter' from my old catalog and rework and release them as a homemade album for free. But as I started working on the pieces, I found myself composing new stronger material compared to my early work. I've always enjoyed the sound of tablas in heavy music and I decided to tailor the songs to that theme. Most of the songs were inspired by people from different backgrounds and walks of life, and my interaction with them. I tried to channel the essence of these interactions and the corresponding emotions into my music”

Band members:

Rahul Mukerji: Producer, songwriting, arrangements, guitars, guitar synth, e-bow, sampling, tabla and drum programming

Bruce Ng: Co-producer, arrangements, additional drum and percussion programming on all tracks

Ruben Rubio: All basses - www.rubenrubiobass.com

In closing Rahul has this to impart, “The album was born of multiculturalism and created with help from musicians and engineers in four different countries, over more than 5 years, through thousands of emails. We were all already friends or recommended by friends. It proved to me the importance of forging and nurturing bonds despite any geographic and cultural distances. While making this album, we may not have always been able to completely break through the language barrier, yet ultimately we were able to work through it all, and in music we found our common language. It was unity from diversity.”

Video links:

Youtube Channel Shortlink: https://goo.gl/GfCfj0

Album teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtlsgYBEBeI

FB page Shortlink: https://goo.gl/YYbPUe

Pianist Vadim Neselovskyi Forges a Musical Bond with his New Trio Amidst the Political Turmoil of his Native Ukraine

Get Up and Go, out May 19, 2017 features bassist Dan Loomis and drummer Ronen Itzik on Neselovskyi's sweeping, wide-ranging trio debut

" More than just a strong pianist, [Vadim] Neselovskyi is a composer who blends form and freedom in new ways." - John Kelman, All About Jazz

"NeselovskyiŠ managed to suggest Chopin, Debussy, Schubert, while developing simple phrases into expansive solo forms with piano-pounding climaxes." - Jim McNeely, Chicago Sun-Times

CD Release Concerts: May 2 - Regattabar. Cambridge, MA  o May 19 - The Side Door, Old Lyme, CT  o May 21 Bernikow JCC, Staten Island, NY  o May 22 - The Stone, NYC

Though he left the country more than 20 years ago, returning home to his native Ukraine is always a special occasion for pianist/composer Vadim Neselovskyi. His summer 2014 performance at the country's largest jazz festival, Alfa Jazz, took on an added poignancy, however, because of the political turmoil afflicting the nation. Having assembled a trio especially for the occasion, Neselovskyi forged a strong and meaningful bond with his bandmates - bassist Daniel Loomis and drummer Ronen Itzik - through this act of musical communion with his homeland.

That deeply emotional bond can be felt and heard throughout Get Up and Go, Neselovskyi's first trio recording. The album, due out May 19, 2017 via Jazz Family and Neuklang Records, shows off the range of emotions this trio is able to summon, as well shining a spotlight on Neselovskyi's compositional gifts, allowing him to conjure a remarkable symphonic sweep from such limited instrumentation.

When Neselovskyi and his trio arrived at the Alfa Jazz festival that June day, they had planned an upbeat, playful set appropriate to an open-air summer festival. Only ten minutes before they were to take the stage, the promoter announced that a Ukrainian military plane had been shot down by separatists and that the entire country was in mourning. Neselovskyi sat down at the piano, faced not with a crowd of eager revelers but with a somber audience holding candles, tears streaming down their faces.

Changing the program on the fly, Neselovskyi opened the set with a solo performance of "Krai," a poignant piece that quotes from an Orthodox prayer, the raw feeling of which he replicates here. The trio followed with "Get Up and Go," the piece that became the new album's title track. Though the phrase connotes a feeling of energy and ambition in English, Neselovskyi was unaware of the idiom when he originally composed it (the song was originally recorded on Gary Burton's Next Generation album).

In the composer's mind, the phrase refers to a soldier, wounded on the battlefield and lying on the ground, who wills him or herself to rise and carry on. The tune's air of quiet but forceful resilience proved especially resonant in the circumstances in which the artists and audience alike found themselves that tense summer day. "The human soul is a complicated thing, and we'll probably never understand how it works, but I can say that I have a special connection to the place where I was born," Neselovskyi says. "Every time that I visit Ukraine or Russia, I think I'm subconsciously searching for this feeling of home that I had when I was growing up, but it cannot come back. That concert was a moment when I felt that I was together with my people, as strongly together as maybe only tragedy can bring people."

It was also a spontaneous shift in plans of which only a smaller ensemble would have been capable. Given his taste for employing an orchestral palette in his work, Neselovskyi had long resisted leading a trio. "I think of myself primarily as a composer, and I always felt like my music naturally required all these extra layers that a piano trio could not give," he explains. Having gleaned a wide-ranging grasp of orchestration from working in both orchestral writing and extensive solo performances in the wake of his solo album Music for September, Neselovskyi began to change his thinking, coming completely around upon discovering his significant chemistry with Loomis and Itzik. "Suddenly I started to see possibilities for how a trio could sound like an orchestra."

Not all of the music on Get Up and Go echoes the mournful mood of the Alfa Jazz performance. The album begins in the sort of playful mood that the trio originally had in mind that day, with the joyfully spiraling "On a Bicycle," inspired by 20th-century Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko. "San Felio" evokes even sunnier climes, sparked by a vacation on the Mediterranean and capturing the image of sunlight reflecting on the sea as well as the sheer freedom and exuberance of getting away from it all.

The muted, hauntingly slow "Winter," highlighted by Loomis' wrenching arco bass, depicts the isolation and detachment embodied by the coldest months of the year, while the dreamy "Station Taiga," featuring ethereal wordless vocals by Portugese singer Sara Serpa, gives that mood a geographical location - the train station that marks the entryway to the "infinite forest," the seemingly endless, snow-covered forest that covers much of Siberia, Canada and Alaska.

"Who Is It?" picks up the pace again, with frenetic, buoyant rhythms inspired by the folk music of Moldova and the Balkans that Neseolvskyi heard as a child. "Prelude for Vibes" adapts the title track of Next Generation, written with Gary Burton in mind, into a piano trio version, while interludes featuring a Loomis solo and an atmospheric group improvisation both culminate in the album's moody closer, "Almost December," the delicate, first-snowfall stillness of which is hypnotically enhanced by another appearance by Serpa.

The youngest student to be accepted into the Odessa Conservatory (at age 15), Neslovskyi moved to Germany and finally to the US, where he completed his studies at Berklee College of Music and the Thelonious Monk Institute, where he was awarded a full scholarship as the pianist of an ensemble handpicked by Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Terence Blanchard. During this time, he toured internationally with Hancock, Chaka Khan, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Terri Lyne Carrington and shared the stage with artists such as John Scofield, Terence Blanchard, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Benny Golson, Nicholas Payton and Steve Coleman.

Neselovskyi's 2013 solo piano album Music for September was produced by Fred Hersch and received wide critical praise including a 4-star review in DownBeat. He has worked closely with another mentor, Gary Burton, for the past twelve years, both performing with and composing for the master vibraphonist. His next release will be a duo recording with French horn player Arkady Shilkloper celebrating five years of collaboration, and he has plans for an album of his orchestral compositions in the near future.

www.vadimneseloskyi.com

Newport Jazz Festival® and Festival Artists Rank on "Best Of" Lists on JazzTimes Critics and Readers Polls

All photos by Ayano Hisa

Left: Christian McBride; Top right: Maria Schneider; Bottom right: Cécile McLorin Salvant

With a finger always on the pulse of the best in jazz, the Newport Jazz Festival® is pleased to celebrate festival artists who have won and been ranked on the JazzTimes Readers' and Critics Polls and nominated for honors by the Jazz Journalists Association (JJA). Newport Jazz Festival was also among the favorites selected by critics and fans.

JazzTimes readers' favorite artists who are performing in Newport are (winning categories are in bold):

*Newport Jazz Festival®: Jazz Festival

*Christian McBride: Artist of the Year; Double Bassist;Acoustic Small Group/Artist

*Jack DeJohnette: New Release; Drummer; Electric/Jazz-Rock/Contemporary Artist

*John Scofield: New Release

*Branford Marsalis Quartet: Vocal Release; Soprano Saxophonist

*Cyrille Aimeé: Vocal Release

*Snarky Puppy: Electric/Jazz-Rock/Contemporary Artist

*Maria Schneider: Big Band/Large Ensemble; Arranger; Composer

*Benny Golson: Jazz Book of the Year

*Trombone Shorty: Trombonist

*Joey DeFrancesco: Organist

*John Scofield: Guitarist

*Esperanza Spalding: Double Bassist; Electric Bassist

*Warren Wolf: Vibraphonist

*Terri Lyne Carrington: Drummer

*Cécile McLorin Salvant: Female Vocalist

*Esperanza Spalding: Female Vocalist

*Béla Fleck: Miscellaneous Instrumentalist

*WBGO-FM (Festival Travel Partner): Syndicated Radio Program; Podcast

The JazzTimes Critics' Poll included the following artists who are performing in Newport (winning categories are in bold):

*Newport Jazz Festival: Jazz Festival

*Theo Croker: New Artist

*Wadada Leo Smith: Artist of the Year; Trumpeter/Cornetist/Flugelhornist; Composer

*Henry Threadgill: Artist of the Year; Acoustic Small Group/Artist; Composer; Flutist

*Esperanza Spalding: Artist of the Year; Electric Bassist

*Jack DeJohnette: Acoustic Small Group/Artist; Electric/Jazz-Rock/Contemporary Artist; Drummer

*Maria Schneider: Big Band/Large Ensemble; Arranger

*Branford Marsalis: Soprano Saxophonist

*Vijay Iyer: Pianist

*Jason Moran: Pianist

*Joey DeFrancesco: Organist

*John Scofield: Guitarist

*Christian McBride: Double Bassist

*Warren Wolf: Vibraphonist

*Tyshawn Sorey: Drummer; Composer

*Cécile McLorin Salvant - Female Vocalist

*Cyrille Aimeé - Female Vocalist

*Béla Fleck - Miscellaneous Instrumentalist

*WBGO- FM (Festival Travel Partner): Syndicated Radio Program; Podcast

Newport Jazz artists who have been nominated for 2017 Jazz Music/Recording Awards are:

                                              

*Benny Golson - Lifetime Achievement in Jazz

*Wadada Leo Smith - Jazz Musician; Trumpeter

*Henry Threadgill - Jazz Musician; Composer; Arranger; Multi-Reeds Player; Flutist;

Midsized Ensemble

*Maria Schneider - Composer; Arranger; Large Ensemble

*Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith - Record of the Year; Duo or Trio

*Cyrille Aimeé - Female Vocalist

*Cécile McLorin Salvant - Female Vocalist

*Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith - Duo or Trio

*Chris Potter - Multi-Reeds Player

*Scott Robinson - Multi-Reeds Player; Baritone Saxophonist; Player of Instruments Rare in Jazz

*Evan Christopher - Clarinetist

*John Scofield - Guitarist

*Vijay Iyer - Pianist

*Joey DeFrancesco - Keyboardist

*Christian McBride - Bassist

*Warren Wolf - Mallet Instrumentalist

*Jack DeJohnette - Traps Drummer

*Up and Coming Musician - Jerome Jennings

JJA winners will be announced at jjajazzawards.org on May 15. For more information on JazzTimes, log on to jazztimes.com.

The 2017 Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Global Asset Management takes place August 4-6 at Fort Adams State Park and the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino. Artists include The Roots; Béla Fleck & The Flecktones; Snarky Puppy; Andra Day; Branford Marsalis Quartet; Maceo Parker; Rhiannon Giddens; Maria Schneider Orchestra; Hudson: Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, John Medeski & Larry Grenadier; Christian McBride Big Band with Special Guests; Cécile McLorin Salvant; Naturally 7; Leslie Odom, Jr.; Philadelphia Experiment: Questlove, Christian McBride, Uri Caine; and Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington, Esperanza Spalding. More artist announcements are coming soon. For tickets and additional information, go to www.newportjazz.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 Newport Jazz and Folk 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 http://www.newportfestivalsfoundation.org/.